Gold Circle will stage an additional race meeting at Greyville on Saturday, 28 January 2017, to coincide with the running of the R5-million SunMet (Gr1).

“It’s a no-brainer for us to embrace the Kenilworth festivities and to provide our racing fans the opportunity to enjoy the SunMet and supporting races on the big screen at Greyville, while taking in some local action at the same time,” said Gold Circle’s Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins.

“We race on Friday night the 27^th at Greyville and also Sunday the 29^th at Scottsville, so the additional meeting creates a first-time-ever weekend carnival of horseracing in KwaZulu-Natal. The Friday night meeting features the popular “Prize-Nite”, in partnership with Hirsch, and also a Night Market in the Paddock Area, while the Scottsville meeting features the Marula Sprint over 1200 metres,” added Hawkins.

For the added race meeting on Saturday 28^th, the official 8-race programme at Greyville will comprise six local races as well as the SunMet (Gr1) over 2000m and the Blue Label telecoms Cape Stayers (Gr2) over 2800m as races 3 & 5 respectively. The first local race is due off at 16:05 but on-course betting facilities will open at 12:00 to allow for wagering on the Kenilworth and Turffontein meetings.

The Durban View restaurant will be open to the public and bookings can be made with Gail Klopper on (031) 314 1780. All other on-course catering facilities, including the Braaizone and the Lightning Shot Bar, will be available to the public.

Defending champion Legal Eagle has sights firmly set on claiming another L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate crown with the reigning Horse of the Year headlining an 11 horse field for the 2017 renewal at Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday 7 January.
The 1600m contest will have an increased stake of R1.5-million for this year’s event has drawn a Triple Crown winner, a Vodacom Durban July winner, several Grade One winners and a couple of pretenders to the throne.

Race-6 (Turf) R 1,000,000  1800m  16:00   

MAINE CHANCE FARMS PADDOCK STAKES (WFA) (Grade 1)                                              

Sc# Horse               Mass   MR   Dr   Jockey          Trainer

1  BELA-BELA           60.0  107    6   A Marcus        J Snaith

2  SILVER MOUNTAIN     60.0  105    3   G van Niekerk   C Bass-Robinson

3  GOODTIME GAL        60.0   99   11   G Lerena        M Robinson

4  NIGHTINGALE         60.0   99    9   A Domeyer       C Bass-Robinson

5  CHEVAUCHEE          60.0   98   12   G Cheyne        B Crawford

6  STAR EXPRESS        60.0   98    1   P Strydom       J Snaith

7  TAHINI              60.0   97    5   S Khumalo       S Tarry

8  ICY FIRE            60.0   94    8   C Orffer        B Crawford

9  SAFE HARBOUR        54.5  108    2   W Marwing       S Tarry

10  SAIL                54.5  102   10   S Veale         D Drier

11  FINAL JUDGEMENT     54.5   99    7   R Fourie        G Kotzen

12  WHOSE THAT GIRL     54.5   90    4   M Byleveld      C Bass-Robinson

Race-7 (Turf) R 1,500,000  1600m  16:40
L’ORMARINS QUEEN’S PLATE (WFA) (Grade 1)                                                            

Sc# Horse               Mass   MR    Dr   Jockey         Trainer

1  LEGAL EAGLE         60.0  123     3   A Marcus       S Tarry

2  FRENCH NAVY         60.0  115     7   W Marwing      S Tarry

3  MARINARESCO         60.0  115    10   G van Niekerk  C Bass-Robinson

4  CAPTAIN AMERICA     60.0  114     8   C Orffer       B Crawford

5  ABASHIRI            60.0  113     1   G Lerena       M Azzie

6  SAIL SOUTH          60.0  112     5   R Fourie       B Crawford

7  SILICONE VALLEY     60.0  111     2   D Dillon       G Puller

8  THE CONGLOMERATE    60.0  107    11   P Strydom      J Ramsden

9  MIDNITE ZONE        60.0  102     9   M Byleveld     B Crawford

10  FIFTY CENTS         60.0   95     4   G Cheyne       J Snaith

11  BOLD REX            55.0  101     6   R Simons       M de Kock

Andrew Bon interviews Sean Tarry and Mathew de Kock on the yards runners runners at Turffontien today – Saturday December 31.

Courtesy of Bonski Clan and Tellytrack.com

Anton Marcus flies in to Cape Town for six rides at Kenilworth tomorrow and he could well pay for Christmas – his own as well as that of the legion of punters who follow him almost blindly – because he has good chances on most of them.

The four-time champion is riding at the top of his game. By mid-week he had won on 59 of this season’s 221 mounts, a strike rate of virtually 27%, and at Kenilworth he has done even better winning on almost one in three.

The Southeaster is a wide open sprint handicap and you could argue that Marcus’s mount Tevez is getting a bit long in the tooth for such a speedy race but he has everything else going for him. He was only just behind Gulf Storm in a Pinnacle and is 1.5kg better, plus he has been dropped a point for his fifth in the Merchants.

Captain Swarovski, only a short head behind in the Merchants, is an obvious danger and now wears blinkers. “This is a bit on the short side and I want to speed him up a bit,” explains Justin Snaith. La Favourari also comes into it if Richard Fourie can get anywhere near 52.5kg (and he did 53 last month).

Marcus can also win the Need For Speed Sprint on Attenborough who is favoured by the conditions over the ultra-fast Sergeant Hardy who is 4.5kg worse off with the selection than he would be in a handicap.

Horse Guards comes out almost level with the Ramsden runner and it’s his third run of the season so he looks a big danger while Myfunnyvalentine is best of all on adjusted ratings.

Marcus kicks off with newcomer Rings And Things but this one may not be forward enough to go in first time. “She will probably prove a better filly than my other runner Hopeful in the long term but I haven’t really pushed her and Hopeful has had a run,” says Candice Bass-Robinson.

Princess Peach should also go well but the Mike de Kock-trained Var filly Rumbavar could be hard to beat. Saint Janine, though, looks one for Marcus in the Racing Association Maiden and his mount Epona may just be good enough to go in again in the Graduation Plate. This half-sister to Jay Peg so impressed last time that the handicappers put her up 5kg.

Free Agent faces a tough task in the next but, if his rider has got one or two on the board by this stage, punters will want to be on.

Michael Clower

Turffontein Standside stages a low key eight race meeting tomorrow. The competitive nature of the races means dividends could be handsome despite there being two Pinnacle Stakes events and a Conditions Plate.

The sixth is a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1600m where Bulleting Home and Romany Prince are the joint best-weighted males according to official merit ratings. However, Prospect Strike is chosen to upset them, despite riding arrangements suggesting Bulleting Home is the Sean Tarry stable elect.

Prospect Strike will appreciate the step up to 1600m, having been outpaced for most of the straight in his last start over 1400m, where he was beaten 2,5 lengths by Bulleting Home. However, he was staying on late and he now at last has a nice draw, while Bulleting Home is drawn wider in the small eight horse field. Lyle Hewitson retains the ride on Prospect Strike.

Bulleting Home has class and should be right there, while Romany Prince will likely enjoy the drop in trip to 1600m and will be a big threat from the pole position draw. Unagi is a classy three-year-old, but faces a tough task at the weights, and so does the talented Front Rank. The best weighted horse is actually the filly Duffi’s Call, but she earned her rating in Zimbabwe and it might be inflated.

Tarry is taken to win the fifth race too, a Pinnacle Stakes race for fillies and mares over 1000m, with the speedy and classy Rebel To The Fore. She is well in on official merit ratings and this will also be her third run after a long layoff, so she should bounce back from her disappointing last run. She could be a Pick 6 banker, but beyond her it is quite open.

The best bet comes in the last race, a MR 72 Handicap over 1400m. Alaadel has still been green, despite winning his last two, and the penny should start dropping now for this promising sort. He is drawn in two over an ideal trip.

David Thiselton

Back on the Greyville poly tonight, Soldier’s Code can make amends for his disappointing showing on the Scottsville turf last time out when he runs in the MR 78 Handicap, sixth on the card. Dean Kannemeyer’s runner disappeared out of the back door in some testing going at Scottsville, in a run way below his recent poly form.

In a race run at a cracking gallop, Soldier’s Code was up with the early pace for most of the race but once in the straight went backwards steadily, eventually trailing home a distance back.

Eric Ngwane

All this was in stark contrast to his poly form where he had won three of his last four starts, all over tonight’s course and distance. With a plum draw and apprentice Eric Ngwane giving some relief in the saddle, Soldier’s Code could find himself back in the winner’s enclosure.

But while Soldier’s Code was trailing home Magical Bet was at the other end of the contest fighting it out with Run Rhino Run and it will be interesting to see how the race stacks up this evening. Glen Kotzen’s runner got home under a driving ride from Muzi Yeni, running on hard off a strong pace.

That form has been franked with fourth-placed Baltic Amber running out an easy winner at Scottsville last Sunday.

The poly, however, is a different proposition and given Soldier’s Code’s earlier form on the synthetic surface there is not likely to be much between the two this evening.

Yogas Govender is slowly starting to find his feet as he gets a better class horse in his yard and he pins his hopes on top weight Sovereign Reign. The gelding has shown up well in his two outings on the poly and the rise in trip will be in his favour.

Belinda Impey, who has a small string at Ashburton, turns out her fair share of winners and Music World can add to her tally in the MR 80 Handicap although the daughter of Ideal World faces a daunting task. Only once out of the money in her last five starts Music World has been most consistent and was a close-up fourth over the Scottsville mile last time out beaten by Little Chapel. She is up in trip tonight and can turn the tables on Little Chapel who is also in the line-up and, judging by the betting, was something of a surprise winner.

A tougher opponent could be Jet Intombi who was up against much stronger at her last outing and finished a creditable third to the progressive Playboy Buddy.

Andrew Harrison

Heavenly Blue has been marked out from 10-1 to 20-1 for the Sun Met after managing only ninth in Saturday’s Cape Guineas while Zodiac Ruler (13^th) has gone from 40-1 to 100-1.

Betting World has shortened runner-up Gold Standard from 28-1 to 20-1 and Table Bay Hotel winner Bela-Bela from 14-1 to 12-1 joint third favourite. Whisky Baron, who runs tomorrow, has also been clipped two points to 12-1 but Baritone has gone from 25-1 to 50-1 after finishing last in the Jet Master.

Marinaresco remains at the head of the market on an unchanged 17-10 with Legal Eagle next on 22-10.

Michael Clower

Sophomore form was in disarray yesterday when William Longsword (30-1) swung hard and fast under MJ Byleveld to decapitate his rivals in the Gr1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas at Kenilworth and give Vaughan Marshall his fourth win in the classic.

There were many question marks hanging over the opening Gr1 of the season but the first leaks in the form appeared when yesterday’s favourite Table Bay – ominously easy to back at 3-1 – took a hiding in the Selangor Cup when all were singing his praises after his facile victory in the Cape Classic.

Taken to the front by Anton Marcus, and leading into the final two furlongs, Table Bay was soon in trouble. Byleveld, tracking the leader and racing in the same Mayfair Speculator silks barring a red cap, picked his moment and powered past the tiring favourite.

Gold Standard, ahead of William Longsword in the Selangor, reversed the placings to gave the Guineas form some creditability.

Joey Ramsden was on record that Table Bay’s defeat in the Selangor was due to racing too handy so it was puzzling when Marcus bounced the gate and took Table Bay to set the pace with Byleveld sitting on his tail. Two furlongs out, Table Bay was out of puff, surrendering his lead as William Longsword whistled past.

It was not all plain sailing as Richard Fourie sent Gold Standard out of the pack to challenge but for all intents and purposes the race was over.

The expected Highveld challenge failed to materialise with both Singapore Sling and Heavenly Blue failing to fire while the KZN pair of Hack Green and Gunner were similarly disappointing.

Table Bay hung on to finish third ahead of a wall of horses.

The result was not unexpected as most pundits were divided on the form, so just how things pan out over the following six months will be interesting.

Earlier, Justin Snaith had made no bones that he has struggled to find a suitable comeback race for star filly Bela-Bela and the plan almost came unstuck in a slow-run Conditions Plate. To be fair Bela-Bela would not have been disgraced in defeat over a distance short of optimum but under a tremendous ride by Anton Marcus her class told and she goes into her Summer features with a good prep under her girth.

Off a desperate early gallop, Bela-Bela was lobbing along midfield but Marcus had all in hand and was in no hurry to make his move. He kept the grey covered for as long as his nerve held in the home straight and when he went for broke there will have been a few sweaty palms amongst the connections.

But the run was perfectly timed and in spite of the narrow winning margin, Marcus always seemed to have the result in hand.

Silver Mountain was never asked much, trailing the field for most of the race and trotting home – probably undone by the notorious ‘Cape Crawl’!

Andrew Harrison

Picture: Liesl King