Dorrie Sham will nominate Grade 1 Computaform Sprint runner up Pinnacle Peak for the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville on May 26 but said his participation is all “in his hooves”.
She said the three-year-old Querari gelding had come out of Saturday’s race at Turffontein well.
She believed he would appreciate the step up to 1200m and pointed to his win in the Grade 3 Man O’ War Sprint over 1100m in which he led throughout yet was doing his best work late.
Joey Ramsden
Sham did not expect to have a horse for the SA Champions Season and would regard participation in the Tsogo Sun Sprint as a bonus.
Pinnacle Peak was bred by John Everett’s Narrow Creek Stud and has become a testament to the fine eye of owner John Finlayson.
Everett recently related, “John came to visit me on the farm. He loves taking a walk early in the morning and fell in love with this colt out in the field and offered to buy him off the farm. I said ‘No John, you’re here to visit, not to buy horses’, but at the end of his visit, John left a note with his offer. Over the next month he kept calling and asking about him and eventually the deal was done.”
Pinnacle Peak was only a weanling at the time.
He has been raised nine points by the handicapper to 112.
Joey Ramsden had the first and third in the Computaform Sprint, Attenborough and Speedpoint.
Attenborough is a quirky four-year-old gelding by Western Winter. When things go his way he can produce a powerful finish like he did on Saturday. He started favourite for last year’s Tsogo Sun Sprint running off a 106 merit rating but could only manage a 5,9 length 12th. He has been raised four points to 114 after Saturday’s win, which, considering the recent across the board six point raise to all major centre merit ratings, means he is only two points higher than he was at this time last year. Speedpoint was raised eleven points to 109 for his 2,2 length third. Considering he finished a 4,4 length third in the Langerman over 1500m as a juvenile, he should enjoy the tough Scottsville 1200m if that is his target.
The speedy Queen Laurie got a relatively good break on Saturday for a change and showed she is effective from off the pace with a charging 3,1 length fourth. She put up her hand for a tilt at the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint as she beat her female four-year-old contemporary Exquisite Touch by 0,35 lengths.
By David Thiselton
