The inaugural running of the R750,000 WSB Grand Heritage over 1475m is sure to be exciting, but as the 28 horse field was chosen on current form and it is essentially a handicap it is not an easy race to assess.

Lunar Approach is the choice to win as he was up with the best three-year-olds last season before going off the boil and he showed last time when running on strongly over 1200m in the Gr 3 Spring Spree Stakes that he had benefited from a layoff. He has come down to a competitive merit rating too. The only concern is his middle draw and whether he will be able to find cover because it seems likely the field will split into two groups hugging the respective rails.

The choice for second is Arctica because he is distance suited and likely well handicapped considering he could have two more wins to his name if he had been luckier in his last two. He is 3kg better off with Bulleting Home for a mere 0,3 length beating in their last meeting over 1450m, although the latter was said to have needed it badly that day.

The surprising choice to fill third is Netflix, as he has always struck as a nice type and in his last few attempts at between 1400m and 1600m at the Vaal he has been undone by unfavourable draws. He will relish a fast pace, as one who stays further, and can use his good turn of foot to run into the money.

Awsome Adam is an interesting runner as one who has a sustained finish and is distance suited.

Donny G has a ton of speed and has stayed on from the front here over 1400m in very soft going to win before, so he could get the trip and will be dangerous if he does.

Chepardo is quite well weighted considering he touched off Pivotal Pursuit in a 1600m race in April, when finishing strongly for second, and is now 7kg better off with the latter. He likes to be handy and has shown a good turn of foot when winning over anything from 1400m to 1700m.

The small filly Alexa has a fine turn of foot and was unlucky last time, so if she can get a run she could earn a place.

Bulleting Home has good cruising speed and a superb turn of foot so could be a big runner despite carrying 63,5kg. He is a robust sort who should love running in a big field and he is drawn close to the inside.

Thrust is an interesting runner as one who has a good finishing burst over shorter, but whom also looked as if he was crying out for this trip when staying on in the Gr 3 Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m.

Celtic Captain quickened well in the Gr 2 Canon Guineas when finishing 6^th, despite coming from a handy position in a race run at a furious pace. That augurs well for his chances in this big field handicap. He is 1kg better off with Humidor for a 0,75 length beating over 1400m on the Greyville poly last time out.

Humidor is a progressive sort with speed and class so he could still be on the up and might be well handicapped. He likes to run from the front and it won’t be easy to stave off the closers here.

Front Rank is distance suited and, although not the most reliable sort, his trainer Tyrone Zackey is known for his ability to have them primed for big races. It would be no surprise to him winning.

Moofeed proved in a 1450m event last time he is more than just a sprinter as he stayed on well from midfield. However, he has to carry a Gr 3 penalty and faces Bulleting Home on the same terms despite having been beaten 1,1 lengths by him in that last 1450m event.

Irish Pride has always had a touch of class and caught the eye when winning here last time over 1400m, so he must be considered.

They are selected in the order mentioned.

There are some fair bets in the meeting. Doosra, a half-brother to the like of Captain’s Knock, looks classy and the form of his debut appears strong, so he will be hard to beat in the third race over 1200m, although there are some well-bred first timers in the field.

Paree has come into her own in the typical fashion of a progeny of Silvano and she looks to possess some class, so she could be fair value to upset Seattle Singer in the fifth over 1200m.

The Stone Trower moved up superbly in his Highveld debut before running out of puff, so he likely needed it and can make amends in tomorrow’s sixth over 1200m.

Prince Of Orange has some class and is doing well for his new yard. He is coming into his own now and can win the eighth over 1475m.

Rivarine is packed with speed and class and can make it two wins in succession over 1000m at the Vaal in the 9^th race.

David Thiselton

National Champion Trainer Sean Tarry has three runners in the inaugural running of the R750,000 World Sports Betting Grand Heritage over 1475m at the Vaal on Saturday and was favouring the four-year-old Right Approach colt Lunar Approach as the yard elect.

However, he said the other pair, Bulleting Home and Donny G, had both been doing well too.

Lunar Approach made an eye catching comeback from a five month layoff when running on strongly in the Gr 3 Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m to finish a 3,15 length sixth behind the top class Kangaroo Jack.

Tarry is not too phased by the second run after a rest syndrome.

He said, “Lunar Approach has had a very good prep and is getting quite a bit of weight from the other two. I could have brought him in fresh, but under the conditions of the race he had to have a run. He was right up with the best three-year-olds and I then sent him to Cape Town for the Million Dollar. It didn’t really work out. He was then a bit flat in his two subsequent runs back in Jo’burg, so we sent him for a rest. He did nicely in his break. He strengthened up and got over whatever it was that was bothering him. His prep run proved that.”

Lunar Approach is down from a highest merit rating of 95 to 92, so looks well handicapped. His three wins have been from 1200-1600m so the trip should be ideal.

However, Tarry did say he believed the extreme inside and outside draws would be favourable, so Lunar Approach’s draw could be a bit of a concern. He will come into draw 14 if the two reserves are scratched so will be slap bang in the middle. Lunar Approach carries 58kg and Western Cape Champion Jockey Grant van Niekerk rides.

Bulleting Home returned from a three month break to win a 1450m Pinnacle Stakes event on the Turffontein Inside track on September 17, beating two other Grand Heritage contenders Arctica and Moofeed. He will be 3kg worse off with Arctica for a 0,3 length beating, which brings the latter right into the race on paper, and will face Moofeed, whom he beat by 1,1 lengths, on the same terms.

However, Tarry said, “He needed that last run quite badly. A three week gap, instead of two, would have been ideal between that run and the Grand Heritage. But having said that, he has had a good prep. He is doing well and moving even better than he was going into that last race. He unfortunately has a big weight, but we will take our chances. He has a nice draw, there is a lot of speed down that inside rail, and he has a nice turn of foot. Brandon Lerena will suit him and is significantly a heavy jockey, so he won’t have to carry too much dead weight.”

Bulleting Home, a robust five-year-old gelding by the late three-time national champion sire Western Winter, has to carry joint second top weight of 63,5kg and is drawn five.

Donny G, a four-year-old gelding by Seventh Rock, has plenty of speed, but also has a tricky draw as he will come in from 18 to 16 if the two reserve runners are scratched.

Despite his speed he has won a 1400m event from the front. Before. That was actually in very soft going and he fought off a challenger that day too, so he has a chance of staying the 1475m trip.

Tarry said, “It is touch and go, the extra 75 metres might stretch him. But he is well and has had a fantastic prep. He did far better over 1000m last time than I had expected him to do.”

That handicap race on September 13, in which he gave the winner Rafa 10kg and was beaten just 1,35 lengths, was his seasonal reappearance. However, it came less than two months after his 3,1 length demolition of a 1200m handicap field on July 28 down the Vaal straight. Tarry concluded, “He has quite a bit of weight which is a concern.” Donny G carries 62kg and Keagan de Melo rides.

Meanwhile, three of Tarry’s stalwarts. Legal Eagle, Carry On Alice and Cloth Of Cloud, have been progressing nicely since returning from rests on the farm.

Legal Eagle was in full training until mid-July, because the Vodacom Durban July and Champions Cup were two races which he could possibly have participated in. He ultimately did not run in either. However, he was able to enjoy only about a month’s holiday on the farm.

Carry On Alice had a farm holiday of nearly three months following her Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint run, where nothing went right for her.

Cloth Of Cloud missed Scottsville and had a long break on the farm. All three have been back in training for about a month.

David Thiselton

Point Of View: Duncan Howells (on R4#1 Portman Square) and Weiho Marwing (on R3#1 Sun Dynasty)

Candice Bass-Robinson’s KZN satellite yard under the care of long-time assistant Robert Fayd’Herbe got off the mark with Harry Da Wheels last week and they can add to their tally at Greyville tomorrow night where Fayd’Herbe saddles Ashton Park in the IV Tech Pinnacle Stakes over the all-weather mile.

The veteran galloper has always been useful and although just below top class he has been a loyal servant for the yard with eight victories to his credit. He makes his 40^th start this evening and has been in good form in his home province where he has placed in two Pinnacle Stakes events on the Kenilworth old course, both in soft ground.

It has been a feature of the Greyville poly track that older horses with mileage on the clock often take a new lease on their racing lives, possibly due to the more forgiving surface. The fact that Ashton Park goes well in the soft should augur well for his chances here.

His prospects will be further enhanced by the presence of Anton Marcus in the saddle. Marcus has been side-lined for the past month but has assured that he is back fit and in the pink of condition.

Some trainers are still reluctant to race on the poly for various reasons but Dean Kannemeyer is not one of them. He sends out Canigao and Last Tiger, both of whom on their best form will be a threat. Canigao has won five of his eight starts, mostly on the poly, but the colt has been off since finishing tailed off in a handicap back in May reportedly ‘fatigued’.

The mile is short of his best that suggests that he is short of peak fitness. The same cannot be said for Last Tiger. The only recent blot on his copy book came after a return to the turf. More recently he shouldered 62kg to victory over course and distance and although not particularly well in at the weights he is deadly on the poly.

Another poly specialist is Cat In Command. Pat Lunn’s charge has an excellent record over course and distance but he does take a rise in class.

Punters looking for a banker could find it in Breakfast Club, another poly specialist. Dennis Drier’s charge is unbeaten in two stabs on the surface and lines up in the fifth under Sean Veale.

Last time out he was set a difficult task in an MR80 handicap at Scottsville but was still send out favourite, backed in from an opening call of 2-1 to start 11-10. He ran well below form in a rough race finishing with just two behind him. The return to poly could see him back to his best and from a good draw he should at least be competitive.

After a short spell in the doldrums, Weiho Marwing saddled a double last Wednesday and Sun Dynasty has a bright chance in the opening leg of the Pick 6. The gelding had patchy Cape Town form before arriving in Marwing’s Ashburton yard but had shown ability. First time out for Marwing and making his debut on the poly, Sun Dynasty was fitted with a tongue-tie and the improvement was immediate as he finished a close-up second to Dale House.

However, he is up against two younger rivals that have given notice of their ability but are returning from three-month breaks. Tony Rivalland rested Marron after a disappointing effort in the KZN Breeders Juvenile back in June but prior to that he had run subsequent Gr2 winner Zodiac Ruler to within a length.

That form has since proven to be a little suspect but considering that this is a modest Maiden Plate Marron must come strongly into the picture especially if properly racing fit.

Royal Yevahn has finished behind Marron both times that they have met but Paul Gadsby has high hopes for his colt and the break may well have done him good.

Andrew Harrison

 

KZN’s record-breaking Champion Jockey Anthony Delpech has flown over to the UK where he will ride the Alec Laird-trained J&B Met winner Smart Call in Saturday’s Group 1 Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes over a mile at Newmarket.

Delpech will also ride the crack Ideal World mare in the forthcoming Breeder’s Cup meeting.

Delpech has recently been retained by Mary Slack of Wilgerbosdrift Stud and riding the Mauritzfontein Stud-owned horses was also part of the agreement.

Smart Call was bred and is owned by Mauritzfontein Stud, which is run by Mary Slack’s daughter Jessica.

Saturday’s race is mainly being seen as a preparation run for Smart Call’s Breeder’s Cup mission, where she will run in the Breeder’s Cup Filly and Mare Turf. It will provide an ideal opportunity for Delpech to get a feel of Smart Call.

This will be the first time Delpech has ridden in the UK. The race, which will be run on The Rowley Mile racecourse, is due to start at 5pm South African time.

Summerveld trainer Dennis Drier and his wife Gill will be among the spectators at the race.

They were invited by Jessica Slack to attend and hopefully buy some horses at Ireland’s Premier Yearling Sale this week, the Goffs Orby Sale, and they will also attend the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale with her at Newmarket next week.

David Thiselton