Scottsville’s Festival Of Speed meeting is a day for both the purist and socialite as it always attracts a large and festive crowd, while it takes a top horse to win any of the four Gr 1 1200m events on the card.

Hopefully, with the moving of the far rail inward a few metres, horses will have equal chances no matter where they are drawn.

The Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint is as open as ever and every single horse has a winning chance. Class usually prevails in this race, although occasionally one slips through the handicapping net and punters have the luxury of both class and weight on their side.

The one who best fits both credentials is Barbosa, who has blossomed this season, and his Gr 1 Computaform Sprint third place was similar in style to his former stablemate Captain Of All’s third place in that race last year. The latter went on to win the Tsogo Sun and Barbosa can bring more success to trainer Dennis Drier, who will probably need another cabinet soon just to contain his Scottsville trophies.

Gulf Storm and Talktothestars are the two classiest horses in the field, so are selected for second and third respectively. Captain Alfredo is the young pretender, so could also finish in the quartet. Exelero looks well weighted on certain collateral formlines, so could also earn a cheque. However, it would not be foolish to include the whole field in the Pick 6.

Gulf Storm (Liesl King)

Cuvee Brut, stablemate to Gulf Storm, represents the yard of Brett Crawford, whose SA Champions Season horses have proved in need of their first KZN runs this year. Crawford’s pair are both likely to show big improvement on their last runs. Captain’s Causeway is 1kg under sufferance, but his merit rating is likely capped. Both Captain Alfredo and Captain’s Causeway were given the maximum allowed raise for their respective first and second place in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes, but they probably both deserved to be given even more.

Ernie ran an honest third in the In Full Flight and is 3,5kg better off with Captain Alfredo for a 4,75 length beating, so will have his work cut out, although the officially “very soft” going that day could have exaggerated the winning margins. Ernie should now be at his peak and 1200m looks to be his best trip. Red Ray has the class, as proven by his second place from a tough draw in this race two years ago, but connections have admitted he will only be about 80% fit.

Seventh Plain is one of the dark horses, as one who oozes class, but is coming off an interrupted preparation. He was doing good late work in the In Full Flight Stakes and should have improved a lot from that run. Guiness also has a lot of class, having, like Seventh Plain, won the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion as a two-year-old, and he should also improve on his last run, which was his comeback from an overall disappointing campaign in Cape Town.

Splendid Garden did not have an ideal preparation into the Computaform Sprint, yet still ran a fine fifth, despite jumping from a tough draw. He is thriving at Summerveld and is a runner if behaving himself at the start. Tiger’s Touch will need to improve on the form she has shown off her current 104 merit rating. African Ruler is an up and coming sort who was raised one point after finishing second in the Gr 3 Man O’ War Sprint over 1100m at Turffontein and this is now a lot tougher.

Carry On Alice in the City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint will be the meeting banker provided she is herself, and trainer Sean Tarry has been concerned by the below par form of his Randjesfontein yard at present, so it is not a given she will be. Lanner Falcon has blossomed and can pick up the pieces.

Princess Royal has come on a lot from her last run and is ideally course and distance suited. Joan Ranger is the dark horse as one who has won both of her sprints in fine style since proving herself suited to shorter distances. Real Princess won the Poinsettia over course and distance in eye-catching fashion after being squeezed at the start. They are selected in the order mentioned.

Horse Guards could give Drier his sixth win of the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion in the last seven renewals. He was an impressive course and distance winner last time out. However, Always In Charge looks top class too. Oomph brings the unknown as he has obliterated all before him in the weaker centre of Port Elizabeth. Paperback Writer is another dark horse as a well bred sort who has shown plenty of speed and is now dropped to a likely more suitable 1200m. Red Rock strikes as being better than the form of his last run suggests. He did have to switch close to home in that last run. Seattle Singer is interesting as a consistent and improving filly with  a gender allowance.

The Allan Robertson Championship, following the scratching of the brilliant Cloth Of Cloud, could be won by the classy and superbly bred The Secret Is Out, who has impressed to date. Visuality caught the eye last time in a race which didn’t pan out well for her and is the dark horse. Zaakhira beat a moderate field impressively on debut and should improve further. Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery winner Fursa ideally needs further, but should relish the tough course and distance. SA Fillies Nursery runner up Myfunnyvalentine could earn too.

David Thiselton

Scottsville hosts the popular Festival Of Speed tomorrow with the running of four Gr1 sprints headed by the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint. It is a wide open handicap with any number of runners in with winning chances. Vaughan Marshall’s runner Exelero does not have the best of draws but he has a handy galloping weight and found his best form over the course and distance last time out.

Runner-up that day was Captain Alfredo who franked that form by winning next time out. He took an eight-point jump in the ratings which could hamper his chances come tomorrow but he and trainer Dean Kannemeyer are both in good form.

Red Ray makes a return and has only had one run overseas since finishing second to Normanz in this race two years back. He jumped from the worst of the draw that day and Joey Ramsden was adamant that with a better gate he could well have caught Normanz. Red Ray’s form must be taken on trust as little can be read into the riding arrangements. Anton Marcus will have battled to make the weight on either of Seventh Plain, now with blinkers, or Guiness.

Top weight Talktothestars appears better over shorter but is tremendously game while Captain’s Causeway was chasing hard behind Captain Alfredo and with his light weight will be a threat.  African Ruler faces his toughest test but with a light weight and a good draw is another to consider in a difficult race.

The Secret Is Out (Nkosi Hlophe)

The shock withdrawal of Gr1 SA Nursery winner Cloth Of Cloud because of a respiratory infection has left the way clear for a Vaughan Marshall feature double as he saddles the progressive The Secret Is Out.

The Secret Is Out is a full sister to 2012 Allan Robertson winner All Is Secret also trained by Marshall and both were by supreme stallion and Marshall-trained Captain Al. The Secret Is Out has had the benefit of a win over the course and she did it in style which makes her a big runner.

Zaakhira was a facile winner on debut in good time so could be anything while stable companion Fursa won the SA Fillies Nursery and has won over further so will not be troubled by this trip.

Blaze Of Mystery is unbeaten over course and distance and won comfortably last start so also has a shout.

Marcus will have had the pick of the Jooste runners in the Gr1 Gold Medallion so Always In Charge looks the ‘right’ one after his easy maiden win. However, Act Of Loyalty won well under Weichong Marwing and the winning distance is deceiving as he won much more easily than the narrow margin would suggest.

The unbeaten PE sensation Oomph has his first run for Mike Azzie and will be tested in this field. PE horses have done well at this venue so Oomph must be included in all calculations but he will be put to the acid test tomorrow.

Horse Guards comes from a stable that has won four of the last five runnings with Dennis Drier looking for his sixth Medallion win with Horse Guards. The son of Horse Chestnut has won both of his starts in good fashion and given the stable record in the race must have a great chance. Riverine and the filly Seattle Singer are others to consider.

Carry On Alice looks the banker on the card as she defends her title in the Gr1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint, a race she won last year and she is still in scintillating form. She will be hard to beat. There should be very little between Lanner Falcon and Real Princess given their last run but the former was having her first outing since January and should strip fitter which could see her turn the tables. Princess Royal is always on the verge of a boil-over but she gets on well with Anthony Andrews and she too should have come on from her effort behind Real Princess and Lanner Falcon.

Andrew Harrison

Sean Tarry, having expressed concern during the week about a bacterial infection he believed had been going around his Randjesfontein yard, confirmed all of his remaining Gr 1 runners for Scottsville’s big Festival Of Speed meeting this weekend had appeared to be fine. They had duly travelled well down to Summerveld where they had eaten up well and their temperatures were normal.

Tarry said some of the yard’s recent Highveld-based runners had been found to have had mucus upon returning from below par runs.

However, tests done at Randjesfontein on the Scottsville Gr 1 contestants revealed only the crack filly Cloth Of Cloud to have been affected by the suspected bacterial infection. She has duly been scatched with the reason given being “respiratory infection.”

All six of the remaining Gr 1 contestants were on the float which travelled down to Summerveld on Thursday.

Tarry has the meeting banker in Carry On Alice and was obviously hoping she would be at her best. He elaborated: “Her and all of the others were clear, they seemed fine, so hopefully all is well.”

Tarry has two runners in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, Captain’s Causeway and Tiger’s Touch, and while feeling they were both up to it, he revealed they were actually his second and third choices respectively, because his first choice, Buckland, had been eliminated.

He said, “I don’t think the very soft going suited Captain’s Causeway last time.” The three-year-old was a 1,75 length runner up to Captain Alfredo in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes over 1100m. He continued, “He will be better over 1200m and will enjoy the firmer going.”

He added, “Tiger’s Touch’s last run was a bit close to her run in the mile and was a bit of a flat run.” She finished a 3,75 length fifth in the Gr 2 Camelia Stakes for fillies and mares over 1160m at Turffontein, two weeks after finishing a two length fourth to Inara in the Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes over 1600m.

Tarry believes Tiger’s Touch is worthy of her 104 merit rating.

Tarry has two runners in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship, Visuality and Myfunnyvalentine.

He said, “Visuality’s last run was a great run, the going was very soft, she was slow away and green, and the draw on that day might not have been in her favour. There is scope for improvement. There shouldn’t be much between her and Myfunnyvalentine, but I am leaning towards Visuality, because she was still learning in those first two runs.”

Visuality finished fourth in the Gr 3 Strelitzia Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville last time out and has two lengths to find on The Secret Is Out. Myfunnyvalentine was runner up in the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein second time out and has 1,2 lengths to find on Fursa.

Tarry believes Red Rock, who is his sole runner in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, is better than his last run. He said, “He beat a horse on debut who came out and won his next race.”

The horse he refers to is British Royale, who beat Gold Medallion contender Sporting Monarch in a Juvenile Plate over 1000m second time out, albeit when receiving 5kg, and the third horse in that race was beaten 12,1 lengths.

He continued, “Red Rock took a few bumps in his second start and will prefer the 1200m.”

In that last start Red Rock was beaten 9,75 lengths in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville in “very soft going”, a race in which the highly promising Red Chesnut Road was 6,25 lengths clear of second-placed Over Sure.

Red Rock will thus have to make up 3,5 lengths on Over Sure in the Gold Medallion, although he was being eased at the line and could have got a bit closer.

Tarry concluded, “Tiger’s Touch’s and Red Rock’s final gallops (at Randjesfontein) were exceptional.” 

David Thiselton

National Champion trainer Sean Tarry is concerned ahead of Saturday’s Scottsville Festival Of Speed racemeeting about a bacterial infection he believes is going through his Randjesfontein yard.

Tarry holds a strong hand but said; “The yard has been misfiring. We are doing checks and balances and a final call will be made after tests are done on the runners before they travel down to KZN.”

Tarry has already scratched Cloth Of Cloud, ante-post favourite for the Gr1 Allan Robertson, with a respiratory infection.

Tarry felt an article about the well-being of his runners at this stage would not be accurate.

Latest information about his runners will be published on the www.goldcircle.co.za website and the SA Racing App, as well as a snippet in the Independent On Saturday.

Tarry has at least one of the perceived meeting bankers in Carry On Alice. Other runners with chances include Visuality, Myfunnyvalentine, Red Rock, Tiger’s Touch and Captain’s Causeway.

David Thiselton