Horse of the Month – Frances Ethel

The Brett Crawford-trained Rafeef filly, Frances Ethel, displayed her class and stamina, securing a commanding 1.75-length victory in the prestigious Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks over 2450m, brilliantly ridden by Kabelo Matsunyane.

Frances Ethel transitioned ownership during the week of the race, with Team Valor International’s Barry Irwin, alongside Anant Singh and Australian proprietor Perry Sambor, taking the reins. While original owners Dylan Chinsammy and Grant Knowles retained shares, the acquisition broker, Robin Bruss, clarified that post-departure for overseas ventures after the Champions Season, only Team Valor, Sambor, and Singh would maintain ownership.

Bruss outlined future aspirations for Frances Ethel, indicating her upcoming participation in the illustrious Gr 1 Woolavington 2000. Should the filly acquit herself well, further considerations include potential entries in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July or the Gr 2 Track and Ball Oaks.

Highlighting Frances Ethel’s pedigree adds another layer to her burgeoning reputation. Her sire Rafeef is by champion sire Redoute’s Choice, who is by the record-breaking Danehil. Refeef was sired by National Assembly and the broodmare speedster National Colour, whose grandson Celestial Legend is currently the highest-rated three-year-old in Australia.

Winning races like the SA Oaks demands overcoming numerous challenges. You simply don’t clinch victory without possessing robust stamina, a track record of soundness and durability, and exceptional cardiovascular capacity to endure the distance, especially in the Highveld’s rarified atmosphere. These attributes are invaluable to the breed and warrant recognition and reward.

Reflecting on the sponsor’s remarkable track record over the staying distances, having claimed the SA Oaks title an impressive 16 times, underscores the significance of their breeding legacy. Their studs have consistently produced Classic champions and July winners, perpetuating these essential traits through generations.

Frances Ethel’s triumph adds another chapter to this illustrious history, her name etched in the annals of winners. At odds of 6/1, she beat the 16/1 contender My Soul Mate by 1.75 lengths, while the 6/10 favourite, My Sanctuary, trailed in 3.25 lengths adrift in third place. This victory proves that the confidence of the new owners in purchasing the filly was well-founded.

Watch FRANCES ETHEL CLICK HERE

Ride of the Month – Crimson King wears the Crown

On Gauteng Champions Day, the Crawford Racing stable, along with jockey Kabelo Matsunyane, sealed an exceptional performance for the Ridgemont team based in Robertson. Their triumph came in the TAB Gold Bowl over 3200M, with the six-year-old Crimson King, offspring of the esteemed farm’s late sire, Dynasty (Fort Wood).

Despite being generously priced at 11-2, Crimson King initially lagged the leaders as the field passed the winning post for the first time. Along the back straight, Kabelo settled Crimson King one out and one back, while Muzi Yeni took Michael Azzie’s Breeze Over (5-2) to the front, aiming to dictate the race to favour his mount’s preferred front running style.

As they approached the home stretch, Yeni urged Breeze Over for an extra effort to push the pace and force the other contenders to chase. However, Crimson King, displaying tenacity, closed the gap, eyeballing Yeni’s mount at the 200M mark.

The two horses then engaged in a thrilling duel for the final 200M, but Crimson King found an extra gear, pulling ahead as they neared the finish line. With a determined surge, he secured victory under a superbly judged Matsunyane drive, by 0.40 lengths. Breeze Over stayed on well to take second place, while the 33-1 outsider, Battleground, ran a very god race with a third-place finish, a much-improved performance.

Bred by Ridgemont, the triumphant Crimson King races under the ownership of Peter de Beyer and Andre Louw. Crimson King, a graduate of the 2019 BSA KZN Yearling Sale, has amassed an impressive record, with five victories and eleven placings from 35 starts, earning stakes of R859,625.

Racing Today – Turffontein SA 27 Apr 2024 Race 9 WATCH HERE

Month End Three Timer for Crawford Racing

In addition to winning two graded races in April, the stable ended the month of April on a wonderful note, winning three races on a Tuesday afternoon at Kenilworth Racecourse. The meeting started on a good note, with the Ridgemont and Devin Heffer owned son of Canford Cliffs, Artiste, running out a good winner under a polished ride by Gareth Wright. She took the lead as soon as the starter called heads up, and never relinquished that lead, running strongly all the way to the line. Definitely a filly whose striking good looks could possibly be matched by her racecourse career.

Racing Today – Hollywoodbets Kenilworth SA 30 Apr 2024 Race 1 WATCH HERE

The stable had to a relatively long wait for their next winner, when Speed Racer won the 8th race in facile fashion under the guidance of Luyolo (Louis) Mxothwa. He had Speed Racer handy from the jump, making the pace from an outside draw of eleven. As the field approached the 200-metre mark, Louis lengthened his rein and the son of Querari responded to the urgings from the saddle to put a length between himself and field. Despite a concerted late run from Bluff on Bluff, the Piet Steyn inmate could not match the finishing burst of Speed Racer who won by a comfortable two lengths.

Racing Today – Hollywoodbets Kenilworth SA 30 Apr 2024 Race 8 WATCH HERE

The stable ended the day on a high by bringing home the last double, with Great Cat winning the 9th race. In its last start over 1100M Louis seemed to time his run perfectly only for Great Cat to falter in the last 50M but still ran a creditable second to First Masterpiece. Today however, he remained in mid pack for the first half of the race, gradually making up the leeway as they approached the 200M mark. Under Louis’s urgings the son of Dynasty kept running strongly all the way to the line to complete a brilliant three timer for the stable.

Racing Today – Hollywoodbets Kenilworth SA 30 Apr 2024 Race 9 WATCH HERE

With the Natal Season on the horizon, the stable seems to be finding its form. James and Brett will be raiding from their Gauteng and Cape bases, and with some good horses being pointed at the Feature and Graded races for the season, it’s a stable to be watched.

James Crawford – Flying the Flag in Gauteng

Winning a Grade Two and Grade Three race in the same month is no mean feat. Couple that to the fact that the trainer of both horses is 24-year-old yearling who in his spare time gyms, surfs, supports Liverpool Football Club and prepares his own meals, and you can see why this is an incredible achievement.

However, when you consider that his Dad is one of the best trainers in the country, and his mentor in Gauteng is world renowned in the form of Mike De Kock, then just maybe you can see the why James Crawford is capturing the imagination of the racing public.

James, who runs the Crawford Racing satellite yard in Gauteng, is up and on his way to the stables at 4.30am. His day at the stables initially ends at around 11am, when he returns home to do analysis on the horses that have galloped whilst checking the Horse Racing programmes which could align to the horses’ progress in the morning gallops.

A satellite stable that started with nine horses now is burgeoning with a little over fifty horses, which means that his days will become more intense, but he seems to take this all in his stride and still being able to go to gym and prepare his food for next day in the “office”.

His views on his stable jockey, Kabelo Matsunyane is very forthright. He says that this young man with integrity and incredible work ethic, is displaying the confidence on other trainers’ horses that would come to the fore when he was riding the Crawford trained horses when the partnership was in the fledgling stage.

James adds that his personal future might one day lie in Hong Kong, but he wants to remain in partnership with his Dad, but now, winning two Graded races in one month is a great springboard for the young man. After such a brilliant start to his career, and with the Natal season looming, the racing fraternity will be watching.