Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner Mac De Lago returned to trainer Weiho Marwing’s Ashburton yard after his victory at Greyville on Saturday and the latter will monitor how he comes out of the race before making the next move in his Vodacom Durban July preparation.

Marwing pulled off a fine training feat as the race, which Mac De Lago was awarded in the boardroom after going down by a short-head, was the horse’s return from a fourth place finish in the tough Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge run over 2000m at Turffontein on April 30.

The four-year-old Australian-bred Encosta De Lago gelding had travelled down from Johannesburg last Thursday and one of the decisions to be made will be whether the horse remains at Ashburton to train for the July or returns to Johannesburg.

The recently crowned champion workrider Sam Mosia will be there to ride him every day in routine work, no matter which training centre he is prepared out of.

Marwing said, “Sam is very loyal, he’s been working for me for the past ten to twelve years, he’s the only guy I really let ride Mac De Lago at home and he gets on with him like a house on fire.”

Also of importance to the progressive bay’s July chances will be the handicapper’s assessment of Saturday’s weight for age race.

Mac De Lago had previously run in ten Graded races without a win and this was without doubt the best performance of his career.

His merit rating will likely be raised significantly from its current mark of 107. The possible line horses are the next four in the running, 113-merit rated Trip To Heaven (short-head margin), 115-merit rated French Navy (beaten 1,8 lengths), 110-merit rated New Predator (beaten 3,8 lengths) and 109-merit rated Captain Aldo (beaten 5,8 lengths).
Marwing lodged the objection on Saturday after the stipendiary stewards had announced a steward’s enquiry.

If the stewards had not already made up their minds they would soon have been convinced by jockey Piere Strydom’s argument.

Strydom pointed out the two different types of horses which were involved, Trip To Heaven being a sprint-miler type and Mac De Lago a middle distance type who took a while to get going. He then asked for the official winning distance, which was a short-head, before asking for the tape to be rewound to about the 150m mark, which was the stage just before Trip To Heaven had received the first of two bumps from Mac De Lago. The margin before the bumps was shown to be about half-a-length, meaning Mac De Lago had been finishing the faster of the pair despite the interference, which had caused him to be carried a number of horse-widths inward.

Trip To Heaven’s trainer Sean Tarry also presented a good argument, saying Trip To Heaven had come from last under the hands and his jockey Grant Van Niekerk, due to the proximity of Mac De Lago, had been forced into riding his mount with the hands all the way to the line, while Mac De Lago in the meantime had been hard ridden. Both he and Van Niekerk also pointed out the first movement, however slight, was made by Mac De Lago towards Trip To Heaven (although they did not brush at that stage).

However, the stewards did not take long to announce the upheld verdict and the majority, including Marwing, believed they had made the correct decision. Elated part-owner Dylan Chinsammy was on course to receive the trophy on behalf of the connections, who also include Hassen Adams, CF Delport, Lawrence Pillay, TJ Smith and ODT Visser. It was Chinsammy’s second Gr 1 win, the first being with Ash Cloud, who won the SA Oaks for the Marwing yard in 2014.

Mac De Lago finished second in last season’s Gr 2 KRA Guineas and fifth from the widest draw of all in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, so clearly loves the tight city course.

His Champions Challenge run looks very good, as the fifth placed horse Judicial was 4,3 lengths behind him. Mac De Lago was receiving 2kg from French Navy in the Champions Challenge and the latter beat him by 1,8 lengths. Before the running of the Gold Challenge, Mac Delago was set to receive 4kg from French Navy in the July, which would have given him a massive chance. However, his task will now be harder with the pending merit rated raise.

French Navy meanwhile ran a tremendous July preparation race in Saturday’s event and it should bring him spot on for the big one. He was running on strongest of all to finish a 1,8 length third. He will be very well weighted in the July, unless Legal Eagle is scratched before the publishing of the weights tomorrow (Tuesday).

The three scenarios from now in are: If Legal Eagle is scratched before the publishing of the weights, French Navy carries 60kg and July favourite Black Arthur carries 53,5kg; if Legal Eagle runs in the July, French Navy carries 57,5kg and Black Arthur carries 53kg; if Legal Eagle is scratched after the publishing of the weights, French Navy carries 60kg and Black Arthur carries 55,5kg.

Strydom was not sure yet where his July ride would come from. However, he is sure to be in demand. The master jockey has already ridden two Gr 1 winners since returning just three-and-a-half weeks ago from a three-and-a-half month layoff for a broken collar bone.

By David Thiselton