Devonne Govender

Yesterday’s Hollywoodbets Scottsville card never looked easy with majority of the 10 race card looking very open on paper  together with huge fields making it tricky for punters to narrow it down. Playing wide was the first thought that came to mind however there were a number of fancied runners arriving together with a few outsiders in the mix. Punters would have been more than happy as a total of 4 favourites won and 9 of them finished in the frame.

The Peter Muscutt trained 2 year old Quasiforsure landed the first at odds of 16-1. Cauldron set a ridiculous pace opening up to lead by more than 10 lengths and the swoopers started to come thick and fast. Muscutt said “This was an education for him and the draw was a concern however he is a very talented horse”. Donovan Dillon was extremely pleased with his performance.

Sonjador won the opening leg of the pick six in fine style under a brilliant ride from apprentice Rachel Venniker as she continues to boot home winners. Trainer Michael Roberts South Africa’s only hall of fame jockey commended her riding skills and specifically made mention of her not using the whip which contributed to Sonjdor’s win.

Warren Kennedy aboard Secret Giver tried to steal the race at the top of the straight however Victory Twist got up to win under a driving ride from Donovan Dillon scoring him a second win on the card.

Papillion justified favouritism winning the sixth and courageously fended off the nagging Duquesne Whistle all the way to the line. Noble Nova finished third followed by Supper At Six who rounded off the quartet.

It wasn’t long before Dillon notched up another win on the 16-1 shot Paul Lafferty trained The Bayou flying up the inside running rail to claim victory in the eighth. It almost looked impossible for him to win at the 500m mark as he was second last however Dillon got the best out him timing it to perfection beating Fireonthetrack who ran second followed by Toltec (3^rd) and Straight Up who ran 4^th. The quartet returned a healthy R 8951.30.

Flying The Star rounded off the pick six for trainer Corinne Bestel with Athandiwe Mgudlwa aboard. The ninth race turned out to be eventful at the start with the late scratching of Sofia Erin when proving intractable and Lhasa Star refusing to jump. The pick six returned R14401.00. Alfonse Baby rounded off the day in the lucky last winning by an absolute whisker to deny Trattoria who ran a close up second.

David Thiselton

SEAN TARRY is swinging towards running former Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint winner Warrior’s Rest in the Grade 1 HKJC World Pools Champions Cup on Marshalls World Of Sports Gold Cup day on July 31 and he also took time to lament the Vodacom Durban July selection process which saw a horse he gave a chance to, Shango, being eliminated. 

Tarry said he and the connections had always felt Warrior’s Rest would see out 1800m, so, as he had drawn wide in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint, the HKJC World Pools Champions Cup provided a good opportunity to test this theory.

The now six-year-old What A Winter gelding ran third in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville as a two-year-old. He has subsequently run eight times over a mile for one win, a second and two thirds and he finished second in his only attempt at the Champions Cup distance of 1800m. He finished a 5,75 length seventh in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000, which was the furthest trip he has been tried over.

His 1800m runner up finish was in an Assessment Plate so the Champions Cup represents a massive step up in class.

However, he would hardly have been expected to become a Grade 1 winner back then and not only did he achieve the latter when carrying 52.5kg to victory off a 113 merit rating in the Golden Horse last year but he followed that up with a runner up finish in the Grade 1 weight for age Mercury Sprint.

Warrior’s Rest is currently merit rated 115, which puts him 7.5kg under sufferance with Jet Dark, who looks likely to be the highest rated horse in the Champions Cup, considering Rainbow Bridge is reportedly on his way home.

Warrior’s Rest gained a reputation before being campaigned in sprints of leading at a good pace and then having the ability to continually crank that pace up another notch. He used to run all the way to the line and the end result was a trail of vanquished horses in his wake. He used to literally gallop them into the ground on his best days.

He will come in relatively fresh and this year’s Champions Cup is thus likely to be run in a good time. 

Warrior’s Rest will be one of the dark horses. 

The declarations for the race are tomorrow.  

Tarry’s perennial Grade 1 bridesmaid Cirillo ran a fine 0,25 length third in the Champions Cup last year. Cirillo will not run in this year’s renewal as Tarry  felt he deserved a rest after a tough season. However, he pointed out he might have pulled him out of the July had he been certain  Shango would have got in as Cirillo would have had better prospects in the Champions Cup over a trip he had proven he enjoyed. As it happened Shango was only made second reserve in the July although both of his stablemates Cirillo and Shah Akbar were  included in  the final field. 

Shango then won the July consolation race, the Grade 3 Hollywoodbets 2200, beating the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup winner Black Knap by a neck, despite giving him 5.5kg. The Lonsdale runner up Matterhorn, who gave Black Knap only 1kg when beaten a shorthead, was included in the July final field so Shango had proven a point.   

Tarry admitted he had stopped fretting about the July selection process about six years ago and these days just accepted his fate.

However, he said the process sometimes made it difficult for a trainer to plan a horse’s assault on the race.

He said in the case of Shango he had won the Grade 2 Dingaans last season and beaten this year’s July favourite Got The Greenlight in the Grade 1 SA Derby. He had subsequently finished fourth in the Grade 1 Daily News and just 4,70 lengths back in the July. He had then gone immediately for surgery and only made his reappearance in April this year. Tarry was very pleased with his comeback 3,75 length fifth to Puerto Manzano over 1600m and said he came out of the race fine and all was on track. However, he then ran well below par in his second run after a layoff and reckoned this might have been the reason for his ultimate elimination from the July field. Shango subsequently ran a 0,75 length second to Johnny Hero in the Grade 3 Jubilee but was giving the latter 4kg and that was the completion of a perfect preparation. 

Tarry acknowledged the July as a great race and respected the tradition of giving preferential consideration for final field inclusion to the winners of certain races. However, he said the process had flaws that made it frustrating for trainers when it need not be. The chief habits he questioned were putting in winners of races like the Grade 3 Jubilee, Grade 3 Cup Trial and Grade 3 Track And Ball Derby when they had either beaten weak fields or had narrowly beaten other July entries who had been carrying a lot more weight. He pointed out that in the latter case the beaten horses who was eliminated would come into the July better weighted than the winner.  

Andrew Harrison

SOUTH AFRICA’S obsession with sprinter/milers has been to the detriment of horses with stout pedigrees and this has resulted in races further than 2000m being few and far between especially in KZN. This dearth of staying races makes sorting through the form that much more difficult as there is often little collateral form over the trip.

Ironically, Australia’s similar obsession has led to their most famous race, the 3200m Melbourne Cup, regularly falling to foreign raiders ever since the Irish-trained Vintage Crop opened the door in 1993.

So, it is with little conviction that Blue Planet is taken to win the seventh over 2400m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today.   Carl Hewitson’s runner has been in good form since shedding his maiden but goes this trip for the first time. However, he boasts a stout pedigree that suggests that he should see this out with ease. In his first two post maiden efforts he was close up over a mile in spite of unfavourable draws but better drawn over the same trip last time out he finished with a rattle to get within a length of the winner.

Leading owner Chris van Niekerk is hunting another champion owner title and Sean Tarry saddles Black Thorn who makes his local debut. Like Blue Planet, he has shown good form over shorter but may also now be looking for this trip. Mambo Symphony is another trying this trip for the first time but should also see it out comfortably as his last win was over 2000m on the poly. Space News, stable companion to Blue Planet, was successful over course and distance last time out and will have his supporters with four-claiming apprentice Kayden Brewer, who is being mentored by Hewitson, keeping the ride.

It’s a ten-race card with an early 11.25am start. The bi-pot kicks off in the second where Don’t Touch Me should be good enough to get you through the first leg. He made a smart debut for his new stable and has come on physically over the past month. He is drawn a touch wide but should have more to come.

Louis Goosen holds a useful hand in the first leg of the PA with Beckoning Beauty and Lavu Lavu. Beckoning Beauty has made good improvement since being fitted with blinkers although she switches to the turf. Kom Naidoo sends out Magicallee who showed up well against males last start. She is also back on turf but goes well this distance. Lavu Lavu is over her best trip but another that switches to turf.

The first leg of the Pick 6 is an open affair where Sonjador gets another chance to shed his maiden but although he has been consistent, he has been costly to follow. Willy The Wizard finished a neck behind Sonjador when last they met but was much improved when trying ground for the first time. He has only had three starts and should have improvement to come and can turn the tables even though he has the worst of the draw. Executive Decision is showing signs of coming to hand and enjoyed the trip last run.

The fifth could rest between Secret Giver and Victory Twist. Both started short-pried favourites at their last visits to a racecourse. Secret Giver was narrowly beaten and he has been placed in four of his five starts. The form has been franked and he can make amends. Victory Twist stacks up as the biggest threat as he was also narrowly beaten at his last outing over course and distance. Giant’s Castle made sudden improvement last run behind Parallax who franked that form with a game second on Monday.

Papillion looks the pick of the field in the sixth as she has been knocking on the door for some time now. She meets a weak field here and should make the frame at least. Others to consider are Dunquesne Whistle, Red Hot Chili Girl and Noble Nova.

The eighth is a tricky affair but Straight Up has been trying further of late but is effective over this shorter trip and is in good form. Fireonthetrack is hardly ever out of the money and was finishing strongly when upstaged by rank outsider Rocky Coast last time out while Banzai Pipeline has been trying further of late but seems more effective over this shorter trip and should be included in all calculations.

Sofia Erin can round off the Pick 6 after making a cracking debut for her new stable. Biggest danger could be Silver Dazzle who is long overdue another win, and goes well this course and distance.

Andrew Harrison

All Jockey Academy apprentices get their first taste of riding work in the quieter climbs of Ashburton where those trainers play guinea pig. But one soon knows when an apprentice has caught the eye of the Summerveld hordes when their trips to the riding ‘kindergarden’ become fewer and fewer.

Kaidan Brewer is now a rare sight at Ashburton and after watching his ride on Miss Emblem in the card opener at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday, it is not difficult to see why. It was a ride out of the top draw, Brewer showing tactical nous and nerves of steel to get his mount home for Carl Hewitson who has taken him under his wing.

Considering that Hewitson mentored his son Lyle, who will in a fortnight’s time collect his second jockey championship, Brewer is in good hands as “long as he keeps his head screwed on,” commented Hewitson Snr post-race.

After tugging hard in the early stages, Brewer settled Miss Emblem into rhythm as Tostada went clear. Once in the straight, Brewer sat almost motionless until 300m out before asking his mount for an effort. It was a comfortable win in the end but a ride well worth watching in a few replays.

There were a few ‘wag-n-bietjie’ races on Sunday and the trend continued in the second. If the early pace had been any slower the field would have broken into a canter, but it played into the hands of Keagan de Melo aboard Lord Of The Manor. Going 1800m for the first time and not certain to see out the trip, De Melo had the opposition behaving as if it was a false start as he slowed them up to a crawl. Richard Fourie final took up the challenge, sending What A Blast to the front but the damage had already been done. Lord Of The Manor kept rolling in the home stretch to hold on narrowly from a fast-finishing Cane Lime ‘N Soda.

Apprentice Thabiso Gumede, who rides regularly for Duncan Howells, employed similar tactics on the Howells-trained Parallax in the third in a bid for a second successive win, but fellow apprentice Jabu Jacobs delivered Smart William with a sweeping late run and there was little Gumede could do to hold the challenge from Peter Muscutt’s runner.

Jacobs was back in the winner’s enclosure three races later, again for Muscutt, as he produced Mr Piggalle with a telling late effort up the outside of his rivals to win going away.

Rachel Venniker’s determination to become a jockey is paying off in spades as she booted home her third winner in less than a month. Two of her wins have been for former 11-time SA Champion Jockey Michael Roberts including yesterday’s triumph on reserve runner Tupelo Honey, the grey leading from the jump to win the fifth.

 Female jockeys are making waves around the world with Rachel Blackman winning the Grand National, one of the most fearsome steeplechases in the world, Haley Turner and Hollie Doyle top riders on the flat in the UK and Lisa Allpress the four-time champion jockey in New Zealand to name but a few.

Gabriel Pieterse rounded off a fine day for the apprentices as he had Mind Set up with the pace from the jump and then pinching a break at the top of the lane. From there Louis Goosen’s runner never looked like getting caught although the line came in time as the pack was closing fast.

Andrew Harrison

ERIC SANDS has made the tough decision to withdraw Rainbow Bridge from the Gr1 HKJC World Pools Champions Cup.

The season-ending race will be run over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday, July 31.

After scratching his head over the past two weeks, Sands decided on Friday that it was to Rainbow Bridge’s benefit that he miss the race.

“It’s a million rand race, and I would love to go for a million rand race, but why do I want to get blood out of a stone,” he said.

 “Two years ago, he won the race and he should have beaten Soqrat by five lengths. Last year he got beaten by his brother (Golden Ducat) but he should have beaten Cirillo (third) by five lengths.

“He’s had a tough season and he’s given everything. His run in the July was probably his worst. I could get him back but if he gets beaten people will say I should not have let him run.”

“He’s not just a horse, he’s my friend and I would never do that to a friend,” Sands concluded.

This season Rainbow Bridge won the Gr1 Cape Town Met, the Gr2 Drill Hall Stakes and the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge. He was also second in the Gr2 Green Point Stakes, beaten a short head by Belgarion, and second in the Gr1 Queen’s Plate.

His last run in the Gr1 Vodacom Durban July was his worse showing this season, finishing eighth, beaten five lengths by Kommetdieding, the run that prompted Sands’ decision.