Two good greys

The little worry that Mike de Kock had about Greaterix seeing out 1600m was dispelled when jockey Kabelo Matsunyane kept looking over his shoulder from the 300m mark of a Graduation Plate at Turffontein on Monday.

By this time, Greaterix was already fully in control and galloping away from a small, but strong field of rivals and Mike said after the race: “The form was rock solid, look at the second horse (Wild At War) and the third horse, Guy Gibson.”

Mile said he wanted to test Greaterix over 1600m before the Dingaans on 30 November. “It is a step up and I wanted to get a mile into his legs before the race.”

Greaterix looks to have all the attributes needed to go to the top. He has a high cruising speed and a good turn of foot, and he goes about his business with authority. He clocked a time of 100,22s on the day. This was more than 2s faster than the two three-year-olds who’d won their Maiden Plates earlier in the afternoon – a division below, but a pointer to Greaterix’s merit all the same.

Greaterix is owned by the partnership of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khaloa Al Maktoum, Chris Haynes, George Ragunan and Noeline Malherbe, bred by the Sheikh’s Al Adiyaat operation by Vercingetorix out of Semra, by Jet Master.

White Pearl (Danon Platina) posted a well-deserved third career victory for Arun Chadha and Warne Rippon’s ASSM Syndicate when she won Race 8 over 1400m from stakes winner Beating Wings. “White Pearl is a small filly with a big heart. I still believe she has a feature race win in her,” said Mike.

White Pearl was beautifully handled by evergreen master jockey Piere Strydom, who rode four winners on the day and had a strike rate of 30% winners to rides so far this season.