By now everyone knows Kirk Swanson saddled three winners at Borrowdale Park on Saturday, including the HRIB Gold Cup winner, Road To Dubai. The four-year-old gelding, by The Sheik, franked his recent form in a competitive race with the first three horses finishing within 1.05 lengths of each other.

Now a six-time winner, Road to Dubai is owned by John Koumides and was bred by Scott Bros.

Francois Herholdt, riding Road To Dubai, was chased home by Gentle Brook (Daniel Frank) and Principled Man (Brendon McNaughton).  Lucky Sam, returning after a long lay-off, ran fourth. Continue reading →

The classy Century Stand (AUS) colt, Call Me Earl, carrying top weight, proved his Classic potential when holding off a determined challenge from Super Good in Saturday’s 1600m Tote Free Handicap.

 

His delighted owners, Diz Buckler and Fiona Olivier, were there to congratulate him. Call Me Earl is out of the Rabah (GB) mare Al Czarina and was bred by Sarahdane Stud. He is trained by Alyson Wright and was ridden by Francois Herholdt. Francie had a great day, this being his third winning ride that afternoon.

The 2015 HRIB Gold Cup was won by Road To Dubai in a thrilling finish involving Gentle Brook, Principled Man and Lucky Sam. Top weighted Approval Rating finished fifth.

The four-year-old gelding by The Sheik and out of a Model Man mare, is owned by John Koumides, trained by Kirk Swanson and was ridden by Francois Herholdt. He was bred by Scott Bros. Congratulations to all the winning connections.

Source: Bumper Day At Borrowdale

It is a big day at Borrowdale Park on Saturday – and, yes, I do know that the R2 000 000 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup is on at Turffontein.

In Harare the US$13 000 HRIB Gold Cup will be run over 1200m, and earlier in the afternoon 10  promising  three-year-olds will contest the 1600m Tote Free Handicap. This is always an interesting event as it provides insight to the Classics.

The 15 horses nominated to run in the US$13 000 HRIB Gold Cup all stood their ground, and the field includes Approval Rating, who won this race in 2013, as well as Picalilly and Gentle Brook,  second and third, respectively, to On This Rock, last year.

The Sansui Summer Cup (Gr 1) is due off at 4.15, 20 minutes after the start of the HRIB.  We would all be watching this race anyway but, with Zimbabwean jockey Quinton Riddle aboard Yer-Maan, it will be hard to contain the excitement. Continue reading →

Harare-based jockeys won five of the seven races on Sunday’s Borrowdale Park card.

In addition to winning the main race on Equina, Quinton Riddle also scored on Pente’s Daughter.

Brendon McNaughton visited the Winner’s Enclosure three times with Nimble Dancer, Got A Hold On Me, for the Terzi yard, and Master Of The Sky.

Two of the visiting jockeys, Andrew Fortune and Fanie Chambers, had to settle for one winner each.

McNaughton and Nimble Dancer (above) completed a  hat-trick when the AP Answer colt won the 1100m Merit Rated 75 Handicap. Trained by Bridget Stidolph,  and bred by Clifton Stud, the colt is owned by Messrs S.N. Buchan, N. Evans,  S. Mawdsley, K.J. Mullen, K. Smith, M.K. Chant – and Bridget Stidolph, who was having a particularly good afternoon. Continue reading →

 

Zimbabwe’s champion race mare, Equina, clocked up another victory at Borrowdale Park on Sunday, despite carrying top weight. Quinton Riddle, master of the last – minute pounce, was in the irons and Equina is trained by Amy Bronkhorst. Gentle Brook, also from the Bronkhorst yard, was second. Print The Pounds was third and Diversify fourth.

Bred by Cheveley Stud, Equina is owned by Peter Moor. She has now won 12 races, including the Castle Tankard (GR 1), the OK Grand Challenge (GR 2) and the Republic Cup (GR 3).

Diz Buckler (second from left) presented the Champion Fillies Stakes trophy to Equina’s trainer Amy Bronkhorst and Richard Moor. Quinton Riddle was also in the line-up.

Photographs: Gavin Macleod

The Swanson Racing team was on hand to lead Gateway Gamble in after the Mullins Bay (GB) colt won the 1000m Maiden Plate at Borrowdale Park. Boniface Vengesa has been riding work, Kirk and Debra Swanson were there, Assistant Trainer Thomas Mason and Francis Mazarura, the groom. Unfortunately Gateway Gamble’s owner, Kevin Stainton, could not be on the course on Sunday.

The winning jockey was Francois Herholdt.

This was the three-year-old’s first start, he won in fine style and it seems he also impressed the handicapper. His Merit Rating is 74.

In the not too distant past a son of Century Stand (AUS), Earl Of Surrey, set the turf alight both in Zimbabwe and down South. At Borrowdale Park on Sunday another of his sons, Call Me Earl, lived up to expectations and won the 1200m Jacaranda Free Handicap.

Bred by Sarahdane Stud near Harare, Call Me Earl, out of a Rabah (GB) mare, is trained by the Alyson Wright satellite yard and was ridden by Apprentice Ryan Munger. He is owned by Diz Buckler of Sarahdane Stud, and Fiona Olivier.

Although the Jacaranda Free never developed into a duel between top weighted Demagogue and Call Me Earl, it did not lack excitement. Approaching the 200m mark there was a line of horses across the course and it could have been anyone’s race. Then the Bridget Stidolph-trained Super Good made his move and shot clear, chased by stable mate Duffi’s Call and Slick.

It seemed the Announce gelding had it made, until a fast finishing Call Me Earl caught him. The winning margin was 0.25 lengths – talk about timing!

This was the sixth race on the card and Tandava, also by Century Stand (AUS) won the seventh, a 1200m Novice Plate. Continue reading →

Hindsight is marvellous and plenty of Pick 6 punters probably regret not following Andrew Fortune at Borrowdale Park on October 18. The Gokhan Terzi/Fortune “combo” delivered four of the Pick 6 winners on Sunday.

First up was the three-year-old Century Stand (AUS) colt, Tandava, in the 1300m Maiden Plate. Out of a Kitalpha mare and owned and bred by Dave Rosser this was Tandava’s second start, and showed marked improvement since his debut in July.

Fortune’s mount, Rock The Country, failed to get the upper hand in the 1800m Merit Rated 80 Handicap, won by Madigan, but after that the rest of the card belonged to Glenwood Racing.

Scarlett Ice, winner of her previous start, narrowly beat Ice Pack in the 1800m Merit Rated 55 Handicap, and I wonder how many Swingers and Exactas were inspired by the word “Ice”?

The Black Minnalouche (USA) filly has now won both her starts in Harare and seems likely to do more. She runs in the colours of Gengiz Goksel and was bred by the Estate of the late Mr R.B. Wallace.

Anthony’s Lazer, bred by Druk-My-Niet Stud, gave owner John Koumides a second winner when he scored in the 1600m Maiden Plate. The four-year-old colt by Tiger Dancer (USA) had been rested for 134 days and finished two lengths clear of Promising.

By then Seb d’Aquino, the trainer of Promising, had already saddled three runners placed second, so he was possibly quite pleased the afternoon was coming to an end.

Last race on the card was the 1600m Commissioner General of Police’s Charity Handicap won by Principled Man, in defiance of my predictions, gut feelings and so forth. The Amy Bronkhorst-trained Gentle Brook (second) featured prominently, but I am still wondering what happened to Thriller In Manila (fourth), Tallie Two and Super Trouper.

Principled Man has now won four races and been placed 9 times from 16 starts. Like Gentle Brook he too is by Windrush (USA). This five-year-old gelding is owned by Messrs G. Goksel and T.J. Shawe and was bred by Geoff Armitage.