If you could pick two horses currently in training for a match race..

Justin Snaith??

Yip

I asked around and it seems that Justin was in fact training him and Karl rode it??

That sounds better

The Divine Act vs Brainteaser match (with a R200.000 stake, for 2yo's who'd raced 3 times between them!) had an interesting back ground, just as the Senor Santa vs Northern Princess match (R150k), as I discovered when I dug up the story.

Here goes:

Although neither Jockey Club nor official handicapper are prepared to pay any attention to the result of the two match races run during the 1989/90 season, there can be no doubt that racing came off best as a result of the contests. The Northern Princess vs. Senor Santa match received wide publicity, was televised, and as a display of skill and tactics proved one of the best spectacles of the season. The margin wasn’t as close when 2yo’s Brainteaser and Divine Act met, but there, too, the pre-match publicity caused widespread betting interest. The Gosforth Park Club was of the opinion that at least 3000 extra patrons attended the meeting on 14 July 1990. In win bets only, the match (which carried a stake of R200.000), showed the highest turnover of all races on the day.

The two 3yo match contenders had the tongues wagging for weeks on the Rand. Brainteaser had made an impressive debut in May, winning a 1000m maiden at Newmarket by over ten lengths, at odds of 5/10. Subsequently gelded, he reappeared in June, winning the Snow Cruywagen handicap over 1000m at Gosforth Park by six lengths, in 57.3s, half a second faster than a Graduation 1000m on the same day.
Divine Act had not been any less impressive at his only previous start in June, over 1000m at Turffontein. At odds of 6/10 he won by 15 lengths, in 56.9s. On a 1000m comparison, the top division race over 1200m on the same day went at marginally faster pace.

Rating horses that win by vast distances is never easy – it is hard to say how much the beaten horses put in at the end – but one thing was clear: both contenders were at, or near the top of their generation ability. Prior to the match we rated Divine Act marginally the better horse, but in the event the match proved little. Both horses raced level, at a good pace, and well within themselves. Some 200m from home Brainteaser started to fade, however, and at the finish was 5 lengths in arrears. Brainteaser’s jockey reported that his horse choked up in the running, and after wards trainer Azzie reported that Brainteaser had been diagnosed to be in the early stages of pharyngitis. Whatever the merit of the excuses, it is clear that Brainteaser did not run to his previous best form. Divine Act won the match race in 57s, which was 0.4s slower than a top division 1000m on the same day.

After the race the official handicapper stated that in his book the match race counted for nothing, and that if Divine Act wished to qualify to run in the SA Airways, a Gr3 race for 3yo’s run over 1200m at Turffontein, he had to win another race. A clearer illustration of the state of handicapping in South Africa, where race-figures now are the be-all and end-all, is hard to imagine. If any horse deserves to be assured of a place in the SA Airways it is Divine Act, arguably the best sprinter of his generation at present.

Titch Wrote:

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> I asked around and it seems that Justin was in
> fact training him and Karl rode it??

On that day perhaps, but I'm pretty sure that Justin used to ride him in Cape Hunt races, and usually won by a street. High Profile was wasted in races like that, but that's all that was left for him because they didn't use starting stalls.

Thanks again Karel

for the record

15 July 1995, Clairwood 1600m, R100.000, winner take all
Eldoriza vs High Profile, both 57kg
both started 9/10
Eldoriza (Randolph) won by 1.25l from High Profile (Neisius)

High Profile had won his only previous start, which also was a match race, against The Decorator (25 February 1995, Kenilworth, 1600m, R45.000, winner take all), by 3/4 length at 11/10 (The Decorator was 6/10)

Thanx Karel...any chance you may have something on Summer Dream (owned b Jack O' Sullivan), had all his runs and pics etc but lost them all in a fire

Titch,

can't find Summer Dream (other than an unraced one by Philippi).
When about did he/she race?

Karel he ran in the same era as Black Killer (I know coz BK beat us twice) mid 70's ..he was by an Irish Stallion Ragtime and trained by Jackie Gorton..

Tich,

I still lived in England then.
Might dig something from old mags some time.