Vaal-based trainer Dominic Zaki will raid KZN for Super Saturday at Greyville this weekend with a string of three horses and has two lively chances of Gr 1 success.

In the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m he runs the Jet Master gelding Storm Warning, who bounced back to his best last time out when sauntering to a five length victory over 3000m on the Turffontein Inside Track, having made up ground quickly in the straight from last.

Zaki said Storm Warning had been doing very well and gave him a big chance provided he travelled well. The gelding lost his form earlier this season due to a breathing issue but his last two runs have shown that the wind operation he has had has been successful.

Storm Warning will stay every inch of the Gold Cup trip. On top of his easy win over 3000m last time out he also finished a narrow second in last season’s Gr 2 Gold Bowl over 3200m on the Turffontein Standside track. He ran off a 94 merit rating in the Gold Bowl and now runs off a 95. He was given a maximum six point raise for that last run, but actually ran to a higher rating, so this makes him one of the best handicapped runners on current form.

He has also had the advantage of altitude training. He has the turn of foot necessary for the tight Greyville track and could be a big runner if producing his best. Zaki said a “bad draw is a bad draw but” was not too overly concerned about Storm Warning’s barrier 16 position over a trip of this length. Furthermore, when dropped out to last in his last run, he settled beautifully in behind horses before turning it on impressively in the straight. Craig Zackey will be champion apprentice by Saturday and has formed a good partnership with the gelding.

Zaki runs the classy Toreador gelding Prospect Strike in the Gr 1 Premiers Champion Stakes over 1600m and said if it were not for his wide draw he would have made him a “massive runner.” This horse’s two wins over 1200m and 1400m respectively were by 12,75 and 4,6 lengths and in his only other start he finished a fine 2,65 length third in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1200m at Scottsville, when running on strongly from an unfavourable draw. Prospect Strike has an interesting story behind his breeding. She was bred by the Tawny Syndicate and is owned by two of this syndicate’s members, Larry Nestadt and Greg Blank, in partnership with Knut Haug.

Nestadt and Blank found his Mr Prospector dam, Prospect Fever, in Australia and brought her back to South Africa. Their reasoning was not only that Mr Prospector mares were hard to come by but that she would also likely be an excellent mating for their Danehill stallion Toreador. This was partly due to the famous Northern Dancer-Mr Prospector nick. Toreador is from the Northern Dancer sire line and Prospect Fever herself has the Mr Prospector-Northern Dancer cross close up in her pedigree.

Furthermore, Prospect Fever had already produced the Gr 3-winning Danehill colt Way West, who became known as a speed influential sire at Summerhill Stud. Way West won an Australian Gr 3 over 1100m as a two-year-old in 2004, beating the now sort after sire Oratorio, so it is not surprising that his three parts brother Prospect Strike is also packed with precocious speed. Prospect Strike is in fact the third Toreador foal that Prospect Fever has produced and this emphasises the vagaries of breeding as the other pair, Abstract and Portrait, have not amounted to much, having won just three minor races between them, all over 1200m.

However, Zaki felt that this gelding was now looking for this 1600m trip, and he certainly gave that impression in his last start. He will have the advantage of a champion jockey aboard as Gavin Lerena would have officially secured the title the previous evening. Zaki predicted Prospect Strike would be “up there” in the running in order to overcome the draw.

Zaki was also bullish about the chances of his promising Fort Beluga filly Cataluga, who runs in a MR78 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1000m on the polytrack. She has two wins from four starts over this distance and her breeding suggests she should enjoy the polytrack.

David Thiselton

Joey Ramdsen could end the Champions Season on a high note as his pair of Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup runners Coltrane and Disco Al appear to both have good chances.

He was bullish about both of his runners and said on his blog last week: “We maybe went a bit too hard with Coltrane early on in the season so we have freshened him up and his last two pieces of work and his gallop were quite out of the ordinary.  On his day, he is more than capable of accounting for this type of field. He appears to be a horse that is running off a reasonable mark here.

“I can say exactly the same for Disco Al. I am not entirely sure he gets the two miles but he is a horse which drops the bit in a race and needs an exceptionally strong ride when coming from off the pace. He will get that as the Master Marcus (Anton Marcus) is in the irons and the two seem to complement each other like a hand in a glove. He could be a lively runner and is also off what seems to be a reasonable mark.  Overall, the race does seem to be an exceptionally competitive affair and a high quality event and it is really good to see a strong Gold Cup.”

Disco Al (pictured) is currently a 7/1 shot with Betting World and Coltrane is an attractive 20/1 shot.

Disco Al, a gelding by Captain Al who will turn six on Gold Cup day, was only given a one point raise forwinning the Gr 2 Track And Ball Derby over 2400m at Scottsville last time out. That might not have been the truest paced race as the field finished on tip of each other. However, before that in May he ran on well over 2400m at Greyville to be runner up in the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup over 2400m and is now 1kg better off with the winner Solid Speed for a 1,25 length beating. He is many a pundits idea of the winner, especially as Ramsden has always been known for his expertise in training stayers. Ramsden won the Gold Cup in 2004 with Major Bluff.

Coltrane, an Argentinian-bred Giant’s Causeway gelding who tuns seven on Gold Cup day, appears to have been overlooked by the bookmakers and the pundits on the grounds of two below par staying races at Greyville this Champions Season. He was 3,65 lengths behind Solid Speed in the Highland Night Cup over 2400m and was then 5,6 lengths behind the same horse in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup. However, he is 1,5kg and 2kg better off for those respective runs and Ramsden’s news that he has been freshened up will be another plus point.

Coltrane beat Disco Al by 1,7 lengths in the Gr 2 J&B Urban Honey Stayers over 2850m at Kenilworth on J&B Met day, but he is now 1kg worse off. That should put them together on paper. Coltraine did benefit from a slow pace that day as he was able to sit handy from pole position draw, while Disco Al was disadvantaged by the pace as he was dropped out from a wide draw. However, in the Gold Cup it is once again Coltrane who has the draw advantage, as he jumps from barrier three and Disco Al has to jump from draw eleven. Furthermore, Coltrane has the 5000-winner rider Piere Strydom aboard.

Marcus’s only Gold Cup win was in 1991 with Icona, while Strydom has also won the country’s premier staying race only once, on the Brett Crawford-trained Reveille Boy in 2005.

Ramsden runs Gallica Rose in the weight for age plus penalties Gr 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m. She turns five on Gold Cup day and is typical of a Silvano in that she is blossoming with age. The 102 merit-rated horse is the third highest rated horse in the race but has escaped a penalty so is the joint second best weighted horse together with Athina and the three-year-old Zante. She won the Listed East Coast Cup in good style over this course and distance in her penultimate start and she has the horses she defeated there, Bilateral, Supercede, Gathering Fame, Counting Angels and Mohave Princess held at the weights. However, she does have a wide draw to overcome. Bernard Fayd’Herbe rides.

In the Listed Umgeni Handicap over 1000m on the polytrack, they run the useful Brutal Force and this big horse should be cherry ripe having benefitted from gelding earlier in the year. He at last gets a good draw of three and Marcus will likely make use of both his early pace and his ability to go through with it all the way to the line. He is by Western Winter whose progeny tend to love all weather surrafces.

The yard also run Grey Light in the second race and the 1400m trip on the polytrack looks ideal for this robust daughter of Tapit. She has shown a liking for the polytrack and will appreciate the step up in trip from her two Champions Season efforts on the surface over the too sharp 1200m. She jumps from draw 8 in the MR 80 fillies and mares handicap and has to shoulder 62,5kg, but Fayd’Herbe is a heavyweight riderso she won’t have to carry much dead weights and she looks to be a big runner.

David Thiselton

Given the soaking rain over the past 24 hours, and the forecast of further heavy rains over the coming weekend, the prognosis for racing to go ahead at Greyville on Saturday is extremely poor.

Against that background, and in the best interests of all affected parties and stakeholders, Gold Circle has decided to postpone the Super Saturday race meeting, featuring the eLan Property Group Gold Cup and three other Grade 1 races, in its entirety to Saturday 1 August.

The race meeting originally scheduled for 1 August will now take place on Sunday 2 August.

“With the support of Event World and all our service providers we are pleased to confirm that all marquee infrastructure will remain at Greyville for the delayed race meeting thus affording the 17 Charities the opportunity to continue with their much needed fund-raising activities on 1 August,” said Racing and Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins.

“All bookings in the various venues will also be transferred to the new date and Gold Circle would appreciate clients advising the company of any cancellations,” added Hawkins.

“The decision to postpone was not made lightly as we are well aware that the official NHA statistics, which determine the Championship in respect of various categories such as Champion Stallion, Champion Breeders, Champion Trainer, Champion Jockey etc will be finalized when the Season closes on 31 July, ” said Hawkins.

Fortunately the Championship in respect of the Trainer and Jockey is a done deal, with Sean Tarry and Gavin Lerena holding unassailable leads, but Super Saturday could have played a major role in other categories – in particular the General Sires Log, which now seems likely to be headed by Captain Al.

The Equus Awards panel will however consider the performances of horses running on Super Saturday when voting on the outcome of the various equine categories which are not governed by official NHA statistics.

The ever popular Gold Circle Racing Masters golf tournament at the Wild Coast Sun, which has attracted a record entry of 110 golfing enthusiasts from amongst the racing fraternity, will go ahead as planned from Sunday 26 to Wednesday 29 July.

“The long term weather forecast for next week is good with sunshine predicted from Monday all the way through to Sunday 2 August,” concluded Hawkins.

Mike de Kock is hoping a long rest and a good preparation will do the trick for Wild One in this year’s R1.25-million eLAN Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m at Greyville on Saturday, reports Jack Milner for TabNEWS.

Wild One finished second in last year’s race, beaten just 0.50 lengths by Wavin’ Flag. The five-year-old son of Mogok was not seen in action again until the Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1800m at Greyville on 6 June and ran a cracker, flying up late to finish a 1.25-length second to Punta Arenas. The winner franked the form by running a 0.75-length second to Power King in the Vodacom Durban July.

Wild One came out again in the R1-million KwaZulu-Natal Breeders Million Mile (Non-Black Type) over 1600m, also at Greyville, and this time showed good pace to run a 0.25-length second behind Bezanova.

“He’s not the soundest of horses,” said De Kock yesterday. “I was always patching him up and sending him out, so I decided to give him a solid rest and it certainly has made a big difference.

“I think he has had a fantastic prep. He’s a lot better with the rest than he was last year without it. I specifically stayed away from the features on July Day because I wasn’t looking for a penalty and I think he’s had two great races since he’s come back.”

De Kock also has Kingston Mines in the race and he puts the son of Archipenko very much in the same league in that De Kock avoided large penalties by keeping him out the stayers’ races on July Day. Kingston Mines was bred in the UK and is six months younger than his South African counterparts, having only turned four on 13 March this year.

“At the end of the day Kingston Mines is not guaranteed to stay 3200m. He seems to find that last 200m a bit too much at this stage of his career. But he is still an immature horse and he will get a lot better.

“As far as Anthony (Delpech) goes, he probably made the right choice going with Wild One.”

De Kock only has one other runner contesting the Grade 1 races on the day and that is Persian Rug who runs in the Thekwini Stakes over 1600m for two-year-old fillies. The daughter of Ideal World is unbeaten in two starts and looks to be a classy performer.

“Persian Rug is a smart filly but unfortunately has had a troubled prep,” said De Kock. “She has been battling with respiratory infections and as a result has missed out on quite a bit of work. She’s not at her best at the moment but is massively capable.”

De Kock also confirmed Estidraaj will be having her final run when she contests the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m. “She’s quite a temperamental filly and will be going to stud after this.

Gavin van Zyl runs the ever improving Silvano filly Vino Veritas in the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m at Greyville’s Super Saturday meeting this weekend and he also has No Worries in the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m.

His son and assistant Gareth said, “We’re quite confident she’s going to stay the trip. She’s as honest as the day’s long, and she is very well in herself at the moment. It’s perhaps throwing her in the deep end but she’s the type of horse who, whenever she is thrown in the deep end, manages to find a bit more. So considering how well she is at the moment, and Silvano is doing so well at the moment, we’re taking our chances. We are quietly confident she will be in the money and are sure she will give of her best.”

He agreed a valid concern could regard some of the male stayers looking better weighted than those, like Vino Veritas, who had earned their ratings in middle distance races, and it was thus unfortunate one of the former, their own a Heart Of A Lion, had to be scratched. Vino Veritas is drawn in pole position with champion jockey S’Manga Khumalo aboard. The gallant filly could be the dark horse because like a lot of the progeny of Silvano she gives the impression that she loves her racing and could gallop all day. She is 0,5kg worse off with Ash Cloud, who beat her by 0,65 lengths in the Gr 2 Gold Circle Oaks over 2400m at Scottsville last time out, but she is now much better drawn.

The five-year-old Kahal gelding No Worries has disappointed in two Champions Season outings, but Gareth said, “He’s had as good a preparation as he can have had for this race, it has been spot on, so he’s going to improve into this race. In his previous two races we were against the clock with him. It’s a tough field so we’re going to be realistic but we are also going to see him bouncing back to his best.”

He added that from his wide draw of 12 he would in all likelihood be dropped out by warren Kennedy and come from off them. This will be interesting because, despite becoming known as a front-running type, his two best career runs, when a short-head second in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and fourth in the Vodacom Durban July as a three-year-old, he came from the back of the field.

The yard contest the Listed Darley Arabian over 1600m on the poly with MLJet and being by Jet Master he should love this surface. Gareth said, “He’s doing well and galloped very well on Monday. We’re looking for easy pickings for him just to try and boost his confidence. This race he can win. He will love the poly. He is improving as the season progresses and would be suited to a better pace than he got on July day.”

Gareth admitted the yard were “struggling” with the disappointing Mohave Princess, who has her swansong in the Gr 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m before going to stud. They could only hope for an improved effort.

The yard run two useful types, the three-year-old Kileigh and the five-year-old Tip Toe, in the second race, a handicap for fillies and mares on the polytrack.

Gareth said, “This is the weakest race Kileigh’s been in for long time. She has a big weight, but with her class and claim four she can run into the money. She is fit enough to run a good race, but she’s not peaking yet.” The yard have been getting her accustomed to the poly at Summerveld.

Gareth continued, “Tip Toe is a filly with ability and we’ve been struggling to find a race for her, so this is also a nice type of a race for her. Being drawn badly is not going to help, but she’s certainly one to include and I would say she is the stable elect.”

In the third, a Juvenile Plate over 1900m for two-year-olds, they run Just As Well gelding Jullidar. He has uninspiring form from 1000m to 1600m, apart from a 5,5 length fifth to the exciting Abashiri over 1600m, but the yard won this race with the similar type Sun On Africa last year. Gareth said, “Jullidar has had excuses, last time he went way too fast. The distance is an unknown, but he suggests to us he will see it out and with a bit of luck in running he is one who can place if not better.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Vino Veritas (Nkosi Hlophe)

Highveld trainer Paul Peter was bullish about the chances of his Gr 1 Premiers Champion Stakes contender Mogok Master, who was a decent 1,4 length fourth in the Gr 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m on Vodacom Durban July day. The Mogok colt now has a plum draw of three over the 1600m trip on Super Saturday at Greyville this weekend and Piere Strydom in the saddle is a further bonus.

Peter rates Mogok Master highly and said, “He will definitely prefer the mile. He is working up a storm and from a decent draw I think he is a massive runner.” The Mogok colt came from way back in the Golden Horseshoe after being dropped out from draw 16 out of 16 and was doing his best work late.

In his previous start in the Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m he was most unlucky when his running was taken up at the top of the straight. Therefore the official six lengths he has to find on Gatecrasher Stakes winner Rabada can’t be taken literally.

Peter runs Elusive Fort filly Fort Ember in the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m. She not only had a high head carriage in both of her first two starts at Scottsville, but was also running around a bit, which suggests she has plenty of scope for improvement. Peter said, “She’s a decent filly and she’s coming on.

She won over a mile so she will definitely stay the trip and she will be right there at the end.” Strydom is also aboard this one, from a fair draw of seven.

Peter runs the disappointing sort Forest Fox in the Listed Darley Arabian over 1600m on the poly. He has described the three-year-old Dupont gelding as “a bit of a thief” before and said, “I think he’s looking for a mile now. We’ve taken the blinkers off and we’re going to give him a bit of a chance. You never know with him, he always looks like he’s going to win and then he just peters out at the end. He should be included but is no good thing.” Forest Fox put in some eye catching work on Monday at Summerveld and Peter said, “Yes, he always does that and that’s why we always back him!”

He runs Mod Barley in the Listed Umgeni Handicap over 1000m on the poly and said, “He’s a little guy with a big heart and he loves the poly. Keagan (De Melo) gets on well with him. A 1000-1200m is his game but on the poly he can use his speed in the beginning so 1000m is good for him.” His draw of eight is not as good as his one on July day when caught late and he has also been raised four points.

The yard have two runners in the first on the poly and top weight First Dancer will appreciate the step up in trip to 1400m. Peter said, “First Dancer’s come on a lot with her two runs in Durban. They’ve dropped her three points in the merit ratings and she has a 4kg claimed aboard. I think she will be right there. Heavenly Express needed his last run and I think is a bit better than that. Let’s just hope for a come on run from him.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Paul Peter (JC Photos)

Mike Azzie sends out a horse many are talking about, Rabada, in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m on Super Saturday at Greyville over the weekend and has a strong back up in that race with Abashiri.

He also has runners in two other Gr 1 events on the day. He said, “The Premiers is a full field and is a tricky race because a lot of horses that will want to be up handy are drawn wide and there will be a lot of jostling for position. So we’re putting in High Game to ensure a good gallop, we don’t want horses coming around and slowing it up.

“Everybody is speaking about Rabada, so all the pressure is on the poor horse, but the form behind him is proven. In six months’ time Abashiri will be as good as Rabada if not better and looks to be a classic horse.

Rabada (Nkosi Hlophe)

“Anton is a bonus on Rabada, he is a thinking jockey and always arrives on course with a plan. I snapped up Anthony Delpech for Abashiri when I heard he was available. All three runners are in good shape, particularly the two big horses.

“Obviously my two colts are massive runners but it’s a Gr 1 and there are a lot of horses in there, like Dominic Zaki’s Prospect Strike who won by 12 lengths first time out and then ran third behind Seventh Plain in the Gold Medallion. But in saying that Mogok Master ran 1,4 lengths off Seventh Plain on July day and was six lengths off Rabada before that, so if you go purely on form you can look at it like that but form always gets turned upside down and inside out.”

In fact Mogok Master’s collateral form with Rabada and Seventh Plain could be a touch misleading as he was very unlucky in the Rabada race, but got a clear run against Seventh Plain.

Azzie runs Deputy Jud in the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m and said, “It’s well documented how I felt about the ride he was given in the July and it left me wondering what the hell went on and I wanted to see exactly where my horse is. He came through the race well and I opted to leave him in here and use it as a barometer to see where we stand with him, although he’s obviously not well in at the weights.”

In the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m he has three runners and said, “Mella Maria is a nice filly and must be in the race with a shout. Obviously I have healthy respect for Chestnuts N Pearls, she won the Golden Slipper in good fashion and she’s probably the horse everybody’s going to have to beat.

“Melliflora won a marvellous race last time over a mile at Scottsville and won a mile at Greyville so is unbeaten over that distance. She comes into the race with an undeniable chance.

“La Strada ran a cracker in the Golden Slipper when just 2,5 lengths behind the winner. She was underdone and definitely in need of the run so I’m hoping she can improve on that. But my first choice would probably be Melliflora because of the fact that she’s unbeaten over the distance.”

He runs Easy Game in the eleventh over 1000m and said, “She’s probably my most realistic chance of winning a race on the day, she’s in good form and I think the last time she was a little unlucky to get beat, but she beat that horse (Miss Varlicious) in the race before that and I think if she can handle the poly she’s the horse they’re going to have to beat. She has worked on the poly back home and does well there.”

He runs Game Of Thrones in the first over 1400m on the poly and said, “He’s coming down from Jo’burg. In his last three races he’s won twice and my son said he’s very well in himself. His blood picture is perfect and we prep him on the polytracks at home and he does well on it.”

By David Thiselton