Original Statement - 31st October
SA Triple Crown winner Abashiri has been allotted top weight of 62kg in terms of the conditions of the R400 000 Gr3 Victory Moon Stakes to be run at Turffontein on 9 November.
Abashiri – favourite for Summer Cup
“He got an extra 2kg penalty because he won a Gr1 race within 18 months of the weights being published last Wednesday,” trainer Mike Azzie told
www.tabnews.co.za
“His last Gr1 win was in the SA Derby on Champions Day, 30 April last year, and the framing of the weights fell just a week before the cut-off.
Mike Azzie – puzzled
“The conditions don’t make any sense at all,” he said. “Surely it would be fairer if they applied to the date of the race, which is sometime in mid-November, rather than the date of the framing of the weights?
“And the way the conditions are written leaves a loophole if anybody wants to challenge them.”
The Victory Moon Stakes is a fixed-weight race based on bands of merit ratings with additional penalties for major-race winners “in the period 18 months prior to the issuing of weights for this race” – 2kg for Gr 1 races and 1kg for Gr1 races restricted to fillies and mares and winners of Gr2 races.
The weights for this year’s renewal of the race were announced last Wednesday, 25 October. Supplementary entries closed on Wednesday 1 November.
The NHA’s Manager of Handicapping, Roger Smith
Many people understand the conditions to be that a horse supplemented on 1 November – one day after the 18-month period from the day the 2016 SA Derby and Champions Challenge were run concludes – would not receive the Grade 1 penalty.
According to chief handicapper Roger Smith that is not true because the conditions would be applied retrospectively.
“Anyway,” said Azzie, “I won’t be subjecting Abashiri to that weight just 18 days before the Summer Cup. Instead he’ll have a grass gallop, which I believe will be just as good as a run, if not better because it’ll be safer.”
Abashiri is currently the 15-2 favourite for the Summer Cup and Azzie concludes: “He is in exceptional order. I’m very happy with him. He’ll be spot-on for the Summer Cup.”
Final Statement Today
Trainer Mike Azzie has decided to go with his head, and most of his heart, and proceeds with his Summer Cup plan A for the SA Triple Crown star Abashiri, who takes his place in the Gr3 Victory Moon Stakes under the lights at Turffontein next Thursday.
The experienced conditioner has long targetted the R2 million Sansui Summer Cup for the son of Go Deputy, but top weight of 62kgs for the Victory Moon saw him quoted in the media that he would rather prep with a grass gallop.
“Everything has gone so well in Abashiri’s plans- and yes I had decided to change course after the publication of the Victory Moon weights and rather opt for a grass gallop. But on having a look at the field for the race today, I thought why change a plan just because the gallop was an option?”, he told the Sporting Post on Thursday.
The Azzman confirmed that he had booked Turffontein for a gallop before races on Saturday, but on reflection had decided against what was a logistical exercise that would not quite have had the same impact as a race.
“He is so well at the moment and the race comes at a perfect time. I want to see him staying on well and then it’s all systems go for the big one.”
It will be Abashiri’s first run under lights. Is that cause for concern, we asked?
“He is such an intelligent and sensible horse. I am not concerned about the lights. In any event he will travel solo to races in a special float as he usually does. That means he spends minimal time there before and after the race,” he confirmed.
Mike also has Arctica in the Victory Moon. He said he carries a handy galloping weight and expected the son of Captain Al to up his game after his last slightly flat run.
“His form is not the worst at feature level. Include him in quartets,” suggested Mike.
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