St Tropez, fourth in the Pinnacle at Turffontein on Saturday, is to represent Joey Ramsden in the World Sports Betting Grand Heritage Handicap at the Vaal on Saturday week. Macduff, ninth after losing valuable ground at the start, may also be in the line-up. However stable companion The Stone Thrower will miss the race.

Ramsden said: “The Stone Thrower was unlucky not to win in Durban – he kept drawing wide on the polytrack – but I feel his best trip is six furlongs. I have discussed it with Derek Brugman and we have decided that he won’t run.”

The trio are part of a select group that Ramsden has sent to Johannesburg under the care of much-travelled assistant Alson and include Vodacom Durban July hero The Conglomerate who will have a still-to-be-decided prep run before going for the Sansui Summer Cup.  The others include the stayer Coltrane, Tar Heel and Tabreek.

Candice Bass-Robinson has scratched both Ashton Park and Night Trip from the Grand Heritage, saying: “Both have too much weight. We will stick to Pinnacles in Durban with Ashton Park while Night Trip goes for the Joburg Spring Challenge at Turffontein on October 8.”

Michael Clower

Bishop’s Bounty is back on track for the R2.5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run on November 19 after flooring the odds laid on Rodney in the All To Come Graduation Plate at Durbanville on Saturday.

Apparently little went right for Michael Leaf’s colt when only fourth of five behind stable companion Sergeant Hardy in the Cape Nursery but, despite drifting from 28-10 to 5-1, he responded well to Richard Fourie’s urgings to hold the favourite by a neck.

“It was a game, gutsy performance and I was surprised to win  – he has only had one gallop since the Nursery in May,” said Justin Snaith. “The Ready To Run has been his aim since the day we bought him and, although he is a full brother to Red Ray, I don’t believe he is a sprinter.”

This was the fastest of the five races run over 1 200m and significantly Vaughan Marshall rates third-placed Rock Of Africa who was receiving 3kg – “Things didn’t work out for him but, if they had, the others wouldn’t have beaten him,” said the Milnerton trainer.

Saturday was, according to those whose memories go back furthest, the first time that the country course has ever staged a ten-race card and Snaith took half of it to record his first Durbanville five-timer and boost his staggering strike rate which is running at over five winners a week this season – or 267 a year!

Fourie rode four of the stable’s winners while in the Raymond Davies Allowance Plate Donovan Dillon took over on 11-1 shot A Time To Dream who returns for the Diana Stakes on October 9. “She did it quite easily but she still needed the run,” reported the rider.

Although the appropriately-named Overshadow (who looked an absolute picture) completed the quintet in the Gillian Dempsey Handicap, the one to note from this race is surely runner-up Star Chestnut who finished like a train, making up five lengths in the final 300m, and would probably have won in another five strides.

Candice Bass-Robinson is considering the Choice Carriers Championship on October 29 for Live Life who led a furlong and a half out under Grant van Nierkerk to justify 22-10 favouritism in the Racing. It’s A Rush Handicap. The R2.5 million purchase is a half-sister to the 2014 Choice Carriers winner Cold As Ice.

“We are very excited about this filly,” said the trainer who has signed a sponsorship deal with World Sports Betting. “She has a lot of speed so I don’t know how far she is going to get. We will try 1 400m and, if she doesn’t stay, we will have to stick to sprinting.”

Glen Kotzen has already earmarked lot 95 in the CTS Ready To Run Sale on October 15 because the Philanthropist colt is a half-brother to Cape Fillies Guineas winner In The Fast Lane and his Met fourth Light The Lights as well as a full brother to Party Crasher who accelerated like a good’un when she finally got Greg Cheyne’s message in the opener.

“Party Crasher is an awesome filly with a beautiful action and a pedigree to die for,” enthused her trainer.

MJ Byleveld was, somewhat understandably, praising the benefits of modern surgery after he bounced back from last month’s knee operation to score on the Marshall-trained Kenny Trix in the Racing Association Maiden – “I was back on a horse only three weeks afterwards,” he related.

Snaith and Dennis Drier may be the two burning up the turf this term but neither can match the strike rate of Geoff Woodruff. The five-time champion is a bit further down the log but the Aldo Domeyer-partnered New Caledonia put him in double figures and kept his win-runner ratio at better than one in three.

Michael Clower

Vodacom Durban July winner The Conglomerate is one of the 47 nominations for the R2-million SANSUI Summer Cup (Grade 1) over 2000m at Turffontein on Saturday 26 November.

He is one of four horses trained by Cape-based Joey Ramsden. He overcame the widest draw in the 18-horse field to beat Marinaresco in the country’s premier race in July and will only have to carry 2.5kg more, relatively speaking, if he lines up in the Summer Cup.

Ramsen’s other horses are smart stayer minor feature-race winner Macduff, Coltrane and St Tropez, a close sixth behind Marinaresco in the Champions Cup last season.

Triple Crown winner Abashiri was widely expected to win the Durban July but a tough season told at the 12^th hour and he finished unplaced. He has had a good break and trainer Mike Azzie will be keen for the Go Deputy gelding to set the record straight if he lines up in the Summer Cup.

First entries for the race were taken on Friday and trainer Azzie entered another three horses –Amsterdam, Arctica and Deputy Jud.

Deputy Jud won the 2015 Supreme Cup and more recently finished second behind Dean Kannemeyer-trained entry Cape Speed in the Track and Ball Derby at Scottsville, while Amsterdam is lightly raced five-year-old who showed great promise in finishing second to French Navy in the SA Classic last year but only ran twice as a four-year-old. Arctica has good form in much lesser company.

Champion trainer Sean Tarry has five horses entered but ruling Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle is not one of them. At this early stage his hopes of Summer Cup glory rest on Algoa Cup hero Stonehenge, Samurai Blade, who placed in both the SA Classic and SA Derby, Grade 3 Jubilee Handicap winner Liege, seven-year-old Cagiva and five-year-old Fort Meyers.

Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren has entered both New Predator and Negroamaro, one of the leading three-year-old fillies last season. New Predator was not well ridden when third behind Legal Eagle in the Horse Chestnut Stakes last season and went on to win the Drill Hall Stakes and finish fourth in the 1600m Gold Challenge.

Two other horses from the stable, Crowd Pleaser and Irish Pride, are also on the list of entries.

Second entries close on 31 October when the weights will be announced, with final entries on Monday 14 November. Final acceptances fall due on Tuesday 15 November and the final field will be announced on Wednesday 16 November.

The entries with trainers for the SANSUI Summer Cup:

ABASHIRI (M G Azzie); AMSTERDAM (M G Azzie); ARCTICA (M G Azzie); BANKABLE TEDDY (B O Wiid); BROOKLYN BRAWLER (G H Van Zyl); CAGIVA (S G Tarry); CAPE SPEED (D Kannemeyer); COLTRANE (J Ramsden); CROWD PLEASER (J A Janse van Vuuren); DEO JUVENTE (G V Woodruff); DEPUTY JUD (M G Azzie); ENAAD (M F De Kock); FLYING ICE (O A Ferraris); FORT EMBER (P A Peter); FORT MEYERS (S G Tarry); FORTISSIMA (J A Soma); HIDDEN AGENDA (S W Kenny); HIGH DRAMA (J A Soma); IRISH PRIDE (J A Janse van Vuuren); JUDICIAL (T Zackey); JUXTAPOSE (S M Ferreira); KILLUA CASTLE (D A McKenzie); KINAAN (M F De Kock); LIEGE (S G Tarry); MAC DE LAGO (W H Marwing); MACDUFF (J Ramsden); MASTER ‘N COMMANDER (G V Woodruff); MASTER SABINA (G V Woodruff); MASTER SWITCH (G V Woodruff); MOGOK MASTER (J A Soma); NEGROAMARO (J A Janse van Vuuren); NEW PREDATOR (J A Janse van Vuuren); NO WORRIES (G H Van Zyl); OLMA (F Robinson); POLYPHONIC (A G Laird); PUNTA ARENAS (D R Drier); RABADA (B Crawford); ROCKETBALL (G H Van Zyl); ROMANY PRINCE (O A Ferraris); RUNALONG (P A Peter); SAMURAI BLADE (S G Tarry); SARATOGA DANCER (D C Howells); ST TROPEZ (J Ramsden); STONEHENGE (S G Tarry); TEN GUN SALUTE (D C Howells); THE CENTENARY (M F De Kock); THE CONGLOMERATE (J Ramsden); YER-MAAN (S J Gray)

Popular South African jockey Barend Vorster reached another major career milestone when he brought up his 700th Singapore winner aboard Mighty Glory on Friday night.

The 39-year-old has become a well-established jockey in Kranji riding ranks since he first dipped his toes in 2003 before deciding to make a more permanent move that in the blink of an eye has now stretched to 13 seasons – and counting.

That latest landmark win – that came in a $38,000 Kranji Stakes D Division 2 race over 1400m – may pale in comparison with his two most prestigious feats, landing the champion jockey title in 2004 and winning the Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint (1200m) aboard Ato in 2012, but the Singapore permanent resident was still rapt to have come that far.

“It’s lovely to get to this score. I’m first of all grateful to be here in this position in Singapore,” said Vorster who hit his last century (600 wins) with the Michael Freedman-trained Mr Armstrong two years ago on 21 February 2014.

“I’ve had great support from all the trainers here, especially Pat (Shaw) from the word go. He has always stuck with me through thick and thin.

“Hopefully, there will be more winners to come after that.”

Vorster, who had wife Nikki by his side to celebrate his milestone, said Mighty Glory ($30) benefitted from a fairly soft lead even if favourite Megusto (Vlad Duric) ranged upsides for most of the way.

“The horse went forward quite well and I was able to hold my ground even when the favourite came camping on our outside,” he said.

“He was always on the bit and kicked very well at the top of the straight. I think the blinkers had him sharper tonight.

“Fit horses win races, simple as that.”

Assistant-trainer Ricardo Le Grange paid tribute to Vorster and his contribution to the Patrick Shaw stable success at the winner’s enclosure.

“Barend never misses a day at the stable. He’s a hard worker and a great jockey and deserves every success that comes his way,” said the fellow South African.

A five-year-old by O’Reilly, Mighty Glory has now taken his record to three wins and 12 placings from 30 starts for stakes earnings past the $200,000 mark for the Tmen Stable. – Singapore Turf Club

The finer details are still to be finalised, but Duncan Howells has booked boxes at Turffontein to raid the Highveld for their spring season with the horses due to leave next Thursday.

“I have horses that I think will be competitive and there are no races for them down here,” said the Ashburton-based trainer yesterday.

So with the Charity Mile and the Sansui Summer Cup on the horizon, Howells will be revving a few engines at Scottsville on Sunday where he saddles four runners in The White Horse Function Room Handicap.

Saratoga Dancer and Ten Gun Salute are both top class but along with Crime Victim should find the seven furlongs on the sharp side leaving Sylvester The Cat the stable elect.

Talented but not always an easy ride, ‘Sylvester’ appears to be lengths better on his home turf where he has recorded all four of his wins.

There were high hopes for the gelding over Champions Season but he had shocking draws in all three of the features he contested and given that once he has a hold of the bit he is almost impossible to restrain.

However, he is a different proposition at Scottsville where he seems at home. In both recent wins on the track he has settled nicely in front and fought to the line. He takes on a smart field on Sunday but given a good draw and a strong pair of hands in Brandon Lerena he could prove the one to beat.

1200m course record holder Humidor had Sylvester The Cat (pictured) behind him when setting that record and is in receipt of 8kg, 3kg more than when last they met. But Humidor is up in trip and ‘Sylvester’ down which should even things out regardless of the weight turnover.

Tony Rivalland’s gelding blotted his copy book a week ago when playing up at the start and the field was sent on their way without him. Humidor was tried over 1600m last time out, the stake of the KZN Breeders Million Mile an obvious carrot, and although the “mile” proved a touch beyond his range he was far from disgraced in fourth behind top performers No Worries and Rabada.

That showing suggests that this trip will be well within his compass and ‘Sylvester’ will have a race on his hands.

The inclusion of Saratoga Dancer in the field for the Vodacom Durban July was widely criticised but as co-owner Chris Winter said before the race, “If Leicester can win the Premier League then we have a chance in the July.”

It didn’t quite work out for Saratoga Dancer but he ran a cracker from a tough draw finishing fifth.

It was previously thought that he was at his best over a ‘mile’ so Sunday’s trip is not beyond him although he will more than likely be short of peak fitness given bigger fish to fry on the Highveld.

Prolific owner Heinrich Kuhn has signed up Grant van Niekerk for his two runners on the day, Brave Knight in the opener and Ten Gun Salute but the former has not been out since January while the latter should find the 1400m well short of his best.

Stayers get a rare chance to spar for good money in a Pinnacle Stakes over 2400m, seventh on the card, where top weight Serissa could hold the key. With only nine runners carded there is a danger of the race turning into a “wag-‘n-bietjie’ canter and sprint for home by the front-runner Serissa could keep all honest. Sean Tarry’s runner takes a drop in class but the question is whether he can give weight to Rap Attack and Frikkie, both proven over the trip and in good form. Frikkie has improved since Weiho Marwing has decided on blinkers and he was a facile winner last time out. He does face stronger here but with apprentice Eric Ngwane claiming 1,5kg. Frikkie will be under the impression that he’s running loose under 51kg.

Andrew Harrison