Head Honcho was earmarked as the bet of the day come the first Saturday in July but although Andre Nel’s runner landed the odds, it was not without some anxiety. It took all of Anton Marcus’s expertise to get him home, a ride that has been nominated as one of the “Rides of the Season” at the forthcoming KZN Racing Awards next week.

Head Honcho is back in action at Scottsville today in the Racing. It’s A Rush Divided Handicap over 1400m and he can follow up on his latest victory.

Marcus, who had beaten Antony Delpech to the punch for the ride on Head Honcho, has been called upon by his retained stable to partner Captain Of Rock, and has been replaced by Gareth Wright, the fifth different jockey to ride Head Honcho in his six starts to date.

Head Honcho has a lot in his favour, notably the switch back to turf and a plum draw, but he does face a stern test.

Ashburton-based trainers were to the fore last Wednesday, winning five of the nine races, and Shane Humby has a chance of adding to that tally with Midnight Vision.

The gelding has had a single outing since moving up from the Cape with Humby’s string and it was a fair sprint although he was reported coughing post-race. He is lightly raced, having only had eight starts, but he was in sizzling form before his move, winning twice first up out of the maidens and failing narrowly in his last Kenilworth start. Given that form and a handy weight, Midnight Vision is likely to give Head Honcho something to go one with.

The first appearance on a racecourse by a daughter of Frankel out of the smart sprinting filly Val Da Ra was much anticipated and Miss Frankel was deep in the red when making her debut at Kenilworth back in January. One is not certain whether it was the hype or money, probably a combination of both, that saw her start 5-10 but it was a damp squib on both accounts as she faded tamely to finish six lengths off the winner.

It’s now six months down the line and Miss Frankel makes her seasonal bow in the All To Come Maiden Plate, a five-furlong dash. The opposition does not look to be all that strong, although there are a number of first timers in the line-up, but Miss Frankel may be worth a second chance.

Paul Gadsby had a welcome double last Wednesday and saddles one of the better bets on the card in the filly Diamonds Forever who should be good enough the break her duck in the fourth. “She has the best form and even though she takes on the boys she rates the one to beat,” Gadsby said yesterday. “She has recovered from the virus but I would not run her if I thought she wasn’t ready. The two horses that had it the worst have both won,” he added.

The switch to turf has attracted competitive fields in all eight races, including a host of debutantes in the first two heats.

Stable companions Dame Commander and Continuum are the obvious pair in the card opener although Imagine That and Gimme Hope Johanna are likely to improve on their debut efforts. The betting should be a better guide here.

Mark Dixon’s Summerveld yard has come good in recent weeks as has Asian Star that will have a few supporters in the second. Wolf Killer, touched off at his last start at lengthy odds, has been declared in blinkers by Frank Robinson and can go one better but there are a couple of nicely bred first timers in the line-up so again one should keep an eye on the market.

By Andrew Harrison