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Amor Ardiente (Candiese Marnewick)

Amor Ardiente can go in again

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Ashburton-based trainer Belinda Impey operates a small string out of the Ashburton training centre but she has more than her fair share of winners given the quality of horse that she has in her stable.

Quite simply, if they are good enough she will get them to perform, a prime example being Be The Right winning at Greyville last Sunday, a gelding that she nursed through a myriad of problems.

So, the Computaform comment behind the name of Amor Ardiente in tomorrow’s fifth race on the Greyville poly, ‘amazingly useful sort’ is a little demeaning.

Amor Ardiente (Candiese Marnewick)

Amor Ardiente (Candiese Marnewick)

Be that as it may, Anton Marcus was quick to book his place in the saddle after steering the gelding to a convincing win last time out, and in a small field where many are returning from time off, Amor Ardiente could be one of the better bets on a seriously tricky card.

He is still relatively easy to back at 22-10 in the opening market with Winter’s Coming and Blackball market rivals.

Winter’s Coming got home narrowly from the lightly weighted The Poet last time out but The Poet’s form has not been all that great since. Blackball has consistent form in smart company but does have a big weight and with only a barrier trial to his name since early July he could be found short if it comes to a tight finish.

The opening leg of the Pick 6, like the balance of the card, is wide open with many runners having dropped in the ratings. Biker Babe is on the up and has made good improvement for her new stable and can follow up on her last easy win. Missibaba is current ante-post favourite and has been close-up in recent starts over shorter but has a chance from a good draw. Bridal Veil and Fullfillyourdreams are others to consider.

Marcus has stuck with the ride on Elusive Diva, a beaten favourite a beaten odds-on chance under Marcus in her last three. She is due a change of fortune. Silver Prancer is another that has been knocking at the door for some time now and will be a threat along with Moon In June who was a beaten odds-on chance at just her second start and looks capable of good improvement.

Sentido was another beaten favourite last run but he has been holding form and may be worth another chance in a weak field in the sixth. Honest Prince is in good form and although battling for a second win he has not been far back of late and has a handy weight which could swing it in his favour.

In the seventh, Peter Piper has not been far back to stronger at recent outings but has dropped in the ratings and looks to have a bright chance in this field. A threat could be War Trumpet who is lightly raced but has been taking on stronger in Cape Town. He trialled well enough but meets a competitive field. Queensbury Rules and Hidden Influence are others to consider.

In the last, Greenlight Gatsby is lightly raced and although he disappointed on the turf last time out his poly form is not bad. Lucara has been knocking at the door for some time now and goes well over course and distance. He rates a strong chance in this field. Another with a chance is At The Opera who took on way stronger last run. He has shown some promise although his only poly effort was below par.

By Andrew Harrison

Kateecador (Candiese Marnewick)

Some punters left desolate

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Things have not been easy for punters over the past week or so and the trend continued at Greyville yesterday with a number of the longer priced horses obliging. Desolate Road was a 10-1 shot for Tony Rivalland in the card opener but was given a cracker of a ride by Bernard Fayd’Herbe. Caught wide for much of the race, Fayd’Herbe produced the son of Pathfork with a telling run, taking a split between Lady Jackson and Rockcliffe, and getting up when it mattered.

“This is one course where racing wide doesn’t seem to matter all that much,” said the rider.

Temple Grafin landed the odds for Glen Kotzen but it was hard work for Richard Fourie who had to pull out all the stops to keep Can You Feel It at bay, the two pulling well clear of the chasing pack.

Kateecador (Candiese Marnewick)

Kateecador (Candiese Marnewick)

The national jockey title is already race over but apprentice Lyle Hewtison extended his growing lead with a typically polished ride on the Sean Tarry-trained and well named Go Thuli Go. It was not the required result for many punters though as second-placed Deerupt was a popular banker.

The virus that plagued Ashburton earlier in the year appears to have runs its course and Louis Goosen says his stable is starting to turn. “All my bloods are looking great. I think that virus is behind us,” he said, rubbing his hands at Ashburton yesterday morning, so Var Agtig’s triumph was not a surprise as Gunter Wrogemann aimed his mount through a gap up the centre to win comfortably.

Apprentice Luke Ferraris has been getting many opportunities, arguably more than the average apprentice due to family connections. However, there is no doubting his talent and he took his winning tally to nine as he gave Elegant General a polished ride as Robbie Hill’s gelding finished full of running.

Kateecador (22-1) was at the sharp end of a big Quartet payout in the sixth, the dividend a healthy R112552.20 with Gavin van Zyl’s filly finishing with daylight behind her.

Apprentice Ashton Arries is finding things a little more difficult now that he has ridden out his claim but given the opportunities he rarely fails as he led the field a merry dance on Alyson’s Wright’s filly Gorgeous Guest, the subject of a late flood of money.

“You have got to have the horses, without them you are nothing,” is often quoted by Dennis Drier and he looks to have another smart filly in the regally bred Perfect Air. The daughter of Dynasty out of the classy racemare Icy Air fluffed her lines when taken to the Cape for the season, but Drier’s string did not adapt well to the dry summer. Yesterday Perfect Air showed her true ability when running out a comfortable winner of the last.

By Andrew Harrison

Vaughan Marshall

Marshall steps in with One World

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Vaughan Marshall steps into the season-long two-year-old battle between Joey Ramsden and Candice Bass-Robinson at Kenilworth today and he just might beat them both with One World in the 1 400m Juvenile Plate (race four)

The Cape Town score stands at Ramsden 14 and Mrs Robinson 13 whereas Marshall has had only seven but One World made a huge impression when winning on debut at the end of March. Heavily backed, he led two furlongs out, was ridden clear and won by three lengths pulling up. Marshall (“I didn’t think anything could beat him”) promptly started talking in terms of the Langerman.

Vaughan Marshall

Vaughan Marshall

The form was nothing to write home about – the second horse was perpetual bridesmaid Frozen Tune and none of those behind has won since – but the impression was memorable.

There is no question that Arabian Air’s form is stronger and he has been backed from 18-10 to 15-10 favourite with World Sports Betting which has One World on 17-10. The Ramsden horse looked a bit special when easily beating older horses on debut and 11 days later went down narrowly to stable companion Twist Of Fate (disappointing at Scottsville on Saturday) after hanging in the last two furlongs. He had the third three lengths back and his trainer said afterwards: “He is a very good horse but he had the worst preparation.”

Ramsden runs four others, the shortest-priced of which is the 11-2 shot Lucky Dancer who was also second to Twist Of Fate last time but was beaten two and a half lengths. That said, he met the stable companion at levels whereas Arabian Air was receiving 2kg.

For once the Bass-Robinson runner does not look good enough. Sacred Arrow (11-1) won at Durbanville and only by three-quarters of a length. While the form book says Arabian Air the memory goes for One World.

In the Betting World Juvenile Fillies Ramsden (four runners) and Bass-Robinson (two) have it between them. With no Go The Distance ( lame and scratched), it looks a straight fight between 9-10 favourite Sans Regrets and Cruise Along (22-10) whose second to Canukeepitsecret reads well after Scottsville. Marginal preference is for Sans Regrets.

In the opening Juvenile Fillies the Brett Crawford-trained Vodka Lime may have come on sufficiently to beat the equally lightly raced Margrethe while Blue Roller’s seconds to Rainbow Bridge and Arabian Air suggest she is a stand-out for TAB Telebet Maiden despite the strong recent form claims of the busy Seventh Sea.

Flower Of Carmel’s below-par last effort is apparently something of a mystery to her stable and so Clifton Beach is preferred in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden.

By Michael Clower

Legal Eagle doubtful for Challenge

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Sean Tarry said imperious miler Legal Eagle would be nominated for the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge, but would be “unlikely” to run, and thus the clash everybody wants to see, Legal Eagle vs Snowdance and Tap O’ Noth, only has an outside chance of materialising.

Tarry said, “Legal Eagle’s program works best when giving Durban a miss, in my opinion.”

Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

Tarry was so disappointed by Legal Eagle’s luckless run in the Sun Met, he has not been able to bring himself to watch the replays.

However, he said the six-year-old Greys Inn gelding had travelled up to Johannesburg well and, as he had done in the last two years, would go fresh into the Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes on April 7. He will be attempting to win that weight-for-age mile for the third year in succession. He won the Grade 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate for the third year in a row early last month. It was a narrow win, unlike his easy wins in previous years.

However, Tarry said, “It was a tactical race and we would have been silly to chase the leader. We fetched the leader in the Green Point and we fetched him in the Queen’s Plate and were supposed to the fetch him in the Met. He had come on from his Queen’s Plate run and I couldn’t have had him any better for the Met. It was a perfect prep. He was sound, was eating up and had done everything we had asked of him. But it all went wrong in the race and he wasn’t given a fair chance.” Legal Eagle was caught wide after going handy from a tough draw, so Anton Marcus had little option but to send him forward and then when the leader wilted early in the straight he was forced to go for home early.

Legal Eagle is unbeaten in eight starts over a mile. However, Snowdance has been ultra-impressive in winning two Grade 1 miles this season and Tap O’Noth won the Grade 1 Cape Guineas with a bit in hand. A clash between the trio would decide the Equus Miler award.

However, Tap O’ Noth will not necessarily go for the Gold Challenge, as the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 is just a week earlier and both trainer Vaughan Marshall and stable jockey MJ Byleveld believe the Captain Al colt will get 2000m. Marshall believes he will stay 2000m “on his head”. He said the colt’s unplaced Cape Derby run was a “mystery” as nothing had been found wrong with him afterwards. He added, “It had nothing to do with him not staying, he was never travelling and was gone 400m after the start.”

Tap O’ Noth’s program for the SA Champions Season has not yet been decided upon. If he does run in the Daily News 2000, one of his rivals will likely be the Tarry-trained Big Bear. This big colt won the R2,5 million Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup over 1400m in impressive style. However, Tarry named the Daily News 2000 as a likely target, not surprisingly, considering he is by Await The Dawn. Big Bear’s Investec Dingaans seventh place was a disappointment, but Tarry pointed out he had found trouble and been “cleaned up” at one stage. He will come out fresh for the Triple Crown series.

Tarry’s two top speedsters Bull Valley and Trip To Heaven will also be heading for the SA Champions Season.

Matador Man (Candiese Marnewick)

Matador Man (Candiese Marnewick)

The former won both the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint and Grade 1 weight for age Mercury Sprint last season and will likely go the same route, although he now has a 115 merit rating, six points higher than in the Tsogo Sun last year. Trip To Heaven has finished second in the last two renewals of the Gold Challenge and has been luckless in all three of his Mercury Sprint efforts, finishing unplaced everytime. He is due a change of luck in the latter race over a course and distance (Greyville 1200m) which should suit him due to his exceptional turn of foot. He has always avoided the Tsogo Sun, but off a current merit rating dropped to 114, it could be feasible this year. Time is running out for this six-year-old to win an elusive Grade 1.

Tarry’s Matador Man loves Greyville and will be defending his KZN Breeders Million Mile title and running again in the Grade 1 Champions Cup, where he ran on strongly for third last year. The Gold Challenge is an outside possibility too. His stablemate Africa Rising will give him something to think about in the Million Mile, having shown his well-being last week by downing the like of Mustaaqeem when storming home in a 1200m event at the Vaal. However, Tarry believes Africa Rising’s best trip is probably 1400m, as he proved when winning the Byerley Turk last year.

Tarry mentioned French Navy and Sansui Summer Cup winner Liege as two of his likely Vodacom Durban July nominations, but said it was too early to name others.

Of his Triple Crown prospects he said, “It looks to be a strong crop and we don’t have any of the dominant ones, but we will see what comes out of the Autumn Season.” Big Bear is one of his best contenders. Tarry said he had a number of SA Derby hopefuls too.

Tarry has been National Champion trainer for the last three seasons and set an earnings record last season of R36,109,550, which will likely stand for a long time. However, as usual, he is not thinking about the Championships. He said, “Justin (Snaith) had a phenomenal Cape season and it has put him in a strong position. I will just manage every horse’s program and what will be will be.”

Tarry believes his yard has turned the corner in what has overall been a disappointing season by their high standards, but he was R6,775,050 behind Snaith at time of going to press, so has a mountain to climb.

By David Thiselton