This colt has always been held in high regard and is a fantastic specimen. The professional Snaith yard have always said about him that he was a typical Dynasty and would therefore take a few runs before the best of him was seen. Indeed, Friday night’s race was the first time he had contested a feature since running third to Act Of War in the Gr 3 Cape Classic over 1400m in his second career start last October. An aspect of his win on Friday night that will augur well in his bid to win his probable main target, the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 on May 30 at Greyville, was that he settled very well in the running despite the race having been run at a crawl. There are few Dynasty’s that don’t have good actions and Heartland displayed his when running on all the way to the line.

The confusing aspect was that the 0,75 length runner, the Western Winter colt Kingvoldt whose pedigree suggests that 2000m will stretch his stamina reserves, was surging strongly at the line despite being keen early and conceding 3kg to the winner. He will enjoy the KRA Guineas trip, but will he take his chances in the Daily News?

Third-placed Easy Lover set the pace and his limit is likely the mile.

However, fifth-placed Light The Lights, who was beaten 2,05 lengths at level weights to the winner, was an eyecatcher and will be an outsider to consider for both the Daily News and the July. He was extremely keen both going down and in the running, showing that he needed the run after a three-and-a-half month break, but just as his run in the straight appeared to be petering out he came back again and was doing good work late. He has a nice long stride and the Daily News and July distances will likely be right up his alley. This Western Winter colt strikes as being a tall, relatively lightly framed sort who is maturing and therefore improving all the time.

Act Of War looks likely to stay at home for the Cape Winter Series and the horse he beat in the Grand Parade Cape Guineas, Harry’s Son, will be hard to beat in the KRA Guineas. He was not quite himself in the Cape Guineas after an aeroplane journey that didn’t go smoothly, but still managed to beat Kingvoldt into second. The Paul Lafferty yard have also revealed that Anton Marcus said after Harry’s Son’s fifth place in the SA Classic over 1800m that the champion colt’s turn of foot had been blunted in the soft conditions.

The yard believe the ground and not the distance got to him, so he could well still line up for the Daily News.

The Sean Tarry-trained SA Classic winner French Navy will be lining up for the SA Derby on April 25, but should have enough time to recover and be freshened up for the Daily News.

This ever improving sort should be a leading contender in the latter race and it will be interesting to see whether he can follow in the footsteps of the Tarry-trained Pomodoro, who was touched off in the SA Classic before going on to win both the SA Derby and the July.

The SA Classic runner up Amsterdam stayed on superbly in that race despite the testing ground and having been forced to make his run down the unfavourable side. He is also Daily News bound and looks the type who could set the pace.

SA Classic third and fourth-placed horses Deputy Jud, who strikes as an improving sort, and Unparalleled are both well regarded and are others to consider.

Nothing went right for Gauteng Guineas third-placed Forest Fox in the SA Classic, but he will be a force to be reckoned with in the KRA Guineas and possibly the Daily News too.

The Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal was asked to do a lot when leading the SA Classic in testing going and duly faded out to lose his unbeaten record. He will also be a Daily News contender in likely fast going.

Duncan Howells has said that his impressive, long-striding gelding Saratoga Dancer would likely be better as a four-year-old, so he would not “plan too much” for him during the Champions Season, but he added that he would “take his chances” if “the right races fall into place at the right time for him”, so it will be interesting to see whether those include the KRA Guineas or the Daily News.

The De Kock-trained Anjaal made an impressive comeback after a layoff in a 1400m event at Turffontein on Saturday and could be a KRA Guineas contender. Another of his classy three-year-old males, Jayyed, had wind problems and is still on the sidelines.

The Cape Derby third and tied fourth horses, Liquid Mercury, Krambambuli and Arniston are others that could play a part in the Champions Season three-year-old male events.

The KRA Guineas and Daily News have become possibly the two best pointers to the Vodacom Durban July as three-year-olds have dominated the latter race in the last couple of decades with 12 wins in the last 20 renewals. The two top class three-year-old events are therefore two of the most eagerly anticipated races in this fabulous three month festival of racing, the Champions Season, which begins with the KRA Guineas meeting on May 2.