NOW to put the cherry on the cake.
For that to happen, the connections of the Gqeberha-based racehorse Earth Hour have to wait for the meeting on May 7.
That is when the third leg of the WSB East Cape Poly Challenge will be run over 1 600m.
The Poly Challenge has become one of the highlights on the Fairview racing calendar, since its introduction in 2016.
The racing public seems to love a series over three legs where there is a huge bonus for the horse that wins all three races.
In the first year of the Poly Challenge, the racing fraternity got behind Gogetthesheriff and he just missed out.
Earth Hour can’t pick up the winning bonus anymore, but the consolation bonus, for the best performing horse over the three legs, should go his way after he won the second leg this past Friday.
As in the case of Gogetthesheriff, Earth Hour has become a real people’s favourite and he should round off the Challenge in style by winning the race next month.
It is a real pity that racing is still taking place behind closed doors due to COVID-19 regulations because the fans would surely have shown their support for Earth Hour at the track in Greenbushes.
At seven years of age, Earth Hour is not the youngest horse at the stable but he loves his racing and has been ultra-consistent for trainer Juan Nel.
Nel is known among his peers as one of the most hardworking trainers in the business and he is doing an absolutely brilliant job with this horse.
The races in the Challenge take place over 1 200m, 1 400m and 1 600m respectively.
At the start of the Challenge, Nel made no secret of the fact that this was Earth Hour’s mission for the season. He also acknowledged that the race over 1 200m would be very difficult for Earth Hour to win, as this was not his preferred distance.
It may sound strange but that fifth place by Earth Hour in the 1 200m race was probably just as good as the victory in his next outing.
He finished a little over two lengths behind the winner Viking Moon, a very capable sprinter, and showed that he meant business. It was clear that Nel knew what he was doing with his star horse.
The role of the man in the saddle must not be forgotten.
Jockey Luyolo Mxothwa has a lovely relationship with Earth Hour and they form a formidable combination.
What is refreshing to see is that Nel and Mxothwa don’t want any accolades when Earth Hour is mentioned. They feel Earth Hour is the real hero in this success story.
Earth Hour is owned by Mechtild Braxmaier, who visited Fairview for the first time this past Friday and was delighted to watch her horse win.
They will all be back on May 7.
This Friday it is a huge Fairview meeting, with the Glenlair Trophy, Oaks and Flying Five the highlights.
