Mike Miller is not one to let the grass grow too long when it comes to two-year-olds and his runners made up most of the field in a recent barrier trial for juveniles. Bound By Duty was one of the first contestants and had already had two warm-up trials before yesterday’s first 800m scurry of the season at Scottsville, finishing at the head of affairs both occasions.

At his second trial, Bound By Duty was pressed to the line by the filly Enterthedebutante and yesterday Kom Naidoo was quietly confident that his filly could turn the tables.

It was not to be for both Enterthedebutante and apprentice Xola Jacobs hunting the first winner of his career. The more experienced colt and rider proved too much for their rivals although there was only a half-length in it at the line with the balance left gasping for air.

Naidoo had better luck in the third when the aptly named outsider Innocently Naughty caused a major boil-over in the results and at the start.

Twice Over Satin had her starting stall certificate withdrawn as she played up in the gate after being loaded, injuring Warren Kennedy who was laid off the for the balance of the afternoon with an injured foot. To add to the starter’s problems, Twice Over Satin got away from the starter’s assistants and bolted the course.

All the commotion triggered Innocently Naughty who reared up and came within a degree or two of tipping onto her back.

“I got all unbalanced,” recalled Jarred Samuel, who has had his fair share of bad luck with falls. “I thought to myself that I was not going to be planted at Scottsville and managed to bail.”

Re-loaded, Innocently Naughty held off the attentions of visiting Florence and Dancing Princess, favourite Awayinthewoods fourth after a difficult passage.

Trainer’s Louis Goosen and Duncan Howells were in the boardroom after the race complaining about the ride from Anton Marcus as Awayinthewoods hampered both of their runners at various stages of the race. Howells felt particularly hard done by as Starlight took a knock shortly before the line to finish a short-head back in fifth.

The stipendiary stewards however, were unmoved in their assessment, although both complaints came after the all-clear had been sounded. “We were satisfied with what we saw,” said head stipe Shaun Parker. “If they saw it differently then they should have objected and tried to convince us otherwise.” The official stipes report noted that Awayinthewoods had been hanging out throughout.

It was hard going for punters over the weekend with the Pick 6 and Place Accumulator paying rockets on Friday although Byron Forster, assistant of Cape-based Andre Nel in KZN, had a fine evening saddling three winners and a second but the luck ran out a tad yesterday as Q The Music and Silver Rose had to be content with second.

Approaching the final furlong, Q The Music looked all over a winner in the 1600 KZN Summer Challenge but stand-in rider Serino Moodley signed off on his apprenticeship with a winner. Replacing the indisposed Kennedy, Moodley came from the clouds on the Paul Lafferty-trained The Bayou, threading his way through the traffic to collar Q The Music and win going away. Moodley and Eric Ngwane have completed their five-year apprenticeship and from today are fully fledged jockeys.

National Champion jockey Lyle Hewitson, because of his experience in workrider races, was only indentured for three years and will also lose his apprentice moniker but his superb record may be challenged by second-year apprentice Luke Ferraris, who rode his 60^th winner at Turffontein on Saturday to lose his claim. Ferraris showed yesterday that he was capable, with or without his claim, as he scored on the Sean Tarry-trained Live As One. Tellingly, it was Tarry who was quick to realise the talents of Hewitson and provided him with the bulk of his winners in his national title triumph.

By Andrew Harrison