Andrew Harrison

HOLLYWOODBETS GREYVILLE Monday poly meetings with reduced stakes were introduced to give displaced Kimberley trainers time to find their feet and to assess where their horses fitted into the new environment.

They started off well enough with Cliffie Miller and Tinie Prinsloo coming good and starting to hold their own but two KZN casualties have been Jarett Rug and Sarel Von Willingh Smit.

Rug pointed out that most of his string were already KZN ‘chuck-outs’ and were not competitive. Added to that was the current state of racing and the country in general, so new owners were hard to come by. Rug has since pulled up his grub stake, cut his losses and moved to Port Elizabeth.

Justin Snaith has no such problems and Silver Palace can get punters off to a good start at today’s meeting.

Silver Palace has been coming along nicely and although he has not been out since November last year the form of his last race has panned out. With the best of the draw he must have a strong chance. Alfredo is struggling to win but has good recent form over course and distance. He is quick on his day and can make all.

The second sees a seriously moderate line-up but Stone Of Destiny has only had three starts and appears to be coming along the right way. Given further improvement he should make a bold bid in this company. Morse finished just behind Stone Of Destiny when they last met. He battled in the Cape but this is his third run for Garth Puller.

Emerald Palace and Diamonds And Toads look the principal runners in the third. Emerald Palace has been costly to follow but she has been running consistently. Nathan Kotzen has booked a 2.5kg claimer in Thabiso Gumede and she gets another chance. Mike Miller is having a good run of late and Diamonds And Toads has only twice not earned a cheque. The blinkers go on for the first time and she rates the biggest threat to Emerald Palace.

Santa Vittoria is long overdue and Glen Kotzen’s mare should make a bold bid in the fourth. She meets a modest field that includes the luckless Bell Jar. She appears handicapped by her diminutive size but now has the best of the draw and a useful claimer up. Veterans Pina Colada and Skyfire both have chances in this company if anywhere near their best form.

The fifth has a rematch between Dream Destiny and Ontopoftheworld. Dream Destiny was run out of it late by Ontopoftheworld when starting favourite but the former is 3.5kg better off including her apprentice allowance. The latter surprised but appears to have come to form and has a chance again. Mrs Hotline has been up against stronger at recent outings and goes well this course and distance.

The sixth has ‘upset’ written all over it. Paul and Beth Gadsby’s runner Rain Dance did not feature on the turf last run but had put in two improved efforts on the poly before that. A Whole New World appears to be finding his feet and was close-up from a wide draw last time and should have a decent chance in this company. Racing in first-time blinkers, Proud Warrior made no show over much further last start. His two best recent efforts have been on the poly and the blinkers stay on. Perfectly Putt is another to consider after finding marker support last run when dropping in class. He goes the extra furlong here.

In the seventh, Hot Money does not have the best of draws but has been in good form of late and enjoys the poly. To The Max was a narrow winner last start but the drop in trip should suit while Gingerspathtoglory only has 48kh to shoulder form a good draw. She had a tough gate last run. Not Now Pussycat is better than her last run. She goes well on the poly and has improved with her new stable.

The last is another minefield. Bravo Zulu has been a soldier for Louis Goosen and is always game but while one can dice, slice and dissect the form of this race, the betting could prove your most reliable guide.

Andrew Harrison

THE corner table in the owners and trainers lounge at Hollywoodbets Scottsville may well have been empty today, but all would have been there in spirit as News Stream slipped home to win the Michael Roberts Handicap.

Most always the first people on course, Mary and the late Avison Carlisle, seldom missed a Scottsville meeting and it was somewhat fitting that News Stream, a home-bred by the Carlisle’s, sported the silks of the Kinmount Racing Syndicate, named after their Kinmount Stud in the KZN Midlands.

It was also somewhat fitting that News Stream is trained by Mark Dixon who shares a ring at Summerveld with Michael Roberts who was on hand to point out the trophies and that jockey Ashton Arries was mentored by Avison Carlisle who was the then chairman of the South African Jockey Academy.

It was always going to be a tricky race with a host of well performed light weights in the race thanks to a couple of Gavin van Zyl’s ‘heavy weight’s’ topping the handicap.

Trip To Africa, and the only filly in the race, Mary O set the early fractions at a fairly sedate gallop with favourite Baby Shooz and Mr Fitz in close attendance.

Once homeward bound the field concertinaed quickly into a race-callers nightmare with the field spread across the track. Mr Fitz looked to be going best of all up the inside rail but Arries threaded News Stream through a gap between the tiring pair of Baby Shooz and Mary O and made good use of his 52kg to win going away with Mr Fitz staying on for second and top-weight Marchingontogether finishing an excellent third.

There is an on-going debate as to whether same trainer couplings should be brought back for the exotic bets as in the past. The rules were changed ostensibly because Stanley Greeff and Andy Smith between them once used to saddle the majority of horses in each PE race where they once reigned supreme.

A further rationale was that by removing the couplings, spend would be bigger and exotic dividends would pay more to those who included all the horses from an individual stable, the supporting argument being that this would be countered by fractional betting. Given the recent plethora of Pick 6 carry overs, I don’t think that argument holds much water.

Alan Greeff and Gavin Smith now rule the roost in PE and, although dominant, they do not have as many runners in individual races. In Cape Town the less fancied of the bigger stable’s runners often upstage their more fancied stable companions.

So, the pertinent question is, does an ailing institution like the tote benefit from big payouts to a few, or smaller payouts to more?

The opening leg of yesterday’s Pick 6 did not have much concrete form to go on but if one was forced to choose between Lezeanne Forbes’s pair of Fat Cigar and Legislate’s Dance for your Pick 6, Fat Cigar would hardly have come into the equation for those with limited spend.

Andrew Harrison

MICHAEL ROBERTS, a sporting legend and one of the finest jockeys ever to don racing silks, will once again be honoured at Hollywoodbets Scottsville tomorrow. Scottsville was the course where he rode his first winner in 1968 and sent him on his way to 11 South African Jockey Championships. Later, in his 17-year stint in the UK, he became only the sixth foreign rider to win the UK championship where he was also the first rider to crack the 200-winner mark.

Roberts has his name on his trophy, five times as a jockey and a trainer, his first win when riding for brother-in-law Robin Watkinson, but he will be a spectator in the Listed Michael Roberts Handicap.

Peter Muscutt has always rated Baby Shooz who has only once finished out of the money in 10 starts. Since being gelded in June last year, he came up short of a run behind surprise winner Frank Lloyd Wright and then disposed of Desolate Road next time out.

More recently he finished under a length behind Mount Anderson but was a touch unlucky as he cast a shoe in the running.

He has only once been further than 1600m and that was back in February last year when he scored comfortably over 2000m. So tomorrow’s 1800m trip will hold no fears and with only 53.5kg to shoulder he should make a fist of it.

Shane Humby does not run them often but Mr Fitz had an enforced break towards the end of last season as the stable battled a hoof abscess. The five-year-old is now over it and he has smart form leading into this race. He finished a length behind Baby Shooz two runs back giving the winner 1kg and was then run out of it late by Mount Anderson in the Christmas Handicap.

He is currently in a good space and also has a light weight to enhance his chances.

Duncan Howells has always held Trip To Africa in high regard but a persistent virus the plagued the yard last season saw the stable hit an extended ‘flat’ spot. Trip To Africa is only now showing what he is capable off and could be some way ahead of the handicapper which will make him dangerous.

Howells can get the afternoon off on a winning note where he saddles Irish Belle, the only filly in the race. She is exceptionally quick and looked to be headed for a comfortable victory last time out. However, the last furlong found her out and she had to be content with her fourth successive runner-up berth.

She drops a furlong to what should be a more suitable trip given her recent record and with apprentice Thabiso Gumede claiming 2.5kg she could prove difficult to beat.

Tristan Godden landed a double on the same course last Wednesday and he has a bright chance on the Alyson Wright-trained Preferential in the sixth. The filly has been in mustard form since being tried in blinkers, winning twice from three outings and a close-up second in the other.

However, she will face strong opposition from the enigmatic mare Diamondsandpearls.

She has a mind of her own and not the easiest to get fit but appears to be in a good space at present and will give this field a hard race.

Legislate’s Dance can fire up the first leg of the Pick 6 as Lezeanne Forbes’s colt has improved with every outing and could prove a little too classy for the older opposition. He has only had three trips to the race course and he looks ideally suited to this trip. The blinkers come off Raiseahallelujah although he has been disappointing while Galabier made a promising start to his career for Gareth van Zyl and is sure to improve.

Silent Crusade is the best weighted in the eighth, a conditions race, but her best recent form has been over further. However, she has plenty of class which along with a favourable weight could see Mark Dixon’s mare home. Hawker Typhoon is lightly raced and jumps in class but both wins have come on this course and she carries bottom weight. Linear is not the easiest, being a bit of a head case, but is smart. She was not disgraced in a Highveld feature last start and she must have a good chance in this line-up.

The last is a wide-open handicap where exotic bet punters are advised to load up. Star Of Joburg has been up against much stronger at recent outings and not been far back. Nathan Kotzen has declared blinkers and a tongue-tie which could see a couple of lengths improvement which could be enough to take the honours.  Quant Master has improved in blinkers recently and is useful on his day while the ‘lurker’ could be Greenlighttoheaven.

Gavin van Zyl tried him over 1750m last time out but the gelding had shown early promise over sprints and drops back to 1200m tomorrow.

Andrew Harrison

CHASE MAUJEAN was a relieved man after successfully appealing a R60k fine when found guilty of an unsatisfactory ride on the Argentinian-import Puerto Manzano. The gelding got up to dead-heat with stable companion and hot favourite Thumbs Up.

Maujean gets a chance to put the record straight when Puerto Manzano lines up in the third on the Turffontein stand-side track this afternoon. Johan Janse van Vuuren rested his charge after that sprint debut and today he tackles 1600m, a trip that should be more to the gelding’s liking.

Puerto Manzano was finishing like a train on debut and although he takes on a strong field first up out of the maidens, he does look to have some talent and the handicappers have lumbered him with an initial merit rating of 92!

Sean Tarry is set for a lucrative afternoon with his runners in with chances in many races and the biggest threat to Puerto Manzano could come in the form of Tarry’s runner Have A Go Jo. A son of the former Tarry-trained Willow Magic, Have A Go Jo showed tremendous acceleration when winning over course and distance last time out. He copped a five-point penalty for his second win and will be in receipt of 2kg from Puerto Manzano.

In the opening leg of the Pick 6, Tarry saddles Chariot Master who will have plenty of supporters after a good showing over course and distance at only his second start. He was asked to make all the running that day by stable rider Lyle Hewitson but he cast a shoe in the dash for the line that forced him to give up his lead. Given that he may well have gone on to win had he not lost a shoe, he rates as a winner without a penalty.

Candice Dawson teams up with Muzi Yeni on Smuts who has been making steady progress since being gelded. He was running on nicely behind Namib Desert last time out and he looks a better proposition over this extended trip.

Also in the line-up and one to keep an eye on in the betting is Governors Glory, Mike de Kock’s runner staying on nicely for third on debut. The experience and the extra furlong will could in his favour.

Tarry and De Kock go head-to-head in the first leg of the first jackpot with Aryaam and In Limbo possibly the pick of the field. In Limbo, sister to Hawwaam and half-sister to Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat will not die a maiden and made the expected improvement at her second start after a fairly modest sprint debut. Like her siblings, she should improve as she steps up in distance and this 1600m should be to her liking.

Aryaam has finished in the money in all three starts and like In Limbo, should prefer the extra furlong. The two have drawn alongside each other so it should be an interesting tactical battle between Callan Murray and Hewitson.

Tarry has pitted his filly Trattoria against males in the sixth and she may well prove up to the task given that she carries bottom weight in this Novice Handicap. As a four-year-old she was a late starter, given that this will be only her fifth start, and on debut finished five lengths adrift in third behind Thumbs Up and Puerto Manzano. Three runs later she skated home by five lengths when sent a mile for the first time. She does take on considerably stronger here but looks smart and with Joshwin Solomons claiming 2.5kg, she only has 49.5kg to shoulder. Push Off, Call Me Master and stable companion Invincible Warrior look to be the main dangers.

ANDREW HARRISON

MIKE MILLER is a bit of a Wizz getting precocious juveniles firing early and while the majority of his colleagues tend to take it a little more slowly, Miller makes hay in their absence.

He would have had a good handle on the chances of Civil Rights in the card opener at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today and it was a bloodless victory for the daughter of first season sire Rafeef. Slow out on debut, she narrowly failed behind Kom Naidoo’s filly Aisling who had previous fought out a desperate finish with another Miller yard inmate, Sheldon.

Those that followed the form were rewarded as Civil Rights came home unchallenged.

Blinkers do not always have the desired effect of getting a horse to concentrate on the job at hand but the late declaration of blinkers on Café Pacifica by Garth Puller did produce the expected improvement as she got home late under Tristan Godden.

Godden lives in the shadow of more high-profile riders but given the chance he is as good as any around.

The early pace was hectic which allowed Godden to settle in just off the leaders on the outside of the track.

When asked for an effort, Café Pacifica fought her way into a closing gap and went on nicely to out-point the speedy Trumpet Volentary who made her effort up the inside.

It’s almost uncanny how often the start of the Pick 6 heralds an upset result and the culprit yesterday was Princess Anastasia (14-1) who gave Godden his second winner but paid R28 on the tote.

Bred in the purple, the daughter of Silvano also surprised her rider and Dennis Drier’s assistant Stuart Ferrie who were of the opinion that she would be green and may have needed another outing to bring her on. In the end it was a promising win over a distance that in the long run may prove a tad on the sharp side but as Ferrie alluded to, if you have the pedigree you already have half a chance.

Donovan Dillon is one of the toughest riders to pass in a tight finish but he met his match in Raymond Danielson after the two fought out a ferocious finish in the fourth with both riders giving it their all. Dillon, on the favourite Hugs Accepted moved up to challenge long-time leader Big Sky Country 300m out and looked to go past. Big Sky Country shifted in under pressure appearing to hamper Hugs Accepted.

If it had stayed that way Dillon may have had grounds for a successful objection but shortly after the initial bump, Hugs Accepted shifted out onto Big Sky Country who stayed on to win by the shortest of short heads. In the end it was six of one and half-a-dozen of the other and the result stood.

Dillon was more successful in the seventh where he threaded Shane Humby’s charge Socrates through a closing gap to get up close home and hold a late-charging Sniper Shot.

ANDREW HARRISON

PUNTING Highveld racing during the off season is not for the fainthearted, a point that could be illustrated at the Vaal today were the eight-race card has many pitfalls.

But if you get it right, the pickings are generally fruitful and with the Pick 6 in particular rarely paying less than R50k, a wide spread and a percentage can still reap generous rewards.

The opening leg of the Pick 6 sees Sean Tarry saddle half the field in a competitive six-horse field where all will be going like the clappers. Riding arrangements suggest that Lyle Hewitson is on Tarry’s stable elect. Spring Break was narrowly beaten last run, her second after returning from a break and a repeat should see her close again in what is a competitive race. Paul Peter, who will have been mightily disappointed with Summer Pudding losing her unbeaten record in the Gr1 Paddock Stakes last Saturday and being forced to withdraw his star filly from the Met, sends out the quick 1000m specialist Garden Party who should ensure a cracking gallop if taken on by Tarry’s front-running filly Slalom Queen and Valyrian King. Paul Matchett’s runner is also quick and Muzi Yeni steered the gelding to a comfortable five-length victory last time out.

Matchett’s ex-Zimbabwean galloper Lily Blue is short-priced favourite in the fourth after two recent local victories. She won nine races in Zim, the last six on the trot so is obviously smart, but the handicapper is slowly catching up and a third win on the bounce could just be beyond her as both Rouge Allure and Shivers meet her on better weight terms.

However, the biggest threat could come from Candice Dawson’s runner Smoking Hot. She has come on nicely since a short break and gets lumps of weight from Lily Blue. She only has 49.5kg to shoulder.

Tarry saddles Nabraas in the fifth and in a change of tactics last run, the colt was raced handy but ran out of gas late. He was finishing nicely in is penultimate run and has had three runs since a break. He should strip at his peak. Seldom runs a poor race and was a close-up second at his last two. He is due a change of fortune. Tyrus Express is the weak early favourite but it is 4-1 the field.

Plum Field and Afternoon Tea dominate the betting for the sixth, the former at the top of the boards.

She finishes her races off nicely but hasn’t quite got there at recent starts but that can change today. Bitter Wind was a recent maiden winner but had steady form leading up to that win. She takes on males but this is a modest line-up. Afternoon Tea has shown some improvement in blinkers and has been battling wide draws. She is a little closer to the action here.

Un Deux Trois and Swiss Bank are both in good form in the seventh and could dominate proceedings while the last is the proverbial minefield with the bookies offering 5-1 the field.

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ANDREW HARRISON

THERE could be more than just a handful of Pick 6 ticket-holders holding their breath going into the final leg at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today with East Coast Star high up on their list of possible exotic bet bankers.

After warming up in two sprints, East Coast Star was sent out deep in the red to shed her maiden in her first attempt at 1400m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly.

It looked to be money in the bank a furlong from home as Anton Marcus hit the front on Peter Muscutt’s filly but she came up empty when challenge late by My Saving Grace.

East Coast Star switches to the turf today and Marcus, marooned in Cape Town for the month, has been replaced by stable regular Donovan Dillon.

A perusal of the opposition form makes modest reading but more cautious punters could include stable companion Racey Stacey in their calculations.

She does have behavioural issues but has shown that she does have ability when flashing up to run second to Shastina at her penultimate start with Gavin van Zyl’s filly having since paid tribute to that form, winning again.

Given that showing, Racey Stacey was well fancied to break her duck over the Greyville poly mile next time out but gave apprentice Jabu Jacobs a few harrowing moments as she took the scenic route home in the straight.

Seasoned rider Raymond Danielson will be legged up this afternoon and will have been made well aware of his challenge.

If he gets the best out of his mount, East Coast Star may find herself in the maidens for another race and the 11-10 about her chances with Track & Ball about sums up her chances with Racey Stacey 5-1 with 6-1 bar.

 The Track & Ball Gaming Handicap over 1400m heads the card and although one can make a case for a number of runners, the race looks tailor-made for former Gr2 Post Merchants winner Sniper Shot to finally get back into the winner’s enclosure. It has been a long time between drinks, his last win coming nearly three years ago, and it has been a lengthy journey down the merit rating ladder to what may now be a more realistic handicap mark.

It has taken 943 days since his Merchants win for the handicappers to drop the six-year-old from a high of 110 to his current mark of 95, three pounds lower than for his last start. In the handicapper’s defence, Sniper Shot has shown flashes of his early ability which earned him his highest MR and the number crunchers have been hesitant to drop his rating.

That said, this is a clear example of a horse, not quite out of the top drawer, being hamstrung by the ratings.

Black Cat Back finished second in the Merchants and was exported to Mauritius where he won four races. It has taken 18 starts and three years for the handicappers to work out that Sniper Shot’s rating was out of kilter.

But with this rating drop and apprentice Kyle Strydom giving him 2.5kg relief in the saddle, Paul Lafferty’s runner does look an attractive bet at current odds.

Desolate Road failed narrowly last run where he finished ahead of Sniper Shot and he has improved in blinkers. However, he is now 6kg worse off, given Strydom’s claim so he is unlikely to confirm the placings. Guru’s Pride, Tready Swiftly and Socrates are all in with a shout.

The race sponsors deem this a wide-open affair with Tread Swiftly a weak 9-2 favourite and the other runners mentioned all at 5-1.

There should be little separating stable companions Civil Rights and Countess Cartier in the card opener, Mike Miller’s pair finishing within a neck of each other on debut. Ashton Arries is the stable first call rider and has stuck with Civil Rights while Tristan Godden retains the ride on Countess Cartier.

The balance of the field are at long odds.

Any one of Café Pacifica, Camora or Trumpet Voluntary could see you through the opening leg of the PA but two of the three would be a safer option.

In the opening leg of the Pick 6, Quenanza, who has improved with each outing since a lay-off, has her peak third run after a break and with Garth Puller’s yard seldom out of form she should be up there. Garry Rich’s filly Leading Lyric is at surprisingly long odds and 16-1 appeals as an each-way punt. She has had two tough draws at recent starts at Greyville and sports first-time blinkers.

Top of the boards is What A Splash who made a promising debut on this course for Michael Roberts.

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation last night and announced that the country remains on adjusted alert level 3 and therefore the status quo of ‘Racing Behind Closed Doors’ as per the NHA’s Press Release on 29 December 2020 remains in place.

Some salient points of the President’s speech last night are:

1. The pandemic in our country is now at its most devastating level.

1. The number of new infections, hospital admissions and deaths is higher now than it has ever been since the first case was recorded in our country in March 2020.

1. Since New Year’s Day, we have recorded nearly 190 000 new infections.

1. The country has recorded more than 4 600 Covid-19 deaths so far this year alone with more than 33 000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

1. As a proportion of the population, the province with the highest average number of cases over the last seven days is KwaZulu-Natal, followed by Western Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. 

1. New infections in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape have grown fast and have now far exceeded the peak during the first wave.

1. Infections in Gauteng are growing exponentially and are expected to increase further as more residents of Gauteng return to the province following the festive break.

1. We do know that this new variant of the virus spreads much faster than the earlier variants. This explains the fact that many more people have become infected in a far shorter space of time.

1. Now more than ever, we must each make a deliberate decision to avoid any unnecessary contact with other people.

1. Given the risk of widespread transmission, most indoor and outdoor gatherings are not permitted.  This includes social gatherings and gatherings at sports grounds, etc.

A further update will be provided by 26 January in respect of Riders being domiciled in one region.

The NHA reiterates that the proven non-pharmaceutical measures of wearing of masks, hand sanitizing/washing for at least 20 seconds and social distancing of at least 1,5m apart, is critical and the Chief Compliance Officer, Mr Arnold Hyde, together with his team shall continue to ensure same is done throughout a race meeting.  

Please be reminded that the wearing of masks in a public place is mandatory and is one of the best ways to prevent transmission.

As and when the President announces any further amendments, the NHA will advise accordingly.