The Tony Rivalland-trained Highway Explorer was an impressive winner of the African Holly Handicap over 1000m on the Greyville polytrack yesterday and the win clinched the third of a terrific four-timer for jockey Alec Forbes.

Alec Forbes (Nkosi Hlophe)

Another highlight was the return to action of the much vaunted Robbie Hill-trained Red Chesnut Road in a Progress Plate over 1400m and it saw him losing little in defeat to the Frank Robinson-trained Winter Is Coming.

There was also a double for trainer Yogas Govender, his first since breaking ties with Plattner Racing, and one of his charges gave Tristan Godden his first winner as a fully fledged jockey.

Highway Explorer, an Australian-bred five-year-old gelding by Hussonet, caught the speedy 5/2 favourite Call Me Winter in the straight and pulled away to win by two lengths from A Womens Way and Call Me Winter. Rivalland later admitted he had always had a feeling the Mary Liley-owned gelding was a 1000m horse and this now confirmed it.

Frank Robinson has always rated Winter Is Coming, a Western Winter colt who is out of a half-sister to the 2015 Sansui Summer Cup runner up Deo Juvente. The handicappers gave him a 94 merit rating after he had won his maiden over yesterday’s course and distance by eight lengths at the end of September.

His two runs in December would have put him spot on for yesterday’s race. Meanwhile, the previously unbeaten Red Chesnut Road had been out through an injury enforced layoff since May 1 last year. In his first two starts over 1200m and 1100m respectively at Scottsville he had obliterated the opposition and the exceptional form of those races saw the handicappers merit rating him 104.

Tony Rivalland (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, on top of the long layoff, yesterday was his first time around the turn, his first time beyond a sprint, and he had to give Winter Is Coming 4kg. His odds of 9/20 looked a bit stingy. He was duly green around the turn. He still threatened to draw clear but Winter Is Coming, who started at 5/1, stuck with him and then edged ahead to win by 0,5 lengths. The Listed winner Palladium finished a 2,75 length third in the four horse field.

Forbes’ first victory was on the Belinda Impey-trained juvenile Miss Millionaire, who gave the new Scott Brothers-based stallion Crusade his first winner. Forbes’ other wins were on the Colin Scott-trained Silvano gelding Silver Sails and the Wendy Whitehead-trained Mogok filly Storm Kitten.

Govender’s double was with two Roy Moodley-owned horses, the three-year-old Muhtafal colt Roy’s Stormer and the Australian-bred Choisir filly Roy’s Rolls Royce, ridden by Godden and Brandon Lerena respectively. It was Godden’s second ride as a fully fledged jockey and he dedicated the win to his father as the important milestone happened on the latter’s birthday.

Moodley has had a fine trot over the festive season.

Duncan Howells had a winner with the Greys Inn filly Modernista and this saw him drawing level on top of the KZN log with Dennis Drier. The pair have had 29 winners apiece in KZN this season.

By David Thiselton