The Sunday News
Mandla Moyo
A TOTAL of 10 horses have been nominated for the Thoroughbred Breeders Champagne Stakes race set for Borrowdale Park Race Course in Harare on 26 July.
The winning horse and the three runners-up will share the $13 000 in stakes money.
As has become the norm trainer Bridget Stidolp has the highest number of entries for the 1 200 metres long sprint race after throwing into the hat four horses.
Bridget has nominated Cherry Brook, Maraoochydore, Rocky Road and Vaya Con Dios for the competition.
Trainer Amy Bronkhorst is also at par with Bridget with four runners from her stable vying for a place among the finalists.
Amy has thrown into the ring Run The Redlight, Slick, Starry Notions and Yesterday Man.
Seasoned trainer Kirk Swanson and Seb D’aquino have forwarded a single nomination each, Money To Burn and Messenger Of Magic, respectively
If Rocky Road by Bridget Stidolp makes it through to final list, he will be the favourite to win this completion by virtue of being the highest rated runner. He is rated 72, a decent rating by horse racing standards.
On 21 July according to the programmes of event released by Mashonaland Turf Club the final list will be pushed out.
There is a combined total of 135 entries nominated to take part in all the eight events slated in for the day.
The race meeting marks the end of the first half of 2014/15 domestic horse racing season at Borrowdale. However, action will resume again on 6 September after a six week break.
Thoroughbred Breeders Champagne Stake race list:
Cherry Brook, Maroochydore, Messenger Of Magic, Money To Burn, Rocky Road, Run The Redlight, Slick, Starry Notions, Vaya Con Dios, Yesterday Man
Meanwhile, last Sunday in what was a promising race for Yer-Maan and his multitude of followers ended in a painful losing note after they saw the Republic Cup race slip through their hands in what was perceived to be a done deal.
For many punters the race was expected to be one of the usual routines for Yer-Maan and his pilot Quinton Riddle.
However, when the stall gates were pushed opened the old saying — “when the stall gates open anything can happen”, came back to haunt the partnership.
The rejuvenated Equina back to his old self and firing from all cylinders reduced the trailblazing Yer-Maan to any ordinary runner on his way to winning the Republic Cup Grade (3) race.
What made this defeat a bitter pill to swallow for caretaker trainer Gokhan Terzi and the rest of the team was that even Super Trouper and an outsider before the race ghosted in out of the blue to finish ahead of the highly rated Yer-Maan.
However, at the end of this short sojourn in Zimbabwe handlers of Yer-Maan, South African based trainer St John Gray, will look back at this trip to Zimbabwe by Yer-Maan with a big smile knowing that is was one of the best decision they ever made.
During this short stay that lasting close two months Yer-Maan spent less that a combined total of 10 minutes on the turf but managed to collect $58 000 in prize monies.
For winning the prestigious Castle Tankard (2 000), Yer-Maan got $30 000, $24 000 for emerging as the top dog in the OK Grand Challenge race (1 800M) and $4 800 for coming out as the third best runner for during the Republic Cup meeting over 1 800M.
Out of the so called “big three” races in Zimbabwe today two of them were delivered to his stable in ruthless style decorated by his trade mark, a delayed lighting charge towards the finishing line during the dying stages of the race.
Yer-Maan a six-year-old gelding the son of Jam Alley (AUS) was just a race short in achieving what no horse has achieved, winning three big races in succession, if only he had won the Republic Cup race.
Zimbabwe’s Champion Jockey for the 2014/15 season, Quinton Riddle was the pilot in all the races with Yer-Maan carrying an impressive merit rating of 106 in his last race.
To date Yer-Maan has competed in 36 times winning 10 times and placing 11 times in the process. This is the type of a horse any trainer longs for.
