Duke of Hour wins thrilling feature meet
By People Reporter, January 28, 2020
It was perhaps one of the tightest of finishes in recent memory as Duke of Hour overcame Chicago, jockeyed by Leslie Sercombe, by only a neck gap at the feature Kenya Guineas at Ngong racecourse on Sunday.
The highly-anticipated event saw James Muhindi use his expertise to wade off Sercombe to clinch the 1,600m meet just at the cross of line with stewards rewarding the former in what was overall a close contest.
The race, which attracted just a few fans due to the chilly weather was clocked at 1.41.7 in what was a fierce battle with third-placed Comic Star from the Patsy Sercombe stable coming in a further three-and-a-quarter length behind.
Indeed tactics were fully at play in the race which was ran on damp ground with the Sercombe stable-mates marooning the eventual winner inside the first 1,000m while Duke of Hour maintained good pace in the middle.
However, from the final bend, Muhindi took the wide lane smartly and darted for glory with an ambitious Sercombe, atop the South African breed, on attack mode from the far inside line.
“It was one hell of a fight for us and I am glad we came through It was important to keep pace with the front row and by splitting them, my work was easier.
The ground was a bit tricky but we managed,” said Muhindi, who helped her fillie to a second win in four meets.