Andrew Harrison
It is always satisfying for trainers and their staff when they get to the bottom of a difficult and hopefully talented individual so Dean Kannemeyer’s third winner on yesterday’s Hollywoodbets Scottsville racecard was the most significant for the yard as Hah Lah Lah showed his potential and a more mature racing attitude when winning the B Stakes over 1200m.
It was stable rider Craig Zackey’s fourth winner of the afternoon and he was full of praise for his mount who was recording his third win from just four starts.
Zackey said of Hah Lah Lah, “He shouldn’t be winning 12’s, he wants a mile, 1800m. He’s been a hard horse to deal with from a youngster with the gates and with his mouth. Last run back in a small field we tried to get him to switch off (he took a hold and never settled) but first thing when I got back here I asked Mr Kannemeyer what made the change and he said ‘I just found this bit’ and cantering down to the start I thought something’s working well.”
Zackey reiterated that Hah Lah Lah should not be winning 12’s as he is a Classic type of horse.
Smart Best Of All made a race of it as he was in contention all the way to the line but Hah Lah Lah was just warming up and he went past to win well.
Educator was Kannemery’s second winner and has always given the impression that she is better than her earlier form would suggest. Yesterday she scored a bloodless win in the Class 3, shouldering top weight in a field of useful fillies. Log-leading rider Zackey placed her in mid-field as Ovation Star set the fractions but the writing was on the wall a long way out. As Gavin Lerena’s arms starting to pump and wave and Zackey was sitting with a handful. The gap opened up like the Red Sea for Moses and Educator went through to win as she liked with Tomyris chasing hard to snatch second.
Back on the turf on a straight course, the first two races on the card for juveniles attracted maximum fields and form followers would do well to watch numerous replays as there was a lot to decipher and fill the black book.
The first was marred by a loose horse as replacement rider Athandiwe Mgudlwa came off Asgardian Queen at the jump and the filly was all over the place giving Callan Murray on the well fancied Dancing Party a nightmare ride as Asgardian Queen forced him to check badly on two occasion which may well have cost him the race. Mgudlwa was stood down for the rest of the meeting.
Zackey, riding a typical race aboard the Kannemeyer trained Turn To The Law, waited his chance in the pack before setting sail to take the lead close home and win rather comfortably. The strapping filly Egolee made an eye-catching debut running into second with a few eye-catchers behind her.
Coast Of The Sun is a reserve runner in the Grade 2 Omoda Golden Horseshoe next Saturday but unfortunately third reserve so unlikely to get a run, but his form was franked as Peter Muscutt’s strongly fancied Benny And Paul put plenty of daylight between him, Prized Possession with the balance of the field out with the washing. Prized Possession tried to make a race of it but two backhands were enough to galvanise Benny And Paul to streak away and win as he liked.
Sean Veale deputizing for Mgudlwa, made all the running on Red Hot Miss in the first leg of the PA, taking Darryl Moore’s filly to the front from the jump. Bai Yulu loomed dangerous a furlong out but once Veale asked for maximum, Red Hot Miss responded with an extra effort to hold on to her lead from Bai Yulu and Indignation.
The first leg of the Pick 6 was not run at any great pace but favourite Day Two was always in contention as Cool Wind finally went around some reluctant early runners. Zackey was quick to challenge in the straight and Gareth van Zyl’s gelding kept finding under his top weight to hold off Shiny Bob. However, he failed to keep a straight course, Day Two shifting out inconveniencing a number of runners notably Global Movement with Mickaelle Michel having to snatch up.
All 15 runners were spread across the track in the Class 4 over 1500m and with 100 m left to run all of 10 of the runners were in with a chance. However, apprentice Mxolisi Mbuto, currently second on the national apprentice log, got Tony Rivalland’s mare to pick it up over the final 50m to pull clear for the 50th win of his career and now joins the big time as he now loses his claim.
Splash Of Love stayed on for second from Hop Hop Spinnekop who came from way back to snatch the minor placing.
There was a desperately close finish to the eighth. Apprentice Qiniso Ngcobo, hunting his first winner, got the ride on Louis Goosen’s reserve runner Don Querari and looked to have pinched a winning lead entering the final furlong. However, Sean Veale, deputizing for Andrew Fortune, got Street Outlaw to respond to reel in his rival and get the gelding’s nose down on the line.