Mark van Deventer

TRAINER Greg Ennion was confident that his quirky, but talented speedball, Elusive Trader would retain his Southeaster Sprint crown at Kenilworth over the unusual 1100m distance. The Elusive Fort gelding, who does best when conserved for a late dart, duly blitzed past front runner Constable to score at odds of around 5/1. He was ridden with aplomb by master jockey, Anton Marcus.

Marcus does his pre- race research with great attention to detail and even though he had not sat on the horse before, knew how best to ride him. He thanked experienced conditioner, Ennion afterwards for teeing up the opportunity, and confirming optimal tactics. The race, into an appropriately brisk S/E headwind, turned out ideally for Elusive Trader, who recorded his fourth victory from 28 starts and has now raked in stakes of R1.5 million. The best jockeys make potentially awkward strategies look straight-forward – Marcus explained simply afterwards, “They went a reasonable pace, and he came on for a courageous win.”

Ennion was justifiably satisfied as his charge has battled with soundness issues and is not the easiest customer to keep in one piece as a result. His hold- up style of running has also lead to a number of tough beats, hence the relatively low win rate. Ennion said, “This 1100m trip is perfect. He has a turn of foot as good as any sprinter in South Africa. We will go for the Cape Flying Championships next.”

Pace-presser, Constable was game in second, building on a sterling run to Erik the Red in the Merchants. The trifecta slot was up for grabs till the last jump – top weight Cartel Captain just edging out Captain Tatters by a lip, with feisty grey, Worlds Your Oyster just off these placed horses.

Justin Snaith has his string in sparkling fettle and continues to crank out winner after winner, saddling four on the day. He was in the No 1 box with Crown Diamond, Taking Silk, La Quinta and Gertrude Bell. In contrast Dennis Drier, usually a perennial threat when in the Cape during Summer has endured a lean spell by his high standards, but, the veteran horseman rectified that lull when heavily punted favourite, Hail Columbia swept past rivals in the last to provide Drier with his first winner of the Cape season.

David Thiselton

THE Peter Muscutt-trained Indi Anna, paying R30.70 a Tote win and R7.00 a place, romped to a comfortable win in Saturday’s Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville under Raymond Danielson.

There was also an upset in the Listed Christmas Handicap over the same 1600m course and distance as Keagan de Melo extracted a strong finish from the Dean Kannemeyer-trained bottom weight Mount Anderson, who paid R11.00 a win.

The latter win was possible to find as Mount Anderson had snuck into the handicap with the minimum weight of 52kg, although he did have half-a-kilogram overweight to contend with, and he had run a close second off his current mark the last time he ran in good ground at Hollywoodbets, although that was over 1400m.

However, Indi Anna would not have been given much chance by mathematicians as she had finished fourth, fifth and fifth in her last three handicap starts over distances from 1400m to 1600m and she was now 9kg under sufferance with the best weighted runner in this conditions event. However, a closer scrutiny of the form showed that she had won four races in the top centre of Cape Town to reach her current merit rating and her first run in KZN followed national lockdown and she was then given another five month layoff before two more runs, so this was going to be her peak run. Furthermore, Cape Town-based horses of this calibre usually arrive in other centres with suppressed merit ratings due to the class of horse down there and it was proved again in this race.  

Indi Anna broke well from draw eight but found herself without cover behind the leader Electric Surge and was threatening to over race. However, Petra was taken around runners to join the leader and thus provided Indi Anna with cover.

Anybody who happened to tune in as they left the narrow false rail could easily have mistaken Indi Anna for an odds on favourite as she is a big and impressive specimen with a big stride and she quickened well. The Master Of MY Fate filly had the race in safekeeping halfway down the straight as she was clearly not stopping.

The Grade 2-winning three-year-old Love Bomb started Tote favourite and had the run of the race in the box seat behind the leader. However, she could not match Indi Anna’s finishing speed.

Instead, it was another outsider, Mary O, who was 6kg under sufferance with the best weighted runner, who ran on from off the pace to finish a clear second, 1,50 lengths behind the winner and 2,1 lengths ahead of Love Bomb, who just held on for third from the best weighted runner Gallic Princess.

Mary O finished second in last season’s Grade 2 WSB Fillies Guineas over this course and distance so yesterday’s performance was no fluke. 

Gallic Princess is a top class sprinter so was a bit stretched by the trip, but stayed on steadily.

The fancied Silent Crusade sat behind Love Bomb in the running and stayed on for fifth.

The only other horse in single figure odds was Magic School who is a big galloping type who was going to be dangerous if managing to get to the front or in to a handy position. However, when she missed the break and ended up last in the running the writing was on the wall. She could only stay on forlornly for seventh.

In a similar scenario to the Flamboyant Stakes, Mount Anderson broke well and found himself one out and one back without cover. However, on this occasion jockey Ant Mgudlwa was not keen to keep his mount Farland in the box seat after the pacemaker Priceless Ruler had begun applying the brakes, so he moved alongside and this provided perfect cover for Mount Anderson.

The favourite Baby Shooz now had the box seat and, carrying just 53.5kg, had the opportunity to prove that his entry in The Met is not a pipe dream.

Priceless Ruler had soon cried enough and Baby Shooz moved up well to take the lead. However, he needs further and Mr Fitz, who had sat behind him, was clearly finishing stronger. However, Mount Anderson, who is well bred being by Vercingetorix out of the Grade 1 Golden Slipper (1400m) and Grade 2 Gold Bracelet (2000m) winner Gilded Minaret, then found a burst and in the end won cosily by half-a-length from Mr Fitz, who pipped Baby Shoes by a short-head for second. Sniper Shot finished next best ahead of Shareholder. 

Danielson rode a double on the day as the Gavin Van Zyl-trained Blackball was at his impressive best when carrying joint topweight of 61.5kg to a 3,50 length win in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 2200m. 

Serino Moodley scored a double on the Lezeanne Forbes-trained Underthemistletoe and the Michael Roberts-trained Alado’s Pride.

Wendy Whitehead scored a double with Teichman, ridden by 2.5kg claimer Jabu Jacobs, and Macara, who converted favouritism in the last race under Donovan Dillon.

The meeting had also begun well for punters as the Tony Rivalland-trained Guitar King converted favouritism in the first under Lyle Hewitson. 

David Thiselton

Dean Kannemeyer’s fine horsemanship and loyalty to the underrated jockey Grant Behr were behind the shock win of Russian Rock in Saturday’s Grade 1 Cape Guineas. It was Dean’s sixth win of the prestigious race and the yard’s ninth as his father Peter also won it three times.

Kannemeyer said about the Klawervlei Stud-bred grey colt by Pomodoro, “He is claustrophobic and had begun box walking, so when spring came around I built him a new box in the paddock which allowed him to go out and eat when he wanted to. He became a completely different horse.”

However, the other problem which needed solving was his soft mouth, which had caused him to throw his head up and get the tongue over the bit in a 1400m race at Durbanville on October 17 and he then threw his head up again over 1200m on December 2.

Kannemeyer fitted a softer bit piece and his instructions to Behr were to get the horse’s head down and settled.

Russian Rock only threw his head up for a stride or two down the back straight and he was otherwise settled although he did take a strong hold.

Kannemeyer described the pace as steady and consistent, which aided his cause.

Russian Rock has stamina in his pedigree and had proved his speed in his previous start, so when he reached the top of the straight on the back of a perfect passage in a slow run race he was suddenly an interesting proposition. His in-running odds would have been a lot shorter than his 100/1 starting odds.

It was no surprise to see the Vaughan Marshall-trained Linebacker emerge as the likely winner half way down the straight as his form should have seen him in the top three in the betting rather than the 33/1 offered by some bookmakers. He is a big rangy type who was always going to appreciate the long straight of the New Course and Donovan Dillon had managed to relax him despite being caught wide from a wide draw.

However, it would have been a surprise for most to see Russian Rock appearing on the scene full of running.

He was even able to afford to be snatched back and switched when sandwiched at the 250m mark.

The latter occurrence was due to the hanging outward antics of the pacemaker Seeking The Stars.

Malmoos was also hampered, but was not looking like a winner,  and Rascallion, who eventually rallied back for third, was also affected.

Russian Rock rallied back gamely but was tending to hang inward.

Dillon, with the benefit of hindsight, possibly cost himself the race by continuing to whip Linebacker instead of straightening him. Linebacker consequently drifted inward meaning Behr did not have to worry about straightening his hanging mount.

Russian Rock got up on the line after a late surge and was without doubt the deserved winner on the day.

Kannemeyer said, “I was thrilled for Grant Behr who has had to play second fiddle in the Kannemeyer yard for about 100 years. If he had not won it would have been a tragedy. But he did not panic and pulled him out and got up. He was very cool and I take my hat off to him. I have always said that pound for pound Grant is as strong in a finish as any other jockey in the country. He always comes and rides work and has ridden a lot of winners for us, there is no doubting his ability.”

Luyolo Mxothwa had taken a while to get to the front on the expected pacemaker Seeking The Stars but once there had restrained him rather than let him stride freely as he had done in his last two impressive wins over 1400m. The explanation would likely be the stamina doubt about the Vercingetorix colt. Nevertheless, it led to the slowest Cape Guineas since 2005.

Time will tell whether the slow pace led to a false result.

Kannemeyer admitted he had fancied his other charge Silvano’s Timer but added, “Russian Rock’s previous race had been very good. His work had been so good too and he was absolutely popping out of his skin. I had heard so many times this season about horses who were going to win the Guineas but you’ve only won the Guineas when the trophy is on the wall. Bad horses do not win the Guineas. But the result is going to have the handicapper scratching his head.”  

Kannemeyer was especially thrilled to have won a classic for one of Cape Town’s most popular and prolific owners Marsh Shirtliff, who had requested he win one for him many years ago. At the beginning of the season Kannemeyer thought he might do it for Shirtliff with Lion’s Head, but it was fitting he did it instead with a horse Shirtliff had chosen himself at the Sales. Shirtliff had asked Kannemeyer what he had thought of Russian Rock shortly before he had been due to enter the ring. Marsh had liked the colt on both conformation and pedigree and Dean had assessed him as a “nice, balanced horse”. They agreed to bid and got him for R200,000.

Kannemeyer said, “Marsh was kind to bring in his partners Ian Longmore and Bryn Ressell.”

The Cape Guineas is known as a stallion producing race and Russian Rock is still an entire.

However, Kannemeyer always looks at racing first and usually gelds when it becomes necessary. He said, “What percentage of horses are good enough to make it as sires and what percentage of those make it?”

Kannemeyer said Russian Rock’s next race would likely be the Grade 1 Cape Derby over 2000m.

SA Derby and Vodacom Durban July-winner Pomodoro will give him some stamina and Russian Rock’s half-brother Deposition (Rock Of Gibraltar) has won two races over 2200m and 1950m respectively.

Russian Rock’s dam Elisium (Procolomation) is in fact a half-sister to Hoity Toity, the grandam of European Horse Of The Year, Minding.

David Thiselton

THE highlight of Hollywoodbets Scottsville’s meeting yesterday, which contained six maiden plates in eight races, was a Graduation Plate over 1 750m and it turned into a thrilling dual between the two market leaders Native Tongue and Shareholder.

 Shareholder was officially the best weighted horse in the small eight horse field but on their last meeting the Justin Snaith-trained Native Tongue had the edge at the weights and was also drawn in pole under Anton Marcus.

Power To Command set a strong pace and built up a big lead and Shareholder looked the winner when running on strongly from midfield. However, Native Tongue had moved up well from further back and found more than Shareholder to score by a length and convert 14-10 odds. Banzai Pipeline was a further four lengths back in third.

The first race was a Conditional Graduation Plate for work-riders over 1200m and the Dennis Bosch-trained Master Of My Fate gelding Knight Warrior recorded his second career win in his 16th start when being kept in touch by Mzwandile Mjokwa and staying on to cross the line 0,90 lengths of Charlie Fox.

The first two returned odds of 18-1 and 25-1 respectively and were followed home by 23/4 chance Kings Crusade with the market leaders Drama Queen (17-10) and Father’s Frost (33-10) only managing fourth and fifth in the eight horse field.

 However, punters could have made amends in the second over 800m when the Kumaran Naidoo-trained Visionaire filly Aisling, who was sent off at 6/10 odds under Donovan Dillon, kept up a strong gallop from the off to lead from pillar to post and win by 1.05 lengths from the Rafeef first-timer Civil Rights.

In the third race over 1000m the Louis Goosen-trained What A Winter three-year-old filly Beckoning Beauty was in touch from the off from draw one and stayed on strongly to deny the favourite Alwaysonmymind by 0,70 lengths.

This win gave Ashton Arries his sixth win in the space of eight days.

Arries was denied by a shorthead in the fourth race over 1200m on the 50-1 shot Trumpet Voluntary when the handy-running Toothless, a Garth Puller-trained Coup De Grace three-year-old gelding, was kept going by Lyle Hewitson to win his second career start. The 13-20 favourite Camora was handy throughout but ran out of steam and was beaten 0,35 lengths.

The fifth race over 1200m was ultra competitive and KZN Champion trainer Puller made it a quick double when Luke Ferraris brought home the Elusive Fort gelding High Velocity, who was also having his second career start and converted odds of 13-2. He won fluently by 1,50 lengths from the 11-10 favourite Winter Waves.

In the sixth race over 1500m the improved Michael Roberts-trained Byword gelding Tree Of Knowledge found the trip ideal and won cosily by 0,75 lengths under a good front-running ride by Gareth Wright, converting 17-2 odds. Kinskey’s Tune at 25-1 and the 21-4 first-timer Galabier were next best. The 14-10 favourite Cafe Pacifica let down PA punters by only managing sixth.

 Nathan Kotzen scored a one-two in the last race over 2000m when two horses he had brought on slowly but surely, Great Affair and Ellis Island, ran on strongly from way back in a fast-paced race. Muzi Yeni was aboard the 47-20 winner who is by Gimmethegreenlight. The 5-2 favourite Italian Dynasty finished third. 

Mark van Deventer

RUSSIAN Rock bravely overcame a troubled trip to score a massive 100/1 upset in the Cape Guineas (G1) over 1600m at Kenilworth, providing Dean Kannemeyer with yet another win in this historic Classic and a first Grade 1 for jockey Grant Behr. The flashy grey was sired by former Durban July victor, Pomodoro and bred at Klawervlei Stud.

Linebacker was a valiant second, caught in the last jump, after racing wide around the turn before going on strongly and looking all over a winner – except on the post. Rascallion, heavily backed in the market down to 33/10, encountered some trouble in the straight before staying on gamely to secure the trifecta slot. Jet Dark completed an exceedingly difficult quartet sequence, whilst badly drawn The Gatekeeper caught the eye with a torrid late rally just out of the places.

Russian Rock has now won twice from five starts, on both occasions starting as an unconsidered long shot. He won on debut at 50/1 over an inadequate 1250m and provided an even bigger stunner in the Cape Guineas. Trainer Kannemeyer was happy with the exceptional morning workouts the grey was producing – yet this was the first time he was meeting rivals of such a high calibre – hence the dim view the market took of his chances.

Journeyman jockey, Grant Behr seldom gets the opportunity to mix it on genuinely live runners in the big races. He is, however, an experienced level-headed professional and his loyal boss, Kannemeyer has always assessed Behr as an underrated, forceful rider. It was a remarkable effort from both the diminutive Russian Rock and Behr to rebreak after getting hampered at a crucial stage, before lunging to a famous short head victory.

In the Cape Racing Victress Stakes (G3) over 1800m, apart from having the highest merit rating in the field, Silvano’s Pride looked tactically dangerous as the lone speed. She was duly given a finely judged front riding ride by Richard Fourie, though he modestly commented afterwards that, “she does it all herself.” The Justin Snaith trained daughter of Silvano courageously went all the way to notch her sixth victory from 18 starts and will next have a dip at the Paddock Stakes.

Paul Peter’s Gauteng raider, Heart Stwings chased her around the wind-swept track to stay on for second in a career best performance. Favourite, Missisippi Burning was never a factor, jogging tamely in last place then failing to produce any sort of kick at her first attempt beyond a mile. Jockey Craig Zackey lamented that “she was off the bit soon after the start.”

The complexion of the Peninsula Handicap (G3) over 1800m changed completely in the final 200m. Captain Flinders had shaken loose on the lead halfway down the stretch but could not withstand a horde of challengers in deep stretch. Best finisher of all was Nexus, under inspired veteran, Pierre Strydom who rushed past in the centre of the course, marginally ahead of Super Silvano and Love Happens.

The winner was also saddled by furnace-hot, Snaith Racing, who have extracted 7 wins from this talented Dynasty gelding. It was a sterling effort carrying 59kg’s from a wide barrier then passing 11 horses in the final furlong to get up for the win. Super Silvano, 2^nd to Winter Series hero Katak in July, regained form to get closest to Nexus.