Andrew Harrison
Bison Warrior lived up to his billing as a short priced favourite in the card opener as he made all under Calvin Habib. Wendy Whitehead’s charge bounced out of the gate and won easing up, never coming out of first gear according to race caller Sheldon Peters, and it was fitting that Bison Warrior was led in by Clodagh Shaw, a former champion trainer in her own right. The Swan Song ran on late for second and appears to be looking for further while Asheef was all at sea and should come on with the experience.
When she was racing Diamondsandpearls was a strapping good looking mare and she has stamped Last Margarita, trained by Shane Humby’s good friend Garth Puller, as she made most of the running in the second to give Calvin Habib an early double. Favourite Liz Hurley started well but was under pressure early as Last Margarita pulled clear and it was left to rank outsider Tears Of The Sun to come from last with a strong finish to easily take second.
Diamondsandpearls was one of the favourites at Ashburton for Humby as she loved to scratch her head against then assistant Colinda Austin’s back after work. Unfortunately Last Magarita was her first and only foal.
The first leg of the Pick 6 always looked to be a one-horse affair with Stuart Ferrie’s filly Menagerie deep in the red and the balance friendless in the market. Touching 3-10 in the market, it was a bloodless victory and in spite of racing green and shifting to the outside under pressure, the result was never in doubt. Come Together took the shortest way home for second. Boogy was all at sea from the jump and Craig Zackey was hard at work shortly after the start but to no avail. Turf may be a better option.
Quarter Master has always had a reputation but he disappointed more often than not. But Robbie Hill’s gelding came in for a ton of support in the fourth and although it was a close-run thing, he landed the odds and does appear to be lengths better on the poly.
He gave Mauritian apprentice Anaas Mosaheb his fourth winner but it was heart-stopping stuff for those that has put their money down. Quarter Master jumped smartly but ran into the back of a wall of runners and Mosaheb had to ease smartly and eventually track three wide as Andrew Fortune took up the running on favourite Barry’s Boy. Barry’s Boy was given a good warm-up prior to the start and Fortune sat for as long as he dared in the straight but Quarter Master finally got into stride along with Highveld Storm and the three crossed the line with heads separating them.
Calvin Habib, winner of the first two on the card, went on record that the track was not running any quicker than usual but front runners were good value on the day. Leading apprentice Blane Marx-Jacobson took a leaf out of the front-runner’s book and sent Grand Occasion to the front and there he stayed for Gareth van Zyl in the Class 4 over 1800m. Tracking over from the widest draw, Grand Occasion was never under any serious pressure for the lead and given a breather at the top of the straight, she found extra to hold off Fine Wine and Zena Rose, the first two home helped by their 2.5kg claim.
Habib tried the front running playbook in the Class 4 over 1400m but those following the market were well rewarded as Rachel Venniker threaded Happy Fortune through the traffic to land the gamble. Darryl Moore’s filly came in for a ton of support and although well back in the early exchanges she never looked to be in trouble as she quickened smartly off a good pace to win as she liked with Mystique Rouge trailing home in second.
Blinkers are most often an aid to get a horse to concentrate but sometimes those that have had their view restricted for a length of time, revel in a free vision. It was a master stroke from Dom Zaki as Lunch Club enjoyed an unrestricted view of his rivals to hold off Sugar Bush and Axis Power in a tight finish to the seventh.
Mojo Man found strong initial market support in the betting for the last before blowing out and the writing appeared to be on the wall for those that had made the initial plunge with Military Command the ‘money horse’.
The money went astray as Mojo Man took the shortest way home with Military Command chasing hard but a fraction too late.
Favourite Catch A Penny had to take her medicine at the jump as Jet Legacy came out of the gate sideways with Smorgasbord and Catch Penny immediately in the back foot. With 61kg on her back, Chad Little tried his best to make up the ground in the chase for home but although finishing strongly her chances were compromised at the start.
