The best speed figure from Turffontein on Saturday was achieved by Captain Peg (s/s 106) when beating Running Rifles (s/s 104) in a Pinnacle Stakes over 1450m on the inside track. The Jay Peg filly is trained by Stuart Pettigrew and was ridden judiciously from way off the pace by Siyanda Sosibo.
Captain Peg loves a fast run 1450 on the inner track and she got the perfect set up, coming from last off a hot pace to prevail. Bingwa (s/s 102) Eyeoftheprophet (s/s 101) and Another Level (s/s 100) followed her in. Captain Peg ran the last 400m in just under 23 seconds – a smart closing sectional worthy of an upgrade.
A figure of around 110 would make her a threat in stronger Graded races. The problem may be her distance aptitude. Twice she has failed when stretching out to 1600m and there are limited Graded opportunities over the intermediate 1400/1450m trip that seems her optimal.
The other triple digit speed score of the weekend came out of the Eastern Cape on Friday when Slim Jannie (s/s 100) fended off Teatro (s/s 98) in the Speedsters Stakes over 1000m on the Fairview lawn.
The Gavin Smith trained Pathfork gelding has really come to light since moving down the coast from Natal. A one-time winner from 9 starts in KZN, he has since notched four wins from six tries at Fairview and it makes no difference whether the surface is Poly or Turf. He has been partnered by S’Manga Khumalo at all his PE starts.
The Eastern Cape Awards were announced on Friday. It’s useful to keep abreast of developments all around South Africa as savvy owners move horse between centers to maximize their earnings, and sharp punters can make accurate comparisons between raiders/imports/locals.
Here are the top speed figures achieved by the category winners.
2 y o filly Luna Halo 91 +
2 y o colt Questor 91 +
3 y o filly Ekoria 93
3 y old colt Khaya’s Hope 98
Older horse Grazinginthegrass 101
Older filly (& sprinter) Phedra 102
Polytrack Naval Secret 99.