AN array of the country’s three-year-olds will this afternoon take to the course for the Grade Three Bloodstock South Africa to be run over 2 000 metres at the home of Zimbabwean horse racing.
By Michael Kariati
The Bloodstock South Africa is the second leg of the Triple Crown and is restricted to three-year-olds; meaning title holder Lucky Sam will not take to the course as he has outgrown that age by a year.
A guaranteed absentee will be the darling of the punters, seven-year-old Super Trouper who is twice the age to fight for the Triple Crown. Super Trouper is also not among any of the seven events carded for the day.
All in all, five fillies, three geldings, and a colt have been accepted for the Bloodstock South Africa that will see the nine of the best three-year-olds battle for the $9 000 on offer.
All the horses which were nominated passed through the final acceptances and topping the entertainment bill is the appearance of Bridget Stidolph’s sensational filly, Print The Pounds, who will be accompanied by stable jockey Fannie Chambers.
Chambers and Print The Pounds are on a roll with two major titles already secured this season — the Fillies Classic and the Zimbabwe Guineas -— and the filly has the honour of having won all her last four starts.
On that premise, Print The Pounds is in top form and should be the horse to beat in this race. Her most serious challenger in the past, Picallily, is not in the race as she was not declared for the event by trainer, Alyson Wright.
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Wright has however declared Tallie Two, one of the most promising horses at the course. The Zimbabwean bred daughter of Soar With The Eagle and Eco Strike won her maiden race at the course on April 20 2014, over 1 100 metres, beating Latin Queen by 0,75 lens.
She followed this with the Graduation Plate title over 1 700 metres and pipped the heavily favoured five-year-old Gentle Brook to the Zimbabwe Republic Police Charity Stakes Championship carrying 8kg more.
Tallie Two will have the extra advantage of being ridden by former champion jockey Sherman Brown, a man who knows his way around Borrowdale Race Course.
More importantly is the fact that in this longer race, Tallie Two is well drawn at four, just next to Print The Pounds who is at five.
The Joseph Ngororombe groomed horse will be carrying 55,5 kg, compared to top weight, Young Antwun who has been disadvantaged with 58 kg.
Another potential danger comes in the form of Ghokan Terzi’s Eversolucky. Eversolucky won the Bredeers Fillies Mile and the Jacaranda Tote Free Handicap but was no match in the Fillies Classic where she finished third and the Zimbabwe Guineas where she was out of the podium in fourth place.
However, Eversolucky beat both Tallie Two, and Print The Pounds in the 1 800 on GWM Steed where Suave Singer, also in the Bloodstock South Africa race, was fourth.
The Jacaranda Tote Free Handicap was over 1 600 metres but the Bloodstock South Africa is over 2 000 metres, which makes it 400 metres longer, but that should not be a problem for champion jockey Quinton Riddle.
The next race meeting at Borrowdale will be the fourth leg of Open Series — the Independence Trophy on April 6.
