Jack Milner and Danie Toerien
Trainer Paul Peter had a day to remember at Turffontein on Saturday, coming away with four winners, including both Grade 1 races on Champions Day.
While the first three were popular results there was a stunned silence on court when 66-1 shot Astrix edged out well supported Sparkling Water by 0.10 lengths to capture the R2-million TAB The Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m.
Perfectly ridden by jockey JP v'd Merwe, the five-year-old son of Vercingetorix showed a lot of heart to fend off Mike de Kock-trained Sparkling Water and S’manga Khumalo, who looked almost home and hosed going into the closing stages.
Third place went to Puerto Manzano, ridden by Anton Marcus and trained by Johan Janse van Vuuren with WSB Summer Cup champion Flying Carpet in fourth.
Favourite Kommetdieding could only manage fifth, beaten 4.50 lengths.
“Astrix was very well and I gave him a bit of a chance,” admitted Peter, still shell-shocked at his amazing success on the day.
Going into this meeting Peter held a R2 million lead over Justin Snaith in the race for Champion Trainer but after Saturday, the difference more than doubled as his stable amassed the winnings from four feature-race wins.
“Massive wins today,” said Peter after the running of the Premier’s Champions Challenge.
“The weather’s been giving us a hard time for most of the summer, and this is the first time we could get these horses really fit,” said Peter in reference to the all the rain on the Highveld and the effect this has had on the tracks.
“As far as the trainers’ title is concerned, we take nothing for granted.
“We just thank God and we box on.
“I do feel a bit more confident now than yesterday, but I just want to keep my feet on the ground.”
Peter said he was not expecting much pace in the race and he told v'd Merwe to just bounce Astrix out of gate No 10 and let him go to the front.
“The race didn’t work out that way and Marco van Rensburg went to the front on Savannah Storm,” said v'd Merwe.
“But I was pretty happy where I was. I gave him a breather up the hill, got into the straight and it looked like Marco’s horse was dying and I just didn’t want to get caught behind it.
“So I pulled him out pretty early, gave him a clear run and from then I was confident.
“I saw Kommetdieding squeezed on the inside and he made his run, but I still had a lot in hand a rode a confident race. When we got close to the line I saw Sparkling Water coming towards me and it felt like he was getting a bit tired. But he ran a gutsy race, he gave me everything to the line.”
V'd Merwe felt pace was not too quick. “Maybe the horse in front went very fast but it was perfect for me,” he added.
Astrix has placed in a number of Graded races this season and was rarely far off the top horses. One can see the turf is starting to lose its gloss after a few frosty mornings and the harder track appeared to suit Astrix.