Mastership s/s 95 won the Grand Heritage at the Vaal on Saturday, beating off 20 rivals.
Being positioned near the outside rail down the straight course seemed to be the best place to be and Diane Stenger’s entry kept on resolutely after racing prominently to stave off the late lunge of Rollo the Viking s/s 94 who flashed home under Muzi Yeni right against the stand side rail.
Mastership was ridden by Marco van Rensburg, who has been successful in the Grand Heritage twice before.
100/1 shot Bob’s Your Uncle held third for trifectas just ahead of Sonic Jet s/s 93 who led for a long wide down the centre, tracked by Obsidian s/s 92.
A couple of races later, Wayne s/s 90 caught the eye over the same course and distance, ambling to victory. The 3YO trained by Lucky Houdalakis is worth following as Gavin Lerena said afterwards of the still immature November foal that he has a fine action and there is definitely “something there”. Wayne stuck to the inside from his low gate and kicked clear to win under wraps to justify a big market plunge.
All the Rage is a smart young sprinter. Put under more pressure in morning workouts by Candice Bass, he responded with a career top performance under Aldo Domeyer at Kenilworth on Sunday. His speed figure of 103 + is excellent for a 3YO in December and he should be followed.
Bass and Domeyer were on the money with Tanneron, too. She streaked clear of Sohot Sowhat, worth a figure of 96 +, though she has managed even higher getting a fig of 98 in the Laisserfaire. She is at the peak of her powers now.
That was her 15th start. Statistically, many horses reach their career top figures between their 11th and 15th starts. Obviously, it depends how they are campaigned and individual quirks come into it, too. But it often pays to follow in form horses at that stage of their racing careers when they possess the ideal blend of vitality and maturity.