De Kock’s Gimme A Nother looked impressive in debut success

Thursday’s race meeting at Turffontein was originally scheduled to be run on the Inside track but a decision was taken on Tuesday to move it to the Standside track.

The reason is that the Inside track has been used quite extensively during the winter and spring and it needs treatment and a break in order to recover.

While there have been no changes made to any starting times, there are two distance changes – the races over 1450m are now over 1400m while Races 3 and 4, originally over 2600m, will now be run over 2400m.

In addition, the state of the tracks will be monitored closely before taking a decision on which track to use for the meeting for Thursday 16 November.

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The change in track is unlikely to hold any fears for Gimme A Nother. When this well-bred daughter of Gimmethegreenlight made her debut last month, trainer Mike de Kock intimated that she was decent but could need her first run.

The stipes reported that she was restless but that did not stop her from winning, and winning well, as she defeated Alesia’s Love by 1.40 lengths. That race was over 1450m on the Inside track but Gimme A Nother looks set to follow in the footsteps of her illustrious dam and granddam – Nother Russia and Mother Russia respectively, should be able to take care of this opposition in Race 9, a MR 76 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1600m.

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If she does pick up her mother’s predilection for this course and distance, this race should be a formality. Nother Russia had five runs over this track and trip for four wins, which included the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes (twice) and the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Stakes and the Grade 3 Acacia Handicap. Her lone defeat was in the Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes where she was beaten a neck by champion miler Legal Eagle.

Jockey JP van der Merwe rode Gimme A Nother to victory last time and he is back in the irons for this race. The good news is that the heavy rains that put paid to Tuesday’s Turffontein meeting are expected to move away, and clear skies and hot weather is forecast for Joburg on Wednesday and Thursday.