Andrew Harrison
After a slow start to his riding career, apprentice Blaine Marx-Jacobson has burst onto the scene in recent months and currently heads the national Apprentice Championship. One of his early mentors was Louis Goosen and that combination came good with veteran galloper Donquerari in the B Stakes that headed the card on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday.
A touch unlucky at his previous start when checked at a crucial stage of the race, this win was a just reward for Donquerari as Marx-Jacobson rode a patient race. Content to take a hold in the early exchanges as Vanakkam and Pop Chart set a break-neck pace up front that saw both put up the white flag early in the straight. Marx-Jacobson slipped Donquerari up the inside of his field with Connery also in contention. It was left to the three apprentices in the race to fight out the finish with Jacey Botes, reunited with his favourite mount Connery, and Anaas Mosaheb chasing home for third aboard Kalahari Roller.
Hazel Green was sent out favourite for the second but after disputing the lead for much of the race with Magical Spring, both folded quickly as apprentice Dezahn Louw, who had sat in just off the pace on Wendy Whitehead’s filly, sent Dancing In Demark for home and she waltzed into the lead to win by and extended margin with the luckless Tipperary chasing home a well beaten second.
There was a desperate finish to the first leg of the Pick 6 with Nicholas Patel getting Last Ovation up in the shadow of the post for a dead-heat. Keagan de Melo made his move on Skipper O’Malley behind the Drill Hall to quicken up the pace and it looked to be a winning move as he pinched a lead in the straight. However, Gareth van Zyl’s filly gradually ate into the lead with Skipper O’Malley crying for the line and just managing to hang on to share the spoils, with Crimson Typhoon running on stoutly for the minor money.
Visiting Thoonsil won an excellent race in the Class 4 Handicap making all the running and holding off a strong challenge from Blizzard Boy in another tight finish.
Tristan Godden set a solid gallop aboard Mano Pandaram’s gelding and was in a race of his own until the last 200m as the field change places behind him every furlong or so. Serino Moodley made an early move on The Wolf but that came to nothing as Thoonsil kept galloping and it was Blizzard Boy that came out of the pack and looked to be going on by, but Thoonsil stuck to his guns as Blizzard Boy’s challenge faltered over the last 100m.
Apprentice Girish Dookhit took a leaf out of Tristan Godden’s book and made all the running on Alyson Wright’s seven-year-old Ultra Quick in the Class 5 Apprentice Handicap. Setting comfortable early fractions the gelding lasted just long enough to hold off challenges from Mountainsofthemoon and National Dream.
Godden employed the same tactics as he had earlier on Thoonsil, making all the running on outsider Little Cracker. Jumping from the widest draw, Godden had Tony Rivalland’s gelding out in a flash and was not for the catching. Challenges came from all sides but Little Cracker kept up a relentless gallop with Lunch Money and Paratrooper unable to get on terms.
Time In Paris looked set for a major upset in the last of the day as Anaas Mosaheb took Kom Naidoo’s mare to the lead, one she fought gamely to hold to. But it was in vain as Mxolisi Mbuto, hanging on to Marx-Jacobson’s tail in the Apprentice Championship, pulled one back as he got Lucinda Woodruff’s filly to respond gamely up the inside fence to eventually wear down the pacemaker with favourite Preacher Man a well-beaten third.
