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

Kathy Finch and Bridget Kieswetter’s Western Winter filly proved too strong for the pace-setting Double Whammy in Saturday’s Choice Carriers Championship with Fayd’Herbe sending his mount to the front just over a furlong out to score by a most convincing length and a quarter.

Joey Ramsden said: “This is a very good filly and I thought she would win like that. It might sound big-headed but really I wasn’t worried about anything. It’s like having Variety Club and my other good horses – they give you confidence.

“The Fillies Guineas is going to have a seriously good field and I would be a bit worried about the mile. But Bernard isn’t.”

Fayd’Herbe added: “Majmu will be a hard horse to beat, and Cold As Ice is not going to get the mile as well as her, but it’s Cape racing so you never know.

“Anyway it’s going to take a good horse to beat mine. When you press the button it’s like sitting in a Porsche and today I never had any doubts. Indeed I haven’t had any since the first time I rode her.”

However the steady pace – the time was slower than the first of the 1 400m handicaps and only slightly faster than the second one – provides a cautionary caveat and suggests Mike de Kock might have to bring a pacemaker if he wants to copper-bottom Majmu’s chance on 6 December.

It certainly gave Glen Kotzen grounds for optimism. “Double Whammy switched off in front just too well this time,” he said, “and next time we want to see her when she doesn’t have to make the running.”

Vaughan Marshall, too, wants a true gallop for third-placed Jet Set Go and said: “I was very happy with her run here but the extra 200m of the Fillies Guineas is what she is looking for.”

Generalissimo got Dennis Drier’s Cape season off the mark in sensational style by smashing the Kenilworth 1 200m course record, leading throughout the Spring Valley Graduation Plate to clock 69.51 sec. According to the National Racing Bureau, the old record of 69.9sec had stood since L’Passionata 13 years ago.

Sean Cormack’s mount has plenty of speed in the pedigree – by Var out of a mare whose six wins were all over 1 000m – but Drier intends stepping him up to a mile in the Selangor next time.

He said: “They have always told me that a horse who can lead all the way over 1 200m at Kenilworth will get a mile. He is still a bit immature but the way I rate him I would have been disappointed if he hadn’t won like he did.”

Ramsden followed up his Choice Carriers success by completing a quick-fire treble with Miss Saigon (Andrew Fortune) and Swannee Rose (Anthony Andrews) but the former champion only got the mount after seeing he was to be replaced by Karl Neisus.

He promptly sent an aggrieved text to Ramsden and said: “I couldn’t believe they wanted to jock me off for Karl. I thought ‘this man is putting on somebody worse!’” Cape Town’s master of timing, possessed of a considerably more modest make-up, simply shook his head and gave a knowing smile.

Pictures: Liesl King

Joey Ramsden holds a strong hand with Cold As Ice, currently at the top of the boards, and ample back-up in Grey Light, both in with big chances. Sean Cormack deputised for heavy-weight Bernhard Fayd-Herbe in a Graduation Plate victory last time out but today’s field is a lot tougher.

Glen Kotzen has been waxing lyrical about his recent Diana Stakes winner Double Whammy who made all to beat the older and more than useful Lanner Falcon in that race. She had the better of Cold As Ice when shedding her maiden but while the latter was making her debut Double Whammy was having her second outing. There should not be very much between the two.

But they may all have to take a back seat to the hitherto unbeaten Jet Set Go. Vaughan Marshall’s runner quickens nicely, goes the trip and has a plum draw. She meets a strong field but can stake her Guineas claim.

The Highveld is girding up for the Sansui Summer Cup at month’s end and although there is no feature at Turffontein today punters are faced with some seriously competitive racing.

The Greyville turf track is slowly being brought back into action after a lengthy spring treatment and the last two races tomorrow afternoon will be on new turf including the KZN Guineas Trial where some promising sophomores line up in this Listed event over a “mile”. Likely ante-post favourite is the Charles Laird-trained Split the Breeze that has his first test around a turn and over 1600m after showing some smart form over sprints.

Split The Breeze started his career with Luiz Cunha, giving the fledgling stable their first winner, but a dispute over ownership resulted in a change of colours and trainer with Alesh Naidoo paying a handsome sum to acquire the colt on auction.

Naidoo was not bidding blind however, as Laird’s stable jockey Anton Marcus had partnered the colt in his last two outings for Cunha and no doubt would have had some input into the decision to buy the horse.

Split The Breeze waltzed home when blinkered for the first time in a feature, one of the last races ever run down the Clairwood straight, making all the running to win by over four lengths. That victory, some four months back, garnered him a rating of 97, the highest in tomorrow’s field and the fact that he has the added advantage of  Marcus aboard one would not bet heavily against him.

KZN Champion trainer Duncan Howells has had a relatively quiet start to the current season but has not had a happy time of it on the poly. However, his runners are always thereabouts and he is one trainer who will be relieved that the turf is back in use. He saddles the promising Easy Lover from an inside barrier. In Easy Lover’s favour is that he has gone close over 1450m before and came with a rattle to land the spoils at his last start when catching the hard-knocker Flyfirstclass on the line. I doubt that he has stamina limitations and he looks a live threat to Split The Breeze.

Since his return from the UK, Mike de Kock has upped his stable’s ante and his runners are winning all over in what appears to have been a well-planned strategy. He saddles two runners tomorrow with Trip To Rio looking the stable elect judged on the riding engagements. The colt won comfortably enough in handicap company under Delpech over the stand side Turffontein 1600m last time out and although he meets a better class runner tomorrow he is a must inclusion in all exotics.

Stable companion Casciano has yet to finish out of the first two in four stabs that include three outings on the poly. Although he beat a modest handicap field last time out, he also beat the well regarded Riff Raf when shedding his maiden and the latter franked that form in no uncertain manner.

The dark horse is the Garth Puller-trained Fortissimo. Friendless in the market on debut, he came with a telling late run to slam the promising Alghadeer on the poly. It was a smart debut and any market support must be respected.

However, given the combination of Laird and Marcus, Split The Breeze looks the right one but expect Easy Lover and Trip To Rio to be chasing hard.

A Pinnacle Plate rounds off the eight-race meeting where another Laird inmate Admiral’s Eye, also in the colours of Alesh Naidoo, could have the wood on her male rivals. She is rated 4kg superior to the best of the opposition and is in very good form. She made all the running to win her last start and although the margin was less than a length it was a rather cosy victory. That was her first run on the poly and although she takes on stronger she has a handy weight from a good draw.

Interesting will be the performance of Gold Onyx. Although this trip is on the short side, Sean Tarry’s runner loves Greyville and given his aging legs, the new turf could just bring out the best in him.

“It’s going to be a great race,” enthuses Glen Kotzen  whose Double Whammy is the only Graded winner in the field and who led throughout to gamely shrug aside all challengers in last month’s Lanzerac Diana.

Indeed the quality of the line-up has persuaded him to change his plans, particularly with the filly being faced with the worst of the draw. “We are going to have to ride her forward. We were going to tuck her in but I don’t think we should do that now.”

Double Whammy is officially rated just over two lengths better than Cold As Ice but the latter was having her first race when the two met three months ago and the way she won a 1 200m handicap last week suggests she is the one they all have to beat – even over this extra furlong.

Her dam Viva won seven races including the Champagne but nothing beyond 1 200m and, according to Kotzen who trained her, she was an out-and-out sprinter.

“I think Cold As Ice will be alright over 1 400m,” says Joey Ramsden. “Indeed I’m not worried about the trip although I might be over a mile.”

Jet Set Go is the only unbeaten horse in the field and she won the last of her three starts with ease over the trip at Durbanville last month. So, can she beat the other two? “Wait and see on Saturday,” was all I could get out of a smiling Vaughan Marshall, seemingly intent on playing his cards close to his chest.

The bookmakers, though, believe he doesn’t hold the ace and Betting World yesterday opened his filly at 3-1. Double Whammy is second favourite at 5-2 and Cold As Ice heads the market at 18-10. It’s worth noting that favourites have won all the last four runnings and six of the last seven.

Justin Snaith has won this four times in the last seven seasons and  is rueing the knee-breaking injury suffered by Red Disa who he is convinced was so good that she worked with In The Fast Lane. Instead he is putting blinkers on three-time winner Harvard Crimson (12-1).

“She takes a bit of a ride and you can’t be sitting there pushing your horse along in a race like this,” he explains. “But it’s going to be tough.”

The highest-rated horse is Grey Light who was odds-on when beaten by the year older Acrostar on her return 13 days ago and is surprisingly short at 4-1 here. “She didn’t receive the full weight-for-age allowance and I wasn’t that disappointed,” says Ramsden. “But this is way too short for her.”

Stable companion Thaler Point (40-1) is there in the hope of picking up black type and Grant van Niekerk has chosen 16-1 chance Inara from Mike Bass’s three. But their trainer says: “Mine are more milers and I will be surprised if I win this.”

Dancing Natasha has been scratched as she gave a couple of coughs after working yesterday. “Disappointing,” says Alan Greeff. “I thought she was capable of running into the money.”

So which will it be? Pedigree and ratings are against Cold As Ice and the favourite sequence must be getting ominously close to breaking point but, even so, Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount still looks the one.

Picture: Double Whammy (Liesl King)

The four-year-old, who had a merit rating of 105, won his last three starts for Glen Puller and son Chris, and really came into his own when front -runnning tactics were adopted. He was also second in the Winter Guineas.

The Dolf Maeder-trained maiden Roventas, second in his last four starts, has also been sold to Mauritius. He will join Ricky Maingard.

Picture: Reim – Christopher Puller (Liesl King)