DURBAN – Champion sprinter What A Winter finished among the “also rans” in last year’s Golden Horse Casino Sprint but is back for another crack on Saturday at Scottsville, where R600,000 will be on offer for the Grade 1 event.
What A Winter has only finished out of the money twice in a glittering career that boasts eight victories. The Golden Horse Casino Sprint is one of the few big races in KZN missing from trainer Mike Bass’ resume in his long and distinguished career.
What A Winter finished third to last year’s Golden Horse Casino Sprint winner, Shea Shea, in last month’s Computaform sprint and could prove all the better for that run come Saturday.
Bass has ample back-up in Castlethorpe. The Australian-bred gelding is effective over any trip from a sprint to a middle distance but hacked up at Fairview in Port Elizabeth on his way up to KZN for the win and was most impressive in his Champions Season debut, beating a smart field in a Pinnacle Stakes event at Clairwood.
The Dominic Zaki-trained Deliver The Power showed top-class potential when reeling off five straight victories this season, and although fourth behind Shea Shea in the Computaform Sprint, showed he was right up there with the best.
Link Man and Delago Deluxe both won the Tsogo Sun Medallion in their year so are no strangers to the Scottsville track that has found out many a would-be champion in the past.
Stable companion Unannounced was unbeaten until trainer Charles Laird tried him over a bit of ground. He finished a creditable second to Depardieu in the Byerley Turk at Scottsville before finishing down the field in the KRA Guineas. On Saturday he is back over what looks to be his optimum trip, having twice won over the course and distance, and he is a colt who does not give in easily.
Merchants winner Antious ran well below his best form when beaten by Castlethorpe last time out and trainers Frank Robinson and Herman Brown will be hoping that it was only a hiccup.
In what promises to be one of the best races of Champions Season, the country’s finest female sprinters clash in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint.
The race pits the top older fillies – headed by Welwitschia, Ebony Flyer and State Blue – against the best of the younger generation, spearheaded by brilliant Princess Victoria.
To his credit trainer Glen Kotzen has not shirked the contest with Princess Victoria as he knows his star filly will be up against some really classy older contestants. The daughter of the ill-fated Victory Moon made a smart seasonal debut at Clairwood recently, beating the classy Beach Beauty, and now returns to the scene of her last year’s Allan Robertson Championship triumph where she won in scintillating fashion.
However, the Mike de Kock-trained Welwitschia’s return to sprinting last month produced an absolutely stunning display in the Grade 2 Camellia Stakes at Turffontein where she came from last at the half-way to win going away. It was a brilliant performance and one that Kotzen will be well aware off.
Justin Snaith saddles star fillies Ebony Flyer and State Blue but most will be watching Ebony Flyer. A second operation to correct a breathing problem resulted in her winning the Klawervlei Majorca Stakes at her last start. – Gold Circle.
GOLDEN HORSE CASINO SPRINT (Grade 1) R600,000 1200m
1 – 6 WHAT A WINTER (M W Bass) B Fayd’Herbe 60.0 – 117
2 – 12 LINK MAN (M F De Kock) A Delpech 57.0 – 111
3 – 2 DELIVER THE POWER (D Zaki) B Lerena 56.5 – 113
4 – 1 ANTIOUS (H/F Brown/Robinson) K Latham 56.5 – 110
5 – 16 CASTLETHORPE (M W Bass) K Neisius 56.0 – 108
6 – 11 SNOWDON (O A Ferraris) P Strydom 55.5 – 108
7 – 15 RUSHING WIND (M W Bass) S Randolph 55.0 – 107
8 – 9 COPPER PARADE (J Ramsden) R Fourie 54.5 – 105
9 – 17 REBEL KNIGHT (G M Alexander) K Teetan 54.5 – 106
10 – 3 DELAGO DELUXE (C Laird) A Marcus 54.0 – 108
11 – 10 DEPARDIEU (D Kannemeyer) R Fradd 54.0 – 108
12 – 7 UNANNOUNCED (C Laird) R Danielson 54.0 – 108
13 – 13 MOROCCAN (W H Marwing) S Veale 53.0 – 103
14 – 8 TWO TONE (M G Azzie) C Orffer 53.0 – 103
15 – 5 SHADES OF INDIGO (J Ramsden) G Hatt 52.0 – 101
16 – 14 THE SHARK (D Kannemeyer) M Byleveld 52.0 – 100
Reserve Runners
17 – 4 MIKE’S CHOICE (M L Roberts) Reserve 1 52.0 – 98
Same Trainer: (1,5,7) (8,15) (10,12) (11,16)
SOUTH AFRICAN FILLIES SPRINT (Grade 1) R500,000 1200m
1 – 3 WELWITSCHIA (M F De Kock) A Delpech 60.0 – 109
2 – 9 EBONY FLYER (J S Snaith) B Fayd’Herbe 60.0 – 107
3 – 2 STATE BLUE (J S Snaith) P Strydom 60.0 – 107
4 – 8 CHOCOLICIOUS (H/F Brown/Robinson) K Latham 60.0 – 102
5 – 6 ROMANTIC MOON (D C Howells) I Sturgeon 60.0 – 102
6 – 4 BARCELONA WINTER (Y Govender) S Veale 60.0 – 101
7 – 1 GIVE ME FIVE (S G Tarry) B Lerena 60.0 – 99
8 – 5 WISHFUL EYE (A Wright) A Forbes 60.0 – 98
9 – 12 JOLLY POPPINS (L W Goosen) C Maujean 60.0 – 90
10 – 13 TORRA BAY (D R Drier) K Shea 60.0 – 90
11 – 10 PRINCESS VICTORIA (G S Kotzen) S Cormack 58.5 – 109
12 – 11 SHE’S A STUNNER (D Visser) R Fradd 58.5 – 105
13 – 14 JACKODORE (S G Tarry) A Marcus 58.5 – 100
14 – 7 COMTESSE DUBOIS (J S Snaith) R Fourie 58.5 – 99
Same Trainer: (2,3,14) (7,13)
TSOGO SUN MEDALLION (Grade 1) R500,000 1200m
1 – 6 BLIZZARD OF OZZ (D R Drier) A Forbes 58.0 – 86
2 – 14 CAPE ROYAL (D Kannemeyer) K Neisius 58.0 – 94
3 – 1 CONTADOR (C Laird) A Marcus 58.0 – 91
4 – 9 DANESCO (W H Marwing) P Strydom 58.0 – 84
5 – 13 DONNIE BRASCO (P A Peter) C Little 58.0 – 84
6 – 8 FLY ME OVER (G S Kotzen) S Cormack 58.0 – 87
7 – 15 GO AGAIN (H/F Brown/Robinson) K Latham 58.0 – 85
8 – 11 LOVE STRUCK (P V Lafferty) K Teetan 58.0 – 88
9 – 3 MY JELLY BEAN (I S Moore) C Orffer 58.0 – 91
10 – 12 OTTIMO (I S Moore) S Randolph 58.0 – 92
11 – 7 PEANUTS (R R Magner) D David 58.0 – 79
12 – 4 POTENT POWER (D R Drier) K Shea 58.0 – 91
13 – 5 REIGN AS KINGS (M F De Kock) A Delpech 58.0 – 98
14 – 10 TWITTER (V H Marshall) M Byleveld 58.0 – 95
15 – 2 ZIPARANA (W H Marwing) R Fradd 58.0 – 98
16 – 16 STRAIGHT SET (C Spies) J P v’d Merwe 55.5 – 94
Same Trainer: (1,12) (4,15) (9,10)
ALLAN ROBERTSON CHAMPIONSHIP (Grade 1) R500,000 1200m
1 – 9 AL KINDI (M F De Kock) K Shea 58.0 – 88
2 – 8 ALL IS SECRET (V H Marshall) A Marcus 58.0 – 93
3 – 2 COUNTER RIDGE (H/F Brown/Robinson) K Latham 58.0 – 94
4 – 5 FRANNY (G H Van Zyl) R Fourie 58.0 – 97
5 – 10 KING’S TEMPTRESS (K Naidoo) K Teetan 58.0 – 100
6 – 3 LONSOME DOVE (M F De Kock) A Delpech 58.0 – 83
7 – 4 REBEL QUEEN (C Spies) R Danielson 58.0 – 1
8 – 7 SEA SHADOW (D Zaki) B Lerena 58.0 – 95
9 – 6 TRIP TO EDEN (C Spies) J P v’d Merwe 58.0 – 0
10 – 1 VALDIVIA (V H Marshall) M Byleveld 58.0 – 96
Same Trainer: (1,6) (2,10) (7,9)
