Race 1: Preview: SERENDIPITOUS (7) ran an absolute cracker last time finishing a close up second. She looks cherry ripe for the win and might be hard to oppose. FANTASY GIRL (8) is holding form, placed six from ten and has a huge each way chance. A must for all bets. NEWTON HEATH (2) keeps running fourth – quartet chance. AND ACTION (1) is taking time, can do way better than last time – place chance. (Warren Lenferna 7-8-2-1) 

Race 2: Preview: MR BELVEDERE (1) brings solid Cape Town form into the race and should be way too good for this field. Strong win suggestion. EXTRACTION (6) has placed seven from ten and should get it all right soon. Bright chance. AXIS POWER (3) was only just over 5 lengths off on debut and with natural improvement, can get a lot closer now. Place value. HAT HOT HAT (5) is an obvious quartet inclusion. (Warren Lenferna 1-6-3-5) 

Race 3: Preview: JOY AND PEACE (1) is a seven-time winner, boasts ultra-consistent form and should be able to dispose of this field. She could be a possible banker. RED SASH (3) is in mustard form and she can be expected to provide plenty of cheek to the first choice. CHERE FOR ME (2) is taking time to win again, but can pop up and place at an attractive price as she does sometimes. BACK FOR MORE (8) has a first four chance. (Warren Lenferna 1-3-2-8) 

Race 4: Preview: JACK IN THE GREEN (5) has run two creditable races since winning his maiden and has to be taken seriously. He has strong each way claims. FOUR JACKS (1) has finished two close up seconds since relocating up the coast and should win very soon – could well be today – big chance. GOLD GUNNER (2) has won two out of his last three and can continue on winning ways and HAWK CIRCLE (6) has a first four chance. (Warren Lenferna 5-1-2-6) 

Race 5: Preview: BOSNAY (1) is clearly relishing life in Port Elizabeth as she has found form and finished 1^st and 3^rd respectively since relocating. She is the firm first choice. JAMBO SANA (6) has won three of her last four races, which is a fabulous feat – she can give plenty cheek all the way home and is a big runner. BRETTY (8) and WHITE HILLS (7) are the place value suggestions. (Warren Lenferna 1-6-8-7)

Race 6: Preview: MONTELENA (4) has been banging loudly at the door of late and deserves to finally go one more. ARTICUNO (5) boasts consistent form and can never be excluded from any bets – strong each way. DONNY TEE (1) goes well for Yuzae Ramzan and is one for the shortlist – a huge effort can be expected. FERRANDO (2) is holding form – chance. (Warren Lenferna 4-5-1-2) 

Race 7: Preview: THREE ROCKS (1) is a talented filly and although disappointed by being beaten favorite in her last four starts, can be expected to bounce right back to winning ways. ANUSCHKA’S WORLD (6) is clearly in a good space and looks to be a big runner and danger to the first choice. LEDELL’S ECHO (5) and ELLORIX (7) have solid form and must be given the utmost respect – trifecta must. (Warren Lenferna 1-6-5-4) 

Race 8: Preview: A BIT CHILLY (7) is never far off the action and is the strong each way value suggestion. NOTORIX (1) is probably the one they all have to fear the most. Big runner. SWISS WALT (11) showed up well in his last run and can place again – one for the shortlist. PUPLE OPERATOR (4) is the place value suggestion. (warren Lenferna 7-1-11-4) 

David Thiselton

The Hong Kong international race day in December is fast approaching, as is the Longines International Jockeys Championship, and race fans got a foretaste of the former with two scintillating performances by Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Romantic Warrior is surprisingly only rated joint eleventh best racehorse in the world on a rating of 122, but perhaps that is because the ranking period happens to a northern hemisphere time scale and runs from January until December. This great Danny Shum-trained Acclamation gelding ended last season with five successive Gr 1 wins, starting with Australia’s most prestigious weight for age race, the Cox Plate and then including three prestigious Hong Kong races, the Longines Hong Kong Cup, the Hong Kong Gold Cup and the QE II Cup, and although all four of those races were over a mile and two furlongs (2000m) he then ended the season by winning the Gr 1 Yashuda Kinen in Japan over a mile.

On Sunday he was over his favourite 2000m trip in the Gr 2 Jockey Club Cup and despite giving the whole field five pounds he cruised in by 4,25 lengths under regular rider James McDonald.

This season he is likely to defend his titles in all of the Kong King Gr 1s mentioned above.

In one of them, the QE II Cup, he will be going for his fourth successive victory. He is the only horse to have won this prestigious international weight for age race three times.

Romantic Warrior could soon become the highest earning racehorse in history.

On Sunday he took his overall record to 16 wins and three seconds from 21 starts and boosted his prize money earnings to HK$154.92 million. He is now not far behind retired Golden Sixty’s world record haul of HK$167.17 million in earnings.

Earlier on Sunday the progressive David Hayes-trained New Zealand-bred Shamexpress gelding Ka Ying Rising smashed the Sha Tin course record set by Sacred Kingdom 17 years ago. Sacred King’s record was 68.35 seconds and Ka Ying Rising lowered it to an incredible 67.43 seconds.

Ka Ying Rising jumped from draw ten under Zac Purton and was being eased down at the line, which makes the record even more special.

When J J The Jet Plane won the Gr 1 Hong Kong Sprint over the course and distance in 2010, his time was 68.84 seconds.

Ka Ying Rising will be the one to beat in the latter race next month.

He has never won a Gr 1 before, but is unexposed as he only began his career in December last year, winning on debut before running two narrow seconds and since then he has won seven times on the trot. Ka Ying Rising’s record was the second notable course record lowered in the Far East recently.

Via Sistina lowered the Moonee Valley course record over 2000m in the Cox Plate a few weeks ago to 2:01.07, beating the previous mark of 2:02.07 set by the legendary four-times Cox Plate-winning mare Winx.

Meanwhile a top class line up has been announced for the Longines IJC, which is one of the world’s most prestigious Jockeys Challenges. Unfortunately, there are no South African riders, at least yet.

The two spots still to be determined for Hong Kong-based jockeys will go to Hugh Bowman and either Karis Teetan or Matthew Poon as things stand. The latter pair are both on 14 wins of the season, three ahead of Luke Ferraris and Matthew Chadwick and there is only Wednesday’s Happy Valley meeting remaining.

The Longines IJC is the most lucrative in the world for the winning rider. The four races are worth a combined HK$7.5 million in prize money. Furthermore, a total prize fund of HK$1 million in bonus money for the most successful riders will be split three ways, with the winner set to receive HK$600,000 with HK$250,000 for second and HK$150,000 for third, respectively.

The line up for the 2024 Longines IJC is: Vincent Ho (reigning IJC champion), Zac Purton (Hong Kong champion), Rachel King (Australia), Ryan Moore (Great Britain), Hollie Doyle (Great Britain), William Buick (Great Britain), Mickael Barzalona (France), Colin Keane (Ireland), Yuga Kawada (Japan), James McDonald (NZ), TBD (Hong Kong), TBD (Hong Kong).

Johannesburg, 15 October 2024 – 4Racing in conjunction with the Handicappers have published the first log for the 2024 R6 million Gr1 Betway Summer Cup to be run at Turffontein on Saturday 30 November.

Second entries close at 11am on Tuesday 05 November, and final entries at 9am on Monday, 18 November 2024, after which weights will be announced. Declarations must be in by 11am on Wednesday, 20 November 2024 and barrier draws will be conducted at a Betway event on 20 November 2024. The final log will be published on Tuesday 05 November 2024.

Local Quartet pools with fractional betting on selected UK race meetings will return to the TabGold betting menu from this Thursday following a mixed reception from customers to the introduction of commingled Quartet pools on all UK and Irish race meetings last month.

Such commingled Quartet pools have been welcomed in some quarters, but many TabGold customers have complained that this has resulted in them being unable to play fractional Quartet bets on UK races.

TabGold have taken note of the complaints and from this Thursday 12 September customers can enjoy the best of both worlds. As before local Quartet pools with fractional betting will be offered on two UK meetings most days with commingled Quartet pools on all other UK and Irish meetings.

Whether an Irish or UK meeting has local or commingled pools will be displayed clearly on Tab sheet race cards in store and online.

Unfortunately for several reasons, including vast differences in exchange rates, it is not technically possible to offer fractional bets on pools commingled internationally.

The minimum unit for commingled bets is R1 (more in the case of countries like the USA) and this is itself a fractional bet in international tote pools.

As an example, the unit of a UK Tote Quartet is one Pound and a customer playing a R1-unit Quartet with TabGold on a UK race is buying about 1/24th of the bet, depending on the exchange rate on the day. And if that bet is the only winning ticket, the customer will get 1/24th of the pool and the remainder will be carried over. To get the full UK Tote payout on a commingled Quartet requires playing the bet to a R24 unit.

That aside, the introduction of commingled Quartet bets has given TabGold customers many more opportunities to play Quartets on UK and Irish races, and access to bigger pools and payouts.