Arriving in Brett Crawford’s Summerveld satellite yard as a lowly 67 merit rated handicapper, the four-year-old Redeemer has taken a new lease on life and even a 14-pound increase in his rating was not enough to stop him as he romped to another facile victory at a soggy Scottsville yesterday.

He is now unbeaten in three starts over course and distance and judged on yesterday’s performance the handicappers will not be able to stop him anytime soon.

Redeemer (Candiese Marnewick)

Although the field was cut to just seven runners with the defection of Slightly Scottish with a hoof abscess, the race was run at a fair clip given the tes

ting ground. With the giant filly Call Me Winter calling the shots, Anthony Delpech was able to slot in comfortably three off the pace.

Once in the straight, Delpech had little more to do than shake up his mount and the pair drew off to win as they liked.

Baltic Amber, handy throughout, was unable to match strides but battled on into second nearly seven lengths adrift of the winner.

It may be premature to sound the trumpet for Champions Season but given his performances since arriving in KZN there is every reason to believe that Redeemer would not be out of place in the top flight.

Head Honcho, with the blinkers removed, revelled in the soft ground when making most of the running in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap, proving too smart for top weight One Man Show, winning comfortably by over a length. Short-priced favourite Legend was never going well in the ground and had run his race a long way out.

Doug Campbell looks to have a smart juvenile filly in the form of Val-La-Ree who posted her second win from as many starts in the card opener. She had hacked up on debut and started second favourite behind the grey colt Good Buddy.

It proved no race however, as apprentice Denis Schwarz kept the filly together and she was never in danger.

“I’m really excited,” said Campbell. “She looks to be a really nice filly. She has a beautiful action and I was worried that she might find it tough in the going but she handled it well.”

Ant Mgudlwa doesn’t always get the opportunities that he deserves but when the chips are down he is up with the best of them in a finish as he demonstrated on London Knight for former top rider Garth Puller in the Gold Circle Podcast Handicap. London Knight hooked up with Keagan de Melo aboard Noble Duke with 200 m to run and in a head-to-head duel, Mgudlwa got London Knight’s nose in front when it mattered.

By Andrew Harrison