Anton Marcus is not one to return for post-race interviews for minor races. “People have seen the race so I can’t add anything. Let the owners and trainers have their place in the sun,” is his view.

So it was telling when a clearly agitated Marcus made an appearance in public after hot favourite Antony Hotspur spread-eagled his field in the first leg of the Pick 6 at Greyville yesterday.

Runner-up in his first two when favourite, Marcus made amends on the 4-10 favourite Antony Hotspur but his biggest scare came at the start.

Sentido, drawn on the outside of the favourite, played up in his stall and broke open the front gate and an already jumpy Antony Hotspur also reacted and was backed out. Sentido was withdrawn and fortunately for favourite punters, Antony Hotspur took his place.

The start in KZN has become a major bone of contention with trainers and jockeys, and while many of the delays are attributed to unruly and badly schooled horses, the military precision of loading by numbers and starter’s assistants who appear clueless add to these perceptions.

The race proved to be a formality for the favourite but it was not a happy Marcus that appeared in front of the television cameras and let rip about the starting procedures.

“This horse barrier trialled a week ago and was up tight. But because of the new loading system he had to go in first. It’s not fair on the punters. It’s funny how 99% of people in racing are wrong and 1% are right.”

“Nobody is looking for preferential treatment but clearly it isn’t a consideration amongst the officials,” he concluded angrily.

Nicolene Roscoe, assistant to Alistair Gordon, confirmed, “He (Antony Hotspur) is up tight and probably a little above himself. He had an injury so we will see how he pulls up.”

Marcus had better fortune in the seventh where he finally got the best out of Dawn Calling.

There are few more competitive trainers around than Duncan Howells and a recurring virus eventually forced him to shut up shop for a fortnight towards the end of February.

When he did re-start, it was with a splutter, but Dawn Calling will have put some spark back into the operation with a smart win in a strong Pinnacles Stakes where she was badly out at the weights.

The weight disadvantage did not trouble her yesterday as Marcus had her handy throughout, pinching a lead that she never relinquished.

Favourite Statute, made a tardy start and from then on was never travelling and finished out of the money. She is a filly with class but at this stage of her career, a straight six furlongs may be her forte.

Any seasoned punter will tell you that taking odds-on about a runner, especially in maiden races, is a major financial risk and best left alone as there is seldom value.

However, the trick is working out which runner is fair value and those that had done their homework in the second would have been wary of taking the odds-on about Esstoora.

Beaten by the modest galloper Rosie Bubbles when an even money favourite last time out, she certainly did not look to be as short as odds-on in spite of Marcus staying with the ride.

So it proved! Esstoora tried hard and was in contention all the way to the line but Sheik’s Storm, seemingly out of it after finishing a distant fifth on debut, showed that she had ability when trialling well and her run behind the smart Statute, although beaten nine lengths, was not a bad debut.

“We had a bit of a wide draw,” confided Callan Murray. “But she jumped well and was up with the pace,” he said of Paul Gadsby’s runner.

By Andrew Harrison