The Markus Jooste-owned pair Legal Eagle and The Conglomerate will no longer be going overseas at the end of this month “barring a miracle” and the latter will therefore likely be on his way to Durban to defend his Vodacom Durban July crown.

Jooste’s Mayfair Speculators racing manager Derek Brugman added Legal Eagle would likely defend his Gr 1 President’s Champions Challenge crown at Turffontein on May 6 and a decision on the rest of his program for the season would be taken thereafter.

The pair’s intended flight to the USA at the end of this month looks likely to have fallen through due to a lack of equine passengers to share the cost.

The Conglomerate (Nkosi Hlophe)

Legal Eagle found one better in the Sun Met for the second year in succession, while The Conglomerate’s unplaced run proved he was more suited to Gr 1s run under handicap-like conditions, such as the July.

Meanwhile, another star horse in the Mayfair Speculators fold, Table Bay, has the connections “flummoxed”. He finished a lacklustre sixth in the Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby over 2000m on Met day.

Brugman said it would be “ludicrous” to cite a lack of stamina as the simple explanation for his last three disappointing performances, particularly as the Derby was run at a crawl, although he did admittedly over race a bit. Soundness is also not an issue. There has not been a lack of effort to get to the bottom of his below par sequence and if a potential solution is agreed upon he will head for the SA Champions Season.

The Gr 1 WSB Grand Parade Cape Guineas-winner Just Sensual finished a disappointing 6,85 length eleventh in the US$5 million CTS Mile on Met day, but Brugman confirmed the plan had definitely not been to take her to the front, as she had been by Frankie Dettori. She will be going to Durban and the Gr 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas and the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m will likely be her chief targets.

Lady Of The House will be joining her in Durban. She was a touch disappointing in the Gr 1 Majorca, but the connections had always believed she would be a better filly later on. The Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 will likely be her chief aim.

Dettori did ride a brilliant race on Edict Of Nantes to win the Cape Derby. A decision on where this horse goes will be decided after running him in the Winter Guineas at Kenilworth on April 23.

The future of William Longsword, winner of both the Grand Parade Cape Guineas and CTS 1600m, has not yet been finalised. Being retired to stud as a natural successor to his champion father Captain Al is a strong possibility.

Meanwhile, Gr 1 Mercury Sprint winner Red Ray, who finished an excellent third in the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship, has been granted deserved retirement from racing. He will take up stud duties at the beginning of next season, although it has not yet been finalised where he will stand.

By David Thiselton

Trainer Colin Scott, the nephew of the late “Uncle George” Scott and the brother of Tellytrack CEO Rob Scott, died on Sunday night after a protracted battle against cancer.

The 52-year-old had held a trainer’s license since 1999 and was one of the most popular racing industryman in the country due to his ever friendly and down-to-earth demeanour.

His father Tom was formerly involved in the breeding industry and held his racing colours for decades. Colin spent his holidays as a schoolboy assisting his father, as well as the local trainers, in his hometown of Bloemfontein.  He was willing to assist Uncle George, who was the leading trainer in Bloemfontein, whenever possible.

After schooling he worked as a dealer on the Johannesburg stock exchange before becoming an assistant trainer to Uncle George and, later on, to Brian Wiid. Uncle George was one of the wisest trainers in the country and it was he and Wiid who most influenced Colin’s training methods.

Colin Scott

Colin then took out his own license and, from a small yard in Alberton close to the now defunct Newmarket racecourse, he made a good start in this toughest of professions. He moved to Turffontein when council bylaws put an end to horses being trained out of residential areas. In his training days on the Highveld he trained the like of Hale Sapieha (a seven-time winning sprinter who won a Gr 3), Cool Prospect (an eleven-time winning sprinter, who ran third in the Gr 1 Merchants). Another Ace (an eight-time winner) and Gravity (a nine-time winning sprinter, who won five-in-a-row in 2005).

In 2007, Colin moved his training operation from Turffontein down to Summerveld and cited the “nicer lifestyle” in Durban as the reason. His wife Gill was transferred at the same time and daughter Claire began attending St. Mary’s, a top private school in Kloof, where she matriculated in 2011. Colin’s father Tom also made the move down to KZN and initially acted as his assistant. He was a regular at the yard up until Colin’s passing.

Colin arrived in KZN with a string of 40 horses, 25 of whom were owned in various partnerships by brother Rob.

The move soon began paying dividends as he trained over 20 winners in a season a number of times, including a high of 27 winners in the 2010/2011 season.

Colin’s first big Summerveld-trained horse was the sprinter Extinct, who finished third in the 2009 Gr 1 Mercury Sprint in Rob’s familiar black and white checked colours.

This horse was unsound yet still won seven races, a testament to Colin’s training and horsecare skills, as well as his patience.

Colin, renowned as a hard worker, prided himself on buying inexpensive horses and training them into profitable racehorses for their owners. His good eye was partly behind his ability to achieve this goal.

Brother Rob had the same gift and this was illustrated when he bought a three-year-old by Dynasty called Sage Throne at the Graham Beck Dispersal sale in 2011. In his only two Cape starts this horse had been beaten 14,95 lengths and 8,15 lengths.

However, he was backed from 25/1 to 5/1 in his first start for Colin and won in impressive style over 1600m at Scottsville. Sage Throne won next time out too and then crossed the line first in the Gr 2 Gold Circle Derby over 2400m at Clairwood, only to be demoted after an objection. In 2012 Sage Throne gave both Colin and Rob their first respective runner in the Vodacom Durban July.

The brotherly partnership also did well out of Summerveld with another Dynasty gelding, Fourth Estate, a classy miler who won eight races, including the Gr 3 Christmas Handicap.

Another of their stalwarts has been the evergreen grey Stolen Destiny, an eight-time winner who is still competitive off a 90 merit rating at the age of nine. Colin’s final winner was the Australian-bred Mackdesi, who was backed from 28/1 to 15/1 at Greyville last Friday night and stormed to his fifth career victory. Fittingly he is owned outright by Rob.

Colin’s passing will come as a double blow to his family who have recently had to endure the death in tragic circumstances of his sister Janet.

Colin will be sorely missed by everyone in the racing industry and by all others who met him.

By David Thiselton

Punting first timers is a risky business even at the best of times and there were more than a few anxious moments come the first at Scottsville yesterday as the heavily supported Varallo made equally heavy weather of the opener.

Among the general public, the word out was ‘impossible’, those closer to the favourite were seemingly not that confident and as the race unfolded it became clear why.

Keagan De Melo (Nkosi Hlophe)

The expensive yearling purchase was backed in to 5-10 favourite but was all over the racecourse under Anton Marcus, racing like a horse that had never see a racetrack before. “He’s a laid-back horse,” said Charles Laird and Marcus later made light of his mounts antics. “If he had got beat it would not have been a train-smash.”

Cold comfort for those that had plunged!

The value of racing experience was shown as Hoppertunity, the only runner with a race under his girth, kicked on for second.

Owner Alesh Naidoo, who races under the moniker The Fire Trust Racing, was later the recipient of the Gold Circle Owner of the Month, an award richly deserved.

Much of the ra-ra surrounding the first two foals to make the course out of the superb race mare Val Da Ra, in spite of their lofty breeding, have not made an auspicious start to their racing careers. That may all change in an instant but first foal Dream De Ra was never in the hunt on debut as Rainbowinthesky showed her mettle from a tricky draw to land the second ahead of the rank outsider Khetiwe that was having her first run for Paul Lafferty.

The going down the centre of the Scottsville track appears to be as good as anywhere but Keagan de Melo had no intention of taking chances on Duncan Howells’s runner and immediately headed for the inside fence from the widest draw.

He was pressed all the way to the line by Khetiwe, only getting the upper hand late, but the balance of the field were well beaten.

Hot favourite Midnight Man gave supporters some anxious moments as he gave some cheek at the gate but eventually won well enough for Mike Miller although Rebel Circus pushed him to the line.

With two scratchings, the fifth cut up into six runners with everyone for themselves come the top of the straight. Pacemaker Heir Line kept finding to hold off Mr O’Neill and Cockade but it was a strange race and one where the form is likely to prove suspect. Roman Emperor appeared more attracted to the water lilies in the racecourse dam than racing as De Melo struggled to keep in straight while the balance made their own way to the line spread across the track.

A strange finish indeed.

By Andrew Harrison

Robert Khathi has cut short his promising stint in Bahrain – four winners in eight meetings – to ride in Mauritius and he leaves early next month after signing up with the 40-horse stable of Shirish Narang.

He celebrated his brief return to Kenilworth by taking Saturday’s 2 500m maiden on Australian import Dorset Noble for Marsh Shirtliff and Candice Bass-Robinson. But it was Richard Fourie who stole most of the show.

Richard Fourie (Nkosi Hlope)

Fourie’s 21% strike rate this season is bettered only by Anton Marcus and Gavin Lerena and on 11-2 chance Zodiac Jack in the two-year-old maiden he made every post a winning one to end  15 costly weeks in the wilderness for Greg Ennion.

“My horses had a virus that started in October and has taken this long to clear,” the Milnerton trainer explained. “I lost six or seven horses with owners sending them to other centres but I was confident about this one and I told Braam van Huyssteen that his horse wouldn’t get beat unless there was something special among the unraced ones.”

In the 1 400m handicap Fourie appeared to take a leaf out of the Bernard Fayd’Herbe racing manual (Chapter 3 – How To Hoodwink the Opposition) by switching Shall Be Free to the stands side and coming home alone on the well-backed Mike Robinson winner.

In the Riverside Estates Handicap 35 minutes later they all headed for the outside strip but Fourie later disclosed: “I went across on Shall Be Free because he fights with other horses and so he is better on his own.”

The Adam Marcus-trained Quippi, the middle leg of the Fourie treble, gave Glenn Hatt his first success in his new role as racing manager for Andreas Jacobs’ Maine Chance Farms. “I am now looking at racing in a totally different light,” said the man whose many big race wins included two Mets and three Queen’s Plates. “But the big thing for me is that I am back involved in the game.”

Loadshedder took five races to win his maiden but the way he followed up in the Riverside Estates Handicap, after being backed from 11-2 to 7-2, suggests he could yet prove a punter’s friend particularly as Andre Nel said: “He won this with real authority and there is a lot to look forward to.”

This was the second leg of a double for Aldo Domeyer who delivered Mtoroshanga late to justify 3-1 favouritism for Paddy Kruyer in the Raging Romantics Maiden.

Harold Crawford is convinced that Perovskia wants a mile or ten furlongs even though Grant Behr was able to make most of the running on her in the 1 200m Kinney’s Maiden.

Sean Veale will be concentrating on Durban from now on but he came back to win the last for Eric Sands on Excellent. The top weight  was one of several in the race who came up the outside so maybe there was more to the Fourie precedent  than he thought!

What A Winter’s reputation is growing. He stood at R20 000 last season but a service to him made R47 500 in the Peninsula Room auction whereas those to R100 000 big boys Duke Of Marmalade and Oratorio went for R60 000 and R55 000.

By Michael Clower

Met hero Greg Cheyne is on the crest of a wave and, after a four-timer at Fairview on Tuesday, he goes into today’s meeting there with a six-winner lead in the national log and just one short of his century.

With six of his eight rides in the first two in the betting he should increase his lead still further and at Kenilworth tomorrow he has an outstanding chance on Sabina’s Dynasty in the Rocking Red Maiden.

Greg Cheyne (Liesl King)

This filly was most unlucky when starting odds-on last time. She had the worst of the draw and was last of all until the straight. With two furlongs to run she still had eight lengths to make up but she then took off and was only three-quarters of a length off the winner at the line.

There are, however, two negatives. Firstly she is again not drawn well – eighth of 11 – and the distance is 200m less. These factors should help Richard Fourie’s mount Quippi and, to a lesser extent Miss Stake, but Cheyne is riding so well that the Justin Snaith filly is a confident choice.

Snaith introduces the R275 000 Var newcomer Hithimagainchuck in the opening Celebration Life Maiden Juvenile but this one will need to be smart to cope with Victorious Captain who showed plenty of promise when fifth of 15 to Bold Respect who went on to win the R1 million Kuda Sprint.

However a newcomer to note is Ancestry. The Joey Ramsden-trained Oratorio colt cost R850 000 and his dam, A Daughter’s Legacy, won the Final Fling twice as well as the Victress Stakes.

Twilight Trip looks good in the Kinney’s Maiden 35 minutes later. This well bred gelding (by Trippi out of the 2010 Majorca dead-heater Love Is In The Air) was a most encouraging fourth to useful fellow newcomer Kampala Campari on New Year’s Eve despite losing ground at the start.

Candice Bass-Robinson’s three-year-old should have come on enough to account for Pop The Question and Tweak The Wind.

Dorset Noble may follow up for the Milnerton trainer in the All The Single Ladies Maiden. Hernando’s Promise is the form horse, is officially the best horse in the race and has gone close in his last three. He has an unfortunate habit of losing ground at the start, although neither that nor his outside draw should matter so much over this longer trip.

However Dorset Noble has a fair bit of stamina in his pedigree (his dam is by dual Derby winner Generous) and the decision to step up from his good debut over a mile can pay dividends.

By Michael Clower

Three feature races head the nine race meeting at Turffontein Inside track tomorrow and possibly the most intriguing runner of the day will be Matador Man in the Gr 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes over 1450m.

The Toreador gelding relaxed beautifully in the running and then showed a fine turn of foot when winning the Listed Secretariat Stakes over 1400m in early December. He now faces some of the best three-year-olds in Gauteng but looks up to it. His high draw is not a real concern as he always starts slowly and can slot in behind the field.

Maleficent (Nkosi Hlophe)

The best weighted horse is the progressive Australian-bred More Than Ready filly Ektifaa and she will attempt to remain unbeaten for the season. Last time out in the Gr 2 Choice Carriers over 1400m at Kenilworth she beat the classy Sail at level weights by 0,75 lengths despite jumping from a high draw. This trip looks to be down her alley and she has a plum draw of three with regular pilot Callan Murray aboard. However, it might be trough giving 1,5kg to the unexposed Matador Man.

Chili Con Carne has come into his own since blinkers have been fitted and Piere Strydom has remained aboard after their good win together over 1400m last time. From a draw of two this classy and progressive gelding by Just As Well should be in the shake up.

Al Fahad finished a decent fifth in the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas, when finding no extra after being right up there with 400m to go. He moved up well again last time over 1800m, before fading. On the evidence of those runs he will relish the step back down to 1450m and will be a dangerous runner.

Doosra won the Gr 2 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m and looked to be a long-striding sort who was heading places. However, he has to bounce back from a flat run last time when beaten five lengths by Chili Con Carne, although he is now 2kg better off. The dark horse is Maximizer, a big and impressive specimen who has won his last two starts, both over 1400m, in eyecatching style. The Querari colt is drawn in pole and can prove himself here. He has made breathing noises but no tongue tie is fitted, suggesting his breathing is not being affected.

In the Gr 3 Three Troikas over 1450m the classy Maleficent is hard to beat at the weights. However, a horse who might give some cheek over an ideal trip is Anna Pavlova, who has an impressively powerful set of hindquarters which generate superb acceleration. She is on the way up. Babbling Brooke looks to have been brought on magnificently by Ormond Ferraris for her classic campaign, but will likely find this too sharp. Al Hawraa is coming into her own and could be a threat having won well over thus sort of trip last time. Comme-Ci-Comme-Ca looks to be improving and could make a bid for a quartet position at likely long odds.

The Listed Wolf Power 1600 gives the lightly raced Australian-bred Redoute’s Choice colt Rafeef a chance to prove his considerable class. He has another tough draw, but should have learnt from his first start around the turn and can mow them down in the straight. Irish Pride is 1,5kg better off for a one length beating by Rafeef over 1400m and is well drawn again. He should be more forward and will likely be a big threat. Romany Prince will also be a threat, having quickened well to beat the useful Deo Juvente on correct handicap terms over 1800m last time. Bulleting Home is a strapping sort and the best has likely not been seen of him yet, so he could surprise. Champagne Haze can’t be ignored as a runner up in the Gauteng Guineas to Abashiri last year, but he carries topweight and is likely better over 1400m.

By David Thiselton

Punters face a tricky evening at Greyville where they are confronted with a card of generally weak maidens and lower division handicaps. For a variety of reasons, horses at the lower end of the merit rating scale cannot always be relied upon to hold form and often one or other with little obvious ability but feeling good on the day has punters scratching their heads at the improved form.

Anton Marcus

That said, Paul Lafferty’s runner Cupking looks one of the better bets on the card when he lines up in the second, opening leg of the PA. With a merit rating far superior to anything else in the field and runner-up in his last two, he will never get a better chance to shed his maiden. Possible threat could come in the form of Mighty Mississippi from the Doug Campbell yard but the four-year-old has already had 13 stabs at winning and although seldom far back he tends to lack extra when it counts.

With a winning strike rate in the region of 27% it is little wonder that Anton Marcus is aboard more than his fair share of favourites but there is a double edge to his sword as often his mere presence in the saddle is enough to convince backers that he’s on the right one.

Marcus does however, sleep with the form book under his pillow, and he may have picked the right one in Enchanted Drawing for James Goodman in the third. The gelding has shown the poly track to be his preferred surface and the addition of blinkers last time out saw him improve behind winner Roy’s Past. Marcus and the extended trip could finally see him in the winner’s enclosure.

But he is by no means home-and-hosed. There are six “Roy’s” carded this evening, two of them taking on Enchanted Drawing. Yogas Govender saddles the oddly named Roy Is Slow but who looked quite speedy when making marked and obviously unexpected improvement at his second outing finishing a close-up second to favourite Media Circus at odds of 55-1. A repeat effort will give Marcus something to think about. Alyson Wright has booked Anthony Delpech for Eastern Echo after his improved showing while Roy’s Flyer and the now blinkered Fire Bolt could surprise.

Byron Foster does a sterling job for Andre Nel at Sabine Plattner’s Summerveld satellite yard and the lightly raced At Long Last can live up to his name and notch his second win in the fourth. Although rested and having only his second run out of the maidens, the gelding has improved all the while but still comes into the race off a five-point lower rating than his last start. He is also course and distance suited which adds to his appeal.

For some bizarre reason, the death of a stallion often heralds a spate of winners, and the passing of AP Answer this week could herald back-to-back wins for his daughter Fashion Talk. She backed up two seconds with an easy victory last time out and although she takes on males her form is good. However, this is not a race to go light in the exotics with upset written all over it. The Ashburton-based trio of Enlightenment from the Duncan Howells yard and the Lowan Denysschen pair of For Ever and Principate are others to consider.

The ‘Donkey’ takes on the ‘Taxi’ but ‘Harry’ could have ‘Da Wheels’ in the sixth. Roy’s Taxi has been too quick for Harry da Wheels in their last two meetings but Candice Bass-Robinson’s runner is 3kg better off at the weights this time around which should be enough to reverse the placings.

A runner to keep an eye on is Delamere. Gavin van Zyl’s charge has had two outings on the poly since arriving from the Highveld and caught the eye behind another ‘Roy’, Roy’s Rolls Royce, and looks primed for a big showing.

By Andrew Harrison

A virus is unlikely the cause of Playboy Buddy’s modest effort in the Flamboyant Stakes on New Year’s Day, but rather some strong opposition over a distance short of her best. The race won by visiting Fort Ember contained some smart fillies in the line-up including Lala and Impala Lily who finished first and runner-up respectively at Scottsville on Sunday.

Playboy Buddy (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Playboy Buddy takes a substantial drop in class at Greyville this afternoon and although she takes a corresponding rise in the weights she looks good enough to land the Interbet FM 82 Handicap over 1900m.

Playboy Buddy’s form before the Flamboyant was impeccable having finished second to the more than useful Lala and going one better to beat Princess Varunya. All of her best recent form has been on the poly track and back on her favoured surface from an inside gate makes her the one to beat.

Johan Janse van Vuuren acquired a taste for KZN racing with a string based at Ashburton for Champions Season and has raided successfully since. He saddles Readyforyourlove who makes her poly debut and who looks to be the main threat to Playboy Buddy’s chances.

The imported daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown has something of a dirt pedigree and the switch to the poly track could bring out the best in her. She has not been finishing off her races, leading for much of the way before being caught over the final furlong. With only 53,5kg to shoulder, in receipt of 8kg from Playboy Buddy, she could make all the running.

The light weight, Iced Up and Waity Katie look pick of the balance but Playboy Buddy may just have enough in hand to chase down Readyforyourlove but it is likely to be a close-run thing.

Wild Wicket didn’t make it to start when fancied to win on his handicap debut after knocking himself on the way to the start and being withdrawn by the vet. He lines up again in the Lightning Shot Bar Handicap and Duncan Howells will be hoping that the gelding continues on his winning ways.

Wild Wicket (Nkosi Hlophe)

Much was expected of Wild Wicket in his first three starts but after letting the side down for the third time it was a case of “three strikes and they’re out” and his last run was as a gelding. The transformation was instant and Wild Wicket doddled home to his maiden win – closely tracking the early pace and quickening away to win as he liked.

The handicappers were also impressed by his performance and his rating rocketed from a 71 to 84.

He takes on some seasoned campaigners this afternoon but shows plenty of scope.

Ahead of Wild Wicket in the maiden won by Mr O’Neill – who incidentally has also made major improvement since gelding – was Black Forest who finished second. Frank Robinson’s horses looked a picture of health at Scottsville on Sunday where he was rewarded by Bank The Cash and strictly on that form he looks a threat to Wild Wicket.

However, he took a further two runs to shed his maiden and the form of those races is not strong. However, Black Forest has not been out since his maiden win in November last year and is likely to have strengthened up in the interim.

Janse van Vuuren sends out the lightly raced Nala in the Durban View Restaurant FM 76 Handicap where the daughter of Trippi will be out to keep a clean sheet on the poly. The four-year-old obviously has problems having only raced three times with months off between outings. However, both her wins have come on the synthetic surface and given her record Janse van Vuuren is likely to have her fully prepped for this race even though her last outing was in August last year.

Others returning from lengthy breaks are Sister Cosmos and Vine Street Star, both of whom look capable and worth following in the market.

By Andrew Harrison

Western Cape Equine Trust chairman Ken Truter has persuaded owners of some of the country’s top stallions to part with a service to raise funds for charity when racing resumes at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Those with stud fees up for auction include Duke Of Marmalade and Oratorio who both stand at R100 000, Twice Over (R50 000) and Ideal World (R40 000).

Ken Truter

The busy Truter, who last month added the chairmanship of the National Horseracing Authority to his duties, said: “The auction of the services will take place in the Peninsula Room, half the money will go to the Equine Trust and half to the Horses For Causes charity.”

The Equine Trust will use its share to help fund its programme for the retraining and rehoming of retired racehorses. The other stallion services to be sold are those for What A Winter, Pathfork, Coup De Grace, Captain Of All, Elusive Fort, Pomodoro, Vercingetorix and Go Deputy.

This the first racemeeting at the Cape Town course since the Sun Met 11 days ago but two of the principal players will be sitting on the sidelines.  Corne Orffer is out for ten days for failing to do enough to stop Captain America interfering with fourth-placed Gold Standard when third in the Met and Grant van Niekerk has an identical ban for a similar offence after the fast-finishing Trip To Heaven hampered Tevez (fifth) on the way through when second in the Cape Flying Championship.

Robert Khathi, who recently returned from a stint in Bahrain, is the principal beneficiary of the Van Niekerk suspension. He has rides in all eight races including five for Candice Bass-Robinson. Craig du Plooy, in action for the first time since breaking bones in his hand at the beginning of November, has three mounts for Justin Snaith.

By Michael Clower