KZN Awards nominations
October 6, 2011Two promising Vaal winners
October 6, 2011MIKE de Kock has decided to take on the colts with top mare Gibraltar Blue (photo) in Saturday’s Grade 3 Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m on Turffontein’s inside track. Flirtation and Welwitschia will contest the Grade 3 Joburg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over the same distance.
He is perfectly happy with the preparation of his runners and said on Thursday: “They’re all short of their best, but fit enough to be competitive. We try to keep the stable companions apart when we can. Gibraltar Blue is a little stronger than Welwitschia at this stage so they’re in the right races.
“I’ve always thought of Gibraltar Blue as a Queen’s Plate contender and that’s her aim. She gets her sex allowance in this race and she’s handily weighted. I’m expecting a good run. Flirtation and Welwitschia are fresh after their breaks too. None of them have had enough grass work, they will all improve, but I’m confident they will run close to their form.”
He said of his other runners on what should be a day of quality racing:
“Frontino Gold is the fittest of my runners. He’s a horse that needs ground, he’s battled to get going in his races up to a mile so far. But I rate him, I think he’s a decent type of horse and we’d like to qualify him for the Emperors Cup, so I’ve left him in a 1450m race and the blinkers may well do the trick.
“Sidera will race in a Pinnacle Plate over 2200m. On pedigree she will see out the trip, no problem, and I she is bound to do well here. Her last run was disappointing, I think you can ignore that performance. Dunraven will need this outing to bring him to his peak.”
“Atlantic Oak is nicely in, in a Graduation Plate, she is doing well. Amur Affair tries further, she will come on with this run and on pedigree should see it out.”:
“Do keep in mind that most of our runners have rested.”
Feature race fields on Saturday are:
JOBURG SPRING CHALLENGE (Grade 3) R200,000 1450m
1 – 11 BULSARA (G H Van Zyl) M Mienie 60.0 – 108
2 – 5 REBEL KNIGHT (G M Alexander) W Marwing 60.0 – 108
3 – 2 TWO TONE (M G Azzie) J P v’d Merwe 60.0 – 107
4 – 1 WINKING JACK (L Wiid) G Lerena 60.0 – 103
5 – 8 LOCHLORIEN (M G Azzie) M Yeni 60.0 – 100
6 – 3 CAPTAIN SCOTT (A G Laird) C Little 60.0 – 97
7 – 9 PRIME MOVER (L J Erasmus) S Brown 60.0 – 79
8 – 10 JET JAMBOREE (D Zaki) P Strydom 59.5 – 100
9 – 6 CAPTAIN’S KEY (M G Azzie) M V’Rensburg 59.5 – 99
10 – 7 FURIOUS DANCER (K Naidoo) R Simons 59.5 – 96
11 – 4 GIBRALTAR BLUE (M F De Kock) A Delpech 57.5 – 108
Same Trainer: (3,5,9)
JOBURG SPRING F & M CHALLENGE (Grade 3) R165,000 1450m
1 – 4 DANCEWITHTHEDEVIL (S J Gray) G Lerena 60.0 – 113
2 – 2 FLIRTATION (M F De Kock) W Marwing 60.0 – 104
3 – 7 ENGAGEMENT (S J Gray) S Chambers 60.0 – 94
4 – 5 CAREY’S QUI (A G Laird) P Strydom 59.5 – 97
5 – 6 WITHOUT MALICE (G B Scott) S Brown 59.5 – 96
6 – 1 CHANCES ARE (J A Soma) M Yeni 59.5 – 93
7 – 3 MADAM MADONNA (C Mayhew) J Greyling 59.5 – 68
8 – 8 WELWITSCHIA (M F De Kock) A Delpech 58.5 – 105
Same Trainer: (1,3) (2,8)
THE Gauteng turf season has its springboard on Saturday with the running of the Grade 3 Joburg Spring Challenge and Joburg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over 1450m on the Turffontein inside track.
Bulsara heads up the field for the R200,000 Joburg Spring Challenge but he will face a stern challenge from the lone mare in the field, Gibraltar Blue.
Trainer Mike de Kock has clearly decided to let her take on the colts while he has entered Sansui Summer Cup winner Flirtation and Welwitschia into the Fillies and Mares Challenge. However, they will have some tough opposition as St John Gray has his star, Dancewiththedevil, lining up for the race. She will be fitted with blinkers for the first time.
Last year’s winner of the Joburg Spring Challenge, Pierre Jourdan, is not in the field this time following his winning return to the track last month. He and a number of these runners will have a busy schedule ahead of them as many of them will be looking to book their places in the Grade 2 Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile over 1600m on Saturday 3 November and the R2-million Sansui Summer Cup (Grade 1) over 2000m on Saturday 26 November.
There is an interesting nine-race card at Turffontein on Saturday with small but competitive fields. The best thing about the meeting is the quality of the runners. The winter hibernation is over, the horses are renewed and many of the stables are stirring with excitement at the prospects of a superb Gauteng season.
JOBURG SPRING CHALLENGE (Grade 3) R200,000 1450m
1 – 11 BULSARA (G H Van Zyl) M Mienie 60.0 – 108
2 – 5 REBEL KNIGHT (G M Alexander) W Marwing 60.0 – 108
3 – 2 TWO TONE (M G Azzie) J P v’d Merwe 60.0 – 107
4 – 1 WINKING JACK (L Wiid) G Lerena 60.0 – 103
5 – 8 LOCHLORIEN (M G Azzie) M Yeni 60.0 – 100
6 – 3 CAPTAIN SCOTT (A G Laird) C Little 60.0 – 97
7 – 9 PRIME MOVER (L J Erasmus) S Brown 60.0 – 79
8 – 10 JET JAMBOREE (D Zaki) P Strydom 59.5 – 100
9 – 6 CAPTAIN’S KEY (M G Azzie) M V’Rensburg 59.5 – 99
10 – 7 FURIOUS DANCER (K Naidoo) R Simons 59.5 – 96
11 – 4 GIBRALTAR BLUE (M F De Kock) A Delpech 57.5 – 108
Same Trainer: (3,5,9)
JOBURG SPRING F & M CHALLENGE (Grade 3) R165,000 1450m
1 – 4 DANCEWITHTHEDEVIL (S J Gray) G Lerena 60.0 – 113
2 – 2 FLIRTATION (M F De Kock) W Marwing 60.0 – 104
3 – 7 ENGAGEMENT (S J Gray) S Chambers 60.0 – 94
4 – 5 CAREY’S QUI (A G Laird) P Strydom 59.5 – 97
5 – 6 WITHOUT MALICE (G B Scott) S Brown 59.5 – 96
6 – 1 CHANCES ARE (J A Soma) M Yeni 59.5 – 93
7 – 3 MADAM MADONNA (C Mayhew) J Greyling 59.5 – 68
8 – 8 WELWITSCHIA (M F De Kock) A Delpech 58.5 – 105
Same Trainer: (1,3) (2,8)
1 Comment
Mike u da star keep da punter happy wish u all da best.