Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

KZN trainers stepping it up part 2 of 2

David Thiselton (continues from part 1)

Naidoo’s Purple Lake, an ultra quick four-year-old filly by Lake Coniston, was never headed in her first three career starts and won the Grade 3 Magnolia Handicap over 1 160m at Turffontein as well as the Grade 3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1 200m at Clairwood.
His three-year-old Dynasty colt, Dellotto, won the Listed Michael Roberts Handicap over 1 800m at Scottsville. Naidoo also won the Fever Tree Handicap at Clairwood with Dynamite Mike and the Umthombothi Handicap at Scottsville with Tres Forte. Cape-based Glen Kotzen finished fifth on the KZN log with 43 winners. Frikkie Greyling and jockey Derryl Daniels once again excelled as Kotzen’s Summerveld assistants. Ashburton-based Duncan Howells was sixth with 37 winners, the highlight being Tropical Empire’s facile win in the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes over his favourite Greyville 1 400m trip and La Pucelle’s win in the Grade 3 Strelitzia Stakes at Scottsville. Howells also won the Umsinzi Handicap at Clairwood with Bold Wonder.
Private Karkloof-based trainer Michael Roberts was eighth on the log with 34 wins ahead of Summerveld’s Gavin van Zyl on 32 wins.
Van Zyl also did well on the Highveld with eight winners.
His five-year-old Strike Smartly filly Prestic had an excellent Johannesburg campaign, winning the Grade 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes as well as finishing second in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes and the Grade 3 Acacia Handicap.
His Silvano three-year-old gelding Bulsara also did well up there, winning the Grade 3 Graham Beck Stakes and finishing second in the Grade 1 SA Classic. In KZN Van Zyl won the King’s Pact Stakes with Poppins.
Highveld-based Charles Laird finished tenth on the KZN log with 27
winners, his Clairwood satellite yard being looked after by Stephen Jupp.
In other KZN highlights Paul Lafferty’s Goat made it into the July field.
Alistair Gordon sent out Tuscan Sky to win the Grade 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes and to finish third in the Grade 1 Gold Medallion. Gordon’s Red Flyer won the Listed Umgeni Handicap over 1000m at Greyville on the first day of the season and the Marula Sprint at Scottsville in February. Mike Miller won the Listed Guineas Trial and finished third in the Grade 1 Daily News with Lizarre, who was later sold into the De Kock yard. Miller’s two-year-old Count Du Bois colt, Countless Times, won the Grade 2 Umkhomazi Stakes as well as the Sentinel Stakes and finished second in the Grade 3 Goldolphin Barb. Craig Eudey sent out Forecastle for four wins in a row, Bart Rice claimed a hat-trick with The Walrus, including in a Chapter Challenge Final, Alyson Wright had 26 winners including Jet Command who won his first three starts, Wendy Whitehead’s Two Tone also won his first three starts and Mark Dixon augmented his 24 KZN winners with his usual successful raids of the Vaal sand, claiming three wins from 12 starts up there.

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