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.

Red Savage, a winner over 1800m at the November 5 race meeting , came up trumps again at Borrowdale Park on Saturday, winning the 2000m MR 55 Handicap by two lengths.

Baumgartner, Wee Doch ‘n Dorris and Roy’s Sailor also finished in the money. Twelve horses started and it was good to see some reasonable fields on Saturday.

This was the first of three successes for the Fisher stable during the afternoon. By Jay Peg, Red Savage has now won four races. He is owned by Julie Zieve, Ken Fisher and John Koumides and was bred by Tawny Syndicate.

Brendon McNaughton was in the irons.

Congratulations to everyone concerned.

Edward The Seventh, going for a hat-trick, won the 1600m Tote Free Handicap at Borrowdale Park on Saturday by a comfortable 2.50 lengths.

Sherman Brown, riding for Kirk Swanson, had the son of Seventh Rock (AUS) well placed throughout and the race was over once the three-year-old gelding changed gear. Edward The Seventh was carrying 55 kgs and he was followed by Knuckleball (54 kgs), Butchie Boy (58 kgs) and Flanders (60 kgs).

Congratulations Christopher and Noelene Peech of Rumbavu Stud, Harare. Home-bred runners are doing you proud this year.

What a race. The first four horses in the 2017 HRIB Gold Cup finished within 1.10 lengths, with Coachella holding on to win by a whisker from a fast finishing Super Good.

Bridget Stidolph saddled the first two horses past the post, Life Is Good ran third and Road To Dubai fourth. Fanie Chambers was aboard the winner.

By Alado (GB), Coachella was bred by Prof I.M. Sanne and is owned by John Koumides. The four-year-old gelding carried 61 kgs on Saturday and it has been quite a while since that was matched in the HRIB – Zimbabwe’s most prestigious sprint.

It was Coachella’s sixth win and this one completed a hat-trick.

Congratulations to the winning connections.

ROAD TO DUBAI GOES FOR HRIB HAT-TRICK

Champion Sprinter Road to Dubai (above) will be trying for a hat-trick in the $13000 HRIB Gold Cup run over 1200m at Borrowdale Park on Saturday.

In 2015 he won carrying 52 kgs, scored again in 2016 with 54.5 kgs and this time Sherman Brown will weigh out on 57 kgs.

It would be great to see the son of The Sheik do it again – only wish he was not drawn right on the inside. That said I will definitely be holding fingers and thumbs.

Kirk Swanson’s charge is one of 12 contestants and three of them – Newton Power, Sheik’s Brashee and Comanche Brave – finished behind Road To Dubai in 2016. Of course there has been some swivelling with the weights since then. On Saturday Newton Power will carry 52 kgs rather 54 kgs, Sheik’s Brashee drops from 60.5 kgs to 59, while Comanche Brave hefts 61 kgs (up 9 kgs). Only Ashton Park (61.5) will carry more.

In the last five years (have no idea what happened before that) horses with most weight have not done so well. In 2012 the race was won by Penthouse (52 kgs); Approval Rating carried 55.5 kgs to victory in 2013, and On This Rock won with 54.5 kgs in 2014. Then came Road to Dubai carrying 52 kgs in 2015 and 54.5 kgs in 2016.

This time there are several lightly weighted rising stars in the HRIB line up – only time will tell.

AMY TRIES HER HRIB LUCK AGAIN

In the 2016 HRIB Gold Cup Amy Bronkhorst saddled two horses who finished in the first four – Newton Power (second) and Joint Horse Of The Year 2016/17 Comanche Brave (above) who ran fourth.

This time she sends both these runners out again, along with Life Is Good (Deon Sampson), Wylde Style (Daniel Frank) and Elegant Beauty (Kevin Derere). Norbert Takawira will ride Comanche Brave and Nicky Sibanda is on Newton Power.

It will be interesting to see how Amy’s newcomers fare on Saturday. Elegant Beauty is the lucky one, drawn 11 out of 12. The daughter of Main Aim (GB) will have 11 on her saddle cloth also.

AN IMPRESSIVE HANDFUL FOR THE HRIB

Fanie Chambers will ride Coachella (61 kgs) for Bridget Stidolph in the HRIB Gold Cup on Saturday.

In addition Bridget will field Super Good (55.5 kgs, drawn 12 and with Brendon McNaughton in the irons), Cabinda (55 kgs, Collen Storey) and El Gallo (52kgs, *Mpumelelo Mjoka). Apprentice allowances may not be claimed.

This is an impressive handful of sprinters although it remains to be seen if Coachella can handle that weight in this company. All have a chance of finishing in the money and I am not going to make any rash suggestions here.

Photograph Above: Super Good, winner of the 1100m Hachiman Sprint in July where Road To Dubai ran second.

CAN SHEIK’S BRASHEE GO CLOSER THIS YEAR?

Grand old man Ashton Park carries top weight (61.5 kgs) in Saturday’s HRIB Gold Cup. The eight-year-old gelding has won his last two starts over 1450m and 1800m and I am not going to suggest 1200m might be on the sharp side – we may get more rain.

Hennie Greyling rides Ashton Park, drawn 10 for Penny Fisher.

In the 2016 HRIB Sheik’s Brashee (above), also from the Fisher yard, finished third, 2.60 lengths off Road To Dubai and carrying 60.5 kgs. This time he weighs in at 59 kgs and will jump from the number 8 starting stall. On November 5 he finished third to Coachella over 1100m and on that occasion the winner was receiving 1.5 kgs.  Sheik’s Brashee is slightly better off with Coachella here. Timothy Pretorius rides.

The HRIB Gold Cup is due off at 15.30 pm.

Peggson, by Jay Peg, with Randall Simons up.  Deon Sampson rides on Saturday.

The Tote Free Handicap, for all three-year-olds, run over 1600m, will not necessarily provide insight into the 2018 three-year-old Classics. In the Classics the contestants will meet at set weights – in the Tote Free they meet according to the handicapper’s assessment of performance, so far.

However, I have to admit that in 2015 and 2016 the handicapper was spot on as far as winners of this race were concerned.

Of the seven due to line up at Borrowdale Park on Saturday, Flanders, Champion Juvenile Male 2016/17, and winner of four races, will carry top weight of 60 kgs. He will be giving 0.5 kg to Peggson who has beaten Flanders over the distance by four lengths, and 2kgs to stable mate Butchie Boy, who finished two lengths behind Peggson that day.

Peggson certainly has the credentials but his stable companion, Knuckleball, also has some claims. The son of Curved Ball won over 1600m at the last meeting and prior to that ran four lengths off Peggson over 1700m. They met at level weights then, but on Saturday Knuckleball carries 54 kgs to Peggson’s 59.5 kgs.

As for the rest of the runners this will be their first attempt at the mile. Recent import Soaring High, by Windrush (USA), is a very dark horse indeed. He has a Merit Rating of 71, will carry 58 kgs and has won once and been placed once, from four starts in Gauteng.

The two locally bred horses, Edward The Seventh and Silver Buck, are also difficult to assess. These lightly raced stable mates have both won over 1200m but step up in class now – albeit it with some weight on their side.

In 2016 the Tote Free was won by Wylde Style carrying 60 kgs, followed by Jameson Run (54kgs), Haga Haga (52 kgs) and Devil In Command (52.5 kgs). No fillies take part this year.

In 2015 Call Me Earl, the winner, carried 60 kgs, and he was followed by Super Good (58.5), Duffi’s Call (52) and Rocky Road (52.5).

On previous form around the turn Amy Bronkhorst has a strong hand with Peggson and Knuckleball, but the Stidolph pair, Flanders and Butchie Boy, cannot be ignored. Of course I am always prepared to be surprised and only hope Tellytrack  gives this race the attention it deserves. We are racing on a Saturday, which has in the past proved dicey as far as TV coverage is concerned.

The first race is due off at 12.35 pm. The Tote Free Handicap will be run at 14.50, followed by the main race of the day, the $13 000 HRIB Gold Cup, at 15.30 pm.

THE TOTE FREE FIELD

1 4 FLANDERS 60.0 75 A C Storey Bridget Stidolph
2 6 PEGGSON 59.5 74 A J Sampson Amy Bronkhorst
3 7 BUTCHIE BOY 58.0 71 A B McNaughton Bridget Stidolph
4 3 SOARING HIGH 58.0 71 A J Greyling Penny Fisher
5 1 EDWARD THE SEVENTH 55.0 65 S S Brown Kirk Swanson
6 2 KNUCKLEBALL 54.0 63 S K Derere Amy Bronkhorst
7 5 SILVER BUCK (ZIM) 53.0 61 S *M Mjoka (1.5) Kirk Swanson

It was Solinski’s birthday on November 28…  and part owner Vanessa Gunning pulled out all the stops to make it a great day.

At present last season’s Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and Joint Horse Of The Year is recovering from a self-inflicted injury (this girl kicks walls).

THANKS BUT NO THANKS..to the cake

In the afternoon Vanessa duly delivered Solinski’s birthday carrot cake, with four candles, but “she wasn’t at all keen on the cake…however was happy with a few carrots”.

Full marks for trying Vanessa…you will know what to do next year.  Get well soon Solinski.

Penny Fisher saddled the first two past the post in the 1260m Second Date MR 54 Handicap on Sunday – her third winner at Borrowdale Park on Sunday afternoon.

King’s Wager beat his stable mate, Lady Carina, by half a length, his second win in succession. Brendon McNaughton was in the irons. The son of King’s Chapel (AUS) has now won three races and was bred by Backworth Stud..

He is owned by Ken, Alex and Alistair Fisher. Well done Fisher’s.

Stable companions Light The Way and Phantom Major fought out the finish of the 1800m Carla The Rebel MR 80 Handicap at Borrowdale Park. Light The Way won, by a whisker, with Kevin Barry (third) close behind. Winning margins 0.05 and 0.55 lengths.

Around the 200m mark it looked like anyone’s race, with a line of horses across the track.

Light The Way, by Miesque’s Approval (USA) is trained by Kirk Swanson and Sherman Brown was in the irons. This was the third winner from the Swanson yard on Sunday afternoon.

The winner is owned by Colin Bird and was bred by Scott Bros. Congratulations to the connections.

Six lengths separated Atlantic Bijoux and Canadian Champion when the former took the honours in the 1600m Gentle Brook Maiden Plate on Sunday.

The four-year-old Century Stand (AUS) filly has now won and been placed six times from 8 starts. She is trained by Penny Fisher and Ryan Munger was in the irons.

This was the second winner for Zimbabwe-based Spotted Pig Stud at Borrowdale Park on Sunday. Atlantic Bijoux is owned by Kevin Fallon of Spotted Pig Stud. Congratulations to the winning connections.