IT'S GETTING HOT IN THE KITCHEN

Click above to watch Smanyo’s Weekend Surprise
(Footage : Tellytrack)

R1,5 MILLION EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN CUP
7 NOVEMBER 2009 

The Sporting Post reports that just last week, Bloodstock South Africa announced the subscribed entries for the R1,5 Million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup, now formally the fourth richest event on the racing calendar and restricted to those graduates of the sale whose buyers “ticked” the box on Sales day. Already 15 of them have made the winners’ enclosure, and are in strong contention for a place in the big race line-up.

Two more got over the line this past weekend, the first being the Highlands-bred Snow Special, whose Turkish owners almost scooped the pool last year with Fenerbahce, and then at Greyville on Sunday, Smanyo flew up to grab the spoils for Chips Pennells in a competitive maiden, shading two other candidates in Buka Mina and Kwela Kwela.

Saturday afternoon at Turffontein, we were reminded that this race is never a one-horse contest, however, when this scribe’s own choice, Havasha, maintained his unbeaten record against a quality field of older horses, delighting fellow owners, Tony Moodley, Karel and Kiki Miedema, John Finlayson and Mike de Kock no end with his showing. I’ve said it before in this column, but the Ready To Run represents a unique opportunity to acquire a horse with the hindsight of seeing him run, and with the generous benefit of up to six cheques to pay for your purchases, it’s almost irresistible.

HAVASHA AIMING FOR THE GREEN

Click above to watch the “Green” Havasha
(Footage : Tellytrack)

“R1,5 MILLION EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN CUP CONTENDER”

If you watched Havasha’s run on Saturday in the Racing Association MR 82 Divided Handicap over 1600m at Turffontein, you would have witnessed the “Green” son of Kahal laying down an ominous challenge to rivals for the R1,5 Million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup.

Bred by Summerhill Stud, the son of Kahal out of the Fahal mare Juniper Berry, displayed raw, fighting talent under jockey Anthony Delpech, taking his victory tally to 2 from 2.

Owners Tony Moodley, Karel and Kiki Miedema, Charl Pretorius and John Finlayson ( …members of the Freeracer Syndicate) as well as trainer Mike de Kock ( …also part owner of Havasha) must now be licking their lips with the prospect of a crack at the big prize come November 7th.

Of interest to followers of this year’s Emperors Palace Ready To Run Draft is that Juniper Berry comes from a high class female line which also produced Count duBois. On this year’s Ready To Run Sale, she has a filly, BOYSENBERRY, half sister to Havasha by one of the fleetest-footed thoroughbreds of all time, Cataloochee.

DREAM ON : IT’S WORTH R1.5 MILLION THESE DAYS

 Havasha
(Photos : Gold Circle) 

Please click photos to enlarge

R1,5million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup

The heat is on in the race for places in the line-up for this year’s R1,5million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup, scheduled for the stand side track at Turffontein on the 7^th November. Seventeen of our graduates from last year’s Ready To Run Sale have already made the winner’s enclosure, five of them at the first time of asking, and just yesterday, Mike de Kock added to the first-timer effort of Fisani just on a month ago, when the stoutly bred Havasha trotted up at Clairwood over 1200m in a stirring display. The handicappers have their hands full in trying to decide who will be eligible, particularly as there are bound to be others of hitherto unknown talent, waiting in the wings between now and then.

Just a race later on the Clairwood card, Glanville Gardner’s Makulu Kulu stepped out for Mike Miller, running third on debut, in what has to be counted as another impressive effort. Both he and Havasha are from mares with long distance aptitudes, and we can only guess at how these two will be with a bit of maturity and a bit more ground. What we do know, is they’ll just love that punishing Turffontein straight!

Dare we complete this note without mentioning that Havasha is the property of Racingweb’s principal scribe, Charl Pretorius, as well as the editors and owners (Karel and Kiki Miedema) of Africa’s best racing publication, the Sporting Post. You can imagine the publicity going into this year’s Cup, when this lot have a live candidate.

It could be worth our lives to fail mentioning long-serving Summerhill clients, Tony Moodley and John Finlayson, among the throng who shelled out R260 000 for him at the Ready To Run.