Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Legal Maxim makes big impact

David Thiselton
The performance of the day at Scottsville yesterday (Sunday,August 22) came from the Gavin van Zyl-trained three-year-old Caesour colt, Legal Maxim, who romped home in a MR78 Handicap over 1 600m despite being given a tough 86 merit rating after his maiden win three runs ago. The grey came from a wide draw under Raymond Danielson and didn’t settle very well which added further kudos to his ability as he quickened away from a handy position and won comfortably by three lengths from the Pat Lunn-trained Embrace The Empire.
Van Zyl is thinking of sending Legal Maxim to Johannesburg for the Spring features. The meeting started in interesting fashion with a three-parts brother to Jet Master, Watch The Weather, running out an impressive winner.
The Rakeen three-year-old colt from the de Kock yard started at cramped odds of 3-10 and Anthony Delpech sent him to the front in the 1 400m maiden event when it became clear that the pace would not be on. Delpech rode him hands and heels down the straight and he pulled clear to win by 4,75 lengths from the Yogas Govender-trained Senor Grise.
Breeder and part-owner Chris Saunders has always rated this horse, who looks to have a bright future. In the second, a weak maiden over 2 400m, place accumulator punters were left sweating when the 11-20 favourite, the Sean Tarry-trained Victory Beat, began floundering in the straight. Felix Coetzee did well to just hang on for third. The winner was the Govender-trained National Emblem four-year-old gelding Au Pair Boy, ridden by Karl Zechner. In the third, a Novice Plate over 1400m, bookmakers would have been relieved when the De Kock-trained odds-on 15-20 favourite, Chekeche, failed to win. The three-year-old Kahal filly became the first of five de Kock favourites over the weekend to fail to win, although PA punters would have been less happy for after a slow start she failed to run on into the places, finishing fourth. Andrew Fortune rode a fine race here on the Alyson Wright-trained Kahal filly, Zoot, coming from second last and waiting patiently in the first part of the straight before delivering her with a well-timed run to just get the better of the Mark Dixon-trained Keen Accord. In the fourth, a MR92 Handicap over 1 600m, the Mike Bass-trained 14-1 shot Facing Federer, a five-year-old Windrush gelding, had a disappointing Champions Season but bounced back here to win under Aldo Domeyer from the front-runner, the Wendy Whitehead-trained 20-1 shot Great Sovereign.
High Repute at 14-1 finished third to complete a big blow for PA punters. The favourite Mathafa ran fifth and second favourite Orbit War appeared flat and was tailed off last. The sixth, a MR70 Handicap over 1950m, saw the seven-year-old entire, the Ivan Moore-trained Masked Wonder, claiming his fifth career victory under Lucian Africa, just touching off the Dennis Bosch-trained Surge Blanco. In the seventh, a MR88 Handicap over 1000m, the talented Dennis Drier-trained sprinter Candy Tuft, a five-year-old mare by Mogok, showed her liking for Scottsville under Stuart Randoph and got the better of the Wendy Whitehead-trained Spring Clover in the closing stages. Delpech rode his second winner of the day in the last, a MR74 Handicap over 1000m, when bringing home the Colin Scott-trained Bold Alliance. The five-year-old Mogok gelding has enjoyed being dropped back to the Scottsville 1000m in his last two starts.

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