It’s beginning to look as if Halfway To Heaven’s achievement in producing a Group 1 winner – or equivalent big race winner in the days before the Pattern was introduced – from each of her first three foals could be a world record.

Charles Faull, widely regarded as the most knowledgeable pedigree expert in the country, says the Rainbow Bridge, Hawwaam, Golden Ducat feat is definitely a first in South Africa and so far his researches have not shown up anything to match it around the world.

Toussaud had four Group 1 winners from her first six foals and Hasili (dam of Dansili) had three from her first four and five in all, but Faull has yet to find one that has had three from her first three offspring.

It is perhaps appropriate that Halfway To Heaven’s three winners were bred by Mary Slack and her daughter Jessica Jell because they are as well bred as any of their horses. They are the daughter and granddaughter of Harry and Bridget Oppenheimer who bred and raced a string of July winners as well as the legendary Horse Chestnut.

For good measure Golden Ducat races in the famous black, scarlet cap colours that were carried to victory by Royal Palace in the Epsom Derby and by Maori Venture in the Grand National. They were bequeathed to Mrs Slack by Jim Joel, a De Beers director who had engraved on his tombstone this quote from the Psalms: ‘Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord!”

By Michael Clower

It has been a long time between drinks for the filly Railtrip, almost a year to the day since her last win, but that could change at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today where she lines up in the Track & Ball Gaming Handicap over 2400m.

However, the race is just a taste of what punters can expect with trainers having lined up in numbers with nine races on a packed programme. Seven runners are quoted between 4-1 and 8-1 in a 10-horse field which should give punters some indication of what they are up against.

Weak 4-1 favourite Twice Golden was a comfortable winner first up out of the maidens but hit a wall when stepping up in class, fading out to finish over 10 lengths back to Blackball in a competitive handicap. However, today he does have the benefit of a 4kg claimer aboard and is proven over the course and distance which adds to his appeal.

While Twice Golden’s handicap rating has been on the up, Railtrip’s has been on the decline and from a career high of 100, she steps out as a 90 today. That said, she will not have it easy as only stable companion Just Cruised In carries more pudding over a distance that the filly tries for the first time. Warren Kennedy has opted for Railtrip in preference to Just Cruised In, and that choice could prove significant.

Merlin From Berlin is in good form since being tried in blinkers and can go in again but there should be little between him and stable companion Paybackthemoney with a neck separating them the last time they met.

There are no obvious exotic bet bankers on the card but if Keep On Dancing takes to the turf she could get the Pick 6 off to a good start. Wendy Whitehead’s filly improved markedly on her debut and from a good draw should at least be competitive. Justadoreher showed up well last start and appears to have come to hand and the extra furlong should suit. Fateful Mistress and To The Max also make appeal.

Jet Lignite, runner up at his last two, most recently over course and distance, and Double Gemini could possibly prove the pick in the Greyville Convention Centre Maiden over 2400m. The form in maiden races over ground is generally weak and these two stand out in a modest field.

The seventh is the proverbial minefield. First Sighting was a narrowly beaten favourite last run and with a four-claiming apprentice up she has a light weight. Coyote Girl seldom runs a bad race and over her best trip she has a strong chance again. Bella Ballerina was much improved in blinkers last run and that form has held up while Miss Marmalade won well on debut. She is a half-sister to Halfway To Heaven, dam of Rainbow Bridge, Hawaam and Saturday’s Derby winner Golden Ducat, so may need a touch further.

It often pays to take note of horses on the drop as far as merit ratings go and Highveld raider Chipofftheoldblok could pay to follow in the eighth. He has been up against stronger on the Highveld but his rating has dropped ten points in his last four starts and he now looks competitive off his new mark.  Sea Sponge is consistent and goes well over this trip and he may be the horse to beat.

The ninth is another coin-toss but Master Tobe was a recent maiden winner but has made steady improvement. He meets a weak field here and the step up in trip could see further improvement. Storm Ruler is a five-time winner that has dropped to a more competitive mark and was much improved last run. He needs to repeat. Rasputin’s Remedy had his consistency rewarded with his maiden win last time out. He can feature prominently in this field.

By Andrew Harrison

Dual Vodacom Durban July hero Do It Again has been diagnosed with ulcers and this is now thought to be the reason why he failed to fire in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met.

Justin Snaith explained: “We scoped him and did some extensive tests, including with a gastroscope. This revealed the ulcers.  I had a feeling it might have been that and so he was already on ulcer medication by the time we did the tests.”

You might think it strange that racehorses could develop ulcers – after all they are exercised like athletes, cosseted like babies, given as much food as they can eat and have no obvious reason to feel stressed– but apparently it is a common complaint.

Snaith explained: “A high percentage of horses in training – world-wide, not just in South Africa – get ulcers and it is partly because of their high-energy feed. Do It Again has been sent to Drakenstein for a holiday and he is now doing very well. He will stay there for a while.”

Stable companion Bunker Hunt, beaten only by Hawwaam in the Premier Trophy before taking fifth in the Met, is on the shortlist for the July.

His trainer said: “He was fully exposed in the Met and had a hard race that day but it’s now the Durban season for him and I am hopeful he could get into the July with a nice light weight.”

Rio Querari

Snaith believes that CTS Ready To Run second Rio Querari has the makings of a good sprinter and said: “He has been gelded and, while I might take him to Durban for a race or two, I won’t do too much with him there because I want him for the next Cape season.”

Erik The Red, who came off a straight line sufficiently to prompt a race review when winning last Saturday’s Kepu Cape Of Good Hope Nursery, remains a possible for the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion at Scottsville on May 30. “I haven’t done a lot of grasswork with him and he is extremely green,” said Snaith who won last year’s Allan Robertson with 22-1 outsider Miss Florida and the 2012 SA Fillies Sprint with Ebony Flyer.

Dean Kannemeyer, successful in the SA Fillies Sprint with Real Princess four years ago, confirmed that he still has the Allan Robertson in mind after Delta Queen franked her first-time potential in the Capetown Noir Kenilworth Fillies Nursery. “I am very excited about this filly,” he said. “She has the blood and so much natural speed.”

Undercover Agent

Ricky Maingard will train Undercover Agent when the recently-sold 2018 Gold Challenge winner moves to Mauritius. The five-year-old should relish the tight Champ de Mars circuit and it’s not hard to envisage a horse of his speed and class leading the opposition a merry dance in race after race.

The 2017 Cape Guineas winner Tap O’Noth, who ran so well in the 2 800m New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers on Met day, heads the eight declared for the Kenilworth Cup on Saturday.

Lastly, but certainly by no means least, the handicappers have raised Cape Derby winner Golden Ducat a whopping 21 points to 110 for Saturday’s victory but that only puts him 25^th in the South African three-year-old rankings.

By Michael Clower

Worlds Your Oyster could be worth a punt at around 9-2 in the TAB Telebet Handicap at Kenilworth today.

This meeting was to have been held at Durbanville but was switched late yesterday morning. “There is a patch at the 1 500m mark that hasn’t recovered,” explained racecourse boss Dean Diedericks. “After having discussions with the jockeys we made the decision to move the meeting to Kenilworth.”

It won’t bother the Geoff Woodruff grey who is unbeaten in two starts here but it was last time’s first run out of the maidens which marked him out as one for the notebook. He led inside the final furlong to score by three-parts of a length and won rather more comfortably than that margin might suggest.

The handicappers also thought so and raised him five points but the way he won suggested that he might well have had more in hand than that. A negative is the hot field and another is that the talented Keagan de Melo has switched to the Eric Sands-trained impressive maiden winner Royal Return (6-1). But jockey-of-the-moment Craig Zackey is a definite plus.

Yorktown is the reason for Anton Marcus’s flying visit and the Brett Crawford runner was 5-2 favourite yesterday. He has come down a kilo for his last run and, while he is an obvious threat, it’s not one that bounces off the racecard. Bernie and Magic Mike have chances just as good.

Marcus’s other two rides are both for Mike Robinson and the Philippi trainer says this is the first time the former champion has ridden for him since he was third on Goodtime Gal in the Diana Stakes at Durbanville in October 2018.

“When I saw that Anton was coming and had only the one ride, I phoned him,” says Robinson. “He told me that he would ring me back when he knew that he was definitely making the trip. In fact he called me just 20 minutes later. I’ve got some nice runners today and both Sudden Star and Grey Princess have good chances.”

Sudden Star gets the vote in race one even though the form book says he has only a fifth of a length in hand over Pannington when the Brett Crawford colt did not get an entirely clear run.

Grey Princess was left on the same mark after last time’s good run over 1 500m and is 7-2 second favourite for the last. She has strong claims even though there is an extra 300m to travel but it could pay to look further down the weights.

Flatware, the 22-10 favourite, and 11-2 shot Flash Fire make particular appeal. If you ignore Sandile Mbhele’s then 1.5kg allowance (he doesn’t claim any more) there is little between them on their January 14 running. Flash Fire receives 2kg here so she gets the vote.

Lady Wylie, very disappointing on Sun Met day, can recover the losses in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden.

By Michael Clower

To take a bet go to www.tabgold.co.za or www.trackandball.co.za

Australian-bred mare Spitfire Lady is unusual from a South African perspective in that she was not brought over here to race but was specifically purchased as a broodmare.

The Millstream farm-base mare is proving to be a valuable acquisition.

Her first foal is the Adam Marcus-trained Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas winner Missisippi Burning and her second foal, the Barend Botes-trained Noble Tune colt Fire And Ice, got off the mark in fluent style on Saturday over 1160m at Turffontein.

Neither of her first two foals reached their reserve at the Sales.

Jan Mantel of Millstream pointed out, “She has a beautiful pedigree, but she does not throw Sales horses. They are not big, flashy horses at sales time.”

Bloodstock Agent Kerry Jack often visited Australia, mainly to buy weanlings either for pinhooking or for clients, but in 2015, for the first and only time, she bought a broodmare, Spitfire Lady.

The mare was bought on behalf of Mario Ferreira with the intention of standing her at Rathmor Stud in the KZN Midlands. Ferreira’s newly acquired stallion Noble Tune was initially based at Rathmor and his arrival coincided with him going on a mare-buying spree. Noble Tune and the band of mares were later moved down to Millstream in Robertson in the Western Cape, where the stallion and mare strength is greater.  

Spitfire Lady is by Hussonet out of a Maroof mare called Galroof, who won a Group 3 over 1630m and had two Group 1 seconds in the Queensland Derby over 2400m and Doomben Cup over 2000m respectively as well as a second in the Queensland Guineas.

Spitfire Lady was a useful racehorse herself, winning four races from 1200m to 1600m and finishing Listed-placed multiple times. Furthermore, she is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner and twice Grade 1-placed Sabrage and to Listed winner and Grade 1 runner up Pinnacles as well as being a full-sister to a Listed placed horse.

Kerry Jack looked at a few mares for Ferreira and Rathmor Stud at the Gold Coast national broodmare Sale of 2015 and between them they settled on Spitfire Lady. 

“We didn’t think we would have to spend as much as we did,” she said.

The mare was knocked down for Aus $240,000.

Fire Ice is in-bred 3x4x5 to Mr Prospector and 5×5 to Northern Dancer and as Noble Tune is out of a mare by Storm Cat, who hails from the Northern Dancer/Bold Ruler cross, the two lines of Bold Ruler in Spitfire Lady’s pedigree are eye-catching. Spitfire Lady also brings a line of Princequillo, two lines of which are found in Noble Tune’s pedigree. The Bold Ruler/Princequillo cross of course produced Storm Cat’s famous damsire, Secretariat.

Spitfire Lady had to stand in quarantine in Cape Town upon arrival in South Africa and Jack thus suggested to Ferreira that this would provide her with the opportunity to get off to a good start by being sent to Cape-based champion Captain Al.  

The result was the diminutive Missisippi Burning. 

She has already won four races, from just seven starts, and has accumulated R794,063 in stakes.

The Cape Fillies Guineas was her first race beyond a sprint and having jumped from draw two and had a rails run throughout she showed a tremendous turn of foot from a midfield position to win easily by three.

Marcus decided to avoid the Grade 1 Bidvest Majorca Stakes on Sun Met day as she had drawn wide and he felt the quality of the older fillies at present would have also made it tough.  

He said, “She is a young, lightly raced filly with a lot of ability. The SA Champions Season in KZN willl be her main aim as she will be able to race against her own age group. She is small but compact and is all heart.”

She should be suited to the tight Greyville track, where the ability to quicken immediately is a valuable asset.

Fire And Ice, who is similarly unimposing, placed four times before winning at the fifth attempt on Saturday.

One noticeable characteristic he shares with his half-sister, besides size, is courage.

In his penultimate start he didn’t enjoy blinkers and was booked to miss out on the places when under pressure in the final stages. It seemed for all money he would fade right out but he somehow found enough to go from fifth to third in the last 125 metres.

The blinkers were dispensed with on Saturday and he showed good cruising speed to be within striking distance. He made his run on the unfavourable inside of runners but was still able to exert his authority over a decent field of maidens to win cosily by 1,30 lengths, despite starting odds of 10/1.

He will be interesting stepped up in trip, which he should be looking for on pedigree considering his grandam’s ability to stay and Noble Tune’s  Grade 2 win over 1700m.  

Spitfire Lady currently has a Querari October-born foal at foot.

She went to Twice Over for a late season cover but did not get in foal.

It is said that freak ability is unlikely to be passed on to future generations, whereas courage can be. Spitfire Lady is thus a mare to follow.

She is the first and only Grade 1-producing mare of Ferreira’s breeding operation to date.

By David Thiselton