Jack Milner
He has the world at his feet.
That was the comment from trainer Brett Crawford about jockey Kabelo Matsunyane after the 24-year-old from Soweto rode Winchester Mansion to victory in Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Matsunyane brought home the 8-1 second favourite, digging down deep to get the better of 7-2 favourite See It Again with veteran Piere Strydom up, by 0.25 lengths in the R5-million Grade 1 race over 2200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Third place, 3.50 lengths behind the second-placed runner, came filly Bless My Stars with Do It Again, the old man of the race finishing fourth.
It was a first win in the race for the Crawford stable as well as Matsunyane, and it was also his first Grade 1 success.
“It was a great ride by the young kid,” said Crawford. “It was outstanding, he did everything right, because it’s not easy to get past Piere.
“He was super-confident coming into the race and he really showed his mettle today.
“To be a light weight like he is, he has the world at his feet.”
The positive signals came earlier in the day for Matsunyane after he won Race 3 on 40-1 outsider Crimson King, also for the Crawford stable, and that brought up his 100
"It's a very special moment," said Matsunyane. "First Durban July for me, first Group 1, and I rode my 100th winner today, so it's been a very good day.
"I couldn't be more appreciative of the support I have got from the stable of Mr Crawford and everyone who has supported me."
Speaking about the main race he added: "It was a tense race. I got myself into a nice spot and I made all the right decisions which got me to win the race. When I was in a fight out with the legend himself, Mr Strydom, I did think to myself that maybe I might just lose this race, but I just kept my head clear, kept my mind straight, changed my stick to my left hand and just got the best out of my horse."
Giving his comments on the winning horse, a four-year-old Trippi gelding, Crawford added: “We tried to get him in the race off bottom weight but obviously knowing he had to show good form and win the Cup Trial, which he did, and he had a very good race in the Greyville 1900.
“Horses don’t win the Durban July when they’re not in form and they had to run well in their prelims to be considered.
“His prep was flawless and it was his time.
“I think we were a worthy second favourite, I think the three-year-old (See It Again) is a phenomenal horse, I don’t think there’s been a three-year-old that’s carried the weight he’s carried, and to give us 3.5kg was a massive run from him.”
Naturally trainer Michael Roberts was disappointed getting beaten in the final strides but Strydom had no excuses. “The race could not have worked out better if I had written the script myself, but at the end we had to give 3.5kg to the winner and it proved too much.”
Roberts had said prior to the race that whatever the outcome of the Durban July, See It Again was going to be one “helluva four-year-old” - and nobody will deny that.
Bless My Stars ran a cracker in third with Do It Again, who is a three-parts brother to See It Again, rounding off an outstanding record-breaking sixth run in the race which has seen him win twice and place in all of the other four.
The race was also a triumph for Drakenstein Stud owner Gaynor Rupert who had five runners in the field, including Winchester Mansion. Best of her other was Trip Of Fortune, who was a late supplementary entry into the field and finished seventh.
Trainer Sean Tarry has proven yet again he is the man for the big race days, winning three of the seven Graded races on Durban July Day.
He kicked off his treble by taking the honours in both the Grade 3 DStv Gold Vase over 3000m with Future Pearl, as well as the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m with Mrs Geriatrix.
He rounded off his Graded treble with Princess Calla winning the Grade 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes over 1600m.
The meeting also provided a great moment for trainer David Nieuwenhuizen when Sandringham Summit (6-1) won the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m for two-year-olds.
This was a case where everything that could go wrong did go wrong as he twisted his head coming out of the pens and then jockey Calvin Habib had to duck in and out coming up the straight before getting the better of 9-4 favourite Gimmeanotherchance by 0.40 lengths with Guy Gibson another one length back in third.
FINAL FINISHING POSITIONS
1 4 WINCHESTER MANSION 4 G 4 53.0 0.00 133.85 112 A C 0 7/1 8/1 Brett Crawford K Matsunyane
2 F 7 SEE IT AGAIN 3 C 7 56.5 0.25 133.89 124 A B 0 3/1 7/2 Michael Roberts P Strydom
3 1 BLESS MY STARS 3 F 1 52.0 3.75 134.47 109 A 0 25/1 33/1 Sean Tarry A Mgudlwa
4 6 DO IT AGAIN 8 G 6 57.0 4.80 134.63 121 A 0 25/1 16/1 Justin Snaith G Lerena
5 13 SECOND BASE 5 G 13 56.5 5.10 134.68 120 A B 0 66/1 66/1 Robyn Klaasen C Maujean
6 10 DAVE THE KING 3 C 10 55.5 5.50 134.75 122 A 0 16/1 25/2 Mike de Kock C Zackey
7 16 TRIP OF FORTUNE 4 G 16 60.0 5.90 134.82 127 A B T 0 40/1 66/1 Candice Bass-Robin R Danielson
8 11 PUERTO MANZANO (AR 5 G 11 58.0 6.20 134.86 123 A B 0 16/1 16/1 J A Janse van Vuur K de Melo
9 17 RAIN IN HOLLAND 4 F 17 56.5 6.25 134.87 120 A B 0 25/2 16/1 Sean Tarry S Khumalo
10 14 SAFE PASSAGE 4 G 14 58.0 6.95 134.99 123 A T 0 6/1 8/1 Mike de Kock C Soumillon
11 5 BILLY BOWLEGS 3 C 5 53.5 7.10 135.00 118 A 0 33/1 25/1 Alec Laird S Veale
12 9 SON OF RAJ 3 G 9 53.0 8.10 135.16 115 A B 0 14/1 16/1 Weiho Marwing M Yeni
13 15 RASCALLION 5 G 15 57.5 8.70 135.27 122 A 0 16/1 33/1 Vaughan Marshall C Orffer
14 12 PACAYA 4 G 12 53.0 9.70 135.43 110 A 0 10/1 25/2 Justin Snaith G van Niekerk
15 8 SILVER DARLING 4 F 8 55.0 11.40 135.71 117 A B 0 25/1 40/1 Justin Snaith J P v'd Merwe
16 2 WITHOUT QUESTION 3 G 2 54.5 11.65 135.74 120 A 0 8/1 8/1 Justin Snaith R Fourie
17 18 POMP AND POWER 4 G 18 58.0 17.35 136.68 123 A 0 20/1 33/1 Justin Snaith B Fayd'Herbe
18 3 TIME FLIES 4 F 3 55.0 35.55 139.68 117 A C 0 33/1 16/1 Brett Crawford L Mxothwa