David Thiselton

Gimme A Nother, running in the familiar yellow and black colours of Steven and Jessica Jell’s Mauritzfontein Stud, is a Gr 2 winner in the USA, a valuable addition to her stud CV, after trainer Graham Motion and jockey Juan Hernandez pulled off a magnificent win in the John C. Mabee Stakes over one mile and one furlong at Del Mar.

Meanwhile, her SA-bred contemporary Beach Bomb could only manage sixth in a Gr 3 at Kentucky Downs, while in other South African overseas news Brett Crawford made an excellent debut in Hong Kong with a second place finish with his first runner.

The Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein-bred Gimme A Nother’s seven out of seven victories in South Africa were all on the Turffontein Standside straight and fans became used to her flat spot when asked to go before she produced her famous late burst.

However, this style did not bear fruit on the USA tracks with their shorter straights, despite the pace of their races generally being stronger.

Thus Motion has converted into a handy to front-running sort, although it has to be said the reluctance of many of her competitors to go forward in her last two starts has aided this cause.

This nearly landed her a Gr 2 at Woodbine in Canada last time out where she got an easy lead.

At Del Mar on Saturday she broke well and managed to get into second place from draw seven without much effort as the majority of the jockeys drawn inside of her were content to sit on their mounts.

Hopeful did not set exceptional fractions in front, but Hernandez chose to sit still on Gimme A Nother and allow the former to open a gap.

Gimme A Nother then had Kentucky Gal moving on to her outsie on the back straight, but although she was caught in a pocket the pace was strong enough for her to stride out in a nice relaxed rhythm.

Hernandez celeverly dropped Gimme A Nother a length behind Kentucky Girl as they arrived at the turn, but he then drove for the gap in between the leader and the slowing Kentucky Girl halfway around the turn, which allowed him to burst through the gap with momentum.

The favourite Medora had come from five lengths back to join Gimme A Nother in the straight.

However, a kick at the top of the straight saw Gimme A Nother steal a length. In terms of substance she dwarfed Medora and, staying on resolutely with long strides, she arrived at the line 1,25 lengths clear, despite being the only horse in the field who carried a two pound Gr 1 penalty.

Gimme A Nother’ run importantly gave her experience of Del Mar, where she will likely be lining up in the Gr 1 Breeders Cup Filly And Mare turf over a mile and three furlongs in November.

It was a fine day for Steven and Jessica Jell of Mauritzfontein Stud and Mary Slack of Wilgerbosdrift Stud, because earlier in the day at Turffontein Inside Gimme A Nother’s Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained half-sister by Danon Platina, Special Star, who is owned by Wilgerbosdrift Stud, had won her maiden by 2,40 lengths when stepped up to a middle distance of 1800m for the first time.

At Kentucky Downs in the Gr 3 Light And Wonder Marathon Invitational Stakes Beach Bomb broke well and was in the joint-lead at the first turn before the favurite Stellify took the lead. The horses went wide down the back straight and Saez, istead of getting a tow from the two pacemakers, opted to switch into fresh air outside of them, although just behind them. This might have been because he viewed the ground out there as faster, but in the end Beach Bomb had appeared to have done too much in the running because she was off the bit a long way out and despite a gallant effort to get a place she was swamped late and beaten into sixth place, 6,25 lengths behind the impressive long-strider Stellify.

At Sha Tin in Hong Kong Brett Crawford’s first runner on the island, the six-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding Speedy Smartie, was handy from a wide draw and looked set to convert favouritism after hitting the front at the 150m mark under Crawford’s former SA stable jockey Karis Teetan. However, the horse who was handicapped to beat Speedy Smartie on their last meeting, You’remyeverything, duly mowed him down late to win going away by half-a-length under Derek Leung.

Champion jockey Zac Purton dominated the meeting with five winners, while the three South African ex-pat jockeys Ferraris, Hewitson and De Melo all returned blanks.

 

Warren Lenferna

There was a fabulous “family” vibe at Hollywoodbets Durbanville yesterday, with plenty of racing action that would have got the adrenaline pumping.

The first race saw the well-backed Demanding Dave from the Mike Stewart beach barn win a tad cozily under the urgings of Craig Zackey. They came from the widest gate and shrugged off the challenges from Objet D’ Art. Having raced against winners in his last two starts, it was no shock at all to see him find the money and the winner’s box. The second race saw the Snaith team finish one-two, but the winner, Swiatek, reeled off a hat trick and is rising steadily in the ratings. She is clearly classy and good. Trainer Justin Snaith said in his post-race interview that he will now need to find this filly a feature race to contend in. Smart Horse went practically from gun to tape in the third event on the card, and the blinkers worked a treat. Red Wave was well-fancied but clearly got caught in the backwash and never featured, and to use the words of race caller Brandon Bailey, “was wobbling like a banged-up shopping trolley.”

Red Coral was beautifully handled by visiting rider Gavin Lerena for trainer Candice Bass-Robinson and her patron, Mr. Chadha. She is clearly improving and can go on to win more races. She is one to follow. The fifth race was competitive and provided an exciting finish, but Mighty Mary, under the strong urgings from Craig Zackey, got her head down bang-on-time. She is a tad on the “hot” side, but if her trainer can keep a lid on things with this daughter of Querari for Mrs. Viljoen, she can surely win more. The runner-up, Amayah, should not be a maiden for too much longer.

Stormwatch and Wish List are two three-year-olds that will have an exciting future as they dominated Race 6, the Class 4 over 1400m. Stormwatch got the first run on Wish List and kept her at bay to win a gutsy race. Far from disgraced in defeat, Wish List will also win races. We were treated to a thrilling finish. Twice The Master let down well to win the longest race on the day, Race 7 over 2400m for the apprentice, and simply stays all day.

We saw another progressive three-year-old win the last race. Sardinia Bay got the Richard Fourie “magic” from the saddle to hold off the challenge from Rattlesnake. Greg Ennion has his horses in a terrific space, and this son of Pathfork is one for the notebook.

All in all, the three-year-olds certainly stole the show today at the country course, winning five of the eight events. The next meeting at Hollywoodbets Durbanville will take place on Tuesday, September 9th.

Andrew Harrison

Problem horses, be it temperament or physical, are always a test of patience but more so a trainer’s nightmare. If you have an owner or owners who are no strangers to the sport, it does make things easier for the trainer but those connections looking for an early return are often quick to call it a day.

Master Du Rouvray, finally shedding his maiden in his seasonal debut as a four-year-old, has tested Mark Dixon and his owners patience but finally produced the goods as Serino Moodley got him out on terms and pulled the trigger when it counted to run out a popular winner of the first.

A late declaration of cheek pieces on Next Of Kin saw him finish his race off nicely for second with Tickalox coming back well from a lengthy break for third.

Craig Zackey earned his riding fee aboard hot favourite Curious Girl in the second. Mike de Kock was cautious pre-race and questioned his charge’s short priced odds but the money still arrived. It was fair comment from De Kock as the daughter of Futura has a long, awkward stride. Under pressure early, she eventually ground down the opposition, managing to hold off a late challenge from Intro who had drifted alarmingly in the betting, probably under pressure from money for Curious Girl.

On-line auctions are often a good indication of what punters can expect from what is on offer in their later careers. When a trainer tries to hang on to what was in his yard is usually a good indication that all is not lost for the individual on sale.

Trained by Duncan Howells, Princess Palace was a regular earner for her connections before being offered up for auction. Howells approached the new owners, The Social Squad, to keep the filly in his care and she paid off first time up in her new silks. It was a close-run thing as she fought off a determined challenge from Faizah in the third with a piece of paper separating them at the line, but it was a win first up for her new owners.

The blinkered Mohandas came in for a ton of support in the opening leg of the Pick 6 but it was close but no cigar. He did not get the smoothest of passages up the home straight but four-claiming apprentice Damyan Pillay kept to instructions; go from the top of the straight, on veteran galloper King Bavarian. It was an instruction that paid dividends as the six-year-old took the lead and held on gamely as first Mohandas challenged with Rodriquez putting in a late appearance to go down by the shortest of short heads with Mohandas close-up.

By accident or design, the connections were not answering as Siesta Sunset made the most of a blistering pace set by stable companion Million Voices in the fifth on the night. Million Voices and Vision To Achieve were not taking any prisoners as they led the charge with Million Voices first to hoist the white flag but Vision To Achieve was not done. She kept on gamely but was not able to hold off the attentions of Siesta Sunset with Crafty Crofty, back on turf, staying on well for the minor money.

 There was a messy finish at the business end of the Progress Plate that headed the card with all three of the Miller runners not doing each other any favours.

Winner, Forward Motion was always out of trouble as Damyan Pillay  made the most of his draw on Paul Lafferty’s filly and setting of to make the pace but at the business end Sovereign Grant shifted out under pressure hampering the favourite Infinity Edge, who did not enjoy the best of passages before being pushed in behind the winner by stable companion Magical View.

It is a race that one will need to take cognisant of when dissecting future form.

Moodley has upped his game this season and made the decision to take his chances on the Highveld with agent Deez Dayanand, successful with Anthony Delpech in his record run, booking his rides. It was a double on the night in his effort to keep pace with current log-leader Craig Zackey, who also booted home a double on the night.

Moodley showed that he has matured as a rider as he took advantage of a modest early pace, taking The Mask into the lead. Fitted with a tongue-tie for the first time by Glen Kotzen’s KZN assistant, John Buckler, the gelding kept rolling to hold off the challenge from Sail To The Moon and Gorgeous Dude.

Moodley had a double, but not to be outdone, Zackey kept pace with a double and his nose five in front as he rode a confident race on Lions Eye to win the eighth. Stuart Ferrie has come into his own as a trainer, having been an assistant for most of his career, and for most trainers support is key to success. It was the second winner of the evening for Hollywood Racing with Zackey aboard both in the absence of suspended Sean Veale.

Sitting off the pace in the early exchanges, Zackey threaded his way through the pack and once in daylight, Lions Eye went through with his effort to win rather comfortably.

Golden Rule’s form did not inspire any confidence on face value, not having found a place since shedding his maiden back in March last year when ridden by S’Manga Khumalo who was again on board on Friday night to round off the meeting. A change of stables and a big drop in the ratings brought out the best in Peter Muscutt’s charge as Khumalo rode a forward race from a wide draw and always up with the pace, he kept rolling to win nicely from Lucky Dollar who kept him company for much of the journey.

Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at York (UK) – 7 September 2025

Warren Lenferna

Sunday, September 7, promises an exciting day of horse racing at Hollywoodbets Durbanville, with a competitive card for racing fans. The first race is scheduled for 12:50 PM, and the day’s events will conclude with Race 8 at 4:55 PM.

Race 1: A Newcomer to Watch

The opener features a beautifully bred first-timer, Trip to Camelot. Sired by Trippi out of a Galileo mare, he is a half-brother to notable horses King Pelles and Legend of Arthur. While he may need more distance, he is certainly one to watch for the future. Jockey Gavin Lerena will be in the saddle from gate 1 for the Snaith stable. However, the one to beat looks to be Objet D’Art from the Marcus yard. This son of What a Winter impressed on debut, finishing fourth behind Sardinia Bay at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, and with natural progression, he will be a strong contender for the win.

Race 2, runs over 1400m and kicks off the Place Accumulator. It’s a competitive field where a case can be made for most of the runners. Respect and include Goodnessgraciousme, My Only Weakness, and Swiatek as they are all strong contenders for the first leg.

Race 3 is the Lucky Fish Magic Mile Open Maiden. Red Wave is drawn wide in gate 11 but has the services of South Africa’s champion jockey, Gavin Lerena. Lerena is well-known for his ability to get his horses into winning positions, and with Red Wave’s impressive improvement, he could be tough to beat.

Lerena also has an excellent ride in Race 4 aboard Red Coral for trainer Candice Bass-Robinson. Despite a difficult draw, there are only eight runners in the field. Interestingly, both horses—Red Wave and Red Coral—have names referencing the sea. A race-to-race double on these two could be a bet, as both have a huge chance of winning.

In Race 5, Mighty Mary is my idea of the winner. The Vaughan Marshall-trained filly will be ridden by Craig Zackey for the first time. This daughter of Querari has shown consistent improvement and appears ready for her maiden victory.

An exciting prospect to watch is Wish List in Race 6. She ran a huge race after breaking her maiden and caught the attention. She is certainly one to follow for bigger and better things to come.

The penultimate event, Race 7, is a competitive C Stakes. The narrow choice is Tothemoonandback, to be ridden by Richard Fourie. He’s always in the mix and could offer some good value. Several others also have a legitimate chance. Include as many as the budget allows.

The final race is a Class 4 event over 1000m. Barney Mcgrew tops the shortlist. He nearly pulled off an upset at 33/1 last time out and is more than capable of winning a race of this caliber. Look out for Lucy Rocket, Wylie Jack, and Orbit, who could also get into the action.