Andrew Harrison

Justin Snaith was hoping for an early strike with Roland Garros as the Champion Trainer starts his Champions Season raid but I’m A Fireball put paid to that as Mike and Mathew de Kock’s gelding put a disappointing run in the Gr2 Gauteng Guineas behind him to win the March Stakes over 1400 m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday.

Callan Murray intimated that the 1600m of the Guineas had been a touch too far from a wide gate but he had no hesitation in taking I’m A Fireball to the front from the start.

Under pressure all the way up the straight, I’m A Fireball kept finding. In contrast, favourite Roland Garros was a long way off the pace turning for home and at one stage looked to be struggling. However, the grey finally got it all together and was making strong progress late, but too late, with I’m A Fireball holding him off by a fast-diminishing half-length.

Mike Miller has few peers in starting off young horses and while most of his contemporaries sit back and wait to bring on their charges, Miller has them out early and reaps the rewards.

He landed the first two on the card  as Japura finally got her nose in front in the card opener after finishing runner-up to Durban Diamond at her previous start.

The stable then had a solid form-line going into the next where Durban Diamond was close to the top of the boards. All the money was for Global Trend and it was money on the mark as the daughter of Red Ray cantered home ahead of stable companions Royal Crest and Ode To The Sea giving the yard a well-deserved trifecta.

Miller stable rider Tristan Godden got the first two home for the yard but switched to the Peter Muscutt-trained  Psyche in the first leg of the Pick 6. Godden admitted in a post-race interview after Global Trend’s win, that Psyche had disappointed in all three starts when starting favourite. There were no mistakes yesterday. Taking up the running early in the straight Psyche put all behind her cantering home with veteran Skipper O’Malley a well-beaten second.

Rachel Venniker has hit a rich vein of form at recent meetings. She booted home a treble in the night meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday and followed up yesterday on JP’s Palace for Darryl Moore whose yard has also found form with the United States back at his best on Friday night’s poly.

Riding s copybook race. Venniker has JP’S Palace poised on the rail as Terminator set the pace but once taking over the lead it was tough going as challenges came from all sides but the son of Potala Palace showed mountains of courage in fighting them all off and getting home just ahead of Mister Nibbles and Tyrconnell.

Terry Fripp is doing a masterful job for Milnerton-based Candice Bass as her Summerveld assistant as the numbers show. Fripp joking said that he was winning maidens but Lilac In Winter put that straight as she ran out a comfortable winner of the Class 5.

Sneeuwitjie has upset more than one exotic bet, both her victories coming at long odds, and for a few strides it looked as if she would scupper a few more. However, she was out of gas over the final furlong as Serino Moodley got the best out of Lilac In Winter who ran on strongly to keep Greenlight Queen at bay with Sneeuwitjie staying on for second and R6.30 a ‘drum’.

Vihaan’s Web is relatively lightly raced as a four-year-old but made it four from a dozen starts as he held on just long enough to edge out favourite Fortress Of Fire in the Class 3 over 1200m. The result may have boiled down to 1kg with Gareth van Zyl’s charge hold on under 2.5kg claimer Damyan Pillay and Venniker with her 1.5kg allowance closing fast but just not quickly enough.

Apprentice Bongani Makhubo comes with a pedigree in racing second to none with his father a long-time employee of the Mike and Mathew de Kock yard and also an accomplished rider in workrider’s races.

At just his sixth ride as an apprentice, Bongani shed his maiden as he fittingly got Queen Braganza home in the last for the De Kock yard. He will need some tidying up as he had reins as long as fishing lines in the drive for the line, but Queen Braganza responded gamely to comfortably hold off Captain’s Pride and deny Venniker a second winner.