A Trip of Fortune for our race day
Durban - The Independent on Saturday race day opened the KZN winter racing season on Saturday with Greyville racecourse abuzz with punters eager to get in on the action and witness the build-up to the big Durban July race day.
In a hugely competitive field, the feature race, the Independent on Saturday Drill Hall Stakes, was won by Trip of Fortune from the Rupert stable, trained by Candice Bass Robinson and ridden by Aldo Domeyer.
Just a month after winning the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein, Trip of Fortune produced a top-class effort on his first visit to Greyville, scooping the R500 000 Drill Hall Stakes by 0.75 lengths in a time of 82.89 secs.
In a rush to the line, Trip of Fortune (7-1) held off a gallant late challenge from the widely drawn Gimme A Prince (5-1), trained by Dean Kannemeyer and ridden by Keagan de Melo, while third was Al Muthana, trained by Rickey Maingard with Grant van Niekerk in the saddle.
It’s been six years since Bass Robinson saddled the high-class subsequent Durban July winner Marinaresco to win the Drill Hall Stakes.
“Trip of Fortune had a long season in the Cape and travelled to Joburg before only coming down to Durban recently. He takes everything in his stride. He really has turned into a smart horse. To the Drakenstein team, many thanks and appreciation, and what a season we have enjoyed,” Bass Robinson added.
Domeyer also rode to victory the favourite Charles Dickens in the other feature race of the afternoon, the World Sports Betting Guineas.
The Independent on Saturday