SILVER Mountain left the opposition for dead in last Saturday’s World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas and she may well take on the colts in the Cape Guineas in a week’s time. Her main target is the CTS Million Dollar On January 23rd.

Prize money for this restricted sales race is converted to rands at the rate prevailing at the time and, with the South African currency continuing to weaken against the dollar, it will be worth 14 times as much as last Saturday’s Kenilworth race and indeed more than twice the Durban July and J & B Met combined.

Most people expected Mike Bass’s latest star to win but few thought she would do it so decisively, sweeping clear just under two furlongs out to score by five lengths.

TURN OF FOOT

“She has a great turn of foot and an amazing temperament,” said Bass’s daughter and assistant Candice (sadly her father did not feel well enough to go to the races) while rider Aldo Domeyer added: “The minute we came into the straight it was just a question of choosing the gap and once she hit the front she just kept extending away from them. I was looking at the big screen, waiting for dangers, but none came and even if they had my filly had too many answers.”

Most jockeys get a little tense before going out to ride a fancied runner in a big race - some believe that they ride better as a result - but it was astonishing to hear that Domeyer had been a bag of nerves for the previous four weeks. It was not as if this was his first chance at the big time - three years ago he won the Met - but apparently things had really been getting to him.

“I’d been having sleepless nights ever since she won the Choice Carriers,” he said. “I’d also been battling to eat and drink and I’ve lost so much weight as a result.”

He found salvation in religion: “I prayed and prayed, and that gave me the sense of calmness that I was looking for.”

His mount is a daughter of the much-travelled Arlington Million, Singapore Cup and Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Hong Kong) winner Silvano who first came to South Africa as a shuttle stallion but couldn’t get back to Germany. He made it eventually but was returned soon afterwards and became champion sire two years ago. Silver Mountain is owned by Andreas Jacobs who bred and raced Silvano.

Second in last Saturday’s race was Our Destiny, by Prix de l’Abbaye winner Var out of a mare by Irish-bred Sapieha. She started at 100/1 and trainer Glen Kotzen seemed almost as thrilled as if she had won. “I’m jumping with excitement,” he said. “She is bred to be a sprinter and people kept saying ‘why are you running her?’.”

But the big gamble of the race came unstuck. This was the Mike de Kock-trained Noor who was plunged on from 9/1 to 14/5 but only managed sixth. “It was her first run against top fillies but maybe that is as good as she is,” reported Anthony Delpech.

The Galileo colt Mooghamir won a nine-furlong handicap on the same card and De Kock is aiming him at next month’s Cape Derby. Seemingly he would be much higher up the ratings but for health problems.

“He is a cougher,” said the eight-time champion trainer. “He was coughing for a year so I got him out of Jo’burg early to see if that would help and it has worked. He is a horse with ability and he is a real galloper. Two furlongs out he looked like being swallowed up but his stamina kicked in at the death.”

De Kock’s runners

MIKE de Kock will run both Dingaans winner Noah From Goah and last weekend’s Turffontein scorer Suyoof in next Saturday’s Cape Guineas.

Special welcome for O’Donoghue

TURF Club official Michael O’Donoghue was given a special welcome by the local stipendary stewards at Kenilworth last Saturday when he interrupted his golfing holiday to take in the Fillies Guineas.

He was intrigued to hear (although not from the stipes) that in the South African rule book there is nothing about not using the racecourse as a training ground.

Horses moved

JOEY Ramsden has split with the Ridgemont Stud operation of the wealthy Wayne Kieswetter who sent Cold As Ice to William Haggas and went to the expense of flying out Bernard Fayd’Herbe to ride her on her recent British debut at Wolverhampton.

Ramsden refused to explain why but Ridgemont’s 14 with the Milnerton trainer have been moved and manager Craig Carey said: “There is no animosity on our side but Joey told us that he didn’t want to train for us anymore.”