Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Bass magic at Kenilworth

MICHAEL CLOWER
Mike Bass, seven times champion Cape trainer, was the dominant force at Kenilworth on Saturday when he won three of the nine races and also saddled three beaten favourites.
The most improved of his three winners was Alinga who cracked a pedal bone when lashing out against a wall last year and was off for over ten months.
She had gone up up nine kilos in her last three starts and, although she only won the 1 800m handicap (race six) by a neck, it was a typical Karl Neisius judged-to-perfection ride. You wouldn’t like to bet against her doing it again next time. The filly carries the colours of Lionel Cohen who had his first runners as a trainer in Australia on Saturday.
He also had two winners as a breeder in Cape Town including the Bass-trained Nelson An Napoleon in Warne Rippon’s colours in the first division of the mile handicap (race seven). Andile Ndzongo, joint work rider of the year, made his experience tell when initiating the stable treble on Marsh Shirtliff’s Peregrine Power in the opening grooms maiden.
Cause To Believe looks like justifying her name because, although she was beaten a rapidly dwindling neck by the Grant van Niekerk-ridden She Wolff in the 1 200m maiden (race two), she was a desperately unlucky loser.
Justin Snaith, who sent out the first three, pointed out: “Felix Coetzee chose to ride her but she got cut across when making her run. If you are a punter, you want to earmark her!”
Hassen Adams, who owns the 20-1 winner, also enjoyed a convincing success with Mystic Moon who was delivered with a strong final furlong run by Oswald Noach in the next, a 1 500m maiden – much to the satisfaction of Greg Ennion who was convinced his colt would win.
Just about the only people convinced of Lemon Meringue’s chance in the concluding fillies maiden were her owners Gordon Leighton, Mervyn Law and Gavin Simoen.
They had never owned a winner before but they and their families decided to plunge on the Tote. Andrew Nienaber did the rest and the machine paid out a whopping R44.80. This was the third winner saddled by ex-jockey Paul Reeves who started training last November and whose delighted owners now regard him in the same light as Mike de Kock!
Bridget Oppenheimer’s Wild Shot sprang an equally big surprise in the 1 200m handicap (race four) when brought from quite some way off the pace by Aldo Domeyer who also scored on Nelson An Napoleon.
Stephen Page, who trains the 45-1 chance, admitted: “I’ve always been of the opinion that Wild Shot needs a mile plus but Gavin Schafer said he would win over six furlongs, and he was right.”
Everything went wrong for Karis Teetan on Joey Ramsden’s hot favourite Biasca in the last, but he impressed Vaughan Marshall when taking the 1 200m handicap (race five) on Wethreekings and Piet Steyn was equally pleased when he produced Pergamon Alter 100m out for the Chris Sandes-Jim Thomson partnership three races later.

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