Final fields Track & ball Derby and GC Oaks

Only eight of the 26 entries for the R400 000, Grade 2 Track & Ball Derby, to be run over 2 400m at Scottsville on Sunday, have stood their ground making it a lot easier for last year’s winner of the race, Hot Ticket, to complete the double.

By comparison, 15 fillies will compete for the R187 500 first place cheque in the R300 000, Grade 2 Gold Circle Oaks making this race far more competitive.

The two races will be run at weight-for-age plus penalties related to previous successes and that has resulted in the weights looking way out of kilter related to those that would apply in a straight handicap. Merit ratings are given by the handicappers on their assessment of the runners’ ability and are applied in straight handicap events.

With a merit rating of 112, the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Silvano gelding Hot Ticket is thrown in the race and, on paper and barring any unforeseen circumstances, appears one of the biggest certainties in recent South African racing.

Kingston Mines from the Mike de Kock stable, rated at 100, will carry joint top weight of 60kg with Hot Ticket with the balance of the runners also all well out at the weights. On straight handicap, Kingston Mines should be receiving 6kg from Hot Ticket while Disco Al, that receives 1kg from the top two, should be receiving 5.5kg from Hot Ticket.

The two three-year-olds, Krambambuli from the Justin Snaith stable and Hot Ticket’s stable companion, Master James, enjoy the 3kg weight-for-age allowance but still have a mammoth task ahead of them if their ratings are correct.

The Snaith-trained Black Minnaloushe filly Ash Cloud is set to carry top weight of 60kg in the Gold Circle Oaks, giving 2kg to the highest-rated filly in the race, Vino Veritas, from the Gavin van Zyl yard that should, on straight handicap, be giving Ash Cloud 3.5kg.

Ash Cloud should also be receiving weight on merit ratings from Gallica Rose, Shingwedzi and Supercede but has to concede 2kg to each of them.

The three-year-old fillies Patchit Up Baby and Olma, are well in at the weights on handicap which sets the scene for a very competitive contest and the possibility of a close finish.



DERBY

1 6 HOT TICKET 60.0 112 BA K Neisius Dean Kannemeyer
2 5 KINGSTON MINES (GB 60.0 100 BA A Delpech Mike de Kock
3 7 DISCO AL 59.0 101 A A Marcus Joey Ramsden
4 2 DOUBLE CLUTCH 59.0 99 T A G Lerena Paul Lafferty
5 3 FRENCH REVOLUTION 59.0 92 A S Cormack Justin Snaith
6 1 SAVAGE WIND 59.0 81 A M Yeni Joe Soma
7 8 KRAMBAMBULI 56.0 98 A R Fourie Justin Snaith
8 4 MASTER JAMES 56.0 86 A *L Mxothwa Dean Kannemeyer



OAKS

1 2 ASH CLOUD 60.0 95 A R Fourie Justin Snaith
2 10 VINO VERITAS 58.0 102 BA W Kennedy Gavin van Zyl
3 1 GALLICA ROSE 58.0 98 A B Fayd'Herbe Joey Ramsden
4 6 SHINGWEDZI 58.0 96 BA A Marcus Mike Bass
5 3 SUPERCEDE 58.0 96 A S Randolph Pat Lunn
6 5 MOHAVE PRINCESS (A 58.0 88 A A Forbes Gavin van Zyl
7 12 COUNTING ANGELS 58.0 87 A C Orffer Mike Bass
8 13 SAN TRIP 58.0 87 A K de Melo Mark Dixon
9 15 PECAN NUT 58.0 86 A G Lerena Stan Elley
10 8 SAINT SOPHIA 58.0 83 BA K Neisius Mike Bass
11 7 SQUARE DANCE (GB) 58.0 83 BA A Delpech Mike de Kock
12 14 GATHERING FAME 58.0 80 BA S Cormack Dennis Drier
13 9 PATCHIT UP BABY 55.0 99 A M Yeni Duncan Howell
14 11 OLMA 55.0 98 A S Khumalo Frank Robinson
15 4 BOUNTIFUL HARVEST 55.0 82 A D Dillon Justin Snaith

DISCO AL / PECAN NUT

Looks like the experiment has failed ?

Poor prize money. Still makes no sense as to why these are not 3 year old races. Biggest balls up.

Derby Replay

What a finish, pic from www.goldcircle.co.za

By Richard Mcmillan

Two desperately close finishes had racegoers on their feet at Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday as both graded feature events produced thrilling battles right to the line.

The R300 000, Grade 2 Gold Circle Oaks saw another sensational ride by Cape jockey Richard Fourie to get the four-year-old Justin Snaith-trained Black Minnaloushe filly Ash Cloud up in the final stride to beat favourite Gallica Rose by a short head with Vino Veritas another head back in third place. Fourie had ridden a brilliant race at Greyville on Friday night to win the Grade 2 Post Merchants on the Snaith-trained Daring Dave.

The race had been pencilled in as the season mission for Ash Cloud and Fourie settled her nicely as Saint Sophia and Gathering Fame ensured a good gallop at the head of the field. Saint Sophia, stable companion to the more fancied Mike Bass runner Shingwedzi, brought the field into the home straight but then it became a battle to the line with Patchit Up Baby joining in the fight with Vino Veritas and Gallica Rise.

That sort of nail-biting finish was repeated in the R400 000 Track & Ball Derby where last year’s winner Hot Ticket and hot favourite to complete the double from the Dean Kannemeyer stable came from off the pace to get the better of pacemaker Kingston Mines from the Mike de Kock yard close to the finish. But it was Anton Marcus that produced the magic on the Captain Al gelding Disco Al, bringing him from the back of the field with a last ditch strike to get up and burgle the victory on the line for trainer Joey Ramsden.

Outsider Savage Wind from the Joe Soma stable ran a top race to dead-heat with Kingston Mines for third place.