Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Azzie eyes Scottsville with Vacherin and My Kazzie

David Thiselton
Mike Azzie said yesterday that he would be bringing his brilliant two-year-old sprinter, Vacherin, down for the Grade 1 Gold Reef Resorts Medallion over 1 200m at Scottsville on May 30.
Azzie said of the Var colt, who was a facile winner of Saturday’s Grade 2 SA Nursery over 1 160m at Turffontein, “Anton (Marcus) said that he is the fastest horse he has ever ridden.
He is nowhere near his peak yet as we have hardly done anything with him. He hasn’t even had a grass gallop yet and went into the Nursery on sand work alone.
Anton didn’t want to run him, but I was sure that he would be okay on his sand work. After his run on Saturday we would be crazy not to go for the Medallion.
“But after that he will only have one more run as a two-year-old, probably in a conditions race, and he will then be prepared for next year’s Cape Flying Championship and Computaform Sprint.
“He will definitely bypass the July day and Clairwood Champions day races.”
The last statement would interest would-be entrants of South Africa’s Charity Turf Challenge, which carries guaranteed prize money of R100 000 this year and includes a special R10 000 prize for the July day races.
Azzie believes he will also win the Grade 1 Alan Robertson over 1 200m at Scottsville on May 30 with My Kazzie, a Team Valor-owned filly that is named in his honour.
She is unfortunately not on the Charity Turf Challenge list.
Barry Irwin of Team Valor recently explained My Kazzie’s name, “The South Africans, much like the English, have a speech pattern that drops the end of
the first name and adds it to the beginning of the second name. So I thought I would honor Mike and toss a little word play into the bargain!”
The Western Winter filly won her second race, a maiden over 1 200m, by 8,5 lengths after running well first time out in the Grade 3 Pretty Polly Stakes over 1 100m.
Azzie said that her program would include the Grade 1 Golden Slipper on July day and the Grade 1 Thekwini Fillies stakes on Champions Day at Clairwood on July 25.
He added that another Team Valor-owned Western Winter filly of his, the three-year-old On Her Toes, would be running in the Korean Racing Association Fillies Guineas on May 10 on the condition that she comes into a maximum of draw eight after the field has cut up.
She is currently drawn 16 of the 31 entries.
Azzie said that if the filly did run in the Guineas and ran well, she would
then be considered for the Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes over 1600m on July day.
On Her Toes, who is on the Charity Challenge list, recently won the Grade 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes over 1400m at Scottsville to maintain her unbeaten record in KZN.

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