Jack Milner
The most relevant factor that came out of Classic Day at Turffontein on Saturday is that there will be no winners of this year’s SA Triple Crown and Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara.
Going into the day the respective winners of the Gauteng Guineas and Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas – Parisian Walkway and Spumante Dolce – were sent off favourites to repeat their performances in the Grade 1 TAB SA Classic and Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m.
However, both finished out of the placings but will be back in four weeks’ time to contest the SA Derby and Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks.
Neither was helped by consistent rain that fell before the running of the Fillies Classic and that did result in the track becoming soggy.
Nevertheless, nothing can detract from the positive performance of Joe Soma-trained Fiery Pegasus (17-2) in that race who ran out a 4.75 winner over Olivia’s Way (17-2) with World Of Alice (20-1) in third and VJ’s Angel (3-1) in fourth.
Unfortunately, Spumante Dolce, according to jockey Raymond Danielson, was never in it but later the vet reported that he found mucous in her trachea.
She will be back!
Richard Fourie rode a superb race in very difficult conditions as the rain had made the track quite heavy. However, once the filly hit the front there was no stopping her.
Soma has to be one of the most underrated trainers around as he only has a small string but has won a remarkable number of Grade 1 races. In fact, there are very few of the leading races on the Highveld Soma has not banked in his collection.
Asked whether this filly will be aimed at the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks later in the month, Soma responded: “For now let’s just celebrate this victory and we will decide later where she will go next.”
Fiery Pegasus runs in the same colours as the incredible Got The Greenlight (he alone gave Soma five Grade 1 wins) and the familiar red and black silks of Dayalan Chinsammy also went on to win the second Grade 1 of the day, the TAB SA Classic, under an enterprising ride from log-leading jockey Craig Zackey.
Confederate, trained by Fabian Habib, has not finished out of the top two in all of his seven starts and he increased his unbeaten record on the Turffontein Standside track to three and claimed the R937,500 winner’s purse.
Going off at 7-1, the Fire Away gelding got out like a rocket and Zackey, whose plan was to sit in second or third place, found himself in the lead and decided to let his mount do his own thing in front.
“Fortunately, he settled, and once we were in the straight I let him go. With the inside and middle of the course fairly cut up I took him to the outside where the track was still in good condition,” said Zackey.
This gelding has an amazing action and once he burst clear, it became apparent a long way from home he was not going to be caught.
Fire Attack, the 2-1 favourite with Gavin Lerena up, finally got going but could only get within 0.70 lengths of the winner at the line.
Third place went to Legend Of Arthur (11-2) who came from near last, with Grey Jet (40-1) in fourth.
Chinsammy has a magnitude of partners involved in both those Grade 1 winners so the atmosphere in the winner’s enclosure was electrifying, and photographers needed the widest of wide-angled lenses to get everybody into the pictures.
The winner gave Habib his second Grade 1 success.
Zackey was still not done for the day as he went on to add a second Grade 1 triumph to his tally when he teamed up with Sean Tarry to claim the Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes.
Texas Red (40-1) made most of the running and at one point Robyn Klaasens’ charge looked as if he might win it, but Zackey had other ideas and 200m from home he brought Cosmic Speed (8-1) up to the leader and swept on past to win by 1.75 lengths.
Third place went to Gareth van Zyl-trained Imilenzeyokududuma (50-1) who got up late to touch off Greaterix (9-2) for third.
However, after an inquiry 5-4 favourite Main Defender was declared a non-runner.
STIPES REPORT EXPLANATION: A race review was called into the start of this race with regards to MAIN DEFENDER (G Lerena) in stall gate 5. The Stewards established that as the start was effected, and this gelding launched itself from the starting stalls, its muzzle was caught in the grill of the left front gate as it opened, and its head was turned as a result. The Handler was slow to release the head of MAIN DEFENDER because of this. The Stewards reviewed this incident from various angles and at various speeds, and were comfortable to the requisite degree that MAIN DEFENDER had been prevented from starting on equal terms and its chances in this race had been materially affected as a consequence of this incident.