Mike de Kock’s leading troops for the Festival Of Speed meeting at Scottsville on Saturday have all eaten up well and are in fine fettle after traveling from Johannesburg to Summerveld on Wednesday.

His Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint contender Moofeed was prepared out of Summerveld and the rest, Alboran Sea, Muwaary, Entisaar and Shaama, were all prepared out of Randjesfontein.

De Kock’s Summerveld assistant Nathan Kotzen said about Moofeed, who was punished five points for a narrow second in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville last time out, “He has had two recent gallops in company and did well, but it’s a strong field.”

Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint contender Alboran Sea is on her way to being named Equus Champion Sprinter, having won both the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships and Gr 1 Computaform Sprint, both over 1000m. She is just as effective over 1200m as she won the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville as a two-year-old last year. She recorded a blistering time despite the slightly soft going in the Computaform Sprint and can use her early pace to overcome her tricky draw of nine under Anthony Delpech.

The Australian-bred Muwaary was not very well away on debut but still sauntered to a hand and heels nine length victory in an excellent time over 1200m at The Vaal. The only downside is that the form has not been franked. He has a plum draw of five in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and Delpech rides.

Australian-bred Entisaar didn’t beat a vintage field when winning the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein, but the impressive point was that she jumped from an unfavourable draw and went through the worst going yet still won emphatically in the slightly soft going. She hasn’t raced on fast ground before, but her only defeat was in very soft going so she will probably appreciate a firmer surface. She jumps from a draw of eight, but interestingly Johnny Geroudis replaces chief stable jockey Anthony Delpech, who will be aboard Shaama.

Shaama is also an Australian-bred and showed good cruising speed from a favourable draw in the Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m, before fighting on doggedly to go down by a length. Her time was just over a second quicker than Entisaar’s, although she did carry 2,5kg less. She jumps from a tricky draw of 12.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Alboran Sea (Nkosi Hlophe)

National champion trainer elect Sean Tarry said yesterday that he was happy with all of his charges for Saturday’s big Festival Of Speed meeting and they were shortly due to travel down to KZN.

His Gr 1 Allan Robertson contender Swift Sarah started at even money on debut and, although she didn’t beat much, the race was against older fillies and the manner of her six length victory suggests she has a bright future. The Dynasty filly showed good gate speed as well as cruising speed and produced a telling kick at the business end to draw away and win easing up. She jumps from draw 11 and Raymond Danielson keeps the ride.

Gold Medallion contender Donny G, a colt by the previous winner of this race Seventh Rock, showed excellent gate speed on debut over 1200m at the Vaal and then stayed on well to beat a weak field comfortably after being prominent throughout. His time was slightly slower on the same day than the Gr 1 Allan Robertson contender Pacifica and more than a second slower than the Gold Medallion contender Muwaary. However, he does look to have plenty of scope and on Saturday he jumps from a plum draw of two. Danielson has replaced Piere Strydom, who has now been left without a ride by the scratching of the Gavin van Zyl-trained Isca.

Tarry will have an excellent chance of Gr 1 glory in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint over 1200m with his top class Captain Al filly Carry On Alice. She faces her nemesis Alboran Sea, who beat her in the Allan Robertson last year as well as in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championships over 1000 and the Gr 1 Computafor Sprint this year. However, she is drawn three compared to Alboran Sea’s nine so this should play in her favour, especially as she has excellent gate speed and early pace. Regular pilot S’Manga Khumalo is aboard.

His former Gr 1 SA Nursery and Gr 2 Dingaans winner Willow Magic will also have an outstanding chance of success in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sprint over 1200m. He was a runner up as a two-year-old in the Gold Medallion, beaten a length by Captain Of All. He was beaten 2,65 lengths by Captain Of All last time out in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m at Turffontein, but will now be receiving 6kg from the latter. He has a good draw of four with Piere Strydom up, although considering that the field tends to track over to that side these days he will need to jump quicker than he did in his last two starts. He has jumped well on occasion, but does prefer to be loaded late.

Tarry’s two other Gr 1 Tsogo Sun contenders, Zambezi River and Bichette, will also have plenty of supporters. Zambezi River, a good looking colt by Trippi, has a touch of class and his best form has been from 1000m to 1400m. The tough Scottsville track should be ideal and the draw of ten is not too bad. He is officially 1kg under sufferance but has only had seven career outings to date and has given the impression that the best has not yet been seen of him. Tarry has wisely avoided the City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint with Bichette, as Carry On Alice and Alboran Sea look difficult to oppose. This three-year-old Western Winter filly was, by the trends on the day, drawn on the wrong side last time out in the Gr 2 Camellia Stakes over 1160m at Turffontein, but that didn’t stop her winning by six lengths. She only carried 54,5kg on that occasion but was given a massive 16 point raise and now has to lug the same weight in Gr 1 company, despite being the only filly in the field. As a horse with a lot of pace, her draw of three is ideal, and she should be right up there. She has won over 1400m before so should stay all the way to the line, although her high merit rating of 108 makes it tough for her in this handicap event against the boys.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Sean Tarry

Masterful Summerveld trainer Dennis Drier has a fine chance of adding to his phenomenal record at Scottsville’s Festival Of Speed meeting this Saturday as he sends out five contestants in Gr 1 1200m events and most of them will be in with definite chances.

Drier has won four of the last five runnings of the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, including the last three in succession, and he also won the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint, now known as the City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint, in 2011.

Drier has a fine chance of landing his fifth Medallion in six years with the ultra-classy Seventh Rock colt Seventh Plain and this rangy bay has landed a plum low draw.

Anton Marcus rode him in his final grass gallop last Tuesday and Drier was happy with what he saw. He added, “Anton didn’t say much so I hope he was happy, if he was happy I’m happy.”

Seventh Plain overcame a high draw of eight in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb over 1100m at Scottsville on April 26 and won effortlessly. He will appreciate the extra 100m on Saturday and further. His only defeat in three starts was when giving the speedy sprinting type Buckinghampshire 3kg in the Listed 1000m race on J&B Met day and only losing by 1,25 lengths.

Drier’s former Medallion winner Captain Of All has the ability to join the like of J J The Jet Plane and Earl Of Surrey as horses that have carried topweight to victory in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m. He was very impressive indeed in his penultimate start over 1000m at Scottsville, so clearly enjoys this track, and in his last start in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m at Turffontein he was by no means disgraced when third, four lengths behind Alboran Sea and Carry On Alice. The latter pair of fillies put in fantastic performances that day and Captain Of All was well clear of four other Gr 1 winners in the field.

Captain Of All worked on his own in his final grass gallop under Sean Cormack at Summerveld on Friday and Drier was very happy. He said, “When they are fit they don’t need to work with other horses, the art is not to overcook them.”

Drier “couldn’t be happier” with Generalissimo, who had his final grass gallop at Summerveld last Tuesday under Keagan de Melo. De Melo was unable to commit to the ride and Warren Kennedy might be aboard. This classy sort will attempt to make it three years in succession that the Tsogo Sun Sprint has been won by three-year-old sons of the amazing stallion Var. Generalissimo broke the Kenilworth course record over 1200m last November before failing to stay the 1600m of the Selangor Cup. He then finished lame after taking a slight sideways knock over 1200m. Drier, with the support of owners Nick and Ben Jonsson, excercised caution by not running him again in Cape Town, and it paid dividends as he bounced back with an impressive win over 1200m on the Greyville poly last month.

Barbosa is another from the yard that could get into the final field after an excellent 2,25 length defeat of the useful Muscatt over the Tsogo Sun course and distance in April, despite giving the latter 5kg. He broke the class record that day despite carrying 60kg. The five-year-old Captain Al gelding was raised to a 104 merit rating and Drier said, “The way he won they can’t leave him out, especially as Muscatt won next time out in a canter. He has had a few niggles and problems but has been a real old soldier.”

Drier’s two-year-old Horse Chestnut filly Chestnuts N Pearls has landed an unfavourable draw of 17 in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m. She has just been kept ticking over since her maiden over the course and distance. The runner up in that race Durban Blues finished second on the poly on Friday night, so the form was not greatly franked, but Drier pointed out that Chestnut N Pearls “could not have won easier.”

Drier is also hoping that Jet Aglow ca repeat her third place finish of last year in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint over 1200m. She also worked on the grass last Tuesday and Cormack was very happy, although this is largely being seen as a preparation outing for races like the Tibouchina and Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes, which are over more suitable distances.

By David Thiselton 

Picture: Generalissimo (Liesl King)