Al Bragga, something of a bookmakers’ benefit so far, just might be worth another chance in the opening maiden at Kenilworth today.

The Mike Stewart-trained three-year-old was backed as if he couldn’t lose on debut here in August yet he finished with only one behind him and over 20 lengths off the winner. He was found to be lame afterwards. He then went on a recovery mission at Durbanville and, although only fifth, he ran a great deal better. He would, though, have finished a lot closer had things gone according to plan but he had to be eased 600m out in order to get a clear run.

“He also gave himself a nasty over-reach,” says Mike Stewart who said of the debut disappointment: “When he got home he came out of the box on three legs. Either he knocked himself in the pens or he got kicked and nobody noticed.”

Al Bragga was gelded between the two races and this time Greg Cheyne takes over from Donovan Dillon and is fitted with cheek pieces.  Stewart, who doesn’t bet, is determined not to tempt fate by making predictions but his horse was only a length and a quarter behind Cape Of Storms (33-10 favourite here) at Durbanville despite that interference.

Empire Glory, cut from 6-1 to 9-2 and the only four-year-old in the field, was hampered when he had Capkuta (4-1) a neck behind over 1 250m at Durbanville last month.

Happy Wanderer (15-2) is the highest rated but disappointed at Durbanville and Mike Robinson says: “I don’t think he really enjoyed the course but also he needed gelding. This was done immediately afterwards but he might just need this run as I haven’t galloped him.”

The Andre Nel newcomer King Cyrus (15-2) has to be respected, particularly with Bernard Fayd’Herbe riding, but Al Bragga at 4-1 looks a worthwhile prospect to make it third time lucky.

Dennis Drier only brings maidens to Cape Town if he is convinced they are good enough to win so it is no surprise to see newcomer Croisette favourite for race two, particularly as she has already finished second in a Scottsville barrier trail. But 5-10 against a couple of provenly useful local fillies looks too short. I prefer to take a chance with Ryanair at 5-1.

Looks Like Magic, 2-1 for the Betting World Maiden (race three), is a pretty apt description of the Glen Kotzen/Morne Winnaar combination at the moment and she has a big chance. However slight preference is for Fayd’Herbe’s mount Springisintheair.

By Michael Clower

Ryan Munger has been granted a 12-month licence for Singapore starting January 1.

Munger, who chose this career path after he was inspired to follow into the footsteps of his jockey-uncle Stuart Randolph, enrolled at the South African Jockey Academy in 2011 and after rapidly rising through the ranks, now figures among the leading jockeys on the national log.

Crowned Zimbabwe champion jockey in the 2017-2018 season, the Durban-born Munger was first based in Johannesburg. He moved to Cape Town in October 2018 to briefly join trainer Glen Kotzen as his stable jockey before going freelance shortly after.

Last year, Munger finished eighth on the national log on 127 winners. He currently sits in eighth place on 31 winners.

He has racked up around 570 winners, including four at Grade 3 level and six in Listed races. His first Grade 3 wins came in the Caradoc Gold Cup with Ilitshe at Turffontein in 2017, while other notable feature wins at Turffontein include the Grade 3 Graham Beck Stakes with National Park last November and the Grade 3 Pretty Polly Stakes with Palace Of Dreams in March.

In terms of overseas experience, Munger took part in an apprentice jockeys’ challenge in Abu Dhabi back in 2014.

– Singapore Turf Club

Mike de Kock leapt from eighth in the National Trainers Championship to fourth after a fine day at Turffontein on Saturday, where his six winners included Barahin in the R1 million Grade 2 Peermont Emperor’s Charity Mile.

Rainfall of 37,5mm in the 24 hours before the meeting led to testing conditions and it proved vital on the day for horses to conserve as much energy as possible in the running. Jockeyship was thus of the highest importance and Callan Murray was at his best, booting home five of De Kock’s six winners.

Barahin was drawn well in four in the Charity Mile and Murray secured a good spot on the rail in midfield. 

Approach Control went to the front but had to be used up to do so and was consequently the first horse gone in the straight.

Chijmes was the early leader from a good draw of three and apprentice Dennis Schwarz put on the brakes to conserve his energy.

Murray switched Barahin inward coming off the false rail and he had a clear run on the inside. The Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Stud-bred Gimmethegreenlight colt was clearly relishing the conditions and hit the front still under a tight hold. Murray did not move a muscle until about the 300m mark by which stage he was a length clear of Chijmes. When he got to work Barahin found extra and waltzed away to win by 3,50 lengths from the tall and progressive Ato gelding Chijmes, who stayed on resolutely. There was a gaping 3,25 length gap back to the dead-heaters for third, Cascapedia and reserve runner Flying Winger. Cascapedia found the spot behind Barahin on the rail after jumping from draw five and Flying Winger was dropped out from a wide draw and was placed on the rail two positions behind Cascapedia, proving that finding cover quickly was the key to staying on in the tough conditions.

Barahin had started second favourite at 6/1. The 47/20 favourite Zillzaal went handy from a draw of six and was caught one wide without cover for most of the way, which was his undoing. 

Barahin’s win for Shiekh Hamdan Bin Rashid al Maktoum was the first leg of a quick feature race treble for De Kock.

In the preliminaries of the Grade 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m, De Kock’s NZ-bred All Too Hard grey gelding Frosted Gold caught the eye, especially his muscled hindquarters.

However, he drifted out from 4/1 to 29/4 as the favourite Putontheredlight shortened from 33/10 to 57/20.

The race was full of incident, some of it caused by the loose horse On My Mind, who dislodged Nooresh Juglall after pecking at the jump. 

Craig Zackey managed to place Frosted Gold on the rail in midfield and he had one hairy moment when the loose horse veered in front of him. Earlier, the loose horse had forced the fancied pair Eden Roc and Tallin outward on the turn. Later, Tallin appeared to clip the heels of the favourite Putontheredlight and Callan Murray performed a miracle to stay aboard but lost his stirrup irons.

In the straight the loose horse took up the running of both Riverstown and the leader Magic School, who was staying on strongly from a handy position. However, their stride was hardly affected and it did not materially affect the result as Frosted Gold finished powerfully to win going away by a length from Magic School. The latter beat Riverstown by a shorthead for second. The favourite Putontheredlight was caught wide in the running, which gave him little hope in the conditions.

Juglall was reported okay and just suffering aches and pains.  

Frosted Gold is owned by Dave MacLean, who was due to run the New York Marathon yesterday.

In the Grade 3 Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m De Kock’s Irish-bred Exceed And Excel filly Queen Supreme, who is six months younger than her four-year-old contemporaries, confirmed herself a star in the making. Running in the Mauritzfontein Stud colours for a syndicate of owners she powered away to a 4,25 length win from the classy sorts Ronnie’s Candy and Roy’s Riviera.

Later De Kock’s Cape Derby winner Atyaab relished the underfoot conditions and won the Listed Java Handicap over 2400m cosily from Factor Fifty and Bondiblu. This Australian bred gelding by Dundeel is owned by Sheikh Hamdan. 

Earlier, De Kock had won two maidens respectively with the Australian-bred Snitzel gelding Alameery, also owned by Sheikh Hamdan, and the Rathmor Stud-bred Noble Tune colt Hellofaride, owned by Mario Ferreira. 

Eight times SA champion trainer De Kock earned R1,103,200 on the day to rise to R3,197,750 in stakes for the season. 

The David Niewenhuizen-trained Digteby Stud-bred Querari filly Mill Queen had always struck as one who would train on and she fended off the persistent challenge of Wisteria Walk to convert 18/10 favouritism in the Grade 3 HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes over 1400m under Gavin Lerena.   

The Clifton Stud-bred Kahal gelding Prince Of Kahal claimed a remarkable fourth win in as many starts this season. He stormed home on the outside rail to defy third topweight of 61kg in the Golden Loom over 1000m under Dennis Schwarz, his third Graded win in succession. 

The Sean Tarry-trained Tmen Stables-bred Visionaire filly Spiritofthegroove stormed home from way off the pace to win the joint richest race on the day, the R1 million Emperors Ready To Run Cup under Marco van Rensburg.

By David Thiselton

Last Winter has his second race since finishing a half-length second to Oh Susanna in last year’s Sun Met in the Matchbook Floodlit Stakes over a distance just short of a mile and a half at Kempton today. The race is due off at 6.00pm South African time.

The six-year-old, now trained by Sir Michael Stoute, will be ridden for the first time by Louis Steward. Last Winter comes out equal second with John Gosden’s 2018 Ebor runner-up Weekender on adjusted ratings. The William Haggas-trained Young Rascal is 3lb clear top.

Candice Bass-Robinson reports that Russet Air, winner of the 1 000m Pinnacle at Kenilworth six days ago, will run next in the WSB Cape Merchants on November 23.

By Michael Clower

Bernard Fayd’Herbe, vowing to return with a bang, did just that at Kenilworth on Saturday when he won on his first ride back.

Concussion, or rather medical analysis of the need to give his system a break because of the risk of its long-term effects, may have sidelined him for three months but his mental faculties were as sharp as ever on the Andre Nel-trained Lady Lu in the opening maiden.

Punters didn’t give the filly a prayer, despite her jockey’s sky-high reputation, and allowed her to drift unbacked from 3-1 to 9-1 – but they were left wondering what had happened to their judgement after hearing Fayd’Herbe’s first-hand account of his.

“I jumped out and she was rushing but there was a strong tail wind,” he related. “So I brought her back a little and she started travelling underneath me. I was watching Richard Fourie on Linda Loves Lace in front of me. He was going easy fractions. I sent mine on perhaps too early but when she got going she really took off.”

He followed up two races later on Gold Medal for the Bass-Robinson stable and some of the owners for whom he won the Vodacom Durban July on Marinaresco two years ago. But apparently those three months off were no holiday for a man has spent the last 20 years keeping his frame at least 7kg below its natural weight.

“I had to do a lot of work,” he related. “Dougie Whyte from Hong Kong helped me, I went on a new diet and I rode the Equicizer every day.”

Justin Snaith and Richard Fourie chalked up their now almost expected treble – with Pinkerton (backed from 5-10 to an almost unbelievable 2-10), Fleeced and Pay Pay to take their tallies for the season to 43 and 41. But the rest of the card went to men for whom life must all too often seem more like Moodys (outlook negative but otherwise unchanged) than Springbok.

“I’ve had nothing but seconds – even other trainers are sending me pictures of my horses finishing second,” rued Paddy Kruyer after Louis Mxothwa on 16-1 shot Savea stopped the rot in the TAB Telebet Handicap, and he fished out his phone to show a shot of What A Flirt being beaten less than the thickness of a betting slip last Tuesday. 

Hidden Strings, in the colours of breeder Willem Engelbrecht jnr and well handled by Keagan de Melo in the Interbet.co.za Handicap, was Greg Ennion’s first winner since June. “It’s been a tough few months,” said the trainer with some feeling. “I had a herpes virus in the yard – but the horses are starting to look good again and I have some lovely babies.”

Piet Steyn, most of whose glory days were a long time ago, took the bold step of turning out old stager Waiting For Rain for the second Saturday running in the Tellytrack.com Handicap and was rewarded with an 18-1 victory.

“Last week he got sandwiched on the fence,” the trainer related. “He came out of it well so I decided to run him. I don’t gallop mine much. If you haven’t got many – and I have 20 – you have to look after them.”

But in many ways the real unsung hero of this race was Grant Behr who bided his time to pounce fast and late, thwarting Fayd’Herbe of victory number three. “Nobody could have ridden the horse better,” said an admiring Steyn, and with justification.

Behr seldom attends the Tellytrack interviews and this was no exception. “I’ve been a bit down lately,” he said in explanation. “But maybe I should go to them.”

Certainly he should. They provide a real shop window and in racing self-promotion is one of the names of the game.

By Michael Clower