The picture around the Gr1 Cape Guineas should become a lot clearer over the next week with two important build-up races. Today at Kenilworth the much-touted Table Bay will in most likelihood start a short priced favourite for the Gr 2 Selangor Cup and next Saturday, the Gr2 Dingaans on Sansui Summer Cup day is the Highveld equivalent.

Mike de Kock has left Heavenly Blue to take his chances in the Dingaans but will be looking to pop the Table Bay bubble this afternoon.

On rating’s Joey Ramsden’s runner has his field stone-cold. According to the handicappers, Table Bay is seven lengths better than anything else in the field as he garnered a 10-point penalty for his four-length romp in the Cape Classic.

On that showing is likely to start at cramped odds but an unbeaten De Kock runner always sews doubt in the minds of the opposition.

Al Fahad got the better of the much touted Doosra on debut and Johan Janse van Vuuren’s charge has since beaten the De Kock-trained Heavenly Blue, albeit by a short head.

Al Fahad followed up in more convincing fashion when beating Act of Loyalty and the fact that the colt has been shipped to Cape Town suggests that he is a Cape Guineas contender. Just how much of a contender should be revealed this afternoon.

Table Bay (Liesl King)

William Longsword, most impressive a fortnight ago, has won his last four but Vaughan Marshall is cautious and also looking for a feeler for the Guineas. “It’s very competitive and hard to give him a chance but we want to see if he would be competitive in the Cape Guineas.”

Piere Strydom’s mount African Night Sky is two from two with much talk about what he could be capable of but he takes a steep rise in class so should be fully exposed after this race.

The Lanzerac Ready To Run eclipses the Selangor in stakes value and Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion winner Always In Charge looks the obvious choice. Mayfair Speculators boast nearly half the field so Marcus’s booking is significant even in light of the fact that Marshall’s runner is rated a couple of lengths superior to the balance of the field.

Sergeant Hardy get his fifth different rider in just six starts and is almost certain to set the pace as the only time he has been headed in a race he has lost. The extra furlong from a wide draw will test Anthony Delpech’s skills but a strong pace will play into the hands of stable companion Zodiac Ruler.

The Champion Season form of the three-year-old males has proven to be suspect but the G2 Golden Horseshoe winner made a cracking return to the track, beaten under two lengths in a Pinnacle Stakes sprint, and a head behind Marinaresco.

Zodiac Ruler is a magnificent specimen of a racehorse who will much prefer today’s longer trip and could prove a serious threat to the favourite.

Zodiac Ruler (Nkosi Hlophe)

The second leg of the Mauritius Airlines International Jockeys’ Challenge takes centre stage at Turffontein tomorrow, the first leg took place in Port Elizabeth yesterday.

A modest MR62 handicap gets the ball rolling as could Frankie Dettori who partners Joey Soma’s runner Turn Back Time. Lightly raced, she was doing her best work late in a competitive handicap over 1450m last time out. The rise in trip should hold no fears and under Dettori’s expertise she should be a big runner.

Hayley Turner could make it a one-two for the visitors as she gets a leg up on the Chris Erasmus-trained Cranberry Crush. She has shown consistent pace over further and the slightly shorter trip could be in her favour.

In the second leg Let’s Go West made a cracking start to his Highveld career when failing narrowly behind Roaring Tiger over the Vaal 1400m. He had consistently good form in KZN and could finally have his consistency rewarded and give Grant van Niekerk a winner for the locals.

Dettori won’t make is easy aboard Lisnoble for Erico Verdonese. The six-year-old has hardly been out of the money since being fitted with blinkers and was a cracking good third over course and distance last time out.

Aurelian Lemaitre can score for the visitors in the third leg where he partners Samarra. She doesn’t have an easy draw of seven but has some good form and was a close-up second last time out.

Seattle Lady looks another plum ride for Dettori. The mare took on a fair field last time out and should enjoy the drop in class. Inyanga under Robert Havlin could make it a clean sweep for the Internationals.

French Legend can pull on back for the locals in the final leg under Aldo Domeyer. Sean Tarry’s runner won her maiden at second time of asking and followed up with a good fourth in tough Graduation company against males. She has a fair weight to shoulder but does look promising.

By Andrew Harrison

Wet weather and flooded tracks have put paid to many a well laid plan and Duncan Howells has been having a difficult time getting a race under the girth of his crack filly Dawn Calling. But all going well she looks the star bet on tonight’s Greyville card when she runs in the SANCO Conditions Plate.

Ideally Howells was looking to stretch the filly past 1200m with the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas in mind but his only other option was against the colts in a handicap.

Given her high merit rating Dawn Calling was set to shoulder over 60kg and giving weight to all including Gr2 Dingaans entries Palladium and My Pal Al who in previously scheduled but washed out conditions races, would have been giving the filly weight.

But Howells’s tribulations should benefit punters as Dawn Calling looks a blinder in a field that sees the return of a number of useful fillies, all of whom may be in need of the run and a touch further.

Dawn Calling (Nkosi Hlophe)

One of these is the Sean Tarry-trained In Other Words. She has excellent poly form but does seem better over further. In her favour is that she has won over the course and distance and as she has not been out since July she could race fresh.

Ashburton-based Paul Gadsby is at logger heads with the handicappers over their assessment of his filly Miss Varlicious. She has come down from a career high 103 to 97 but that counts for naught in this conditions race where she is set to give Dawn Calling 6kg. Anton Marcus, who has been aboard Dawn Calling in all of her last two starts, is aboard Miss Varlicious, so will have a good idea of what his mount is up against.

Time Marches On won over course and distance two runs back and although never a threat at her last outing over 1400m, she could prove a better proposition over tonight’s trip.

Alistair Gordon and Charles Laird have had similar problems in trying to prepare My Pal Al and Palladium for next Saturdays Gr2 Dingaans and they come up against each other in the PMB Community Chest 3-Year-Old Handicap. Along with Dawn Calling this will be their third attempt at getting a race under their belts and a week between races is not ideal. My Pal Al shed his maiden on the poly and followed up with a cracking effort in a strong field behind highly rated Roy’s Magic who incidentally also holds a place in the Dingaans field. He has a big chance from a good draw but Gordon is sure to be hoping that the race does not turn into a dogfight for the line.

So too Laird. Palladium was a short head behind My Pal Al in the race won by Roy’s Magic and on that showing there is also not likely to be much between them again.

Marshall That, stable companion to My Pa Al, was down the field in the Roy’s Magic race but he was bounced to the front in an attempt to overcome a wide draw and he faded out come the business end of the race.

Miss Varlicious (Nkosi Hlophe)

Prior to that he shed his maiden, putting five lengths between himself and Newyorkstateofmind, the later still a model of consistency. Warren Kennedy replaces his apprentice rider and one can expect a better showing this time around.

The King Of Random has yet to finish out of the money and Michael Roberts’s charge has a light weight and a good draw to help his cause. He was only two lengths back in the Roy’s Magic race and was doing is best work late. He steps up to a mile here and if he does not get too far out of his ground early then he too must rate a winning chance.

The first leg of the Air Mauritius International Jockeys’ Challenge gets under way at Fairview this afternoon where the international team, led by the inimitable Frankie Dettori takes on a South African team lead by champion S’Manga Khumalo.

Race tactics could play a crucial role here with teams trying to outsmart each other so it should make for fascinating viewing.

The first of the four challenge races is off at 2.15.

The challenge extends to Turffontein on Sunday for the final four legs of the eight-race challenge.

By Andrew Harrison

Sail gave her Cape Fillies Guineas chances a huge boost by leading throughout the Itsarush.co.za Progress Plate at Kenilworth yesterday to beat The Secret Is Out by two most convincing lengths. But there was a devastating shock for the connections of the runner-up who ran a tremendous race considering she was giving the winner 3kg.

Sail (Nkosi Hlophe)

Vaughan Marshall reported: “It was a fantastic run but she bled and so she is now off on a two-month holiday.”

Sail was backed from 2-1 to evens and, although she had never led before, her rider was under orders not to be afraid to make it. Once into the straight Gaynor Rupert’s homebred never looking in danger. Veale glanced back as he reached the rails advertising and then leant down to pat the Philanthropist filly low on the neck.

He said: “I knew it would take a good one to beat her and she simply blew them away. The more she runs the better she will get.”

Drier added: “I ran her here because I didn’t want to be caught with my pants down having given her just one run out of the Durban season. She is basically a bit hot but in a race she is a relaxed filly and I think eventually she will go 1 800m.”

Stable companion Premier Dance finished a highly respectable fourth but Drier virtually ruled out the World Sports Betting-sponsored classic on December 3.

He said: “I will speak to (owner-breeder) Mike Rattray as I would like to go slowly with her in the Cape season and prepare her for when we have bigger fish to fry in Durban.”

By Michael Clower

Leading apprentice Lyle Hewitson has had a fairytale career to date and can add another chapter as his 100th winner in the professional ranks coincided with his first ever ride overseas.

Hewitson won a race for Arabian horses on Sunday in the UAE. He thus followed the example of fellow South African Jockey Academy pupil, Kersley Ramsamy, who rode a winner in his first overseas ride in France on October 16.

Lyle Hewitson (Nkosi Hlophe)

Hewitson and the Mauritian-born Ramsamy flew over to the UAE last week ostensibly to take part in Sunday’s finale of the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race in Abu Dhabi.

Hewitson discovered upon arrival only riders who had won one of the qualifying races, which are staged at intervals through the year in various parts of the world, can take part in the finale.

However, the trip was far from being a waste of time as he attended the press conferences and workshops put on for all of the invited visitors. He was also able to take time out to ride work for Mike de Kock at Meydan in Dubai.

Then came the cherry on the top. Former South African-based trainer Ernst Oertel learnt Hewitson was to be in attendance on the night of the Apprentice World Championship meeting and offered him a ride in one of the supporting races on the card.

Hewitson’s subsequent victory was all the more remarkable in that he did not have an opportunity to ride his mount work during the week. When he climbed aboard in the parade ring it was the first time he had ever sat on an Arabian horse. His mount, a seven-year-old grey entire named Ibn Harmany Al Zobair, was a battling maiden running in a handicap event over 1200m against winners. Furthermore, the horse was 2kg under sufferance on official merit ratings. Lastly, Hewitson was up against some of the best jockeys in the world, the like of Silvestre de Souza, Royston French, Richard Mullen, Fernando Jara and Tadhg O’Shea, all of whom had ridden in plenty of Arabian races.

He said about his preparation for the race, “I watched a replay and got feedback from previous jockeys. Arabians seem to be a lot more temperamental, so it’s important to have them in the right frame of mind to get the most out of them. You almost have to be more kind to them in your demeanour. However, with saying that, they take a strong and a hard ride. Mr Oertel left the race to me. He let me know about the horse and after that I played it by ear and took the race as it came.”

Hewitson jumped from a low draw and got his mount handy before sitting still and showing his usual fine balance. He began riding the blinkered grey from 600m out. Enough fuel had been reserved to enable the horse to produce a sustained finishing effort. The race developed into a ding-dong tussle between Ibn Harmony Al Zobair and Richard Mullen’s mount, a five-year-old mare called Extra Hope. However, Hewitson’s hard driving kept the former’s nose in front.

Kersley Ramsamy (right) and Lyle Hewitson (left) meet Richard Mullen

Later Ramsamy did the SA Jockey Academy equally proud. Ramsamy is the current East Cape Champion Apprentice. He rode the Eric Lemartinel-trained four-year-old colt Snaffy into third place in a conditions event for Arabians over 1600m. He had to overcome a wide draw and his horse was a whopping 17kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse according to official merit ratings. The ultimate winner of the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championships was Dylan Dunn of Australia. His mount, the Jean de Roüalle-trained four-year-old grey colt Qader, romped to a 7,25 length victory. Fittingly, the horse was owned and bred by Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the deputy prime minister of the UAE, minister of presidential affairs and a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi.

Hewitson has not won any invites yet for the win, but felt it would open some doors.

He summed up the trip, “ I met great people and made new friends and work related contacts. The experience was amazing in all aspects. I also really enjoyed seeing the professional set up of Mike de Kock’s Dubai yard and being able to work some great horses at a wonderful training establishment.”

By David Thiselton

The Vaal stages an eight race meeting on the Inside track today and there look to be a few opportunities for punters. Low draws have been favourable down the straight here by trends.

The highest rated race on the card is the second, an intriguing MR 82 Handicap for three-year-olds over 1400m. The topweight Captain Von Trapp is the selection despite a tricky draw of six in a seven horse field. On debut over 1200m on the Vaal Classic track, he used his big stride to overcome a wide draw and then fended off the challenge of the more experienced Ebony Knight to win by a short-head. The third-placed Harry’s Silver was 4,3 lengths further back.

Ebony Knight franked the form by cruising to an effortless 5,5, length win over 1200m next time out. Harry’s Silver also won his next race and so did another horse who had finished further back. Captain Von Trapp is by Captain Al and is a half-brother to Gr 1 SA Derby dead-heater Royal Bencher, so should relish the step up in trip. He is still quite gangly, so should continually improve.

Alec Laird

Raydaveric could be the chief danger. He has not beaten much to date, but is an eyecatching sort and was not asked any serious questions when winning from start to finish over this trip last time out. He has plenty of scope and coming from the Alec Laird yard should also come on from his first two runs. He was set to carry joint topweight of 60kg but has 1,5kg claimer Calvin Ngcobo aboard. He has a plum draw of two.

At the other end of the weights is Penultimate, who won easily on debut over 1200m and two runs later finished just four lengths behind the promising Buckland over 1200m when 6kg under sufferance on official merit ratings. His last run when finishing well back in the R2,5 million Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run can probably be ignored as he missed the break and was later caught wide. He receives 2kg from Captain Von Trapp and should enjoy this trip on pedigree being by Captain Al out of a Fort Wood mare.

Biblical Susan is the only filly in the race and is only receiving 0,5kg from the topweight. She ran on strongly from a tough draw on debut over 1000m at Scottsville and then followed up with an eyecatching win over 1200m at the Vaal, where she showed a fine turn of foot and found extra to repel Secret Star. The latter franked the form by obliterating a fillies and mares Maiden field over 1160m yesterday by 6,5 lengths.

Wanted Man is a nice looking horse and if he settles better than he did last time over this sort of trip he could be a contender. Approval Mode has finished close to the best of is age over 1000m, but there is a question mark over this trip. Copper Pot ran a fair race in the Ready To Run Cup and can’t be ignored.

The best bet on the card comes in the third race, a Maiden over 1400m. Tilbury Fort over raced over 1600m last time, but still found a late surge to finish second in a fair field. He reportedly finished distressed, but looks likely to relish the step down in trip and Piere Strydom remains aboard from a good draw. He doesn’t face a great field and it would be no surprise if the chief challenger turned out to be the Mike de Kock-trained first-timer Alaadel. He is by Sebring, who won Australia’s biggest sire producing race, the Golden Slipper for two-year-olds over 1200m as well as one other Gr 1 for two-year-olds over 1400m. Alaadel is out of a half-sister to a GR 3 winner in the USA.

Piere Strydom

There could be another good bet in the seventh race, a MR 78 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1700m. Tambalang, in her last race over 1800m on the Turffontein Inside track, was building up into her big stride when her run was blocked and this cost her crucial momentum. She got going again and was closing fast at the finish to be beaten just 0,5 lengths. The progressive daughter of Go Deputy remains on a 78 merit rating and will relish this more galloping track. The only concern is a wide draw of eight in the eight horse field, although she is not the sort who over races.

Cosmo Russe should get punters off to a good start in the first, a maiden for fillies and mares over 1800m. She has proved in her last two starts she loves this sort of trip and from a fair draw of six looks hard to beat in an uninspiring field.

In what should be a fine day for champion trainer Sean Tarry, he has chances in the fourth and sixth races, over 1400m and 2400m, with End Game and Consequentially respectively.

His Silvano filly End Game had to contend with draw 16 of 16 on Charity Mile day in a maiden over 1600m and had to be used up to some extent to slot into midfield, but she then stayed on well for third. This long-striding sort will appreciate the galloping track and looks to have plenty of scope. However, her high draw will be tricky, especially as the obvious danger, Rouge Allure, is distance suited and well drawn.

Consequentially, also by Silvano, has been a revelation with blinkers, finishing strongly to win her last two. She looks likely to enjoy the 2400m trip in the sixth, a MR 71 Handicap. She was only raised three points for her last win to a 64 merit rating, which she looks capable of rising above, but on the downside she is the only female in this field and it is never easy against the boys.

By David Thiselton