‘End’ does it with ease

PUBLISHED: 16 October 2017

Given all the rain midweek that interrupted training regimes and the lowly handicaps on offer it was always going to be rough going for punters at Greyville yesterday and so it proved.

Winners were difficult to find but Parade’s End looked to be the best proposition on the card and so that proved. Second in two competitive maidens before yesterday, Parade’s End made short work of her opposition, leading all the way under stable rider Gareth Wright.

“I let her do her own thing and use her action,” he explained. “She got to the front easily and from there on it was easy.”

Brandon Lerena

Brandon Lerena

For the balance of the card’s favourites it was not so easy. Sharp Seattle was given a good chance by Gavin van Zyl but veteran Burra Boy (8-1) brought his A-game to the poly and won with daylight to spare at the start of the Pick 6. Blake and Cathy Richards have had a lot of fun with some relatively cheap buys and with Mark Dixon at the helm they have had good success.

This was Burra Boy’s third win from 35 outings but had finished in the money on 14 occasions – 15 after yesterday – so has more than paid his way with earnings of over R270k.

Just when it looked as if Sharp Seattle would run him out of it, Brandon Lerena changed gear and Burra Boy pulled clear to win going away.

Home-bred by Gold Circle director Babu Nunan, Burfi (19-1) has been consistent without setting the track alight but his mare put her best foot forward to land the Track & Ball Gaming handicap. She kept digging down to hold the luckless favourite Zinzara with Online staying on for the shallow end of the purse.

Kom Naidoo pulled off a quick double in the sixth as Serino Moodley kept pumping away relentlessly on Northern Storm (16-1) to eventually ware down leader Zadora who has improved since being raced in a tongue-tie.

Charles Laird has been a little quiet in recent months but the veteran is starting to step them out and was rewarded with Dance On Air (5-1) under Keagan de Melo getting the better of recent winner Mr Roy and Mumsy’s Jet after stable companion Monte Christo set a searching early pace.

Starting for home too early on the poly track very often results in an empty tank come the final 50m – not always but more often than one would expect on a quick surface and so it proved in the card opener. De Melo pinched what looked to be a winning lead at the top of the straight as he sent Green Fairy for home early, but was run down on the line by the consistent Coral Queen.

“Warren (Kennedy) said we should try her over 2000m,” surmised Gavin van Zyl. “He’s stable jockey so it helps to listen to them.”

Kennedy confirmed. “Keagan (de Melo) skipped but his horse came back at me and my horse stayed to the line.”

A percentage of the Pick 6 won and the PA paying close to R1 000 told of a difficult day for backers.

By Andrew Harrison