The colt arrived at Gordon’s yard over the weekend. Gordon said, “He is very highly rated and it’s very exciting for us to be sent a horse of this quality.”

Royal Life was the talk of the course on his debut over 1200m at Scottsville on November 30 last year, having shortened from an opening price of 10/1 into 22/10.

Royal Life (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, on that occasion he found the trip too sharp and was unable to catch another promising sort, the Tony Rivalland-trained Highway Explorer, who followed up by beating older horses in a MR 74 handicap over the same course and distance off a merit rating of 81.

In his second start over 1600m at Scottsville, Royal Life came from a handy position and after showing a good turn of foot he galloped clear of the opposition. He got better the further he went and when crossing the line full of running under Stuart Randolph was giving the impression that he still had a couple of gears in reserve. Down the field that day was the Rattray-owned Crevasse, an easy winner of his subsequent start.

Royal Life was bought at the 2013 Bloodstock South Africa National Yearling Sales for R350,000. His first owner was Ray Koedyk, who is well known in racing and has held colours for many years.

Royal Life is out of the six-time winner Time Of My Life, who finished second in the prestigious Gr 1 Paddock Stakes over 1800m.

He was bred by Geoff Armitage, who was a many-time champion breeder of Zimbabwe and now owns Sandown Stud in the Western Cape, which is run by his son James.

Geoff’s brother, the late Volksrust-based breeder Trevor Armitage, bred the amazing Dennis Drier-trained Dynasty mare Beach Beauty.

Gordon is presently the longest standing Summerveld trainer and has been in fine recent form. He is no stranger to top horses, having trained the like of the brilliant sprinter Scarlet Lady as well as Extra Cover and others. Rattray needs no introduction as a doyen of owning and breeding in South Africa.

It will be interesting to see whether Royal Life develops into a Vodacom Durban July prospect, because he certainly gives the impression he will relish the 2200m trip. The July has always been the race Rattray has most wanted to win, but to date it has eluded him, albeit narrowly on a couple of occasions.

Snowman was all the rage in the Natal Carbineers 160th Anniversary MR 86 Handicap over 1600m as this grey three-year-old Western Winter colt has always been well regarded and really caught the eye over course and distance in his previous start when baulked twice and going down by 0,25 lengths to the course specialist Vienna Wood.

Snowman (Nkosi Hlophe)

Snowman looked to have yesterday’s race won after repelling Vienna Wood’s challenge, but the lightweight Dixon-trained Caribbean Day then appeared on the scene with a wet sail and won comfortably under Ant Mgudlwa.

Caribbean Day had a weight swing with Snowman from their last meeting for just a two length beating and was backed in from 14/1 to 12/1. The five-year-old Modern Day gelding loves Scottsville and all three of his wins have been over yesterday’s course and distance. His win provided a double for Mgudlwa, who had scored with a chance ride on the useful Charles Laird-trained Admiral’s Eye in the first.

The Richards’ other winner was Burra Boy, a hard knocking Tiger Dance gelding. He looked the winner throughout in the Maiden over 1400m and duly drew clear to win easily under Keagan de Melo.

Another noteworthy winner on the day was the progressive Kumaran Naidoo-trained Royalsecuritypower, who showed that he could develop into a lightly weighted Golden Horse Casino Sprint contender. The four-year-old Rock Of Gibraltar gelding won a MR 100 Handicap over 1000m in commanding style, beating some useful sorts, and helped Warren Kennedy complete a double. However, off a merit rating of 91 he will still need further improvement just to get into the Golden Horse Casino Sprint.

The well-bred two-year-old Australian-bred colt Baahir created a good impression when winning on debut over 1200m and provided the first leg of a double for Mike de Kock and Anthony Delpech.

Craig Carey, spokesman for part-owner Ridgemont Stud, said: “The plan is for her to go at the end of the month and she will travel via Mauritius. We are looking at a few options as regards a trainer and William Haggas at Newmarket is one of them. He is doing well and he is a good friend of Joey Ramsden.”

Haggas took over 2013 Cape Fillies Guineas winner In The Fast Lane last month and Ramsden trained Cold As Ice to win five of her seven starts. The Avontuur-bred Western Winter filly was beaten three-quarters of a length by Double Whammy on debut and a head by Inara in last month’s Klawervlei Majorca.

She missed her chance of classic glory (she was second favourite) when breaking through the pens in the Cape Fillies Guineas and galloping riderless the length of the course.

Van Zyl’s R1,2 million purchase Redcarpet Captain impressed on debut last Tuesday night at Turffontein. He showed good cruising speed in the Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m and S’Manga Khumalo was consequently able to ride a confident race, sitting on him until the closing stages before producing a telling late burst to win cosily by 0,75 lengths from Mogok Master. Redcarpet Captain was receiving 3kg from the latter, but looks to have a lot of improvement in him and will likely enjoy further too. Mogok Master won well on debut and has been described as “an extremely good” horse by Peter, so will also be worth following.

Buckinghampshire (left) Seventh Plain (right) – Sporting Post

Gavin van Zyl’s chief owner Brian “Buffalo Bill” Burnard is a fine horseman himself and the pair have amassed a two-year-old string from various sales that are a sight to see in the mornings. Redcarpet Captain was the first of them to win and it should pay to keep an eye on any of this string coming out in the next few weeks.

Yesterday at Scottsville the well bred Baahir, an Australian-bred colt by world leading sire Galileo out of an Oasis Dream mare, won comfortably over 1200m under Anthony Delpech. He will have class on his side so could contest a couple of major sprints as a two-year-old before stepping up to a more suitable trip.

Corne Spies is usually competitive in the big two-year-old races and last Tuesday night at Turffontein his filly Scandal scooted home in a Juvenile Plate for fillies over 1000m under Fanie Chambers, winning easily despite being green and running around a lot. It would be no surprise to see her contesting forthcoming features, including the Gr 1 SA Fillies Nursery. It would be particularly fitting if she could win the latter event as she is by the old KZN Midlands soldier Muhtafal, who died this past weekend.

Meanwhile, Buckinghampshire is already in Johannesburg where he will be prepared for the SA Nursery. Buckinghampshire, who is an eyecatching specimen, beat the promising Seventh Plain in the Listed Sun International Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1000m on J&B Met day. He was receiving 3 kg, but looks more a sprinting type than the latter. The long-striding Seventh Plain has plenty of scope for improvement and is also likely to make an impact on Gr 1 races this season, especially when the trip is extended.

* Pictures supplied by SportingPost.co.za

He said: “I normally never have a bet but I was so convinced about this filly that I put R1 000 on at 3-1 last Wednesday morning and I advised my partner in the horse (Larry Wainstein’s wife Lucille) to do the same.”

Ennion was one of the few people on course who thought that Richard Fourie’s mount had got up and Andrew Fortune, grinning broadly, rode straight into the winner’s box on Natatela convinced he had held on.

The stipes interviewed the former champion about his riding. Although he picked up his whip inside the final furlong he rode the closing stages with hands and heels. He was informed that “he needs to ride his mounts with sufficient vigour so as to leave the stewards with no room for query.”

Ennion’s comments on this page a week ago about Monsoon Magic winning with bone chips in her joints attracted the attention of the SPCA and the Milnerton trainer had a pleasant surprise when he had the legs x-rayed.

He said: “The vet told me that he had some good news. The fragments had all gone. They had been healed by nature and time.”

Paul Reeves reports that Forever Alert, who trailed in last when 13-10 favourite for Wednesday’s two-year-old race, is free of any virus.

He said: “We are still doing tests but physically she is fine. The only thing I can put the performance down to is her behaviour. She is like a lamb at home but this time she wouldn’t even let the jockey get on.”

Brandon May, the latest apprentice find, made it two out of two for Eric Sands when scoring on Silver Salver. The 18-year-old also rode a winner at Scottsville and another at Turffontein before returning to his home town six weeks ago.