Dubai Chestnuts N Pearls, a well-bred son of South African racing icon Horse Chestnut, denied Dubai-owned Almashooqa to win the Rand 600,000 (Dh 1.7m) Zulu Kingdom Golden Slipper at Greyville, South Africa, yesteday (Saturday).
Ridden by record-setting jockey Anthony Delpesch, a Seychelles native and former two-time champion jockey in South Africa, Almashooqa was beaten a length and a half by Sean Cormack’s mount in the Group 1 event which was one of the main support races on Durban July Day.
Almashooqa is trained by celebrated South African handler Mike de Kock for Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.
“It is nice to have winners on this day and nice to get this filly back in the winner’s circle,” said Cormack in the Thoroughbred News.
The winner was trained by Dennis Drier who completed a Group 1 juvenile double when Seventh Plain narrowly won the GRand 600,000 Durban Golden Horseshoe (G1).
Brazuca was a short-head back in second.
“He just took so long to get going, I thought it was impossible for him to get there. But obviously heart and a great ride,” said Drier.
“To the whole team I cannot do it without them, to all the sponsors, the mayor, vice-chairman, to everyone who makes this day such a wonderful day for racing in Natal.
“I had some very ordinary thoughts running through my mind and I thought I hoped I was going to run in the first three. It is just testament to this horse’s courage, he had very opportunity to spit the dummy and he never, he dug down deep,” added winning rider Anton Marcus.
“His demeanour suggested he would get the seven (1400m), he is very laid back and he does not do much underneath you. He travelled kinder last time up the straight, but that is an asset,” he said.
