Ramsden and Fayd’Herbe were all smiles afterwards, in stark contrast to the Gr 1 Avontuur Estate Fillies Guineas two weeks earlier in which their fancied charge Cold As Ice broke through the starting stalls and bolted. The ups and downs of racing were displayed in no uncertain terms as Ramsden had no fewer than five winners yesterday. Act Of War’s owners Markus and Ingrid Jooste were not on course, but enjoyed a halcyon meeting as their colours were in the winner’s enclosure on six occassions.

Fayd’Herbe said afterwards about the strapping Dynasty colt Act Of War, “He is one of the best horses I’ve ever sat on and everybody must get on the bandwagon and enjoy this horse now because he is something special.”

Ramsden’s emotions were more of relief as he said Act Of War’s preparation had gone well until a poor gallop last weekend. He had therefore endured a highly stressful week. However, he has proved himself a fine trainer of high class horses many times before and he had his charge in fine condition by the time of the race.

However, despite the comfort of the win in the end, he said afterwards that he had felt the horse had not been at his best on the day.

Trainer Paul Lafferty might have also felt the same as Second favourite Harry’s Son, a usually very laid back sort, did not settle nearly as well as he usually does in the running. Furthermore, he had flown into Cape Town from Durban on the morning of the race. He therefore put up a highly courageous performance, answering Piere Strydom’s call to go for home early from a handy position, stealing a march and staying all the way to the line.

Act Of War had in the meantime not broken well from a good draw of two, but Fayd’Herbe was happy to end up off the fence in midfield as he had always planned to have him in a “comfortable” position away from the bustle.

Fayd’Herbe had the perfect horse to follow into the straight in Act Of War’s classy stablemate Kingvoldt. Fayd’Herbe kept his eye on Harry’s Son out in front but never panicked and when he asked the question the answer was instantaneous. He said later that he had only had to give him a “little squeeze” to exact that response. The writing was on the wall from that moment onwards for the gallant Harry’s Son and his passionate owners, who had also flown down for the race. Act Of War simply cruised past to win by 1,75 lengths. Kingvoldt threatened to follow him through but Harry’s Son fought all the way to the line to beat him by a head.

The Sean Tarry-trained third favourite Zambezi River was not well away but tried very hard in the straight. However, he made little inroads and it was his unheralded stablemate, the 75/1 shot Imperial Gold, who finished in eyecatching style to beat him into the final quartet position, albeit 3,5 lengths behind Kingvoldt.

Ramsden was not drawn to answer where Act Of War will go next and the connections will likely only make a call after they have monitored how well he comes out of yesterday’s race. Markus and Ingrid Jooste own Act Of War and he was bred by Arc-En-Ciel Stud. The Jooste’s were represented by their racing manager Derek Brugman, who like Ramsden was also relieved that the race was over.

Earlier, Surruptitious was an unfortunate scratching in the Gr 3 Grandwest Cape Summer Stayers over 2500m as he looked sure to set a good gallop, and instead the pace was farcical in the early stages. The only filly in the race, Dynasty’s Pride, was then sent clear. The rest were content to bide their time and she turned for home at least ten lengths clear. Current Event was the first to come out of the pack and Gothic and the hot favourite Wavin’ Flag were making runs from well back.

However, the Ramsden-trained Argentininan-bred Giant’s Causeway gelding Coltrane, who had turned for home last, stormed through under Anthony Delpech to cause a 25/1 upset from Gothic, Current Event and Dynastic Power with 15/10 shot Wavin’ Flag in fifth. Coltrane was a useful stayer last season but was virtually pulled up in his last start over the too far 3200m, which probably explained the lack of market support.

The Dennis Drier-trained Jet Master mare Jet Aglow was well weighted in the Listed Cape Premier Jet Master Stakes over 1600m and duly landed 2/1 odds under Sean Cormack. She came from a handy position and stayed on resolutely, although Jet Explorer was closing quickly and put in an eyecatching preparation for the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate by finishing just 0,5 lengths back in second. They were followed closely by the rank outsider Friendly Tibbs. Readytogorightnow and It Is Written were next best.

Pictures: Liesl King

Act Of War is regarded as being the best three-year-old male in the land and will relish the 1600m of the new course and he is well drawn in two.

He had a pacemaker when winning the Selangor and it is not clear that he has one this time, unless Brutal Force is sacrificed for the role.

On paper, Act Of War holds all of Kingvoldt, MLJet, Balance Sheet and Sheer Trouble.

MLJet was switched out at the top of the straight in the Selangor and could otherwise have got closer, while Balance Sheet didn’t get a clear run, so there looks to be very little between those two and the Selangor runner-up Kingvoldt.

All three settled well in the Selangor and will appreciate a good pace again.

However, Dean Kannemeyer’s fantastic record in the Guineas can’t be ignored and his charge Balance Sheet offers the best place value of the trio, although he doesn’t have the easiest of draws.

The classy Harry’s Son has proven his liking for a long straight and has a fair draw, but not only has he travelled twice from Summerveld to Johannesburg in November but will now be flying in on the morning of the race and he has also never raced around a left hand turn before. If he is at his best Act Of War might have to fetch him because he does turn it on quickly and then stays on resolutely. He also has the advantage of Piere Strydom aboard.

The unbeaten Zambezi River is strong in build and apparently in mind too and after doing his best work late to win the Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m, he looks likely to relish the step up in trip and the longer straight. He has a tricky draw of ten but is not always quickly away so S’Manga Khumalo should have options to place him.

Light The Lights was just over two lengths behind a Gr 1 winner in the Green Point, which was won in course record time. He would appreciate further, but as an ever improving colt he could be a threat from a plum draw.

Charles Lytton could earn as he over-raced last time when runner-up over this trip in a handicap off an 89 merit rating and he has also been especially prepared for this race, while Brutal Force put up a fine workout last weekend and looks likely to appreciate the step up in trip and the long straight.

Zambezi River is tipped to beat Act Of War, Light The Lights, Balance Sheet and Harry’s Son.

In the Gr 3 Cape Summer Stayers over 2500m, Surruptitious could set a good pace, which will produce a true result. Dynastic Power is classy and looks to have enjoyed a good preparation so is tipped to beat Wavin’ Flag, Gothic, River Crossing and Surruptitious.

The classy Jet Aglow looks the one to beat in the Listed Jet Master Stakes over 1800m as the conditions favour females and she jumps from pole over a suitable trip.

However, she will come on from the run and Jet Explorer, who will love this course and distance, is tipped to beat her from a good draw.

Readytogorightnow, Omaticaya and Night Trip could be next best.

In the second race, the first leg of the Bipot, Legal Force is a long striding sort who ran on well from behind last time for second over course and distance and the form has worked out well to date.

In the third Ultimate Dollar is an impressive looking individual and after staying on strongly over 1200m last time is tipped to beat Panga Panga who has a trickier draw.

The third is a difficult one as most of the horses are likely using it as a preparation, but Brett Crawford always has them fit coming back from rests so Maybe Yes is tipped to beat the classy Jet Belle with Eventual Angel next best from Lanner Falcon and Miss Saigon.

The fifth is a tough race, but the top weight Saint Sophia looks to have improved in the typical fashion of a Mike Bass-trained horse and could follow up on her eyecatching recent victory, although every one of the other runners have winning chances.

Royal Folly should enjoy the long straight and could win the ninth from Oreo Shake and Evening Storm.

Sunday Seventh by Seventh Rock is a half-brother to Jay Peg and should be cherry-ripe in the tenth over 1600m where she is well drawn in three, so she could be hard to beat unless she has bad luck in running in a big field.

Some that fall into that category at Greyville tonight are Red Rover, Black Jaguar and Petite Master, all three due to line up in the Quest Shipping Handicap over 1600m.

Red Rover has always given the impression that he was more capable than his record suggested but given a four-month break and a switch to poly seems to have brought the best out of him. Alistair Gordon’s runner found some inspired market support last time out and his supporters landed a nice touch as Red Rover made all the running to win as he liked.

The win did not go unpunished as the handicappers ratcheted him up seven points but even that may not be enough to stop him notching another victory.

Both Petite Master and Black Jaguar have done well on the poly and one can expect another couple of decent efforts from them but the two more fancied to trouble Red Rover are Mickey Gossiper and Cage Fighter. The former shed his maiden first up on the poly and followed up with a decent effort in his first outing in handicap company and is likely to prefer this longer trip.

The lightly raced Cage Fighter enjoyed the sting out of the ground when having his first start in eight months at Scottsville last month and the poly track could bring out the best in him.

In the opening leg of the Pick 6 Kom Naidoo’s runner Escovitch has shown up well enough in three outings to suggest a big chance in what looks to be fairly modest company. His best form has been on the poly and the step up in trip should be to his liking.

Golden Mirabilis and Scrum Half could fight out the fifth, a tricky handicap, although Michael Roberts has hit form with a vengeance in recent weeks and where ever Scrum Half finishes, Stampede should be in clos attendance.

Buffalo Bill can have a change of fortune in the fifth when he is dropped back to a sprint. He has made the pace at his last two only to be run out of it late and with a stronger rider aboard  he could just hang on this time.

City Of Athens is another to have shown improved form on the poly when staying on nicely behind Nisa’s Love over the course and distance earlier this month. She had patchy form before that and the more forgiving surface could see her home ahead of Dirtydealin Mama and Time Marches On.

Lady Of Kildare could round off a memorable evening for Sean Tarry with Lady Of Kildare in the mix for the last. The daughter of Captain Al had some fair form on the Vaal sand where she was running off a rating of 81. Her first start on the poly, where horses run off their turf ratings, Lady of Kildare started off a 60. After her five-length romp that was upped eight points but she could still prove better than rated.

Since re-locating to KZN Weiho Marwing’s runners have yet to miss the boards and Bluebell Glade could prove a major threat. She took on stronger on the Vaal turf last run and although she has the widest draw to contend with she could prove the surprise package.

Joey Ramsden’s star has won his last five including fine weight-defying performances in the Cape Classic and the Selangor with his trainer describing him as “a very special horse.”

Piere Strydom, who has given up the ride to stay loyal to Harry’s Son, admits that he could be on the wrong one and Christmas certainly came early for punters when Betting World offered evens earlier in the week. The bargain was snapped up within hours and yesterday 65-100 was the best available.

Harry’s Son has drifted out to 6-1 but Paul Lafferty’s belief in the horse he plans to take overseas is unshaken: “Things have gone very well and we’ve got to be hopeful. Last Friday I took him to Scottsville to gallop him left-handed and he loved it.

“Please don’t use the Dingaans as a yardstick because the rain came down and it was like a bog. But he still tried all the way to the line. This is a very good horse.”

The handicappers rate him half a length better than Act Of War. But if the favourite is to be beaten – and only two outright favourites have won in the last ten years – Zambezi River could be the most likely candidate.

He is the one unbeaten horse in the field and Sean Tarry purposely left him in Cape Town – in Eric Sands’ yard and under the care of the legendary Felix Coetzee – after his Lanzerac Ready To Run win four weeks ago.

“We don’t know just how good he is,” Tarry admits. “But in each of his three wins he has only really got going at the end and each time there has been more in the tank.”

At 8-1 S’Manga Khumalo’s mount could be worth a few rand each way, particularly with Tarry taking precautions to ensure there will be no Cape crawl. Several of the local hopes want a poor gallop to give them a chance and Justin Snaith, asked if any of his four would lead, was adamant – “Definitely not.”

However Tarry says: “Imperial Gold may do just that to keep them all honest. He needed the run quite badly (when sixth in the Lanzerac). He got caught wide but ran on nicely and he should improve on that.”

Interestingly the one horse who has been backed, other than Act Of War, is his own stable companion Brutal Force who was second to Zambezi River in the Lanzerac. He worked well with the favourite at Kenilworth last Saturday and runs without blinkers. His price has shortened from 16-1 to 12-1.

Kingvoldt, second to the favourite in the Selangor, has also pleased Ramsden but 14-1 is a fair assessment of his chance given the haemo-concentrating shadow that hangs over him.

Vaughan Marshall, who is bidding for his fourth Cape Guineas, has maintained all along that Mljet (also 14-1) will come into his own over this longer run-in and MJ Byleveld takes the same view, saying: “He will appreciate it and he will be much better on Saturday.”

Dean Kannemeyer, who has won half the last ten runnings, does not expect to add to his remarkable record with 25-1 shot Balance Sheet despite the colt wearing blinkers for the first time to ensure he doesn’t dally at the start.

“He is going to be best at 2 000m and I am preparing him for the Derby,” says the Milnerton trainer. “But the longer run-in will suit him and he will be running on at the end.”

It will also suit Light The Lights even though the 16-1 shot is another for whom the Derby distance could prove his forte. “He got bumped early in the Green Point last time and that unsettled him,” says Greg Cheyne who is somewhat understandably looking forward to the ride.

Upsets do happen but not often in this race – Elusive Gold at 28-1 a year ago was the only winner to start at a bigger price than 5-1 in the last 12 years – and pretty well everything points to Act Of War.

The Joey Ramsden-trained Western Winter colt Brutal Force is officially the most expensive horse ever bought at public auction in South Africa and after putting up a tremendous gallop at Kenilworth on Saturday in preparation for this weekend’s Gr1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas he is shaping up to be worth his price tag.

Brutal Force was bred by Lammerskraal’s long standing stud manager Sally Jourdan and it will be particularly special if he can win Saturday’s big race as she is tying the knot on the same day with her fiancé, the well known trainer Neil Bruss.

Markus and Ingrid Jooste own Brutal Force and their racing manager Derek Brugman watched the big horse’s gallop on Saturday, in which he and his more fancied Guineas stablemates Act Of War and Kingvoldt were led by a strong pacemaker.

The Joostes also own Act Of War, who is the hot favourite for Saturday’s big race and does not need to prove a lot as his dominant record on the racecourse speaks for itself.

Consequently, it was Brutal Force’s gallop that was the most eyecatching in Brugman’s opinion.

He said that it appeared that the big chestnut had improved significantly from his last run, in which he finished a commendable 0,75 length second to the unbeaten Zambezi River in the R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m on the Kenilworth Old Course.

Brugman added that it was always difficult to tell how meritorious a gallop had been, because it would not be exactly clear how much weight each horse was carrying. However, in this case Brutal Force had Andrew Fortune aboard, so it could be assumed that he was carrying more weight than the other pair, who were ridden by Bernard Fayd’Herbe and Anthony Andrews respectively.

Jourdan said Brutal Force had always had a special aura about him.

She said, “He was a beautiful foal with the most incredible temperament as he was never a naughty foal who rushed around, but instead was like a serious old man. He was big and hairy and very muscled and visitors to the farm were always in awe of him.”

Jourdan had felt before sending him to the Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 1 of 2013, where he was the first horse to go through the ring, that he would be a R3 million colt, so was a touch disappointed with the R1,5 million that he fetched.

She said, “When I asked certain buyers why they had not bid for him, they replied that in the opinion of the sales experts he was too big and heavy and would never make a racehorse.”

The Joostes then entered Brutal Force in the 2013 Ready To Run Sale at Durbanville with the obvious aim of qualifying him for the R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes of 2014.

Jourdan recalled, “By that stage he was looking more like a racehorse.”

Furthermore his full-brother, Red Ray, had become a sensation on the race track, having won four out of his five starts, including an impressive 2,5 length thrashing of none other than the subsequent Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate in the Gr 3 cape Classic over 1400m.

Red Ray was also the hot-pot favourite for the following day’s Ready To Run Stakes.

It was expected that Jooste would have to bid high to keep Brutal Force, but nobody had envisaged that he would need to go to R4,5 million. One of the country’s biggest buyers, Adriaan van Vuuren, had taken a shine to the horse and the bidding war that ensued was accompanied by a murmuring from fascinated onlookers that kept on increasing in volume.

Brutal Force is the latest racing progeny of the amazing mare Nacarat, who was by the brilliant J&B Met winner Pas De Quoi.

He has turned out to be a completely different sort to Red Ray, who is bay in colour and full of speed.

His full sister Nania was similar in distance range to Red Ray in that she won a Gr 1 as two-year-old over 1600m, but was also very effective over 1400m.

Another full-brother, Target Acquired, was also packed with speed and four of his five victories were over 1200m.

Despite all this speed in the family, Nacarat has also produced the useful middle distance to staying type Adobe Pink (Go Deputy), who won a Listed race over 2400m.

Brutal Force himself looks likely to relish the step up to 1600m on Saturday and should also appreciate the longer straight. He has quite a difficult draw of eleven, but his jockey Sean Cormack has become renowned for his ability to place horses well in the running and is full of confidence at present having ridden a feature race double last weekend. It would be no surprise to see Brutal Force running on strongly all the way to the line.

Meanwhile, Nacarat’s influence looks set to continue for some time.

She and her daughter Adobe Pink are both in foal to Western Winter’s probable most exciting son at stud, the brilliant sprinter What A Winter.

Furthermore, a full-brother to Brutal Force will be on next year’s Bloodstock South Africa National yearling Sale.

Another chapter in the career of the remarkable mare Nacarat could be written on Saturday afternoon at Kenilworth, although Brutal Force is really up against it as he lines up against an exceptionally talented field.