The Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200, which will be run at Greyville tonight, is always one of the most exciting races of the SA Champions Season and is not a meeting to miss.

Sunday’s Track And Ball Derby and Oaks meeting will also appeal to the purist.

Watching the horses hare around the turn  in the Post Merchants, followed by the cavalry charge for home, is an exhilarating sight. However, it is never an easy race to analyse.

This year it is even more so, as it falls just two weeks after the Festival Of Speed, so a question is whether those that ran in the latter meeting have had sufficient time to recover.

London Call has only had one run over the Post Merchants course and distance and won with a bit in hand, despite carrying 61kg and giving decent types like Mr Roy and Executive Power lumps of weight. He has drawn perfectly in two, considering his natural pace coupled with his ability to find more gears, and Keagan de Melo knows him well. He will be fresher than most of the other runners and the only downside is his 101 mark falling near the bottom of one of the merit-rating bands, meaning he is officially 2,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted runner Fly By Night.

Sean Tarry would have made Buckland his first choice in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint field, but the horse was eliminated by the selection panel. Tarry would have preferred this race to be down the straight. However, Buckland will be fresher than those who did run in the Tsogo Sprint and is an up and coming three-year-old who is going places.

Ferrie is proving to be useful and the form of his last 1000m win on the poly is working out well. However, like Buckland he is 2,5kg under sufferance with Fly By Night.

Fly By Night has become enigmatic, but showed her well-being in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint, where she showed pace throughout and stayed on well for second. She is drawn well in five and high-flying MJ Byleveld keeps the ride.

Red Ray was said to be only 80% fit for the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, so did well to finish fourth. He has always been held in very high regard and Anton Marcus can help him overcome a tricky draw over his probable optimum trip, provided the race doesn’t come too soon.

The best weighted three-year-old is Kangaroo Jack, although even then he is 2kg under sufferance with the best in. He is a promising sort and immature looking, so still has plenty of scope for improvement.

Topweight Trip To Heaven will be a big runner if taking his place as he has speed, class and a fine turn of foot. Captain Alfredo has won on the Greyville poly and has a better chance at the weights than he did in the Tsogo Sun, where he showed his usual pace but could not find the necessary extra.

Consistent Aurum Pot was a close fourth in this race last year and although carrying 2kg more he is only 1kg under sufferance with Fly By Night. However, his wide draw makes it tough. Moofeed would be course and distance suited at best, but is still an entire and is coming off two poor runs. Belong To Me has a good record at Greyville, but has to bounce back and is not well weighted.

Amazing Strike has always been well regarded, but has a tough task at the weights and jumps from a wide draw. Asstar is the dark horse having beaten a good field last time despite the race not panning out well and likely needing it too. Old Em has good pace and a good draw, but is 1kg out with Fly By Night and this race is tough for a three-year-old filly.

The selection is London Call to beat Buckland and Ferrie with Fly By Night and Red Ray next best.

On Sunday Cape Speed makes appeal in the Gr 3 Track And Ball Derby over 2400m. He thrives in KZN and has won both of his starts since gelding. Now, for the first time, he tries the trip he has always looked likely to relish. He is officially a bit out at the weights, but is on the up. In form Anthony Delpech can help him negotiate a tricky draw of nine.

Kitty’s Destiny is out of a half-sister by Sportsworld to Cape Derby winner Floatyourboat, and his grandam is a half-sister to Champion Stayer Surfing Home, so he should also relish the trip and can prove himself better than his merit rating suggests. Disco Al will be defending his crown and jumps from pole position, although this is his second run after a rest.

In the Gr 3 Track And Ball Oaks, Gathering Fame flew up for second last time out in the Listed KRA East Coast Cup and will much prefer the Scottsville course, so is selected to beat the consistent Ma Choix and the classy staying type Gallica Rose, who was just touched off in this race last year.

David Thiselton

Sean Tarry regarded Buckland as his first choice for the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, only to see him eliminated by the selection panel, but the three-year-old Western Winter colt now gets a chance to prove his class in the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m at Greyville on Friday night.

Tarry said his other contender, Trip To Heaven, who crossed the line first in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m at Greyville on Saturday before being demoted to second in the boardroom, was a “doubtful starter” due to the proximity of that previous run, although he would be monitored over the next couple of days before a final decision was made.

Trip To Heaven (JC Photo)

Tarry was also hopeful of a good run from Witchcraft on Sunday at Scottsville in the Gr 2 Track And Ball Oaks over 2400m.

The 103 merit rated Buckland will be near the bottom of the 100 to 104 merit rated band under the conditions of the race, as his net merit rating is 101, and this means he will be 2,5kg under sufferance with the officially best weighted horses in the race, the mare Fly By Night.

Tarry would still have preferred him to have taken his place in the Tsogo Sun, despite the Post Merchants being an overall weaker race, as he preferred him “down the straight.”

Buckland has gone around the turn twice before at Turffontein, but those races were over 1400m and 1600m respectively. Tarry said the colt was “well.”

He jumps from a fair draw of eight with first call jockey S’Manga Khumalo up.

Tarry is a bit annoyed the racing fraternity have taken it upon themselves to describe the few cases he has had of “bacterial infections” in his yard as a “virus”, which it is not.

The runs of Trip To Heaven, French Navy and Liege over the weekend proved the yard’s runners are arriving at the course in good shape.

Trip To Heaven will only be 0,5kg under sufferance with Fly By Night if taking his place in the Post Merchants, although he will have to lug 60kg. This sprint miler’s two Gr 2 victories have been over 1160m and 1450m respectively, so he has plenty of speed. He tends to miss the  break, so will likely be dropped out from his draw of ten. He proved on Saturday what a fine turn of foot he has, as he made up ground effortlessly and quickly from last in the running.

If Trip To Heaven is scratched his stablemate Old Em will come in as the reserve runner. This speedily-bred three-year-old Trippi filly beat the previously unbeaten Hollie Point over this trip at the Vaal last time out by a length. However, she was given a seven point raise for that effort so, despite her being officially only 0,5kg under sufferance with Fly By Night and carrying a featherweight 51,5kg, she will not have it easy in her first run in open Graded company. Her draw of six is suitable as one with plenty of natural speed.

Tarry felt Witchcraft was unlucky in the Gr 1 SA Oaks as she was caught wide without cover the whole way from a wide draw. She had then found the Greyville 2000m of the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 too sharp. He gives her a shout in the Gr 3 Track And Ball Oaks over 2400m at Scottsville on Sunday if she is able to overcome her wide draw. Khumalo will have learnt a bit more about her from the SA Oaks run and is back aboard.

Meanwhile, French Navy has pulled up well out of his eye catching third in the Gold Challenge. The remainder of his preparation for the Vodacom Durban July will be done out of Summerveld.

By David Thiselton

The Tony Rivalland-trained four-year-old More Than Ready gelding Diamond King has always been a classy sort but has had “mechanical problems” chiefly related to muscles. However, according to the yard he has come back a different horse since a two-and-a-half month break on the farm.

He proved this when staying on for a decent 3,1 length sixth in the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m last time out, despite being 3,5kg under sufferance with the winner. The yard said he had come out of the race exceptionally well. He is now 1,5kg better off for a 2,25 length beating by Fourth Estate in the Christmas Handicap over course and distance and has the same draw of three from that race.

His best win was over course and distance in the KZN Guineas Trial as a three-year-old and big things were expected of him at that stage. Rivalland’s assistant Terry Fripp said, “He just has to repeat his Christmas Handicap win to be a live runner.” He appeared confident that he would at least reproduce that performance.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Diamond King (Nkosi Hlophe)

VDJ betting now open: Pick 6 starts in Race 4 – estimated pool R12million.

Champion trainer Justin Snaith retained the Gr 2 Post Merchants trophy over 1200m at Greyville on Friday night when the small four-year-old Dynasty gelding Daring Dave got up late under Richard Fourie to beat Moofeed and the favourite Willow Magic in a thriller. Snaith won it last year with the filly Varikate.

The race was affected by a false start, which was called when Willow Magic pinged his gate slightly prematurely.

Willow Magic started well second time around but had to be checked just before turning for home, as he was being kept in a pocket behind the leader Sheik’s Brashee by Normanz on his outside. The latter hit the front at the 300m mark, but Willow Magic had recovered quickly and soon powered past him. However, the widely drawn Moofeed had unwound a strong finish from last and mastered Willow Magic just before the line.

But, Daring Dave, had the last say. He had relaxed well in the running in midfield from a good draw and ran on resolutely before bursting between the front two to deny Moofeed by a head. Willow Magic was a further 0,25 lengths back in third. Aurum Pot ran a fine fourth, considering he had travelled the furthest in the false start, and Isphan stayed on well for fifth.

Daring Dave, who started at odds of 11/1, was bred by Highlands Farms Stud and is owned by Hassen Adams in partnership with D Chinsammy and T Chinsammy.

Earlier in the evening the Mike de Kock-trained Muwaary put in a fine trial ahead of races like the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe and Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes when waltzing clear in a Juvenile Plate over 1300m under Anthony Delpech.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Daring Dave (centre) slices through in time to land the Gr2 POST Merchants (Nkosi Hlophe)