THE Racing Post has been sold to Exponent Private Equity in a deal that was completed on Thursday.

The business, which includes the Racing Post newspaper and its associated weekly print and book titles as well as a range of digital products, had been owned by a consortium led by Dublin-based private equity company FL Partners since 2007.

The Racing Post was launched as a daily newspaper by Sheikh Mohammed, who retains ownership of the trading name, in 1986 and has since developed into a multi-media business. It has offices in London, Newbury and Dublin and employs nearly 300 people.

Exponent is one of the preeminent private equity firms in London. Its investment portfolio includes Immediate Media (publishers of the former BBC magazines), Ambassador Theatre Group, Big Bus Tours, Photobox and Wowcher.

Racing Post chief executive Alan Byrne said: “We will continue our policy of investing to enhance the business and to provide our customers with the best possible service. We are excited by the prospect of working with Exponent whose experience in the media sector will be very helpful in growing our business.”

Oliver Bower, partner at Exponent, said: “We are delighted to be investing in the Racing Post. The brand is a market leader and has a pivotal position in an exciting and growing market. We are looking forward to working with Alan and the team to help the business to reach its full potential.”

Debt finance for the deal has been provided by Hayfin Capital Management, Lloyds Bank and Bank of Ireland.

RacingPost.com

Andrew Fortune has many admirers, also some detractors, but there is no doubting his talent.

Although it’s early days in the season he is pressing hard for his second National Jockeys title, already 21 winners ahead of his nearest rival, and if he keeps touring and riding the way he coaxed State Ballet to the line at Durbanville yesterday, barring suspensions he will finish streets ahead.

Carl Burger and Riaan van Reenen’s filly has been pressing hard for a win, leading for most of the journey before being caught at the death, but under Fortune she won rather cosily. The field was no worse than what she had had met in the past, indeed taking on males, but Fortune had them on a string from the start.

Leading from the jump as has been her want, challengers came thick and fast approaching the final furlong but Fortune did little but let out some rein and the chasing pack was left going up and down as the filly scored comfortably, seemingly never in trouble.

It was a riding lesson from a master.

Favourite Over Drive, having his first outing since January, was treading water inside the last 200m but should come on lengths from this outing.

Jockeys of old would never let a rival up their inside and those that dared going that route risked being stuck over the inside fence. As it was yesterday, Grant van Niekerk aboard favourite Ovar left the door wide open for stable companion Percival in the card’s top liner and Corne Orffer took full advantage. Slow out of the gate, Percival was amongst the back markers in a small field in the early exchanges but hugging the rail he came through smartly to win going away.

To be fair, Percival was always going the better and probably would have won where ever he made his run, but it could have been made a little more difficult.

It was a lot easier in the next as Lucky Tuesday followed up on the bounce with a facile win in the fifth. Van Niekerk always had the situation summed up although it turned into little more than a steering job as Candice Bass-Robinson’s mare was hardly off the bit.

Captains Companion, given a more patient ride after trying to make all the running in her two previous starts, finished a game winner of the sixth. Tucked in on the rail behind pace-making Hilaria, Orffer produced Brett Crawford’s runner when it mattered and she kept rolling strongly to win comfortably.

> Yorker found one better in the filly Quebee in a Listed feature in Sandown in the UK yesterday. Possibly undone by an early stroll in the mile race, Yorker fought on courageously. Just when he had it won, Quebee ran him down in the shadow of the post.

Andrew Harrison

The Alec Laird-trained J&B Met winner Smart Call will have a grass gallop on Saturday on the Newmarket Rowley Mile racecourse and Frankie Dettori will be in the irons. However, the jockey legend has not yet been able to commit to ride the Mauritzfontein Stud-owned and bred Ideal World filly in either of her next two races, the Gr 1 Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes over a mile at Newmarket on October 1 and the Breeders Cup Fillies and Mares Turf over one mile and two furlongs on November 5 at Santa Anita Park in the USA.

The Sun Chariot will be run on the Rowley Mile on October 1, so the aim of Saturday’s gallop is not only to bring her on but also to show her the track. The course is described as having minor undulations until the horses reach “The Bushes” two furlongs out, although these undulations would be a new experience for a South African horse and perhaps not so minor. From the Bushes the track goes downhill for a furlong into “The Dip” and there is then an uphill for a furlong to the finish line. The racecourse was the favourite riding ground of King Charles II, under whom horseracing flourished in the latter half of the 1600s, and is named in his honour. King Charles II, who loved horseracing and revelled in the company of his jockeys, acquired the nickname “Olde Rowley”. This was also the name of a stallion at the Royal Stud and the nickname came about as a reference to the many illegitimate children the King sired.

Smart Call has already had a couple of grass gallops on the vast Newmarket heath, which has 80km of turf gallops in total. This included a gallop on the famous Limekilns. However, most of her work has been done on the polytracks, of which there are a number of different types. The polytracks have currently been popular due to the dry conditions, which have left the turf quite firm.

Dettori has ridden Smart Call twice and Laird said he had described her as “a nice filly” but had not “over-enthused”. Laird added she had been below her peak and hoped Dettori would be more impressed by her this Saturday.

Smart Call (Met gallop) – Liesl King

Smart Call has been staying at Mary Slack’s Abington Place. Mike de Kock campaigns in the UK from this yard and his assistant Steven Jell is based there. However, Moffat Mngeni, who work-rode Smart Call in Cape Town when she was being prepared for the J&B Met, has been Smart Call’s constant companion. Laird himself has flown backwards and forwards and will be over there from Saturday until the running of the Sun Chariot. The Sun Chariot is being used as a “preparation” for the Breeders Cup and Laird said she would likely “need the run”, it being her first race since the Met eight months ago.
Smart Call will be flown to the USA together with all of the other European Breeders Cup campaigners. They will leave from Stanstead airport, which is near Newmarket, about a week before the Breeders Cup. She will attempt to follow in the footsteps of her paternal grand-dam Banks Hill, who won the Breeders Cup Fillies and Mares Turf in 2001.

Meanwhile in South Africa Laird has been preparing some of his better charges for the features ahead.

His Judpot filly Maleficent started at 8/10 for the Gr 2 Golden Slipper on Vodacom Durban July day but ran a flat race and could only manage fifth place. Laird said jockey Weichong Marwing had reported her to be hanging and she had “returned with a bit of a fetlock”. Consequently, Laird has been going slowly with her and he said it would be “50/50” whether she would make it in time for the Gr 1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas, which is to be run at Kenilworth on December 3. Otherwise, she will be aimed at the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas and the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic, to be run at Turffontein on March 4 and April 1 2017 respectively. The Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 during the SA Champions Season is also a long term plan for her as Laird believes she will go over ground.

Laird had high hopes for another Judpot filly, the four-year-old Polyphonic, who finished a 3,85 length fifth to Equus Champion Three-year-old Bela-Bela in this year’s Woolavington.

He is also hoping to qualify his six-year-old Bezrin gelding Bezanova for the Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity mile, which is to be run at Turffontein on the same day as the Breeders Cup, November 5. Bezanova won this race off a 104 merit rating in 2014 and last year finished a 3,85 length fifth off a 107 merit rating. Therefore, Laird reckoned he would stand a good chance of winning it this year off his current 96 merit rating, especially considering he finished just 4,2 lengths behind the best three-year-old in the country, Marinaresco, in his last start in the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m when facing the latter on weight for age terms.

David Thiselton

The Vaal has an eight race card today on the Classic track where only the first two races over 1000m will be down the straight. The high draws have been favourable down the straight on this course.

The highest rated race will be the second, an interesting Graduation Plate over 1000m. Three classy up and coming sorts look to have it to themselves and they are difficult to separate both on form and at the weights on official merit ratings. The draw might be the best way to separate them and thus the vote goes to the three-year-old Sean Tarry-trained Seventh Rock colt Red Rock. He would probably prefer 1200m but in his final start as a two-year-old in late June he flew up after a slow start to only just fail to beat Speedy Gonvarlez in a handicap over 1000m at the Vaal off a 92 merit rating. The latter has gone on to win another handicap over course and distance in easy fashion, while two unplaced horses in the Red Rock race, Just Africa and Jade Bay have also gone on to win.

Red Rock is 0,5kg better off at the weights on official merit ratings with the Mike Azzie-trained stablemates Rivarine and Roquebrune and is tipped to mow them down late. Rivarine, a three-year-old by Var, displayed his pace in the Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m when only just failing to lead from pillar to post. The brilliant Cloth Of Cloud was the horse which caught him in the shadow of the post. In the current fast conditions it would be no surprise to see the others failing to catch him. Roquebrune is a four-year-old gelding by Var and this long-striding sort looks to have plenty of class as well as pace. He is having his third run after a layoff of over six months and his second run as a gelding, so it would also be no surprise to see him win either, although he has to overcome the toughest draw of one by trends. Tour Of Duty, who is 3kg under sufferance with Red Rock, looks held by Roquebrune on their meeting over 1200m last time. Ronnie Rocket is in good form and is course and distance suited but is 7,5kg under sufferance with Red Rock on official merit ratings.

The best bet on the card could be Anna Pavlova in the fourth race, a maiden for fillies and mares over 1450m. She will relish the step up in trip and under Gavin Lerena from draw two this hard-knocking, progressive sort should run all the way to the line. French Legend looks to have plenty of scope for improvement too. On her debut over 1200m she moved up well and looked the winner before being caught late. It is a concern that she hasn’t run since that race on June 23, because she didn’t find extra late in that race and this is now 250m further, although she does have Pierre Strydom up from a good draw.

The value bet could be in the last race, a MR 64 handicap over 2000m. The Tarry-trained Jet Master gelding El Bombero is lightly raced for a five-year-old and has caught the eye in a number of his starts. He has a nice, long stride and was seen to run on strongly over 1450m last time out. In his only attempt at this trip he stayed on well to finish just 3,1 lengths behind Bankable Teddy back in December in the maidens and the latter went on to win the Listed Derby Trial and is now merit rated 96. El Bombero now has his third run after a rest and is drawn well in five with Gavin Lerena up. The three-year-old Dawn Assault also looks likely to relish the step up in trip and he represents the in form St. John Gray yard so looks the chief danger.

In the meeting opener, a Maiden over 1000m, a fantastically bred Mike de Kock-trained colt, Springhills, makes his debut. He is by Redoute’s Choice out of a Gr 1-winning New Zealand-bred sprinter by Volksraad, although he was passed through the ring at AUS$90,000, failing to make his reserve of AUS$100,000. However, he does not face a vintage field and has a plum draw of ten under accomplished apprentice Callan Murray. Mind Shade has been knocking on the door and will possibly be able to overcome his tough low draw with his good pace, while the same can be said of Edgbaston, who does not have much luck with draws. Two fillies who could earn are Pipkin, who is well drawn, and The Great Duchess who can produce a strong finish so will likely be dropped out from a low draw.

The hardest race on the card could be the seventh, despite it being a maiden. It is a weak 2000m event and a  number of runners will have to be included in all of the Place Accumulator, Pick 6 and jackpot. The De Kock-trained The Red List looks the obvious choice on paper. She is well bred being by Gr 1 Irish Derby runner up Golden Sword out of a Muhtafal mare who finished just a head behind the Horse Of The Year Winter Solstice in the Gr 2 weight for age Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m. She should also enjoy the step up in trip having stayed on well over 1600m last time. However, that was in a weak field and she has made breathing noises in both of her career starts to date, which is a concern. She also has a tricky draw of nine to overcome.

David Thiselton

DURBANVILLE WEDNESDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 COMMENTS BY WARREN LENFERNA:

1

Preview: PRUDENCE PREVAILS has found the perfect race to escape the maiden ranks and she looks very hard to beat here. She is definitely way better than her last run suggests. HUSSAR’S NIECE has not been far off in all her races and she can improve to get a lot closer now. RUSTAR DHOW can get into the action but they will all have to run some to beat the first choice. Watch the betting on the first timers as they won’t have to be super stars to make a winning debut in this race. (Warren Lenferna 1-2-4)

2

Preview: SILVER LAUREL has good maiden form and she looks ready now – hard to beat. FORT RUBY showed good improvement in her second start and based on that will be right there at the finish. SYLVANITE was not far off on debut and can improve to get a lot closer – respect. (Warren Lenferna 1-5-9)

3

Preview: OVER DRIVE made a sparkling debut finishing second. He has been selected as the best bet on today’s card and should take a power of beating – perfect draw and all points to him winning. He is returning from a rest but his trainer knows how to get them ready to win coming back from a break – the opposition is also not the strongest around. STATE BALLET is the only one that could trouble the first choice as his form is also good but he has a bad draw to deal with. In saying that, he does still nevertheless have a bright chance. PURPLE ROCK cannot be ignored for bets like swingers and quartets. (Warren Lenferna 9-11-1)

4

Preview: OLYMPIAN won and won well last time and beat a fair sort in the form of Le Harve – based on that showing he rates the one to beat again. Stable mate CAPTAIN SAM has been selected as the exacta choice and it looks to be a good race for the Vaughan Marshall yard. AL WAHED might find the opposition tough here but he also has some ability and can place. (Warren Lenferna 1-2-7)

5

Preview: LUCKY TUESDAY impressed when winning last time and she has been selected to follow up. ANNELINE won well on debut and then followed that up with a great run behind Moonblanched – she deserves healthy respect. MEGAN JONES is coming to form again and is a must for the quartet. (Warren Lenferna 3-4-7)

6

Preview: NORTHERN BALLET has won her last two and she gets the best draw today which will help her reel off the hat trick. She is the firm first choice. ME MYSELF AND I might not be the stable elect but I like her form and it is best to ignore her last run as she is way better that that reflects – I make her a runner and hopefully she will be a nice price and provide some value for the places. AMARILLO ROSE ran well last time and forms part of a strong hand from the Brett Crawford yard. She is worth a look and including in bets. (Warren Lenferna 3-4-1)

7

Preview: BLACK PARROT is improving with racing and now looks ready to score. CARDIFF CASTLE and CARBON OFFSET both ran well last time and a repeat effort will see them in the money again today. (Warren Lenferna 4-2-1)