The Dennis Drier-trained Western Winter gelding Knox was very green on debut last month, but showed yesterday that his R600,000 price tag might prove worthwhile when staying on strongly from the front under Marcus in the first over 1200m to win by seven lengths at odds of 6/1.

In the second 1200m the Gavin van Zyl-trained R650,000 Silvano gelding Night Shadow also stepped up markedly from his debut and won fluently under Keagan de Melo despite odds of 16-1.
In the third the Robbie Hill-trained Miesque’s Approval filly Bluebaygirl looked to have the best form, but was very widely wide drawn and started at 7/1. She produced a flying finish from near the back under 2,5kg claimer Claassen to nab the favourite Flying Luxmi on the line.

In the fourth the old theory that three-year-olds should be avoided in handicaps at the beginning of the season proved correct as the favourite Step To Fame found little from a handy position and finished unplaced. Drier landed a double and his charge Eternal Jet proved again that Jet Masters enjoy the polytrack by  winning comfortably under Sean Cormack at odds of 33/10.
In the fifth the Kumaran Naidoo-trained seven-year-old Kahal gelding Storm Surf made it two wins over the Greyville polytrack 1400m in successive weekends, not surprisingly as he was still off a merit rating 38 points lower than his sand rating. He drew clear from a handy position to win easily under Delpech.

Delpech then scored in a fillies and mares Novice over 1400m on the impressive Mike de Kock-trained Dynasty filly Maria Theresa, who burst through late to land healthy 4/1 odds.

The next two races disproved the theory about young three-year-olds in handicaps. First the Duncan Howells-trained Lateral colt Gameloft won over 1400m under Callan Murray at odds of 9/1 and in the process proved the worth of the Cat In Command polytrack formline.
Then Frank Robinson’s good run continued through Leven Point, a Fort Wood colt who was always going to be suited by the strong pace in the 1800m race, and converted 5/2 favouritism after finishing strongly under Ian Sturgeon.

Anton Marcus showed his mastery in the ninth, a MR 86 Handicap over 1800m with only six runners. He initially held up the Alec Laird-trained Strongheld gelding Patriotic Rebel but then took it up and stretched them coming up the hill, before staying on strongly to win by 3,75 lengths at odds of 28/10.
The formless Des Egdes-trained Bez Art got into the last over 1800m as a reserve and despite odds of 75/1 and running wide most the way, he displayed a nice stride to give Claassen a double.

Picture: Nkosi Hlophe

She was backed from 4-1 to 16-10 favourite, raced in the first two throughout and drew away from over a furlong out to win easing up and complete a Glen Kotzen-Greg Cheyne treble. Cheyne said: “When I asked her to quicken it was instantaneous. She could be anything but she gives you a classic feel.”

Kotzen , who had complained to Matthew Lips about her 88 rating, added: “The handicapper is probably laughing at me now! She has done hardly any work but she is a super filly and we hope to have her for the good races this season. She looks like a sprinter but we think she will be at least a miler and we are going to look at the Diana Stakes next.”

De Kock, who beat Vodacom Durban July winner Legislate in last year’s Selangor, is on the way back after fracturing his near-fore knee in the Grand Parade Cape Guineas and has been entered for an allowance plate at Kenilworth on Saturday. Brett Crawford said: “He is doing very well but I want to find something a bit nearer the Kuda Insurance Matchem on 4 October. I will see what there is but if the worst comes to the worst we will run on Saturday and treat it as a gallop.”

Blarney Bay definitely sidesteps the race with Mike Robinson explaining: “He has too much weight and he will run instead in a mile handicap at Durbanville on 10 September as he is drawn three. If the ground is a bit firmer by then it will help him to see out the trip but I’m still upset that last Wednesday’s race had to be cancelled because that was his best chance of winning.”

Heartland, Jackson’s full brother who was so impressive on last month’s debut, is one of seven  Justin Snaith entries for the Sophomore Sprint but he will wait for the six week Durbanville stint to end before running again. Snaith said: “We have had too much rain and at the moment the ground is too soft. I will use the interim to school him round the turn.”

Picture: Liesl King

Joey Ramsden said: “He has been doing well and he will run well but he will need a race before he can win.”

The full brother to Red Ray was bought by Markus Jooste for R1.5 million at last year’s CTS Premier Yearling Sale and was then put into the Durbanville Ready To Run Sale in order to qualify him for the R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes in November. Jooste had to go R4.5 million to outbid Mike Azzie and Adriaan van Vuuren.

Weichong Marwing makes a rare visit to Kenilworth on Wednesday. Apart from three trips in the 2011/12 season (Met, Queen’s Plate and international jockeys match) it will be his first time at the Cape Town course for seven seasons. Three of his seven booked mounts ran on Saturday but he still has Rebel’s Girl and Boston Celtic for Adam Marcus, Deon Visser’s Interface Ace and Chester’s Wish for Joey Ramsden for whom he won the Majorca on Sarabande ten years ago.

Marcus said: “He hasn’t ridden for me before and the last time he rode one of ours was on Jay Peg in Dubai and the horse was with Herman Brown at that stage. But it will be great to have him.”

A tried and tested points system accounts for 40 per cent of the decision making process, while an expert panel accounts for 30% and readers of two British newspapers, the Daily Telegraph and Racing Post, accounts for the remaining 30%.

Various Gr 1 races are accorded “super category” status and for these events horses are awarded 48 points for winning, 24 for second and 12 for third. The “super category events” are the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, QIPCO 2000 Guineas, Investec Derby, Investec Oaks, Coral-Eclipse Stakes, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes sponsored by QIPCO, QIPCO Sussex Stakes, Juddmonte International, QIPCO Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, QIPCO British Champions Stakes, Prix Ganay, Prix du Haras, Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes, Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Breeders’ Cup Mile and the Breeders’ Cup Turf

Other Gr1 events in Great Britain, France and Ireland are given 32 points for a win, 16 for second and 8 for third, while Gr 2s are given 16, 8 and 4 and Gr 3s 8, 4 and 2.

Gr 1 and Gr 2s in America, Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore are accorded points that equate to 75% of the points for British Gr 1s, while Gr 3s are given 50% of the corresponding British Gr 3s. Pattern races (Group or Graded) events in other countries are awarded points equating to 50% of points for the American and Australian equivalent.

Using this system the Equus Horse of the Year Legislate would likely have collected 182 points (both of the classics as well as the Vodacom Durban July that he won would probably be accorded “super category” status, and he also had a Gr 2 win and both a Gr 2 and Gr 3 second), Yorker would have collected 144 presuming the Sansui Summer Cup and L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate would be considered “super” events, while Beach Beauty would have collected 132 points.

All of the Equus Award winners of the corresponding Cartier categories would have been on top using the above points system with the exception of the Champion Stayer Hot Ticket and the controversial Champion Two-Year-Old filly Majmu.

In the Stayer category Wavin’ Flag would have earned either 58 or 42 points, depending on whether the eLan Property Group Gold Cup is accorded super status or not, while Hot Ticket would have collected 40 points. Considering the country’s biggest staying event is a handicap, the voting system might have saved the Gold Cup topweight Hot Ticket.

However, the runaway points winner in the Two-Year-Old fillies category would have been Carry On Alice on 64 points and the voting system would unlikely have saved Majmu, who on 24 points would have been the lowest points scorer among the five fillies nominated.

The Equus Awards could benefit from using a similar system to the Cartier one, although the respective gaps between “Super” events and other Gr 1s, and Gr 1s and Gr2s, are not nearly as wide in South Africa as they are in Europe, so the points system would likely need to be adjusted.

The Cartier points system adds plenty of excitement to the season. For example in the current race for Cartier Horse Of The Year, the brilliant John Gosden-trained miler Kingman is out in front on 208 points, while his contemporary Australia is his nearest rival on 140 points.

However, the latter, who is regarded by prolific trainer Aiden O’Brien as the best horse he has ever trained, could still take in three “super” status events, the Irish Champion Stakes in two weekends time at Leopardstown, The Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot on October 18 and the Breeder’s Cup Turf or Classic on November 1. He is also currently an 8-1 shot for the prestigious Gr 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but his jockey, the six foot tall Joseph O’Brien, had to lose two pounds in weight to ride him in the  Juddmonte and would have to lose a further pound to ride him in the Arc.

Meanwhile, Kingman is on course for the race that has always been his end of season target, the Gr 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on October 18. Kingman and Australia have only met once, in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, and Kingman was victor with Australia beaten 0,6 lengths into third, although the mile is short of the latter’s best trip.

Picture: Kingman – Newbury Racing

A R350,000 yearling purchase by Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum’s Shadwell, Soft Falling Rain was trained throughout his career by Mike de Kock and was voted the country’s champion juvenile following an undefeated season, the highlight of which a fluent victory in the Gr.1 SA Nursery at Turffontein.

Exported to Dubai, the colt stretched his perfect record to seven from seven, with impressive scores in the Gr.2 Godolphin Mile, Gr.3 UAE 2000 Guineas and Guineas Trial.

Soft Falling Rain finally relinquished his unbeaten record eight months later when runner-up in his English debut, the Gr.2 Hungerford Stakes, only to bounce back in what was for many his finest racetrack performance.

Contesting Newmarket’s Gr.2 Nayef Joel Stakes, the South African-bred displayed a devastating turn of foot to leave his rivals trailing, a spine-tingling performance which set him up perfectly for a crack at the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Sadly, the colt failed to act in the bottomless going and was eased out of the race.

Soft Falling Rain ran just three times this year. Patently in need of the run when unplaced in his Dubai pipe-opener, the Gr.3 Mahab Al Shimal, he was a close-up second to Variety Club in the Gr.2 Godolphin Mile.

Unfortunately, the horse did not travel well and was sick upon arriving back in Britain. Having missed around ten crucial days of training, the interrupted preparation told in the Gr.1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he could finish no closer than sixth, four lengths behind Sussex Stakes hero Toronado. That proved to be the final racetrack appearance for Soft Falling Rain, and he bows out the winner of eight races from 13 starts.

De Kock had high praise for his former stable star: “Soft Falling Rain was a world class sprinter-miler and will bring a valuable pedigree, remarkable versatility and true international quality to our community of breeders.” He added, “Soft Falling Rain has been doing plenty of travelling which is not ideal for a horse of this calibre competing at the highest level. It takes its toll. This is the right time to have retired him. That Sheikh Hamdan has kept a share is most encouraging. He will support Soft Falling Rain with some of his top broodmares. Wilgerbosdrift, too, has a terrific broodmare band.”

A product of the Highlands paddocks, Soft Falling Rain is a member of the penultimate crop of Danzig’s excellent son National Assembly, whose stallion sons National Emblem and Announce, together with grandson Rebel King, have ensured his legacy as a sire of sires.

Cleverly named, Soft Falling Rain is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Gardener’s Delight, while his grandam is by Triple Crown legend Seattle Slew.

Picture: Liesl King