Gold Cup start-to-finish win for Paths Of Victory

THE centenary edition of the World Sports Betting Gold Cup was won in front of empty grand stands at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse by 55-1 outsider Paths of Victory ridden by S’manga Khumalo for trainer Gareth van Zyl and owner Mario Ferreira.

The tough 3 200 metre marathon that rewards the best stayers rather than the fastest thoroughbreds saw Khumalo, who won the Vodacom Durban July in 2013 aboard Heavy Metal, lead the slow paced race from start to finish, taking the five year old to the line to win from Paybackthemoney, Flitchety By Farr and then pre-race favourite Eyes Wide Open.

Khumalo thanked Van Zyl for not holding him to any instructions and the trainer returned the compliment. “In the paddock I could see S’Manga was in the zone,” commented Van Zyl post-race.

“The plan was to find some cover,” Khumalo explained. “But he came out so well and with his light weight I thought that to ease out of it was the wrong thing to do. I thought, ‘I’ll just let you do your thing’. Going through the 400 he was full of running and past the line he didn’t want to stop.”

Of the favourites It’s My Turn and Marchingontogether there was no sign. Paths Of Victory had them stretch out like the washing shortly after the start and the opposition never made up any ground with Flichity By Farr and Paybackthemoney always close-up and the favourites some 20 lengths off the pace.

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Earlier in the day the programme packed with four Grade One events saw the fancied Anything Goes keep her unbeaten record in taking the Ethekwini Stakes, after which the prized World Sports Betting Champions Stakes laurels went to Sentbydestiny, ensuring that Gold Cup Day 2020 is one Diego de Gouveia will cherish as he scored back-to-back Grade 1 victories.

The daughter of Master Of My Fate burst through with a telling late run out out-gun Golden Horseshoe winner Nobese and Crimson King who was also finishing with a wet sail. Van Halen then raced to victory in the World Sports Betting Mercury Sprint.

The closest finish of the day came in the eagerly anticipated World Sports Betting Champions Cup, requiring a photo-finish to separate Golden Ducat from Rainbow Bridge on the line, with Cirillo and former Vodacom Durban July winner Do It Again just off their pace.

The race day brings down the curtain on the KwaZulu-Natal Champions’ Season, which had to be boldly reshaped as the sport of horseracing led the way to competition, staging the key Vodacom Durban July and Saturday’s full World Sports Betting Gold Cup raceday behind-closed-doors.

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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.

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