Andrew Harrison
A promising career once headed for the annals of what could have been, has enjoyed a resurrection. See It Again, prematurely consigned to the dustbin of history after repeated refusals to enter the starting stalls, is on track for another crack at the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July, a race that has eluded him in spite of his obvious talent.
Since his relocation to the Western Cape where renown horse behaviorist Malan de Toit and trainer Justin Snaith have got the gelding to refocus and bring out his ability, their efforts were rewarded with victory in the Gr1 WSB Cape Town Met.
With his starting stall issues seemingly behind him, See It Again made the trip up to what was home ground in KZN before raiding Turffontein where he finished a good second in the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m behind smart three-year-old Tin Pan Alley who saw his rating jump from 117 to 128 after the race much to the chagrin of Sean Tarry.
That said, See It Again faces another test on his journey into Champions Season in KZN when he lines up in the Gr1 HKJC Premier’s Champion Stakes over the testing Turffontein track on Saturday.
The Turffontein 2000m is not unfamiliar territory, See It Again finishing two lengths off winner Atticus Finch in last season’s Gr1 Betway Summer Cup giving the winner 6kg.
Saturday’s race is WFA which suggests that all being equal, Atticus Finch has it all to do at level weights.
Andrew Fortune rode a masterful race on See It Again to win the Met and he would dearly have loved to be aboard on Saturday but for a heavy fall at Fairview that saw him sidelined with broken ribs and collar bone. Speaking at Summerveld last Saturday he said things were on track for a return to the saddle in three weeks’ time.
Fortune has been replaced by Craig Zackey, an interesting call as Richard Fourie partnered See It Again in the Horse Chestnut and is now booked for stable companion Okavango while Zackey may well have had the choice of Grand Empire and Madison Valley. Okavango was game in a front-running display in the Listed Kings Cup when holding off the more than useful King Pelles at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and as both See It Again and Okavango are owned by Nic Jonsson, Okavango may be the sacrificial lamb with Fourie a master judge of pace.
Grand Empire and Trust fought a desperate duel in the Gr1 HKJC SA Classic, a nose separating the pair. Both go this trip for the first time but current crop of three-year-olds have yet to be solidly tested against top older horses and this race should give some indication of the depth. Both go this trip for the first time and both Tarry and Candice and Tammy Dawson have a knack for preparing their changes for the big days so it will be interesting.
In all, if See It Again puts in his best, he should be difficult to beat with the three-year-olds his most likely challengers.
It is a big day at Turffontein as their summer season draws to a close with a host of feature races on the 12-race card.
Main supporting feature is the Gr1 TAB Computaform Sprint that has attracted a big field of 17 runners where luck in running could play a pivotal role. The two most obvious contenders are Buffalo Storm Cody and last year’s winner, the ever game William Robertson, but they will be challenged by Fairview raider Kingdundee who comes off a four-race winning sequence and victory in the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship where he made a mockery of his 33-1 odds with favourite for the race Buffalo Storm Cody, well beaten, just over two lengths back.
Tony Peter’s charge has since made amends back on the Highveld where he got the better of William Robertson in a Pinnacle Stakes, the two meeting at level weights. Fourie replaces regular rider Gavin Lerena who will partner Clinton Binda’s gelding Ziyasha who goes into the contest of a recent victory. He is a horse who has had his ups-and-downs and although he looks safely held at the weights he could ride to the occasion. Lerena took a crashing fall at The Vaal midweek so his participation is uncertain at time of writing.
Buffalo Storm Cody is super quick and the Flying Championship was the only blemish in a five-race winning streak and goes for his 10th success in 17 outings.
William Robertson on the other hand was won 17 races from 56 starts and Corne Spies is not shy to saddle up. He has had two further outings since finishing second to Buffalo Storm Cody, winning and then finishing two lengths off Ziyasha in a Pinnacle Stakes, giving the winner 4kg.
Last season’s Computaform victory was a deserved maiden Grade 1 success for William Robertson and if anything, he will strip fit.
Kingdundee is a 1000m specialist and runners from the Eastern Cape can never be ignored. Dean Smith’s runner comes with more than creditable form given his Flying Championship win and although Buffalo Storm Cody may have run below par on the day, form is form.
The SA Derby will be run as a Gr2 for the first time and has attracted a bigger than usual field. It is a highly competitive contest where Mike and Mathew de Kock’s filly Curious Girl will be out to become the first filly in over 100 years to put one over the colts. In her favour is that she has won over the distance and cruised home in the Oaks Trial. Lerena is penciled in to ride. Of the males, Texas Missile strikes as a progressive stayer and comes from the right stable as Alec Laird is a master of staying horses.
Spies has his hopes pinned on William Robertson for the Computaform and Hazy Dazy in the Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks. The daughter of Act Of War has the trophies for the first two legs of the Triple Tiara in the cabinet and the Oaks will see her follow in the footsteps of some of South Africa’s champion fillies. Spies has stayed loyal to apprentice Trent Mayhew who rode an exception front-running race in the SA Fillies Classic to hold off the smart Golden Palm. On that showing the extended trip should hold no fears.
