No. 1834 ISSN 1023 / 6996
4
MONDAY 14th - THURSDAY 17th MAY 2012
FLAMINGO PARK ............... 12:20pm
(Monday) p.6
CLAIRWOOD .......................... 12:35pm
(Tuesday) p.15
KENILWORTH ....................... 12:05pm
(Wednesday) p.26
VAAL TURF ................................... 12:20pm
(Thursday) p.34
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Catch a monkey slowly. The patient approach often pays dividends in horseracing and a smart 3yo steps out at the Vaal on Thursday afternoon to contest the 1800m Racing Association MR 90 Divided Handicap. Golden Crest looks set to record his hat-trick of wins and continue his cautious climb up the ladder.
ongstanding owners Gladys and Roy Meaker have won far bigger races than this midweek feature and are having their best season in a good few years with some smart three year olds sporting their instantly recognisable red and yellow silks in both Durban and Johannesburg.
Family Values The Silvano gelding Golden Crest is one of the Meaker family’s fast rising stars and he looks particularly smart and progressive. Bred by Roy Meaker, he is a low-key, scopy sort, who has frankly been rather molly-coddled by the astute horseman Geoff Woodruff. The shrewd trainer has avoided the bump and grind of the hard school of the classics and brought him along relatively slowly. The patience appears to have paid dividends, and he takes the next step on Thursday with the services again of champion jockey Anton Marcus. And despite lumping a hefty 60,5 kgs, he looks the likely winner. Golden Crest has only seen the racecourse six times and has won thrice and been placed on two others. His three wins have all been achieved over a mile, but there is little concern that he will have a problem with the extra 200m here as he won his races by a collective 9,25 lengths. He hardly looked particularly stretched or stressed in the process. In his last outing, also at this MR 90 level, he toyed with St John Gray’s fairly able shooter, the year older Super Trouper, and beat him by 3,75
lengths. Granted, Golden Crest was receiving 5kgs but it was the facile manner of his victory that impressed. Super Trouper gave 3kgs away and ran 2,25 lengths behind recent Gr2 Camelia Stakes winner Welwitschia Patience rewarded. 3yo Golden Crest is coming along the right way. over 1400m at Turffontein in midMarch. We can draw all kinds of lines and conclusions from these collaterals, mutilated and mauled by race-callers. of, at the very least, picking up a stake to risk the rent money on, it may pay but Golden Crest faces some relatively The son of Tiger Ridge is quite in-and- cheque. Which may mean a well-earned to wager a few rand of the Mother’s ordinary opposition here in reality. out but has won three of his nine starts. holiday for him. Jockey Muzi Yeni rides Day gift budget and take an each-way His best effort was his win in the Listed him, and he would no doubt love to wager on this Parade Leader gelding, Support Staff Woodruff sends out a three way Secretariat Stakes over 1400m towards win this. The talented rider is going who should be priced around 25-1. coupling and his support duo are made the end of 2011. He won a MR 92 through a personal winner drought, Medical Aid up of two former Western Cape horses Handicap over 1800m in March and having only ridden two winners in a All said and done, Golden Crest then ran a fair third in the Derby Trial month. who have both had their moments in looks the right horse amongst a rather behind Zambucca last month. the spotlight up North. Oh Mother modest and tired lot. His connections Wagner’s efforts in the Gauteng The better of the two may prove to There are a few others with minor will be expecting him to pass this midGuineas and SA Derby are best forgotbe the former Mike Bass-trained Count claims. King Fernando was a fairly dle-term test with distinction. Evidence Dubois four year old Luminous Love, ten. The Derby was also only run two highly rated three year old who has his of aches and pains, from sore legs to weeks ago and that may have taken the who is in the form of his life having second run for Sean Tarry, since mov- sore backs, that he has experienced in won four of his seven Gauteng starts spark out of him. It is mystifying that ing up from Doug Campbell’s beauti- the past, will no doubt concern his Piere Strydom rides him for the fourth and sets out to achieve his hat-trick ful Sugar Hill Stables at Richmond in backers though.We thus suggest some here. That is not bad going for a horse consecutive time and that is really the KwaZulu-Natal. He admittedly has caution. only reason we would rate him with a who left Cape Town a one-time winIf Golden Crest does not bring his largely lost the plot and focus and is ner. He may prefer 200m further and chance. now a five year old. He also hasn’t won best performance to the Vereeniging should be a quartet prospect at best. Coast Guard since a wet Durban day in the final track, then the race is quite wide open. Fort Lodge also left Cape Town a Piere Strydom is a wizard and he could Erico Verdonese takes his chances forty-eight hours of 2009. one-time winner, having scored a weak with the seven year old Caribbean Coast That’s not inspiring stuff, we must work some magic on the out-of-sorts Durbanville 2000m maiden win for who has been on the go without a admit, But if we go back six months, Wagner. But he will have to pull a Joey Ramsden. He has won once on break since January 2011. That means King Fernando ran last Saturday’s Gr1 rabbit out of the bag. turf and once on sand, both over he is a workaholic, a very fit horse or a Castle Tankard winner Code Rock to The best of the seniors could be the 1800m, in Gauteng. He has the beat- hardy sound sort. Or a combination of 0,25 lengths over 1900 at Greyville. Doowaley soldier Caribbean Coast , ing of Luminous Love on their last the characteristics. But he invariably He is a year older than the Alyson who seldom runs a bad race. Then the meeting on Worker’s Day, but although tries his damndest, and is often a nice Wright-trained gelding and was receiv- four year old Luminous Love is also well drawn at 3, jockey Hennie Greyling quartet kicker for punters. ing 2,5kgs from him, but it does illus- chasing his hat-trick and gets on well has declared a kilo over, so negates the Caribbean Coast receives 4 kgs here trate that he has it in him to run a with Marco Van Resnburg. advantage somewhat. We also made a small case for Tarry’s from Golden Crest and that means a blinder. And Brandon Lerena,who The hard-hitting Joey Soma sends 5,5kg turnaround in the weights for a knows him well, rode him then and new boy, King Fernando. He could be out three year old Wagner for Ingrid 5,25 length beating at their last meeting, puts a leg over again. The change of lurking in the shadows. And if he and Markus Jooste. Piere Strydom gets which was over a mile. While poorly scenery may also have revived his en- doesn’t come to the party, there is on the horse whose name is often drawn at 14, this edge gives him a chance thusiasm for racing. While not a horse always another Mother’s Day in 2013.
Main Aim Oasis Dream – Orford Miss by Selkirk
Timeform 123
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Son of Champion Sprinter OASIS DREAM 6 wins incl 2xGr wins & 8xGr places (1200m -1400m)
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