Being the son of a famous jockey can be a mixed blessing. When that famous jockey is Andrew Fortune, life can get interesting indeed. While Andrew’s story is the stuff of movie scripts, through his persistence, hard work and commitment to his craft, son Aldo Domeyer is writing a success story of his very own.
Drakenstein home-breds Clouds Unfold, Charles Dickens and Trip Of Fortune have provided Domeyer with a host of top-level successes, and the versatile latter is the pick of the established jockey’s rides on Saturday’s eight-race card at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.
Trip Of Fortune, a son of Drakenstein flagbearer Trippi, came of age last season and took his game/form to another level (which coincided with the addition of a tongue-tie to his racing equipment), culminating in a maiden Grade 1 victory in the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein in April.
He went on to win the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes in KwaZulu-Natal and held his own in three subsequent Grade 1 outings during the winter’s Champions Season.
Candice Bass-Robinson’s charge, who is undefeated in three starts at the country course, makes his eagerly anticipated seasonal reappearance at the weekend over 1400m and, given that he has a 100% record in five starts over the distance, can be confidently backed to make a winning return in Race 4.
On what is an intriguing card laden with quality and sprinkled with a trio of feature races, Domeyer and his ‘boss’ Bass-Robinson could land themselves back in the winners’ box come Race 8 over 1000m with another of Trippi’s progeny in three-year-old daughter October Morn.
This well-related filly performed at a high level in five starts as a juvenile last season, winning twice including the Listed Perfect Promise Sprint.
She also placed in each of her other three outings, which included her second-place finish in the Grade 3 Winter Nursery over 1100m to go with her fourth in the 1500m Listed Irridescence Stakes last time out.
The four fillies engaged in the 10-horse party are, on official ratings, well in under the conditions of the race and could dominate the finish, but none make more appeal than October Morn who should relish a return to sprinting.
Her Master Of My Fate half-brother, Tempting Fate, runs in the preceding contest but Brett Crawford-trained Mufasa, who is unbeaten in his two visits to Durbanville, looks capable of roaring to victory once more with stable jockey Louis Mxothwa engaged to ride this flashy What A Winter gelding for the first time.
The first of the features, the Non-Black Type Prestige Plate for three-year-old fillies over 1400m, has attracted a small but quality field of seven runners, including Drakenstein’s Irridescence Stakes winner Beach Bomb for Domeyer and Bass-Robinson.
Promising Gimmethegreenlight fillies Summer Lily, back from a four-month absence, and exciting debut winner Gimmethatpearl give Gaynor Rupert’s boutique stud a strong hand in the race. However, they may have to settle for the minors as Glen Kotzen-trained Rascova boasts, arguably, the strongest winning credentials having finished fourth in a two-year-old Grade 1 when last seen 12 weeks ago.
The R600,000 Cape Racing Sales Ready To Run Stakes is, on official ratings, at the mercy of Sean Tarry and Richard Fourie. They are represented by another of Gimmethegreenlight’s exciting three-year-old crop in Tail Of The Comet, who made a scintillating winning debut at Hollywoodbets Scottsville before finishing an eye-catching and close-up third in a two-year-old Grade 2 late last season.
Tarry’s charge confirmed all of that promise with a commanding comeback success on the Highveld last month and is likely to remain in Cape Town ahead of a big summer season, during which he could be aimed at races like the Grade 1 Cape Guineas or even the L’Ormarins King’s Plate.
Clive Robinson
