Category Archives: Y-Champions Season

Trip To Heaven (JC Photo)

Versatility key to Heaven

Posted on by

The Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, which looks to be ultra competitive, heads a nine event card for the racing purist to savour at Greyville on Saturday.

Trip To Heaven has speed and class as well as a good draw and he looks set to land his first Gr 1. S’Manga Khumalo knows the lightly raced four-year-old Trippi gelding well and should bring the best out of him. This horse is versatile so can use his speed to lead if jumping well or could otherwise bring his devastating turn of foot to the table if coming from off the pace.

Trip To Heaven (JC Photo)

Trip To Heaven (JC Photo)

Talktothestars is officially the highest rated runner in the field by a whopping seven points. He displayed a fine turn of foot in the Computaform Sprint and might have to employ it to the maximum from his wide draw here, or otherwise he will have to get lucky if opting to be as handy as he was when winning the Tsogo Sun Sprint. Gavin Lerena’s Hong Kong experience will be of huge benefit in this race as the 1200m races there are all around the turn.

Trip Tease jumps from pole position and although only ever racing beyond 1000m once in his career he has been settling well lately, as he did last time when sitting behind a fast pace over 1000m in  a Pinnacle event at Turffontein, before turning it on impressively to win going away by 3,25 lengths.

Barbosa didn’t raise a gallop in the Tsogo Sun, having run an excellent third in the Computaform Sprint before that. In January he showed how well he can turn it on from behind over 1200m at Greyville when beaten just a neck by Ice Machine at level weights. A repeat from his tough draw of 14 here will give him a chance.

Real Princess’s draw of six should allow her to find cover before using her exceptional turn of foot. Gulf Storm has the blinkers off and should be running on strongly from a tricky draw. Heartland has always been hightly regarded and should also be making late headway being a horse better suited to 1400m.

Lanner Falcon is a dark horse as one who will relish this tough 1200m and she was a touch unlucky when having to be switched wide for a run in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint. Triptique’s excellent Drill Hall Stakes runner up effort gives him a chance of earning here too. Fly By Night is a former winner of this race when it was staged at Clairwood and showed in the recent Post Metchants she can run on well from behind as she will likely need to from a tricky draw here.

Red Ray (Liesl King)

Red Ray (Liesl King)

Red Ray has his third run after a long layoff and is another with the class to win. Night Trip is an intriguing runner as a classy 1400-1600m horse who has done well at Greyville before and he did win the last time he was tried over this distance way back in October 2013 at Durbanville. Exelero finished a fine third in the Tsogo Sun but officially has the toughest task at the weights here.

Captain Alfredo will have to improve on his Post Merchants run to be a factor and strikes as being a bit too one-paced to be a threat at this level, although he could perhaps play an important role by leading as this will likely give him his best chance from a tricky draw.

The selection is Trip To Heaven to beat Talktothestars, Trip Tease, Barbosa and Real Princess.

In the first race over 1600m on the turf Philanthropist colt Rockefella impressed when running on over 1400m on the Greyville turf to win on debut and he should relish the step up in trip. His paternal half-brother The Slade is a half-brother to two-year-old Gr 1-winner Afrikaburn and has a fair draw with Anthony Delpech up. Step Up is a lot better than his last run when caught hopelessly wide and he is the dark horse from a good draw.

In the second over 1600m The High Life won a race over this trip at Scottsville which was later declared null and void, so has a weight advantage here receiving 3kg as a non-winner. Costa Da Sol won fluently second time out on the poly over this trip and Dancing Wall could improve.

In the third over 1400m on the poly, the hard-knocking Hejira could beat a weak field.

In the fourth over 1600m on the poly, the form of Lonelyarethebrave’s win over course and distance last time has been franked so he could make it a course and distance hattrick off a four point higher mark, despite a wide draw. Emperor Niarchos and Danish Wood make most appeal of the rest.

Seventh Heart is an improving sort and looks the one to beat from a tough draw in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes over 1600m on the poly. In Other Words and Chennai Babe should be thereabouts too.

In the Queen palm Stakes over 2400m on the turf, Deputy Ryder has some class and is drawn well over a suitable trip. Gathering Fame and Zante could be threats.

In the eighth over 1000m on the poly Zinnavar should be cherry ripe to deliver over a suitable course and distance. Big King can’t be ignored from a good draw and Shenyang is the dark horse as one who is a lot better than his last two runs.

In the last over 1200m on the poly, Wind Singer has some class and could make amends for her disappointing last run from another good draw. Lily Gray has a chance from pole and Shizam is a two-year-old who caught the eye in her last win over this trip at Kenilworth and she is also well drawn.

David Thiselton

Fly By Night (Liesl King)

Bass duo big runners

Posted on by

Mike Bass’ Summerveld assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe made the two mares Fly By Night and Lanner Falcon big runners in Saturday’s Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, while admitting Night Trip was “taking his chances” over a trip too sharp.

They have all been doing well at Summerveld and Fayd’Herbe said, “Fly By Night has been doing well in KZN this season, but is drawn wide (12) so will have to come from off them. There is not much between her and Lanner Falcon.”

Fly By Night (pictured) ran on well in the Gr 2 Post Merchants over this 1200m course and distance a month ago for second, albeit from a good draw. In last year’s Mercury Sprint she ran on well for fourth despite being caught wide behind a slow pace early. She will be out to reclaim the crown she won two years ago when the race was run at Clairwood for the last time.

Lanner Falcon (Liesl King)

Lanner Falcon (Liesl King)

Lanner Falcon was a touch unlucky in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint over this trip at Scottsville when having to be switched outward considerably to get a clear run. She only finished two lengths behind Mercury Sprint contender Real Princess there and was only 0,75 lengths behind Fly By Night. From a fine daw of four she has a chance on Saturday at a course where her fine turn of foot is a valuable asset. She last ran on Vodacom Durban July day in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes where she was cramped for room close to home and not disgraced. Fayd’herbe expected her to come from about midfield on Saturday.

Officially both mares have a tough task on paper as Laner Falcon is merit rated 107 and Fly By Night 105, way below the 121 rating of Talktothestars.

Fayd’herbe said about the 103 merit rated six-year-old Night Trip, who jumps from a plum draw of three, “It is a bit short for him, but he hasn’t run for a while so is fresh. We had to take our chances from the draw and he will then go for the Darley Arabian on Super Saturday (which he bids to win for the third time in succession). He seems to like a right hand bend and could maybe sneak into the quartet.”

Brandon Lerena is aboard Fly By Night, Stuart Randolph rides Lanner Falcon and Callan Murray rides Night Trip.

David Thiselton

Real Princess (Nkosi Hlophe)

Princess has the credentials

Posted on by

Dean Kannemeyer believes his Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint winner Real Princess deserves a crack at the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint against the boys and has freshened up his other runner Captain Alfredo.

He said, “Real Princess has got the credentials. I said before the Scottsville Sprint if Carry On Alice could win it then on form so could she (having finished on top of Carry On Alice in the Gr 2 Southern Cross Stakes) and she then proved it.”

The beautifully bred Trippi filly also beat Fly By Night and Lanner Falcon in the City Of Peiermaritzburg Sprint and Kannemeyer rated that pair as ”very good fillies.”

Real Princess (Nkosi Hlophe)

Real Princess (Nkosi Hlophe)

He continued, “I stayed out of the Gr 2 Diadem Stakes and Lanner Falcon and Fly By Night beat the boys there and finished one-two (six months ago in December). Real Princess is a better horse as a late four-year-old than she was six months go.”

She will be suited to Greyville as Kannemeyer pointed out she had “fantastic cruising speed” and she also showed at Scottsville how good her turn of foot was.

He said about Captain Alfredo, “He’s a tough campaigner and was a little below his very best in his last two starts. He found a bit of interference in the straight last time in the Post Merchants and before that in the Tsogo Sun Sprint didn’t quite finish, so I have freshened him up now. He is a bull of a horse and is tough and sound, but he hasn’t got a great draw.”

Real Princess has a good draw of six with Anthony Delpech retaining the ride and Lyle Hewitson rides Captain Alfredo from draw eleven.

Kannemeyer concluded, “They are both very well, but it’s a very strong race.”

Kannemeyer said his first-timer in race one over 1600m, The Slade, who is a big colt by Philantropist and a half-brother to Gr 1 winner Afrikaburn, would likely need a run or two for the penny to drop  but felt he could develop into a promising sort.

David Thiselton

Red Ray (Liesl King)

Ramsden has faith in Red Ray

Posted on by

Vodacom Durban July-winning trainer Joey Ramsden has no doubt Red Ray is as good as he was before leaving for overseas two years ago and is happy with his work ahead of Saturday’s Gr 1 Mercury Sprint.

However, Ramsden does have a little doubt whether running the five-year-old Western Winter entire in first-time blinkers from a tricky draw is the right thing to do for obvious reasons (he could end up caught wide.) However, it is difficult to tell where the pace will come from in the race and it could pay to have him handier than he was in the Gr 2 Post Merchants.

Red Ray ran a good fourth in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, despite likely needing it in his first run since his only disappointing run overseas a year-and-a-half before. That run is one reason Ramsden believes he still retains his ability.

In the Post Merchants he had traffic problems in the straight and could have got closer. Anton Marcus stays aboard from a draw of nine.

David Thiselton

 

Snaith’s dark horse

Posted on by

Trainer Justin Snaith said his Gr 1 Mercury Sprint contender Heartland had been doing very well at home since gelding and he made him the dark horse in Saturday’s weight-for-age 1200m race.

He said, “He won very well last time at Scottsville over 1400m. He is a brilliant 1400m horse so this is a bit on the sharp side. But there is a slight hill at Greyville which makes it more testing. It is certainly a lot harder than the Scottsville 1200m. He is drawn well and it was very important to have a good jockey, so we are very happy to have Weichong Marwing aboard. I think the pace will be quite fast and he will come from just off them.”

The four-year-old Dynasty gelding displayed his liking for Greyville when winning the Gr 3 Byerley Turk over 1400m at Greyville last year. He was handy in a slow run race there and won the sprint for home, which augurs well for his chances on Saturday. He then disappointed in the KRA Guineas and was laid off for the rest of the season.

He finished second to Act Of War in the Gr 3 Matchem Stakes over 1400m at Durbanville in his reappearance last October and then won the Listed Jet Master Stakes over 1600m at Kenilworth in December two runs later. However, he disappointed in both the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and Calulo Mile, so the gelding was clearly necessary. This always highly regarded sort is indeed an intriguing runner, despite having a lot to do on paper off an official merit rating of 106. He jumps from draw two.

Snaith has one other runner on the day, three-year-old Dynasty gelding Shenyang, who runs in the eighth over 1000m on the poly. He said this horse had been doing “better” at home. He pointed out the horse had “run away” down to the start last time so that run could be ignored.

Shenyang has speed and finished just 1,5 lengths behind Captain Swarovski over 1200m at Kenilworth in January with Piere Strydom up, albeit when receiving 2,5kg. Now off a four point lower merit rating, pole position draw and Strydom back aboard, he can’t be ignored despite having finished last in both of his KZN outings to date.

David Thiselton

Gavin Lerena (Nkosi Hlophe)

Lerena on ‘Stars’ and Hong Kong

Posted on by

Reigning South African champion jockey Gavin Lerena said all was well with his Gr 1 Mercury Sprint contender Talktothestars and he also revealed he will not be returning to Hong Kong next season, but will instead be chasing another SA Championship.

Trainer Coenie de Beer was travelling Talktothestars down from the Vaal to Durban yesterday (Wednesday) and the horse will have a canter around Greyville before the big race on Saturday. The four-year-old Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint winner has a tough draw to overcome, but De Beer pointed out wide draws have a good record at Greyville statistically.

Lerena only arrived back from Hong Kong on Monday, so has not been riding the Overlord gelding in work. However, he said De Beer had reported him to be fit and well. Talktothestars is a versatile type. He can use his speed to be up with them, but has a devastating turn of foot, so can also come from off the pace.

The rags-to-riches fairytale horse has been declared to run without shoes as usual and as the probable most travelled horse in the country will not have been affected by yesterday’s journey.

Lerena said about his stint in Hong Kong, “It was a fantastic experience, but it was very tough to break in. All the holes are plugged and the trainers have got their jockeys. But I would love to go back in a year or two’s time when I will know what to expect.”

Lerena said current Hong Kong champion jockey Joao Moreira was so in demand he was effectively controlling the market.

Most Hong Kong races are “class” defined and there are five classes from one to five.

Lerena said in each of these class races there were usually about four horses capable of winning and Moreira would often be offered the ride on all four. After choosing one he apparently often advises the owners of the other three of his willingness to ride their charges in forthcoming races. The owners of these three then often scratch due to this commitment. When this scenario plays out, Moreira’s mount now effectively has what would have been the fifth favourite as the main danger. The competition is thus being taken out of the racing.

Lerena clarified, “I am not saying it happens every race, but I would say about 60% of the time.”

Lerena pointed out even thirteen-times champion jockey Douglas Whyte had been battling to get good rides lately. Other jockeys who are in demand are Zac Purton and apprentice female Kei Chiong and Lerena pointed out the latter was allowed a ten pound claim, despite having previously ridden 43 winners in New Zealand.

Lerena rode five winners in his stint in Hong Kong, which began in late February, and was proud of his place strike rate of 33% considering his lack of opportunities.

He said, “You have to up your game in Hong Kong.” This is due to the level of competition and improvement in many areas is a natural consequence. He pointed out judgement of pace became almost an automatic skill for a jockey who had ridden for a period in Hong Kong.

Lerena is looking forward to partnering Master Sabina in either the eLan Gold Cup or Champions Cup. “I love riding this horse,” he admitted.

He said he had been forced to take Master Sabina back early in the Vodacom Durban July, so was considerably further back than he had wanted to be, but said the Jet Master six-year-old, on whom he landed his second career Sansui Summer Cup, had run on really well in the straight to finish a 3,35 length ninth.

Lerena will head to the UK for the Shergar Cup in August and is hoping to land a few rides in France before coming home to chase the championships.

David Thiselton

Trip to suit Heaven

Posted on by

National champion trainer Sean Tarry is pleased with his Gr 1 Mercury Sprint contender Trip To Heaven at Summerveld and revealed the scratching of Carry On Alice was the result of a decision not to “gamble” from a wide draw.

Tarry said the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge had proved Trip To Heaven was probably best at 1200-1400m, but could get away with a mile at Greyville. The four-year-old Trippi gelding showed an exceptional turn of foot in the Gold Challenge, coming around them from last to hit the front in a matter of strides. However, he lost the race on objection after carrying Mac De Lago across the course.

Tarry said coming down in trip to 1200m five weeks after the Gold Challenge would not pose a problem for a horse who possessed so much speed.

He said the key obstacle would be the start, as the horse had tended to jump tardily lately. However, he was not overly concerned.

Tarry felt the horse could lead if jumping well, but if losing a length could sit off them and use that turn of foot to make up the leeway in the straight.

Last year Trip To Heaven fought for his head in a handy position, but Tarry was not at all enamoured with the ride. He said the plan had definitely not been to “break his jaw” and added the race had been gifted to Captain Of All as Trip To Heaven’s natural pace should have been used.

He is happy with the riding arrangement this year and said, “S’manga (Khumalo) knows the horse well.”

Khumalo has ridden the Highlands Farm Stud-bred speedster in eleven of his thirteen starts and has been aboard for all four of his career wins, which includes Grade 2s over 1160m and 1450m respectively. Trip To Heaven has been at Summerveld since the Gold Challenge.

Tarry said Carry On Alice was fit and well and he planned to keep her in training, although this had not been discussed yet with the connections.

He also runs five horses in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes on Saturday over 1600m. He was reluctant to single any of them out as he said all of them had things in their favour as well as question marks against them.

However, he pointed out, contrary to assumptions made in the press and by the public, Khumalo does not have an automatic choice of ride for his yard’s runners. He said rather the method was for himself to allocate rides to the jockeys and he usually did this based on the suitability of rider to horse as well as familiarity and also the success a rider had had with a horse in the past.

Tarry runs Aventurine, who won at Greyville yesterday (Wednesday), in the Non-Black Type Queen Palm Stakes. He said this horse was able to run close up after a previous run and he was “taking a chance” with her in a race where she had a tough task at the weights.

David Thiselton

 

Drier’s duo can upset

Posted on by

The Dennis Drier yard said the respective last runs of their Gr 1 Mercury Sprint contenders, Barbosa and Triptique, could be ignored and they had both been doing well at Summerveld.

Barbosa did not raise a gallop in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, having come off an excellent third in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint. Triptique was tried over 1600m in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and plodded in the straight, having run on well for an excellent second before that in the Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m.

Triptique closeup LK (1 of 1)-siteTriptique, who won the Gr 2 Cape Merchants over this trip at Kenilworth back in November, jumps from a tricky draw of eight.  However, stable jockey Sean Veale said, “He does not have a draw to overcome, because he comes from off them.”

Drier has always held this four-year-old Trippi gelding in high regard. The Drill Hall Stakes proved his suitability to Greyville and he could be the dark horse, although he does have a tough task at the weights off an official 106 merit rating.

Assistant trainer Stuart Ferrie believed Barbosa had the turn of foot necessary to overcome a tough draw of 16. Ian Sturgeon, who rode him in the Computaform Sprint, is back aboard.

The six-year-old Captain Al gelding has four wins, a second and a third from seven races contested this season. He has clearly come into his own. He is merit rated 108 and is another dark horse.

David Thiselton
Picture: Triptique (Liesl King)

Strydom stays loyal to Trip Tease

Posted on by

Vodacom Durban July-winning jockey Piere Strydom admitted he had jumped off Talktothestars for the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, to be run this Saturday at Greyville, only because of loyalty to the connections of Trip Tease.

He said, “I have been riding for Louis (Goosen) and Mr Ferreira for so long and don’t want to mess it up for just one ride. But, if that was not the case I would have chosen to ride Talktothestars without a doubt. “

Trip Tease has only ever raced beyond 1000m once, but Strydom said the speedster had been settling a bit better lately, so was hopeful he would stay the 1200m trip. The five-year-old Trippi gelding, who has won 15 of his 25 races, has only been around the turn once on turf, and that was when winning over 1000m early in his career on the Turffontein Inside track. Strydom felt only Saturday’s race would tell how he handled the Greyville turn.

Strydom makes Talktothestars, whom he won the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint on, as well as Trip To Heaven the pair to beat on Saturday. He said the only thing in Trip Tease’s favour over that pair was his pole position draw.

Meanwhile, Trip To Heaven and Talktothestars are drawn 5 and 15 respectively. Strydom concluded, “Hopefully from the draw we have a chance.”

The Joey Ramsden-trained The Conglomerate provided Strydom with a record-equalling fourth July victory two weekends ago. The brilliant rider joined the great Harold “Tiger” Wright as well as Anton Marcus and Anthony Delpech on that mark.

Piere Strydom poster: Gold Circle Publishing

Piere Strydom poster: Gold Circle Publishing

Strydom compared his first July winner London News (1996) to The Conglomerate, “London News was made for the July, he had natural gatespeed, he travelled well and he had great acceleration. But The Conglomerate didn’t have much in his favour and everything had to come right on the day.”

He had committed to ride for owner Markus Jooste after one of his many original options Black Arthur had initially been set to carry 53kg. However, he admitted asking to be released from this commitment after winning the Rising Sun Gold Challenge on Mac De Lago. The answer was no and he then still had to wait for Anton Marcus to make his choice too.

He said, “I was only on The Conglomerate at the last minute and we then drew 20. But on the day everything just worked out extremely well from the point of view of soundness, the way he behaved at the start, the way he started, then there wasn’t much pace, so he got there for nothing and then he quickened well. You don’t always get all of that.”

In the back of his mind had been the strangeness of the weight structure, with most of the field including all bar one of the three-year-olds being under sufferance.

However, in his analysis “nothing stood out” and ”form-wise there was about 2,5 lengths from first to last, everything had a small chance.” Therefore, when getting into his handy position for nothing he was confident he had a chance, especially with the going being quick on the day.

His confidence proved well founded as the four-year-old Australian-bred Lonhro gelding quickened well and had the race won before the flying Marinaresco arrived on the scene to be beaten just 0,25 lengths.

Strydom’s milestone 5000th winner was also achieved in the Jooste colours on a Ramsden-trained horse when winning the Gr 2 Selangor Cup on November 22, 2014, on Act Of War.

The peerless jockey has already ridden three Gr 1 winners since coming back from a three-and-half-month layoff for a broken collar bone on May 24 and will be hoping to add another one on Saturday.

David Thiselton

The Conglomerate doing fine

Posted on by

Vodacom Durban July hero The Conglomerate may return to Greyville on July 30 for the Mike and Carol Bass Champions Cup.

Joey Ramsden said yesterday: “He seems to be fine after the race and yes, he could run.”

The Conglomerate has again drawn wide in the 1 800m Grade 1 – 15 out of 20, compared with 18 out of 18 in the July. No horse has won the July and the Champions Cup in the same season since El Picha 16 years ago and in the last five seasons the July winner has not even run in the other race.

Ramsden has cleared up the mystery of why his better fancied runner St Tropez faded badly to finish last but one and said: “He pulled up with a sore back.”

Michael Clower