Betway Summer Cup day Runners

RACE 2 – Joburg Tourism Company Conditional Maiden Plate – 1160M

GUN BARREL

Age:      3 (at last run)

Sex:      g

M/Rating:          (at last run)

Owner:               Messrs D Chinsammy, G P C Glover, E Naicker & TKP Racing (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Mr Trevelen Pillay)

Breeder:             Clifton Stud

Trainer:               Brett Crawford

Breeding:           Fire Away (USA) – Daphne Garland by Fort Wood (USA)

Colours:             Red, black epaulettes and cap

Gun Barrel has only had one run and on face value, running fifth, just over twelve lengths off Cosmic Queen seems to be a poor run. However, when we dig a little deeper, the run is not as average as what it seems at first glance.

In this race, Gund Barrel jumped slowly from the gates losing about two lengths on the rest of the field. He was then bumped twice, losing momentum completely, and when he regained his stride, he was about twenty lengths off the leaders. He managed to fully regain his stride halfway through the race but was then a distance off the frontrunner.

However, from that point he ran on strongly, making up as many as ten to fifteen lengths on the field to finish fifth, a particularly good run considering the tardiness out of the gates, the two bumps and seemingly becoming unbalanced until halfway through the race. To regain his stride and run on from far back and so strongly all the way to the line shows that there is something to work with.

Gun Barrell – Slow out and bumped on debut

If the tardiness out of the gates can be overcome and Malesela Katjedi can settle him and allow him to travel all the way down the lane, then entering the last 400M, having a sixteen draw down the straight down the Turffontein Standside track is going to be a massive advantage. As I write this the rain is continuing to fall at the course, which will only accentuate the advantage of the high draw down the straight.

On debut, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for this son of Fire Away and his second run will bring him on and with natural improvement. A clean jump out of the gates, no bumping or boring and the massive advantage of the sixteen draw, the owners of this three year old, Messrs D Chinsammy, G P C Glover, E Naicker & TKP Racing (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Mr Trevelen Pillay) would be correct in expecting massive improvement from their horse from run one to run two, and anything is possible if has a clean race and the gaps open at the right time in the last 400M.

RACE 2 – Joburg Tourism Company Conditional Maiden Plate – 1160M

LADY BOMBER

Age:      3 (at last run)

Sex:      f

M/Rating:          (at last run)

Owner:               Alac (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Mr A L A Crabbia)

Breeder:             The Legacy Stud

Trainer:               Brett Crawford

Breeding:           Lancaster Bomber (USA) – Hidden Power by Dynasty

Colours:             Black, red maltese cross and sleeves, red cap, black peak

A raceday that gives back, is how the Charity Mile Raceday at Turffontein Racecourse on the first Saturday in November, is known. A total of twenty-one deserving charities participates and benefit from the raceday, and this was the day Lady Bomber made her racecourse debut. The first race of the day saw her take her place alongside her stable companion Fastnet Filly.

She started at 35/1 in the betting, whereas Fastnet Filly jumped at 4/1. Despite the field being a small one, Fastnet Filly had the advantage of the outside draw, with Lady Bomber being drawn down the middle inside at two. Lady Bomber jumped well showing good gate speed but could not move to the outside rail. Lady Bomber travelled well all the way down the lane with her jockey Kabelo Matsunyane just giving her a couple of taps down the shoulder

Fastnet Filly had taken advantage of the outside draw and pulled a length clear as they approached the 400M, as Lady Bomber was now accelerating but still racing down the inside. Lady Bomber (red sleeves and red cap in the below picture) continued to make up the ground, passing the post six lengths off the winner in fourth place but only 0.75 lengths off the third horse, My One and Only.

Lady Bomber runs 4th to Fastnet Filly on Charity Mile Day

My One and Only then ran again three weeks later, shedding her Maiden ticket in facile fashion, stretching clear in the last 200M beating the dead heaters Bilingual and Chilli Marmalade by a comfortable three lengths. Lady Bomber will show the natural improvement you would expect from run one to run two, and with the form of it’s debut being franked, owners
Alac (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Mr A L A Crabbia) could see a forward run from Lady Bomber on Saturday.

RACE 8 – Betway Summer Cup (Grade 1)

FRANCES ETHEL

Age:      4 (at last run)

Sex:      f

M/Rating:          118 (at last run)

Owner:               Team Valor International (Nom: Mr B Irwin), Mr H P Sambor, Mrs Vanashree & Mr Anant Singh

Breeder:             Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein

Trainer:               Brett Crawford

Breeding:           Rafeef (AUS) – Daphne Garland by Fort Wood (USA)

Colours:             Green, red chevron, green sleeves, red seams, red cap

Frances Ethel is an outstanding equine athlete, arguably one of the best of her generation. Her mazy journey to the Summer Cup has been adventurous, with ownership changes coupled to plans to move her to another country which was put on hold, and now having a tilt at the richest horserace on the African Continent having all been interwoven into her career on the track.

A second on debut, and then four wins on the spin culminating in a win in the Grade Two SA Oaks put her in a position to be a runner in the Hollywoodbets Durban July. However, a bout of colic and the inevitable break in her preparation meant that that she would not be able to take her place in the July. She instead was rested, recovered from her bout of colic, and remained on local shores. The brains trust of Crawford Racing in conjunction with the owners had put another plan in place for now four-year-old filly, and that was Mission Summer Cup.

 It had been five months of recouperation for the Rafeef filly who was gently brought back into work by James. Two races had been mapped for Frances Ethel leading into the Summer Cup, a Pinnacle Stakes race (which if the handicapper looked at the calibre of horses it attracted could have been a graded race) at the beginning of October, and the Allied Steelrod – Onamission Charity Mile.

Considering she had a five-month layoff, Frances Ethel’s comeback run was brilliant. Jumping from a favourable two draw on the Turffontein Inside track, she turned for home about four to five lengths off the leader. With the winner Beating Wings making her run down the inside of the straight, Frances Ethel was steadily making ground down the centre of the track under the Kabelo drive, passing the finish just under a length off the winner.

Frances Ethel – brilliant comeback run in Pinnacle Stakes

She blotted her copybook in the Charity Mile somewhat, by finishing midfield after suffering some interference during the race. She was reported having been cramped for galloping room at the 1400M, and at the top of the straight seemingly hit a flat spot as she was making her run. She did run on again as the field approached the 200M, but stable companion Winchester Mansion was well on his way to victory at that stage.

Interestingly, in both Frances Ethel’s comeback runs, she had been equipped with pacifiers. These have been removed for Saturday and the horse that won four in a row including a Grade Two, had an ownership change, was pronounced having passed when she had a bout of colic, now has her sights firmly set on the Summer Cup.

Multiple British Champion Jockey and Group One winner Osin Murphy has been booked to ride her in the Summer Cup, a coup for the owners Team Valor International’s Barry Irwin (together with Anant Singh and Perry Sambor) and Crawford Racing. The third run after the rest, a seven draw, the pacifiers have been removed, and expert assistance from the saddle could see Frances Ethel back to her brilliant best on Saturday.

RACE 9 – Betway Summer Cup Consolation

CRIMSON KING

Age:      7 (at last run)

Sex:      g

M/Rating:          106 (at last run)

Owner:               Messrs P G de Beyer & Andre Louw

Breeder:             Ridgemont Highlands

Trainer:               Brett Crawford

Breeding:           Dynasty – Cup Of Rubies by Mogok (USA)

Colours:             White, white sleeves, light blue stars, collar and cuffs, red cap

If you have a look at the Computerform, you will see that Crimson King’s last win was 217 days ago, however, his last run was also 217 days ago. On the 27 April 2024, he ran a brilliant race to win the TAB Gold Bowl over 3200M on Champions Day under a calm and confident ride by Kabelo Matsunyane.

He tracked the leaders for the majority of the race and as they spun into the stretch Kabelo started to ask him and he responded beautifully, lengthening as put his nose ahead of Breeze Over at the 200M. Muzi Yeni on Breeze Over was not allowing Crimson King to just go on by though, and challenged all the way to the line.

Crimson King wins the TAB Gold Bowl on Champions Day

However Crimson King always seemed to have that little bit extra pulling out a half a length just as the line approached to short head Breeze Over into second place. The five-time winner has not run since that win, and James is of the opinion that despite the 31 weeks off the track Crimson King’s work has been particularly good leading into this race and he expects the son of Dynasty to run a good race on Saturday for the ownership of Messrs P G de Beyer & Andre Louw.