Andrew Harrison

RACING in KZN is taking flak from some quarters, mainly due of the large number of recent Pick 6 carryovers and other big dividends. Accusations range from race fixing to crooked jockeys and trainers and other unsavoury practices.

Anyone familiar with the intricacies of the sport knows that these accusations are mostly hogwash. Racing in KZN is highly competitive at the best of times but the modest quality of horses racing in this province at this time of the season is probably the root cause of the many shock results.

These horses are mostly not competitive during the high season, some due to a plain case of the slows, others with recurring niggles that in some cases lead to inconsistent performances.

Some advice to exasperated exotic bet punters is to structure your bets. Be wary of false favourites. Dissect the form of the so-call ‘good things’ and if it doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny and is also ‘light’ in the betting, pasop.

A banker or two always helps ease the financial outlay but also the occasional ‘field’ option in what is perceived as a difficult race, guarantees survival in that leg – and 10% of a million-rand pot is not a bad return.

In short, give it some thought.

Racing at Hollywoodbets Greyville today is another that will test punter’s skills.

It may be a case of take the plunge and know your fate early or load up in the opening leg of the Pick 6 where Policy Target will never get an easier chance to shed his maiden. Andre Nel’s runner has finished runner-up in all three of his local outings and should get it right this time around. Dangers! Zero Rated was not far back at his penultimate start, finishing a length behind Policy Target, and the experiment with blinkers failed next time out. Blinkers come off.  Golden Duck switches to the poly but has been consistent and stays the trip well. He is a possible threat along with Liaoluo Bay who was a distant third last run but can feature in this line-up.

Shastina has put in two promising efforts since her maiden success for Gavin van Zyl and although she does not have the best of draws, she should be competitive in the opening leg of the first jackpot. The draw is a concern but she does have a 4kg claimer up and two who look to be among her biggest rivals are drawn just inside. Sacred Ibis appears to be regaining her best form while Fire Faerie was two lengths behind Shastina at their last meeting. However, Shastina is 3.5kg better off at the weights given the apprentice allowance and both were drawn wide in that race.

Another open affair faces punters in the fifth. Justfortheepenny has come to hand again and was close-up in a useful field last outing. With a claiming apprentice aboard should make another bold showing. Purple Powahouse will have his supporters as he has been in mustard form of late. He got a six-point rise in the handicap for his last win but steps up in trip and could go in again.

Lowly fillies and mare’s handicaps are always tricky and the seventh is no different. Lady Legend made major improvement when fitted with a tongue-tie and did well to go all the way to hold off the well thought of Vihaan’s Pie. A 2.5kg claimer up sees her face this field on similar weight terms and from a good draw she can go in again. Marsanne has the worst of the draw but does come from off the pace so this should not trouble her. She was only a length off Lady Legend last start and can turn the tables. Maiden’s Prayer has been a little disappointing but was only three lengths back to Lady Legend. She now tries blinkers which could see her fight this one out.

Clinton Binda makes the trip from the Highveld with King’s Road whose last two wins have been on this track, the last on the turf, the previous on the poly. He has patchy form but nearly made all in his last Vaal start and has a 4kg claimer up to help. Valiente, Bernie’s Dream and Hampton Court are others to consider but that may be a ‘field’ option for the Pick 6.

Gary Rich does wonder with his small string and Arctic Princess can round off the meeting. She has come good for her new stable and is unbeaten back in blinkers. She was a comfortable winner last start and can go in again. Casadoro was a recent easy maiden winner from the worst of the draw while Foxy Lady has another poor draw to contend with but was running on nicely behind Arctic Princess at her last outing and can feature again.

David Thiselton

SUMMERVELD trainer Peter Muscutt has taken two horses down for the big Cape Town Met meeting to compete in Grade 1s, Ultra Magnus and Indi Anna, and neither of them should be written off because their last respective races showed them to be potentially better than their form suggests.

They have been in Cape Town for three weeks and Muscutt said, “They galloped at Kenilworth last Wednesday and I was more than happy with both of them. They will have to put up career best performances to be competitive but they are both in good order.”

Ultra Magnus, who runs in the Cape Flying Championship over 1000m, won the Grade 3 New Turf Carriers Merchants over 1160m at Turffontein last time out. He had been up against it from draw 12 out of 15 because, although high draws are usually advantageous down the Turffontein straight, on that particular day, Summer Cup day, it was noticeable that the high drawn horses were not going through with their runs. 

Yet the five-year-old Oratorio gelding stuck to his outside station and still managed to win by two lengths. The second horse home, Eden Roc, adds merit to the win as he had previously won a Grade 1 and a Grade 2 over 1200m. Ultra Magnus did receive 1,5kg from Eden Roc but beat him comfortably. The third horse home, Bold Ransom, also adds merit to the win. This up and coming four-year-old sprinter was carrying just 52kg and jumped from a favourable draw of two but was beaten 2,10 lengths. He has subsequently finished a narrow second in the Grade 3 Lebelo Sprint over 1000m and he then won a strong Pinnacle event over 1000m in which he received 6kg from Eden Roc and gave him a 1,40 length beating. 

Muscutt said about Ultra Magnus, “He comes in under the radar. Five furlongs is not ideal but the Kenilworth five is more testing than anywhere else in the country and that will suit him.” 

Ultra Magnus is lightly raced with only 12 starts under the belt, He has won six times and been placed four time, including a short-head runner up finish in the Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint over 1200m. In the latter race he received 7.5kg from Kasimir and beat him by 1,10 lengths so has a tough task on Saturday but he could well have improved and looks to be the dark horse of the race.

Indi Anna, a five-year-old Master Of My Fate mare, won the Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville in her last start. The impressive part of the victory was that she had over-raced throughout in a handy position and yet went on to win comfortably by 1.50 lengths. 

Muscutt said, “She was not entitled to kick the way she did after over-racing. I have removed all extra equipment, including the tongue tie, and have declared her in a compression mask but am probably going to take that off too. So, if she settles this time she should run well.”

Ultra Magnus is drawn nine out of 14 and Keagan de Melo replaces Donovan Dillon and Indi Anna is drawn six out of eleven and Gavin Lerena replaces Raymond Danielson.  

David Thiselton

SATURDAY’S Grade 1 Cape Town Met over 2000m at Kenilworth has attracted a small field of eleven but it is full of quality. 

Golden Ducat should be coming into his own half way through his four-year-old year. This high quality twice Grade 1-winner is distance suited and has a plum draw under the reigning national champion jockey Warren Kennedy. He is versatile, as he is able to lead and find extra, or come from off the pace and use his good turn of foot. 

Belgarion has improved into a genuine Grade 1 weight-for-age horse this season and it easy to imagine him being dropped out from a wide draw and then making a bold bid to mow the field down in the straight. He will relish the step up in trip from the mile of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate where he ran on well for third in a race that was run too slowly for his liking.   

The twice Vodacom Durban July winner Do It Again has never won the Met but was possibly an unlucky loser in 2019 when ending up too far back and arriving just too late to catch Rainbow Bridge. In the Queen’s Plate he looked his old self for the first time in a while and was unlucky as he was cramped for room when running on strongly from last. He was entitled to need that reappearance run and if arriving in the same fettle, he is a big runner.  

Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat went too quickly in the July so did well to stay on for sixth and fourth respectively. An interesting point was that Rainbow Bridge ran the first 2000m of that race in a time that was slightly better than the 2000m course record set by London News in the Daily News 2000 in 1996. That shows just how good he is over this 2000m trip and he did in fact win the Met two years ago.

The one possible concern is that he has come out second best in a number of races that saw him involved in a dog fight, including last year’s Met. He is at his best in his third run after a layoff, which he has here, and draw six gives him options. 

Queen Supreme is a fascinating runner as she comes off a second successive Paddock Stakes win and has been impressive in her last two starts. She gets a 2,5kg female allowance but does have a tricky draw of eight. In her only previous attempt at a Grade 1 against the boys this five-year-old mare ran fourth in the Summer Cup in her four-year-old season carrying just 52kg. That form would not be good enough to win here on the face of it but it should be remembered that she is Northern Hemisphere-bred so was still a three-year-old in real terms in that race. She has blossomed lately as she is now fully grown and this race will show just how good she really is.  

The other female in the race, Princess Calla, has to carry 51.5kg and is drawn in pole. She has 2,30 lengths to find on Queen Supreme from the Paddock Stakes. However, that was only her fifth career start and has always struck as one who would get better and better as she got older and as she went further. However, it has to be said, Queen Supreme did win with a bit in hand.

African Night Sky was an unlucky loser last time in the Glorious Goodwood Premier Trophy over 1800m when squeezed out on the rail and having to switch. However, he is now 2kg worse off and in his only previous attempt at the Met in 2018 he was beaten two lengths into sixth.

Silver Operator was a 3,65 length sixth in the Queen’s Plate and tries this trip for the first time. His dam by Captain Al was a Listed-winning sprinter, but he is by Silvano which give him hope of getting 2000m, but he will need a big step up on form. 

Cirillo is a perennial placed horse in Grade 1s and should be handy turning for home but this trip might stretch him and his old foes might be too good again.

Running Brave is well-named as she is courageous, particularly from the front, and she has two wins in Grade 2 company over this trip. She finished second in the Grade 1 Summer Cup. However, this is a big step up from that handicap event and she is officially 4kg under sufferance with the highest rated horse, Rainbow Bridge.

Sovereign Spirit might not yet have shown his best and is capable of a strong finish but he looks held on form.

Andrew Harrison

THE Marula Sprint (Non-Black Type) was always going to be a tricky affair given the quality of the field but it was a race that was always going to pan out for winner Pearl Of Asia.

Robbie Hill’s gelding possesses a smart turn of foot but for him to be most effective he needs a solid early pace from the front runners and that’s just what he got at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday.

Ziva La Winter and Celebration Rock set the desired pace and Donovan Dillon was content to sit off the early gallop before moving into contention up the inside fence. It was soon clear that it was going to take a good one to blunt his challenge and Pearl Of Asia scored comfortably from an ever game Good Rhythm to give Dillon his third success of the afternoon.

The was some serious scrimmaging as riders hunted gaps coming through the two-furlong mark, chief victim being Solid Gold who was the meat in the sandwich and squeezed out to last.

Mike Miller is having a tremendous trot with his two-year-olds and Edgartown was another to oblige in the card opener. However, Edgartown may have been a tad lucky to survive an objection lodged by Donovan Dillon aboard second-placed Crested Eagle.

Edgartown had been re-schooled after missing his first engagement due to unruly behaviour at the start, but it was all good yesterday as Ashton Arries had his mount out and galloping in a matter of strides, never to be headed.

About 150m from the line, Crested Eagle was looming large on his outside when Edgartown, racing green, shifted across Crested Eagle forcing Dillon to snatch up and track to the inside.

 Arries, cleverly, pushed his mount out to the line under hands the last bit with Dillon hard at work on Crested Eagle. There is no doubt that Crested Eagle was closing on the winner but not fast enough to force the issue according to the stipendiary board.

Ashburton-based Shane Humby has a reputation for not being hard on his horses and as a result many of them don’t see the racetrack too often. His general philosophy being, if the horse is not happy within itself, it doesn’t run – that’s not to say that they are all good enough to win!

Humby and first call stable rider Donovan Dillon banged home a quick double with Star Act obliging in the second and Purple And Green doing the honours in the next. Star Act, nicknamed ‘Pumpkin’ at home, put in a sustained finish to run down Flying The Star while Purple And Green fell off the early pace but picked it up when it mattered to get the better of Final Destiny.

There was drama in the seventh with Solar Flare being declared a non-runner. Solar Flare appeared to be hampered as the gates were sprung and others, most notably Sofia Erin and Wildly In Love were slow to go, Sofia Erin being restrained by her rider and fighting for her head before settling.

The race went to recent maiden winner Calulo who went back-to-back with Michael Roberts keeping faith with light-weight apprentice Mfanelo Zuma.

Many Pick 6 hopes rested on East Coast Star going into the last but after hitting the front early in the home straight, she was swamped close home as Jarred Samuel threaded Tinnie Prinsloo’s filly Love Of London through the pack.

Ashburton-based Prinsloo has been holding his own since arriving from Kimberley while Samuel seldom gets opportunities on horses with chances.

Once Covid restrictions are eased, he will take up a work riders’ position in Hong Kong.

David Thiselton

THE general view of the three-year-old male crop this season has been like a rollercoaster but on Saturday the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Second Base kept it on its current bull run when winning the Grade 3 Sea Cottage Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein Inside in impressive style under Chase Maujean.

The Gold Star Stud-bred gelding is yet another horse to prove the worth of the sire Gimmethegreenlight.

Janse van Vuuren-trained Second Base’s half-sister by Captain Al, Xplosive Kiss, and she won on debut over 1000m by five lengths so it is not surprising he and owner Laurence Wernars went back to the well. 

Wernars owns Second Base in partnership with A Devachander.

The scopey, long-striding bay has now won five races from six starts.

His win in his penultimate start in a handicap over 1800m was eyecatching as he did not have much cover but still relaxed well and displayed an impressive range of gears in the straight despite running off a 98 merit rating and carrying 58kg against older horses.

Punters must have missed that as he drifted out to 8/1 on Saturday. 

They must have believed giving 2kg to some decent sorts and having to jump from a wide draw would be too much.

Furthermore, he was 4.5kg under sufferance, according to official merit ratings, with the Dingaans fourth-placed Al Muthana.

However, there was always going to be a question mark about the latter’s suitability to the tight Inside track as he appeared to need every inch of the long Standside straight in the Dingaans.

Maujean was content to drop Second Base out to last in the running on Saturday. He displayed a fine turn of foot in the straight and won easing up by 1,75 lengths from Nartje, to whom he gave 4kg. Gimmethegoahead made it a first and third for Gimmethegreenlight, finishing 4,85 lengths back. The pacemaker Shah Akbar ran below his previous start by finishing a 5,60 length fourth. Al Muthana was a touch flat-footed at the top of the straight and did not find much extra either after traveling well enough in a good position from which to strike. His 8,75 length sixth was most disappointing.

The three-year-old male crop did not shine in its two-year-old season but were receiving high accolades after a number of classy sorts like Mount Pleasant, Malmoos, Forever Mine, Seeking The Stars Rascallion, Linebacker, Gatekeeper, MK’s Pride etc were introduced this term.

Their reputation took two successive blows, first when Mount Pleasant ran unplaced in the Dingaans, a race which was won by 9/1 shot Catch Twentytwo, and then when the 100/1 shot Russian Rock won the Grade 1 WSB Cape Guineas, defeating Malmoos and all of the previously heralded Cape Town stars. 

However, the crop’s reputation has been on the up ever since. 

Catch Twentytwo showed his Dingaans win was no fluke by winning the Grade 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes against a decent field. 

Cape Guineas fourth-placed Jet Dark then came out and won South Africa’s probable most prestigious weight for age mile, the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.

On Saturday Bartholdi, only sixth in the Tony Ruffel, won a handicap easily over 1500m. 

Second Base then impressed and Janse van Vuuren looks to have an exciting Triple Crown horse in his hands.