Respectable Rock’s first race in Zimbabwe was a win for owners, Messrs G. Goksel and C. Lafraisiere, by a respectable 1.25 lengths.

This was the first of two winners from the Penny Fisher yard at Borrowdale Park on Sunday afternoon.

By Seventh Rock (AUS) and out of a Model Man mare, this winner was bred by La Berg Stud and Ryan Munger had the ride. The three-year-old gelding was formerly trained by Alyson Wright.

Below: Respectable Rock (Munger) and Nicky Sibanda on Blue Label (black and yellow silks) battle it out in the 1100m Maiden Plate. Photograph by Gavin Macleod.

Life Is Good from the Amy Bronkhorst yard was an effortless winner of the 1100m Hachiman Sprint at Borrowdale Park on Sunday, an interesting result for those of us with long memories.

Super Good (Chambers) and Road To Dubai (De Melo) heading for home in the 2017 Hachiman Sprint.

…and what do you think about the weather?

In 2017 the 1100m Hachiman Sprint was run at Borrowdale Park in heavy going and was won by Super Good.

At the time of writing, unless we have a deluge before Sunday, the going is likely to be good.

Super Good has accepted this challenge again, and so have Sheik’s Brashee, Road To Dubai and Wylde Style.

Life Is Good (second to Super Good in the 1100m MR 75 Handicap in April, and third to Super Good’s second in the 1200m HRIB Gold Cup in December) will also take part in this race on Sunday, along with El Gallo, Newton Power and Belle Epoque.

Of the eight runners I find it hard to look further than the first four horses – Sheik’s Brashee, Life Is Good, Super Good and Road To Dubai – which I may regret when one of the light weights scampers in.

In January 2017 Super Good received 8 kgs from Sheik’s Brashee (8.25 lengths back) and now receives only 2 kgs. Road To Dubai (2.75 lengths off the winner) gave away 5kgs and this is now cut to 2.5 kgs. If Super Good is the horse to beat both these seasoned sprinters may give a better account of themselves here.

Life Is Good has met Super Good before without much turnaround in weights. On December 17 Life Is Good, receiving a kg, beat Super Good by 0.50 lengths over 1450m. In the HRIB Gold Cup the four-year-old gelding was 0.50 lengths behind Super Good when in receipt of 0.50 kgs. In Sunday’s line-up Super Good gets 0.5 kgs from his former rival so this pair seem evenly matched.

All of Road To Dubai, Newton Power, El Gallo, Sheik’s Brashee and Wylde Style finished behind Super Good in the HRIB, and I am not going into great detail about these weights. On Sunday they will meet on pretty similar terms and that was a tight finish to the HRIB with Coachella, Super Good, Life Is Good, Road To Dubai and Newton Power finishing within 1.60 lengths – the winner, Coachella, is not running on Sunday.

Super Good is probably the horse to beat but it could all depend on the weather. While some are predicting torrential rain within days, others mourn a drought… I refuse to be surprised by anything the rain gods throw at us this year as it appears to be unpredictable.

The first race is due off at 12.55 pm on Sunday, and the Hachiman Sprint is scheduled for 15.45.

Seven runners set off for the start of the 1200m Madigan Maiden Plate at Borrowdale Park on December 17, but only four took part in the race.

One bolted, another burst through the pen, then there was a false start, so forth and so on…and finally the remainder got away and finished.

The race was won by the Amy Bronkhorst trained Countess Varovski (Ryan Munger), followed by Field of Sound (Randall Simons), Pirate Hunter (Francois Herholdt) and Bugatti Blue (Sherman Brown). Only a length separated the first three horses and Pirate Hunter and Bugatti Blue were having their first start.

Countess Varovski is owned by Messrs S.W. Shutt, K. Hatendi, Duncan Jones, H.D. Parbhoo and D.C. Samuels. The four-year-old Var (USA) filly was bred by Patricia Devine Investments.

Congratulations to the winning connections.

That’s it for Borrowdale Park racing in 2017. Have A Happy New Year, drive carefully (preferably not at all), and better luck with all our starts in 2018.

Photograph: Zimbabwe Equine News.

Roy’s Sailor, by Sail From Seattle (CAN) won the 1800m Novice Plate At Borrowdale Park on December 17 – the gelding’s second outing in Harare.

Trained by Penny Fisher, the six-year-old was bred by Ascot Stud and is owned by Penny, Ken, Alex, Natalie and Alistair Fisher, Gengis Goksel and Messrs E.D. Hatchett and R. K. White. Ryan Munger had the winning ride.

Congratulations everyone.

A fast finishing Roy’s Sailor (Munger) stormed through to catch long-time leader Designer Pot (Brown) on the line in the 1800m Novice Plate at Borrowdale Park on December 17. Winning margin 0.25 lengths.
Photograph: Zimbabwe Equine News.

Daniel Kwatani Frank, a familiar face at Borrowdale Park both in the irons and on the ground. This photograph was snapped by Zimbabwe Equine News at the December 17 meeting. Daniel was on the Gavin Macleod trained Aloft in the 1800m Novice Plate.

A Happy New Year to everyone who has kept things ticking over at Borrowdale during 2017. The first race meeting of 2018 is on January 14.

Knuckleball, son of Curved Ball (AUS), gave his supporters what they expected when an easy winner of the 1700m Progress Plate at Borrowdale Park on December 17. The three-year-old gelding has now won twice and been well placed 6 times from 8 starts.

Trained by Amy Bronkhorst and owned by Mr V. Gappah, Mr R.H.S. and Mrs P. Beattie, and Mr D.H. and Mrs J.L. Cocksedge, Knuckleball was bred by Clifton Stud. Keven Derere was in the irons again.

Congratulations to all the connections.

FIRST SIX IN THE PROGRESS PLATE
Knuckleball (Derere) shows Flasher On The Run (Brown), Roman Discent (Storey), Rebellious Queen (Penny), Tamarind (Takawira) and Jameson Run (Herholdt) the way home in the 1700m Progress Plate on December 17.
Photograph Zimbabwe Equine News

The seven-year-old Toreador (IRE) gelding, Temple Run, won the 1260m MR 60 Handicap at Borrowdale Park on December 17 and this was said to be his last race before retirement. If so Bridget Stidolph’s charge has bowed out in a blaze of glory.

During his racing career Temple Run won 6 races and was placed 21 times from 54 starts. Collen Storey was in the irons on this occasion.

Bred by The Alchemy, Temple Run is owned by Messrs S.N. Buchan, N. Evans, R. Sherwood and M.K. Chant. Congratulations to the winning connections.

BOWING OUT IN STYLE
Temple Run (Collen Storey) winning the 1260m MR 60 Handicap – last race at Borrowdale Park at the December 17 race meeting.
The minor places went to What A Dandy (Herholdt), Megagram (McNaughton) and Supa Wonder (Brown) – winning margins 0.50, 0.60 and 2.10 lengths.
Photograph by Zimbabwe Equine News.

Life Is Good – winner of the 2017  Zimbabwe Challenge.

It was Amy Bronkhorst’s day at Borrowdale Park on Sunday when she saddled three winners on the seven race card.

The stable got off to a good start when Countess Varovski (by Var) won the 1200m Maiden – after a traumatic beginning to the race which resulted in three runners being withdrawn by the starter. Altruist bolted, while Can’t Hold Back and Coastal attraction were fractious in the stalls. Ryan Munger rode this winner.

The 1450m Zimbabwe Challenge was won by the Bronkhorst-trained Life Is Good, followed by Super Good, Comanche Brave and Road To Dubai. Weight told in this one with Mathematician (60kgs) and Ashton Park (59 kgs) at the rear of the field, but only 3.75 lengths separated the first and last horse.

Jarryd Penny had the ride on Life Is Good. Robin Bruss owns the four-year-old Var (USA) gelding bred by Northfields Stud, and now a five-time winner.

Amy’s other visit to the Winner’s Enclosure came in the second race, the 1700m Progress Plate won by Knuckleball with Kevin Derere in the irons. Flasher On The Run, Roman Discent and Rebellious Queen filled the minor places.

Bridget Stidolph sent out two winners during the afternoon – Business Jet in the 1700m Maiden Plate where the fancied Hillah The Hun dislodged his jockey, bolted and was subsequently scratched by the veterinary surgeon – and Temple Run, involved in a tight finish with What A Dandy and Megagram in the 1260 MR 60 Handicap.

The Penny Fisher yard scored with a fast finishing Roy’s Sailor in the 1800m Novice Plate. This time the top weights triumphed, both Roy’s Sailor and Designer Pot, separated by 0.25 lengths at the finish, carried 60 kgs.

Kirk Swanson’s stable came to the party in the 2000m MR 80 Handicap where Phantom Major led from start to finish. Kevin Barry, giving away 6.5 kgs, was only 0.25 lengths off Phantom Major at the wire – quite a cliffhanger.

The next Borrowdale Park race meeting is on January 14, and features the 1100m Hachiman Sprint.

Expect Ashton Park to put up a fight…

Ashton Park seen here with Hennie Greyling up.  Ryan Munger rides on Sunday.

Ten horses were nominated for the Zimbabwe Challenge to be run over 1450m at Borrowdale Park on Sunday. Six have stood their ground, and five of them raced over the same distance in the ZRP Breeders Sprint on July 22 – won by Sunday’s runner Ashton Park.

That day the eight-year-old Battersea Park gelding met Comanche Brave, Road To Dubai and Super Good at level weights (60 kgs), and Life Is Good (second and 1.25 lengths back) was on 59 kgs.

This time the weights allotted are quite different. Ashton Park will give Comanche Brave 1.5 kgs, Road To Dubai will receive 5 kgs, Super Good 6 kgs, and Life Is Good 7 kgs.
Ashton Park will be receiving a kilogram from Mathematician but this son of Black Minnaloushe (USA) has not raced since June 3 so he can probably be left out of this equation.

On paper the rest of the runners should make Ashton Park work hard for some money, but he is likely to put up a fight.

In October Penny Fisher’s charge won a 1800m MR 92 Handicap, carrying 61 kgs. On December 2 he finished 4.70 lengths off Coachella in the HRIB Gold Cup, but no-one really expected Ashton Park to shine over 1200m.

He is a 10-time winner, likely to be racing fit, and he has carried weight before and won. Can he add the 2017 Zimbabwe Challenge to his laurels?

In 2016 the Zimbabwe Challenge was won by Windigo, followed across the line by Newton Power, La Carmelita and Flax. Of those eight runners only Mathematician will take part in the 2017 edition.

The first race on Sunday is due off at 12 55 pm. The Zimbabwe Challenge is scheduled for 15 50.

 First-timer Israel won the 1260m Maiden Plate at Borrowdale last Sunday. Sherman Brown rode for Kirk Swanson and the three-year-old Seventh Rock (AUS) gelding is owned and bred by Christopher Peech of Rumbavu Stud.

With so much sad, bad news about racing in the outside world let’s be glad our horses are safe. There are plenty of nominations for next week’s race meeting, Kirk Swanson continues to score with first timers, and all our scandals, if any, are minor.

The tragic results of the wild fires in California are horrifying and we can only be thankful that most of the horses were saved, and shed some tears for those that perished in the blaze.

The Jooste fiasco is likely to have serious repercussions in South Africa and internationally – talk about bringing racing into disrepute! Fortunately Marcus Jooste was never a fan of Zimbabwe racing….in fact I believe we have him to thank for our removal from the South African Jockey and Trainers logs, which we used to be part of.

That said, kindest thoughts and best wishes to all racing stables, worldwide, likely to be affected by these issues.

A daughter of Ideal World (USA), Betula Uber, scored again in the 1900m MR 74 Handicap at Borrowdale Park on Saturday.  Hennie Greyling was riding for the Penny Fisher yard.

At the November 5 meeting the five-year-old mare won over 2200m. Bred by Mauritzfontein Stud, she is owned by Gengiz Goksel, and is now a five-time winner.

The minor places in Saturday’s race went to Ladies First (1.50 lengths behind), Perfect Grace and Rawedge.

Congratulations to the winning connections.