A sensational one-two in the R300 000, Grade 1
Mercury Sprint over 1 200 metres at Clairwood Racecourse on Sunday
finally brought Cape trainer Dean Kannemeyer his Grade 1 success
of the season, a feat he has managed to achieve virtually every
season since he has been coming to KwaZulu-Natal.
His two classy sprinters, Honour The Guest and National Title,
ridden by Bernard Fayd’Herbe and Kevin Shea respectively, stormed
through in the closing stages to deny Justin Snaith’s gutsy filly
Zolaroyale the victory she looked ready to capture.
There was a good crowd that enjoyed the magnificent winter sunshine
at the Garden Course for the running of the top weight-for-age event
and they were treated to some outstanding racing and impressive
performances like that of the Al Mufti filly, Neck Of The Woods,
who cruised to a very easy win in the second race on the card.
The field for the Mercury Sprint broke well except for the filly
Running Wild who was a little slow into stride and it was not long
before Mike Azzie’s colt Night Watch had the lead ahead of Consent
To Conquer, Wendys and Stellite. There was little change in the
positions for most of the race until the 300 metre mark where Night
Watch began to fade and Consent To Conquer took over the lead with
Wendys still running strongly and Honour The Guest looking for a
way through.
Then out of the pack on the outside burst Zolaroyale with National
Title hot on her heels. Within seconds Honour The Guest managed
to get through for his run and as National Title got the better
of Zolaroyale, Honour The Guest shot to the front to take the honours
from his stable companion with Zolaroyale running a great third
ahead of Wendys who just held off Pride Of Jerico for fourth place.
Dean Kannemeyer said after the race that no one had given the Tilden
gelding the respect he deserved after he had run a great race in
the Post Merchants coming from a wide draw and storming through
from near last to finish fourth.
He knew both his runners were in top condition for the race but
had believed on the day that National Title was the better of the
two. However, it had not turned out that way and Honour The Guest
had taken the winner’s cheque instead and he was thrilled for Fieldspring
Racing who owned both horses and said they deserved the win for
the amount of money they put into racing and the support they had
given him.
Jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe said he had felt he was on the better
of the two and the way the gelding was going he knew he only had
to get a way through to win.