Purple Pitcher wins the Dingaans. Picture: Michel Bega / The Citizen
It was probably the most memorable two days of young trainer Robyn Klaasen’s life.
On Friday, she gave birth; on Saturday, she watched as her charge Purple Pitcher flash up to win the Grade 2 Jonsson Workwear Dingaans at Turffontein – the main supporting feature on the Betway Summer Cup racecard and one of the most famous old races on the South African calendar.
Winning jockey Kabelo Matsunyane breathlessly dedicated the memorable victory to Klaasen, her partner Josh Peter, the infant and veteran owner Mr S Pooe – himself one of the most enduring and colourful characters in racing.
Matsunyane declared Purple Pitcher a special three-year-old who would be a factor in the Triple Crown races in the new year.
“These are the days we live for,” said master trainer Mike de Kock as his star filly Gimme A Nother stormed to victory in the Betway Fillies Mile, one of the many elite contests on Summer Cup day.
“Turffontein is pumping! It’s truly massive what the sponsors Betway have done to bring energy to Gauteng racing,” added De Kock.
The biggest crowd seen at Joburg’s city racecourse for many a long year was treated to brilliant action, a popular musical interlude with DJ Zinhle and as much razzmatazz as operator 4Racing and Betway could conjure up.
4Racing chair Charles Savage said the Grade 1 Betway Summer Cup of 2023 had shown horse racing was recovering well from the ravages of the pandemic and the demise of old Highveld operator Phumelela.
“I haven’t seen as many people at Turffontein for at least a decade,” Savage told TV channel Racing 240.
“It is not all perfect by any means, but racing around the country is in a much better position today than it was two years ago. There is more money coming into the game than ever before.”
The thrilling finish to the Dingaans, with Purple Pitcher producing a phenomenal finishing burst to collar long-time leader Gimmeanotherchance (incidentally trained by De Kock), lifted spirits of tens of thousands of racegoers, transforming an on-course mood a bit subdued after the shock announcement that 11 of trainer Tony Peter’s runners had been withdrawn from competition by stipendiary stewards.
This followed an incident at the Peter stables prior to the start of the meeting.
One of the withdrawn Peter horses was star four-year-old Main Defender, who was an odds-on favourite for Race 4, the New Turf Carriers Merchants. Happily for punters and players of the R12-million Pick 6, the new Merchants favourite, Dyce, trained by Lucky Houdalakis, romped to victory in the Grade 3 1160m sprint.
Muzi Yeni showed all his masterful judgement of pace and knowledge of the Turffontein track in piloting outsider Royal Victory to a famous win in the main event, the Grade 1 R5-million Summer Cup (see separate story).
Then the diminutive jockey did it all over again. He bamboozled his rival riders in the very next race, the 3200m ROA Stayers, aboard 5-2 shot Breeze Over for the Adam Azzie stable.
Yeni slowed things down and bunched the field entering the top turn, travelling up the famous “hill”, before catapulting away to cruise home by 3.75 lengths.
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