Paul Matchett and Master Of My Fate were the toast of Turffontein on Saturday. Matchett saddled three feature winners and Master Of My Fate was sire of two feature winners. 

The Paul Matchett-trained two-year-old Master Of MY fate filly Basadi Faith is suddenly hot property after passing her first real test with flying colours. She waltzed away with the Listed Ruffian Stakes over 1000m. She had caught the eye when flying home with long strides to win on debut over 800m and she followed up with a cosy win over 1000m at the Vaal. However, on Saturday she was allowed to go off at generous 6/1 odds as she had to give 2kg to the highly touted Mike de Kock-trained Gin Fizz and there were one or two other promising horses in the race too. 

Gin Fizz was the most disappointing horse of the weekend, but this was more a case of everybody under-estimating Basadi Faith. It was yet another lesson in jumping the gun when rating two-year-olds.

The De Kock yard had been concerned about Gin Fizz’s temperament when she made her debut three weeks earlier and said in the aftermath of her comfortable 7,40 length win, “She is a bit temperamental though and has been ready for a while. Full marks to whisperer Malan du Toit as she could easily have gone the other way – we were quite nervous but I’m pleased with the effort.”

However, on Saturday she was seen by Tellytrack viewers to play up behind the stalls. She then proved to be no match for Basadi Faith despite receiving weight and having started at odds of 1/4.

Gin Fizz jumped out well and displayed the same huge stride she had done on debut. However, instead of being able to cruise the whole way as she had done on debut Gavin Lerena had to shake her up at the halfway mark in order to catch the speedy Basadi Faith. She then showed her inexperience and became a touch unbalanced. Basadi Faith was not stopping and it suddenly became apparent that Gin Fizz was making no impression. Gin Fizz’s time was slightly slower than her debut effort over the same course and distance. She was beaten 4,5 lengths this time and it was suddenly the name Basadi Faith who was on everybody’s lips.

Matchett said Basadi Faith would likely go straight for the Grade 2 SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein on Champions day May 4. The Grade 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m at Scottsville on May 25 is also a possibility as he reckoned she would be just as comfortable over 1200m. Matchett won the latter race with the 30/1 shot Brave Mary in 2017. He said if taking part in the Allan Robertson this year he would be going in with more hope than he had back then.

Matchett liked Basadi Faith’s conformation and pedigree at the CTS April Yearling Sale and clinched her for what has proved to be a bargain R45,000. Her sire Master Of My Fate (Jet Master) had to be retired before fulfilling his immense potential and her Captain Al dam Coral Colour, who won twice as a two-year-old, is out of a full-sister to one of the best sprinters seen in South Africa in recent times, National Colour.

In the previous race Matchett’s two-year-old Wylie Hall colt Twilight Zone had dead-heated with another touted De Kock-trained horse, the New Zealand-bred All Too Hard colt Frosted Gold, in the Listed Storm Bird Stakes over 1000m. The time for this race was 0,89 seconds slower than the Ruffian Stakes which underlines how good Basadi Faith is.

Matchett later won the Listed Bauhinia Handicap over 1000m with the Where’s That Tiger filly See You Tyger. She was only half-a-kilogram under sufferance off a mere 80 merit rating so it was not a vintage renewal but she won in good style. Her time was only 0,02 seconds faster than Basadi Faith’s, despite carrying only 52kg, as opposed to Basadi Faith’s 60kg, and being a year older. 

So Basadi Faith could be something special and she is in good hands as Matchett was a three-times Zimbabwean Champion trainer and has won a number of Grade 1 sprints in South Africa. 

Master Of My Fate’s other winner on the day was the Tyrone Zackey-trained colt Gift For The Gap and this is one to follow for the rest of the season. In his previous start he had caught the eye surging late over 2000m. In Saturday’s Listed Derby Trial over 2000m he came from the back of the field with a telling run and won by 0,50 lengths carrying 56kg off an 85 merit rating. What is particularly impressive about this horse is his scope for improvement as he is still immature. He could develop into a top bracket sort.

Another promising horse emerged in the next race in the form of the Alec Laird-trained three-year-old Mambo In Seattle filly Bize. She carried only 52kg in the Listed Oaks Trial but the impressive part of her comfortable win was that she was caught wide near the back which usually saps the energy coming up the Turffontein hill. It didn’t stop her cruising up on the outside and winning effortlessly.

The other features on the day were the Non-Black Type (NBT) Sun Chariot Handicap over 2400m and the NBT Gold Rush Sprint over 1100m for three-year-olds. The former was won comfortably by the consistent Geoff Woodruff-trained Sunshine Silk. She is coming into her own in the typical style of a four-year-old by Silvano. The latter race was won by the Announce colt Old Man Tyme, owned, trained and bred by St. John Gray.

By David Thiselton