Due to the Xmas holiday break, there was only Sunday’s Greyville Boxing Day meeting to entertain horseplayers over the weekend.
Ikigai (speed core 105) deservedly won the Christmas Handicap, coming to KZN after a solid try in the Merchants at Turffontein. Class came to the fore in this race with Sean Tarry’s runner beating off another heavy weight, Tristful.
Paul Peters raider, Sound of Summer ran a fine number of 104, only good enough for third on this occasion though, with Tread Swiftly (s/s 102) the aging Gentlemen’s Wager (s/s 101) and Let’s Twist Again (s/s 101) nearby, performing credibly.
Zimbaba (s/s 102) (also trained by Sean Tarry) defeated Mount Laurel in the G3 Flamboyant Stakes on the same card. Tarry is super-astute and knows how to place his horses optimally when they are cranked up to run at a peak! The winner was having her 12th start, after doing well enough in a G1 over this course and distance behind Zarina back in July. She came from off the pace to sweep by for the victory.
It wasn’t entirely straightforward as she had to get past a shifting, Mount Laurel (s/s 101) The runner up had actually gotten closer to Zarina in the Garden Province Stakes, at long odds, and the duo, who had an edge in class, duly fought out the finish after attracting most of the wagering action.
The program now reverts to normal with meetings held daily in South Africa. The next big festival will be the LQP at Kenilworth on the 7th and 8th January with a bunch of feature races, including the G1 Queens Plate. Interbet will carry ante-post betting and informative previews as part of the buildup for this popular festival.
Wishing all our Interbet horse-racing customers everything of the best into 2022 – may all the photo finishes go your way!