SAFWAN AND GOLDEN CHARIOT SHARE BETTING WORLD 1900

Safwan and Golden Chariot dead-heat in the Betting World 1900 (Gr2)
(Photo : Gold Circle)

BETTING WORLD 1900 (Grade 2)
Greyville, Turf, 1900m
20 May 2011

David Thiselton
Gold CircleMike de Kock and Sean Tarry shared the Grade 2 Betting World 1900 in a thriller this past Friday night at Greyville as Safwan, ridden by Anthony Delpech, swooped late to catch the Muzi Yeni-ridden Golden Chariot on the line.

Last year de Kock won this race with Bold Silvano, who went on to win the Vodacom Durban July. He implied after Friday night’s race that this year’s relatively weaker field would not produce the Vodacom winner, but hoped that the two dead-heaters had done enough to secure their places.

Tarry completed a fine training feat as Golden Chariot was off for a year after straining a ligament. In his comeback run on May 3 in the Drill Hall Stakes the six-year-old Caesour gelding, who is owned by Chris van Niekerk and was bred by Northwood Stud, caught the eye running on late. Tarry said after Friday night’s race: “He has been working so well that I would have been shocked if he hadn’t won, but I’m happy to share.” Golden Chariot, despite clearly loving Durban and Greyville in particular, still remains a July outsider, although he did shorten from 330-1 into 66-1. Safwan, an Australian-bred Encosta De Lago gelding owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, has remained at his opening odds of 66-1. Both Safwan and Golden Chariot carried low weights, 53,5kg and 53kg respectively, so on paper the best race was actually run by the Dean Kannemeyer-trained five-year-old gelding In Writing, who carried 55.5kg and was just 0,5 lengths back at the line. In Writing duly shorted in the July betting from 66-1 into 50-1.

Golden Chariot led from the off and Delpech later praised Yeni for a fine front-running ride. However, Yeni, wary of being swamped by the closers, felt in retrospect that he might have done too much in the straight too soon. 

This self-criticism is another sign of the stalwart’s ever increasing confidence. Delpech was also at his best, coming from some way back and producing Safwan, a big galloping type, with his usual resolute before extracting a final lunge. In Writing came from a handy position and his finish became more telling the further they went, so although he might not win the July, the Gold Cup sprung to mind as a race he might love.

The favourite, the Mike Bass-trained Hammie’s Boy, sat in second place one wide from a high draw and after moving up well found no extra, leaving it to the de Kock-trained Fisani and the Weiho Marwing-trained July entry Mahogany to claim fourth and fifth places respectively.

Also on Friday night’s card, the July contenders the Glen Kotzen-trained M’Lords Throat and the Tarry-trained Gold Onyx ran good Daily News 2000 trials by finishing first and second in an Allowance Plate over 1900m. The former shortened into 33-1 in the July betting, while Gold Onyx shortened into 100-1.

BETTING WORLD 1900
Final Results

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	GOLDEN CHARIOT	53.0		4	Muzi Yeni	Sean Tarry
1	0.00	SAFWAN (AUS)	53.5		7	Anthony Delpech	Mike de Kock
3	0.50	IN WRITING (ARG)	55.5		5	Karl Neisius	Dean Kannemeyer
4	2.50	FISANI	56.0		3	Gavin Lerena	Mike de Kock
5	2.55	MAHOGANY	52.0		6	Sean Veale	Weiho Marwing
6	2.80	HAMMIE’S BOY	53.5		9	Aldo Domeyer	Mike Bass
7	3.05	WE THREE	54.5		2	Raymond Danielson	Justin Snaith
8	3.10	HAWK’S EYE (GB)	53.5		1	Glen Hatt	Joey Ramsden
9	3.35	DANCE AT DAYLIGHT	52.0		11	Jarred Samuel	Dennis Drier
10	6.60	TROPICAL EMPIRE (AUS)	60.0		10	Stuart Randolph	Duncan Howells
11	6.65	CASK	54.0		8	Corne Orffer	Stephen Page
12	18.90	ALDERRY	56.0		12	Kevin Shea	Mike de Kock

Extract from Gold Circle