Hat Puntano proved his class on Saturday by winning the Grade 2 Emperor’s palace Charity Mile over 1600m and Mike Azzie heaped praise on “Bomber” Nel, an expert on horse bits.

Hat Puntano

Nel was invited to spend two days in the Azzie yard to try and sort out the Argentinian-bred’s hanging antics. The thoroughbred’s mouth size is becoming smaller, according to Nel, and a new bit he recommded after assessing Hat Puntano made all the difference. Hat Puntano began running straight and the rest is history. He showed the same turn of foot and resolute finish he had in Argentina in his younger days and swept past the field under Gavin Lerena.

Confusion has reigned about the age of Hat Puntano as he won the equivalent of the 2000 Guineas in Argentina in July 2016, but was still recorded as a three-year-old when entered for this year’s Vodacom Durban July. The reason is that in South American countries the racing season begins on July 1, as opposed to August 1 in South Africa, and they run that “2000 Guineas” event in the first month of the season. Hat Puntano, born in October 2013, was in reality a two-year-old when he won that three-year-old Guineas event, but of course all birthdays change on the first day of the season and he was officially three. He is now only a four-year-old, so has a lot of racing still in him and Drakenstein Stud will hope this well-bred son of Hat Trick can add to his record of two career Grade 1s to date, as well as Saturday’s Grade 2. It has to be said Saturday’s Charity Mile was not a strong renewal, but he had to carry a welter 61kg off his merit rating of 113 and this was only his second run in South Africa. He will likely be tested in weight for age miles against the like of Legal Eagle during the season and will add a lot of flavour to those races. His sire Hat Trick is a Japanese-bred by the legendary stallion Sunday Silence and his two Grade 1 wins, both over a mile, included the prestigious international event, The Hong Kong Mile.

By David Thiselton