Category Archives: Guineas

Caution first with Harry’s Son

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The champion Paul Lafferty-trained Australian-bred colt Harry’s Son was found to have heat in the knee this morning and has therefore been scratched from his first big engagement of the Champions Season, Saturday’s Gr 2 KRA Guineas.

Fortunately the problem is not serious and the yard are simply excercising caution.

Lafferty said, “The knee was also a little sensitive, so we got the vet in and X-rays showed the knee to be perfectly clean. We are not going to take a chance as he’s obviously jarred the knee.” Lafferty said that a decision would be made in a couple of weeks time about his next target.

Saturday is also the opening day of the popular Charity Turf Challenge and Harry’s Son should not now be ignored by those wishing to enter a list as he was the champion of his crop last year and is not without a chance of still proving himself the best of them over the next three months.

The good looking bay had put in some fine work on Summerveld’s top sand track yesterday morning ahead of his engagement in Saturday’s Gr 2 KRA Guineas at Greyville and this followed an outstanding gallop at Scottsville last Friday.

In the former gallop he had worked with the stable’s useful Listed Easter Handicap winner Double Clutch over 1400m, of which 1200m was run at racing pace, and after being switched out from behind his companion at the 200m mark he finished a remarkable six lengths clear, an indication of his class and just how good his turn of foot is. Another notable characteristic he has is his excellent recovery rate, which is one of the best measures of aerobic capacity. Furthermore, in his gruelling recent SA Classic race run in “very soft” going he was found to have lost a mere 1kg in weight.

Turn of foot is one of the prerequisites at Greyville and Harry’s Son has proved suited to the tight track, having won the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m last season, following an unlucky third at the same course over 1400m in the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe. Therefore the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m on June 6 at Greyville might well be on his agenda and will give the connections the opportunity to test him against the country’s best milers as well as an opportunity to exact revenge on his crop’s highest merit rated horse, Act Of War.

The three-year-old male crop has not covered itself in glory this season, but Harry’s Son could well have put up the best performance among them when winning the Gr 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein last November by a comfortable two lengths, as he was giving lumps of weight away to some classy horses. He was also impressive in his Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas win. Furthermore he has had excuses for all three of his defeats this season.

The one chink in his armour is that he hates soft ground and that has been his likely undoing in both the Investec Dingaans and the Gr 1 SA Classic which were his only two below par runs. The laid back colt is a very good traveller but his legitimate excuse after being unusually keen in the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas at Kenilworth was that he had spent three hours on the tarmac at King Shaka airport early that morning due to a delayed flight and he then had to endure a two-legged flight via Port Elizabeth. His runner up finish was a remarkable performance considering the journey he had earlier endured.

By David Thiselton

Picture: JC Photos

legislate closeup lk site

Legislate could need this run

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The reigning Vodacom Durban July champion Legislate moved well in light work at Summerveld yesterday, but will probably need his Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes outing, a race that his equally illustrious stablemate Futura will be avoiding.

Legislate put in some light work on the sand under Sean Cormack, who reported him to be “moving well.” He put in a good gallop on Monday, but was “blowing a bit” afterwards and this prompted trainer Justin Snaith to say, “I take it that he will need his first run and he is drawn in the bush anyway (9 out of 12 runners).”

Stable jockey Richard Fourie retains the ride and if Legislate is anywhere near his best he should fight out the Drill Hall with the only other Gr 1-winner involved, King Of Pain, who is also drawn wide in 10.

Snaith has decided to avoid the Drill Hall Stakes with the J&B Met and L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate winner Futura, having been thrilled with his recent Greyville grass gallop, and race fans will have to wait until the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville on June 6 before seeing him clash with Legislate for the first time this Champions Season. Snaith has already noticed that the thoroughly professional Futura is a dream to train and one of his positive characteristics is that he “saves himself” and doesn’t extend to the maximum in his workouts. The Dynasty colt put in some fluent work on his own on the top sand track at Summerveld yesterday under Cormack.

Snaith said that his two KRA Guineas contestants Heartland and Ultimate Dollar had both come on since their first KZN outings. They both crossed the line first in their respective Champions Season pipe openers, but Ultimate Dollar was demoted after an objection by the connections of St. Tropez.

Snaith said, “Heartland has gears and is the closest thing to the two big horses (Legislate and Futura) that we have. He is a serious horse.”

Ultimate Dollar has an impressive stride but appears to take a while to wind up. Snaith felt that the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 would give him a better chance of classic victory than the Guineas. However, Ultimate Dollar has drawn in five on Saturday compared to Heartland’s 14.

Snaith said that generally all of his Champions Season string had not had gallops in Cape Town before travelling to Durban so would likely need their first outings in KZN. He said that all seven of his runners from Scottsville on Sunday had pulled up well, including Dynamic, whom he felt was unlucky to have been beaten into second in the Listed Sledgehammer over 1750m by fellow July entry, the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Solar Star, as he had received a bump at a crucial stage.

Snaith said that he would be aiming a lot of his other July entries, including the like of Jet Explorer, at the Betting World 1900 on May 15.

Snaith made special mention of his promising New Zealand-bred colt French Revolution, an eyecatching grey whose lightly coloured mane would make him an instant housewive’s favourite. He said, “He has really come well and is thriving. The idea for him is the Gold Cup, but we want to try and do as little as we can before then as you need a sound horse for that race.”

by David Thiselton

captains daughter nh

It’s time for Champions Season

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With six graded and listed races on the card, the nail-biting battle to the line between favourite Moofeed and the lesser-fancied Gulf Storm set the ball rolling on a high note in the Listed In Full Flight Handicap over 1 100m where the Sail From Seattle gelding Gulf Storm prevailed by a narrow margin.

Jockey Corne Orffer showed he was more than capable of mixing it with the top riders in the country when he got the better of Anthony Delpech in the final strides to give trainer Brett Crawford his first local feature winner of the season.

Two very exciting juveniles gave notice of much better things to come in the two Grade 3 races for two-year-olds, the Strelitzia Stakes and the Godolphin Barb Stakes, and both are likely to be short-priced for their big Grade 1 races at Scottsville next month. Both were ridden by Anton Marcus.

Trained by Glen Kotzen, the Visionaire filly Royal Pleasure retained her unbeaten record with a fluid win in the Strelitzia and Seventh Plain, a colt by Seventh Rock from the Dennis Drier stable, put his hand up as a potential winner of the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion on May 23. A performance of note in this race was that of the Argonaut colt Beat The Retreat from the Alistair Gordon stable that came on strongly in the closing stages of the 1 100m event and could be dangerous over the 1 200m of the big race next month.

In the Grade 3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1 200m, the Kotzen-trained Jet Belle showed her class when she won comfortably from the Justin Snaith stable inmate Varikate. Having her first race since January, the Jet Master mare shifted about a little in the closing stages but Greg Cheyne steadied her and she won comfortably.

The Listed Scarlet Lady saw Anton Marcus back in the winner’s enclosure with the Charles Laird-trained Captain Al filly Captain’s Daughter. Marcus had raced her up handy as San Trip set the gallop and moved her to the outside for her run as Euphoria tackled San Trip and looked a potential winner. However, Marcus was at his best and drove Captain’s Daughter up the outside rail to win by a length.

Trainer Dean Kannemeyer can hardly put a foot wrong since bringing his team to Durban and his four-year-old Kahal gelding Solar Star put up a gutsy and impressive performance to beat the opposition under a good ride from Stuart Randolph to close off the meeting in The Sledgehammer over 1 750m.

Ertijaal supplemented for KRA Guineas

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Trained by Mike de Kock, who will be in America where he runs his UAE Derby winner Mubtaahij in the famous Kentucky Derby, the Hard Spun colt disappointed in the SA Classic after being bumped but he has shown his class and could face the likes of Act Of War and Harry’s Son in the KRA Guineas if they stand their ground.

The KRA Guineas will be one of the major events at the Independent On Saturday raceday with the Grade 3 KRA Fillies Guineas and the Independent on Saturday Drill Hall Stakes setting up a fantastic day to get Champions Season 2015 underway.

The Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes will hopefully see the Vodacom Durban July winner Legislate clash with the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and J&B Met winner Futura over the 1 400m trip. This famous race with a history dating back decades, is traditionally the warm-up event of the season for the visiting horses preparing for the bigger races coming up and is always an exciting event.

NO HORSE                  A/S WGT  M/R   TRAINER

16 ACT OF WAR         (3C) 60.0 117   Joey Ramsden

3 HARRY’S SON (AUS)  (3C) 60.0 113   Paul Lafferty

17 KINGVOLDT          (3C) 60.0 111   Joey Ramsden

1 UNPARALLELED       (3G) 60.0 108   Johan Janse van Vuuren

21 *ERTIJAAL (AUS)    (3C) 60.0 107   Mike de Kock

13 FOREST FOX         (3G) 60.0 102   Paul Peter

5 LIGHT THE LIGHTS   (3C) 60.0 102   Glen Kotzen

29 JAYYED             (3C) 60.0 101   Mike de Kock

15 THE CONGLOMERATE ( (3C) 60.0 100   Joey Ramsden

24 ILLUMINATI         (3G) 60.0  98   Weiho Marwing

28 HEARTLAND          (3C) 60.0  97   Justin Snaith

10 ISPHAN             (3G) 60.0  97 B Mike Azzie

22 AMAZING STRIKE     (3G) 60.0  96 B Alec Laird

8 ANJAAL (AUS)       (3C) 60.0  95 B Mike de Kock

19 EASY LOVER         (3C) 60.0  95   Duncan Howells

11 KISS ME HARDY      (3G) 60.0  94 B Corne Spies

4 KRAMBAMBULI        (3C) 60.0  94   Justin Snaith

12 ULTIMATE DOLLAR    (3G) 60.0  94   Justin Snaith

9 ARNISTON           (3G) 60.0  92   Justin Snaith

26 RUN RHINO RUN      (3G) 60.0  90   Paul Lafferty

25 STORMY ECLIPSE     (3G) 60.0  90   Charles Laird

2 MAC DE LAGO (AUS)  (3C) 60.0  86   Weiho Marwing

14 RAMPANT ICE        (3G) 60.0  86   Weiho Marwing

27 SARATOGA DANCER    (3G) 60.0  84   Duncan Howells

20 RIFF RAF           (3C) 60.0  79   Jeff Freedman

7 HUNTING OWL        (3G) 60.0  76   Duncan Howells

23 ALL THE BIDS       (3G) 60.0  62   Corne Spies

18 INARA              (3F) 57.5 110   Mike Bass

6 TROPHY WIFE        (3F) 57.5 103   Sean Tarry

(29)

Please Note:

  • Declarations closes @ 11:00 on Tuesday, 28 April 2015

All about the race

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DATE: Saturday, 2 May 2015

AGE/ CONDITION: 3 Year Olds at Level Weights over 1600m

ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 17 April 2015 – Fee R 1368        

SUPP ENTRIES: 11:00am Friday, 24 April 2015 – Fee R 5472

WEIGHTS: Friday, 17 April 2015

COLTS AND GELDINGS: 60 kg

FILLIES: 57,5kg Northern Hemisphere Allowance Applies.

DECLARATIONS: 11:00am Tuesday, 28 April 2015 – Fee R 5472

2014 KRA Guineas

Horse: LEGISLATE

Jockey: Richard Fourie

Trainer: Justin Snaith

Owners: Mr W J C Mitchell, Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert) & Newbury Racing (Pty) Ltd

(Nom: Mr D E Evans)

Breeder: Cheveley Stud

ABOUT: The KRA (Korea Racing Authority) Guineas

Some great horses have won this race since it was first run in 1932 and many have gone on to win the July under its various titles as the Durban July, the Rothmans July and now the Vodacom Durban July – some in the same year and others as four-year-olds the following year.They include household names like Sea Cottage, Politician, Royal Chalice, Ilustrador, Right Prerogative and Dynasty. Most recently the trend continued as Big City Life landed the KRA Guineas in impressive fashion before going on to Vodacom Durban July glory in 2009. Noordhoek Flyer won the race in 2010 and has been since retired to stud. Will this year see the trend back on track?

ROLL OF HONOUR

2014

It was the Crawford-trained Captain Al gelding Captain America that was favourite to win with Snaith’s Dynasty colt Legislate as the main danger. Legislate had beaten Captain America in the Investec Cape Derby and under Richard Fourie he showed that it was no fluke when scooting three lengths clear of the field on Saturday with the Alec Laird-trained Bezanova running a tremendous race to touch off Captain America for second place.

2013

The dual classic winner Capetown Noir from the Dean Kannemeyer stable was strongly fancied to win this top classic event and really looked the part. In the field was the unraced three-year-old from the powerful Mike de Kock yard, Vercingetorix, that was due to go from zero to hero in one race. The pair raced together off the pace for most of the way until the straight where Capetown Noir dashed to the inside rail and Vercingetorix took a line straight up the course. They came together at about the 200m mark to fight a bitter duel to the line where a bob of the heads gave the decision to Vercingetorix. Corredor ran a top race for third place 2.25 lengths back with Gitiano a further 1.25 lengths back.

2012

The Joey Ramsden-trained Variety Club pulverised the opposition including Vodacom Durban July favourite Jackson who could only manage second place ahead of Golden Chateau. Variety Club stamped himself as the country’s champion miler and has now left the country to embark on an international career. After his lengthy trip to Dubai he made a winning debut in the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes over 1 600m after leading from the start.

In his second race, the Group 3 Burj Nahaar over a mile, the tactics were changed and racing in second place he was unable to quicken and finished second. But he showed his international class on Dubai World Cup night when leading all the way to win the Group 2 Godolphin Mile beating home another South African-bred, Soft Falling Rain.

2011

Solo Traveller from the Justin Snaith stable proved too good and led the field home from Elusive River and Phantom Fighter.

News test – KRA Guineas

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DAILY NEWS 2000 (GRADE 1) – R 2 000 000

GREYVILLE RACECOURSE

 

DATE:                                               Saturday, 30 May 2015

AGE/ CONDITION:                   3 Year Olds at Level Weights

ENTRIES:                                       11:00am Friday, 15 May 2015 – Fee: R 4560

SUPP ENTRIES:                          11:00am Friday, 22 May 2015 – Fee R 18240

WEIGHTS:                                     Friday, 15 May 2015

Colts & Geldings – 60,0kg

Fillies – 57,5kg

Northern Hemisphere allowance applies

DECLARATIONS:                        11:00am Monday, 25 May 2015 – Fee R 18240

 

2014 DAILY NEWS 2000 (Grade 1)

Horse: Legislate

Jockey: Richard Fourie

Trainer: Justin Snaith

Owners: Mr W J C Mitchell, Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert) & Newbury Racing (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Mr D E Evans)

Breeder: Cheveley Stud

ABOUT THE DAILY NEWS 2000:

The final “classic” tests for three-year-olds, the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 Grade 1. Daily News day at Greyville on Saturday, May 31 the country’s premier meeting for the young potential champions and very importantly, give them a final opportunity to secure a place in the country’s greatest event, the R3,5-million Vodacom Durban July.

The quality of the three-year-old crop is the barometer for the international status of a country’s racing industry and with many outstanding young locally-bred horses having proven themselves on the international stage, the South African industry has gained enormous overseas respect and interest.

ROLL OF HONOUR:

2014

NEED CONTENT

2013

This was one of the best races of the season with a strong field of three-year-olds bidding for the major share of the R1.5-million stake to produce a heart-stopping finish with just a short head and two heads separating the first four past the post.

The Mike de Kock-trained Silvano colt Vercingetorix had narrowly defeated Dean Kannemeyer’s top performer Capetown Noir in the KRA Guineas and the pair were set to do battle again in a star-studded field of three-year-olds from all parts of South Africa.

Vercingetorix had tracked stable companion Rock Cocktail into the home straight where he was quickly sent forward to take the lead. But he soon came under pressure from Capetown Noir and they again fought a tremendous battle for the line. In the last stages the outside No Worries from the Gavin van Zyl stable blasted into the fray and the three went to the line almost as one horse with Vercingetorix just holding off No Worries by a short head with Capetown Noir a head back in third just a further head in front of Wylie Hall.

With this win Vertingetorix retained his unbeaten record which he later carried forward to his first race in Dubai.

2012

The country’s top three-year-old clash, the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 looked a one-horse affair when Jackson was backed to the exclusion of all else in the field and he did not disappoint. His sire Dynasty had won this race nine years previously before going on to score a sensational win from 20 draw in the Vodacom Durban July and, after Jackson’s facile victory in the Daily News 2000, there was strong belief that he could emulate his famous father’s success in the big one.

Jackson had won the prestigious Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby and defeat by Variety Club in the KRA Guineas was of little concern to trainer Brett Crawford who stated that the 1 600m was too short for his charge and this classic 2 000m event had been his mission for the season.

The pace had been set by the Argentinean-bred Vettel from the Mike de Kock stable and he stayed on doggedly in the finish. However, he had no answer to the finishing burst from Jackson and had to settle for second place nearly four lengths back and just half a length ahead of Shogunnar.

2011

Daily News 2000 – In one of the most exciting finishes to this famous race, the Mogok colt The Apache exploded through from the back of the field to snatch victory in the shadow of the post by a short head giving a sensational victory to young trainer Gavin van Zyl.

Under Raymond Danielson, The Apache showed brilliant acceleration and a fighting spirit when joined by favourite Run For It from the Justin Snaith stable as the two fought it out after getting the better of English Garden and Black Wing.

It was a sensational run by The Apache who was last when the field swept into the home straight and over the subway and added to the status of the Scott Bros sire Mogok that had previously produced Gypsy’s Warning that had performed with success in the United States and Orbison that had finished third in the Vodacom Durban July the previous year.

The Apache went on to run fourth in the Vodacom Durban July before winning the Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1 800m at Greyville.

2010

The Mike de Kock magic was on display at Greyville yesterday as his horses Irish Flame and Bold Silvano, ridden by Kevin Shea and Anthony Delpech respectively, ran one-two in the Grade 1 R1 million Daily News 2000.

The hotpot favourite Noordhoek Flyer, who went into the race as ruling Vodacom Durban July favourite, lost a shoe in the running, but even then was disappointing in fourth place.

Kevin Shea said about Irish Flame, who went into the race as July second favourite having been a facile winner of the SA Derby in very soft going in his last start,

“This was the test to see whether he would handle Greyville and whether he would like fast ground. He proved he could do both. He showed a very good turn of foot at the top of the straight.”

Karl Neisius, who rode Noordhoek Flyer said, “I was a bit disappointed as he didn’t kick all the way to the line. He might not have seen it out but it’s difficult to tell as he did lose the shoe.”

2009

Big City Life consolidated his position as top three-year-old in the country at Greyville yesterday when winning the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 under a ride that combined both tactical and physical skill from Bernard Fayd’herbe.

With the false rail at just five metres, Big City Life would have found it a lot tougher to come around the field from behind than he had when winning the Grade 2 KRA Guineas at Greyville in his previous start, a day on which the false rail was set wide.

Fayd’herbe consequently sprang the Glen Kotzen-trained even money favourite out from his wide draw of ten and had him right up with the pace in the first few hundred metres, before managing to get him onto the rail in second place behind pacemaker Fenerbahce.