Budapest, the horse not the city, has always had ability but it has taken patience for him to realise his full potential after pulling off a surprise victory in the big Lanzerac Ready To Run sales race two seasons back.

Racing in pacifiers appear to have done the trick and he came from the clouds to land the Pinnacle Stakes at Scottsville yesterday.

One never knows what you get from enigmatic Sylvester The Cat, but he brought his A-game to the track yesterday and set a smart early pace under replacement rider Jarred Samuel. With the line in sight it looked as if ‘Sylvester’ would hold on for his fifth victory, but Budapest finished with a rattle to nail him on the line in a fine training feat by Gareth van Zyl for owner Brian Burnard.

The two principal runners in the Pinnacle Stakes for fillies and mares, Lala and favourite Impala Lily, finished in that order but it was hardly a contest. The two met in the Flamboyant Stakes where Lala had the worst of the draw finishing down the field with Impala Lily second. Lala proved the form all wrong as she was given a copybook ride by Anton Marcus.

“We were under a bit of pressure,” said Doug Campbell. “I got Albert (Rapp) to come down from Jo’Burg for the race.”

Always travelling well, Marcus produced her with a trouble-free stretch run to win comfortably.

Impala Lily, on the other hand, took time to find her rhythm and Anthony Delpech was forced to switch in and out of traffic before she finally got going to edge out Spring In Seattle for second.

Objections are never without their share of controversy and it was touch-and-go in the third where Diamante and La Suerte De Matar came together in a tight finish with the stipendiary stewards calling for a race review immediately after the runners crossed the line.

Duncan Howells eventually decided to object on behalf of second-placed Las Suerte De Matar. It was pretty much a 50-50 call according to a relieved Mark Dixon with Diamante getting the benefit of any doubt.

The stable has been in mustard form of late and added a double although the blood pressure will have risen for the second time in just a couple of hours as The Poet had to thread his way through some heavy traffic.

At the top of the straight Keagan de Melo picked a clear run up the outside rail, The Poet moving with De Melo sitting with a double handful. However, most of the riders in the field had similar ideas and it was plan B for De Melo as the door was firmly shut.

Dixon, watching from his favourite table, let fly in anguish, but De Melo switching in for a second go, got The Poet to respond and get to grips with Warren Kennedy and Putchini, putting his head down when it counted. Eric Denman, acting on behalf of his United States-based brother Trevor and wife Robin, was even more relieved. “This has got to be the most unlucky horse in training. He had no luck in his last two. Thank goodness it changed today but it was close.”

The Poet has had his problems. “He’s much better than a two-time winner,” said Dixon and on the evidence of this win, a change of luck and staying sound should give substance to that opinion.

By Andrew Harrison