One of the best bets comes in the first at Greyville, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m, as the Dennis Bosch-trained Seek The Summit ran on smoothly after a slow start at Scottsville on debut and comes out best on formlines too. Furthermore Bosch does not push his youngsters so she would have improved from that debut and she has a plum draw of five in the eight-horse field.

Donna Amata has the best form in the second over 1400m and although returning from a seven month layoff, trainer Alistair Gordon said she is a light framed filly who has had plenty of work and will strip fit. Jockey Alec Forbes believes she will enjoy the lighter polytrack surface so she should do well running fresh over a trip just slightly short of her optimum. Beyond her it is a tough race.

The third is a competitive fillies and mares MR 70 Handicap over 1400m and one that could offer value at long odds is Djembe Jamming who has always struck as being better than her form suggests. She is well drawn and 4kg claimer Akshay Balloo’s confidence will be up having just come off a winner around the turn at Scottsville. Overlap has a touch of class and will appreciate the step down in trip. Dizzy Feet, Supreme Dynasty and Fly Peg Fly can’t be ignored either.

The fourth is an intriguing maiden over 1600m that is likely to be fought out by the front-runner Roy’s Flyer and Fabrizio, but on formlines the latter gets the vote. The fifth is an apprentice handicap over 1600m. Pearly King has always struck as a nice type and has been more settled in the running lately, but on the downside this is his rider’s first ever ride around the turn. Therefore Live Controversy, who drops in class, is the choice. Mumsy’s Jet and Chill have to be considered, while Mackdesi has the eyecatching booking of Craig Zackey and has plummeted down the merit ratings. The sixth is another tough apprentice handicap over 1900m and Priceless Gem makes most appeal on form from On My Wits Alone, Discourse, First Flight, Pimpernel and Born To Rule.

The seventh is a MR 90 handicap over 1900m and looks a three cornered contest. Warcraft is unbeaten in two starts on this surface and impressed both times. He strikes as a horse that will continue to improve. Kentucky Guest has thrived since being stepped up to this trip and is 1,5kg better off for a 2,75 length beating by Warcraft so should be right there.

Assegai loves the poly and has won his last two over 1800m on this surface. He has a lovely action and is consistent, so should be right there. Noor Dubai will likely be favourite in the last, a fillies and mares maiden over 1900m, but despite being bred for this trip she does not have the biggest of actions and preference is for Highly Regal. The latter is by Ideal World so will love the trip and will be getting better all the time, so she can reverse form with Mariah Ann from their last turf meeting over 2000m.

The highest rated race at Scottsville is a MR 95 Handicap over 1400m and it might provide a good opportunity for Stolen Destiny, who is only one point higher than his last winning mark and enjoys this course and distance. The classy Goldie Coast is well drawn so could be a threat, despite carrying topweight against the boys.

Title picture: Assegai contests R7 at Greyville (Nkosi Hlophe) 

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