JACK MILNER RXP
Now for the Triple Crown! Oracy has probably done the hardest job by winning the Gauteng Guineas over 1600m, a distance his connections believe is too short for him. Now he can focus on the SA Classic and SA Derby and claim the R2 million bonus for winning all three.
Prior to the race there were many sceptics who believed Oracy would not be able to retain his unbeaten record. Firstly Anton Marcus said he marginally preferred the chances of stable companion Always but changed his mind and jumped onto Oracy.
Then there was the subject running him in blinkers for the first time, despite being unbeaten in three starts. As a result of all the doubt, Oracy was easy to back at 33-10, despite his excellent form and great draw. He did shorten to 5-2 at the off and in fairness, it needed every ounce of Marcus’s skill and strength to get him home.
Bouquet-Garni set the pace from Captain’s Table, Seattle Ice with Oracy about five lengths back. When Marcus got him to the front some 400m out, the New Zealand-bred colt went more than a length ahead and it appeared he would run out a comfortable winner.
But he suddenly ducked right across to the outside fence and that gave his opposition a second look. Paul Matchett’s combination of Mount Hood and Cerise Cherry were joined by rank outsider Royal Rez, and all four went to the wire as one.
To the naked eye it appeared Oracy may have been denied but in the end it took the judges to declare him a short-head winner with Cerise Cherry and Royal Rez dead-heating for second and Mount Hood another 0.10 lengths back in fourth. Captain’s Table, who started second favourite at 33-10, was one-paced late and finished fifth, 2.75 lengths off the winner.
The drama did not end there as the hooter sounded, followed by the announcement that an objection had been lodged by S’manga Khumalo, rider of Royal Rez, against the winner on the grounds of being crossed in the latter stages of the race.
The head-on replay was shown live on the course television and it was clear that while Oracy had crossed Royal Rez, Khumalo never had to switch or stop riding his mount. Not surprisingly, the objection was overruled and the deposit forfeited. In addition Khumalo was hit with a R3000 fine for lodging an ``unwarranted objection’’.
Khumalo may have cost himself the race as he dropped his near side rein at approximately the 100m mark, which he was unable to regain until after the finish line.
Perhaps it is because Zirconeum is viewed as a ``stiffie’’ by many punters in that she is so often the bridesmaid in feature races, or whether it was the weight of money for stablemate Loupe, but Zirconeum drifted to 11-2 for the Gauteng Fillies Guineas, the first leg of the Triple Tiara. Loupe started at 22-10 and Sweet Theresa marginally longer at 5-2.
The race told a different story. Astute punters will have noted that Zirconeum had run well in her two previous starts in soft going and with the rain coming down over Turffontein late in the afternoon, the Jallad filly had to come into the reckoning.
Piere Strydom took Sweet Theresa into the lead from the off while Johnny Geroudis had Zirconeum a few lengths off the pace.
As they turned for home Geroudis switched De Kock’s filly to the outside and then, for some reason only known to him, he switched her back behind a band of horses and came down the centre of the course. It just may have been that he did not want to win by too far because she coasted clear to beat Sharp Mistress by 3.50 lengths. Outsider Golden Scold came from last to run third with On Her Toes, who also took a walk in the betting, finishing fourth.
``Once she came into the straight and I asked her, it was race over. The way she won today, we’re definitely going to go for the Classic with her,’’ said Geroudis.
Strydom was a little concerned Santa might still need another run but he fought on gamely under a tremendous ride from the jockey to catch 5-2 favourite Sunny Jim just short of the line in the Listed Aquanaut Handicap over 2450m.
Mark Khan looked to have stolen a winning march when he took Sunny Jim clear about 500m out, but Strydom was hard at work on the top weight and he got up in what would have been the shadow of the post had the sun been shining.
``My concern was the second run from a layoff, but good trainers get them right,’’ said Strydom.
Ferraris added: ``He’s a lovely horse, a pleasure to train and he’s sound. That the main thing.’’
*Anybody who followed Harold Sterley’s selection in Friday’s Racing Express would have laughed all the way to the bank. Sterley picked every winner of the Pick 6 (R1334.20) and one would have caught the Place Accumulator (R167.90) on a straight line by taking every top selection from Race 3 to Race 9.
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