March Round Up
- Mark van Deventer
Approaching the end of March 2018, Brett Crawford is positioned at fifth on the National Trainer’s Log. The ranking is determined by stakes, with the stables’ total haul just under R10 million before month end. Out of 494 runners, 66 have been unsaddled in the No 1 box at a solid strike rate of 13% whilst cumulatively over 53% of Brett’s runners have filled the placings. These are very solid all-round stats, befitting a top- notch operation.
Hero Quest got the ball rolling when winning a medium grade handicap at Greyville over 2200m under Keagan de Melo. The son of Ideal World was constrained by being very one-paced early on in his career but has thrived since maturing and being put over ground. Be it poly or turf, the Greyville track seems to suit his pace-pressing style and he is now a four- time winner from 12 starts. That’s not a bad return at all given a lowly merit rating of 69.
Sunset Eyes has also shone brightly since moving up the coast. He tended to pull hard in his races in the Cape yet has found form in KZN, winning four on the bounce between 1200 and 1400m. This most recent win was in a Pinnacle Stakes, partnered by regular jock, currently way on top of the National rankings - Anthony Delpech. We wish Anthony a speedy recover from his recent fall.
Sometimes a change of gears can make a difference. In the case of Super Performer, the Dynasty gelding appreciated having ear muffs fitted, which together with well- judged forcing tactics by Corne Orffer saw him run out a comfortable Maiden winner at Durbanville.
Meanwhile Peter Muscutt was maintaining an outstanding strike rate from the Summerveld barn when Scriptwriter (Craig Bantam) and Seattle Silva (Anton Marcus) won in mid-March.
Then, Brett just returned from Dubai, where things unfortunately did not pan out as hoped for Whisky Baron, arrived to oversee a stable double at Durbanville. Miss Smarty Pants has repeatedly been placed and she was not for the catching in a Maiden sprint contest.
American Landing also shed his Maiden tag, enjoying the test of stamina over 2000m after placing at his previous try over an inadequate mile.
Crawford Racing seldom waste runs at the race-track, preferring to get their entries as fit as possible through carefully planned work-outs, then placing them in the right class of race under suitable circumstances. Such an approach accounts for the high percentage of runners that make the frame - currently over 50% nation-wide. Capaill, Gimme One Night, Mind Blowing and Border Control contributed by running second in their respective races during the past month under review.