Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Naidoo cashes in with Dellotto

David Thiselton
Michael Roberts failed to score a hat-trick of wins as a trainer in the race named in his honour, the Listed Michael Roberts Handicap over 1 600m at Scottsville yesterday.
However, he nevertheless had a great day as usual surrounded by his family and friends in the Sledgehammer and Grand National suites, and on top of that he sent out Zidane’s Gold to win the last, a race named in honour of his wife Verna and his daughters Melanie and Carolyn.
Roberts, regarded by many as the finest jockey South Africa has ever produced, had won the Michael Roberts Handicap for the last two years with West Coast Gold and Tropical Empire and also won the race twice as a jockey.
This year’s renewal was run in soft ground, unsuitable for West Coast Gold, and he ran unplaced.
Instead it was the yard of Kumaran Naidoo that added another stakes success to their growing list as Muzi Yeni brought home the only three-year-old in the race, Dellotto.
Dellotto stood out in the parade ring, looking magnificent with the unmistakeable head of his father Dynasty, a healthy shine to his coat and looking very defined and fit. However, he was officially 4kg out of the handicap, which led to him being sent off as a 25-1 shot.
Naidoo said afterwards that the horse had always put up excellent work at home, so he had decided that if he was going to run him during the KZN Champion’s Season, this race would be a good race in which to test his ability.
Ultra Vires set a very good pace up front, while Muzi Yeni was content to drop Dellotto out to last from his wide draw in a strung out field.
A cavalry charge ensued in the straight and it was the Duncan Howells-trained Select The Star who came from well back in the field to emerge from the pack at about the 200m mark.
He might have cost himself though by ducking to the outside rail.
Meanwhile, Dellotto had sliced his way through the field and, despite being slightly jostled as he took the final gap, he ran all the way to the line to win by 0,25 lengths from Select The Star.
Mr Esplendid also came from near the back to finish a neck further back with Shipwreck getting fourth ahead of Autumn Frost.
Dellotto is owned by KP Naidoo and Preggie Somasundram and was bred by APJ Britz.
The day always brings back memories for Roberts as most of the races are named after great horses he rode such as Mtoto, Mystiko, Intepidity, Sledge-hammer and Lando as well as after his first ever winner, Smyrna, which he rode to victory at Scottsville in 1968.
One of Roberts’ fondest memories riding in South Africa was when he won the Cape Guineas on the Vaughan Marshall-trained Sea Warrior at Milnerton in 1986.
“Sea Warrior was a horse that had to go to the front,” remembered Roberts. “But Felix Coetzee was on a strong front runner too, the filly Ecurie.”
Ecurie had been beaten only once in six starts, and then only narrowly.
However, there was a concern before the event that she and Sea Warrior would “cut each other’s throats” out in front, as the old saying goes.
Roberts continued, “I said to Felix in the stalls, ‘don’t worry, leave it to me, I’ll go to the front’. He nodded in agreement. I duly took up the running, but then I slowed it right down. Then, just before the turn, I kicked and stole three or four lengths on the field.”
Sea Warrior held on to win from Ecurie by a rapidly diminishing 0,75 lengths.
“Felix wasn’t best pleased.” Roberts chuckled.

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