Jack Milner
Regular Blackjack players areaware that according to the rules, punters should split eights and aces against any card held by the bank.
Those who followed that script at Turffontein on Saturday will have come away with the winner of the R1-million TAB Gauteng Guineas (Grade 2) over 1600m.
Well supported in the betting to start as the 5-2 second favourite, Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Splittheeights got to the front in the final 50m with Raymond Danielson in the irons to beat Grand Empire and Craig Zackey by 0.60 lengths.
Third place was awarded to 9-4 favourite Trust after an objection with another De Kock runner, One Eye On Vegas (25-2), relegated to fourth.
The R750,000 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas was more of a surprise as Corne Spies-trained Hazy Dazy, who drifted out to 25-1, came with a powerful run to grab the victory by 2.10 lengths under apprentice Trent Mayhew.
Alyson Wright-trained Charge It (7-1), ridden by Serino Moodley, got up for second to finish another one-length in front of 9-10 favourite Golden Palm, with Craig Zackey up. Lowveld Lily, trained by Justin Snaith, ran fourth, beaten 4.35 lengths.
Despite the 2kg turnaround in favour of Candice and Tammy Dawson-trained Trust, De Kock felt confident Splittheeights would be able to maintain his advantage attained when winning the Grade 3 Got The Greenlight Stakes, and that is exactly what he did.
Danielson rode him on that occasion and was confident his mount had the ability to win the Guineas.
“Drawn No 5 I thought I would ride him the same way I did last time and give him a bit of a chance and I found myself five lengths back, although the pacemaker (Yippee Kayay) kept going further ahead.
“But he was still in a good rhythm and at the top of the straight I elected to go to middle outside so I wouldn’t have any hard luck stories with him, and he did the rest,” said Danielson.
Ironically, it was Danielson who won aboard Spumante Dolce for the De Kock yard in last year’s Fillies Guineas, and he has now added the Guineas to the list.
De Kock said they would be putting Splittheeights into the Grade 1 TAB SA Classic over 1800m on 7 March and that would open the door for a crack at the TAB SA Triple Crown, but added: “We are also planning to run Jan Van Goyen in the Classic and the SA Derby.”
Jan Van Goyen, of course, won the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas in December and is probably the pick of the De Kock yard’s three-year-olds.
That news was music to Danielson’s ears as he was expecting first-choice jockey Callan Murray to get the pick of the stable’s rides which he thought would be Splittheeights. “Oh, thank goodness. I’m going back to Mauritius in April so hopefully they keep me on him…. I’ll wait and see.”
Meanwhile, Spies was over the moon with Hazy Dazy and while she may have surprised some pundits, that was not the case for her trainer.
“I thought she couldn’t get beat,” sad Spies emphatically. “I told that to the owners. I was worried about the draw (No 12) but I told them even with the draw I don’t think she can get beat.
“And she delivered!
“There really was a lot of pressure there. She has been showing work at home that I haven’t seen in a long time and it’s nice to have a filly that goes over the Classic distances."
When Alan Greeff-trained Golden Palm hit the front and went clear with 500m mark to run, it looked all over. But she did start to tread water in the closing and both Hazy Dazy and Charge It swept past her.
Greeff, however, was not too disappointed. “Craig (Zackey) did nothing wrong. She now has been around the turn at the track and she will be back for the Fillies Classic next month.”
Hazy Dazy is the lone contender for a shot at the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara with the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift Fillies Classic and the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks the next two legs.
“If she pulls up okay we have to go for the next two races,” added Spies.
“This was the big test. I was not worried about the Fillies Classic and the Oaks distances, I was just worried that the Guineas would be too short for her. But the work she’s been putting up over the last month, I think she could win a sprint if she wanted to.
Mayhew also believes a Triple Tiara win is possible. Speaking about this race he said: “She broke very well. I was able to just roll her out and get a good position. The pace was decent, I didn’t have to do anything, she was nice and relaxed. When I made my move in the straight, she put it to sleep nicely.”
Speaking about the next two legs, he added: “I think she’s going to be even better over 1800m and 2450m. She’s got a very big action.”