Strathdon can come out on top in the new-look Kenilworth Cup at the Cape Town course tomorrow.

The Justin Snaith runner is at six the oldest horse in the race but that is no disadvantage in events over as far as this two miles – and his record is a good one despite having found it hard to win at one stage in his career. His success in the Woolavington in November was his first for almost two years but, even so, he has won seven of his 29 starts.

Richard Fourie’s mount was yesterday morning an easy-to-back 22-10 joint favourite with O’Noth who finished over half a length in front of him when second to Snapscan in the New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers. But M.J. Byleveld’s mount is now 2kg worse off and that is the equivalent of four lengths over this trip.

However it’s not as straightforward as that. The first five finished in a heap in the Met day race and they were covered by less than a length. This casts serious doubts about the value of the form.

The Kenilworth Cup used to be a conditions race run in November but last season it was switched to its present February date and turned into a handicap. This has gone against Tap O’Noth who faces a massive task under 62kg but he has a touch of class (remember, he won the Cape Guineas) and he stays remarkably well for a horse who was high class over a mile.

The lurker in the pack is Dynasty’s Blossom. Despite being ridden by Ryan Moore, she found all sorts of trouble in the Western Cape Stayers and was continually held up for a clear run in the straight. Add to that the fact she pulled hard in the early and middle stages of the race and it is truly remarkable that she managed to finish as close as she did – less than three and a half lengths behind the winner.

Corne Orffer, who rode her when she was a close second in last year’s New Turf Carriers, will ensure a much clearer run. She finished a length and a quarter in front of Strathdon that day and probably rates his main danger.   She has already been backed from 9-2 to 7-2.

Cedar Man (12-1) is the only other handicapped level with the top three but, as he has been off since the WSB East Cape Derby last May, he surely cannot win.

Swift Surprise is the Snaith second string. He lost ground at the start – as well as a hind shoe -in the Met day race. He might just run into a place although, astonishingly, most of the early money has been for him and he has been slashed from 9-1 to 4-1. The remaining three are too much under sufferance to warrant consideration by the serious punter.

By Michael Clower

Mount Anderson gave hope for local participants in South Africa’s Champion Season Classics and Guru’s Pride could be added to that list after tonight’s meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville. Gavin van Zyl’s gelding lines up in the Soccer Any 15 Handicap on the poly and although he steps up in class, he does appear to have a touch of class himself.

“He’s a very, very nice horse,” confirmed Van Zyl after his recent win. “The owners can look forward to some fun.”

“He came up on us a bit when he won over 1000m. I think the Natal (KZN) Guineas will be the ideal race for him.”

“I rode work on him on Monday and thought ‘wow this is a nice horse.’ I was very confident going into this race,” according to stand-in pilot Serino Moodley who was deputising for stable rider Warren Kennedy that day.

Guru’s Pride put to bed a fairly smart field in that race and looks capable of taking the step up in spite of the presence of the more experienced and exposed older runners Caliente, Gimme Peace and Q The Music.

If he can’t, then the swan may just be an ordinary goose.

An indication of Guru’s Pride’s chance could come early where African Sunrise, second when the two met, lines up in a Novice Plate, second race on the card.

However, Wendy Whitehead’s gelding was clearly second best behind Guru’s Pride but prior to that hacked up in his maiden. A win for African Sunrise will add plenty of gloss to Guru’s Pride’s prospects but a better proposition could come in the form of Nathan Kotzen’s runner, Arizona Silk.

He has been close-up in useful older company and a repeat of his narrow defeat to Stream Ahead three runs back will put him in with a strong chance.

The filly Electric Surge and the consistent Lundy’s Lad are others to consider.

Lowly fillies and mare’s handicaps are seldom races to plunge on and the Track & Ball Gaming Handicap poses similar problems and is not a race to cut down on expenses. But the two who could fight it out are Satin Slipper and Ms Rosa Parks. The two met last time out with Mr Rosa Parks finishing two lengths ahead of tonight’s rival who jumped from the extreme outside gate. Satin Slipper is also 2kg better off and drawn inside of Ms Rosa Parks which should bring them a lot closer together.

Brave Lass looks capable of getting off the mark in the fifth, a modest maiden field. Lightly raced, she has come into her own recently and the trip holds no fears. Duchess Of Malfi, having her first run in KZN and also making her poly debut, started favourite for Glen Kotzen but a wide draw and an unfamiliar surface may have been her undoing. Anton Marcus has picked up the ride and replaces Warren Kennedy who has switched to Brave Lass which could prove a subtle pointer. Of the balance, Sacred Blues was a little disappointing last run after a much improved previous sprint but she jumps in trip and is one to watch.

By Andrew Harrison

Halfway To Heaven’s feat of producing three Grade 1 winners with her first three foals might be a world record according to Cape Town-based racing guru Charles Faull and she needs just one more Grade 1 winner to become the most prolific Grade 1-producing mare in South Africa history.

She is owned by the current champion breeders, Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Studs, and her three runners to date are Rainbow Bridge (won the Grade 1 Sun Met and Grade 1 Champions Cup), Hawwaam (Grade 1 SA Classic, Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge, Grade 1 Daily News 2000) and Golden Ducat (Grade 1 ARC Commemorative Cape Derby). 

Faull’s Action Racing Online website named seven other South African mares who have produced three Grade 1 winners each since 1940, they being: AVE MARIA (stakes winner) (Israfeel –SA Oaks, Jelal Shah-SA Guineas, Kerason- Durban July); FIRST LISA (Stakes winner) (Divine Fashion-Garden Province, Counter Action-Champions Cup, Perfect Order-Paddock Stakes); JULIE ANDREWS (Gr1 winner) (Principal Boy –Durban July, Col Pickering-Hawaii Stakes, Grease Paint- SA Oaks); LOYAL LINDA (placed) (Gold Flier- Smirnoff, Successful Bidder- Gold Challenge, Trust Antonia- Allan Robertson); MARITIME (3 wins)  (Top Gallant- SA Guineas and Cape Derby, Sea Cottage-seven Gr1 wins. Naval Escort- Durban July);  REACTION (Stakes winner) (Nervous Tension- Cape Guineas, Hifrac-SA Derby, Response-Cape Guineas); TECLA FIELDS (winner) Circle Of Life-Garden Province, African Lion- Champions Cup, Zebra Crossing- Met).

Maritime was probably the most celebrated of the above seven, having produced the immortal Sea Cottage as well as another Durban July winner and a Durban July runner up.

One mare who can be considered unlucky to miss out was Trade Enquiry, who stood at Bruce le Roux’s Spring Valley Stud in the KZN Midlands. Her first of five foals was Grade 1 Woolavington winner Count The Money, her second foal was Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and Champions Cup winner Buy And Sell and her fourth foal was the SA Oaks winner Bedloe’s Island. However, the SA Oaks, which has periodically enjoyed Grade 1 status, was a Grade 2 at the time. 

Two famous names who are missing from the above list are Drohsky and Ethane.

1929-born Drohsky, imported from Great Britain, produced nine winners from eleven foals, including Lenin, who was widely considered the greatest racehorse South Africa had seen before the appearance of Colorado King and Sea Cottage in the 1960s. Drohsky was revered as a foundation mare of the Birch Brothers, who were SA Champion breeders more than 40 times. She is the third dam of Sea Cottage and appears in the pedigree of many Birch Brother greats.

Ethane produced the greats William Penn and Hawaii and also left a lasting influence, with an example being twice Equus Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle, who has her as his fifth dam.    

Halfway To Heaven has a full-brother and full-sister to Hawwaam (Silvano) on the ground as well as a Querari foal, so she should go on to smash more records. 

By David Thiselton

Strathdon, beaten less than a length when fifth in the New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers on Sun Met day, has been installed 16-10 favourite for the Kenilworth Cup at Cape Town’s Leap Year meeting on Saturday.

Tap O’Noth, a neck second in that race, finished over half a length in front of The Justin Snaith six-year-old that day, but Vaughan Marshall’s hope now has to concede 2kg and is second favourite at 18-10.

Dynasty’s Blossom was three lengths behind Tap O’Noth when ridden by Ryan Moore on that occasion and she reopposes on the same terms. Corne Orffer rides the mare for the first time in public and she is third favourite at 9-2.

Snaith, by his own admission expecting a “monster day,” has three favourites and three second favourites from his 14 runners.

By Michael Clower

The richest race in history, the US $20 million Saudi Cup, will be screened live on Tellytrack at 12 noon on Saturday 29 February.

It will be run on a dirt surface over 1800m at King Abdulaziz Racetrack.  

The race has attracted a star studded field from around the globe, including Maximum Security, whose only two losses in nine races were in a preparation outing and when controversially disqualified in the Kentucky Derby. This Jason Servis-trained colt is by the Street Cry sire New Year’s Day and was the meritorious winner of the Derby, having crossed the line well clear. He will be hard to beat, especially as the surface is predicted to favour front-runners. However, he will have to handle the new environment and also the absence of standard USA medication lasix and bute, which is not allowed in this race.  

Top America dirt horses McKinzie and Mucho Gusto could be the chief threats.

They are both trained by Bob Baffert, who has won the Dubai World Cup before and is more used to shipping and running horses internationally than is Servis. 

McKinzie is reportedly in the best form of his career.

Mucho Gusto was the winner of the recent Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

Aiden O’Brien runs the mare Magic Wand, who was second in the Pegasus World Cup Turf invitational last time out, but her pedigree suggests she might not be suited to dirt. 

Benbatl is an interesting contender from Britain as he has won three Group 1s, all on different continents, and is currently in good dirt form in Dubai.

Frankie Dettori rides Gronkowski, second to Justify in the 2018 Belmont Stakes, but he was well beaten by Benbatl last time out in Dubai.

Chrysoberyl and Gold Dream finished first and second respectively in Japan’s Champions Cup.

The remaining two are both from America, Midnight Bisou, who was second in the Breeders Cup Distaff, and two-time Group 1 winner Tacitus, who comes off a disappointing third in the Group 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup.

By David Thiselton