Richard Fourie was in no mood to take prisoners at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday as he racked up the winners including two for Tony Rivalland in the Pinnacle Stakes that headed the card and five on the day as he steered Nelson Bay home for Peter Muscutt in the last.
Rivalland has always rated his charge as a decent sprinter and he proved too good for his opposition as he streaked clear to win rather cozily.
Pray For Rain ran another cracking race as he kicked on late to deny Good Traveller second spot.
Fourie got his day off to a winning start as Johnny The Thief looked to be something of a ‘gimme’ in the card opener for MJ Odendaal. There was no pace on as Red Mountain hacked to the front with Johnny The Thief in close attendance but Richard Fourie took no chances as he went for home early and kept his mount hard to his task to win rather comfortably.
Fourie was on the mark in the second in an almost carbon copy of the first as Galaxy Explorer got it all together for supporters of the favourite. Fourie had Tony Rivalland’s gelding on the heels of pacemaker Nikolai Kopernik did not set any record fractions before kicking for home early and not for the catching.
Fourie was looking for his third straight win as a late plunge saw Princess Ozma shorten dramatically in the market. From her inside draw, Princess Ozma got to the front for nothing and crossing the subway it looked as if the plunge had paid off. But a furlong out, Princess Ozma put up the white flag but held on for second as Miss Gibson finished with a wet sail. Light weight rider Nicholas Patel does not get many chances on fancied runners but Yogas Govender stayed loyal and was rewarded.
MJ Odendaal and Bernard Fayd’Herbe go back a long time to where they shared the weighing room and it was Odendaal’s call to his old friend to partner El Dante who he had set up expertly. A vastly experienced heavy-weight rider, Odendaal was not taking any chances as the opening 8-1 in the ante-post market was snapped up for El Dante to start a short-priced favourite.
Serino Moodley took him on early as Farland matched strides with El Dante with the field trailing but it was a forlorn hope as El Dante drew off relentlessly to win as the stable expected and completing a stable double for their connections.
It could be forgiven if punters thought that they were in Cape Town yesterday as the jockey’s seemingly having caught the ‘Cape crawl’ virus. Safe Space dawdled the early fractions in the 2400m fifth until Fourie pulled the trigger on Twice Golden approaching the hill.
It may have been an enterprising ride by Fourie as Garth Puller’s stayer cantered home but one must wonder what his competitors were thinking – a Sunday afternoon stroll maybe?
Bonne Bouche made short work of her opposition in the seventh as she proved too good for favourite Mia’s Athena.
Calvin Habib took the initiative from the jump tracked by Mia’s Athena but at the business end of the race, Glen Kotzen’s filly kept rolling and a belated challenge from the favourite came to nothing.
Nelson Bay was not everyone’s fancy in the last but Fourie always had him handy from a wide draw but when asked the question, he quickened up nicely to put the race to bed.
By Andrew Harrison, Gold Circle Racing
