Andrew Harrison
NEW owners are a rare breed in South African racing, especially young ones, but you will not find a more enthusiastic bunch than the partners in Rainbow Spirit, the winner of the first at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday.
The meeting was switched to the poly after heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday put paid to the turf but that did not deter a late plunge on the Yogas Govender-trained gelding.
Showing plenty of pace, Rainbow Spirit kept rolling under Ashton Arries to run out a comfortable winner with stable companion Ndaka, in the same ownership barring Naidoo, filling fourth.
The four friends, Brandon Gaillard, Chad Britz, Jarrod Eady and UK-based Kyle Storkey have been racing together since the Clairwood days where pie, chips and gravy was their staple and a more passionate quartet you will be hard-pressed to find. They have horses with Govender and Shane Humby at Ashburton and this was their first winner with Gaillard, for once, lost for words.
S’Manga Khumalo is making an early run on the national championship and is currently in second place with 28 winners behind Warren Kennedy who has already opened up a considerable lead and on 47 after making all the running on the Doug Campbell-trained Siya Vuma in the third.
Khumalo is one of the strongest riders around but he needs to refrain from striking his mounts in the flank. Quizz Master, second in the fourth, will not forget yesterday’s race in a hurry.
Khumalo went forward on Quizz Master but was not able to hold the challenge from Airways Law, Andre Nel’s runner coming on lengths from his debut. It was also the first winner back for Gareth Wright who was laid off with a smashed ankle for many months.
It will have been a tough ask for Carl Hewitson to pull his grub stake in PE after the groom’s riot that prompted Yvette Bremner to throw in the towel. Hewitson was the stable assistant and with some owners staying loyal he moved to Summerveld. Understandably it took a little time for him to settle and find out where his horses fitted in but he is making inroads as Lord Minver showed as he came home lonely. Gelded, he showed improved form when sent a mile for the first time, only fading late, and that run brought him on lengths as Sean Veale put the race to bed at the top of the straight.
Giacomo Puccini looked to be one of the better bets on the card but Marcus did not have the easiest of rides trying to keep his mount straight which eventually was the difference between winning and losing as Prince Of Taranto out-gunned him. Tony Rivalland has always thought well of his charge and he did him proud under Serino Moodley.
Don’t Touch me has blossomed in his new environment and scored back-to-back wins in the last for Duncan Howells. Apprentice Thabiso Gumede bounced the gelding out of the gate, and in spite of some unwanted attention from Callmemrgreenlight who was all over the course, sat patiently until two furlongs out before making his move to hold off a charging Caesura comfortably.
