Bunker Hunt gave early notice that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the next three months of South Africa’s Champion Season with a stunning display in the Grade 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville today.

L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner Vardy was a short-priced favourite and looked to have most in his favour, but Bunker Hunt put the race to bed in a matter of strides as Keagan de Melo let him loose at the top of the straight.

Vardy challenged pacemaker Kasimir all the way up the straight but was just not able to get to terms, but the pair were no match for Bunker Hunt who swept past up their inside to win as he liked.

Given his previous form, this was a distance that looked short of his best but he showed plenty of class in victory. Much was expected of Bunker Hunt last winter but he met with many hiccups and this could be his year.

His name is sure to be among the first nominations for the Vodacom Durban July that are due tomorrow.

Trained by Justin Snaith, Bunker Hunt races in the familiar silks of Sabine Plattner and was bred at Varsfontein Stud.

There’s not much of her but what she lacks in stature she makes up for in courage. The diminutive but feisty Mississippi Burning scored back-to-back Fillies Guineas victories with a last gasp triumph in the Grade 2 World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas, the favourite edging home ahead of rank outsider Mary O with Labyrinth some way back in third.

The race was hardly run to suit as Lady Legend set a modest pace but Craig Zackey had his mount in the box seat, one off the fence as the pace quickened up approaching the final turn.

Hunting daylight, Zackey angled his mount up the inside fence and gradually wore down Mary O who was game in defeat.

Trained by Adam Marcus, Mississippi Burning races in the familiar silks of Mario Ferreira and was bred at Mike and Tanya McHardy’s Rathmor Stud.

Star filly Beach Beauty was nigh unbeatable at Hollywoodbets Greyville and her aptly named son, Wild Coast, scored a narrow, upset victory in the Grade 2 World Sports Betting Guineas at the same venue. In a nail-biting finish, Donovan Dillon got the colt home in the shadow of the post, edging out pacemaker Padre Pio with Cape Derby winner Golden Ducat putting a storming late effort for third, a showing that augurs well for the Grade1 Dily News 2000.

Wild Coast was the outsider of Justin Snaith’s pair with Sachdev starting favourite but Wild Coast will not be denied his place in the sun. Captain Demonami was an early casualty as he refused to jump and it was Craig Zackey, hunting back-to-back Guineas triumphs, who set the pace on Padre Pio. As in the filly’s equivalent, the field was barely out of an early canter and Frosted Gold the next casualty. He was forced to check and switch off the heels of the pack, losing valuable ground.

Dillon had Wild Coast settled midfield and once in the straight set out after Padre Pio who had pinched a lead and was showing no signs of stopping. Sachdev loomed dangerous for a few strides but didn’t go on with his effort as Wild Coast gradually ate into Padre Pio’s lead and nailed him on the line.

Trained by Justin Snaith, Wild Coast is owned by Anyaasec (Pty) Ltd and Miss Caroline Rupert and was bred at the Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud.

By Andrew Harrison

Featured Image: Bunker Hunt (Candiese Lenferna)

Vardy, stunning winner of the Gr1 Queen’s Plate, starts his Champions Season campaign in the Gr2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow. Adam Marcus has the Vodacom Durban July in his plans and the gelding he looks difficult to oppose in this season opener.

Vardy took on the best ‘milers’ in the country in the Queen’s Plate and gave them a galloping lesson, coming from off the pace and breezing past the opposition in seemingly effortless fashion.

On that performance the Gr1 Sun Met looked well within his compass but there is never a racing certainty in this sport as favourite Hawwaam, ran into the back of him, fatally compromising both horse’s chances.

Hawwaam starts his season in the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein today, and if their stars align the pair could meet again come Saturday, July 25.

Given the weight conditions of the Drill Hall, Vardy need only be at half-throttle to win and this should be the ideal blow-out for his next VDJ stepping stone, the Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

The only possible threat could come from top sprinter Kasimir. Justin Snaith’s charge is no stranger to the course having beaten the top filly Celtic Sea in the Gr1 Mercury Sprint last season. He comes into the race off a grinding victory in the Diadem Stakes at Kenilworth where he looked beaten a furlong out but kept fighting off all challengers. The majority of his form has been over 1200m but given his never-say-die attitude, Vardy’s rider, Craig Zackey, will need to be fully aware of what he is up against especially with master tactician Anton Marcus aboard.

Matador Man could battle in this line-up but loves this course while Sniper Shot tries blinkers for the first time. The balance should all prefer more ground.

Adam Marcus has had a stellar season to date, with two Gr1 wins to his credit. Vardy’s Queen’s Plate triumph was his second, Mississippi Burning his first in the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas.

She is also in action in the World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas tomorrow where there are a few in opposition who will be looking to turn the tables.

Mississippi Burning is not the most striking physical specimen but she made her Cape rivals look pretty ordinary as she won the Guineas easing up with three lengths of daylight back to the runner-up Driving Miss Daisy, also in tomorrow’s line-up and one of the leading contenders. A repeat performance will see her hard to peg back.

Kelpie was no match in the Cape but has since run two smart races in open features and comes from a very much in form stable.

Labyrinth is unbeaten since Vaughan Marshall tried her in blinkers and looks a far better proposition than when beaten by Kelpie three runs back.

The Gr2 World Sports Betting Guineas is an intriguing contest where the Cape raiders are again likely to hold sway. Golden Ducat, a half-brother to the pair of top gallopers Rainbow Bridge and Hawwaam, was easy to back in the Cape Derby where he revelled in the ten-furlong contest beating the well fancied Sachdev. The pair meet again tomorrow, but the latter could be more at home over this shorter trip and able to turn the tables.

Golden Ducat is a giant of a horse and one would reasonably expect him to battle around the relatively tight Greyville circuit but the past has shown that big horses are not necessary at a disadvantage so it would be foolish to write off the Derby winner’s chances.

Count Jack comes off three straight wins, Sachdev his most recent victim, so must also come into the reckoning while local hopes could rest with Padre Pio and Guru’s Pride.

The lock-down initiated by the Covid-19 pandemic saw horse racing on hold for the past two months but was given the green light to resume last Monday, June 1. Under strict quarantine guidelines, only persons essential to the running of the race meeting are allowed on course but all races can be watched live on channel 239 on DStv. All TAB and bookmaker rooms are closed and betting can only be conducted on line.

By Andrew Harrison

Summer Pudding became only the third filly to win the Triple Tiara after powering home in the Gr1 SA Oaks at a deserted Turffontein today. Gavin Lerena rode a confident race on Paul Peter’s charge, racing three wide early but able to tuck in before the final turn.

Summer Pudding looked to be making heavy weather of it with 400m to run, but she kept finding to wear down Pomander and win rather comfortably in the end.

Owned by Jessica and Stephan Jell, Summer Pudding is out of the mare Cherry On The Cake, who is a half-sister to the dam of the 2013 Triple Tiara winner Cherry On The Top.

The latter was trained by the legendary Ormond Ferraris, who is now a valuable member of the Paul Peter team as an advisor and Peter was profuse in his praise for the veteran trainer.

Mike de Kock has had more than his fair share of tribulations with Hawwaam but it was back to business as usual in the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes. De Kock attributed a disappointing Cape Summer to all of his horses being ‘flat’, including Hawwaam and Queen Supreme, and both turned in their best today. Callan Murray drove Hawwaam to a comfortable victory while Queen Supreme came from last to snatch second ahead of an always game Cirillo.

De Kock and owner Sheik Hamdan are keen to see Hawwaam take on international opposition – “he is good enough” confirmed De Kock – but just when the colt travels is up to export protocols.

If via Mauritius, Hawwaam will be in quarantine before the Vodacom Durban July but if the European Union gives the green light for direct export, the July will still be an option.

The SA Derby saw a major upset as rank outside Out Of Your League gave Fabian Habib the first Gr1 winner of his short career. It was a win of sheer courage as Out Of Your League, made most of the running. Swamped by challengers with a furlong to go, he rallied gamely under Raymond Danielson to run them all out of it. The finish was not without drama as Out Of Your League and Shango came together over the final furlong. Gavin Lerena chose to up-grade a race review to a full-blown objection but it was a desperate gamble that was never going to succeed.

Got The Greenlight ran a terrific race in third, all over the winner before the final 100m tapped the last of his stamina.

By Andrew Harrison

Paul Peter’s Silvano filly Summer Pudding will attempt tomorrow at Turffontein to become only the third horse to land the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara and she has a strong connection to the last filly to complete this arduous feat.

Summer Pudding is out of Cherry On The Cake, who is a half-sister to the dam of the 2013 Triple Tiara winner Cherry On The Top.

The latter was trained by the legendary Ormond Ferraris, who is now a valuable member of the Paul Peter team as an advisor.

Ferraris has been at track everyday in the build up to this race so the filly has a fine chance of arriving tomorrow in peak condition.

Ferraris was in fact the original trainer of Summer Pudding but upon his retirement last year she was sent by her owners and breeders, Mary Slack and Jessica Jell of Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Stud, to Paul Peter’s yard.

Peter has idolised Ferraris since the days he sneaked on to his local Turffontein racecourse as a racing-mad schoolboy, but despite the reassurance of having such a wealth of experience and expertise beside him he was a bundle of nerves this afternoon.

“I have no more finger nails left,” he chortled.

He added, “There is always that worry when they come back from rests whether you have done enough or whether you have done too much. But she is very well.”

She had just returned from a mid-afternoon walk and Peter reported her to be “fresh and alert.”

She will be without her regular pilot, the national champion jockey elect Warren Kennedy, and she is drawn out wide too.

However, Peter is not overly concerned.

He said, “Gavin Lerena is aboard and is a champion at overcoming draws.”

Lerena, a former national champion jockey and a fine horseman, has been riding her work in the build up.

Sumer Pudding has a perfect racing temperament, being a relaxed type with a good turn of foot and plenty of courage.

Peter said at the beginning of her Triple Tiara bid that the first leg, the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Guineas, would be her hardest leg as it was on the sharp side for her.

The further she goes the better so she is expected to add tomorrow’s Oaks to her cosy win in the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Classic over 1800m.

Her main dangers will be the classy Victoria Paige, who had to be scratched from the SA Fillies Classic when expected to go close, and Marygold, who ran on strongly for second in the SA Fillies Classic. Victoria Paige has a stamina doubt whilst Marygold is by the stamina influence Flower Alley. 

The strange part of tomorrow’s race will be no crowds, but there are sure to be many screaming Summer Pudding home in their living rooms.

Peter is also quietly confident with his SA Derby runner Western Fort, whom he said had improved a lot with the application of blinkers as they had helped him focus.

He also labelled his classy filly Vistula a “massive runner” in the sixth race.

By David Thiselton

Mike de Kock said Hawwaam was back to his “aggressive” self ahead of his bid to add a fourth Grade 1 to his CV in the Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein today, where he faces some tough opposition, including his stablemate and defending champion Soqrat.

De Kock has a third runner in the race too, the crack filly Queen Supreme.

All three of these horses disappointed to various degrees in their last starts down in Cape Town and De Kock said, “All of our horses ran flat races in their second or third starts this season in Cape Town.”

In Hawwaam and Soqrat’s cases they had to endure the calamitous 25-minute delay to the start of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate. 

Hawwaam’s over-racing antics that day blunted the turn of foot he is famous for while Soqrat “fell apart” completely.

De Kock immediately sent Soqrat to the farm for a holiday and he is now a happy horse again and “doing very well.”

Hawwaam subsequently ran in the Sun Met and although still not quite the horse who had thrilled crowds in Johannesburg and Durban with his effortless change of gears, he still managed third place in a high class field.

Hawwaam has a perfect draw of five today and his fans will hope to see him settling in behind horses before slicing through the field like a hot knife through butter.

The four-year-old Silvano colt will be exported this year, but the connections do not know when, as any change to the export protocols is still forthcoming. 

If they are forced to go the Mauritius route, Hawwaam will depart for the Cape Town quarantine station in June and thus miss the Vodacom Durban July. 

However, if the EU inspection on African Horse Sickness containment does take place soon, and brings with it good news, then he might still take his place in the July. 

Hawwaam is in fact a rig, a common condition in which one or more of the testicles fails to descend from the abdomen. The late great stallion A. P. Indy was a rig so there is still every chance Hawwaam can go on to convert his racing and pedigree class into stud success. 

De Kock said Soqrat was a versatile type who could go handy or come from off the pace, so the draw of ten should not affect him too badly.

This horse is the ultimate professional, as he proved in this race last year when digging down deep to fend off Cirillo. His trusted partner for the whole of last season, Randall Simons, is aboard for the first time this season.

Queen Supreme had the plaudits rapturous when winning the Grade 1 Paddock Stakes over 1800m, but she subsequently ran a flat race in the Grade 1 Bidvest Majorca Stakes over 1600m. 

De Kock said, “She is doing very well but it is a tough race.”

De Kock runs Pomander in the SA Oaks and said, “She is fit and well and stays well, she could place.”

Tomorrow, he runs Frosted Gold in the Grade 2 WSB Guineas. This handy-running grey should be ideally suited to Greyville and has a form chance of winning.

By David Thiselton