In the second, a handicap over 1200m on turf he said of his three runners on his website, “Fountain Of Youth would have come on from his run last Thursday, but he’s still short of his best. Merhee has been disappointing in Dubai, but he’s best all-round form has been on turf and we’re expecting him to run well. Whistle Stop needs this sprint to sharpen him up.” The horse to beat could be the tough Richard Hannon-trained handicapper Ninjago, who has always run well fresh and goes well on fast ground.

Merhee (Nkosi Hlophe)

The third is the UAE 1000 Guineas on dirt and here De Kock expects Ad Idem to have improved enough to reverse form with Local Time, a Godolphin horse who beat her over 1400m on dirt recently and now goes for a five-timer.

De Kock said about the fourth, a conditions race over 1400m on turf, ” “I’m happy with Forries Waltz but he is short of peak fitness. Mastermind ran a cracker over 1200m a fortnight ago and is fitter now. He should see it out. Toscanelli was just out of the frame in a Gr1 last September, but hasn’t yet shown us that he’s up to that level of form.” The Hannon-trained Burnt Sugar went close in a Gr 1 over this trip at Longchamp as a two-year-old and on paper is hard to beat.

In race 5 a handicap over 2810m on turf, De Kock said, “Star Empire won this race in 2013 and finished second last year. He’s game, honest and still very well. Mickdaam tries this journey for the first time but he kept on in the Derby at Epsom as a three-year-old, then won a Gr3 over 2500m and he’s a six-year-old now.” The Godolphin horse Famous Kid made all to win a twelve furlong handicap at Newmarket on good to firm ground last September and makes appeal with a light weight after a decent Dubai debut on dirt.

Whistle Stop (Nkosi Hlophe)

Last year’s Dubai World Cup winner African Story makes his reappearance in the sixth, a Gr 2 on dirt over 1900m. He has it won on paper but the consistent Prince Bishop should be more forward and Le Bernadin and Surfer are both interesting having both won well last time.

De Kock said about the seventh, a handicap on turf over 1600m, “Ajeeb had merit in his pipe-opener over 1000m here a month ago. He finished out of the frame at Graded level over 1600m when he raced in Australia, but he’s won well  over  1500m and we’re hoping the mile will be up his alley now, Flying The Flag needs to race to bring him on and he prefers further. Royal Ridge has an eachway chance, he looks course and distance suited and we can’t fault his work at home. Captain Lars was only beaten 4.5-lengths last time needing it badly. He’s doing really well and is fitter now, he could feature.”

The former South African dual Gr 1 winner Slumdogmillionaire made a decent recent comeback and makes most appeal of the rest together with Music Theory.

He managed to get down to 60kg for Around Not Across in the Futura Maiden Plate but he had to get to work early when the 13-20 hotpot struggled to go the pace. But he was able to lead well before the final furlong where he repeatedly looked round for what proved non-existent dangers.
Many in the small crowd flocked to the winner’s box to greet him. They watched in amusement as he took a hefty swig from a bottle of water and promptly spat it out onto the grass in front of him.
The former champion said: “People are telling me ‘You are tired, you are old’ and when I ring them they are not answering the phone.
“I’ve got to thank Joey Ramsden. He was kind enough to give me the ride – and thank God the horse won!”

Joey Ramsden said yesterday: “Act Of War has been a bit quiet since the race and we found a little bit of inflammatory in the airwaves. There were also a couple of things in his blood that were not right.

Act Of War (Liesl King)

“But neither was enough to give them as an excuse and I am certainly not taking anything away from the winner who is clearly a good horse.

“I have no doubt we will find something one day and in the meantime he deserves a good break.”

Derek Brugman, who had been talking about putting the colt on a plane, said: “I am not as convinced about that as I was and we are going to give him a break, send him to a farm and give him time.

“But in my opinion he is definitely a better horse over a mile and we will restrict him to that in the future. I am not convinced he gets ten furlongs.

“We are working on getting horses to the States. We don’t want to go the Mauritius route again as the horses we sent to Dubai via there this time are nowhere near the right levels of fitness.

“If the US Department of Agriculture agrees to certain concessions that we are requesting we will sit down with Markus Jooste and review what we should do. But there is the Breeders’ Cup towards the end of the year.”

Plans are fluid for Cold As Ice who was beaten a head by Inara in the Klawervlei Majorca at her first attempt at a mile.

Ramsden said: “The guys are still chatting about where we go next. She had a hard race but she is as tough as they come and she is absolutely fine. She was an unlucky loser – it was just a matter of heads up and heads down.”

Seek The Summit, by Elusive Fort, was slow away on debut over 1000m at Scottsville but came through smoothly to finish just 2,5 lengths in second behind the promising Roy’s Goddess. She is now drawn well in five in the fillies and mare Maiden Juvenile over 1000m and is not only one who has created the best visual impression, but also comes out strongly on formlines.

Bosch believed that Seek The Summit would be fine on the poly and would have no problem with the start. He said he doesn’t “push” his young horses, so she would have come on nicely from that debut run less than two weeks ago.

Assegai (Nkosi Hlophe)

Gordon has the hard knocking Right Approach filly Donna Amata in the second,  a fillies and mares maiden over 1400m, where she is drawn nicely in six. She returns from a break of over seven months, but Gordon said, “She has had plenty of work and is light framed so, although she might just need it, she is certainly not unfit. We have worked her on the poly and Alec actually thinks she will be better on this lighter surface.” She doesn’t have a great deal to beat and it would be no surprise to see her getting off the mark.

Gordon’s useful four-year-old Ashaawes gelding Assegai’s only defeat on the polytrack has been to the impressive Gemini Gold, who is undefeated in three starts on the surface. That was in a comeback run over the too sharp 1400m and he then reeled off two victories over the more suitable 1800m.

He settles well and has a lovely rhythmic action, but does have to overcome a four point merit rated raise in tomorrow’s seventh race, a MR 90 Handicap over 1900m, and looks set to fight it out with Warcraft and Kentucky Guest, who both  make plenty of appeal too.

Gordon give Highly Regal a “shout” in the last, a maiden for fillies and mares over 1900m. Being by Ideal World she should be improving all the time and will relish the trip. She was a bit out of her ground over 1900m at Scottsville last time, but stayed on nicely for fifth and the form of that race has worked out very well.

She has 0,75 lengths to make up on Mariah Ann from that race. The latter did have a few excuses and appears to be improving, but there is a reversal of draw fortunes here in favour of Highly Regal. The favourite could well be Noor Dubai, who is bred to enjoy this step up in trip, but she doesn’t have the biggest action, which could be an off putting point in a race this far.

The two apprentice handicaps might be the two stumbling blocks on the card, but it would be no surprise to see Callan Murray claim a double with the two topweights Live Controversy and First Flight respectively.

Lead Picture: Alec Forbes

Triptique is a smart looking three-year-old colt by Trippi and completed a Kenilworth 1200m hat-trick on Saturday under Sean Cormack. He won by an impressive two lengths despite carrying  topweight in an open MR 80 Handicap and having to jump from a high draw, which was unfavourable on the day.  Drier said, “He has done nothing wrong and is getting better and better. I am hoping he can stay further so we might look at the Scottsville 1400m feature race as a pointer to whether we can aim him at the Guineas.”

Balkan (Nkosi Hlophe)

His other winner on Saturday was the three-year-old Horse Chestnut filly Balkan, who carried 57,5kg to victory in a MR 86 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1000m, her first victory in three outings in Cape Town. Drier said, “She has had a lot of niggles but only had one disappointing run and that was the real Balkan on Saturday.”

Drier’s two-year-old Seventh Rock colt Seventh Plain gave 3kg to the classy looking Justin Snaith-trained Australian-bred Buckinghampshire and only lost by 1,25 lengths in the Listed Sun International Juvenile Stakes over 1000m. Drier said of the rangy bay, “He’s an exciting colt and I think the Snaith’s colt might be a sprinter whereas Seventh Plain is looking for 1400m and a mile.”

Gathering Fame is a four-year-old filly by Jet Master who has won three out of five starts to date. Drier’s string was struck down by travel sickness after arriving in Cape Town last October and she was the worst hit. However, she recovered to win the Listed Jamaica Handicap over 1700m, meaning she is now unbeaten since being stepped up from sprints to a mile and beyond. Drier said, “She is way above average. We will be speaking to Mr Rattray before mapping out a nice plan for her.”

Art Deco is an eyecatching three-year-old filly by Dynasty and relished the step up to 1600m in her third start after two excellent placed efforts in sprints. She romped home in a maiden plate over 1600m on the Greyville polytrack.

The three-year-old Judpot gelding Oh Boy came from a long way back in the running on debut over 1200m at Scottsville to just get up and is another who will likely relish further.

The three-year-old Argonaut gelding Sea Fever impressed with his superb, rhythmic action when converting odds of 1/3 in ever so easily over 1200m at Scottsville on Sunday.

Drier said about these three three-year-olds, “They are still coming through the ranks, but they look pretty exciting.”

The four-year-old Jet Master gelding Space Launch is unbeaten in two starts for Drier, both over the Kenilworth 1200m, having had only one placed run before that. “He is really exciting,” said Drier.

Three of Drier’s established stars are Captain Of All, Generalissimo and Jet Aglow.

Generalissimo (Nkosi Hlophe)

The four-year-old Captain Al gelding Captain Of All went within a whisker of ensuring the yard would bring home a Gr 1 trophy from the Cape for the fourth season in a row when denied in a head-bobbing finish by Alboran Sea in the Betting World Cape Flying Championships. Drier can still scarcely believe he lost and said, “He has come out of the race fantastically. The long break we gave him did him a world of good, it was a complete break, instead of stop go, stop go. Markus (Jooste) and Derek (Brugman) allowed it and thanks to them he is now over his niggles.”

Drier has discussed a possible tilt at the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint with Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman, but it has not been finalised.

The three-year-old Var colt Generalissimo broke the Kenilworth 1200m course record in his only victory in Cape Town. In his other starts he didn’t stay the trip of the Gr2 Selangor Cup over 1600m and then finished lame on his near fore in a 1000m contest.  Drier said, “He is very well. I don’t think he stays and is young so the Computaform might be too soon. Maybe next year.”

The five-year-old Jet Master mare Jet Aglow won the Listed Jet Master Stakes over 1600m during her Cape campaign, but was then found to have an infected trachea when running a disappointing fifth in the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes. Drier said, “It was going around Phillippi, but she is now totally over it.” Her obvious targets will be races like the Gr 2 Tibouchina, the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes and the Gr 2 Gold Bracelet.