Bathurst (AUS) 031 362 1110
York (UK) 031 362 1110
Redcliffe (AUS) 031 362 1111
Lingfield (UK) 031 362 1111
Shepparton (AUS) 031 362 1107
Worcester (UK) 031 362 1107
Happy Valley (HK) 031 362 1104
Perth (UK) 031 362 1104
Bath (UK) 031 362 1101
Category Archives: Uncategorized
COMMENTARY LINES
Mildura (AUS) 031 362 1110
Plumpton (UK) 031 362 1110
Kranji (SING) 031 362 1111
Ludlow (UK) 031 362 1111
Launceston (AUS) 031 362 1107
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE VAAL COMMENTARY WILL NOW BE AVAILABLE ON 031 362 1104 AND THE RESULTS ON 031 362 1105
Making dreams come true
The inaugural Investec Day Of Dreams at Kenilworth on Saturday 23 January promises a day of horseracing action previously unequalled on the African continent. With the bar being raised in terms of record breaking stakes, and two historic Gr1 features being contested, it doesn’t get much better than this.
The day marks the inaugural event of a unique three year partnership between Investec and Cape Thoroughbred Sales.The global specialist bank and asset manager Investec, sponsors of the world renowned Derby Festival at Epsom Downs, will treat their clients and guests from around the globe to high class South African racing and local enthusiasts will be going along for the ride of a lifetime.
Both the Gr1 R1 million Klawervlei Majorca Stakes and the Gr1 R1 million Investec Cape Derby have been moved a week forward from their usual berths on J&B Met day, and in line with expectations, have attracted capacity fields of great depth.
INVESTEC CAPE DERBY (Grade 1)
(For 3-year-olds) Left-Hand Turn
1st: R625,000 2nd: R200,000 3rd: R100,000 4th: R50,000 5th: R25,000
| # | Name | Weight | MR | Draw | Gear | Shoes | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ABASHIRI | 60 | 109 | 16 | A | MIKE AZZIE | CARD SCRATCHING | |
| 2 | BRAZUCA | 60 | 109 | 1 | T | A | JOHAN JANSE VAN VUUREN | W MARWING |
| 3 | RABADA | 60 | 109 | 13 | A | MIKE AZZIE | A MARCUS | |
| 4 | EIGHTH WONDER | 60 | 99 | 18 | A | GREG ENNION | S RANDOLPH | |
| 5 | BLACK ARTHUR | 60 | 96 | 5 | A | JUSTIN SNAITH | B FAYD’HERBE | |
| 6 | STAR CHESTNUT | 60 | 94 | 11 | A | JUSTIN SNAITH | A DELPECH | |
| 7 | LIEGE | 60 | 93 | 14 | A | SEAN TARRY | S KHUMALO | |
| 8 | ROYAL BADGE | 60 | 92 | 7 | A | ADAM MARCUS | A DOMEYER | |
| 9 | JET AIR | 60 | 90 | 6 | A | MIKE BASS | D DILLON | |
| 10 | MARINARESCO | 60 | 90 | 17 | A | MIKE BASS | G VAN NIEKERK | |
| 11 | KEMAL KAVUR | 60 | 89 | 12 | A | VAUGHAN MARSHALL | R DANIELSON | |
| 12 | EASTERN CHARM | 60 | 88 | 3 | B | A | VAUGHAN MARSHALL | M BYLEVELD |
| 13 | IT’S MY TURN | 60 | 87 | 15 | A | JUSTIN SNAITH | P STRYDOM | |
| 14 | NEBULA | 60 | 84 | 2 | A | BRETT CRAWFORD | C ORFFER | |
| 15 | PRINCE OF WALES | 60 | 84 | 10 | A | JUSTIN SNAITH | CARD SCRATCHING | |
| 16 | ONE AWAY | 60 | 80 | 4 | B | A | BRETT CRAWFORD | B LERENA |
| 17 | PALADIN | 60 | 77 | 8 | B | A | VAUGHAN MARSHALL | G LERENA |
| 18 | MEGA SECRET | 60 | 76 | 9 | A | PATRICK KRUYER | G WRIGHT |
KLAWERVLEI MAJORCA STAKES (WFA) (Grade 1)
(For Fillies and Mares at weight for age) Left-Hand Turn
1st: R625,000 2nd: R200,000 3rd: R100,000 4th: R50,000 5th: R25,000
| # | Name | Weight | MR | Draw | Gear | Shoes | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAME JURISDICTION | 60 | 115 | 2 | A | DUNCAN HOWELLS | A MARCUS | |
| 2 | INARA | 60 | 108 | 6 | A | MIKE BASS | G VAN NIEKERK | |
| 3 | BICHETTE | 60 | 107 | 16 | A | SEAN TARRY | S KHUMALO | |
| 4 | LANNER FALCON | 60 | 107 | 5 | A | MIKE BASS | B FAYD’HERBE | |
| 5 | ALEXIS | 60 | 100 | 7 | A | BRETT CRAWFORD | C ORFFER | |
| 6 | FEAR NOT | 60 | 96 | 9 | A | ADAM MARCUS | W MARWING | |
| 7 | DEPUTY RYDER | 60 | 95 | 1 | X | A | NEIL BRUSS | G LERENA |
| 8 | DOUBLE WHAMMY | 60 | 95 | 15 | B | A | GLEN KOTZEN | S RANDOLPH |
| 9 | EVENTUAL ANGEL | 60 | 95 | 3 | A | DENNIS DRIER | P STRYDOM | |
| 10 | CRYSTAL CAVERN | 60 | 92 | 8 | B | A | ADAM MARCUS | R DANIELSON |
| 11 | SEA CAT | 60 | 91 | 4 | A | PAUL REEVES | J P V’D MERWE | |
| 12 | SENSIBLE LOVER | 60 | 84 | 14 | A | DARRYL HODGSON | R KHATHI | |
| 13 | LOHNROMANCE | 60 | 73 | 12 | A | ANDRE NEL | A DOMEYER | |
| 14 | ENTISAAR | 55 | 103 | 10 | A | MIKE DE KOCK | A DELPECH | |
| 15 | TAFFETY TART | 55 | 99 | 11 | A | MIKE BASS | D DILLON | |
| 16 | MOONLIGHT ‘N ROSES | 55 | 93 | 13 | A | MIKE BASS | M BYLEVELD |
2016 CTS Million Dollar
(For 3-year-old Horses) Left-Hand
1st: $625,000 2nd: $200,000 3rd: $100,000 4th: $50,000 5th: $25,000
| # | Name | Weight | MR | Draw | Gear | Shoes | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEVENTH PLAIN | 60 | 109 | 19 | T | A | DENNIS DRIER | A MARCUS |
| 2 | EXIT HERE | 60 | 105 | 1 | B | A | CHARLES LAIRD | A DELPECH |
| 3 | REDCARPET CAPTAIN | 60 | 104 | 18 | B | A | GAVIN VAN ZYL | B LERENA |
| 4 | VICTORIOUS JAY | 60 | 104 | 16 | A | VAUGHAN MARSHALL | M BYLEVELD | |
| 5 | TAR HEEL | 60 | 103 | 6 | A | JOEY RAMSDEN | D DILLON | |
| 6 | PRINCE OF THIEVES | 60 | 102 | 10 | A | JOEY RAMSDEN | B FAYD’HERBE | |
| 7 | ERNIE | 60 | 101 | 17 | A | MIKE BASS | G VAN NIEKERK | |
| 8 | HARD DAY’S NIGHT | 60 | 98 | 2 | A | JOEY RAMSDEN | P STRYDOM | |
| 9 | ILLUMINATOR | 60 | 96 | 7 | A | GLEN PULLER | W MARWING | |
| 10 | LUNAR APPROACH | 60 | 95 | 14 | T | A | SEAN TARRY | S KHUMALO |
| 11 | SILVER MOUNTAIN | 57.5 | 111 | 5 | A | MIKE BASS | A DOMEYER | |
| 12 | JO’S BOND | 57.5 | 100 | 15 | A | JUSTIN SNAITH | C ORFFER | |
| 13 | A TIME TO DREAM | 57.5 | 95 | 9 | A | JUSTIN SNAITH | G LERENA | |
| 14 | VARUMBA | 57.5 | 95 | 20 | T | A | VAUGHAN MARSHALL | R DANIELSON |
| 15 | SWIFT SARAH | 57.5 | 93 | 3 | A | SEAN TARRY | G BEHR | |
| 16 | MELLIFLORA | 57.5 | 90 | 11 | A | MIKE AZZIE | * C MURRAY |
Media Release: Mercury Sprint Raceday
The flashy Australian-bred colt Brazuca, just touched off in a thrilling finish by favourite Seventh Plain in the R600 000, Grade 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe on Vodacom Durban July Day at Greyville on Saturday, heads the entries for the R200 000, Grade 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1 200m at Greyville on Mercury Sprint day on Saturday, July 18.
The race is one of four supporting events for the country’s premier weight-for-age sprint, the R750 000, Grade 1 Mercury Sprint, that was previously run at Clairwood and will now be run at Greyville for the first time.
The meeting will also see the running of “The Rider Cup”, the inter-provincial jockey challenge for South African riders over four races with four-man teams from KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape competing for total prize money of R100 000.
Trained by Johan Janse van Vuuren, Brazuca ran a fantastic race under jockey Weichong Marwing and looked a winner until Anton Marcus got a last-stride thrust from Seventh Plain to snatch the result by a short head.
Also among the entries for the Umkhomazi Stakes is the Michael Roberts-trained Argonaut gelding Natal that went down by about a head to Cutting Edge in the R1-million KZN Yearling Sale Million that closed off the country’s biggest meeting.
Buckinghamshire, the Australian-bred colt from the Justin Snaith stable that inflicted the only defeat on Seventh Plain when they met over 1 000m in the Cape, is also among the entries.
The Debutante, the two-year-old race for fillies, has attracted 22 entries including the SA Nursery winner Frosted Honey and Speedy Suzy that finished fourth in the Allan Robertson Championship.
In the Off To Stud Stakes for four-year-old fillies and mares over 1 600m, the winner of the Track And Ball Handicap at Greyville on July Day, Resolution from the Charles Laird stable, is among the 25 entries along with the consistent Dennis Drier filly Gathering Fame and San Trip from the Mark Dixon yard that finished third in the Scarlet Lady.
The Queen Palm Stakes is for fillies and mares over 2 400m and has attracted 18 horses headed by Ash Cloud, Gallica Rose and Vino Veritas that filled the first three places in the Gold Circle Oaks at Scottsville recently. Also among the entries is the Neil Bruss-trained Ideal World filly Zante that ran a great race at 33-1 to finish fourth in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.
VDJ Registration
Legislate could need this run
The reigning Vodacom Durban July champion Legislate moved well in light work at Summerveld yesterday, but will probably need his Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes outing, a race that his equally illustrious stablemate Futura will be avoiding.
Legislate put in some light work on the sand under Sean Cormack, who reported him to be “moving well.” He put in a good gallop on Monday, but was “blowing a bit” afterwards and this prompted trainer Justin Snaith to say, “I take it that he will need his first run and he is drawn in the bush anyway (9 out of 12 runners).”
Stable jockey Richard Fourie retains the ride and if Legislate is anywhere near his best he should fight out the Drill Hall with the only other Gr 1-winner involved, King Of Pain, who is also drawn wide in 10.
Snaith has decided to avoid the Drill Hall Stakes with the J&B Met and L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate winner Futura, having been thrilled with his recent Greyville grass gallop, and race fans will have to wait until the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville on June 6 before seeing him clash with Legislate for the first time this Champions Season. Snaith has already noticed that the thoroughly professional Futura is a dream to train and one of his positive characteristics is that he “saves himself” and doesn’t extend to the maximum in his workouts. The Dynasty colt put in some fluent work on his own on the top sand track at Summerveld yesterday under Cormack.
Snaith said that his two KRA Guineas contestants Heartland and Ultimate Dollar had both come on since their first KZN outings. They both crossed the line first in their respective Champions Season pipe openers, but Ultimate Dollar was demoted after an objection by the connections of St. Tropez.
Snaith said, “Heartland has gears and is the closest thing to the two big horses (Legislate and Futura) that we have. He is a serious horse.”
Ultimate Dollar has an impressive stride but appears to take a while to wind up. Snaith felt that the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 would give him a better chance of classic victory than the Guineas. However, Ultimate Dollar has drawn in five on Saturday compared to Heartland’s 14.
Snaith said that generally all of his Champions Season string had not had gallops in Cape Town before travelling to Durban so would likely need their first outings in KZN. He said that all seven of his runners from Scottsville on Sunday had pulled up well, including Dynamic, whom he felt was unlucky to have been beaten into second in the Listed Sledgehammer over 1750m by fellow July entry, the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Solar Star, as he had received a bump at a crucial stage.
Snaith said that he would be aiming a lot of his other July entries, including the like of Jet Explorer, at the Betting World 1900 on May 15.
Snaith made special mention of his promising New Zealand-bred colt French Revolution, an eyecatching grey whose lightly coloured mane would make him an instant housewive’s favourite. He said, “He has really come well and is thriving. The idea for him is the Gold Cup, but we want to try and do as little as we can before then as you need a sound horse for that race.”
by David Thiselton
KRA Guineas final field
KRA Fillies Guineas Final Field
Twenty-20 fast ‘n furious quickfire racing!
In a world first, Twenty-20 racing comes to Greyville racecourse this Friday evening. A quick-fire succession of eight races will be run at 20-minute intervals – and, like its cricketing equivalent, the action will be fast and furious.
Normally, racemeetings allow 35 minutes between each race. This gives jockeys time to weigh in after a race, and then don new silks for their next ride. Meanwhile, trainers and their assistants are busy saddling up and walking their horses into the parade ring. Jockeys then weigh out, mount up, and canter down to the start of the next race.
This Friday, the 20-minute interval between races requires a brand new plan.
To ensure a fast turnaround and no delays between races, there will be two ‘teams’ of jockeys: while team ‘A’ is out racing, team ‘B’ will be mounting up.
Eyes on the clock! Looking forward to Friday’s first-ever ‘quick-fire’ racemeeting are South African Jockey Academy apprentices (L to R) Luyolo Mxothwa, Tristan Godden, Nicholas Patel, Divan Neethling, and Akshay Balloo.
Pro’s and Apprentices
Of additional public interest is that one team will be made of professional jockeys, while the other will all be apprentices. There will be four races for each team, racing alternately to complete Friday’s eight-race programme. But, while the riders will have it easy, trainers and their assistants will need to scurry if they have runners to saddle in consecutive races. The action in the paddock and saddling enclosures should make for entertaining viewing!
“Trainers will be under pressure to ensure the meeting goes off as planned,” says Hawkins. “But with their full support, we’re looking forward to a racemeeting designed to keep everyone – including the fans! – on their toes.”
Experimental format
Cricket has success-fully embraced new formats of the game and, taking a leaf out of cricket’s book – as an experiment – this Friday’s ‘quick-fire’ meeting was planned.
The KZN cricket union has also bought into the Twenty-20 racing idea, and members of the Sunfoil Dolphins team will be on hand this Friday night at Greyville to sign autographs in the Kidzone during a mini-cricket coaching session.
Jay Naidoo of the KZN cricket union comments: “When T20 cricket was first introduced, many followers of the game were skeptical. Now it’s an established format. It’s interesting that the first 20-20 provincial cricket competition took place in Durban – and now the first Twenty-20 racemeeting is also happening here.”
Autograph-signing by Sunfoil Dolphins players
A highlight for young cricket fans at Greyville Racecourse this Friday will be their moment to meet Sunfoil Dolphins players Cameron Delport and Divan van Wyk. This will all be part of a KFC mini-cricket activation, taking place on the lawns alongside the Kidzone. Activities will include professional coaching, an autograph-signing session from 18h00 – 19h00, and the chance for kids to sign up as members of the Dolphins cricket club.
