Sir David Baird ran out a commanding winner of the Listed Guineas Trial at Greyville on Saturday and in doing so booked his place in the Gr1 Cape Guineas to be run at Kenilworth next month.
“He’s found his trip,” said a well satisfied Mike de Kock who has a plethora of smart sophomores in his care this season. “1400m is a nothing race,” he said, commenting on Sir David Baird’s two recent defeats over the distance. “It’s not a sprint and it’s not a mile but this horse shows a lot of speed and if he had got beat today I would have put him back over a sprint. I also liked the way he saddled up. Usually he kicks and plays up but today he stood like a professional.”
But Sir David Baird will not be going back to a sprint as Gavin Lerena swept to the front from the start, winning unchallenged.
Sir David Baird (Candiese Marnewick)
“We didn’t go very fast but I knew that Puller’s horse (Ryker) pulled very hard so I was not going to play into his hands. This was his right trip,” said Lerena.
“He’s so fast at home but I liked the way he quickened today,” added De Kock as Sir David Baird, a half-brother to Gr1 winning sire Argonaut, put four lengths between him and second-placed Ryker. “It’s just a pity that Mr Rattray was not here to watch, he’s only back Tuesday,” De Kock concluded. “He’s put so much into the game, he deserves this.”
Summerveld-based, Mark Dixon had an afternoon to remember as he sent out three winners. His run started in the third when Asian Star finally got his act together in a competitive maiden and veteran Celtic Captain upsetting a strong field in the fourth where the filly Dawn Calling went off favourite. A disappointed Duncan Howells commented later after Neptune’s Rain had broken the stable duck, that Dawn Calling had pulled up distressed after the race and may have been affected by the heat.
Dixon’s well fancied Fantasy Lady found one too good for her in the fifth as Parabola gave Brett Crawford his first winner from his recently established stallelite yard overseen by salted veteran and top trainer in his own right, Peter Muscutt.
Dixon was not done and rounded off his afternoon as apprentice Ashton Aries scored his second win of the day aboard Admiral’s Guest who had a more than useful field over three lengths behind at the line.
De Kock bolted from the winning interview just in time to see Kinaan score comfortably in the Lanzerac Le General Kenilworth Cup but it was a day of upsets down south.
Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion winner Sand And Sea fluffed his lines on his seasonal debut behind 20-1 shot Power Grid while the filly Miss Katalin upstaged a few Cape Guineas hopefuls in the R2.5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes, getting up close home to edge out a tremendously game Bold Respect who jumped from the worst of the draw.
The upsets didn’t stop there as Rocket Countdown blasted into the Cape Guineas picture in the Gr2 Selangor Cup, beating home another outsider White River with Do It Again and favourite Broadway Trip both losing their unbeaten records finishing third and fourth respectively.
By Andrew Harrison
