DATE: Friday, 19 June 2015, Night Racing

AGE/ CONDITION: Open Condition Race over 1200m

ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 29 May 2015 – Fee: R 798

SUPP ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 5 June 2015 – Fee R 3192

WEIGHTS: Friday, 29 May 2015
Benchmark at 62,0kg = 115 or more
Benchmark at 60,0kg = 110 to 114
Benchmark at 58,0kg = 105 to 109
Benchmark at 56,0kg = 100 to 104
Benchmark at 54,0kg = 95 to 99
Benchmark at 52,0kg = 94 and less

The winner of this race will not incur a penalty of more than 6 rating points, unless requested. There will be no rating increase for placed horses, unless requested. Weight for age allowance will be applied where applicable to a Minimum weight of 50,0kg.
Sex Allowance of 2,5kg for Fillies and Mares, subject to a minimum weight of 50kg

DECLARATIONS: 11:00am Monday, 8 June 2015 – Fee R 3192

2014 Post Merchants

Horse: VARIKATE

Jockey: Grant Van Niekerk

Trainer: S J Snaith

Owners: Mr J Mahony

Breeder: Mr C W Nelson

ABOUT: The Post Merchants Racemeeting

Initially run as the Durban Merchants and with a history going back decades, the R350 000, Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1 200m at Greyville on Friday June 13 is a merit-rated handicap drawing most of the top speed horses in the country.

In the early days of racing the business people of a town, the merchants, put up the stake money for races and this was a tradition carried on for many years. These races became known as The Merchants and it is quite likely that at the first meeting held in Durban on January 14 and 15 in 1852 the main event was funded by the merchants in the city.

That first meeting was held on track cut from the bush between the Umgeni River and the current location of Greyville 45 years before the now Vodacom Durban July was run at the present venue in 1897.

So the Post Merchants has a long history and could well have been established way back in those early years.

Today it carries a stake of R350 000 put up by Gold Circle Racing and is the premier annual speed event run at Greyville.

ROLL OF HONOUR:

2014

Under a confident ride by young jockey Grand van Niekerk, the Var filly Varikate gave her opponents a galloping lesson when she led throughout to win the Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1 200m at Greyville.

Van Niekerk, regular stable jockey for the Mike Bass yard, was engaged by fellow Cape trainer Justin Snaith to partner the four-year-old after his stable rider Richard Fourie had been injured in a fall the previous weekend and the young man produced another polished ride.

Snaith heads the race for the champion trainer title and the win will have consolidated his position and shortened the odds on his winning the title particularly with the ammunition, which includes the top three-year-old Legislate, that he has in his stable.

Easy to back at 8-1 with the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint winner All Is Secret a weak favourite at 5-1, Varikate went into the race as a four-time winner with moderate credentials at feature race level apart from a fourth place in The City of Pietermaritzburg SA Fillies Sprint at Scottsville. That race under 60kg was a fair effort and with 53.5kg to shoulder in the Post Merchants she had to be considered a candidate for a share of the Post Merchants stake.

Van Niekerk bounced the filly out from her eight draw and used her early speed to nip across to take the lead with Happy Forever and All Is Secret showing up early. Happy Forever suffered a problem and jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe began to ease him out of the race causing a number of runners to take avoiding action and affecting their chances to varying degrees.

All the while Varikate was bowling along at the head of the field followed by All Is Secret and Showmetheway but when they hit the straight Van Niekerk gave the filly her head and it was clear that she was never going to be beaten. All Is Secret failed to find an extra kick and it was Eddie Sweat and Kingston Boy that ran on the best with Kingston Boy finishing the better for second place ahead of Eddie Sweat and Tevez.

In the post-race interview, Snaith described Varikate as the nicest natured filly in his yard and he foresaw her having a great season as a five-year-old

2013

Mike’s Choice, winner in 2012, was looking for the Merchants double for trainer Michael Roberts but faced a strong field of opponents including the gutsy Mike de Kock-trained British-bred mare Welwitschia. But it was the lesser fancied colt from the powerful stable, the Australian-bred son of Elusive Quality, Merhee, that stole her thunder, surging clear in the finish to beat his stable companion by more than a length.

As so often happens in these top sprinting races it became a cavalry charge after coming off the false rail with Welwitschia holding a narrow lead before Sean Veale switched Merhee into top gear and the four-year-old exploded through to win as he liked with the Joey Ramsden-trained Copper Parade finishing the best of the others for third place.

Merhee had earlier shown a touch of brilliance when winning on debut by 10 lengths and followed that up winning the Gr2 Senor Santa at Turffontein and running third behind Contador in the Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint at Scottsville.

2012

In a thrilling finish where it was anyone’s race with 200m to run, the five-year-old Tamburlaine gelding Mike’s Choice put in a late challenge to head the field then hold off the determined attention of the more fancied Rebel Knight and Sports Coach. Pacemaker Bielorruso threw in the towel at the top of the straight with the field spreading to form a cavalry charge down the home straight. In the end, Mike’s Choice prevailed by a mere neck from Rebel Knight with Sports Coach a length further back.

2011

A competitive field lined up for the Grade 2 Post Merchants at Greyville with the Captain Al gelding Captain’s Secret topping the bookmaker boards and trainer Dean Kannemeyer a little apprehensive about the chances of his runner, the three-year-old Splash Gold, that had drawn on the outside in stall 12. He had said before the race that had Splash Gold been drawn better, he would have made him a certainty.

But he need not have worried as the young horse proved too good for his opposition under Karl Neisius who managed to get him into a reasonable position after the start with Gaultier making the pace ahead of Jet Command and Winking Jack. Gaultier made a break for it in the straight with Winking Jack going out to challenge and Rebel Knight beginning to look dangerous.

Then Neisius let the three-year-old Splash Gold loose and he tore through the field to win as he liked. Neisius said after the race that when Splash Gold pulled him through coming off the false rail he knew he was on the winner. The placings were filled by Rebel Knight, Winking Jack and Gaultier.

2010

The Dennis Drier yard landed the Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1200m at Greyville on Friday night when the classy three-year-old Sharks Bay ran out an impressive winner under stable jockey Sean Cormack.

After a fair break from draw five, Cormack dropped Sharks Bay out to the rear of the field, where he secured the rail.

The field was compact as they turned for home and Sharks Bay was no more than five lengths off the lead.

Cormack dived for the inside as they came off the false rail, but found his way blocked so had to switch his mount outward. Here another horse began drifting in and Cormack was forced to switch outward again. Neither of these manouvres cost Sharks Bay much momentum owing to the jockey’s fine anticipation and he had also carried out Drier’s instructions not to panic if experiencing traffic problems.

Once Sharks Bay saw daylight he accelerated impressively and swept past the Glen Kotzen-trained favourite, Thunder Key, who had kicked on well from a handy position.

Thunder Key only just held on for second ahead of his stablemate, Lord Of The Sea, who was flying at the finish after turning home in last place.

The Colin Scott-trained Extinct just got up for fourth in a blanket finish. Only two lengths covered the first 10 horses.