Dennis Drier equaled a feat achieved by his famous Uncle Syd Laird on Saturday at Scottsville by winning the same Gr 1 race for the seventh time.

Sand And Sea (Nkosi Hlophe)

The exciting Twice Over colt Sand And Sea landed “Uncle Den” his seventh Gold Medallion, which is currently sponsored by Tsogo Sun. “Uncle Syd’s” seven-up was more celebrated as he did it in the Durban July and thereby set a record in the big race which still stands.

However, the most impressive part of Drier’s achievement is that of the eight renewals of the Gold Medallion this decade he has won six of them.

His first Medallion victory was way back in 1990 with Spook And Diesel and since then he has won it with Link Man (2010), Potent Power (2012), Captain Of All (2013), Guiness (2014), Seventh Plain (2015) and now Sand And Sea.

Of those horses, Captain Of All went on to win two further Gr 1s and Seventh Plain one. Captain Of All landed the Tsogo Sun Sprint and the Mercury Sprint as a four-year-old, having missed most of his three-year-old season. Seventh Plain won his next race, the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m at Greyville.

Sand And Sea could by all accounts go on to further Gr 1 success. He took a while to find his stride on Saturday. This didn’t overly concern Anton Marcus, not surprisingly, as the rangy colt was travelling ominously well in behind the field. When he switched him out it was race over in a matter of strides as the colt’s big action saw him making up the ground easily to win going away by 2,25 lengths from Varallo and Al Mariachi.

He looks likely to go a mile this season.

Sand And Sea was bred by Drakenstein Stud and is owned by Bernard Kantor, Jack Mitchell, Marsh Shirtliff and Mayfair Speculators.

Markus Jooste, of Mayfair Speculators was the outright owner of all of Captain Of All, Guiness and Seventh Plain, while Anton Marcus rode all of those in the Medallion with the exception of Captain Of All.

By David Thiselton

As a builder of character, racing is up there with war and poverty, wrote Les Carlyon, who added, racing can even cause poverty. But racing also brings out an array of emotions that were on full display at Scottsville yesterday – raucous celebration, relief and the shedding of a quiet tear.

For champion trainer Sean Tarry is was a bit of both. Bull Valley’s clinical performance in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint was celebrated with loud, fist-pumping and back slapping while star mare Carry On Alice bowed out of racing with a quiet tear after signing off her racing career in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint.

Sean Tarry (Nkosi Hlophe)

Relief was etched on Dennis Drier’s face after boom colt Sand And Sea gave him his sixth Gr1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion in eight years and seventh overall but Les Taylor and his friends gave it the full treatment after Paul Matchett’s outsider Brave Mary romped home in the Gr1 Allan Robertson.

A group hug and dance on the members viewing balcony almost saw them topple over the rail before they bolted to the paddock to the refrain of, “you’ve just seen the next Igugu.”

General consensus before the meeting was that the inside 5m strip of turf that had been protected at the last Scottsville meeting, would provide the best going.

As a result, all dived for the strip of supposedly superior going in the first three sprints and there were the usual hard luck stories. Not so for Anton Marcus who had sussed out the going aboard Attenborough a fortnight back, winning from the extreme outside barrier.

By the running of the Tsogo Sun, attention had switched to the outside strip and S’Manga Khumalo took full advantage of 16 draw on Bull Valley. He catapulted his mount out of the pens and was barely headed with London Call matching strides up the centre.

A furlong out, there were still plenty in contention but Bull Valley kept finding and drew off to win rather comfortably from Search Party and the veteran Barbosa. Top weight and last year’s winner Talktothestars found traffic just as he was unwinding a run and lost all momentum.

A lightly raced son of Toreador, this was Bull Valley’s fifth victory from just nine starts.

Carry On Alice bowed out of racing on a fitting note as she added a fifth Gr1 to her CV and the 11^th success of her career. With celebrations under way, Tarry walked off to one side, alone with his emotions while co-owner Chris van Niekerk was also dabbing away with his handkerchief. “I’m shedding a few tears. This is a bit embarrassing.”

Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)

Regular pilot Khumalo always had Carry On Alice up with the pace and she responded as any tough campaigner would, hitting the front when it counted and fighting all the way to the line. Three-year-olds Just Sensual, winner of the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas, and last season’s Gr1 Allan Robertson winner The Secret Is Out chased hard, the former closing late, but they were no match.

Van Niekerk confirmed that the daughter of super sire Captain Al would now be shipped to Australia for a date with a stallion still to be decided on.

“She will miss the season,” said Tarry, “but that’s OK.”

“We won’t be able to buy them,” quipped Tarry to Mike de Kock, referring to Rafeef and Mustaaqeem, both progeny of Tarry’s star mare National Colour who stands Down Under and races in the blue and white silks of Sheikh Hamdan.

The grey Bela-Bela, having her first outing since the Sun Met back in January, finished just off them and Justin Snaith will have been well pleased with her performance.

Giving start in a Gr1 sprint is usually tantamount to disaster but Sand And Sea made light of this seeming mishap turning in a superb performance under Anton Marcus. Sand And Sea is a magnificent specimen of a thoroughbred and strutted the paddock like he owned it.  “You can see that he thinks he’s good,” commented Drier.

“He’s a brute of a horse,” said Marcus. “He takes time to get going but he does it so easily.”

Sire Twice Over was a superb racehorse, numbering the Gr1 Champion Stakes and the Gr1 Juddmonte International Stakes amongst his victories and this victory is a cracking start to his stud career.

Tarry’s day did not get off to the best of starts, Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery winner Green Plans having to play second fiddle to 30-1 outsider Brave Mary. Gunter Wrogemann had his mount travelling well within herself in the early exchanges but when asked the question, the daughter of Brave Tin Soldier responded as if she had jumped in at the two-furlong pole. She simply raced clear to win as she liked much to the delight of her connections. A simple tongue-tie would appear to have been the key to unlocking her potential, winning her maiden by five lengths.

Whether she is another Igugu, only time will tell but Les Taylor and his mates live in hope. Co-owner Dean Bayley missed the party but Dubai would probably have been rocking.

By Andrew Harrison

Vaal-based Coenie de Beer comes to Scottsville tomorrow with his one good horse as Talktothestars attempts to defend his crown in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint. De Beer is a canny owner-trainer with only a dozen horses in his yard and arrived at Scottsville last year with an unfashionably bred horse carrying top weight and racing ‘barefoot’ – seemingly the only point in his favour being top rider Piere Strydom.

Piere Strydom

It was the Strydom fans who were standing in the pay-out que post-race as the gelding finished with a wet sail in a performance that earned him a 123-merit rating, elevating him to the lofty heights of best horse in the country.

From there on it has been a bumpy road for Talktothestars with his only subsequent victory being in a Pinnacle Stakes at Flamingo Park where he was hard-pressed to land his short odds. His rating has been dropping steadily since but even though he now races of a mark 10 pounds lower, he still shoulders top weight tomorrow and where some of last year’s opposition, notably third placed Exelero and Gulf Storm, meet him on more favourable weight terms.

That said, those that subscribe to the theory that a horse’s form peaks in yearly cycles, will be having a dip on Talktothestars. He recently rattled home in the Gr1 Computaform Sprint behind Rafeef with hot favourite Carry On Alice treading water in third with Talktothestars effectively turning the tables on the multiple Gr1-winning mare.

It was a smart performance by any standards and although it is not advisable to stakes the month’s salary on Talktothestars he should at least finish with more behind him than in front.

Exelero is another to have been in the doldrums since his third last year, out of the money in four subsequent starts. However, Vaughan Marshall appears to have got to the bottom of the gelding as he turned in a much improved performance behind today’s more fancied runner Attenborough and he faces Talktothestars on 1kg better terms.

Janoobi (JC Photographics)

An interesting contender is the Mike de Kock runner Janoobi. The dual Guineas winner has plenty of speed but only just sees out a ‘mile’. On any other course the drop to six furlongs would be a concern but the Scottsville 1200m demands some stamina and along with fellow three-year-old Table Bay could be the dark horses.

This is a peculiar event which records show is often a battle between the top weights and those at the bottom of the handicap with no middle market. Talktothestars, Exelero, Janoobi and Table Mountain all fit into that category.

Tomorrow’s jackpot is made up of four Gr1 sprints, the Tsogo Sun Sprint the tricky final leg, and the Gr1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship the opener. Champion trainer Sean Tarry will be looking to SA Fillies Nursery winner Green Plains to add lustre to her bid for Equus Award honours but the local contingent is largely untested against visiting opposition which adds some intrigue. The Pau Lafferty pair of Crymeariver and Touch Of Magic are both highly regarded with the latter possibly the pick. Neptune’s Rain has done all of her racing on this course which is an advantage while Light On Her Toes has had the form of her debut win franked and could be anything.

De Kock saddles Gr1 SA Nursery runner-up Naafer in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion but the Summerveld dogs have been barking the name Sand And Sea as Dennis Drier attempts to win the Gold Medallion for the sixth time in eight years and for the seventh time overall

Finally, Carry On Alice has her final race in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint, a race she won as a three-year-old, and is weighted to bow out on a winning note. However, she has had a tough season and the three-year-olds Live Life, Just Sensual, Vision To Kill and last year’s Allan Robertson winner The Secret Is Out will not make it easy for her.

By Andrew Harrison

Justin Snaith has five runners in all at the Festival Of Speed meeting on Saturday and in the big one, the Tsogo Sun Sprint, he made Captain Swarovski a “dark horse”” but was concerned by the amount of weight Sergeant Hardy had to carry.

Captain Swarovski (Nkosi Hlophe)

Four-year-old Captain Swarovski has not proved yet he is up to a 103 merit rating but Snaith felt the actual weight of just 55kg he had to carry was of more significance. He said, “He is not the better horse of the two but is very well weighted and is very well at home. He has come right at the right time.”

Captain Swarovski had one run at Scottsville last season so should not be phased by the course.

Snaith believes the runners will head for the middle-inside part of the track, so was thrilled with Captain Swarovski’s draw of seven, which will come into six if the reserve runners come out.

He said the three-year Sergeant Hardy had needed his last run, but he had deliberately not run him again as he “does like to run a bit fresh”. In that race over 1100m at Scottsville on April 16 he finished second, beaten 1,75 lengths by London Call, with whom he will now be 2kg better off.

He added, “It is a big ask for a three-year-old carrying 57kg, but he has come on a lot for that last run and has been better at home since.”

Sergeant Hardy will come into a draw of nine and Snaith said a good enough horse could win from there.

Justin Snaith (Nkosi Hlophe)

Snaith mentioned Attenborough, a progressive three-year-old who only has 55kg to carry, as one of the horses to beat.

Snaith runs the champion filly Bela-Bela as well as the quick Jo’s Bond in the SA Fillies Sprint.

Bela-Bela’s two Gr 1 wins have been over 2000m and 1800m, but Snaith was not overly concerned about the drop in trip.

He said, “She has always had a lot of natural speed, she was born with it and we have always actually tried to hold her back in her work.”

Snaith has taken the smart four-year-old grey to see Scottsville and she did well in her gallop there. He added, “She is coming back from a long rest and is up against the best sprinters, but she could pop up. I expect her to be in the money.”

He rated Carry On Alice the horse she had to beat and said, “Carry On Alice has had a long season, so we are hoping to catch her with a fresh horse. It will be fitness vs freshness.”

He admitted Jo’s Bond was a 1000m horse, but was still hoping for a first three finish. He said, “She is doing well at home but has her work cut out in this field. She is no slouch and the fact she led the Computaform Sprint shows how much speed she has, but over this trip we will have to hold her up.”

Snaith runs Sir Frenchie in the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion. He said he had not been favoured by a high draw when running downfield over this trip in the Kuda Sprint on Sun Met day. “His form since then has been good and he has been doing very well at home. He is a sound, strong horse but it is very competitive and he has his work cut out.”

By David Thiselton

Frank Robinson caused a 55/1 upset in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson in 2010 with Chocolicious and he has two decent fillies, Under The Stars and Zarnitsa, in this year’s renewal at Scottsville on Saturday.

Under The Stars (Nkosi Hlophe)

Under The Stars, an impressively rangy daughter of Antonius Pius, made an eyecatching debut on March 31 from draw eleven on the Greyville poly over 1000m. She came from off the pace under Muzi Yeni and won going away by 1,75 lengths. She beat Victory Trip by 5,25 lengths in that race and the latter is considered good enough to line up in the Allan Robertson.

In her second start Under The Stars was beaten 8,85 lengths over 1100m at Scottsville by the fancied Allan Robertson contender Neptune’s Rain.

However, Frank Robinson said a line could be drawn through the run, “She jumped very well but it was then declared a false start and she went the furthest of all the horses. That can have an effect on a horse.”

In the re-start Under The Stars did not jump as well and did well under the circumstances to stay on for sixth.

Interestingly, the horse she lost to by a head in that race, Awesomeness, had earlier beaten Zarnitsa by 0,25 lengths over 1000m at Scottsville when both were making their debuts in February.

Frank Robinson (Nkosi Hlophe)

Zarnitsa showed a lot of pace in her debut and was only caught late.

In her fourth career start Zarnitsa slammed a maiden fillies and mares field over 1000m on the Greyville poly by 6,25 lengths and interestingly she beat Tweed Valley by seven lengths, as the latter had earlier finished a close second to Under The Stars.

Robinson believed the more forgiving surface had helped Zarnitsa, so he was hoping for a bit of rain.

However, the weather forecast only predicts a little bit of rain after the races on Saturday.

He said Zarnitsa had been working well and believed she would stay the trip. The Querari filly was not stopping at the line last time out and before that was touched off 0,75 lengths by Allan Robertson contender Light On Her Toes over 1200m on the Greyville turf.

Under The Stars will easily get the 1200m trip and further.

Robinson said it was difficult to say whether either filly was as good as Chocolicious and concluded, “They are up to this class and won’t be disgraced.”

Muzi Yeni is the regular rider of both horses and will be aboard Zarnitsa from draw nine, while Marco van Rensburg rides Under The Stars from draw six.

Meanwhile, Chocolicious’ Allan Robertson victory earned her the privilege of a cover by the living legend Frankel and the resulting foal is up to date impressing the Mike de Kock yard.

By David Thiselton

Trainer Coenie de Beer surprised the racing world when he saddled his four-year-old gelding Talktothestars, unshod, to win the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville’s Sprint Festival last year. Ridden by Piere Strydom, he romped home ahead of African Ruler and Exelero. He faces Exelero again in the Tsogo Sun Sprint on Saturday, giving the bottom weight an extra kilo.

Talktothestars (Nkosi Hlophe)

Racing unshod is not uncommon, but racing unshod in a Gr1 is unusual to say the least but De Beer commented after the race last year: “There shouldn’t be such a fuss about a horse racing without shoes. Traditionally this is the way they raced, unshod or at times fitted with steel shoes.  In the days before shoe declarations I’d say the majority of trainers raced their runners in steel shoes, then some smarty-pants and a few bored punters came up with inventive stories around alumites and they changed people’s perceptions.

“There are racing fans who believe horses are only capable of winning when they are declared to race with alumites. This is nonsense, they can also win in steels or without shoes altogether. Trainers have exploited this situation at times, but for me it’s about getting a horse fit and ready to win. I don’t consider shoes a factor, even less so recently.”

However, De Beer has returned to the norm. Talktothestars has raced in alumites at his last two starts and has been declared to run in them again on Saturday where he is out to defend his crown.

After last year’s victory he was rated the top horse in the country and was deservedly voted Equus Champion Sprinter. Not all has gone his way this term and many have written him off; so to the handicappers who have dropped him 10 pounds in the ratings from 123 to Saturday’s 113.

No matter the rating drop, he still heads the handicap on Saturday but there were signs that he is returning to his best form as he rattled home to run hot favourite Carry On Alice out of second place behind Rafeef in the recent Gr1 Computaform Sprint. He finished second to Carry On Alice in that same race last year before winning at Scottsville and those that believe that a horse’s form is cyclical will be having a dab come Saturday.

“He’s a horse that doesn’t take a lot of work,” said De Beer. He knows what to do and he does it, he conditions himself.” This time he won’t be ‘barefoot’.

By Andrew Harrison

The SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville on Saturday will see a previous winner of this race Carry On Alice attempting to win her fifth career Gr 1 and amongst the dangers will be a three-year-old, Just Sensual, whose only Gr 1 win has been over a mile.

Carry On Alice was relaxed behind the pacemaker two years ago when beating the champion filly Alboran Sea by 1,75 lengths. Last year, when a forgettable fifth, she did not settle in behind horses and the gaps didn’t open in time either. Furthermore, she might have been above herself, as the Sean Tarry yard was reportedly under a cloud at the time.

Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)

The full width of the track is being used this year and there is a small field too, which will favour her, as she has never been a horse who needs cover. With daylight in front of her she can use her high cruising speed to its maximum effect before delivering her famous kick. She will be hard to beat, but she does face one of the strongest fields to have lined up for this race in recent times.

Just Sensual showed good pace over 1200m and 1400m early in her career and coupled it with a tremendous turn of foot. Subsequent to her Cape Fillies Guineas win she ran unplaced in the CTS Mile and was then much more comfortable over the 1400m of the Gr 3 Prix du Cap. In the latter race she showed good gate speed and early pace and then moved up effortlessly under the hands in the straight. She showed a fine turn of foot when asked the question and won cosily. In recent times the infamous draw bias at Scottsville appears to have evened out, so her high draw of 12 out of 12 is unlikely to be a disadvantage.

The Secret Is Out, winner of last year’s Gr 1 Allan Robertson at this meeting, is one of the horses who has proved the draw down the Scottsville straight is no longer a factor. At the end of April she won the Gr 3 Poinsettia Stakes over course and distance from the very outside draw of 14, despite carrying a 3kg Gr 1 penalty. Scottsville is a course horses either love or hate and she has won all three of her starts there. She had been a touch disappointing this season, but three of her defeats were over 1400m. Her career record shows she has only once been defeated over a sprint trip. Furthermore, trainer Vaughan Marshall admitted she had bled in her second outing of the season last November and it had been “a long hard road back.”

Fellow three-year-old Live Life was receiving 1kg from The Secret Is Out in the Poinsettia and was beaten 0,55 lengths. However, she didn’t have cover the whole way and was forced to go for home early, as opposed to her win in the CTS Sprint over the Kenilworth 1200, where she came from off the pace and won full of running despite having to be switched in the closing stages. Earlier, Live Life had beaten Carry On Alice in the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes by 0,75 lengths on terms 2kg worse than weight for age and on that occasion he came from last.

Just Sensual (Liesl King)

Vision To Kill showed good cruising speed in the Poinsettia and flew up for second, but will be 2kg worse off with Live Life, whom she beat by a short-head.

“Class” in horseracing has been defined as those who are supreme at middle distances but also have the speed to compete and possibly beat the best sprinters at their game. Bela-Bela, whose two Gr 1 wins have been over 2000m and 1800m, fits this bill. She lost a couple of lengths on her debut over 1000m and still won easily. That was her only ever sprint start, but she has always given the impression she has a lot of speed as she is always on the bridle in the running over further.

Last year Real Princess showed good cruising speed and a tremendous turn of foot, but on this season’s form she is held by Carry On Alice, Live Life, The Secret Is Out and Jo’s Bond and will need to bounce back.

Jo’s Bond beat Carry On Alice in the Gr 2 Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m when receiving only 2kg and the latter duly reversed form at level weights in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championships. Jo’s Bond is seen as a 1000m specialist, but this imposing daughter of Captain Al did turn it on impressively in the Listed Kwazulu-Natal Stakes over the Scottsville 1000m from just off the pace, which gives some hope.

The consistent Joan Ranger has speed coupled with a kick and it would be no surprise to see her repeat her third place finish of last year.

Elusivenchantment was a 2,55 length sixth last year and has been beaten twice over course and distance by Joan Ranger, while Jo’s Bond has beaten her twice over 1000m at level weights this season.

Sail won a Maiden Juvenile Plate over course and distance by 4,75 lengths just over a year ago. However, she has consistently been just off the best over further and is up against it here too.

Miss Varlicious is the lowest rated runner and looks held on Poinsettia form.

By David Thiselton

The Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion has virtually been owned by the Dennis Drier yard this decade and they will have a shout of winning it for the sixth time in the last eight years at Scottsville on Saturday with Sand And Sea.

However, this tall and speedy Twice Over colt is likely to have some stern opposition and the horse to beat looks to be the Mike de Kock-trained Naafer, while the Sean Tarry-trained pair Warrior’s Rest and Kenan’s Rock also make appeal, while the Brett Crawford-trained Al Mariachi and the Charles Laird-trained Varallo are also hard to ignore.

Sand And Sea (Nkosi Hlophe)

An unusual aspect of this year’s Gold Medallion is that all of the 12 runners bar one can be compared to each other through collateral formlines.

The key race on which the horses can be judged is the Non-Black Type Kuda Sprint over 1200m, which was run on Sun Met day.

A lot of the KZN two-year-old male form can be judged against Medallion runner Sir Frenchie, who was beaten 13,15 lengths in the Kuda Sprint. Sir Frenchie did have the excuse of a high draw, which was unfavourable on the day. This is the reason Warrior’s Rest makes some appeal in the Medallion as he was drawn outside of Sir Frenchie in the Kuda and bounded past him in the closing stages to finish a far from disgraced 5,45 length sixth, 7,7 lengths clear of Sir Frenchie.

Warrior’s Rest, a rangy son of What A Winter, showed his class in his only subsequent run in Johannesburg, going to the front from a wide draw over 1400m and comfortably keeping the challengers at bay before drawing clear to win by 3,25 lengths. The concern for Saturday is whether he has the pace to be within striking distance as he would prefer further than 1200m. However, as a solidly built horse with a big action he is likely to relish the tough Scottsville track and should be running on strongly.

Warrior’s Rest’s stablemate Barrack Street gave him 2kg and beat him by 0,3 lengths in the Kuda, but jumped from a plum low draw. Barrack Street, who was scratched at the Medallion declaration stage yesterday, then went to Jo’burg and won the Listed Storm Bird Stakes over 1000m and the Gr 3 Protea Stakes over 1100m to prove just how strong the Kuda Sprint form was. However, in the Gr 1 SA Nursery he was beaten eight lengths and the runner up Naafer was four lengths in front of him. Therefore, Naafer easily has the beating of Warrior’s Rest on paper. There is just the question mark of how unfavourable that high draw was for Warrior’s Rest on Met day.

Wonderwall, who doesn’t run in the Medallion, finished a narrow second in the Kuda, beating Barrack Street by 5,05 lengths, although he was receiving 2kg. Wonderwall subsequently finished third in the SA Nursery, beaten two lengths by Naafer. This is a further tick against Naafer’s name for the Medallion.

Dennis Drier(Nkosi Hlophe)

The 4,85 length fourth-placed finisher in the Kuda was Apollo Star, who was subsequently beaten over the same Kenilworth 1200m course and distance by Captain’s Charm.

Sand And Sea thus comes into the equation, because on debut over 1200m at Scottsvile he was green but ran on well to beat Captain’s Charm by 3,5 lengths, although he was receiving 3kg.

Sand And Sea was also giving 3kg to Al Mariachi that day and only beat him by 0,5 lengths. However, Sand And Sea is entitled to improve and will have the advantage of Anton Marcus aboard, being part-owned by Mayfair Speculators.

In his two KZN runs Sir Frenchie has finished a close third at Greyville over 1200m and a close second over 1100m at Scottsville and was carrying topweight on both occasions. If the Kuda form is taken literally, these runs put a dampener on the chances of the like of Varallo, Sniper Shot, Procal Harum, Woljayrine, Arianos Bagofgold and Autumn In Seattle.

However, of these Varallo was likely below his best last time having jumped sideways into the gate at the start when beaten 2,25 lengths over 1100m by Woljayrine, to whom he was giving 4kg. That was not the first time Varallo had ducked sideways during a race, so it is interesting to see the blinkers now on for the first time. This classy Var colt won his first two starts impressively and has always struck as one who had plenty of scope for further improvement. Furthermore, he has the Charles Laird factor. Laird has an outstanding record at this meeting,

The most unexposed horse is the Tarry-trained Keanan’s Rock, the only runner who cannot be found in the network of collateral form. On debut last week, this robust gelding by former Medallion winner Seventh Rock lost about three lengths over 1200m at the Vaal in a field consisting mainly of moderate older maidens. However, he ran on powerfully to beat the well-bred Flexible Fugitive by 1,3 lengths and there was a further 4,75 lengths back to the rest of the field. He could be anything and interestingly Tarry’s usual first call jockey S’Manga Khumalo will be aboard him at the expense of Warrior’s Rest.

All of the runners have to be respected, but on form it all points to Naafer being the one to beat with Sand And Sea and the imposing Tarry pair being the dangers alongside Varallo and Al Mariachi.

By David Thiselton