Zimbabwean bred Picalilly just can’t pass the test, and trainer — Alyson Wright — is wondering what she has to do to make her three-year-old do so.
By Michael Kariati
The daughter of Gharir and Sweet Alliance has played bridesmaid for too long, the latest being in the 1 600 metre Zimbabwe Guineas where she once finished second behind Print the Pounds.
Although she has played her part in terms of dishing out good figures to those who have stuck with her in their betting for a place, in the swingers and in the trifectar, Picalilly has failed to win in five major events this season, finishing second in all of them.
Apart from the Zimbabwe Guineas, Champion Juvenile for the year 2013/14 season and on November 2, she finished second in the 1 200 metre 2015 Champion Juvenile Stakes behind Supa Challenge.
That is not all. On November 29, Picalilly finished second behind On this Rock once again in another 1 200 metre event — the HIRB Gold Cup Sprint. The filly was a heavy 1,50 lens behind On this Rock, but just ahead of Gentle Brook.
That is not the end of it. With champion jockey Quinton Riddle as the pilot, Picalilly was on January 10 no match for On this Rock in the Hachiman Sprint which ran over 1 100 metres. The margin of the defeat this time was a tight 0,10 lens.
On January 25, Picalilly was on the course for the 1 600 metre Fillies Classic title. But that too ended in disaster as she, this time around with Karl Zechner on the saddle, finished 1,50 lens behind Print the Pounds, while Eversolucky came third.
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Such has been this season’s tale for Picalilly, but Wright sees light at the end of the tunnel.
“She is one of the best horses under my stable and at Borrowdale as a whole. It will not be long before she starts winning. Mind you, she is only three years [old],” said Wright.
Picalilly, however, should learn to beat her biggest rivals — Print the Pounds, Supa Challenge, Tallie Two, and Young Antwun — which are also of the same age. She will continue meeting them week in and week out at Borrowdale Race Course.
The margins of her 1,50 lens defeat to On this Rock in the HIRB Gold Cup Sprint and to Print the Pounds in the Fillies Classic shows the kind of work which needs to be done to improve her performance.
Picallily — which is groomed by Enock Gwingwizha — made her debut at Borrowdale Race Course on February 23 2014 when she won the 1 000 metre race ahead of Autumn J. She took her second consecutive race on April 6 and got the better of Autumn J in another 1 000 metre race.
For her second placing in the Zimbabwe Guineas, Picalilly, along with Print the Pounds, offered $3,10 in the swingers and $13 in her combination with third-placed Zita. Both Picalilly and Zita are from the Wright stable and Zita is also Zimbabwean-bred.
The quartet which also includes fourth-placed Eversolucky, was at a high $3 342 for a dollar placed.
Horse racing will return to Borrowdale Race Course on March 9 with the running of the Champions Breeders Cup — the third leg of the Open Series.
The older horses Captain’s Tiger, Approval Rating, Madigan, A King is Born, Menacing, Gentle Brook, Super Trouper, Orbit War, Alula Borealis, Rock the Country and probably Equina are most likely to take to the course in this 2 200 metre race.
Mashonaland Turf Club will tomorrow unveil nominations for the Champions Breeders Cup with the final acceptances set for Monday next week. The final acceptances denote the final field for the race.
