Majmu to stay in SA for classics
PUBLISHED: April 29, 2014
Top class two-year-old Majmu is likely to remain in South Africa to contest next season’s three-year-old classics, following her smashing victory in Saturday’s R400,000 SA Fillies Nursery over 1 160m on Champions Day at Turffontein.
Majmu (Anton Marcus) made it three wins from three starts in this Gr2 contest, leaving the runner-up almost nine lengths in her wake – this after starting her career with a Listed success in the Ruffian Stakes and a Gr3 victory in the Pretty Polly Stakes. It’s hard to recall the last time a locally-trained young filly commenced her career at Listed level and stepped up a notch in class twice, unbeaten in all.
The Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1 200m on 24 May at Scottsville is next on Majmu’s agenda. She’s raced in small fields so far and will take on what is normally a maximum line-up of the speediest, up-and-coming fillies in the land, but considering her dominant manner of racing Mike de Kock and his connections will already be thinking, “Bring It On!”
De Kock has shipped fillies of lesser talent to Dubai to compete successfully at the Carnival, but South African racing fans will be pleased to know that Sheikh Hamdan’s grey is unlikely to be among the stable’s select runners on the August 2014 shipment to Mauritius and the UAE.
De Kock commented: “Majmu is a high quality filly, she’s already strong but she’s the type of filly that needs more time to furnish. I don’t think that flying her halfway around the world will do her any good. We’ve learnt from experience that the young horses don’t always travel well, the fillies in particular, and they have to be rushed to race fitness when they get to the desert. They’re barely out of their two-year-old careers when the export protocols force us to stand them in quarantine in various locations, where they miss an important amount of the exercise they would normally be given to develop as we’d like them to.
“Let’s add to this the fact that the travelling three-year-olds in effect lose their classic careers in South Africa – it’s great when they can win in Dubai during the Carnival and go on to European campaigns, but we’re going to be a bit more selective with Majmu. She’s a good classic prospect for next season and winning a Gr1 in South Africa or Europe is worth more for her pedigree than anything she can win at the Carnival, at three.”
Sheikh Hamdan’s representative Angus Gold won’t dispute De Kock’s sentiments. Gold said that he had always felt that Majmu was an Oaks filly and she was winning on sheer class, this early, and would go further in time to come.
– Mikedekockracing.com[/expand]
Bremner beaming after first Grade 1
PUBLISHED: April 29, 2014
Port Elizabeth trainer Yvette Bremner landed the first Gr 1 win of her career at Turffontein on Saturday courtesy of her six-year-old gelding Copper Parade, who produced a devastating finish under Piere Strydom in the R1 million Computaform Sprint over 1 000m to beat the hot favourite Via Africa by 0,75 lengths.
Port Elizabeth trainer Yvette Bremner landed the first Gr 1 win of her career at Turffontein on Saturday courtesy of her six-year-old gelding Copper Parade, who produced a devastating finish under Piere Strydom in the R1 million Computaform Sprint over 1 000m to beat the hot favourite Via Africa by 0,75 lengths.
The connections are now eyeing the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint over 1 200m at Scottsville on May 24 for the Ascot-bred son of Lecture, who is now a dual Gr 1 winner.
Bremner ran a live sms conversation from the parade ring until after the finish on Saturday with her former stable jockey Karis Teetan, who was watching from his new base in Hong Kong, so he was the first to congratulate her.
However, in her own mind she has battled to elevate this prestigious win above any other.
She said, “A lot of people have asked me what it is like to have won my first Gr 1. I generally don’t show any emotion, although I was excited, but every win, even if it’s a maiden, is a very good feeling if you have put the work in and everything goes according to plan. For me the pressure was off in this race when Piere Strydom phoned and asked for the ride.”
Strydom had said during the phonecall that if the horse ran to his Johannesburg form he must have a chance, although he was not sure it was a winning chance.
Copper Parade had run at Turffontein twice before, winning the Listed Golden Loom Handicap over Saturday’s course and distance on November 2 last year by a comfortable two lengths, before being beaten 3,75 lengths by Here Comes Billy when carrying topweight in the Gr 2 Merchants over 1 160m.
Copper Parade was involved in an incident in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship earlier this year, when being loaded early and then breaking through the stalls, that had landed Muzi Yeni in hot water for cursing the starter.
“We have never had any luck in Cape Town,” said Bremner, who also referred to the problems Blaze of Fire had experienced at the start of the Gr 1 Cape Guineas in 2011.
However, Copper Parade returned to Port Elizabeth and won a Conditions Plate over 1 000m at Fairview in good style.
In his penultimate start in the Listed East Cape Sprint Cup over the same course and distance nothing went right, but he still finished a 1,25 length second to Vauclair.
Bremner said, “We had expected a good pace in that race with Cap Alright in the field, but it didn’t happen and Copper Parade ended up absolutely reefing behind them pulling Keagan Latham’s arms out. Even in a longer race if it’s a crawl and a sprint the horses that stay won’t catch the leaders and that’s what happened that day. It was a disaster.”
However, Bremner was confident that Copper Parade would run to his best against top class company, where the pace is likely to be truer. “He likes to be covered up and then when he is switched out he takes off. He loves it.”
Everything worked out perfectly on Saturday and, although the style of his run didn’t surprise her, just how well he did it might have. Strydom was certainly surprised, although he said that the horse had felt very good going down to the start.
Just two backhanders was all that Strydom required and the horse suddenly emerged like a jet propelled rocket on the outside to spoil the party for favourite backers.
Via Africa had to settle for the runner up spot for the second year running, but unlike last year, when slowly away, she ran a perfect race this time. She pinged the start, showed her usual high cruising speed and kicked at just the right time to repel the challenge of her nearest market rival Contador. Both jockey Kevin Shea and assistant trainer Alex Rymill admitted that she had done everything perfectly, but was just beaten by the better horse on the day.
Yvette recently took over the share in Copper Parade of her life partner Hedley McGrath, but clarified yesterday that it was still “our share”. The other share is held by Optima Trust, whose nominee is Val Fenix.
Copper Parade enjoyed a fine career with top Cape trainer Joey Ramsden before moving to Bremner’s Fairview yard at the beginning of last season. He won the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1 450m at Clairwood as a two-year-old, albeit after and objection against Kavanagh, and finished second in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint as a three-year-old as well as fourth in the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint as a four-year-old.
Bremner said Copper Parade always travelled well (he was transported up to Johannesburg last Wednesday), but revealed that he was going to stay up in Johannesburg until the Golden Horse Casino Sprint as he enjoyed the training tracks up there during his previous Johannesburg stint. Alec Laird will take care of him.
He is likely to be given a big merit rated raise for the win, but Bremner was not concerned as she felt he would have carried topweight, or close to it, in the Golden Horse anyway. Unlike Saturday’s weight for age event, the Golden Horse is a handicap.
The yard’s previous biggest away success had been when their five-year-old Victory Moon entire Blaze of Fire had finished third under Teetan in last year’s
Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1 800m at Greyville. He was subsequently named the Port Elizabeth Horse Of The Year. Bremner said the handsome bay had “loved Durban”, so she would consider another Champions Season campaign depending on how he did in his next start, which would be his third run since returning from injury.
Pick 6 carryovers
PUBLISHED: April 29, 2014
Vaal Net Pick 6 C/Over R300 000 on Thursday 01 May 2014 Race 4 @13h55.
Estimated Pool R1.5MILLION
Fairview Net Pick 6 C/Over R224 270 on Friday 02 May 2014 Race 3 @ 14h00.
Estimated Pool R900 000.
Greyville Net Pick 6 C/Over R1 200 000 on Saturday 03 May 2014 Race 4 @ 13h30.
Estimated Pool R3.8MILLION
Kenilworth Net Pick 6 C/Over R500 000 on Sunday 04 May 2014 Race 4 @14h05.
Estimated Pool R2.1MILLION[/expand]
Average up at National Yearling Sale
PUBLISHED: April 29, 2014
Tony Millard paid top price of R3.75 million for a Silvano full brother to last year’s J&B Met winner Martial Eagle at the National Yearling Sale.
The colt, named Nebula, was sold by Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift and Millard intends putting him into training in South Africa before taking him to Hong Kong. He did the same with this season’s Grand Parade Cape Guineas winner Elusive Gold.
The price was R250 000 below the NYS record set by Divine Jet in 2010 and the R347 776 average, although nearly 18% up on last year, was well short of the 2008 record of R391 148.
An upbeat TBA chief executive Tom Callaghan said yesterday: “The increase in average was phenomenal and the 20% median rise was very positive. Overall this was a result we hadn’t had since 2008 so we are pretty chuffed.
“Some of the top buyers’ bench was a little soft because a couple of people didn’t pitch, and it was tough at the bottom with some first season and unfashionable sires just not wanted but the middle market was really strong and seems to be increasing.”[/expand]
Cape trainers quick off the mark
PUBLISHED: April 28, 2014
Cape trainers dominated the features at Scottsville yesterday and both of the two-year-old Gr 2 winners put their hands up as contenders for Champions Season that officially starts this Saturday.
The Justin Snaith-trained two-year-old colt Harry Lime was an easy winner of the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1 200m under Richard Fourie and is yet another progeny of Var that will make his presence felt. “This horse can really run,” said Snaith.
He added that the bay colt was still very immature, implying that no risks would be taken. He continued, “We bought him specifically for the Gr 1 at Scottsville (Tsogo Sun Medallion), so will see how well he pulls up and take it from there.”
The Fred Crabbia-owned colt started 2-1 favourite and pulled clear from a handy position to win by 3,75 lengths. The Mike de Kock-trained 14-1 shot Mastermind battled bravely, but made little impression on the winner. The Paul Lafferty-trained 8-1 chance Harry’s Son will likely prefer further, so did well to finish third. The Duncan Howells-trained Easy Lover started 13-2 joint second favourite and finished fourth, with Kapitan next best.
Harry Lime is unbeaten in two starts.
The Glen Kotzen-trained filly Rosier appeared to enjoy the Scottsville 1 200m trip of the Gr 2 Debutante as much as her father Kildonan did and ground out a determined victory under Stuart Randolph. She remained unbeaten, having won on debut at Kenilworth at odds of 50-1 and following up in the Listed East Cape Filllies Nursery over 1 200m at Fairview.
Yesterday she started at 16-1 and was in the firing line throughout before fighting on well to hold the Mike Azzie-trained Gauteng raider Lady Ky at bay by 0,75 lengths. The De Kock-trained Ad Idem finished third ahead of the 2-1 favourite, the Snaith-trained Arria. The Mike Bass-trained Seven Grand moved up threateningly from behind, but didn’t go through with it as well as she had in her previous starts and finished fifth.
Rosier has early pace and a strong finish, the combinations necessary for the Gr 1 Allan Robertson over this course and distance at the end of May.
Alistair Gordon gave some cheer to KZN trainers as his gelding Joshua’s Crown won the Listed Sledgehammer over 1 800m.
The five-year-old by Joshua Dancer snuck into the handicap with the minimum weight of 52kg and ran on resolutely from a handy position under Julius Mariba to get up by a short-head from the Joey Ramsden-trained Coltrane with the Garth Puller-trained King Jace a further neck back in third. Favourite One Cool Dude never got a clear run in the straight and can be counted an unlucky loser beaten a half-length.
This was Joshua’s Crown’s third victory at the Pietermaritzburg track.
The Listed Scarlet Lady over 1 800m saw an impressive five-length victory for the Brett Crawford-trained five-year-old Dynasty mare Dancing Dynasty, who was ridden by Bernard Fayd’Herbe. Her more favoured stablemate Luna Da Victoria had no answer to her sweeping finish, but was a clear second ahead of Supercede, Hijacked and Royal Denise.[/expand]
