SOUTH AFRICAN based jockey Fanie Chambers was delighted after he rode an exceptional race with the unfancied four-year-old Bridget Stidolph-trained filly Print The Pounds to the Zimbabwe National Army Charity Race success at Borrowdale racecourse last weekend.
BY NGONIDZAISHE NGURUZA What makes the Potchefstroom born pilot’s victory sweeter is that fact that the win came on a day when things were not going particularly according to plan for the Stidolph stable.
“I’m happy to get the victory in a race that proved very challenging. All day long the stable was getting second placings on not-so-good horses and running nowhere with our best ones. It’s been very frustrating and to finally get the win in the main race is very satisfying,” he said in the post-race interview.
The veteran jockey also paid tribute to trainer, Stidolph, for conditioning Print The Pounds. “All credit to the trainer, she’s done a fantastic job on the filly and it’s a good feeling to come down and ride such horses when you know you’ve got a fighting chance at the finish”.
Print The Pounds produced a remarkable flying finish to snatch victory in the fiercely-contested main race.
Chambers steadied Print the Pounds in mid division for much of the 1 800m trip, allowing hot favourite Equina to dictate matters early on and develop a sizeable lead over the eight horse field.
The frantic pace soon took its toll on another big runner as eight-year-old Super Trouper struggled to keep up with the front runners.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Equina’s lead was rapidly diminishing as two unlikely contenders hovered dangerously close in the form of Rock The Country and Print The Pounds.
Heading into the final furlong, Rock The Country was travelling best of them all and when apprentice jockey Wesley Marwing asked him the question, the son of Western Winter responded with a resolve that looked set to end a five-race winless streak with an improbable victory on the big stage.
The elation was short-lived, however, as Print The Pounds produced undoubtedly the finish of the season thus far to snatch victory in the 1st leg of the Open Series. Chambers steered his mount to the outside of the track before destroying the front running pair by unleashing a ferocious gallop that secured the race with a length and a quarter to spare.
Rock the Country clung on to record a hard-fought second position ahead of Tallie Two who, despite carrying a light weight, found the going tough in the competitive field. Kevin Derere completed the placings on board mercurial campaigner Thriller In Manila, turning out for the Amy Bronchorst yard.
Racing returns to Borrowdale Park on October 18 with the running of the ZRP Fillies Charity Stakes.
