Most of the country has been crying out for a drop of rain but Scottsville has had more than its fair share, especially when it comes just before a race meeting.
With most of yesterday afternoon dogged by persistent drizzle, the ninth and last race was carried over to the next Scottsville meeting after jockeys complained of poor visibility and the meeting was called off after the running of the final Gold Circle Witness KZN Summer Challenge race.
Mr Winsome (Nkosi Hlophe)
In an effort to finish the meeting the jockeys were asked to keep off the inside running rail and on the better going, which they did. But the mud continued to fly pushing the field wide into the home straight.
Many battled in the sticky going, not so Mr Winsome who revelled in the conditions. Coming from off the pace and hard up against the outside rail, Dean Kannemeyer’s runner rattled home under Alec Forbes to win as he liked from the hard-knocking Frikkie.
The meeting started off well for punters but as conditions deteriorated, so did the results with a number of hard luck stories included.
Magical Bet came out on top in the mud-fight that was the Summer Challenge 1600m final to continue Glen Kotzen’s current hot streak, the 20-1 chance edging home ahead of Run Rhino Run and a decidedly unlucky Caribbean Day. The runner-up lent hard on the eventual winner who in turn cut across the bows of Caribbean Day who was making what could have been a winning run.
The stipendiary stewards were not convinced and there was no call for a race review.
Monte Christo was pegged by Alistair Gordon as a horse with a future early in his career but has since moved to Charles Laird where he has won two of his four starts for the yard including the 1200m KZN Challenge final. Listening to Anton Marcus the gelding is obviously a bit of an under achiever. “I should probably say this quietly,” he confided, “but his work at home is Group one quality. He just doesn’t bring it to the racetrack.” Blinkers obviously helped yesterday as he got the better of a tough fight with Roy’s Marciano and Highway Explorer.
Marcus was in top form ahead of his date with Table Bay in the Gr1 Grand West Cape Guineas on Saturday, booting home four winners including Kom Naidoo’s Trini’s Var Hyt in the card opener, deputising for Anthony Delpech who took a fall at The Vaal during the week.
Most impressive winner on the day was the Duncan Howells-trained and Dave McLean-owned Wild Wicket in the third. Running first time as a gelding he stretched away from his rivals to win as he liked and looks to have some scope.
By Andrew Harrison
