Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Cree Lodge pulls off a cracker

MICHAEL CLOWER
Cree Lodge, believed even by his stable to be short of the necessary stamina, sprang a 25-1 shock in the Rossgo Winter Derby at Kenilworth yesterday.
The Dean Kannemeyer-trained gelding came from last to first in little more than a furlong in the straight to beat Robert The Bruce by three-parts of a length, much to the delight of Gaye Thorogood who owns the Thoroughly Good-bred son of Casey Tibbs in partnership with Ray Deacon, Ian Hogg and Sir William Piggot-Brown. Much of the credit must go to Gerrit Schlechter who adopted some singularly brave tactics, saying: “There was quite a doubt about him getting the trip but I believed it was because he pulls so hard.
“He gave a fly-jump as he left the pens so I dropped my hands and he settled straightaway. I sat stone last until we came off the false rail and he then produced a fine turn of foot.”
Bernard Fayd’herbe also gave We Three a peach of a waiting ride in the Tekkie Town Winter Oaks.
He was content to sit out the back door until the final turn on the Silvano filly and then delivered her with a sustained run to lead a furlong out. Little wonder that he waved his fist in triumph after passing the post.
But Justin Snaith reckons this is just the beginning for Jim Mahony and breeder Bill Nelson’s filly, saying: “It’s rare that I get sent one that is such a staying sort. When she gets a bit older she will be aimed at the top staying races and she is the type that could run in the Canon Gold Cup. I earmarked this particular race six months ago.”
Snaith was also on the mark with Jean Roi in the 1 400m handicap (race five) and Felix Coetzee, who rode Gaynor Rupert’s homebred, committed Bridget Oppenheimer’s Jagermeister at halfway in the preceding 2 400m handicap. Stephen Page trains both the four-year-old and runner-up Gay Fortuna.
Coetzee said: “With Jagermeister it all depends on whether he wants to go, but you’ve got to go early if you are going to win.”
Top Seller turned the Langerman form upside down when serving up a 33-1 shock in the Tekkie Town Winter Juvenile Stakes.
Only eighth behind Brilliant Cut last time, Roy Ekstein’s homebred was last and already being ridden as the field turned into the straight.
But the Al Mufti colt responded well to M.J. Byleveld’s continued driving to hit the front inside the final furlong and beat Green Keeper by a length and a half.
Vaughan Marshall said: “He raced wide in the Langerman and couldn’t get in. He already needs further and he will be a serous horse when he gets 2 000m.”
The Marshall-Byleveld combination also struck in the concluding 1 000m handicap with Stormy Express while Mike Meredith’s Australian-bred Stimela won the maiden juvenile (race two) under Karl Neisius in the manner of a filly with a big future.
Not surprisingly, the Mike Bass stable think a lot of her.
Anthony Maeder had his first winner for over a year when Forest Child finished strongly under Fareed Anthony to get up close home in the fillies maiden (race three).
Maeder said: “I left Milnerton just after that last winner and I am now training near Melkboss Strand on a farm belonging to Forest Child’s owner Donald Hallgreen-Pauli.”
On a day with some real surprises Musa Ngozi, 24, rode his first winner when 25-1 shot Rosalinda’s Eyes landed the opening workriders maiden for Piet Steyn and a David Carswell-headed partnership.
Andrew Fortune returned to the fray after taking a month’s slimming sabbatical.
The champion was out of luck but - and this is perhaps rather more significant - he appears to have got his weight under control.

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