Sunday, March 8, was a memorable day for Borrowdale Park trainer Gokhan Terzi.  He saddled the winners of both feature races, the US$12 000 Mercedes-Benz Ipi Tombe Stakes (L) and the US$6 400 GWM Steed 6 TBA Silver Slipper.  During the afternoon he also sent out another winner.

The 1800m Silver Slipper, second leg of Zimbabwe’s Triple Tiara, turned into a procession with the Ashaawes filly, Eversolucky, staying three lengths in front of a fast finishing  Tallie Two.  Guineas winner Print The Pounds and 15/1 shot Suave Singer followed.  Picalilly was Tote favourite but only managed to beat the front runner, Second Light, home.

The Ashaawes filly, Eversolucky, won comfortably.

After the race the grey filly appeared distressed but Assistant Trainer Penny Fisher reports that subsequent checks revealed nothing amiss. The three-year-old will now have a six weeks break from racing.

Eversolucky, third in the Fillies Classic and fourth in the Zimbabwe Guineas, was comfortable throughout the 1800m trip.  Ridden by Apprentice Wesley Marwing, she is owned and bred by Gary Joliffe.

The Ipi Tombe Stakes over 1600m provided the exciting finish that was missing in the Silver Slipper.  Glorious Jet, with Marwing up, led the field into the home straight while Thriller In Manila, having his first race beyond 1400m, stayed in close contention. When Quinton Riddle set the “Thriller” alight he surged to the front and at the 100m mark looked the winner. Continue reading →

Delta Special, by Sobieski (USA), and bred by Sarahdane Stud, won the last race, a 1300m MR 50 Handicap, beating stablemate Lake Nakura, Maturin and Jean’s Dancer to the line.

The winner was ridden by Francois Herholdt and is owned by Ursula and Paul Gorringe, John Koumides and Alan and Murray Smith. Kirk Swanson’s charge has been showing signs of a return to form but Lake Nakuru and Jean’s Dancer started at 35/1 and 55/1 respectively – so, another fat Quartet.

The six-year-old Windrush gelding, Breezing Through, having his fourth start at Borrowdale on Sunday, held on to the honours in the 1400m MR 70 Handicap, despite a fast finishing Just Knock. Both these horses started at 35/1, Let’s Fly High (third) was quoted at 28/1 and Demitasse (fourth) was 15/2. Super Trifecta and Quartet payouts for a lucky few.

This was Breezing Through’s fourth win. Owned by Sandy Irvine and Peter Moor, trained by Amy Bronkhorst, and ridden by Denicious Smith, the gelding was bred by Midlands Equine Enterprises.

Each year Zimbabwe’s racing fraternity honours Borrowdale Park’s most illustrious graduate with the running of the Ipi Tombe Stakes (L). Worth US$ 12 000, the race will be run over 1600m on March 8, and the 2014 event is sponsored by Zimoco.

The great racing filly, Ipi Tombe, was born in 1998 at Peter J. Moor’s Golden Acres Farm in Marondera, Zimbabwe.  She was sold to the Sunmark Racing Syndicate for Z$50 000 (not expensive at that time) on the TBA Premier National Yearling Sales 2000.

Ipi Tombe by Manshood (GB) is bred in the purple.   Manshood’s sire, Mr Prospector, is one of the most influential sires worldwide and his dam, Indian Skimmer, was the champion filly in Europe. Ipi Tombe’s dam, Carnet De Danse (GB) was sired by Dance In Time(CAN), by Northern Dancer. Dance In Time was Canada’s Two-Year-Old Champion Race Horse.

While racing at Borrowdale Park, Harare, Ipi Tombe was trained by Noelene Peech, won four of her five starts and was always ridden by Dewi Williams. Noelene recalls Ipi Tombe as being “more loving, considerate, generous, humble and joyous than any human could understand”.  She also referred to a comment made later on by another Zimbabwe-based trainer, Lisa Harris..”Ipi got where she has got, because she had been where she has been”… Continue reading →

In addition to saddling the second and third placed horses in the Zimbabwe Guineas, Alyson Wright’s Harare satellite yard also sent out the winners of two races on Sunday’s Borrowdale Park Card. The A P Arrow filly, Arrowfield (Denicious Smith) narrowly beat Captain Grant (Diego de Gouveia) in the 1800m MR 50 Handicap. Heron Boy (Hennie Greyling) was involved in an even closer finish with Butler Yeats (Karl Zechner) in a MR 70 Handicap over 1900m.

The four-year-old Soar With Eagles gelding, Heron Boy ( number 11 ), is owned and was bred by Black Diamond Thoroughbreds and this was his third win.

Photograph: Gavin McLeod

The fancied Full Court, trained by Corne Spies and ridden by Fanie Chambers, won the first race at Borrowdale Park on Sunday, a 1000m Maiden Plate. Punters had to wait for the next Tote favourite to arrive and that was Print the Pounds in the sixth. The Spies yard scored again with Second Light, winner of the 1700m Maiden Plate, with Francois Naude up. The Second Empire (IRE) filly beat Shezawarrior by an astonishing 9 lengths. Bred by Dr A. Aldous, Second Light is owned by Mr T. Spies and is nominated to run in the Silver Slipper at the next meeting.

Full Court, by Albert Hall (GB), was bred by Klawervlei Stud and is also owned by Mr T. Spies.

Two of Sunday’s Guineas candidates, Eversolucky and Mica Point, battling it out in a MR 52 Handicap on October 5.  Eversolucky scored with Quinton Riddle up.  He will be back in the saddle on Sunday.  Mica Point will be ridden by Denicious Smith.

Photograph: Drewzim Photography

The Zimbabwe Guineas, first leg of our Triple Crown, will be run over 1600m at Borrowdale Park on Sunday. One of the fancied horses is the Soar With Eagles filly, Tallie Two, who is seen here heading for the line with Iron Lady and Atso’s Scheme behind her.

Trained by Alyson Wright of Gee Racing, Tallie Two will be ridden by Francois Herholdt on Sunday.

Photograph: Drewzim Photography