Duncan Howells and Dennis Drier are once again out in front in the race for the KZN Trainers Championships and they dominated the three R200,000 KZN Winter Challenge Finals races at Scottsville on Saturday.

Ashburton-based Howells won the KZN Trainers Championship for the first time last season, usurping many-times champion Drier, but ended Saturday 12 winners behind the Summerveld-based maestro. However, he landed both the Winter Challenge 1950m and 1600m finals through Crime Victim and the exciting three-year-old gelding Saratoga Dancer and four of his other five contestats finals contestants earned cheques in their respective races.

Crime Victim, who started 3-1 favourite in the 1950m final despite carrying third top weight of 59kg, was a bit slowly away, but settled well on the rail from the off. He looked to be enjoying himself throughout and turned for home full of running. Jockey Anton Marcus switched him inward and he easily made up the leeway on the Mike de Kock-trained Semra before being given his head at about the 300m mark. He readily repelled the persistent Semra as well as the Paddy Lunn-trained Cat In Command, who was running on down the inside rail, before finding another gear and going on to win by 3,5 lengths. Semra held on for second from a fast finishing Howells-trained His Approval. Cat in Command was next best and the Alyson Wright-trained Go West McGraw was 7,5 lengths back in fifth. Crime Victim is a four-year-old gelding by Bezrin and is owned by Barry Reardon, who bred him at Yellow Star Stud. He is a consistent sort and from 18 career starts has won three times and laced nine times.

In the 1600m final Saratoga Dancer started second favourite at 4/1 behind his stablemate Baltic Amber, who was backed into 7/2, but this classy three-year-old gelding by Mambo In Seattle never looked in danger of defeat under championship-chasing jockey Gavin Lerena. Saratoga Dancer jumped from a tricky draw of eight carrying 57,5kg and took a little bit of time to settle as Lerena looked for a good position. The top jockey managed to slot him in just before the first turn. He settled well in about fifth place behind a steady pace set by Baltic Amber. The rangy Saratoga Dancer gained more and more momentum down the straight, despite hanging inward late, and won easing up by 3,5 lengths from the Garth Puller-trained Translunar with the Howells-trained Entrée just pipping his stablemate Baltic Amber for third. The Gavin van Zyl-trained Silver Spring finished fifth. Saratoga Dancer, bred by Gary Player Stud, is owned by Howells himself in partnership with Rodney and Jane Trotter, CV Winter, Mr and MRs RAJ Nidd and S Westwater. Howells has deliberately avoided running him in the big Champions Season features this year as he believes he will be at his best as a four-year-old. He definitely looks one with the potential to win a feature or two next season and to date had won four times from nine starts.

In the 1200m final The Drier-trained Sea Fever, who started at odds of  6/1, broke well under Sean Cormack and showed pace throughout. He was able to go straight the whole way from a low draw and from the halfway mark was able to sit behind the Howells-trained 18/10 favourite Hunting Owl, who had tracked over to the inside rail from a draw of eight to set the pace. The Mark Dixon-trained second favourite London Call, carrying a welter 62kg, tracked over all the way from draw 13 and threw down a strong challenge. However, Sea Fever stayed on resolutely and got up to beat a gallant London Call by 0,25 lengths with Hunting Owl a further 0,5 lengths back. The Tony Rivalland-trained Lucky Break finished fourth ahead of Kumaran Naidoo-trained Royal Roy. Sea Fever, a three-year-old gelding by Argonaut, was bred by Cheveley Stud and is owned by Jack and Nancy Mitchell. He has won three times from seven starts.

Gold Circle’s Challenge series’ have always been a good incentive for smaller owners to race for good prize money.

Mumsy’s Jet emerged leading horse of the Winter series, earning 32 points, and landed a cheque of R30,000 for his trainer Alyson Wright. Discourse was second on 31 points, earning a cheque of  R15,000 for trainer Craig Eudey, and joint-third on 30 points were Libertine and Fire The Rocket, whose trainers Colin Scott and Doug Campbell shared prize money of R7,500.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Saratoga Dancer (Nkosi Hlophe)