Cutback and Regulate, first and second respectively in the Zimbabwe 2000 at Borrowdale on Sunday, both rose in the ratings. Cutback was raised by 6 to 73, while Regulate gained 3 points and now has an MR of 75. UP Bruce’s Spirit +12 (58); Karavani +1 (65); Differentiate +1 (61); Tradition +1 (76); Tulip Way +3 (77); Enrapture +5 (73); Emerald Floe +4 (81); Armstrong +2 (90). DOWN Apache Gold -3 (57); Cosmic Rush – 10 (38); Midfield Girl -2 (62); Queen Of Dallas – 5 (49); Peaceable -2 (65); Mackelroy – 1 (70); Magnus Maximus – 4 (71); Citrusdal – 1 (81); Jubilee – 1 (80); Three To Tango – 3 (78); At The Office – 4 (69).
Gokhan Terzi’s Glenwood Racing also sent out two winners at Borrowdale Park on Sunday – Differentiate with Apprentice Munashe Josi in the irons, and Enrapture piloted by Kevin Derere.
Differentiate, owned by the Brumby Syndicate (nominee Grant Littleford), is a five-year-old Eightfold Path (USA) mare, bred by Scott Brothers, and she has now won four races. This was a tight finish involving Ian’s Ferrari and the apprentice did well in this 1800m Graduation Plate.
Enrapture, on the other hand, won the 1260m Classified Stakes by an impressive four lengths. By Querari (GER) and also a five-year-old, Enrapture was bred by Riethuiskraal Stud and she has now won 4 and been placed 16 times from 24 starts. Her owners are Messrs N & S Moodley, L T Naidoo & Mrs V Naidoo.
Bridget Stidolph, who heads the list of Borrowdale Park’s current Trainer Statistics, saddled two winners on Sunday.
Midfield Girl, with Teaque Gould up, won the 1900m Maiden Plate for Messrs RS Dyer, SN Buchan, N Evans, MK Chant, G de Jong, A Dixon, R Morgan, R Sherwood and Bryn Ressell.
By Alado (GB) and bred by Alado Project (nominee David Allan), Midfield Girl was having her second outing in Zimbabwe and beat stablemate Bruce’s Spirit by 2,50 lengths.
Later, Emerald Floe with Jarryd Penny riding triumphed in the 1100m MR 85 Handicap. Owned by Rosemary Dorward, Emerald Floe, by Oratoria (IRE), has now won five races and she was bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein.
Well, that was super exciting. Thomas Mason’s gutsy charge, Cutback, won the Zimbabwe 2000 (Gr3) under a brilliantly timed ride by Jarryd Penny at Borrowdale Park on Sunday afternoon.
The daughter of Twice Over (GB) was followed across the line by Regulate, then Tigers Eagle, and front runner Master Ming was fourth. Cutback is owned by Scott Buchan and Neil Evans, and she was bred by Mr LMF Wernars.
Congratulations to the winning connections. Cutback has now won three races and been placed 6 times from 9 runs.
The first race at Borrowdale Park tomorrow (Sunday, April 3) is off at 12 10 and the feature is the Zimbabwe 2000 (second leg of the Triple Crown).
The meeting can be viewed on DSTV Channel 240 – and the Borrowdale Park Livestream will be on Clocking The Gallop on UTube.
Tips, Final Fields, Online Card, Card Changes etc can be found on this site.
An interesting race is the fifth, an 1100m MR 85 Handicap, where 8-time winner Wantage, a previous winner of the Zim2000, steps out. He is not a sprinter and maybe 1100m will be too short but… In April 2019 both he and Lily Blue ran their first race over 1200m and Wantage beat Lily Blue by two lengths. Then on the 16th May 2021 Wantage ran over 1260m and finished 0.10 lengths off the winner, Love To Bluff. Coachella was behind him that day so you never know.
Zimbabwe Guineas winner Call The Wind will not run in the Zimbabwe 2000, second leg of Zimbabwe’s Triple Crown, at Borrowdale Park on Sunday so the field is reduced to four.
Of these Tigers Eagle and Regulate are probably the pick, but none of the runners can be discounted, as all will be racing over 2000m for the first time.
Tigers Eagle, the winner of the 1600m Tote Free Handicap, was second to Call The Wind in the recent 1800m Silver Slipper, while the lightly raced Regulate was only a quarter of a length behind Call The Wind in the 1600m Zimbabwe Guineas on March 6. This was Regulate’s first taste of racing around the turn.
Regulate and Tigers Eagle have yet to take each other on and I hesitate to predict the outcome. Tigers Eagle is extremely well-bred and has all the staying credentials, while Regulate is by Ato, the sire of Wantage who won the Zim2000 in 2020. On Sunday Rodgers Satombo will ride Tigers Eagle, and Teaque Gould is on Regulate.
The Twice Over filly Cutback’s heart goes a long way towards making up for what she lacks in size, but the winner of the 1600m Guineas Trial has been well held by Tigers Eagle previously. On Sunday Jarryd Penny has the ride.
Cutback’s stablemate, Master Ming, will have Kevin Derere on board, and thank goodness this pair have come to the party. Master Ming, by Toreador, has yet to shine over longer trips, but you know what they say about small fields and big upsets, so we shall see.
It is most unfortunate that six-time winner Call The Wind will not be part of Sunday’s line-up but in recent years the Zimbabwe 2000 has been beset by small fields. However, the end result was always memorable and exciting racing.
The connections of Sunday’s runners must be commended for their support. When the going gets tough the tough keep going and Borrowdale fans appreciate this.
The Zimbabwe 2000, second leg of the Zimbabwe Triple Crown, is due to be run at Borrowdale Park on April 3, and five three-year-olds have been nominated. At this stage we don’t know who will stand their ground and take part in the race. Final acceptances are due on Monday.
This will be the first time any of the nominees have raced over 2000m. When stamina comes into play the focus moves to breeding. JACKIE COCKSEDGE, formerly of the Zimbabwe Thoroughbred Breeders Association, agreed to share her notes on how the 2022 Zimbabwe 2000 ‘possibles’ might shape.
CALL THE WIND By Twice Over out of Silvan Wind by Silvano. Dam won 3 races from 1400 to 1600m. The 2nd dam, Capture The Wind, won 5 races from 1200-1400 metres, including the Diamond Stakes. She is the dam of 8 winners from 10 runners and a half-sister to ARCSA HORSE OF THE YEAR and 1985 Champion 3-year-old filly, Enchanted Garden.
CUTBACK By Twice Over out of Suedette by Dynasty. On breeding there are no stamina limitations. Dam won from 1400 to 1600 metres. There is not a lot of depth in the pedigree of the female line though.
MASTER MING By Toreador out of Madame Ming. I always associate Toreador as a sire of sprinters, although I stand to be corrected. The dam won two races over 1800 metres. She bred 6 winners; her best performer was the 8-time winning Jet Master gelding, Monsieur Et Madame. The family of Wegener Hof and The Eiger Sanction, both black-type performers.
REGULATE By Ato out of Dictate by Silvano. Dictate won 2 from 1800-1950 metres. The 2nd dam Trading Up won 5 races up to 1600 metres and bred 4 winners including the stakes placed Two Gun Kid and Mercado. His sire Ato is by Royal Academy (a son of Nijinsky). Ato won 9 races up to 1600 metres including the Grade 1 Krisflyer Sprint.
TIGERS EAGLE By Flying The Flag out of Neck Of The Woods by Al Mufti. The 2nd dam Dogwood was Champion 3- Year-Old Filly in 1998. Dam won 2 races over 1600 metres and bred 6 winners including the useful 8-time winner Mangrove, who won up to 2700 metres. Like CALL THE WIND, this filly descends from the family of Enchanted Garden.
Photograph Zimbabwe Equine News. Finish of 2021 Zimbabwe 2000 won by Diesel And Dust, followed by Mazikeen, Dindingwe and True Beauty.
Both What A Dandy and Lily Blue have increased Merit Ratings after winning at Borrowdale Park on Sunday, March 20, 2022. What A Dandy is now on 101, and Lily Blue on 99
UP State Your Case +4(50); Cool Solution +2 (61); Kursk +2 (64); Viscountess Vivien +2 (64); Mind Master +2 (80); What A Dandy +5 (101); Lily Blue +5 (99).
DOWN Al Mashriq -1 (61); Aneksi -5 (53); Differentiate -1(60); Magnus Maximus -3 (75); Bam Bam Pebbles -3 (69); Yarraman -2 (92); Wantage -1 (91).
NOT RATED PREVIOUSLY Cha Vez (48) and Mustatheef (62).
The Debra Swanson yard was in good form on Sunday, saddling three winners including the two veteran stalwarts, Cool Solution and What A Dandy.
The nine-year-old Mullins Bay (GB) gelding, Cool Solution, with Teaque Gould up, just held off stable companion Mill Reef in the 1100m Al Kahtan MR 70 Handicap. He has now won 11 races and been placed 40 times from 77 runs.
Gould and Viscountess Vivien came next in the 1700m Lamante Classified Stakes, but the star of the show was What A Dandy (Norbert Takawira) who won the 1100m Thriller Pinnacle Plate 105, beating Mr Greenlight by 6 lengths.
What A Dandy, owned by John Koumides is a seven-year-old gelding by Just As Well (USA) and this was his 13th victory.
Congratulations to all the winning connections.
Photograph of What A Dandy by Zimbabwe Equine News.
Call The Wind has now won all her six starts, adding the Nadia Farina Silver Slipper (L) to her tally at Borrowdale Park on Sunday.
This is the second leg of Zimbabwe’s Triple Tiara, and Call The Wind won the first leg, the Fillies Classic, in February.
It seems Gengiz Goksel’s champion three-year-old filly stands alone amongst her peers. Trained by Vanessa Birketoft of V Racing, with Calvin Habib in the irons, Call The Wind made every post a winning one. The daughter of Twice Over (GB) finished 3.50 lengths clear of Tigers Eagle and her breeders, Ascot Stud (Pty) Ltd, can be proud.
Earlier in the afternoon, V Racing saddled another two winners. Mustatheef (C Habib) won the 1100m Coral Tan Maiden Plate, and Mind Master (C Habib) triumphed in the 1450m Tiger Cat MR 85 Handicap.
The Lily Blue we know was back at Borrowdale Park on Sunday, winning the 2000m Changa Breeders Champions Cup (L) convincingly.
Jarryd Penny and the daughter of Black Minnaloushe (USA) played a waiting game until the field turned for home, but when Lily Blue changed gear it was race over. Heir Line, Bugatti Blue and Yarraman filled the minor places – winning margins 1.75, 5.00, and 2.00 lengths.
Lily Blue, trained by Bridget Stidolph has now won 12 races, and she was bred by Geoff Armitage out of a Kitalpha (USA) mare. The five-year-old star is owned by Robyn Macleod and the Gin’ll Fix It Syndicate (nominee Kirsty Stidolph).
The first race at Borrowdale Park today (Sunday, March 20) is off at 12 noon and the two features on the card are the Nadia Farina Silver Slipper (L) and the Changa Breeders Champions Cup (L).
On Wednesday and Thursday, the course probably received in excess of 70mm of rain.
The meeting can be viewed on DSTV Channel 240 – and the Borrowdale Park Livestream will be on Clocking The Gallop on UTube.
Tips, Final Fields, Online Card, Card Changes etc can be found on this site
Have a wonderful afternoon.
Please follow the link below to view or download Sunday’s online race card:
Racing at Borrowdale Park in Harare - Zimbabwe 