A run under the belt is mostly invaluable and although Miss Trust still made something of a meal if it in winning her maiden, she learnt just enough at her Scottsville debut to get the better of a game Breaking Barriers in the Itsarush.co.za Maiden at Greyville yesterday.
Peter Muscutt, assistant to Brett Crawford, was still impressed with her win. “Clearly she didn’t learn much from her first start. She was still very green. She is only just learning her trade and I think there is significant improvement to come. I think she was just a little bit better than Sean’s (Veale) filly.”
Anthony Delpech (Liesl King)
Breaking Barriers came into the straight with what at first looked to be a ton in hand and shifted to the outside fence in front of Miss Trust who was the only other runner making any headway.
Anthony Delpech, who had won the card opener on Mark Tapley for Garth Puller, switch his mount in from behind Breaking Barriers and worked hard to get past when it counted.
Kazaar, an easy maiden winner at second time of asking for Dennis Bosch, made a smart handicap debut winning the Track & Ball Fixed Odds Handicap. Owner Brian Burnard’s gelding has clearly made significant improvement since finishing runner-up to Drageda at Scottsville and easily turned the tables, although the latter doesn’t look too genuine as Anton Marcus was at him a long way out and he never seemed to find his stride.
Jumping from a sprint to nine furlongs at only a third start is always a risk and the well-fancied Autumn Rain was run out of it by Barking Irons, a second for Puller, and Secret Service. The favourite was given every chance by Delpech but was one-paced late.
Geoff Perkins has a multitude of horses in training, in partnership and on his own, and although Secret Service came up short and Naked Truth fifth behind Barking Irons, he had a change of fortune in the tabGOLD Information App Handicap when Madame Excess got the better of her rivals in a titanic struggle to the line. She looked a lost cause 400m out but Keagan de Melo kept her hard to her task and she got up close home to deny favourite Queenie and Gorgeous Guest with two short-heads the finishing margins.
“I put blinkers on her and she showed exceptional work at home on the sand,” said Duncan Howells. “She’s not an easy ride and doesn’t quite give 100%,” commented De Melo. However, Howells revealed that Madame Excess had, had a couple of “niggly” back problems.
Anton Marcus is one jockey who is never afraid to commit early and has often come in for criticism from many a grandstand jockey when beaten. However, the ‘riders in the stand’ were happy when he made a bold move at the top of the straight on Hidden Thought and Glen Kotzen’s filly slowly pulled away from the opposition in the Track & Ball Gaming Handicap to register back-to-back wins. The daughter of Lateral has made steady improvement and on yesterday’s performance she could get further than a mile.
By Andrew Harrison
