Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Palm Blue delivers for Crawford

MICHAEL CLOWER
Harold Crawford’s final throw of the dice with Palm Blue at Kenilworth on Saturday was rewarded with a convincing win and a handsome Tote dividend in the International Soccer 6 Conditions Race
Niven Marday had ridden only one previous winner but the 21-year-old was ice cool on the 33-1 shot, driving her clear over two furlongs from home and never even picking up his stick as his mount kept up the gallop to account for the fancied Seminole.
“She ran quite well at Durbanville on Tuesday when she was fourth in a handicap,” said Crawford. “But the lease had run out and she was due to go back to Lionel Cohen so I decided to run her again. I didn’t think she could win but I felt she might get a place and I put on R50 on the Tote. I also put on R20 for a win just in case,” added the Milnerton trainer as he mentally calculated his R 1 200 return.
Greg Ennion had Richard Fourie’s advice to thank for the overdue return to form of Minkie Seale’s 16-1 shot Louisiana Dandy in the 1 800m handicap (race seven).
Ennion explained: “Richard also rode him last time and said the horse wasn’t trying. He told me to put blinkers on, drop him a bit in distance and he’d win. He was spot on.”
Not many big time trainers admit to being surprised when one of their horses win but Dean Kannemeyer did just that after 14-1 chance Darcy’s Arcy, part-owned by Tellytrack presenter Grant Knowles, drew clear in the final 200m of the maiden juvenile (race two).
Kannemeyer added: “He was showing me a little but he chipped a near-fore joint on his first run and the chip is still there.”
Gerrit Schlechter, who rode the gelding, followed up for Kannermeyer when Harris strode right away in the concluding maiden. Andle Ndzongo wrapped up the Western Province Owners and Trainers Association Workriders Series, and collected cheques totalling R6 000, when steering Graham Beck’s Scarlet Sky to a comfortable win in the opener. This was the 34-year-old’s 12th success and he has been with Mike Bass for over 15 years.
Gavin Wright took his career total to 25 when leading almost from the start on Magic Sue for Raymond Davies and Stephen Page in the maiden juvenile fillies (race four). Andries Steyn’s perseverance paid off when Willem Engelbrecht’s Last Flight won a maiden (race five) at the 15th attempt, Grant Behr getting the best of a three-way photo. Yogas Givender took his first season total to 48 when the Sabine Plattner’s Barcelona Winter made a winning debut under Bernard Fayd’herbe in the 1 200m maiden juvenile fillies (race three).

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