Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Another big season for Bass part 1 of 2

David Thiselton
Mike Bass was the Western Cape’s Champion trainer for the season 2009/2010 and finished fourth on the National log, less than R100 000 behind third-placed Charles Laird. Bass’ seasonal totals were stakes earnings of R11 876 470 nationally, of which R9 474 150 was earned in the Western Cape, and 105 winners, 87 of them in the Western Cape. His highlight was capturing of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and J&B Met double for the fourth time in succession.
Pocket Power won the Queen’s Plate for the fourth time in succession, while his full-sister River Jetez finally broke her Grade 1 duck when winning the J&B Met.
Bass filled three of the first four places in the Met with Pocket Power and Fort Vogue finishing third and fourth respectively. On the same day he dead-heated for first in the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes with Love Is In The Air.
Other notable Bass runners last season were Rushing Wind, who won the Grade 3 Matchem Stakes and finished second in the Grade 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint; Captain’s Secret, who won the Grade 3 Cape Classic and Listed Sophomore Sprint; Sunsational who won the Grade 3 Final Fling Stakes and Grade 3 Prix du Cap; Thanks John who won the Listed Durbanville Cup; Blue Tiger who finished second in the Grade 1 Gold Challenge, second in the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship and second in the Grade 2 Diadem Stakes and Gaultier who finished second in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint. Bass’ fierce rival Justin Snaith finished second on the Western Cape log and fifth on the National log with earnings of R5 987 025 and R9 422 770 respectively. He matched Bass for winners in the Western Cape with 87 and outdid him nationally with 136, although at the same 11% strike rate.
Snaith’s most successful horses were Townsend, who won the Gr 2 Odessa Stud Fillies Championship and the Listed Stormsvlei Mile; Dance With Al who won the Gr 2 Southern Cross Stakes; Sparkling Gem who won the Gr 3 Diana Stakes and Robert The Bruce who won the Gr 3 East Cape Derby. He also had seven other Listed winners, Emerald Cove, Country Girl, Asian Emperor, Miss Scaramanga, Ebony Flyer, Sleek ‘N Sassy, We Three and Sky Link. Joey Ramsden finished third on the Western Cape log, just over R500 000 behind Snaith, and seventh on the National log. His highlight was with the unbeaten Silvano colt Bravura, whose season culminated in a fantastic win in the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby from a wide draw. Bravura unfortunately didn’t come out again due to a setback.
Ramsden’s other Grade 1 win was with his two-year-old Copper Parade, who won the Golden Horseshoe at Clairwood, albeit on objection. Ramsden’s Mother Russia won the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet on the first day of the season before being sold into the Mike de Kock yard. The yard’s biggest other win was with Badger’s Cove, who won the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes. Dean Kannemeyer finished fourth on the Western Cape log with earnings of R5 056 040 and twelfth on the National log. His brilliant Grade 1 Cape Guineas winner Noordhoek Flyer was targeted at the Vodacom Durban July, for which he was ante-post favourite, but after winning the Grade 2 KRA Guineas, his Daily News run showed him to be a miler.
Kannemeyer trained the subsequent Horse Of The Year, Irish Flame, to win the Listed Politician Stakes, but this horse was sold into the De Kock yard after the Cape Summer. The yard’s other biggest successes were with Past Master, who won the Grade 2 Selangor Cup, and with the promising pair Last Regal and Cree Lodge, who won the Gr3 Winter Guineas and Gr3 Winter Derby respectively. Sun City also won the Listed Settler’s Trophy. Vaughan Marshall was fifth on the Western Cape log with earning of R3 747 420 and once again showed his expertise as a trainer of juveniles. Marshall’s Brilliant Cut won the Gr3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery and the Gr3 Langerman, Madrisa won the Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery and the Listed Perfect Promise Fillies Sprint and Top Seller won the Listed Winter Juvenile Stakes. His classy three-year-old Tales Of Bravery won the Gr3 Winter Classic.

continues with part 2 ofÿ¿OL

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