No. 1958
MONDAY 22nd - THURSDAY 25th JULY 2013
ISSN 1023 / 6996
4
Overdue. Mike De Kock's Right Approach gelding Right Beauty looks well overdue to win again
ARLINGTON
12:55pm (Monday) p.4
VAAL SAND
12:25pm (Tuesday) p.13
CLAIRWOOD
12:10pm (Wednesday) p.26
VAAL
1:05pm (Thursday) p.33
MR 103 HANDICAP at Vaal on Tuesday
T
The tussle between incumbent Mike De Kock and his rival Sean Tarry for supremacy and the right to wear the crown of SA Champion Trainer continues as we enter the final week of the current season. The two go head to head on the Vaal sand on Tuesday, where De Kock may hold the ace with the talented Right Beauty.
he sub plot of the ding dong battle between these two top yards may well be interpreted as a figment of the colourful imagination of a racing media desperate for needle. Unlike the jockey title, where a substantial cash carrot is dangled, the trainer title is more about prestige and public relations.
After eight years on the throne, De Kock will not be capitulating without a fight and while he has only four runners to Tarry’s eight representatives at this particular meeting, he holds the upper hand here.
Real Beauty
De Kock sends out the Right Approach gelding Right Beauty who has been threatening to win for over
a year now. Right Beauty started his career in storming fashion and won on debut before being placed in the 2011 Gr2 SA Nursery. Always held in high esteem by his connections, he failed to crack it at the higher levels and he has astonishingly only won one race since then. That said, he has shown positive resolve at his last three sand starts, when
staying on stoutly and looks time in a Pinnacle Plate. He ready to win again. easily accounted for Eugenes by 1,75 lengths with Right Royal Sort Beauty staying on another The Geoff Woodruff trained 2,25 lengths further back. Killua Castle is an interesting Storm Surf is 1kg better off runner. The 3yo gelding is a with Eugenes for that beating son an Australian bred son of and is a half kilo worse of with Churchill Downs and has his Right Beauty. third run on this surface. He has been placed at both Azzie Trio of his previous two starts and Mike Azzie saddles the Fort his Classic race placed efforts Wood gelding Eugenes as well as well as an excellent fourth as the two good fillies Dragon on the Scottsville turf last time Vein and Magic Smoke. in a Graduation Plate behind Dragon Vein won her Cup Trial winner Astro News, first three starts and looked show that he has the ability. promising before going off the boil at her next three outings. Low Mileage She is poorly drawn on the Kum Naidoo’s Storm very outside of her opposition Surf is a lighty raced son of but has a paperweight 50kgs Kahal and he won well over on her back and could the course and distance last challenge for the places.
Magic Smoke is a very capable 4yo daughter of Fort Wood and is bang in form. She won well over the mile last time out beating Uncle Tommy and Right Beauty. She meets the latter on 1,5 kgs worse terms for that beating of 1,75 lengths and the distance may be the leveller here. Cont. p.2