High-flying trainer Mike Azzie has a strong hand in all four of the Gr 1 1200m races at Scottsville on Saturday.

The most interesting of them is Oomph, who was bought out of a Port Elizabeth yard by Azzie’s chief clients Adriaan and Rika Van Vuuren and runs in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion from draw eight.

Mike Azzie (Nkosi Hlophe)

This former Alan Greef-trained Tiger Ridge colt has obliterated all before him in three sprint events at Fairview, including when giving weight away to all bar one runner in the Listed Epol Dahlia Plate over 1200m last time out and winning easing up by 6,25 lengths.

Oomph has been at Summerveld for a week. Azzie has only given him two half pace workouts to date and he will have a sprint up tomorrow (Thursday). He said, “He is a very good looking horse. I have kept Aldo (Domeyer) on, because he knows him well.”

However, Azzie also makes the stable companion, Var colt Rivarine, a “massive runner”. He pointed out he had finished just 0,9 lengths behind the much vaunted and unbeaten filly Cloth Of Cloud in the Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein last time out, despite initially tacking over towards the standside from a low draw and then tacking back in again in the closing stages.

He said, “He has been moving well.”

He is drawn seven and Karl Zechner retains the ride.

Azzie runs the temperamental Splendid Garden in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint and he must have a shout carrying a nice galloping weight of 54kg under JP van der Merwe. He is drawn high in 13, but horses have been winning from all draws at Scottsville lately, especially when the inside rail has been moved outward, as it will be on Saturday.

Aldo Domeyer (Nkosi Hlophe)

Azzie revealed the four-year-old Black Minnaloushe gelding had been coming off a virus before his below par penultimate start. His staying on 6,25 length fifth in the Computaform Sprint last time out had thus been a “cracker”, especially considering he had jumped from an unfavourable low draw.

Azzie said, “He is doing very well, his coat is glowing and if he behaves in the pens he will run a big race.”

Azzie has top sprinting filly Lazer Star in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint, but revealed the Van Vuurens had bought her out of the Ormond Ferraris yard chiefly for breeding purposes and this might well be her last run.

He said Ferraris had done an amazing job with her considering her feet problems. Azzie and his team have worked on the few niggles she still has and he hoped she would run well for them. The jockey who knows her best, Weichong Marwing, is aboard the Toreador speedster from draw nine in a race where every horse seems to be running for second behind Carry On Alice.

Azzie admitted Trippi filly Announcing Rain had a tough task in the Allan Robertson Championship, but reckoned she was better than her last run when sent clear over 1400m and, not surprisingly, fading. She has been doing well at Summerveld and the yard are taking their chances and hoping she earns black type.

By David Thiselton

In a concerted effort to eliminate any possible “crowding” on the inside rail, and to ensure a fair winning opportunity for all,  Gold Circle has taken the decision to limit the fields of the four Grade 1 Sprints at the Tsogo Sun Sprint Carnival Raceday to 14 runners and to bring in the far side rail by 4 metres. The famous Jackpot of Grade 1 sprints is set to take place at Scottsville Racecourse on Saturday, 4 June and entries are due this coming Friday, 20 May 2016.

Born To Rule (Nkosi Hlophe)

“There is no doubt that moving the inside rail has resulted in much fairer racing,” said Gold Circle Racing Executive Raf Sheik. “We want to do everything we can on this day to ensure the integrity of our Grade 1 races and eliminating the perceived better going on the inside goes a long way to achieving this,” he added.

While the decision to limit the fields to fourteen runners may be met with dissatisfaction in some quarters, there is no doubt that the move will be welcomed by the majority of riders. Anthony Delpech was quoted recently as saying, “with the rail moved in by four or five metres, racing down the straight is a pleasure much fairer for all concerned. Draws are no longer a major factor and interference has been minimised.”

If you think racehorse trainers are a bunch of clowns, forget it! The successful ones, like five-star generals, know the strength of their troops and plan a campaign accordingly – no blood is shed but a few rands may be!

For most of the year races are spread like globs of butter, marge if you don’t fancy Prof Tim Noakes’s recommendations, with ‘feature days’ the flavour, but South Africa’s Champion’s Season is unique in that it crams some of the country’s most important races into a three-month frenzy and with those races in mind trainers plot for months.

Captain Alfredo (Nkosi Hlophe)

Scottsville’s Festival of Speed is the pinnacle of the sprint racing calendar and with four Gr1 events settled on one afternoon and likely make-or-break for the year-end Equus Awards, the first Saturday in June is cut-throat.

The Gr1 Tsogo Sun, being handicap, has its detractors but given that past winners who retire with their crown jewels intact have a good record at stud it is a race that amounts to more than just a winner’s cheque.

With the new handicap conditions in place one needs to be a boring mathematician to work out the mechanics of the weights – and most punters couldn’t give a damn anyway. But while numbers may take you to a point in handicapping they do not transcend the perceived ability of an individual. As legendary race-caller Trevor Denman commented after American Pharoah wrapped up the Triple Crown in America, handicappers were so busy with the numbers that they forgot just how good the horse was and went against him.

Captain Alfredo stamped himself a strong contender for the Gr1 Tsogo Sun as did runner-up Captain Causeway in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes at Scottsville on Sunday but as alluded to, good generals plan their attack and Captain Alfredo, as strong as his formline suggests, will find the Tsogo Sun a much tougher assignment.

Possibly of more interest are the Gr1 Alan Robertson Championship and the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Medallion.

Exquisite Touch ran well below her earlier form in the SA Fillies Nursery at Turffontein on Saturday and barring anything untoward she must be given the benefit of the doubt if indeed she takes her place in the Alan Robertson.

Red Chesnut Road (Nkosi Hlophe)

After her SA Nursery win, Sean Tarry set last Saturday’s Computaform Sprint winner Carry On Alice the task of the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Medallion where she came up just short. Given that Carry On Alice came from possibly the best three-year-old crop of fillies ever, Cloth Of Cloud could find the males a touch stronger – also given that she runs in the Medallion.

Moreover, her antics approaching the finish are of concern and given the tricky Scottsville track any hesitation before the line will cost her.

The Gold Medallion form is up in the air after Cloth Of Cloud put one over the speedy Riverine in the Nursery and some exciting KZN runners have emerged.

Robbie Hill’s charge Red Chesnut Road has simply destroyed the opposition in his two starts but given the strength of the Godolphin Barbs Stakes field the form needs to be taken with a pinch of salt even though Rob’s Jewel, close-up in a Highveld feature and a subsequent winner, was soundly beaten fourth.

Gio Ponti’s Legacy, in the Godolphin pack, did Secret Captain’s form no favours but Duncan’s Howell’s charge won so well that one can possibly add four or five lengths onto that showing.

In all it does well to sum up what’s on the horizon for a bit of an edge.

By Andrew Harrison