In the last race on Sunday on the Greyville turf, Marcus’ mount Admiral’s Eye, according to the stipendiary steward report, “jumped a patch” at about the 1200m mark “and faltered badly.” The consequent sudden pull on the rein must have caused the injury.

Admiral’s Eye, who started favourite, was fortunate not to have fallen and soon faded in the straight. Marcus eventually stopped persevering with her. He called for the on course doctor immediately after the race and his left thumb, which couldn’t even be touched due to the pain, clinically resembled a fracture.

However, Marcus reported after x-rays yesterday that it was in fact a “snapped tendon”.

Marcus suffered a virtually identical rupture to the tendon of his right thumb in May last year. He didn’t go for surgery immediately on that occasion as he had some plum rides in the ensuing days, including Variety Club, whom he steered to victory in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

He didn’t race ride for a period of about eleven weeks after the operation that was performed in the week after Variety Club’s victory. However, he did attempt to make a comeback in time for the Vodacom Durban July and the delaying of the operation as well as the work riding he did before the July likely set the recovery process back.

Kevin Shea was out recently due to a “bulged vertebra.” He is now out with the same problem on a different vertebra that is lower down. Fortunately, there has been no damage to the nerves on either occasion.

He has had cortisone treatment to ease the pain and has started the rehabilitation process, which involves strengthening the core area of the body as well as the ligaments near the vertebra. Shea said the cause of the injuries was simply due to wear and tear after 37 years in the saddle.

He concluded, “It has been very frustrating as I will be missing races like the Summer Cup, but it is unfair on trainers to take rides when you are physically unable to perform to your best.”

He also has a dominant record in the Gr 2 Selangor Cup, which is considered the chief pointer to the Cape Guineas. He last won the Selangor in 2009, when saddling the one-two, Past Master and subsequent Cape Guineas winner Noodrdhoek Flyer. However, up to that point he had won six of the first eight runnings of the race.

Afrikaburn, an athletic colt by Trippi, already has a Gr 1 under his belt having won the Gr 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m at Greyville as a two-year-old. He caught the eye on his reappearance when appearing to be labouring halfway down the straight but then suddenly taking off to finish a two length second to the older horse Reim in the Gr 3 Kuda Matchem Stakes over 1400m.

Kannemeyer confirmed that Afrikaburn had needed that run and added that he might consider quarter cup blinkers next time out too. He has drawn 9 out of 17 entries in the Selangor, which is to be run on the Kenilworth Old Course over 1600m on November 22. He will be a leading contender in both that race and the Cape Guineas, although Kannemeyer pointed out that the Western Cape had “the most competitive racing in the country”, so it is very tough to win these big events.

Balance Sheet is a Silvano colt whom Kannemeyer thinks highly of. He is an improving sort and to date has won two out of his three starts. Both his wins have been over the 1600m distance of the Selangor and the Guineas.  Balance Sheet drew barrier 11 in the Selangor. The two colts worked together on Saturday and should be rearing to go by Saturday week.

Picture (Afrikaburn) by Nkosi Hlophe

Easy Lover had proved his class in his previous outing when beating some useful older horses in a handicap over 1200m despite being an early three-year-old running off a merit rating of 92.

This was the first time he had raced over further than 1450m, but after sitting at the back he looked as if he had been dropped into the race at the 200m mark and won effortlessly by 2,5 lengths from the Mike de Kock-trained favourite Trip To Rio and the Mike Miller-trained Melson.

The second favourite Split To Breeze was next best, but finished 7,75 lengths behind the winner, while the promising Rif Raf was beaten eight lengths into fifth which underlined the class of Easy Lover’s performance.

However, Howells does not believe Easy Lover is quite Gr 1 class and will instead be aiming him at a Cape Thoroughbred Sales R2,5 million sales race at Turffontein in February.

Easy Lover drifted from 22/10 to 9/2 and this was a welcome win for KZN’s champion trainer as his yard has been through a rare quiet spell.

In the previous race, a MR 74 Handicap over 1200m on the polytrack, the Dennis Drier-trained four-year-old Horse Chestnut gelding Ho’oponopono (pictured) looked one of the best bets on the card as he was running off a likely capped merit rating of 70 having won his maiden over 1000m by over three lengths. He duly won by 4,5 lengths under Sean Cormack and will probably still be ahead of the handicapper next time out.

Cormack completed a double when the ever improving Paul Gadsby-trained Lundy’s Liability gelding Candy Moon narrowly won the last, a Conditions Plate over 1600m, which was one of only two races run on the turf.

Anton Marcus added another winner to his treble on Friday night by scoring in the second race on the heavily backed Garth Puller-trained odds-on favourite Snow Rose.

Anthony Delpech rode a winner on Friday night, one at Turffontein on Saturday and followed suit by having one winner yesterday on the Sean Tarry-trained Strategic’s Pride who won a maiden over 1600m.

Mark Dixon has only had the four-year-old Trippi filly San Trip for two runs and she has now won both of them, having got up in a fillies and mares MR 84 handicap over 1900m yesterday under Keagan de Melo. This big, rangy sort could have more wins in her.

The most exciting finish yesterday was the fifth over 1000m and saw 2,5kg claimer Callan Murray only just prevailing on the Colin Scott-trained Stormy Cat.

However, the ride of the day could well have come in the first from the much underestimated jockey Derryl Daniels, who won on the 150-1 shot Mullins Bay first-timer filly from the Lola Crawford yard Dream Bay. The poly is being called a “jockey’s track”, as pace judgement and timing are of the essence and Daniels poly statistics in October and November tell a story, 26 rides, eight wins and a strike rate of 30,77%. Furthermore the return for a R1 bet on every one of his mounts in this period has been R114,30.

Pictures: Nkosi Hlophe

Drier’s big classic hopeful Generalissimo (pictured) was hugely impressive again on Saturday when leading from pillar to post against a classy Graduation Plate field over 1200m under stable jockey Sean Cormack and in the process he lowered the course Kenilworth record from 69,54 seconds to 69,51 seconds.

Drier is hopeful the Var colt will see out 1600m despite his speed and said, “There was a tailwind on Saturday and he showed that he might just have needed it. My gut feel is that he will get the mile as he is just so relaxed.”

Indeed he did appear to tire late in the race, but had carved out a big lead in effortless fashion before that and won comfortably by 1,25 lengths.

He has drawn very well in the weight for age Gr 2 Selangor Cup over 1600m on the Kenilworth Old Course on November 22 and how he fares there will likely decide whether he has a tilt at the big one, the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas.

Drier’s string are now “totally over” the bad patch and are in rude health at his Phillippi base. He said, “It is a blessing we left early, because they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to have run in their planned races. They’re all now eating well and working nicely.”

In fact a case of African Horse Sickness at Summerveld a week or two after the string left would have prevented them from travelling at all had they had left it much longer.

An exciting youngster from the yard, Mint Master, makes his Cape Town debut on Wednesday in a MR 76 Handicap over 1000m. This Jet Master colt won his debut on the Greyville polytrack over 1000m by 4,25 lengths and Drier said, “He is very well. It’s the first time out the maidens, but we are hoping he runs a cracker. He has lots of natural ability and is very speedy.”

The yard’s stalwart five-year-old Jet Master mare Jet Aglow (pictured)  is also “very, very well.” She deserves a Gr 1 win and will take the same path that her celebrated stablemate Beach Beauty took last year, the Gr 2 weight for age (wfa) Green Point Stakes over 1600m on November 22 against the boys (where she has drawn superbly in three), followed by the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over 1800m and the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m.

However, Cormack might have a tough choice in the latter two events as they are also the target of another top class Jet Master from the yard, the four-year-old Eventual Angel. This filly has won four out of five, including a Gr 3, and makes her Cape debut on November 19 in a fillies and mares conditions plate over 1600m.

She has never gone beyond 1400m and Drier said about her chances of seeing out the 1800m of the Paddock Stakes, “We will see but she is a very relaxed, easy filly.”

His two big sprinters Guinness and Captain Of All are both back on track and being targeted at the Betting World Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship on January 24.

Drier is also going to stick to the straight for the time being with his talented Horse Chestnut filly Balkan (pictured). She runs in a Conditions Plate over 1000m on 16 November and will then be aimed at the Gr 2 Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m on December 6.

He said, “The problem after the travel lingered with her a bit, but she is now hundreds and is firing. Her work has been exceptional, phenomenal, it has just been unbelievable.”

The 1200m polytrack form of his three-year-old Western Winter gelding Knox has worked out exceptionally well and this horse qualifies for the R1 million Cape Thoroughbred Sales Book 1 Graduates race over 1200m on January 24. Drier said that this horse “shouldn’t only sprint”, so he could have a bright future.

The yard’s above average A P Answer gelding Beckedorf is “very well” and will likely be aimed at the Listed Southeaster Sprint on December 6 followed by the three-year-old feature, the Need For Speed Sprint.

Drier doesn’t know yet how good his four-year-old Jet Master filly Gathering Fame is as she has won her two starts over 1600m and 1900m on the poly very comfortably since being stepped up from sprints. However, she was one of the worst affected after the travel and might take the Cape season slowly in order that she is in top shape for the Champions Season.

Pictures: Liesl King

Dean Kannemeyer, disclosing the full extent of the setback, said at the weekend: “I had to scratch him from the Champions Cup because he rapped himself in work, bruising his near-fore tendon, and I then confined him to walking for three months.

“I could have walked him for just six weeks but he is a valuable horse and I decided to give him time. Touch wood, he has been fine since. I would have started him in the Green Point but I want him to come on so that I have him right for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.”

Kannemeyer, who won the 2003 Cape Merchants with 25-1 shot Honour The Guest, will also run Hot Ticket on Sunday even though the trip is way too short for last season’s Betting World Stakes and Nokia Gold Vase winner. Again a setback is the reason. The Milnerton trainer explained: “He had an infection in the guttural pouch so I had to ease up on him and I want to give him a blow over 1 200m.”

Kannemeyer, looking for his sixth Cape Guineas in 11 seasons, galloped his main hope Afrikaburn at Kenilworth on Saturday.

He said: “It was pacework over seven furlongs and he went nicely. I haven’t made up my mind yet whether he runs in the Green Point or in the Selangor Cup on the same day. I’ve won the Green Point with three-year-olds before (Roman Charger, Dynasty and Royal Opinion) and I also have Balance Sheet in both races. He did nice pacework on the course on Saturday.”

Picture: Liesl King