Category Archives: IOS

The-Conglomerate (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Conglomerate stakes his claim

Posted on by

The Conglomerate threw his hat into the ring for the Daily News 2000 and the Vodacom Durban July with a smashing win in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas. Possibly taken in by the often moderate pace in which many races are run in the Cape, Joey Ramsden was surprised as the lesser fancied of his two runners landed the Guineas from Mac De Lago and Light The Lights.

“I must be honest I thought it was too short. I didn’t think he could win an eight furlong race, but they went like hell.” Anton Marcus echoed Ramsden’s sentiments. “I thought it was patently too short but he was aided by the good tempo up front.”

Marcus was at his sublime best as he tracked the pace set by Riff Raff and Amazing Strike with Ramsden’s more fancied runner Kingvoldt tucked in behind.

Marcus went early on The Conglomerate and pinched what turned out to be a winning lead. “I was cursing Anton. I thought he had gone too early,” laughed Ramsden.

Mac De Lago run on steadily up the inside rail to take second with Light The Lights just ahead of a wall of horses.

Disappointment was Kingvoldt who found nothing in the straight.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: The Conglomerate winning the Gr 2 KRA Guineas (Nkosi Hlophe)

Ice-Machine (Nkosi Hlophe)

Ice Machine turns on the style

Posted on by

Ice Machine, a gelding with tons of ability but plagued throughout his career by soundness problems, earned a well deserved victory in The Gr 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes at Greyville today.

“It was a tremendous training feat by Charles (Laird) keeping him sound. He was floating today,” said his pilot Anton Marcus. “He’s a very special horse and at WFA over eight furlongs he can go with the best of them.”

Ice Machine certainly proved it yesterday as he showed a tremendous turn of foot to outgun Bouclette Top and Ashton Park although his cause was helped by the late scratching of favourite Legislate.

The long awaited return to the track of last season’s Equus Champion was put on further hold after getting a hind leg caught up in the back gate as he lashed out after being loaded. Course vet Roehann Sutherland said Legislate has suffered a few minor abrasions but appeared a “little ginger” on the leg so was taking no chances. “Fortunately he was quite sensible and did not struggle in the gate.  It was possibly just a bit of a ‘lamey’ but only tomorrow will tell.”

Ice Machine has been through a number of yards but after last season owners Roy and Gladys Meaker decided on complete rest.  “He had an absolute break,” said Laird and please God he pulls up sound tomorrow. The Gold Challenge is a possibility but we will take it one race at a time.”

A feature of the day’s racing on the turf track were the solid early fractions and Chekilli barreled out of gate 12 to set a strong pace leaving Ice Machine and Ashton Park towards the back of the field along with the fancied King Of Pain.

Bouclette Top was the first to challenge his stable companion and looked a likely winner but Ice Machine unwound a sustained finish up the outside of the field to win going away. Ashton Park was also doing his best work late to run into the money.

King Of Pain failed to quicken and never troubled the commentator.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: The Conglomerate wins the 2015 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes (Nkosi Hlophe)

one fine day nh

It should be One Fine Day

Posted on by

The Champions Season’s opening meeting at Greyville tomorrow sees some of the country’s best horses clashing in three much anticipated Gr 2 races.

The current three-year-old fillies crop is possibly the best ever seen in this country, and the KRA Fillies Guineas looks to be the most exciting of the three races. The dual Gr 1-winner Inara will clash with two potentially brilliant milers in One Fine Day and Alexis, while the tough Trophy Wife and the promising Ataab will give an inkling of how strong the Johannesburg three-year-old classic form is.

One Fine Day quickened effortlessly in her last start over 1400m at Greyville and won with a bit in hand. She finished an excellent second against the boys over 1400m in last season’s Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe so clearly enjoys this track. This Trippi filly has struck as one that will get the 1600m. Her exceptional turn of foot will mean she can afford to be dropped out from her tricky draw, especially considering her stablemate Ataab looks capable of ensuring a good gallop.

Alexis switched inward and then outward again before finishing strongly in the 1400m race at Greyville won by One Fine Day. She is now 2kg better off for a 1,75 length beating and, furthermore, she needed that last run. This Dynasty filly has speed but also plenty of gears over shorter so should stay the trip. Her pedigree also suggests she will get the trip. She put in eyecatching work at Summerveld on Tuesday and has clearly come on a lot from that last run.

Inara finished runner up to Majmu in the best form race of the season, the Gr 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas, and followed up by winning both the Gr 1 Maine Chance Paddock Stakes over 1800m and the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m. She was given a deserved break after that but the yard said that this Trippi filly, who apparently shows nothing at home, would be “quite fit” and considering her form that would be enough to put her in with a big shout.

Trophy Wife is ever improving but at this level she might prefer a galloping track like Turffontein. She has had a grueling campaign but is tough.

Silver Class stayed on well to finish just a length behind One Fine Day over 1400m at Greyville last time out but the latter appeared to have a bit in hand. She could earn.

Real Princess is held in good regard and could still be anything.

Cathy Specific is a nice type capable of running on strongly and will have come on from her last start, but is in the deep end here.

Zante has Cathy Specific held on formlines but would prefer further.

Sensible Lover looks held by Trophy Wife and Ataab looks held by Inara. However, Ataab could play a valuable role as pacemaker.

Just Lucky looks outclassed here.

The selection is One Fine Day to beat Alexis with Inara, Real Princess and Trophy Wife next best.

The KRA Guineas is an intriguing affair, but the classy Heartland has gears which makes him suited to Greyville and he should now be coming into his own. However, his draw is a concern and so the surprise choice to beat him is Light The Lights. The best hasn’t been seen of this well regarded sort and from a good draw he could make amends for his last start over 1400m at Greyville when caught wide pulling for his head but still managing to stay on. He has come on from that run and has been working well.

Ultimate Dollar has an impressive stride and although the Daily News 2000 might be more down his alley he is well drawn here so should turn for home handy and he will build up more and more momentum down the straight so is tipped for third.

Anjaal finished a narrow third in a two-year-old Gr 1 over course and distance and looks to have turned the corner again after going off form, so he should be involved from a good draw.

Jayyed narrowly beat Anjaal in the aforementioned Gr 1, but has had to have a breathing operation and this is only his second run since.

Kingvoldt is 3kg better off with Heartland for a 0,75 length beating over 1400m at this course so must have a shout, although he does have a tricky draw.

Forest Fox is a talented sort and the yard now know that he needs to be left alone in the early stages before running on.

The Conglomerate is a progressive sort but might need the run and will prefer the distances of the Daily News and July.

Easy Lover ran on well over 1400m after being slow away last time and is now 2kg better off with Heartland for a 1,75 length beating. He has a wide draw so might have to come from near the back again.

Amazing Strike should be coming into his own but made a breathing noise last time and is widely drawn.

The selection is Light The Lights to beat Heartland with Ultimate Dollar, Anjaal and Kingvoldt next best.

Legislate runs very well fresh and the Gr 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m will tell whether he is the same horse after his L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate failure, subsequent to which he was found to have had a serious lung infection. He should win if that incident caused no long term effect. King Of Pain is the other class horse in the race and a wide draw and having his second run after a rest shouldn’t stop him from going close. Ashton Park, Night Trip and Ze Kaiser are all effective over this trip and are tipped to follow the two big guns home.

–     By David Thiselton

Picture: One Fine Day (Nkosi Hlophe)

Light The Lights (Nkosi Hlophe)

Kotzen with double chances

Posted on by

Glen Kotzen has two further chances of success in Saturday’s KRA Guineas meeting at Greyville having started his Champions Season campaign in fine style at Scottsville on Sunday by winning both the Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes and the Gr 3 Poinsettia Stakes.

Kotzen runs the progressive Western Winter colt Light The Lights in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas and described him as “a proper horse”.

He said that Light The Lights had been “a bit above himself” in his Champions Season pipe opener over 1400m at Greyville, so it was not surprising that he fought for his head early when caught wide in a slow-paced race. However, he was seen to be doing pleasingly strong work late in the race. Kotzen added that Light The Lights had worked “very well” on Tuesday morning at Summerveld. He was looking forward to seeing how the colt would do from a good draw on Saturday as he has always regarded him as one who would come into his own in the latter part of the season. Light The Lights will follow the same path as the yard’s Vodacom Durban July winner of 2009, Big City Life, although he has big shoes to fill as Big City Life won both the KRA Guineas and the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, having arrived in KZN on the back of a win in the Gr 1 Cape Derby. Light The Lights looks fair value in the ante-post July market at 150/1 for a win and 30/1 for a place, although off a merit rating of 102 he will need a couple of big runs just to get into the big race.

Kotzen runs Cathy Specific in the Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas, a Royal Air Force filly who is part-owned by his son Kuyan. He said, “It is a tough ask as she is a bit out at the weights, but we will take our chances. She needed her first run here and ran a good race and has come on a lot from it.”

Cathy Specific won her debut over 1000m at Kenilworth on January 10 in impressive style after a slow start and she was then not disgraced in a competitive handicap over 1000m on J&B Met day when a 1,65 length fifth behind the useful Balkan. She followed up by finishing a 3,25 length fourth in the level weights Listed Breeders Guineas at Fairview on March 12 from a wide draw. In her Champions Season pipe opener at Greyville she produced her usual strong finish to win a fillies and mares Progress Plate over 1600m by a short-head. The runner up was the promising  Zante, who needs further and was flying late. Zante will have a 6kg weight swing in her favour on Saturday, so Cathy Specific will have to have improved a lot from that last run. Cathy Specific is only an 81 merit rating at present, but looks to be an unexposed, progressive sort who should rise above that figure in time. This is her first big test and she will have to prove well above average to feature in a classic race contested by some of the best fillies of a vintage crop.

– By David Thiselton

Picture: Light The Lights (Nkosi Hlophe)

Inara (Liesl King)

Bass holds strong hand

Posted on by

The Gr 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m at Saturday’s Champions Season opening meeting could virtually be called the ‘Mike Bass Stakes’ as he has five runners in the twelve horse field. Bass looks to hold the trump card in an earlier event, the Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas, with the dual Gr 1-winning Trippi filly Inara.

The masterful Cape trainer’s assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe has relocated from Johannesburg to Summerveld for the Champions Season and said that the Drill Hall would be used as a preparation event for all of Helderberg Blue, Ashton Park, Night Trip, Ze Kaiser and Mountain Master.

Inara (Liesl King)

Inara (Liesl King)

However, he was more bullish about the chances of Inara. He said she had been “doing alright” and “would be quite fit, although she might just need it a little”. The yard gave her “a bit of a holiday” after she had won both the Gr 1 Maine Chance Paddock Stakes over 1800m and the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m in January. Fayd’Herbe admitted that she was not easy to judge because “she shows nothing at home.”

Inara and fellow Vodacom Durban July entry Helderberg Blue, who ran an excellent second in the J&B Met, were certainly looking pictures of health at Summerveld on Tuesday morning. The temperamental Helderberg Blue has a new friend, the recently retired Epic Tale, who accompanies him wherever he goes to the extent that he walks alongside him when ringing in the mornings. The nervous Jet Master gelding won his maiden over 1400m, but Fayd’Herbe confirmed that the Drill Hall trip is a little bit on the sharp side for him these days.

Ashton Park has won six times over 1400m and looked a bit of an unlucky loser over this distance in his penultimate start in the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes when charging home to lose by just 0,75 lengths after taking too long to find a clear run. He is a bit of a headstrong sort and pulling for his head early cost him in his next run in the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes. He is now back to his favourite trip, but a big downside is that he is drawn eleven which will be a particular disadvantage for one who either needs cover from off the pace or needs to be in front.

Fayd’Herbe regards Night Trip as at his best from 1400-1600m. The yard have often lamented how good he would be if he reproduced his homework. His last win was in the Listed Darley Arabian over 1600m on the Greyville Polytrack, so he does enjoy tight tracks and from draw two he has a chance of earning if putting his best foot forward.

Mountain Master is the third of the Bass July entries and has won over course and distance before, but that was off a merit rating of 77 in a handicap and in this class he would be much better suited to 1800m and upward.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Liesl King

Caution first with Harry’s Son

Posted on by

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

alexis lk

Alexis impresses at home

Posted on by

The KRA Fillies Guineas contestant Alexis put in a superb bit of work on the Summerveld beach sand yesterday morning and will give high flying Cape trainer Brett Crawford an outstanding chance of landing this race for the second year in succession.

However, Mike de Kock’s Summerveld assistant trainer Nathan Kotzen was also very happy with the well-being of one of Alexis’s chief rivals on Saturday, One Fine Day.

Yesterday, Alexis cruised at a comfortable gait alongside the speedy Cuvee Brut , who appeared to have her work cut out to keep up, and Crawford’s assistant trainer Barry Donnelly was thrilled by the workout. Cuvee Brut won her last start in a MR 78 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1200m by an impressive three lengths, which puts Alexis’s class into perspective. Alexis has plenty of speed but Donnelly pointed out that on pedigree she should get Saturday’s 1600m trip. Indeed, she has a blistering turn of foot and has invariably finished strongly over shorter.  In her last start over 1400m at Greyville in a small but classy field of six, she came from last and after being switched inward she had to then be switched outward again for a clear run and was doing excellent late work. She finished just 1,75 and one length respectively behind One Fine Day and Silver Class and will face both of them on 2kgs better terms in the KRA Fillies Guineas at Greyville on Saturday. It has to be said that One Fine Day quickened effortlessly and won with a bit in hand, although she was probably more forward than Alexis as it was her third run after a rest compared to the latter’s comeback run. Donnelly confirmed yesterday that Alexis had needed the run and had “come on plenty” since then. Meanwhile, Kotzen said about One Fine Day, “She is doing very well and seems to be flying. If we have her the same as she was for that last race I will be happy.”

Delmar Sherrel is now the sole owner of Alexis. Delmar is the mother of former Springbok flyhalf Lance Sherrel and also has a share in the Crawford-trained stalwart Captain America, who was an easy winner of last month’s WFA Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein.

– By David Thiselton

legislate closeup lk site

Legislate could need this run

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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.