World Sports Betting South

African Derby (Group 1)

SON Of Raj, by Duke Of Marmalade out of a mare by Black Minnaloushe, gave owner-breeder Steven Chetty success with his first Group 1 runner in the World Sports Betting South African Derby at Turffontein last Saturday.

But would the result have been the same had Billy Bowlegs been ridden closer to the pace? Few of those who backed him down to 2/1 favouritism thought so because the market leader was given an awful lot to do.

The early pace was positively funereal and, whereas jockey-of-the season Keagan de Melo had the winner in the first three throughout, Gavin Lerena was content to sit plum last - a good 10 lengths off the leader.

Former champion Lerena, bidding for his third Derby, is one of the best in the business.

Possibly his supremely confident tactics were due to trainer instructions - they had worked well on this horse in the past - and he turned for home with a double handful. But, significantly, he was 10 lengths off the eventual winner.

Responded

He got down to work soon afterwards and his mount responded but he was still over two lengths behind where it mattered. Surprisingly the stipes asked no questions. They should have done, even if only to placate the backers of the favourite.

De Melo, in inspired form this term, is almost 50 winners clear in the jockeys’ table and started this week on 212 (from 1,009 rides).

“You can ride as many winners as you like but the Group 1s are the ones you are looking for,” he commented.

“Son Of Raj keeps improving, he is a smart horse in the making and it was always my intention to go forward on him.”

The winner is trained by Weiho Marwing who also won the SA Derby with Wylie Hall in 2013 and Samurai Warrior four years ago. But it was the moment of a lifetime for Chetty who said: “This is the first time I have even entered a horse for a Group 1, it has been an amazing journey and my heart is really pumping!”

It will be interesting to see if his horse is able to confirm the form with the unfortunately-named Billy Bowlegs, a son of the Galileo sire The United States who won in Ireland before going on to Group 1 glory in Australia.

Horse Chestnut

Candice Bass-Robinson appears to have overcome the previously seemingly-insuperable problems of running horses from sea-level Cape Town in 6,000 feet Johannesburg. She sent Trip Of Fortune (by Trippi out of a Doowaley mare) to take the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut, despite Aldo Domeyer’s mount being slowly away.

She said: “It’s never easy bringing them up here to race at altitude, particularly over this mile, but we have had quite a bit of success - providing they travel well - coming up on the Wednesday and getting here on Thursday .

“Herman Brown, one of the best South African trainers of all time, has died at the age of 93. He won almost all the top races with the notable exception of the Durban July.

Met winner Gatecrasher, who he regarded as the best he trained, was first past the post in 1975 but lost the race for hanging into the runner-up.

Michael Roberts and Basil Marcus both served their apprenticeship with him while Robert Sangster was his most famous owner.