November News

Three Timer for Crawford Racing on Charity Mile Day

A raceday that gives back, is how the Charity Mile Raceday at Turffontein Racecourse, is known. A total of twenty-one deserving charities participates and benefit from a wonderful day of Racing, and for a stable to have one winner on the day is a good achievement, a double is even better, and a treble is brilliant.

On the first Saturday in November, Crawford Racing achieved this memorable feat, with their treble for the day being Fastnet Filly, Fatal Flaw and they completed the three timer by winning the feature race of the day, the Charity Mile with the 2023 July winner, Winchester Mansion.

Fastnet Filly

Crawford Racing day started on a positive note with the Fastnet Rock filly, Fastnet Filly. She jumped at 4/1 and had the advantage of the outside draw and Richard Fourie in the saddle. She jumped well and travelled hard against the steel all the way down the lane with Richard just giving her a couple of taps down the shoulder to keep her mind on the job.

Fastnet Filly had taken advantage of the outside draw and pulled a length clear as they approached the 400M as she cruised past My One and Only. Roaming Sprit was now making her run down the middle of the course and although the daughter of Fastnet Rock drifted across to the centre of the course she continued strongly all the way to the line.

She finished over two lengths ahead of Roaming Spirit, with My One and Only another three lengths adrift of the second placed horse. My One and Only has run since, breaking her Maiden when coming home three lengths ahead of the field. Definitely a formline to take note of the next time Fastnet Filly has her first run out of the Maiden ranks.

Fastnet Filly breaks her Maiden on Charity Mile Day

Fatal Flaw

Fatal Flaw was the next winner as she took her place in the HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes, a Grade Three event over 1400M. She jumped beautifully from a four draw, with Pierre Strydom just cruising along as the field started taking the bend into the home straight.

She continued in cruise mode all the way down the stretch, Pierre peering over his shoulder and then gearing her down in the last 50M, passing the post over two lengths clear of World of Alice. An incredibly impressive win for a Filly being aimed at the Cape Fillies Guineas at Kenilworth Racecourse on the 07^{th of} December 2024.

Fatal Flaw in cruise control winning the Gr 3 HSH Princess Charlene Sarling Stakes

Winchester Mansion

Winchester Mansion is class, as his win in the 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July confirmed. His two runs post his win in the July were fair, finishing one and four lengths respectively off Puerto Manzano and Royal Victory in Graded company. He was then rested for five months, coming back to the racecourse in the Grade One World Pool Premier’s Champion Challenge over 2000M at Turffontein Racecourse in Gauteng where he ran a brilliant second to Royal Victory.

He then ran six lengths off stable companion Oriental Charm in the 2024 Hollywoodbets Durban July, and in his next run, in a strong Pinnacle Stakes, he was not persevered with in the stretch. Piere Strydom reported that he took no interest in the race and the Veterinary Surgeon also reported he was blowing post-race. Definitely not his run, and that was proven in his latest run, where he carried 61kg to a massively courageous win in the Charity Mile.

First time jockey Marco Van Rensburg had him out in a flash and onto the running rail as the field rounded the turn. He maintained that position as they entered the straight, peeling him off the leaders backs as they approached the 400M.

The 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July winner started climbing all over the leaders’, hitting the front with plenty of momentum at the 200M. He ran strongly all the way to the

finish, hitting the line strongly and allowing Marco to salute as he reached the winning line.

Winchester Mansion wins the G2 Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile

On the day when Horseracing gave back, Crawford Racing was able to give back to the Thusanani Children’s Foundation with Winchester Mansion’s victory in the Feature event. With Fastnet Filly and Fatal Flaw also winning on the day, it concluded a brilliant treble for James, Brett and the entire stable and owners.

The stable now looks forward to the Cape Summer Season of Champions and hopes to continue in the same vein as they did on Charity Mile Day. All eyes now focus on Cape Town and the jewel in the crown of Cape Racing, Kenilworth Racecourse as the Summer Season moves into full swing.

Mon Petit Cherie – Richard at his Brilliant Best

When Richard Fourie is carded to ride a horse, all bookmakers take a closer look at the horse and then shortens that horse a point or two because it will the services of of the champion jockey of last season. When Crawford Racing decided to enter Mon Petit Cherie in the Grade Two Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400M at Kenilworth Racecourse, it was based more on potential, and not on necessarily on pure form.

In her penultimate start before the Grade Two race, she had shed her Maiden over 1250M at Durbanville, beating the Lucinda Woodruff inmate, Another Dream by just under two lengths.

Mon Petit Cherie breaks Maiden in impressive style at Durbanville

At her next run, she definitely caught the eye, finishing stongly over 1250M at Durbanville but this time being the only filly in an otherwise field of three and four year old colts geldings.

The highly rated Candice Bass Robinson trained Kai Boy had gotten first run on her, and she was closing him down strongly at the line finishing a half a length off the winner and just under two lengths ahead of Arctic Wizard who in his next run won a Class 4 handicap, when beating Fort Red and Paratrooper.

Mon Petit Cherie runs second to Kai Boy at Durbanville

Despite her last run being very good, and Richard riding her again in the Grade two feature, she was easy to back in the market at 10/1, as she was carrying level weights with Gimmes’s Countess, who was rated a 111 vs Mon Petit Cherie’s 91 and was drawn ten vs Gimme’s Countess twelve.

Both Mon Petit Cherie and Gimmes’s Countess with Craig Zackey aboard. jumped well, but from the wide draws both jockeys just slotted their horses in at the back of the field. They maintained that position around the bend, as they came off the bend, Craig moved to the centre of the course for his run, Richard taking the short route home along the inside rail.

They both quickened, but Mon Petit Cherie was just catching the leaders marginally quicker than Gimme’s Countess and as the post loomed there were four horses in a virtual line all straining to reach the winning post. Mon Petit Cherie put her head down when it mattered most under a brilliant ride from Richard with places one to four within a half a length of each other.

Mon Petit Cherie wins the G2 WC Fillies Championship under the Richard drive

The daughter of Rafeef, co-owned by Ridgemont and Devin Heffer, now has black type under her belt after only five runs, and will take her place in the Grade One Cape Fillies Guineas on Saturday at Kenilworth Racecourse. Richard retains the ride, and with a one draw she should be running hard at her stable companion Fatal Flaw down the long Summer Course straight in the last 400M on Saturday.

Fatal Flaw – Mission Fillies Guineas

Just like the great Frankel beat Celebration Day three times into second place in Graded Races, in South Africa we have our version albeit not as high profile, of the Frankel/Celebration Day rivalry. Quid Pro Quo is a brilliant filly, and the jewel in the crown of trainer Barend Botes. Fatal Flaw is also a brilliant filly in her own right, and her five second placed finishes have included two where she ran second to Quid Pro Quo.

She travelled up to Natal to contest the Grade Two Golden Slipper and the Grade One Thekwini Stakes, the former being over 1400 and the latter over 1600 both at the Greyville circuit on the turf. Despite being drawn wide, she showed good gate speed in both races, travelling well around the turn and then sprinting for home as they turned for home. In both races Quid Pro Quo had stalked and passed her, beating Fatal Flaw by 2.5 and 1.4 lengths, respectively.

Fatal Flaw runs second in the Grade 2 Golden Slipper

Fatal Flaw runs Second in the Grade One Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes

She then ran a short head second in a Plate race where she raced against all colts and geldings. Her next run was in Fillies company once again, in the HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes, a Grade Three event run on the Turffontein Standside Track on Charity Mile Day at the beginning of November.

With no Quid Pro Quo to hinder her progress to the finish line, she jumped beautifully from a four draw, with Pierre Strydom just cruising along as the field started taking the bend into the home straight. She continued in cruise mode all the way down the stretch, Pierre peering over his shoulder and then gearing her down in the last 50M, passing the post over two lengths clear of World of Alice.

Fatal Flaw in cruise control winning the Gr 3 HSH Princess Charlene Sarling Stakes

World of Alice’s franked the form at her next run on Summer Cup Day in the Fillies Mile, where she stormed home down the centre of the track under an inspired and typically strong Craig Zackey ride to collar Fiery Pegasus in the shadow in the post. Fiery Pegasus had taken the lead halfway down the stretch looking full of run but did not account for the never say die attitude of Craig and World of Alice (see below). 

Fatal Flaw was then withdrawn from the Grade 3 Betway Fillies Mile over 1600M on Summer Cup Day to instead contest the Grade One Fillies Guineas on 07^th November 2024 at Kenilworth Racecourse. In the thirteen-horse field she has drawn a very challenging thirteen.

However, her natural gate speed and high cruising speed should be able to negate the wide gate. Couple that to her second places to the brilliant winner of the Betway Dingaans on Summer Cup Day, Quid Pro Quo and beating Betway Fillies Mile winner World of Alice in her last start, should place her close to the top of the Bookmakers boards when the gates crash open for the Cape Fillies Guineas on Saturday.

Big Unit – A Gelding on the Rise

Some horses need time to develop, others, despite displaying natural speed, require racing over the middle distances, and other colts are naughty and require the unkindest cut of all. Big Unit’s first six races yielded one win, over 1250M at Durbanville.

After those six races and now five months older, Crawford Racing decided to switch the Master of My Fate gelding to racing around the turn, and in his next five runs he ran in the top five places in all those runs. The unkindest cut of all happened in May 2025 after which Big Unit was given a four-month rest.

Since that rest and gelding he has run four times for two wins, a second to Aristotle and a fourth place. His first win after the gelding was at Durbanville over 1400M, where he contested a Class 4 (highest benchmark @ 60kg rating 80) race.

Louis Mxothwa had him out in a flash, as he sat just off the leaders’ quarters with Radicchio cutting out the pace from the start. As they rounded the turn Big Unit seemed to hit a flat spot as the leaders accelerated past him. With 200M to go he was still about two to three lengths adrift but was finding his stride on the outside.

Under a forceful driving ride from Louis Big Unit responded to the whip in the last 100M, flashing up and putting his nose down when it mattered to win a very courageous race. To win first run after the gelding is a good, to win first run after the rest is good, but to win first run after the rest and the gelding is very good, especially considering the strength of the field that has produced eight winners in their next starts.

Big Unit wins first run back after a gelding and a rest

After the win, his next two runs produced a fourth place and a second to the highly rated Aristotle. His next run produced another win, arguably more impressive than his previous one. Drawn twelve over 1400M at Kenilworth on the winter course is a difficult task for any horse.

Kabelo Matsunyane, who rode him on debut, was in the saddle again for this run. At the jump Kabelo took his medicine and just slotted in at the back of the field and as they rounded the turn, Big Unit needed to make up eight lengths on the leaders. As the gaps opened in the last 400M the Master of My Fate gelding readily made up the ground and was full of running as they hit to the line to win a very good race.

Big Unit wins from a wide draw under a brilliant ride by Kabelo

Next up for Big Unit is a Class three handicap over 1400M on Fillies Guineas day on Saturday. He has a good draw at two, Kabelo has the ride again for Jayson Murugasa’s four-year-old gelding. Kabelo will have a length of the long Summer Course straight to negotiate a passage to the finish line, and thereby giving the upwardly mobile Crawford Racing inmate the fifth win of his career.