If you took a fancy to the name ‘Roy’ this weekend you would have been in front with the bookmakers as three runners racing in the silks of prolific KZN owner Roy Moodley provided handsome returns for the faithful.
That said, there were a lot of ‘Roy’s’ that did not feature.
Roy Moodley (Nkosi Hlophe)
The names Roy’s Taxi and Roy’s Donkey are not exactly inspiring but as the adage goes, there is never an ugly horse in the winner’s enclosure.
Taxi and Donkey both scored at long odds under apprentice Tristan Godden at Greyville on Friday night and it was the turn of Brandon Lerena and Yogas Govender at a scorching Scottsville yesterday as they opened the card with Roy’s Amazing Ash, although this win was not unexpected if you followed the money.
The five-year-old son of Greys Inn was having his 21st outing but his were odds trimmed from an opening call of 14-1 to 7-1 at SP to beat home the two fancied runners Glen Coco and Seattle Spell.
Lerena had Roy’s Amazing Ash hard at work at the top of the straight and his mount was game to the challenge as he kept finding to the line to hold off Glen Coco and Seattle Spell, who both at one point looked likely to go on by.
Top weight Muscatt was game in defeat in the itsarush.co.za Handicap with weight rather than the firm going proving his undoing. Getting the measure of pacemaker Arabian National with 100m to travel, he was a spent force as the grey Isca rattled home on his inside to nail him close home. Gavin van Zyl’s runner was slow out but with the blinkers off, Kegan de Melo built him up nicely and he finished with a wet sail.
Ticky Tin is not the largest specimen but gave Godden, who finishes up his apprenticeship in a week’s time, a memorable finale to his time as he shunted the Des Egdes-trained filly home ahead of Quena and Victory Cross in the Rockafella’s Restaurant Maiden.
Baltic Amber has been something of an enigma for the Duncan Howells yard. The gelding has shown that he has what it takes to rise to bigger things given his homework so three wins are below what has been expected.
But given a strong early pace, Anton Marcus was able to keep him in the box seat from a favourable draw and accelerate when it mattered.
Baltic Amber raced in the familiar silks of Geoff Perkins and they were back in the winner’s box two races later as Dressed For Success turned in another smart performance under apprentice Denis Schwarz for Paul Lafferty. Arriving from well off the pace, the daughter of Ashaawes came away to win as she liked and looks more than just useful.
Earlier apprentice Liam Tarentaal gave Aqua Blue a peach of a ride for Therese Mitchley in The White Horse Function Room Handicap after Godden, aboard veteran Royal Zulu Guard, has pinched an early lead but was just not able to hang on.
It was a stable double two races later with Tarentaal teamed up with Whatawondefulworld to a comfortable win from rank outsider Tide Is Turning, the exacta paying in excess of R500.
By Andrew Harrison
