Puerto Manzano wins the Summer Cup

The adage that thoroughbreds from Argentina take time to mature was borne out at Turffontein on Saturday when five-year-old Puerto Manzano won the Betway Summer Cup, getting the better of a number of young guns.

Betway Summer Cup 

Trained by Johan Janse van Vuuren, ridden by current leading jockey Keagan de Melo and owned by the Wernars family, Puerto Manzano defied predictions that he would not stay the testing 2000m of Joburg’s biggest horse race.

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The gelding surged up the middle of the track in the final rush to the line, overhauling the leaders and scoring by half a length from Mike de Kock-trained Safe Passage (5-1), ridden by Muzi Yeni.

De Kock’s Aragosta (8-1) finished third, just ahead of another pair from Van Vuuren’s yard, Divine Odyssey (125-1) and Litigation (16-1), in fourth and fifth.

Van Vuuren described his greatest victory in a decade-long career as “unbelievable”. He said Puerto Manzano had a lovely personality. “Look at him, posing for pics; not a worry in the world.”

The trainer confessed to being a little concerned when Puerto Manzano and De Melo found themselves a little far back in the field after jumping from the No 7 starting stall. But he was full of praise for the way in-form De Melo piloted his way through to grab the lion’s share of the R2.5-million prize.

The early leaders were outsiders Light Of The Moon and Litigation, just ahead of 3-1 favourite Sparkling Water and De Kock stablemate Safe Passage.

Litigation grabbed the initiative entering the straight, with Sparkling Water, Safe Passage and Divine Odyssey in close attendance. But Puerto Manzano was powering steadily forward – from 10 lengths off them at halfway – and took over with 50m to go.

Sparkling Water fell away and might have been short of a run, but Safe Passage battled on bravely to pick up second place.

De Melo commented afterwards that the “muddly” pace had suited his mount, agreeing that he was further back in the running than desirable. “He finished it off very well, though.”

Co-owner Lawrence Wernars, who seldom gives an interview, was generous in his praise of Van Vuuren, saying, “Not many people understand him, but I do, and he has been really good.”

These sentiments were echoed by thoroughbred agent Justin Vermaak, who purchased Puerto Manzano from Argentina’s Haras Carampangue stud for Wernars: “Johan is such a good trainer!”

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