The country’s likely most sort after jockey Anton Marcus revealed he had regarded the filly Smart Call as the biggest danger to his mount Legal Eagle in the J&B Met and added her subsequent victory had been “no flash in the pan”. She has been merit rated 121 and Marcus said, “The handicappers have got it right.”

Marcus admitted he had not considered Smart Call his biggest danger upon studying her bare form. However, he had a complete about turn when riding her in her compulsory J&B Met gallop nine days before the big race. The filly had given him a very good feel in the gallop and he had then become became “wary” of her and even confided his fears to Legal Eagle’s trainer Sean Tarry. Marcus said Legal Eagle could hardly have done any better than finishing 3,5 lengths adrift of the filly in second place. He believed nobody else would have gone forward to challenge Piere Strydom on Legislate in the early stages if he had not done so.

Marcus rode another top horse in Ice Machine to victory in the Non-Black Type Marula Sprint over 1200m at Greyville recently. He revealed he had regarded this Silvano gelding as having “champion” potential a long time ago when still with the Garth Puller stable.

Puller was the brilliant miler’s first trainer and admitted he had never seen Ice Machine moving as well as he had been since his third trainer Charles Laird had taken over the reins at the beginning of last season. Puller still follows his “favourite horse” closely and will be one of many willing the luckless seven-year-old to a first Gr 1 victory this Champions Season.

By David Thiselton

The future racing career of both Legislate and Futura hangs in the balance after they showed signs of haemo-concentrating following their below-par performances in the J & B Met nine days ago.

Justin Snaith said on Saturday: “Their bloods are a bit thick, and we need to sit down and discuss things but I think it could be a good idea to get them ready for their stud careers.

“If they go to Jo’burg or Durban they won’t look like stallions by the time they have finished racing. But this is in the hands of the owners. It’s not a decision I should play a part in. If I did, I might be biased into keeping them racing.”

Legislate (left) and Futura (John Lewis)

John Freeman, who is a part-owner of both horses and is due to manage their stallion careers, appeared to be singing from much the same hymn sheet in the newsletter he sent to clients at the end of last week.

He said: “We always knew the time would come when our two five-year-old entires would tell us that their manhood was going to get in the way of their racing form. They have nothing more to prove. They each won four Grade 1s, both earned the ultimate accolade of Horse of the Year and both have a track record to their credit.”

Snaith also referred to the hurt of the Met after Five Star Rock won the Klawervlei Stud Maiden in the Futura colours at Kenilworth on Saturday.

He said: “It was not an easy pill to swallow. These horses are champions and nothing went our way.”

Cape Fillies Guineas winner and Million Dollar runner-up Silver Mountain has recovered well from the latter race and the Mike Bass stable is already looking forward to pastures new.

Candice Robinson said: “It’s all good with her and she will go to Natal.”

Last season’s Choice Carriers and Sceptre winner Cold As Ice found the early pace too hot when starting 9-4 favourite for the Listed Unibet Cleves Stakes at Lingfield on Saturday but she ran on well for Joe Fanning in the closing stages to snatch third.

Kenilworth Racing has issued an apology for some of the music on Met day being so loud that it upset the horses, adding: “Measures to prevent a repeat will be part of the planning for all future J & B Met days.”

By Michael Clower

Duncan Howells has already been planning the Champions Season assaults of four of his best horses, Same Jurisdiction, Cosmic Light, Ten Gun Salute and Sylvester The Cat.

Howells said there could be no excuses for Same Jurisdiction’s defeat in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, she was simply beaten by the better horse on the day, Inara. However, he said it had provided further proof she was more suited to Greyville and added, “If the Kenilworth straight had been shorter, she wins the race. She has a good burst but appears to have a short run in.”

He would therefore be centering her Champions Season around Greyville, the tight course with a relatively short straight where both of her career Gr 1 wins have been achieved.

Her likely route will be the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m, the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m and the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m.

Howells will not be sending any horses to campaign in Johannesburg this season, so the progressive three-year-old colt Ten Gun Salute, who was an impressive winner of Sunday’s Listed Michael Roberts Handicap over 1800m at Greyville, will be targeted at three-year-old Champions Season features. Sylvester The Cat, whose Cape Town campaign was ruined by his starting stall woes, might also be.

Howells said, “Sylvester The Cat has been gelded and re-schooled. The one race in which he did jump in Cape Town he needed and it was a strong race, so it was a good effort (1,8 length sixth in a Graduation Plate over 1200m behind the useful Ernie), especially considering he had already begun haemo-concentrating.”

Sylvester The Cat has jumped without a problem on the training tracks since being re-schooled and the gelding should solve his haemo-concentrating issues. However, Howells does not yet know what his limit is, so he still has something to prove.

Howells described the Gr 2 The Debutante winner and Gr Sceptre Stakes runner up Cosmic Light as well above average and the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint would be one of her chief targets.

By David Thiselton
Picture: Same Jurisdiction (Nkosi Hlophe)

French Navy, current favourite for the R2-million Gauteng SANSUI Summer Cup, will jump from barrier No 8 when the horses jump from the 2000m mark at Turffontein on Saturday November 28. The final field and barrier positions for Johannesburg’s most prestigious race were announced on Wednesday.

The SA Classic and Daily News 2000 winner is one of two runners for champion trainer Sean Tarry, and will carry top weight of 60kg in the Grade 1 race and has Raymond Danielson up. “He is a horse who drops out and races from off the pace so the draw is not that important,” said Tarry.

“However, No 8 is decent position to be in.”

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Vodacom Durban July winner Power King will receive 1.5kg from French Navy and like many progeny of Silvano could well now be at his peak as a five-year-old. He impressed in his recent preparation run over 1 200m at Greyville, flying up for third.

He is also nicely drawn at No 5 and will be ridden by Stuart Randolph who was aboard when Power King won the Durban July.

Irish import Flying The Flag will be one of three horses attempting to give Mike de Kock his 10th Summer Cup. He ran on well from the back in the Charity Mile and will likely relish the soft ground the rains could bring as he has done well in testing going in Ireland before.

“He has improved markedly since running in the Charity Mile and we’re hoping for a big run. But landing up with No 16 draw has not helped his chances,” said assistant trainer Mathew de Kock.

Master Sabina, runner up two years ago, will be having his second run after a year’s break and will be one of three horses attempting to give five-time champion trainer Geoff Woodruff his third successive victory in the race.

Woodruff won last year with Louis The King and in 2013 with Yorker when he trained the first three past the post.

Ultimate Dollar is one of two horses for Justin Snaith and will be fancied by many as the course and distance should perfectly suit his running style and he will be ridden by Piere Strydom. Unfortunately they drew No 19.

Final field for the R2-million Gauteng SANSUI Summer Cup (Grade 1) over 2000m at Turffontein on Saturday 28 November.

1 – 8 FRENCH NAVY (S G Tarry) R Danielson 60.0 – 113

2 – 5 POWER KING (D Kannemeyer) S Randolph 58.5 – 109

3 – 16 FLYING THE FLAG (M F De Kock) A Delpech 58.0 – 108

4 – 20 JUDICIAL (T Zackey) …………… 56.5 – 105

5 – 7 MASTER SABINA (G V Woodruff) G Lerena 56.5 – 105

6 – 9 HALVE THE DEFICIT (S G Tarry) S Khumalo 56.0 – 104

7 – 4 YER-MAAN (S J Gray) Q Riddle 56.0 – 104

8 – 17 MAC DE LAGO (W H Marwing) W Marwing 55.5 – 104

9 – 6 EASY LOVER (S T Pettigrew) M V’Rensburg 55.0 – 103

10 – 18 DEO JUVENTE (G V Woodruff) S Cormack 54.5 – 102

11 – 2 M L JET (G H Van Zyl) M Yeni 54.5 – 102

12 – 19 ULTIMATE DOLLAR (S J Snaith) P Strydom 54.5 – 102

13 – 10 DISCO AL (J Ramsden) A Fortune 54.5 – 101

14 – 14 DYNAMIC (S J Snaith) K de Melo 54.0 – 100

15 – 13 DIESEL JET (E Verdonese) M Byleveld 53.0 – 99

16 – 15 ST TROPEZ (J Ramsden) A Marcus 53.0 – 99

17 – 1 THE CAPTAIN’S TUNE (G V Woodruff) C Murray 53.0 – 99

18 – 12 AHLAAM (M F De Kock) J P v’d Merwe 52.0 – 96

19 – 11 THE CENTENARY (M F De Kock) C Zackey 52.0 – 96

20 – 3 PLATINUM JET (G H Van Zyl) K Zechner 52.0 – 91

Same Trainer: (1,6) (3,18,19) (5,10,17) (11,20) (12,14) (13,16)

RELEASED BY: Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited

Gulf Storm,  second in last season’s Tsogo Sun Sprint, is set to have his first race of the campaign in the 1 200m Pinnacle Stakes when racing returns to Kenilworth on Saturday.

But stable companion Captain America, the highest-rated horse in the race, will wait a bit longer despite not having raced since winning the H.F. Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein over six months ago.

Brett Crawford, in double form with the Corne Orffer-partnered Winter Prince and One Away at Durbanville on Saturday, said: “There is another Pinnacle over 1 400m at Kenilworth on October 31 and it’s possible that Captain America could run in that. His mission is the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.”

Ready To Attack’s mission is the Selangor Cup on November 21 after the Langerman winner put his credentials on the table in Saturday’s mile handicap. Bernard Fayd’ Herbe had to get serious with him when his path was blocked but the Australian-bred fairly turned on the tap and came home ears pricked.

Justin Snaith said: “He is going the right way and indeed I would have waited for the Magnum Cape Classic on Saturday but he had a bad draw in that.”

Snaith reckons to run Aspara and possibly the four-time seeking Baritone in the Classic while Krambambuli and Masterly will be his representatives in the Betting World Algoa Cup at Fairview on Sunday.

He said: “I normally take a lot of horses to this Port Elizabeth meeting but I am sending just one load this time. Even so, I think I will have a good weekend.”

Mike Bass, who has won five of the last 13 Cape Classics, will run Ernie and Rodney.

Candice Robinson, after seeing Laurie’s Gold justify favouritism under a determined Grant van Niekerk, said: “We also have Marinaresco in the Cape Classic but he is drawn 45 so he may run instead in the mile handicap where he is well drawn. We run Mountain Master in the Algoa Cup.”

Aldo Domeyer is convinced that Bass would also have won the mile novice plate with Sublime Lady had Darryl Hodgson’s all-the-way neck winner kept straight instead of drifting right and carrying Domeyer’s mount with her.

He promptly lodged an objection for “intimidation by crop and by being carried out.” However this was over-ruled by the stipes who pointed out that under the rules they have to be certain that the second horse would have won had there been no interference and, unlike Domeyer, they were not convinced. The outcome was a change of luck for Chris Puller who has been beset by niggling injuries and was riding only his second winner of the season.

Sean Cormack, on the other hand, is on a Durbanville roll and took his tally to five from the last two meetings by scoring on Make The Magnet for Eric Sands and the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Captain Alfredo.

Six years ago Glen Kotzen won two Grade 1s with Lady Windermere and the mare’s daughter Fantastic Trip filled him with hopes of future glory when running on into third on her debut in the opener, particularly as he also has high hopes for Our Destiny who won the race for his old mentor Ralph Rixon.
– Michael Clower
– Pictured: Captain America (Liesl King)

Vodacom Durban July hero Power King is among 34 powerful entries for this year’s R1-million Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile (Grade 2) over 1600m at Turffontein on Saturday October 31.

Trainer Dean Kannemeyer had said a while back he could be bringing Power King to the Highveld for a shot at the R2-million SANSUI Summer Cup over 2000m at the end of November. He is one of three runners from the Kannemeyer stable nominated for the Charity Mile, the others being Afrikaburn, who is sure to love the Turffontein 1600m, and Solar Star, a five-time winner from 17 starts.

All three are currently based at Kannemeyer’s Summerveld satellite yard and, if they run, will raid from there. “I only brought the majority of my Durban Champions Season horses home to Cape Town last Thursday so I could do their African horse sickness vaccinations in the warmth – it only really starts warming up in Cape Town from late October, early November,” said Kannemeyer. “Some, like Power King, Afrikaburn, Solar Star, Master James and Hot Ticket remained behind to, perhaps, run in Johannesburg during the spring season.”

He added his plans had not yet been finalised. “They have been provisionally nominated. We still have to have a look at the conditions and handicaps and do what’s best for the horses.”

Justin Snaith, who has stables locally, has entered Dynamic and Ultimate Dollar, who finished third behind Deputy Judd in the recent Supreme Cup, sponsored by SAP, over 1450m on the Vaal sand.

He could get a second crack at Deputy Judd as Mike Azzie has entered the son of Judpot into the Charity Mile. Azzie has also nominated Prince Of Orange.

As expected there is a strong entry from the Mike de Kock yard which is headed up by Mitraad, a winner of four of his five starts. Other De Kock entries are Kingmambo’s Legacy, Anjaal, Flying The Flag and Toro Rosso.

Mitraad’s lone defeat was to Zambezi River and he is one of five entries from the Sean Tarry yard. Among the others are Equus Champion Three-Year-Old French Navy and Heavy Metal.

This year’s Charity Mile will be the biggest yet, with the 16 chosen charities receiving a share of R1 million, a dramatic increase from last year’s total of R550,000.

The barrier draw, which will be held at Emperors Palace on 21 October, will decide which of the 16 thoroughbreds will represent which charity. Sixteen celebrities will each be matched with a charity for the day.

The charity who draws the winning horse will receive R150,000, the charity represented by the runner-up will receive R100,000 with the other 14 charities getting proportionate amounts of the total donation, depending on the allocated horse’s placement.

Supplementary entries close at 11am on Friday after which the weights will be posted.

Declarations close at 10am on Tuesday 20 October and the final field will be announced at a special event on Wednesday 21 October when the draws will be made. The draw for charities and celebrities will be performed at the same function. (TABNews)

Entries for the R1-million Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile (Grade 2) over 1600m at Turffontein on Saturday 31 October in order of merit ratings:

Picture: Power King winning the 2015 Vodacom Durban July (Nkosi Hlophe)

Futura and fellow stable star Legislate are building up for their five-year-old campaigns but there is no indication yet whether either or both will take on Act Of War in the Green Point Stakes at Kenilworth on November 21.

Justin Snaith said yesterday: “They both went for a rest on a farm after Durban and they are now slowly getting there but we haven’t yet decided on any plans.”

The pair started off in the Green Point last season with Legislate setting a new mile course record and Futura finishing third before going on to take both the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the J & B Met for Brett Crawford, and later winning the Champions Cup for Snaith to clinch the Equus Horse of the Year award. Legislate won the Gold Challenge.

Act Of War was left on his 117 merit rating despite breaking the 1 400m Durbanville record in last Saturday’s Kuda  Matchem and Anton Marcus casting doubt on the handicap mark, saying: “Joey Ramsden will probably call me a prophet of doom but I am not convinced the horse is 117.”

However Heartland, beaten a length and a half when in receipt of 1.5kg, has been raised five points to 102. Bernard Fayd’Herbe felt that the colt wasn’t at ease on the tight course and Snaith’s immediate reaction was that he had banged a fetlock.

The former champion trainer said yesterday: “I couldn’t find much wrong with him even though he knocked himself but he didn’t feel right on the track. I might run him in something like the Diadem (Dec 26) later.”

Snaith’s Baritone, twice a winner at Kenilworth in August, is set to give weight all round in the Magnum Cape Classic at Kenilworth a fortnight on Saturday. Easily the highest-rated horse among the 44 entries is Brazuca who went under by only a short head to Seventh Plain in the Durban Golden Horseshoe on Vodacom Durban July day despite being still a maiden.

Joey Ramsden, who  has won the last two runnings of the Cape Classic with Red Ray and Act Of War, has entered six including the highly regarded pair Hard Day’s Night and Tar Heel who has his first run of the season at Durbanville on Saturday.

Ronnie Sheehan reported yesterday that Cape Nursery winner Captain Chaos “has come on a lot” since his reappearance but he was disappointed by the colt’s 35 draw.
– Michael Clower

Picture: Legislate left Futura right (John Lewis)