The first two-year-old race of the season was run over 800m and produced an interesting runner in the Charles Laird-trained More Than Ready filly Big Sugar. She was prohibited from running on Australia due to the loss of an eye and consequently became the first runner in South Africa for John Singleton, who owns Stawberry Hill Stud and at one stage was a large shareholder in the Magic Millions Sales company. The blinkered Big Sugar, ridden by Donavan Dillon, held off the Mike Miller-trained Silver Kavalier and Miller’s other runner Chosen Dash was next best.
The second, a workrider’s maiden over 1000m, was won by the Dennis Bosch-trained 15/4 favourite Lily Gray ridden by Calvin Habib.
The first leg of the place accumulator over 1000m saw the hard knocking Chris Erasmus-trained Sorbonne finally getting it right in her 30th start. She was ridden by Anthony Delpech.
The first leg of the Pick 6 over 1400m saw another winner for the in form combination of Lola Crawford and Derryl Daniels as the three-year-old Kahal filly Devon Belle powered to a comfortable win in just her third start despite 10/1 odds. She should win more races.
The first leg of the jackpot, a maiden over 2400m, saw the perennial bridesmaid Your Worship finishing second for the seventh time in her career as the Robbie Hill-trained Mullins Bay gelding Chillingham caught her just before the line.
The sixth was an interesting Pinnacle Stakes event over 2400m and the Paul Lafferty-trained lightweight Jay Power, a gelding by Jay Peg, produced a big upset at odds of 25/1 under a fine front-running ride by Keagan de Melo. He was considerably under sufferance at the weights with the best treated horses and knocked many tickets out of the Pick 6 and Jackpot.
In the next, a MR 66 Handicap over 2400m, the Des Egdes-trained bottom weight It Wasn’t Me shortened from 20/1 into 7/1 and duly obliged, holding off stablemate Lilly’s Rush. The Bezrin mare was 0,5kg under sufferance but that was alleviated by the 4kg claim of Matthew Thackeray.
Charles Laird completed a double in the eighth, a. Conditions Plate over 1600m contested by just four runners, as Admiral’s Eye stayed on strongly under Sean Cornack after being given a surprising lead by Supercede. This was an admirable comeback by the Admire Main filly, who jumped a patch and stumbled badly last time out, the incident which put Anton Marcus out with a snapped tendon in his thumb.
The ninth, a MR 86 handicap over 1200m, saw an exciting blanket finish and the Greg and Karen Anthony-trained nine-year-old Wolfhound gelding Kings Gold held on by a whisker under Muzi Yeni to claim his eleventh career victory despite being merit rated only 65 and being 2,5kg under sufferance. The hot favourite Jet On Fire was unplaced and was found to have finished lame on his left fore.
Paul Lafferty completed a double in the tenth, a Graduation Plate over 1000m, when the talented Australian-bred filly Flying Loot just got up under Stuart Randolph from the favourite Clear Sailing. Flying Loot was the third highest merit rated horse in the field so her 12/1 odds were generous.
Lafferty made it a treble in the last, a maiden fillies and mares maiden over 1400m, as the three-year-old National Emblem filly Pearl Emblem won comfortably under Sean Cormack.
Pictures: Nkosi Hlophe
