Randjesfontein trainer Paul Matchett was stunned to see the price bookmakers were offering for his Brave Tin Soldier filly Running Brave at Turffontein Standside on Saturday.

She later converted odds of 15/1 in the Pinnacle Stakes event over 1400m, beating the 15/20 favourite Celtic Sea by 1,50 lengths. 

Matchett now wants to run the gallant filly in the Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes, in which she finished a narrow second last year to #kznbred Camphoratus, although he is still waiting to hear whether the restrictions placed on personnel during the national lockdown will have an affect on his horses’ training programs. 

Running Brave will later go down to KZN for the SA Champions Season where the defense of her Grade 2 Gold Bracelet crown will be among her targets.

Pundits had made Celtic Sea a virtual certainty on Saturday as she was in form and according to official merit ratings was 6kg well in with Running Brave, who was the second best weighted horse and appeared to be off form.

Furthermore, Celtic Sea is a twice Grade 1-winner and was named Equus Champion Three-year-old filly last season.

However, the pundits failed to take into account a number of factors.

The first was the head to head count between these two horses. Incredibly, that statistic now stands at Running Brave five, Celtic Sea two.

The second point, which Matchett pointed out was there for the public to see via replays and in the stipendiary report, was that Running Brave had over-raced badly in her previous start in the Grade 3 Acacia Handicap over 1600m and this had explained her 13,80 length beating.

He said, “She was being ridden by a jockey who didn’t know her and he tried to tuck her in. She hates that, if you try and restrain her she fights.”

Running Brave had used up all her fuel by the time they reached the business end of that race and began hanging from the 400m mark.

Meanwhile, Celtic Sea was having her first run back from a tough Cape Town campaign and it was likely a preparation run for the Empress Club Stakes.

This filly has a beautiful action and the alarm bells were ringing some way out on Saturday as she was apparently not enjoying the rain affected ground and was never travelling as well as she can.

Running Brave, on the other hand, was loving her favourite front-running role and was enjoying the conditions.

Celtic Sea ranged up to her and headed her but Running Brave, who was receiving 2kg, readily found extra to win cosily. 

Running Brave’s odds will be shorter in the Empress Club and pundits should this time take note she beat Celtic Sea by 4,05 lengths in that weight for age event last year when finishing a neck runner up to Camphoratus in good to soft conditions. 

-Gold Circle

The Robbie and Shannon Hill-trained Camphoratus could well defend her crown in the weight for age Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein on April 18 but it will depend on the draw she lands.

The Byword mare went on last year to finish a fine 2,60 length sixth in the Vodacom Durban July and that race might once again be on her program too, although the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes on the same day is another possibility.

The Hills will give her one more run, or a gallop, before the Empress Club.

That run might be in the Listed Kings Cup over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on March 22, depending on the draw.

Robbie did not feel the athletic five-year-old’s performance had declined this season.

He said in her chief target for the first half of the season, the Grade 1 Gauteng Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein, she had been left “way out of her ground” from a wide draw and had only finished 3,10 lengths back.

He said she is a filly who needs to be left alone and added, “If you use her she doesn’t finish off.”

Camphoratus ran pleasingly at Hollywoodbets Greyville last Sunday.

In the 1400m Pinnacle event she ran on well from last to finish second to the exciting prospect True To Life.

Gareth Wright rode her in both the Empress Club and July last year and was back aboard on Sunday. 

Robbie said Wright would stay aboard as he clearly gets on well with her.

-goldcircle.co.za  

Rob and Michele Pickering’s bred and part owned #kznbred Byword filly, Camphoratus, didn’t buckle from a fight and flew past the much touted Oh Susanna to win from another #kznbred filly by Brave Tin Soldier, Summerhill’s Running Brave who finished a close second.

Both fillies cost a combined R80 000 at BSA sales, and both have earned their owners over R1,7-million in combined stakes.

KZN only breed 15% of South Africa’s racing stock and these sort of results reinforce that horses produced in KZN are not to be ignored.

It was race filled to the brim with quality, and the Byword filly gave the trainers Rob and Shannon Hill their jockey, Gareth Wright their first Grade 1 winner!

Byword, who initially started his career in KZN before being sold to Mauritzfontein, stood at Rob and Michele Pickering’s Middlefield Stud after a glittering Gr1 winning race career in the UK.

Camphoratus, out of a Horse Chestnut mare Wild Camphor, sold for just R50 000 off the 2016 KZN Yearling Sale and won the Gr3 Flamboyant on Boxing Day at 36/1. She has now earned over R1,1-million in stakes with five wins and six places under belt for owners Messrs L J Muir, S Manicom, G R Sadleir and Mr and Mrs Rob Pickering T/A Middlefield Stud.

Summerhill Stud’s Running Brave flew up for second place for trainer Paul Matchett and came very close to becoming the 4th Gr1 win for The Fort Stud’s Brave Tin Soldier.

Owned by Messrs F Bronkhorst & H L Neethling, has had 7 seconds amongst her 9 places from 2 wins. Running Brave sold for just R30 000 off the 2017 National 2YO Sale and has earned almost R700 000 in stakes – both above horses have given their owners superb returns on their investments!

Movingandgrooving has a Capetown Noir yearling on offer at the upcoming National Yearling Sale.

KZN have approximately 70 horses headed to the Nationals – they will be easy to spot with #kznbred signs on their doors.

Congratulations to all concerned.