APPROVAL RATING HAS STILL GOT WHAT IT TAKES
Mr S. Armstrong’s six-year-old gelding Approval Rating came with a storming finish to snatch victory in the 1000m AFZ Charity Borrowdale Stakes on Sunday.
The Miesque’s Approval (USA) gelding has returned to Borrowdale Park after campaigning in Gauteng for a year. One of South Africa’s leading jockeys, Andrew Fortune, was in the irons. He is trained by Gokhan Terzi and this was his tenth win. Wisdom Sawere is his groom.
Photograph: Gavin Macleod
Andrew Fortune Riding On Sunday
In-form jockey Andrew Fortune will be riding at Borrowdale Park on Sunday when racing resumes after a six-week break. He will be on a Gokhan Terzi trained runner in each of the seven races. It will be great to have this popular horseman in Harare but his presence at this particular race meeting doesn’t make finding winners any easier – unless we throw caution completely out the window and rely on the magic Fortune touch throughout.
Having looked at the Final Fields – and walked away from them, often – it seems even winning the Place Accumulator may be quite a feat.
Firstly the horses are coming back from a long break, with some having been off the course far more than six weeks; several runners have changed stables; apprentices claiming 4 kgs have been strategically placed; the going will probably be very much on top, and where there is an obvious choice there are often queries about the trip.
Former Borrowdale Park favourite, Approval Rating, is back in Harare for the main race, the AFZ Charity Sprint over 1000m, which is due off at 16.10. This winner of the Zimbabwe Guineas and the 1200m HRIB Gold Cup in 2013, last raced at Borrowdale in July 2014. For the entire 2014/15 season the Miesque’s Approval gelding competed at the Vaal and Turffontein for one win (1160m) and five places from 11 starts.
Continue reading
It’S time to get out your record books and seriously study form because racing resumes at Borrowdale Park on Sunday after the annual six-week break.
Nominations went in last week and we hope to post the Final Fields later today.
Hurray….back to the drawing board and an end to boredom.
Gokhan Terzi’s charge Principled Man returns to racing at Turffontein on Saturday after two come-back runs in Harare.
The Windrush gelding won two races (1400m and 1450m) at this course, but moved to Zimbabwe after an unplaced run at the Vaal in November. He was placed in both his starts at Borrowdale Park and was finishing strongly when a close second to Road To Dubai over 1300m on June 28.
On Saturday he takes part in a 1400m Graduation Plate due off at 16 00. Apprentice Wesley Marwing retains the ride. Principled Man is drawn 1 and carries 60 kgs.
Zimbabwe’s Breeders Champion Cup winner, Rock The Country, is one of 8 runners in the seventh race at the Vaal tomorrow (Wednesday).
The It’s A Rush MR 86 Handicap is due off at 16.10 and will be run over 2000m. The seven-year-old son of Western Winter is drawn 3 and will carry 59 kg. He will be ridden by Apprentice Wesley Marwing.
Gokhan Terzi has taken three horses to compete in South Africa. The three-year-old, Demagogue, disappointed his supporters on Sunday when giving weight to older horses, in a 1000m sprint.
Photograph: Gavin Macleod
The Argonaut colt, Demagogue, will race at Turffontein tomorrow (Sunday). He is carded in Race 4, a Merit Rated 74 Handicap over 1000m, which is due off at 13.45.
There is no racing at Borrowdale Park until September 6 and trainer Gokhan Terzi has also taken Rock The Country and Principled Man to Gauteng where they will race over a period of three weeks.
Demagogue with Apprentice Wesley Marwing aboard.
This is a courageous move on Terzi’s part which will be watched with interest. With races few and far between at Borrowdale cross-border raids could be helpful, providing the horses run into the money.
Photograph: Gavin Macleod
Apprentice Norbert Takawira is still a 4 kgs claimer yet the best he can ride at is 56 kgs after claiming. This means that in order to utilise his full claim he has to take 60 kgs rides, which makes it difficult for him to get many.
Apprentice Norbert Takawira winning on Nugget Effect.
During the 2014/15 season Takawira rode 8 winners giving him a strike rate of 20%….and he received a Spey Bridge Special Award in recognition of this achievement.
Well done Norbert Takawira – keep up the good work in 2015/16.
Photograph: Gavin Macleod
Most years the Spey Bridge Panel makes a few Special Awards and for 2014/15 Casten Bakasa received one of them.
He began working at Belvedere Racecourse in 1951 for a trainer called Coffin Grey, and when Borrowdale opened in 1959 he moved there and looked after the first horse to win at the new course. This was Tower Bridge, ridden by Stanley Eyden, owned by Boss Lilford, and trained by Coffin Grey.
Casten Bakasa
Next he worked for Murray Lindley at Clouds End and Mogambo. Then back to the racecourse to join Michael Clements and later Vic Moore for a short while.
Casten was with the Noelene Peech yard for a number of years looking after a good filly called Peppermint, and when Noelene moved to Durban for a while he joined the Kirk Swanson yard, where he still is. He was the winner of the Champion Groom Award in 2004.
Casten is renowned for his grooming abilities and he takes great pride in his horses. He is also a keen photographer.
Photograph: Rosie Dorward
Borrowdale Park’s end-of-season race meeting on Sunday, July 26, appeared to go off well but has now become mired in controversy due to the reported failure of the photo finish equipment.
This is a land plagued by constant power outages and power surges. The Mashonaland Turf Club’s generator is always on standby so racing continues. This time, however, there was a major hitch, possibly due to a power cut. An investigation will be conducted into the why and wherefores and, as luck would have it, there were several very close finishes during the afternoon.
Although the main race of the day was the TBA Champagne Stakes the focus was also on the outcome of the 1400m Breeders Sprint where distance specialist Super Trooper seemed almost sure to succeed. The seven-year-old West Man (USA) gelding produced his customary late challenge, gaining on Equina with every stride, but he was beaten by 0.05 lengths while conceding 6.5 kgs.
Equina’s increased weight advantage came about when J.P. van der Merwe missed the early flight to Harare, and arrived on the course after the race. Claiming Apprentice Serino Moodley picked up the ride. Eurakilon, first time out at Borrowdale, was a close third, with the three-year-old filly, Picalilly not far behind.
Equina is owned by Peter Moor, trained by Amy Bronkhorst, and bred by Cheveley Stud. Both Equina and Super Trouper were rewarded for their stout efforts during the 2014/15 season at the Annual Racing Awards Presentation which took place after the final race.
The Moor/Bronkhorst combination featured again when the Horse Chestnut filly, Chestnut Girl, ran out an easy winner of the Sunmark Thoroughbreds MR 64 Handicap, three lengths clear of Jean’s Dancer. Francois Herholdt was in the irons, his second winner, and the three-year-old filly was bred by Summerhill Stud (Pty) Ltd.
Although I wasn’t expecting much from the 1200m TBA Champagne Stakes (L) the 10 locally bred two-year-olds turned up trumps. The first four past the post came within a length of each other, with only a whisker separating the winner, Rocky Road, from Cherry Brook. Vaya Con Dios and Starry Notions filled the other placings. Continue reading
Joyce Piers was kept busy presenting the numerous Spey Bridge Awards. Grant Littleford accepted the People’s Horse Award for Super Trouper. This is decided by popular vote and goes to a horse who consistently gives his best even if unable to win all the big races – in other words the punters’ friend.
The People’s Horse – Super Trouper
Super Trouper was a close second to Equina in the recent 1900m Republic Cup and an even closer second in Sunday’s 1400m Breeders Sprint. Watch the video of the Breeders Sprint below – this horse is all heart.
Photograph: Gavin Macleod
The Open Series is one of the MTC/MOTA/NHA Racing Awards and it was shared by Equina, a daughter of Silvano (GER) and Yer-Maan, by Jam Alley (AUS).
Amy Bronkhorst, trainer of Equina, accepted the trophy from Patricia Wakefield. Yer-Maan is owned and trained by St John Gray, and Peter Moor owns Equina.
Photograph: Gavin Macleod
Amy Bronkhorst with Patricia Wakefield.
…and we don’t mean Quinton Riddle who accepted Yer-Maan’s award from Joyce Piers in the MOTA bar on Sunday. Thanking owner/trainer St John Gray for the rides on Yer-Maan, Quinton paid tribute to Gokhan Terzi who kept Yer-Maan at the top of his game during his stay in Zimbabwe.
Yer-Maan, Spey Bridge Horse Of The Year.
Racing at Borrowdale Park in Harare - Zimbabwe 