…so does KZN with a number of runners missing yesterday’s Scottsville meeting due to temperatures and respiratory infections.

The Racing. It’s a Rush Pinnacle Stakes only drew eight runners and that was cut to five as Mark Dixon had two casualties due to respiratory infections and Marsala missed her engagement after being cast in her box.

Duncan Howells also had a ‘patient’ on his hands with the well fancied Holy Flame forced to miss the last race on the card but he took full toll in the Pinnacle Stakes as his runners bagged the first three places for staunch owner Dave MacLean.

Fiorella (Candiese Marewick)

Dawn Calling is probably the best Novice in racing and for the ninth time in her career had to settle for a runner-up berth as stable companion Fiorella got the better of her in a tight finish with the least fancied Girl In Gold holding on to third from top weight Lala.

It was always going to be a race where tactics were going to play a big part and it was left to Anton Marcus to make the bidding as he allowed Dawn Calling to pull herself to the front with Anthony Delpech settling Fiorella off the pace, kept company by Lala.

Dawn Calling was keen throughout and although Marcus tried to keep some gas in the tank when challenged, the needle quickly dropped to empty when Fiorella arrived with a telling challenge.

Fiorella gave Delpech a quick double as he had earlier got up on the line aboard the Dean Kannemeyer-trained favourite Pure Logic in the Gold Circle Facebook Page Handicap.

With Delpech hard at work at the top of the straight, Keagan de Melo appeared to have timed his run to perfection on second favourite Coys for Paul Lafferty, but Pure Logic gradually found top gear to get up on the line.

Lafferty was also out of luck earlier as favourite Majestic Glory was one of the biggest sufferers in a logjam in the Rockafellas Handicap. Constantine, for once not missing the kick, raced up handy and avoided all the shouting and bellowing behind him to keep going just long enough under apprentice Diego de Goveia to hold off the late-charging Majestic Glory.

Belinda Impey’s Amor Ardiente looked the part in the Soccer 6 Handicap but when it came to the crunch, recent maiden winner Ballymaine had too many guns and drew off to win comfortably under Warren Kennedy for the grandfather and grandson training partnership of Ivan and Darryl Moore.

By Andrew Harrison