Cuban Emerald displayed the sort of acceleration Usain Bolt wishes he still had when powering home in the Buco Handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday but, for the moment at least, Justin Snaith has no intention of upping him in class.
He said: “The next level is a big jump and I am happy to keep the horse in this company. He is still a big immature type and he hated every minute of the hard training tracks in P.E. Indeed he disliked the whole environment there.
Justin Snaith (Nkosi Hlophe)
“Then Kevin Sommerville (Drakenstein racing manager) identified that he was looking a bit awkward behind. We brought in a physio and that has made all the difference.
“We also found that he was losing his races at the start as he is such a big horse so we now trot him round behind the pens to warm him up.”
Second-placed Power Grid put last time’s flop behind him and indeed looked all over the winner until Richard Fourie pressed the detonator to such explosive effect. “He had a speedy cut and an over-reach last time. Here he was back to his best,” said Andries Steyn’s wife Jennifer but the horse continues to confound veterinary opinion, not least with the way he walks round the parade ring as if he is lame.
New Caledonia, though, has had more than his share of injury and he twice did a lower suspensory ligament last year. The five-year-old bounced back to make Lucy Woodruff’s 23rd birthday in the Isotherm Handicap with Grant van Niekerk throwing accepted tactics to the wind by going on just under two furlongs out.
“My stomach went to my mouth and I nearly had a heart attack,” said Geoff Woodruff’s daughter, mixing her medical metaphors. “New Caledonia likes to run at horses but I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present.”
It was also a memorable day for Dan Katz who had his first winner since his appointment as Hassen Adams’ private trainer when Jason Smitsdorff sprang a 25-1 shock on Lalena in the Medal Paints Maiden.
Ken and Jane Truter are doubtless wishing they had chosen a more peaceful place than Barcelona for their European holiday but their Vaughan Marshall-trained Flash Twice had no problem landing the odds in the last to complete a double for Aldo Domeyer who was also on the mark on Queen Moira in the Matus Maiden.
Glen Puller was another to double up with Piet Botha on Steel Rose wearing down the luckless Varside in the first and Akshay Balloo on 15-1 shot Miss D’Aray again showing his talent for slipping the field two races later.
In-form Piet Steyn had his fourth winner in three meetings when Sihle Cele on Call Me Darling got up in the last three strides of the Steinbuild Handicap.
By Michael Clower
