Andrew  Harrison

I must admit to having a soft spot for Mount Anderson but he has let me down more often than not. But he gets one last nod when he lines up in the fourth at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow, the first leg of the Pick 6 on a nine-race card.

Dean Kannemeyer’s runner has been banging on the door of late, close-up second at his last two, and it should open for him here as he reverts to what may be his optimum trip.

Born To Perform has also been a touch disappointing of late but has a plum draw here over what may prove to be his best trip as he has been trying further in useful company without much success. Petra is a smart mare and won well for Robbie Hill last time out. She takes on males over an extra furlong but should be competitive. Dark horse is Baby Shooz. He shows heaps of promise but has not been out since February. He has a wide draw and may be one for the notebook.

In the next leg, Gavin van Zyl sends out the progressive gelding Donald Macdonald who has yet to miss a cheque in five starts. He has been lumped with fair weight to carry against stronger but still looks capable. Karoo Lark has come down steadily in the ratings but cheek pieces for the first time saw big improvement. He had shown promise early in his career and may only now be realising his potential. Sunny Bill Du-toy has been dropping in the ratings and has his first run for his new stable. He is another that showed promise early in his career and a change of scenery could bring the best out in him.  Of the balance Silver Fox Dog has a light weight and looks promising. His last start was way too short.

The sixth is a tricky fillies and mares handicap but Sea Venture has run two smart races on the poly over a similar distance and from a pole position draw should make a fist of it for her second win. Lady Lu is lightly raced but was a little disappointing last run after her smart local debut. The blinkers come off and she could prove to be the biggest threat. Guadeloupe has had two hard races over shorter. She comes from an in-form yard and the step up in trip could suit.

In the seventh, Kayson looks progressive but takes on some smart older horses. Peter Muscutt’s runner was a narrow winner last time out but has only had four starts and still improving. Letaba seldom runs a poor race and has been in good form of late as he has improved in blinkers and should be right there. So Var found something like his best form last run when switched to the poly. He is an old campaigner and the synthetic surface probably suits. The same can be said of Di Mazzio who is always dangerous but does look better over the shorter trip although one cannot discount his chances with a 4kg claimer up.

Muscutt could have a quick double as he sends of Hugs Accepted for the eighth.

She came from the clouds to shed her maiden. Donovan Dillon was impressed, “this is a proper horse” and she certainly looks smart. She jumps from a much better draw and with Jabu Jacobs claiming 2.5 kg she can go in again. Magicallee comes from a very much inform stable but has another poor draw. But she has been in good form of late and is in with a big shout along with Wildy In Love who was caught late when making good improvement last run and a repeat should see her right up there alongside Magicallee.

In the final leg of the Pick 6, Iron Henry makes his local debut after showing some fair Cape form. He is lightly raced and if he takes to the poly he could be the one to beat. Glory And Sunshine has the worst of the draw but came in for longshot betting support last start and seems set for good improvement. Darkest Dawn came in for good market support last start but made no show. He could be worth giving another chance.

David Thiselton

THE Sean Tarry-trained Captain Al filly Victoria Paige has everything in her favour in the Grade 3 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein Standside on Saturday.

The race is run under merit rated band conditions plus penalties for Grade 1 and Grade 2 wins and females are given a 2,5kg allowance.

Victoria Paige thus comes in 2kg better off than any other horse and 2,5kg better off than any of the males in the race.

Furthermore, she was unlucky in the Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile last time out. She became very unsettled a second or so before the starter hit the button and was tardily away. In the straight she was making good resolute progress when she was squeezed out badly and this might have cost her a cheque. She now steps up to her probable optimum trip and carries just 51.5kg from a plum draw of three. Tarry confirmed that she had been doing well at home and labelled her a big runner.

His other runner Tilbury Fort is the best weighted male in the field but returns from a 112 day layoff. Tarry said this would be a preparation run for the seven-year-old ahead of the Summer Cup, which he won two years ago, but he pointed out he runs well fresh. The jockey who gets on best with him, Lyle Hewitson, is aboard, while the accomplished Chase Maujean rides Victoria Paige.

Christopher Robin is the second worst weighted horse in the field, being 7,5kg out with Victoria Paige, but he has always struck as one who was capable of further progression as a four-year-old and he now has his third run after a layoff. In his first two runs this season he finished second to the useful Category Four and second to Seven Patriots, both over this trip. He is 1kg better off with Seven Patriots for a 4,25 length beating on their last meeting. However, in their previous meeting Christopher Robin beat Seven Patriots by 0,75 lengths on the same equal weight terms as here.

The Mike and Adam Azzie-trained Seven Patriots was given an easy lead in his last run, when going on to win comfortably, but that is unlikely to happen here because firstly he has a wide draw and secondly his stablemate Orpheus is in the field. However, he did win fluently that day though and is a contender.

Orpheus is a big horse so should be cherry ripe in his third run after a layoff. From pole position and carrying a nice galloping weight of 54kg he is going to be dangerous in his favourite front-running role.

The topweight is Green Haze and he will need to step up considerably from his Charity Mile run when not making much progress from last. 

Astrix has the class to win this. In his only try at the trip he was caught wide from draw 16 of 16 in the Grade 1 SA Classic and not surprisingly faded at the business end. He has another wide draw but will now be ridden by Warren Kennedy, whose skill in placing horses is not matched by many in this country. If he does find cover the Vercingetorix gelding could stay the trip and will be a big runner despite being 4,5kg under sufferance with Victoria Paige.

Imperial Ruby is 3kg under sufferance with Victoria Paige and would prefer further. 

Glider Pilot was in good form earlier this season but has not run since March and at the beginning of the season did not do well in two runs following a layoff. 

Dark Moon Rising did not make any impression when trying to run on from last against Seven Patriots last time and finished 14 lengths back. The blinkers come on to help him bounce back but he is hard to fancy. 

Snow Palace ran a fair race in her penultimate start over 2000m and also ran a good fourth in the Gold Bracelet on Gold Cup day. However, she has a tricky draw, especially for one who likes to be handy or lead, and her lacklustre last run over 2400m puts a bit of a cloud over her. 

Dance Class is 8kg under sufferance with Victoria Paige and although she has progressed nicely this season her last two defeats off her current 92 rating suggests she might not be capable of improving by that much in just one race. 

Victoria Paige is selected to beat Christopher Robin with Orpheus next best and they could be followed home by Seven Patriots Tibury Fort and Astrix.   

David Thiselton

THE first race at Turffontein on Wednesday over 1450m was won by the Sean Tarry-trained Eagle Alley, who is by Silvano out of Magnolia Lane, a full-sister to the legendary Yeats.

The latter won the Ascot Gold Cup four times in succession.

Tarry said afterwards about the Klawervlei Stud-bred Bernard Kantor and Chris van Niekerk-owned three-year-old colt, “We felt a bit of pressure bringing him out on a track like this, the Inside course, over 1450m. It is definitely a distance way short of his best. We always said the pedigree may be a bit too stout, but if he’s come out and won over 1400m the future bodes well. He could well be an exciting horse. I’ve always said I had some decent three-year-olds but not early three-year-olds and hopefully in the second half of the season we can play catch up with the big guns.”

 Lyle Hewitson was aboard and managed to find the rail in midfield from draw 6. He drove him from a long way out and his resolute finish just got him up in time to beat Manterio by 0,25 lengths and thus convert 22/10 favouritism.

Eagle Alley’s Sadler’s Wells dam, Magnolia Lane, was placed as a three-year-old and has previously produced Torcedor (Fastnet Rock). The latter won two Group 3 staying events in Ireland and the UK and later finished a length third to Stradivarious in the Ascot Gold Cup in 2018 and a half-a-length second to the latter stalwart in the 2018 Goodwood Cup.

Andrew Harrison

SOME smart fillies line up in the Sea Cottage Graduation Plate that heads the card on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville today, the meeting swopped with Gauteng to accommodate the Two-Year-Old Sale at Gosforth Park.

Top of the list is Justin Snaith’s filly Keep The Lights On. Snaith has recently opened a satellite yard at Summerveld that houses many runners owned by his KZN-based owner Nick Jonsson. Keep The Lights On races in Jonsson’s silks and the one question punters will be asking is if Keep The Lights On is fit enough to win. She boasts some smart form in strong company from the worst draws and is well weighted here.

Her last start was in The Debutante on Gold Cup day where she jumped from the extreme outside gate and only found the top filly Ecstatic Green too strong for her.

Snaith gave her a break after that and she makes what officially amounts to her seasonal debut tomorrow but if not short of a run she should be hard to beat.

The year older Stella Act has done well in strong company but returns from an even longer break. But she does have a touch of class and should be competitive. Golden Slipper winner Love Bomb is another making her seasonal debut but was a touch disappoint at her last start after her previous win in the Golden Slipper. She is the highest rated filly in the race but could find it tough going at the weights. Sav’s Star also returns from a break but has shown promise. She had a tricky draw in feature company last time out but Nathan Kotzen keeps 2.5kg claimer Thabiso Gumede aboard that should see her more competitive at the weights.

Wendy Whitehead has been sending out winners on a regular basis of late and saddles African Sunrise in the Conditional Progress Plate. He is a gelding with his quirks but is more than just useful on his day. He drops in trip but has a good draw and if he brings his A game, he should be difficult to beat.

Should he fail, thinks get trickier. Colour Of My Fate has been consistent in useful company and comes in with a light weight. Williams Land steps up to a more suitable trip and he may just have needed his latest. Anton Marcus has jumped ship from Pearl Of Asia to ride African Sunrise but Robbie Hill’s gelding is no slouch and can do better than his last start.

The fifth is another handicap puzzle for punters but Cherry Road is top class and Gavin van Zyl’s filly has done well from bad draws at her last three. She has a plum draw this time around and can beat the weight. She will face plenty of opposition from Diamondsandpearls who is also smart but may need a touch further to show her best from a wide draw.  Eightfolds Lass has been in good form, her best recent effort over course and distance from a tough draw while Connect Me has not had much luck at recent outings. She has the best of the draw here and can make good improvement.

It takes a lot to make the genial Kom Naidoo lose his sense of humour but apprentice Gumede was on the receiving end after a less than inspiring ride on Fives Wild last time out. Gumede gets a chance to make amends in the last as Naidoo has kept him aboard in another difficult handicap. Five’s Wild has useful form on the poly and seems sure to improve. Jerry The Juggler has his second run for his new stable and the blinkers go on. He was not far back in his first run for the yard. Hammam took on stronger when back to a sprint last outing and his recent form is consistent.

David Thiselton

CHAMPION filly Anything Goes was found to have only suffered a superficial injury after rolling in her stable shortly before her intended engagement in the Peermont Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup at the end of last month and she might be back for the Grade 2 WSB Ipi Tombe Challenge over a mile on WSB Summer Cup day.

Trainer Stuart Pettigrew said about the country’s highest rated three-year-old filly, “She just took some hair off the whither and it was exactly where the saddle goes, so it is the same sort of thing as having a boil in the mouth and putting the bit in, but there was no injury to either bone or tendon so it was not serious. I will give her a bit of work on the grass and she might then run in the Ipi Tombe but only if I am 100% happy. There are seven races for her in the future and there is no rush.”

The unbeaten daughter of Var does not have a Cape Summer campaign on her itinerary. 

Pettigrew said, “I skipped Cape Town with Surcharge and will do the same with her, so if the Capetonians want to take us on they will have to get off their beach chairs and come up to Jo’burg. There are a number of races for her in Jo’burg and after that we will take her down to KZN for the SA Champions Season.”

Pettigrew is not sure about Anything Goes’ stamina capacity.

He said, “The Thekwini put us off (she only just held on in that Grade 1 mile at Hollywoodbets Greyville from her arch-rival War Of Athena). Before that I was not even worried about 1800m and maybe she was let go a bit early in that race. I will judge her on her mile run at the end of the month, but I think she will get 1800m.”

On pedigree she is by the speed influence Var but her dam Dance Domain is by the stamina influence Parade leader. Dance Domain is a half-sister to Capetown Noir, who was a champion miler who did also win the Grade 1 Cape Derby over 2000m. Anything Goes is a half-sister to the Gimmethegreenlight colt Green Laser, who has twice proved he stays every inch of the tough Turffontein Standside 1800m, first when easily winning the Grade 3 Sea Cottage Stakes and then when finishing a 0,75 length second to Got The Greenlight in the Grade 1 SA Classic.   

However, no matter what distance she is campaigned at, this classy bay is sure to provide plenty more thrills for her ever-growing fan club. 

David Thiselton

THE darling of the SA turf, Summer Pudding, inched closer to the 51 year-old record of Home Guard when cruising to victory at Turffontein Standside yesterday. 

When Home Guard won the Grade 1 SA Guineas at Greyville on June 7 1969 he made it eleven unbeaten runs and Summer Pudding has now won eight out of eight.

The Paul Peter-trained four-year-old Silvano filly was making her first appearance since being named Equus Horse Of The Year of last season and those who had questioned that award will have to eat their words, at least for the time being. 

She was carrying 62kg and giving away lumps of weight to some useful sorts in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1600m, which is on the sharp side for her.

However, she never looked in danger of defeat.

Warren Kennedy placed her second behind a fair pace set by her stable companion Elusive Force. 

There were none of her customary flat spots in the straight and the strongly built bay was soon displaying her big stride as she sauntered to an effortless two length victory from Rouge Allure, to whom she gave 8kg. Mount Laurel, to whom she gave 2kg, was a short-head further away in third.

Her chief market rival Lady Of Steel had earlier been scratched but it was nevertheless a pleasing comeback.

Home Guard lost his unbeaten record in the Durban July and Summer Pudding will tested to the hilt on the last Saturday of this month when running in the Grade 1 WSB Summer Cup, Johannesburg’s biggest race.

On the bright side the weights have already been published for that Turffontein Standside 2000m event and she is due to carry 57kg having been set 56,5kg. This is presuming the current top weight Queen Supreme stands her ground. The original topweight Got The Greenlight has been scratched so Queen Supreme will go up from 59,5kg to 60 kg and the other weights will all be dragged up half-a-kilogram.  

On the downside Summer Pudding is drawn 40 out of the 44 remaining entries.

Summer Pudding is currently 5/2 favourite with the sponsors.

David Thiselton

JOE SOMA has a number of options for last year’s Equus Champion Three-year-old colt, Got The Greenlight, and the first choice would be to run him in the QE II Cup in Hong Kong in April.

However, that all depends on the export protocols changing, so his more likely program will be an August campaign in Johannesburg followed by the SA Champions Season in KZN, culminating in his ultimate target, the Vodacom Durban July.

A Cape Town campaign is also a possibility but that would depend on horses being allowed to travel freely and also on the stakes levels.

Any African Horse Sickness case within a 30km radius of the training centres means an automatic 40 day ban on travel down to Cape Town, which is part of the AHS Controlled Area.

However, there is an option under those circumstances for a horse to spend 14 days in the vector protected barn at Randjesfontein.

If they do take that option they are only allowed out between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Soma did choose that option last year and pointed out, “It is very hard on a horse having to live under those conditions and then get on a vector protected float and travel 1400km to Cape Town, he does not know where he is. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and the CTS 1600 was the only unplaced run of Got The Greenlight’s career and he was beaten by E division horses!”

Soma said he would unlikely exercise that option again.

However, he hinted a Cape Town campaign would be a possibility if there were no more AHS cases within a 30km radius of Turffontein (there is currently a 40 day ban in place due to an AHS case in early October).  

He said, “Raiding Cape Town in normal circumstances is fine. The horses get on the float on the Tuesday after a normal training regime and arrive there fresh.”

However, he lamented, “It is amazing how an AHS case will always crop up just before the horses are due to leave for Cape Town. We are then expected to race down there on playing fields that are not level, then come back to Jo’burg and race here and then go down to Durban where we meet the Cape Town horses who have been kept fresh. We also have big races in Jo’burg but the Cape trainers do not come for them.”

Soma admitted he would probably do the same if he trained out of Cape Town. 

However, he pointed to the great Syd Laird and Politician to prove that it was possible to travel to Turffontein and still win in other centres. Politician traveled up to Johannesburg in the November of both 1977 and 1978 before winning the Met, Queen’s Plate and July in the first of those seasons and he did the Met-Queen’s Plate double the following season too.        

Soma’s life-long dream has been to win the Vodacom Durban July and he said if the likely Johannesburg Autumn and SA Champions Season route was followed Got The Greenlight will probably make his reappearance in January.

He said, “He is very well and there is no rush.”  

Andrew Harrison

KOM NAIDOO boasts the largest string in Ashburton and he sends out winners on a regular basis. Vihzoe’s Magic, by his own admission had been disappointing before yesterday’s success at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

Speaking after her final piece of work mid-week Naidoo comment; “She has been disappointing. She should have won her maiden a long time ago. She put up a cracking piece of work yesterday and I’m hoping that the blinkers make a difference.”

They certainly seemed to do the trick as the daughter of Willow Magic ran down the favourite Umzinduzi in the run to the wire for the first.

In behind pace-setter Captain’s Rosy for much of the race, Umzinduzi moved up smartly to take the lead crossing the subway with Tristan Godden hunting a gap on Vihzoe’s Magic. Once in daylight she started to reel in Umzinduzi with Captain’s Rosy staying on gamely. Umzinduzi drifted in sharply under pressure forcing Vihzoe’s Magic onto Rule The Runway who was forced to check out of a closing gap. But Vihzoe’s Magic was not to be denied and fought on to win well.

Tyrion Prince came in for a ton of market support before the off of the secondand the gamble looked to have been landed before outsider Palace Music slipped up the inside rail to run him out of it.

With a strong tailwind helping the runners’ home, the race was run at a cracking pace as Ashton Arries took no prisoners on Mark Dixon’s runner, stretching the field in what looked to be a winning gambit.

But it all came apart over the final furlong as the early exertions took their toll on Tyrion Prince who shifted to the outside rail. Warren Kennedy, deputising for a suspended Donovan Dillon, slipped Palace Wind up the inside rail to collar Tyrion Prince.

Palace Wind had finished a distant last at his previous start but as Wendy Whitehead explained, he had been loaded first in that race and played up in the stalls, losing any chance he had after blowing the start.

Reschooled and last up yesterday he produced the goods.

The former Kimberley trainers who moved to KZN at the beginning of the season are slowly making their mark. Kimberley had garnered a reputation as the last chance saloon for moderate gallopers but that in turn forced their trainers into becoming seriously good horseman in order to squeeze the best out of their charges.

Ashburton-based Tinnie Prinsloo snapped a string of placed runs with Jay’s Dancer obliging in the third, an apprentice handicap. In the money at his last five starts, yesterday’s win was not overdue although at one stage it began to look like another second.

Twice As Cold under Mfanelo Zuma shifted ground late onto Jay’s Dancer who for a few strides looked as if he was not going to make the gap.

However, Jay’s Dancer had plenty in hand, slipping though under Jeffrey Syster, a split second before the door slammed in his face and going on to win comfortably.

For the dedicated followers of the Star Wars series the double, Chewbaca and Carbon Fibre, was an obvious wager.

Chewbaca, Han Solo’s right-hand man, and Han Solo was frozen in Carbonite to be taken to JabbaThe Hutt. Originally Luke Skywalker was to be frozen in carbonite to be taken to the Emperor. A Geek tragedy in space.

There was no tragedy for punters as Chewbaca made heavy weather of shaking off Tiger Tank but prevailing in the end while Syster scored the second win of his afternoon as he drove Carbon Fibre home ahead of the grey Mighty Smart.

Drama came in the sixth as Matterhorn and Anse Lazio came together in the finish. Matterhorn, for no obvious reason, suddenly veered off a straight course, cannoning into his rival. With only a head in it at the line, the objection hooter was a foregone conclusion as was the protest being upheld.

Andrew Harrison

PUNTERS face another competitive card on the turf at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday where the scratching of the mare Flichity By Farr may have reduced the Trackandball.co.za handicap, seventh on the card, to a match race.

Matterhorn has made major improvement at recent outings, winning his last two, but climbing the ladder makes things all that more difficult. His task was made that much easier with the scratching of stable companion Flichity By Farr, close-up in two recent long-distance features including the Gold Cup, but off her food this last week and is an addition to the scratching’s list 

Matterhorn has come good since being send over ground and although he goes this trip for the first time, he should see it out comfortably.

Biggest threat will be from Anse Lazio who comes with some fair Cape staying form and although he takes on stronger here, he only has 52.5kg to shoulder which will make him extremely competitive. The Andre Nel satellite stable, overseen by Byron Foster, has hit a purple patch of late with a brace of winners last Wednesday, and he is confident of a big effort.

Of the balance, Clouds Of Witness has been a little disappointing of late but did lose his jockey at the start of his last race and can do much better here.

The experiment of introducing ‘conditional’ Graduation Plates with weights allotted in bands according to merit ratings in an effort to boost field sizes, has obviously failed first time out with only nine runners lining up in the seventh.

The merit rating system has been gerrymandered to a point where it is often worthless as a handicapping guideline.

Give punters – and owners and trainers – a break. If a two-time winner carries the same weight, irrespective of its 110 MR, against another two-time winner with a 74 MR, so be it.

The owners get a win and punters get an exotic bet banker.

Mostly trainers are afraid to run their half-decent horses in these races in fear of incurring penalties for their next handicap appearance.

 If the stakes were worth it, the risk would not be so bad, but on the flip side, these are also great races to give the weaker horses a good public gallop without fear of incurring a penalty.

In the days before Merit Ratings, punters had to rely on their intuition as to whether one horse was better than another at level weights with no ratings to guide them.

In a time where the powers that be are making it more and more difficult to win with a decent horse, it is no wonder that new owners are becoming like hen’s-teeth.

Be that as it may, Special Blend and African Sunrise look the pick of the seventh. They are at the top of the ‘handicap’ band and meet at level weights.

There was two lengths behind them when last they met with Duncan Howell’s runner two lengths to the good. The two step up in trip and drawn alongside of each other should make for an interesting tactical race between Lyle Hewitson on Special Blend and Anton Marcus taking over from an indisposed Donovan Dillon on Wendy Whitehead’s runner.

Exotic bet bankers could be difficult to find but two that appeal are Jay’s Dancer in the opening leg of the PA and Chewbaca in the next.

Tinnie Prinsloo has not had much luck of late with his runners in the money but not able to convert but Jay’s Dancer could set that straight. Jay’s Dancer has been knocking at the door for some time now and goes very well over course and distance. He must have a change of fortune soon.

Dangers! Trumps Express, having his first run for a new stable, has shown some promise on the Highveld and can do better here while Bernie’s Dream found strong market support on debut and did not finish far back. He should come on from that run.

Lightly raced gelding Chewbaca has been a touch disappointing had had a wide draw last time out.  He can make amends in the opening leg of the Pick 6 and appeals as the best bet on the card.

Upset chances go to Gonetravelin and Tiger Tank, who has his first run for a new stable and is capable of a surprise.