PRESS RELEASE - GRADE 1 DAILY NEWS 2000
Dean Kannemeyer Racing's flagbearer Noordhoek Flyer is fired up and
ready for action in Saturday's Grade 1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville.
Big-race jockey Karl Neisius rode him in a light final workout this
morning and gave the thumbs-up.
Speaking from Clairwood earlier today, an upbeat Kannemeyer said that
the handsome chestnut son of Pivotal, had done nothing wrong since his
arrival in Africa's horseracing capital: " To the contrary, he has
flourished here on the East Coast and when coupled with the natural
growth and development at this stage of his life, he is blossoming
into an awesome athlete. I also could not have asked for a better
preparation with a very soft outing in what was little more than a
grass gallop in a Graduation Plate at Kenilworth in April and then his
effortlessly commanding win in the KRA Guineas. Punters should not
forget that the Guineas was a Grade 2 race!" he said.
Kannemeyer said that the 2000m trip of Saturday's Grade 1 feature
would be something of an acid test." There is an opinion that he will
not stay the distance, and this is obviously based on his Investec
Derby defeat, the fact that he is not bred on the stoutest of lines
but ironically most of all on his electric acceleration, which people
seem to believe does not go hand in hand with a genuine 2000m horse.
But Karl Neisius knows him well and can settle him, so he will have
every chance. It is also the sign of a champion in the making when a
horse can produce his turn of foot over the range of distances he
has,' he said. Quizzed on whether he thought Noordhoek Flyer would
ultimately stay, Kannemeyer said that his main mission had always been
the Vodacom Durban July - and that pundits could read into that
whatever they chose.
Of his chief rivals on Saturday, he said that he had tremendous
respect for Mike de Kock: " Mike produces the goods on the big days
with such monotonous regularity that it would be foolish to ignore
anything he sends to post. I also trained Irish Flame in his early
days and I know just how good he really is. Then Bold Silvano left his
PE tag well behind him when he won the Greyville 1900 in impressive
fashion recently, so is another to be taken seriously. There are some
other nice three year olds in the race that also warrant respect. But
I am not going to lose sleep worrying about the opposition. I'd rather
they worry about me," he said with a wry smile.
Dean has one other runner at Greyville in the tenth race, a MR 89
Handicap for fillies and mares where the Drakenstein Stud owned Silver
Apples faces a competitive field: " She was a bit green at her first
start here in KZN and has come along nicely in her work. She was also
unlucky to lose her penultimate start in the boardroom. With a vastly
experienced jockey aboard who knows her very well, and the benefit of
a pole-position draw, I would not be surprised to see her amongst the
first three come the final stages."
Issued by
www.dkannemeyerracing.com
Enquiries:manager@dkannemeyerracing.com
Topic Author
