Glen Kotzen warmed up for Eyes Wide Open in the Sun Met with a 123-1 double courtesy of Parade March and the Luyolo Mxothwa-ridden Count Dubucks at Kenilworth on Saturday. But the Woodhill trainer’s attentions, like that of most of his rivals, are focussed on Wednesday’s sale and Saturday’s hoped-for fireworks.
“It’s nice to have two winners going into the big meeting. It gives us a little bit of confidence,” said the Woodhill trainer who will have 13 runners on Saturday.
Morne Winnaar only has three rides on Met day but he once again demonstrated that he deserves more. In addition to scoring on Parade March, he stole the Tabonline Maiden from the front, kicking early in the straight and securing an advantage just big enough to hold on.
The winner drifted from 15-2 to twice that price and was the first leg of a double for the crutch-supported Piet Steyn who was busily showing people some (rather gruesome) shots of his knee-replacement operation. His second winner was the Aldo Domeyer-ridden Man About Town and the trainer related how he had bought the two winners, plus Hammie’s Fan (seventh in the last), for a total of R70 000 for Marsh Shirtliff and Bryn Ressell. The three horses have now won almost R500 000. However their owners are unused to shopping at bargain basement level and when Ressell was informed of the bill he asked “Is that the VAT?”
Brett Crawford, who numbers Majorca joint favourite Front And Centre among his 12 runners, was also in double form with Principessa (Greg Cheyne) and the Anton Marcus-ridden newcomer Run Fox Run who was by far the easiest winner of the day.
Marcus, who is restricting himself to six rides on Saturday– all in features, said: “I’m not sure of the depth of this field but she did it impressively.”
Candice Dawson had her first Cape Town winner when MJ Byleveld added to Friday’s Fairview success by getting up almost on the line on Infamous Fox in the 1 400m handicap. The 18-1 winner was rather out of his depth in the Queen’s Plate and is one of eight horses that the trainer and her sister Tammy brought down for the Cape season. They run three on Saturday.
Justin Snaith runs 32 and Richard Fourie rides for him in every race except the third which he sits out. The pair combined for a convincing win with River Thames in the 1 400m maiden.
By Michael Clower
