David Thiselton
The small yard of Tienie Prinsloo triumphed in the Gr 1 WSB Cape Guineas with Vercingetorix filly Quickstepgal and it was a triumph too for the Wernars family and Harry Willson, who made the astute decision to buy her in training with the help of bloodstock agent Justin Vermaak.
Jockey Gavin Lerena’s strategy played a big part in the victory.
He said, “I always had it in mind to go to the front, but then I was hearing there were a couple of pacemakers in. I was quite happy to go forward to be in behind the pacemakers, but they didn’t come, so I was pretty happy to alone in the lead. She has got such a good action it would have been detrimental to have her in behind a slow pace and not using her action. As long as she was using her stride I was happy, whether it was in behind a fast pace or the pace I was at. She was very sensible in front, her ears came up very soon. She was just free-wheeling, she enjoyed it, she absolutely cruised around the course. From halfway around the turn I thought it was going to take a good one to beat me. She had cruised around so easily that I wanted the others to come off the bit early so I gave her a squeeze at the top of the straight. She lengthened beautifully and I felt I still had a lot of horse in hand, so if they were going to come at me, she was going to give me another kick.”
Lerena said Stormwatch had begun challenging, but he kept his mount in the hands until the 300m and then squeezed her again.
He said she responded superbly.
It was virtually race over at that point as she kicked away.
However, Reet Petite did produce a tremendous turn of foot when given a smack by Richard Fourie and Quickstepgal’s supporters had to hold their breaths again.
However, when Lerena gave her a smack at the 150m mark she found the necessary extra to keep the big-actioned Reet Petite at bay by three-quarters of a length.
James Crawford is trainer of Reet Petite and Crawford Racing were narrowly denied a win in the Gr 1 Classic for the second year in succession and for the third time in the last four years.
It was a first win of the Cape Fillies Guineas for Gavin and there can not be many Gr 1s around the country now that he has not won.
It was a first Gr 1 win for Tienie Prinsloo, who used to train in the backwater centre of Kimberley and he currently only has 13 horses in his yard.
Wish List ran on well from near the back of the field for a two length third.
She had sat behind Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship winner Princess Of Gaul in the running and overtook the latter late in the race.
Princess Of Gaul ran on well initially, but appeared to not quite see it out and was beaten 2,50 lengths with Lowveld Lily 0,30 lengths further back in fifth.
The race was a nightmare for the hot favourite Golden Palm, the East Cape Equus Champion raider from the Alan Greeff yard.
She came out of stall seven hesitantly and and after the pack had been shuffled she ended up on the rail in midfield. With Quickstepgal dictating in front, and with there being just a narrow 1,5m false rail, she looked up against it from a long way out. However, it was not all down to luck in running. When she switched outward in the straight her usual kick was just not there. She took a long while to pick up, but did manage to do some good work late and finished a 3,80 length sixth. Time will tell whether she can bounce back. This was a filly being touted for superstardom and she started at odds of 91/100. Her next start will tell whether the bubble has burst. It must be remembered that a former East Cape star, Bold Silvano, bounced back from an unplaced run in the Cape Derby to win the July.
Gavin said in the winner’s enclosure that himself and Tienie had gone back a long way and he recalled being given some rides by him in Kimberley when chasing the championship ten years ago and he said he had always called upon him along the way during his career.
He added, “It means so much to me to ride a Gr 1 winner for him. He’s always been a great trainer. He’s come from humble beginnings and it’s never been easy for him, but he keeps showing up and I am so elated he has got this Gr 1.”
He also thanked caretaker trainer in Cape Town, Eric Sands, and also the deserving owners, the Wernars family and Harry Willson.
Tienie said Quickstepgal had always quickened from the front and she knew she would have no problem with the 1600m trip. He said he could see Richard Fourie was off the bridle on Reet Petite after Quickstepgal had given her kick and “then I said there you go that’s our race!”
It was a double triumph for KZN-trained horses because the Gr 3 WSB Southern Cross Stakes was won by the Hollywood Racing-owned What A Winter mare Asiye Phambile, who thus retained her crown under Sean Veale. Lucinda Woodruff is her current trainer, but her home is Duncan Howells’ Summerveld yard and she will return to him after the Cape Summer season.
The Listed WSB Cape Prive Summer Stayers over 2500m saw a courageous victory for the Glen Kotzen-trained Holding Thumbs, who just got up by the narrowest of margins under Chad Little. The Vercingetorix gelding started at 16/1 as he was giving the runner up and favourite Ahead Of The Facts a whopping 11kg.
The phenomenal Vercingetorix had three winners on the day, two of them for the Kotzen/Little combination.
Gavin Lerena was booked off for yesterday’s meeting at Turffontein after an incident in the parade ring before the first which caused whiplash and a neck spasm, but he was treated and will be back for his next scheduled meeting.
