Jack Milner
Jack Milner
There will be no Triple Series champions this season after both winners of the respective first leg of the World Sports Betting Triple Crown and Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara were unable to repeat their successes in the second leg at Turffontein on Saturday.
The Grade 1 World Sports Betting SA Classic went the way of Anfields Rocket (17-2) while the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Classic was won by Bless My Stars with first leg winners Eye Of The Prophet and Lady Of Power finishing fourth and fifth in their respective races.
The SA Classic proved an absolute triumph for trainer Grant Maroun, Raymond Danielson who rode him and the Hollywood Syndicate who own him. The Coup De Grace gelding was considered by many unlikely to see out the 1800m of the R1.5-million Classic and Maroun admits that was the reason he had declared his charge for both the Grade 2 World Sports Betting Hawaii Stakes over 1400m and the SA Classic.
“He drew badly in the Hawaii but No 2 in the Classic. To be honest, had he drawn well in the Hawaii I probably would have run him in that,” said Maroun.
However, jockey Raymond Danielson was not in that camp. When I suggested to him in the parade ring prior to the race that his mount wouldn’t see out the trip Danielson retorted: “Come and see me after the race.”
But if he believed he would be able to have his horse handily placed from No 2 draw, Danielson was wrong. They hadn’t gone very far when Danielson found himself well back and continuously pushing at his mount. But when Anfields Rocket needed to turn it on, he did so almost at the drop of a hat.
He burst through down the inside rail to beat Jimmy Don (33-1) by one length with Billy Bowlegs (7-1) a further 0.75 lengths back while Eye Of The Prophet (17-2) finished fourth, beaten 2.50 lengths.
“He is really a clever horse,” said Danielson. “He takes it easy in the early stages but he knows when it’s time to run and he just does it.”
This was Danielson’s third win in this race, the other two being Forest Path for Mike de Kock and French Navy for Tarry.
Maroun said Anfields Rocket would now be given a rest and then they would look at the Champion Season in KwaZulu-Natal.
Anfields Rocket’s win was the third Grade 1 success for the Hollywood Syndicate, the other two coming courtesy of Brett Crawford-trained filly Make It Snappy.
Remarkably, Maroun bought Anfield Rocket as a weanling for a mere R11,000 and his win on Saturday took his earnings up to R1,351,875.
Billy Bowlegs was the talk of the racecourse, despite jumping from No 14 draw, but Alec Laird did not feel the wide barrier was to blame for his charge’s defeat.
“I decided not to run him in the Guineas because it was run only two weeks after he had won the Sea Cottage Stakes.
“Unfortunately, it then rained for a week so he missed out on some work and that was a bit of a setback. So, you can’t blame the draw, after all, the second horse was drawn even wider.”
Laird added he would now be aimed at the Grade 1 World Sports Betting SA Derby on 1 April.
The SA Fillies Classic proved a much closer contest as Bless My Stars (10-1) and Feather Boa (18-10 favourite) went to the line neck and neck with the former, trained by Sean Tarry and ridden by S’manga Khumalo, getting the verdict.
Third place went to leader None Other (6-1) who was beaten 2.25 lengths with Silver Hills (7-1) in fourth.
Lady Of Power, who changed trainers following her Gauteng Fillies Guineas win, took the lead in the straight and looked hopeful until the final 200m when she was easily passed by Bless My Stars and Feather Boa before eventually fading into fifth spot.
"I had to have a big chance," said Tarry after the race. "To be honest, I was quite surprised we were a 10-1 chance given the fact that we were interfered with in the closing stages of the Guineas and we came in here with the No 1 draw.
“But we are not bookmakers. We are just here to train them.
"I'm very thankful for the result."
Fundi Sithebe, CEO of 4Racing, expressed her delight with the way the day had panned out.
“What a Classic Day!” she said.
“The Championships season keeps delivering stunning race days and we are loving every moment of it. Well done to all the winning jockeys and winning connections on the day, for the spectacular show they put on today and thank you also for a great crowd that was in attendance at Turffontein.
“It is unfortunate that there is no longer a chance to claim the big bonuses of the WSB Triple Crown and Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara as both winners of the first legs lost out today, but that just shows the quality of the racing on the Highveld and we look forward to what the third leg of the Triple Series will bring on Derby Day on Saturday 1 April.”