Mike Bass’s assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe was not too bullish about the chances of the yard’s Gr 2 Betting World 1900 contender Helderberg Blue, although he said his Champions Season pipe opener in Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes had brought him on a lot.

Fayd’Herbe said, “He needed that last run very badly. The handicapper punished him too much for his J&B Met third place and at the weights he’s got no chance in the 1900. He’s not really a Greyville type, he’s a grinder but he did quicken well from a handy position in the Met.”

The Jet Master gelding is a nervous sort, but his “new friend”, the recently retired Epc Tale, accompanies him to the track in the mornings to keep him calm and he was looking in fine shape yesterday (Tuesday).

Another of the yard’s Jet Master geldings, Mountain Master, is the reserve runner for the 1900. He is difficult to place and Fayd’Herbe was not sure he would stay the 3200m of the eLan Property Group Gold Cup, so races like the Campanajo 2200 on July day could be possible targets.

Fayd’Herbe was happy with dual Gr 1-winning filly Inara’s second place finish in the KRA Fillies Guineas and said, “She was always going to need it a bit and will come on from it. She will now go for the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 and then either the July or Garden Province.”

He said that their crack sprinter Fly By Night had travelled up to Johannesburg well for the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint, but had then gone down very short and had taken no interest in the race. They had trotted her out afterwards and nothing had been found wrong. The problem was unrelated to her poor run in the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships, for on that occasion she had “bumped a sesamoid” and had been a bit sore going into the race. She has been fine at Summerveld and is on track for the Scottsville Festival of Speed meeting on May 23, where she holds entries in her likely target, the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint, as well as in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint.

The yard’s classy mare Hammie’s Hooker thrives in KZN as she loves working on the lighter tracks. She has been doing just as well as she did last year, so will be a big runner in races like the Tibouchina and Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes.

Their two-year-old Visionnaire colt Jet Air has a bright future according to Fayd’Herbe, so they would avoid the tough Scottsville Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1200m on May 23 in favour of the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m and the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes.

He said that Ashton Park, who ran on well for third in the Drill Hall, might line up in the Tsogo Sun Sprint before running in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m on June 6.

The like of Shingwedzi, Saint Sophia and Counting Angels will likely take on staying races like the Gr 2 Gold Circle Oaks on June 21.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Helderberg Blue (Liesl King)