Solid draws for Cup favourites

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Nikita

Dean Kannemeyer and Stuart Randolph will be looking for a big race double when they team up with Solid Speed in the R1,25 million Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup to be run over 3200m at Greyville on Saturday, July 25.

The pair were successful with Power King in the Vodacom Durban July and Solid Speed’s Gold Cup chances were further enhanced when he drew gate 2 at last night’s draw for barrier positions.

Solid Speed suffered his first defeat in four starts at Greyville when going down less than a length to Heart Of A Lion in the SABC Gold Vase over 3000m on July day lumbering top weight of 60kg. He carries a handy 53kg in the Cup and is 1kg better off with Heart Of A Lion.

Kannemeyer also saddles last year’s top weight Hot Ticket and the lightly weighted Balance Sheet who drew 13 and 10 respectively.

Hot Ticket found traffic in the recent Vodacom Durban July but will much prefer this longer trip. Prior to the July he was just beaten a nostril by Disco Al in the Track & Ball Derby. Hot Ticket finished fourth under top weight in last year’s Gold Cup behind Wavin’s Flag.

Second last year was Mike de Kock’s runner Wild One and his name was first out of the draw. He has only had two outings since last year’s Cup and should be primed come next Saturday from gate 5. He came from near last to finish second to Punta Arenas in the Cup Trial over 1800m and followed up with a smart second behind Bezanova in the KZN Breeders’ Million Mile. He will much prefer this extended trip and will be one of the fancied runners.

Joey Ramsden has two smart stayers in Disco Al and Coltrane. The former has been in good form and got up in a blanket finish to touch off Hot Ticket in the Track & Ball Derby over 2400m at Scottsville with other Gold Cup entries Savage Wind and Kingston Mines less than a length behind. Disco Al drew 11.

Coltrane has been disappointing since arriving for Champions Season but he had some smart staying form in the Western Cape where he won the Chairman’s Cup over 3000 m and prior to that was just run out of it by Kingston Mines in the J&B Urban Honey Stakes over 2800m. His recent form has been over 2400m and the step up in trip could see him come into his own from draw 3.

Ash Cloud managed her first win of the season in the Gold Circle Oaks, this year run at Scottsville. She finished three lengths off Wavin’ Flag last year under 52kg but this year has a steadier of 57kg but has a plum draw at 8.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: Solid Speed (Nkosi Hlophe)

Media Releases: Nine Supplementary Entries for Super Saturday

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Nikita

There were nine supplementary entries among the four Grade 1 races at Greyville on Super Saturday, 25 July 2015, including three from the Mike de Kock stable in the R600 000 Premier’s Champion Stakes for Juveniles.

Having won a good race over 3 000m in a pinnacle stakes event at Turffontein recently, trainer Dominic Zaki has entered Storm Warning for the R1.25-million eLan Property Group Gold Cup adding additional spice to a very competitive field potential for the marathon race over 3 200m.

The R1-million Champion’s Cup over 1 800m has attracted two additional entries with Sean Tarry nominating his versatile performer Willow Magic that finished second in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge and followed it up with a gutsy third in the Post Merchants.

Mike Azzie, who has always had a high record for Deputy Jud and was rewarded when he ran a good second in the SA Derby, believes his charge can do a lot better than his unplaced runs in the Daily News 2000 and the Vodacom Durban July and is looking for a run in this final Grade 1 event of the season.

Alec Laird has scratched Bezanova from the race.

Among the three colts entered by De Kock for the Premier’s Champion Stakes are two that are unraced. Astral Promise is a son of Silvano and Kinaan is the progeny of internationally-famed stallion Galileo. His third supplementary entry is the Silvano colt Kahaylaan that finished unplaced in his only start.

Sean Tarry has supplemented his Captain Al colt Captain’s Causeway into the Premier’s Champion stakes. The colt was an easy winner of his only start on the sand at the Vaal. He has also supplemented his Trippi filly Old Em into the Thekwini Stakes. She has run three times winning second time out and finishing third by less than half a length behind Shivering Sea in her last outing.

Media Release: eLan Property Group Gold Cup Raceday Entries

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Nikita

A galaxy of South African thoroughbred stars will gather at the Theatre Of Champions in Durban on Saturday, July 25, for the final performances of Champions Season’s racing magic.

Super Saturday at Greyville is what brings the curtain down on the three-month feast of top graded racing and just over 180 horses have been nominated for the seven feature events on the card headed by the pinnacle challenge for the country’s stayers, the R1.25-million, Grade 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup over 3 200m.

There is hardly a name among horses that qualify for the carded events that is not among the entries, promising racegoers a tasty platter of mouth-watering excitement.

The eLan Property Group Gold Cup, like the Vodacom Durban July, is one of the iconic events in South African racing and the quality of runners nominated for the event confirms its status as the premier marathon race on the African continent.

Among the 19 entries for the 3 200m marathon are the first four horses past the post in the SABC Gold Vase at Greyville on Vodacom Durban July day, Heart Of A Lion, Wild Ash, Solid Speed and J’s Outsider, the runner-up in the Gold Cup last year Wild One as well as the first four home in the Track & Ball Derby at Scottsville, Disco Al, Hot Ticket and the dead-heaters for third place, Savage Wind and Kingston Mines.

The fillies are ready to take on the colts with Ash Cloud, Gallica Rose and Vino Veritas, the first three past the post in the Gold Circle Oaks, among the entries.

The R1-million, Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1 800m has attracted the cream of South Africa’s thoroughbreds among its 16 nominations including the pair that fought out the finish to the Vodacom Durban July, Power King and Punta Arenas, along with last year’s July winner and the winner of the Rising Sun Gold Challenge Legislate.

Futura, winner of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, the J&B Met and the Champions Cup last year, is also among the entries having finished fourth under top weight in the July.

The two Grade 1 juvenile races over 1 600m, the Premier’s Champion Stakes and the Thekwini Stakes, have been strongly supported with the Premier’s Champion Stakes receiving 27 entries including the exciting unbeaten winner of the Gatecrasher Stakes Rabada while the Grade 1 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper winner Chestnuts n Pearls heads the list of 23 fillies nominated for the Thekwini Stakes.

Picture: Heart Of A Lion (Nkosi Hlophe)

All about the race

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Nikita

DATE: Saturday, 25 July 2015, Day and Night

AGE/CONDITIONS: Open MR Handicap over 3200m

ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 3 July 2015 – Fee: R 2736

SUPP ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 10 July 2015 – Fee R 5472

WEIGHTS: Friday, 3 July 2015
Weights shall be framed by the handicapper in terms of Racing Operators Conditions 2.1.2.10
Maximum Weight to be carried: 60kg
Minimum Weight to be carried: 52kg

DECLARATIONS: 11:00am Tuesday, 14 July 2015 – Fee R 10 944

2014 eLAN Property Group Gold Cup

Horse: WAVIN’ FLAG

Jockey: Glen Hatt

Trainer: Brett Crawford

Owners: Messrs S D Burgess, G S Knowles, J Labuschagne, I W Longmore, Ian Robinson, A Todd & Mrs J Crawford

Breeder: Mr & Mrs J R Slade

ABOUT: The eLAN Property Group Gold Cup

With the building of the new Polytrack at Greyville, the width of the turf track has been reduced. As a result, the size of the field for this famous race has been reduced from 20 to 16 to ensure that every runner is given every chance of winning and to reduce the potential for interference or injury to the runners and riders.

ROLL OF HONOUR:

2014

Champions Season 2014 came to a close with a sensational finishing battle in the R1.25-million, Grade 1 eLAN Property Group Gold Cup at Greyville on Saturday with the Silvano gelding Wavin’ Flag getting the better by half a length of the Mogok gelding Wild One – the pair repeating the result of their personal battle in the Nokia Gold Vase on Vodacom Durban July day.

In that race Wavin’ Flag finished a close second to Hot Ticket with Wild One about a head back in third and it was a tribute to favourite Hot Ticket on Saturday, that after early problems which left him at the back of the field, he managed to come through late for fourth place behind outsider Gold Onyx.

It was a great win for trainer Brett Crawford and jockey Glen Hatt after their close results on July day when, after Wavin’ Flag’s narrow defeat in the Nokia Gold Vase, the three-year-old Dynasty colt Futura finished half a length third in the country’s premier race after experiencing traffic problems in the race.

But the talented young colt made it a red-letter day for the stable when Futura cruised through to an easy win in the R1-million, Grade 1 Beach Beauty Champions Cup to give Crawford and Hatt a Grade 1 double on the day.

In the Gold Cup, the Mike de Kock-trained Canterbury tale, stable companion to Wild One, made the running ahead of Wild One and Crown Of Gold with Ash Cloud moving up to the leaders as they approached the final turn. Canterbury Tale had nothing extra to offer in the straight as Wild One and Ash Cloud kicked off the false rail and headed for the judge.

But Hatt was quick to act and slipped Wavin’ Flag through to the inside rail and went after the leaders. Ash Cloud could not sustain her effort and Wavin’ Flag and Wild One joined issued to fight it to the line as Gold Onyx under Piere Strydom loomed up dangerously on the outside to take third place ahead of the fast-finishing Hot Ticket.

Hatt said after the race that Wavin’ Flag had become a changed horse since arriving in KwaZulu-Natal and really deserved the win after his narrow defeat in the Nokia Gold Vase.

One of the more fancied runners in the race, the Dynasty gelding Alexander, had been well-placed in the race but faded in the home straight to finish down field.

In a tribute to the great race mare Beach Beauty, the Grade 1 Champions Cup bore her name and she led the field out before being symbolically handed over to her new owners Drakenstein Stud where she will go to stud. But it was obvious that she would have loved to be taking part in the race and gave those handling her a difficult time during the hand-over process.

There were no problems with the pace in the Beach Beauty Champions Cup as No Worries set a good gallop from the start and led the field into the home straight where Hatt again slipped his mount, this time Futura, to the inside rail for his run and the three-year-old again produced the fast-finishing burst that nearly took him to victory in the Vodacom Durban July. This time it saw him cruise to an easy win by nearly two lengths over fast-finishing King Of Pain with No Worries staying on for third ahead of Readytogorightnow.

The Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes for fillies saw a thrilling battle to the line between Carry On Alice that had shown her class when beating the colts in the Grade 1 SA Nursery at Turffontein and the much lesser-light Same Jurisdiction from the Duncan Howells stable. Howells had made it very clear in the build-up to the day that his Mambo In Seattle filly was out of the top drawer and she showed it when just pipping Carry On Alice by the narrowest of margins.

Bilateral ran another top race for third ahead of Banbury but favourite Alboran Sea had an off day and finished down the field.

Another favourite to fail was the Trippi colt Afrikaburn. Unbeaten in his first three starts and a comfortable winner of the Golden Horseshoe on Vodacom Durban July day, he just failed to fire on Saturday and finished down the field as the Paul Lafferty-trained Australian-bred colt Harry’s Son just prevailed from the De Kock pair of Jayyed and Anjaal with another strongly-fancied colt, Mljet, taking fourth place.

Lafferty said the win was long overdue as the colt had been unlucky in both the Gold Medallion and the Golden Horseshoe having taken third place in both races.

The meeting was a great success with a crowd of 15 000 at Greyville and was a reflection of the superb racing the public had been treated to throughout the three months of the season.

2013

This looked a very open race and the selections of tipsters around the country were varied with no particular runner being strongly touted. The lightly-weighted runners like Knight To Remember and Patriotic Rebel along with Kolkata that had won the Gold Vase, were at the top of the betting boards with Seal, Blake, Shogunnar and S’Il Vous Plait also drawing support.

It was anyone’s race when they stormed into the home straight towards the end of the 3 200m journey but at the 300m mark Robbie Fradd drove the 25-1 outsider Jeppe’s Reef through with a strong finishing burst to win for Cape trainer Mike Bass with Masai Warrior, Canterbury Tale and Knight To Remember following him home.

Earlier in the day, the final two Grade 1 races for two-year-olds over 1 600m were run, the Thekwini Stakes and the Premier’s Champion Stakes, and both produced exciting contests.

In the Thekwini Stakes Alascan Maiden, Along Came Polly and For The Lads enjoyed the strongest support in the betting with the Judpot maiden Along Came Polly having finished second in her three previous starts including the Grade 1 Allan Robertson at Scottsville and the Grade 1 Golden Slipper at Greyville.

In this race jockey Brandon Lerena wasted no time when they entered the home straight and he sent Along Came Polly past pacemaker Tiger Quest to get first run on For The Lads who had beaten her a length in their previous meeting. She ran on strongly to win by nearly two lengths from For The Lads and Admiral’s Eye.

The Cape colt Excelero was all the rage to win the Premier’s Champion Stakes with Forest Indigo and Heart Of A Lion among the most fancied runners of the rest. Forest Indigo had won the Grade 1 Golden Horseshoe on Vodacom Durban July day and the stable was looking for the Judpot colt to complete the double.

Early in the home straight it looked like Forest Indigo was set to do just that when he took the lead about 300m out but producing a powerful finish under top rider Glen Hatt for trainer Alyson Wright, the Black Minnaloushe gelding Kochka, that had run second to Forest Indigo in the Golden Horseshoe, stormed up the inside rail to win in great style by almost a length. The Australian-bred Willow Magic finished a clear second place while Excelero ran below expectations to fininsh down the field.

It was the first Grade 1 victory for trainer Alyson Wright and owner John Jones.

The Grade 1 Champions Cup saw a welcome return to the number one box in more than a year for the magnificent equine specimen Jackson that had given notice of his return to his old self with an eye-catching fourth place in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1 200m.

Winner of the Cape Derby and seen throughout the country as a real champion of the future, Jackson had found the great miler Variety Club too good for him in the Green Point Stakes and the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and was beaten into fifth place in the J&B Met. His reputation had taken a severe knock but trainer Brett Crawford explained that the colt had suffered severe stomach ulcer problems.

After treatment and a rest he returned with a great run in the Mercury Sprint and started favourite for the Champions Cup.

That favouritism was rightly placed for he won like the champion he was after tracking long-time leader Potala Palace into the home straight. When jockey Sean Cormack pushed the button it was virtually race over and he won comfortably from Silvano’s Jet and Blaze Of Fire.

2012

In Writing wins R1m Gold Cup

A truly grand finale brought Champions Season 2012 to a close at Greyville in Durban on Saturday with the hard-knocking six-year-old gelding In Writing overpowering the gutsy filly Princess Of Light in a hard battle to the line in the R1-million, Grade 1 Ladbrokes Gold Cup.

Carrying veteran jockey Felix Coetzee to his eighth win in this demanding race and into the world record books as possibly the only rider in the world to win the same Grade 1 race eight times, the Argentinean-bred son of Editor’s Note wrote a little paragraph in history of his own kind by returning from a career-threatening tendon injury to win the country’s premier marathon event.

He gave Cape trainer Dean Kannemeyer a well-deserved Grade 1 victory after a winter season that had not gone as well as it might and the popular conditioner came close to saddling the first two past the post with his more fancied runner Blake just failing to overhaul the Geoff Woodruff-trained filly Princess Of Light for second place.

It was also a special occasion for the stable with Dean’s father, the legendary former jockey and trainer Peter “PK” Kannemeyer, being on course to witness his son’s success having made the trip from Cape Town for the meeting for the first time in 10 years.

It was the two Mike De Kock-trained runners Vettel and Gorongosa that topped the betting boards with good support coming for the Irish-bred mare shortly before the race. Blake, Kolkata and Sage Throne had good support with In Writing easy to back at 13-1.

2011

Alsan upset on Super Saturday

There was a major upset in the country’s premier long distance race when outsiders Aslan and Kolkata, trained by Sea Tarry, outran the opposition in the finish to fill the first two places. They were followed home by the Duncan Howells-trained Knight To Remember.

Favourite Ilsanpietro had every chance and ran on well but could only manage fourth place ahead of Jeppe’s Reef and Dolomite.

2010

Rainbow of flags at the Canon Gold CupGreyville racecourse was a field of colour at this years’ Canon Gold Cup as fashionistas and punters alike took full advantage of the ideal Durban weather for the R1.2 million 3.2km horseracing marathon.

This year’s theme “Flag Frenzy” had both established designers and self proclaimed fashionistas put their best foot forward as they tackled the task of creating a raceday ensemble with the immense passion.

2009

The first lady of horse racing, Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer, was on hand at Greyville to lead in her two home-bred horses Mokaro and Noblewood, who finished first and second respectively in the country’s greatest race for stayers, the R1,2 million Canon Gold Cup.

Both were trained by little heralded Cape trainer Stephen Page who was registering the first Grade 1 victory of his career and who only brought these two horses up for the three-month Champions Season.

Ivory Trail takes Champions Cup

The Joey Ramsden-trained Ivory Trail caused a huge upset under Raymond Danielson in the Champions Cup (Gr 1) run over 1 800m at Clairwood on Saturday when producing a blistering finish to narrowly deny Pocket Power what might have been a farewell victory to his many fans.

Pocket Power, whose illustrious record places him among the greats of the South African turf, was overtaken for the first time in his career as Ivory Trail came down the inside of horses to pip a wall of three other horses, including Pocket Power, who was on the very outside.

The Sean Tarry-trained Buy And Sell finished third ahead of Pocket Power’s stable companion from the Mike Bass yard, Blue Tiger.