Andrew Harrison
The spring rains have arrived which is good news for Hollywoodbets Scottsville currently undergoing spring treatment, but not so much for the turf at Hollywoodbets Greyville where rain over the past week forced Friday evening’s racemeeting to be switched to the poly track.
In the past, the switch to the poly would have resulted in a multitude of scratchings but since the revamp of the synthetic surface, most trainers will have been more than happy with the switch.
Hierarchy has always given the impression that she is a filly out of the top drawer and she confirmed that opinion in the Progress Plate that headed the card.
It was a small but fairly useful field but Hierarchy made short work of her opposition, coming home hands and heels under Kabelo Matsunyane. Run out of it into second by Major Tommie in her seasonal debut over the Hollywoodbets Scottsville 1200m, there was no mistakes this time out as Matsunyane took her to the front and was not for the catching, drawing away to win as she liked with second-placed Buttercup Baby throwing in the towel with a furlong to run.
Duncan Howells, who has an enviable record with fillies notably star filly Via Africa, dam of current Australian sensation Autumn Glow, has earmarked the Cape Summer Season for his charge where she will be under the card of his former boss, Eric Sands who also looked after Via Africa in her Western Cape campaign. Howells was of the opinion that last season’s crop of two-year-old fillies was vintage so Hierarchy deserved a crack at the Cape summer features.
Another smart winner on the night was the Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Exocet. Foaled in South Africa but with an Irish pedigree, the son of Mehmas fluffed his lines second time out after his smart debut victory, but did appear to be all at sea.
He made amends in good fashion, overcoming some early scrimmaging before bounding out of the pack to win a smart race with the minimum of fuss under Callan Murray who was riding his third winner of the evening starting off in the card opener.
Mike de Kock was happy with the change of surface as Queen Braganza cruised to a comfortable win, stating post-race that the filly had shown smart sand work at home and the poly was in her favour. It was not the strongest of maiden fields but the daughter of Potala Palace won with authority, the hot favourite Sun In My Pocket handy but not able to go on with her effort finishing a well-beaten fourth.
The step up to 1400m brought out the best in favourite Light Of Gabriel in the second. Dean Kannemeyer’s filly had made steady improvement and got going too late when narrowly beaten over 1200m last time out. She looked to be struggling early in the straight but once changing legs she picked it up smartly under Marco van Rensburg to win going away.
Dezahn Louw is quickly making a name for himself as an apprentice well worth his 4kg claim. He was fearless when pressing through a closing gap as Alyson Wright’s grey Kagura was the ham in the sandwich between the filly Intro and Carnival Park, the two form runners in the first leg of the PA. Serino Moodley on Intro saw Kagura coming and allowed his mount to shift ground in a classic race-riding tactic but to no avail as neither Louw or his mount were intimidated.
Moodley had better luck in the first leg of the Pick 6 as Ice Rain hunted down Alannah in a tight finish. Alannah was always handy with favourite Tomyris setting the pace and then fought off all challengers in the charge for home until Moodley produced Ice Rain with a telling late run.
Happy Fortune made short work of her opposition in the fifth. Rachel Venniker was sitting with a double handful crossing the subway and Darryle Moore’s filly put the race to bed in a matter of strides. Poursomesugaronme, slow out of the gate and bringing up the rear for most of the race, finished best of all to finish a well-beaten second.
