MARY SLACK would have been rubbing her hands with glee following an excellent set of results on Saturday for Tiger Ridge and Right Approach, her resident stallions at Wilgerbosdrift Stud.
Tiger Ridge produced the winners of two Graded features on Guineas Day at Turffontein – Mike de Kock’s Amur Affair bagged the Gr3 Acacia Handicap over 1600m while Ormond Ferraris-trained Cherry On Top won the Gauteng Fillies Guineas, incidentally sponsored for the first time by Wilgerbosdrift.
In Dubai Kavanagh (headline photo), racing in Slack’s own silks, triumphed in the $US175,000 Energia Elegante Sprint over 1200m.
Amur Affair (Anton Marcus), winning the Acacia Handicap. (JC Photos).
Right Approach produced Whiteline Fever, winner of the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes at Turffontein for Sean Tarry’s stable, while Just Fantasize won a Maiden earlier in the day for trainer Ernie Anderson.
Amur Affair finally notched a big win after a string of places and assistant trainer Mathew de Kock said: “She’s been unlucky and the owners have been patient, well done to them.”
Amur Affair was travelling like a ‘good thing’ fully 300m from home and jockey Anton Marcus commented: “I knew she had a short burst so I sat following the leaders as long as I could before letting her go.”
Mike had noted in his preview that he had placed Kavanagh against weaker opposition in the sprint handicap at Meydan, “to get a win out of him and get his confidence back”. This proved to be a good move because the talented five-year-old won full of running under Christophe Soumillon, recording his seventh career success.
Rerouted (Christophe Soumillon), ran on well to win.
Another five-year-old, Rerouted, resumed winning ways in the Linton Handicap over 1400m on the all-weather. Soumillon brought this one from last and said: “I was tracking Kieren (Fallon) and had a nice passage home. It’s good to have a few winners again, some weeks ago I was disappointed in my season so far.”
Rerouted is owned by a partnership including golfing legends Chubby Chandler and Lee Westwood. He’s won two from four and placed twice during this year’s Dubai Carnival.
Kavanagh and Rerouted were saddled by assistant trainer Steven Jell.
Kavanagh in the winner’s enclosure with Christophe Soumillon and Steven Jell facing the press.
(Dubai photos by Andrew Watkins).
