Nov 2022 – Racing at Borrowdale Park in Harare – Zimbabwe (2024)

The Mashonaland Turf Club has advised that the race meeting scheduled for Saturday 3rd December has been moved to Sunday 4 December 2022.

Gavin Macleod is well known at Borrowdale Park – and he should be. An excellent photographer, owner of Equine Carriers, and for many years a successful trainer.

He removed that last hat a while back, but the good news is that Gavin has taken out his licence again and has a horse nominated for Saturday’s race meeting.

With a bit of luck, the final fields for Saturday, December 3, will be declared later today and we will know whether Gavin has his ‘first runner’. In any event welcome back, Gavin.

Borrowdale Park now has six trainers!

Photograph by Zimbabwe Equine News.

Keeping track of merit ratings is horribly fascinating, I find, and usually ends in some sort of rant – before I am shot down in flames for not considering weight-for-age, race conditions, and so forth.

This explains my excitement when spotting a recent article In Sporting Post which began:

“The NHA Handicapping Panel is cautioning all stakeholders, especially the Betting Public, to be extremely careful when using the Carded Merit Ratings in their assessments.

“Due to the vast number of ‘conditions’ type races, together with a host of conditions attached to the Graded races (mainly on the Highveld), many of the ratings that are published do not reflect the Handicapper’s final assessment of those horses affected by these conditions.

“This issue is especially affecting the current 3yo crop as they are unexposed and open to improvement.”

It was the reference to three-year-olds that really got my attention, but before getting into that you would be well advised to read the original article at https://www.sportingpost.co.za/horse-racing/nha-cautions-use-official-ratings-at-your-peril/

Unfortunately, three-year-olds at Borrowdale are in short supply but, in my opinion, Grand Warrior, who won again on Saturday, sticks out like a sore thumb – and there are surely more attractive ways of referring to an outstanding youngster.

The son of Global View (USA) has now won all his three starts – impressively. First time out, in July, he won an 1100m Maiden Juvenile Plate, beating Testify by 7 lengths. In October, with a Merit Rating of 86, he was in a 1200m Novice Plate, giving weight to a field of older horses, and beat Star Aglow by 4 lengths.

On Saturday, Debra Swanson’s charge triumphed in the 1800m Classified Stakes, giving weight to the field, and winning by 5 lengths. His Merit Rating is now 91.

I couldn’t resist having a look at the other three-year-olds who raced on Saturday…there were only 6 of them.

Testify won the 1100 Maiden Plate beating his peers Walking Thru Time, Elmhurst, Montanna Bay and the unraced Red Top. By Ato, Testify has now had 6 runs for one win and 3 places and his MR is unchanged at 67.

Walking Thru Time, was half a length behind Testify, and she has had 2 runs for 2 places and has not yet been rated. Elmhurst (6 runs for 4 places) remains on 58, while Montanna Bay (5 runs for 5 places) remains on 51. Red Top has not been rated.

The remaining three-year-old to step out at the last Borrowdale meeting was Scala Dei Turchi who ran in the 1450m MR 58 Handicap off an MR of 65. She finished 4 lengths behind Justadoreher and her MR is unchanged. Scala Dei Turchi has run 5 times for 1 win and 4 places.

So, what is the object of this tortuous exercise as I am not suggesting Grand Warrior should not have a MR of 91?

It is just a bit frightening because only What A Dandy (105 – 8yo), Coachella (104 – 9yo), Bugatti Blue (99 – 8yo), Only Him (99 – 5yo), True Beauty 99 – 5yo), Holy Land (98 – 7yo), Lily Blue (98 – 6yo), Why Madera (92 – 3yo) and Mr Greenlight (92 – 7yo), are rated above him.

You will have noticed when reading the paragraph above that Why Madera (MR 92) is also a three-year-old and she has won all her four starts from 1260m to 1600m. The next best-rated three-year-old is Down To Business, who is on 86, having won his only start, beating Scala Dei Turchi by five lengths. And if you have faith in ratings the next ‘best’ is Battle Of Seattle (MR 71) who won her first start beating Testify by half a length, was then beaten by Down To Business by 9 lengths, and on 5 November ran two lengths off Star Aglow.

I am likely to be shot down in flames – again – but it does seem hard that the most promising younger horses are given so much to do.

Photograph by Zimbabwe Equine News: Grand Warrior, owned by The Centaur Syndicate (nominee Craig Danckwerts), trained by Debra Swanson, and with Norbert Takawira up, won the 1800m Classified Stakes at Borrowdale Park on November 19, 2022.

The Round Table Pinnacle Plate (90) will be run over 2700m at Borrowdale Park this week – and the field includes three former winners of the 2400m Zimbabwe Derby (GR3), the third leg of Zimbabwe’s Triple Crown.

For a change, there has been some welcome rain about, but hopefully any deluge will hold off until late afternoon on Saturday. I may be wrong but, perhaps, this time, it’s a case of can the boys – Wantage and Three To Tango – beat the girls?

These are the runners:

1 1 WANTAGE (6G) 60.0 (MR86) W Shumba – Bridget Stidolph

Owner: Messrs R S Dyer, S N Buchan, N Evans, M K Chant, G de Jong, A Dixon, R Morgan, R Sherwood & Bryn Ressell

Breeding: Ato – Angora by Tamburlaine (IRE)

Colours: White and orange checked diamonds, white sleeves, orange cap

As a 3-year-old Wantage won the Guineas Trial, the Tote Free Handicap, the Zimbabwe 2000 and ran second to Lily Blue in the 2400m Zimbabwe Derby in 2020. Since then, he has performed well and won from 1600m to 2000m but has not gone further.

2 4 THREE TO TANGO (7G) 58.5 (MR81) R Satombo – Debra Swanson

Owner: The Swan & Donkey Syndicate (Nom: Richard Linnell)

Breeding: Greys Inn (USA) – Danseuse by Joshua Dancer (USA)

Colours: Turquoise, orange sleeves, turquoise chevrons, striped cap

Three To Tango will sport new colours here and his new owners will be hoping this winner of the 2400m Zimbabwe Derby in 2019 will do well. He has ability and has since won from 1600m to 1900m. He has his days.

3 5 MASAAKEN (AUS) (5M) 56.5 (MR88) N Takawira – Debra Swanson

Owner: Mr D H & Mrs J L co*cksedge

Breeding: Teofilo (IRE) – Lahqa (AUS) by Stratum (AUS)

Colours: Yellow, purple epaulettes, yellow sleeves, purple cuffs, yellow cap, purple peak

This will be Masaaken’s fourth outing at Borrowdale and she won her last start – a 2000m MR 80 Handicap – on July 13. She has won from 2000m to 2850m in Gauteng so is unlikely to run out of steam. Could be the one to beat come Saturday.

4 3 OBSCURE (5M) 55.0 (MR83) M Thackeray – Bridget Stidolph

Owner: Gin’ll Fix It Syndicate (Nom: Miss K Stidolph)

Breeding: Black Minnaloushe (USA) – Mammy Blue (ZIM) by Kitalpha (USA)

Colours: Pink, pink sleeves, turquoise armbands and cap

Obscure has won six races and is comfortable from 1450m to 2200m, but this will be her first attempt at further. At the meeting on November 5, she just managed to hold off a fast-finishing Jubilee over 1600m, but Obscure keeps on giving. She will probably be thereabouts.

5 2 TIGERS EAGLE (4F) 53.5 (MR82) K Derere – Debra Swanson

Owner: Mr C J Danckwerts

Breeding: Flying The Flag (IRE) – Neck Of The Woods by Al Mufti (USA)

Colours: Gold and black checks, gold sleeves, black seams, collar and cuffs, gold cap

Tigers Eagle is the baby here but has plenty going for her having won from 1600m to 2700m, and she seems to enjoy the longer trip. She won the 2400m Zimbabwe Derby on July 13, and her last start on November 8, over 1700m. That day Tigers Eagle carried 58 kgs and beat Tulip Way by 2 lengths. She Is set to carry 53.5 kgs this time.

Photographs by Jenny Stock and Andrew Philip.: This field has clocked up heaps of winners between them. So – a random selection of lead-ins.TOP Wantage (above) Masaaken (below).

Mr Greenlight, trained by Vanessa Birketoft and owned by Gengiz Goksel and Bruce McLauchlan, won the 1200m Pinnacle Plate at Borrowdale Park on Saturday by 3.50 lengths. Munashe Josi was in the irons.

Minor placings went to What A Dandy, Oden and Coachella.

By Gimmethegreenlight (AUS), the winner was bred by Nadeson Park Stud and Mr Greenlight has now won 8 races.

Congratulations.

Photograph by Laurent Viguie.

The first race at Borrowdale Park today, 5^TH November 2022, is off at 11.45 am and the main race at 14.40.

Please click on this link to view and download the online card https://mcusercontent.com/2a1c7dfa1eb4e4b185607f5a6/files/6f33ae43-81ad-1d8e-d939-863db9feab07/5_November_2022.pdf

Main race preview, card changes and tips on this site.

Enjoy your day.

Photograph by Zimbabwe Equine News

What A Dandy will be aiming for a fifth win from six starts when he lines up for the 1200m Pinnacle Plate 105 at Borrowdale Park on Saturday at 14.35 pm.

However, it is not all over as he has to beat Coachella, also carrying 62 kgs, and give considerable weight to Love To Bluff, Oden, Mr Greenlight, Citrusdal and Love The View.

Mr Greenlight (54kgs) met What A Dandy on similar terms in the 1000m Sunshine Cup on the 8th of October and finished half a length behind, while Coachella and Love To Bluff were further back.

Oden, now trained by Vanessa Birketoft, is a distance specialist, and capable of carrying far more than the 56 kgs, he is allotted here.

This will probably be a very exciting race but hard to guess who will be the favourite, as all the runners have something to recommend them. This will be Oden’s first outing since July 31, and if he is racing fit it could be a winning one.

Get ready for an early start on Saturday as the first race is due off at 11.45.

Photograph by Jenny Stock: Oden is seen here with Calvin Habib up. Walter Shumba rides on Saturday.