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.

The 47-year-old former champion has only had six rides this season and but he has ridden two winners, both on Miss Saigon. He has been similarly carded up since only to have to cry off because he couldn’t get light enough to take the ride. His mount has 60kg here and Fortune has told Ramsden that he will get close enough to ride.

Andrew Fortune

The money has already poured on and, after opening 12-10 favourite with Betting World on Monday, the three-year-old was down to 1-2 by yesterday afternoon. He has not been seen since September when he started hot favourite at Durbanville only to over-race.

“He had two twisted testicles so he was gelded and he then had a nasty foot abscess,” says the trainer. “But we have got him fairly right.”

The obvious danger is 7-2 chance Seattle Kat who went close over this course and distance last month and, like Fortune’s mount, is having his third start.

Nordic Wind, scratched from the Listed race on Met day because she had been coughing, should be hard to beat in the opening Maiden Juvenile Plate. She ran on strongly after starting slowly on debut and went into the notebooks of many punters, including James Goodman on Winning Ways.

But don’t overlook Just Felicity who also ran well on debut and is fancied by Greg Ennion. “She is a smart little filly. Her first run was the first time she had seen grass and she would have run the winner close had she not raced green,” says Ennion. “She shows a huge amount of ability at home.”

Mohammed Allie and Hilaria are overdue a win and, with Sean Cormack riding out of his skin, the 16-10 favourite should be able to beat Provenance (5-1) in the Legislate Maiden.

Yalla Habibti has a big chance at 7-1 in race four if you are prepared to forgive her last run when her rider reported that she was not striding out freely and when the racecourse vet said she was blowing hard.

“I couldn’t find anything but she is a small filly with a choppy action,” says Eric Sands.” She needs to be covered up and I think she just saw too much daylight.”

That said, Captain’s Dove has more obvious credentials, particularly as she again drops in trip, although you won’t get rich backing her at 8-10.

Svala (already backed from 9-2 to 3-1) is the only newcomer in this race and Yogas Govender says: “The trip will be a bit short for her but she has ability.”

Finally Good Grace stands out in race eight after running so well on debut. Unfortunately the value has already gone and you can’t now get much more than 9-10 (she opened at 14-10). Her first run was packed with promise.