Filly Sheela was the aptest winner of The Citizen Golden Loom Handicap – the big sprint test on Allied Steelrode Charity Mile Day at Turffontein on Saturday.
Golden Loom, aka “Goofy”, was a legendary sprinter who won many a feature race at the Big T, often shouldering hefty weights – as high as 65kg on one notable occasion.
Sheela, a four-year-old, lugged a steadying 60.5kg to victory in open company against males – further enhancing her reputation as one of the best sprinters in the country.
She started as a 9-2 second favourite, with stable companion Far Away Winter at the top of the boards at 9-4. The latter was a big disappointment, finishing second last, with trainer Adam Azzie saying the inside-rail draw was problematic in races up the Turffontein straight with give in the ground.
Both Azzie and jockey S’manga Khumalo expressed concerns about the weight before the race, but they knew Sheela was in good nick after excellent work in the preceding week. Azzie noted that from the moment Sheela saw the float conveying her from Randjesfontein “she knew it was race day and was in the zone”.
Khumalo settled his charge from the 100m start, got her well-covered and conserved energy before judging his winning challenge to perfection. She won by 0.70 lengths but looked more comfortable than that distance might suggest.
In second place was Constable from the Sean Tarry yard – like the winner, in the Drakenstein Stud blue and white silks, thus giving the ownership of Gaynor Rupert a 1-2.
In third, 2.25 lengths adrift, was Now I Got You (7-1).
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