Anton Marcus, as possibly the country’s most sought after jockey, surprisingly has only two rides in the jackpot of Gr 1s at Scottsville on Saturday.

One of them is aboard the always vaunted Joey Ramsden-trained five-year-old entire Red Ray, who makes his comeback from a 16-month layoff in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, a race he finished second in two years ago.

Marcus looks to have a top ride in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion aboard the Vaughan Marshall-trained colt Always In Charge.

Red Ray (Liesl King)

Red Ray made the long sojourn via Mauritius and England to Dubai after his runner up finish at Scottsville in 2014 but only ended up having one run overseas, finishing a 6,25 length seventh in the Gr 2 Al Fahidi Fort over 1400m on the turf, despite starting 2/1 favourite.

Marcus said about Red Ray’s well-being at Summerveld, “He is doing fairly well and I am looking forward to riding him.”

Markus Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman elaborated and said due to previous soundness issues they had not pushed Red Ray to the limit in training, so could only have him about 80% fit. He added, “We would have preferred to have a run under the belt.” However, he said the Western Winter entire was as fit as they could have him under the circumstances, as well as sound, and connections were hoping for a good run. He runs off the identical merit rating of 108 he had in the race as a three-year-old and carries 56kg from a middle draw of eight.

The Captain Al colt Always In Charge, who like Red Ray is owned by Markus and Ingrid Jooste, lived up to his name in his second start over 1200m at Kenilworth on April 23. He was cruising at the head of affairs until the business end where he pulled away impressively to win by 3,25 lengths under MJ Byleveld. Anthony Delpech, who rides the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Paperback Writer in Saturday’s race, confirmed he had been impressed by Always In Charge, having been on the runner up that day, Cock-A-Hoop.  Kannemeyer only mentioned Always In Charge when talking about the horses to beat in the Gold Medallion.

Marcus confirmed, “He is a nice horse.”

Marshall has a fine record in Scottsville’s two-year-old Gr 1s and last won the Gold Medallion in 2009 with Var colt Villandry.

Marcus has a prolific recent record in the Gold Medallion, winning it with Seventh Rock in 2007, Warm White Night in 2008, Delago Deluxe in 2011, Guiness in 2014 and Seventh Plain last year. All of them were owned by Jooste.

By David Thiselton

High-flying trainer Mike Azzie has a strong hand in all four of the Gr 1 1200m races at Scottsville on Saturday.

The most interesting of them is Oomph, who was bought out of a Port Elizabeth yard by Azzie’s chief clients Adriaan and Rika Van Vuuren and runs in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion from draw eight.

Mike Azzie (Nkosi Hlophe)

This former Alan Greef-trained Tiger Ridge colt has obliterated all before him in three sprint events at Fairview, including when giving weight away to all bar one runner in the Listed Epol Dahlia Plate over 1200m last time out and winning easing up by 6,25 lengths.

Oomph has been at Summerveld for a week. Azzie has only given him two half pace workouts to date and he will have a sprint up tomorrow (Thursday). He said, “He is a very good looking horse. I have kept Aldo (Domeyer) on, because he knows him well.”

However, Azzie also makes the stable companion, Var colt Rivarine, a “massive runner”. He pointed out he had finished just 0,9 lengths behind the much vaunted and unbeaten filly Cloth Of Cloud in the Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein last time out, despite initially tacking over towards the standside from a low draw and then tacking back in again in the closing stages.

He said, “He has been moving well.”

He is drawn seven and Karl Zechner retains the ride.

Azzie runs the temperamental Splendid Garden in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint and he must have a shout carrying a nice galloping weight of 54kg under JP van der Merwe. He is drawn high in 13, but horses have been winning from all draws at Scottsville lately, especially when the inside rail has been moved outward, as it will be on Saturday.

Aldo Domeyer (Nkosi Hlophe)

Azzie revealed the four-year-old Black Minnaloushe gelding had been coming off a virus before his below par penultimate start. His staying on 6,25 length fifth in the Computaform Sprint last time out had thus been a “cracker”, especially considering he had jumped from an unfavourable low draw.

Azzie said, “He is doing very well, his coat is glowing and if he behaves in the pens he will run a big race.”

Azzie has top sprinting filly Lazer Star in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint, but revealed the Van Vuurens had bought her out of the Ormond Ferraris yard chiefly for breeding purposes and this might well be her last run.

He said Ferraris had done an amazing job with her considering her feet problems. Azzie and his team have worked on the few niggles she still has and he hoped she would run well for them. The jockey who knows her best, Weichong Marwing, is aboard the Toreador speedster from draw nine in a race where every horse seems to be running for second behind Carry On Alice.

Azzie admitted Trippi filly Announcing Rain had a tough task in the Allan Robertson Championship, but reckoned she was better than her last run when sent clear over 1400m and, not surprisingly, fading. She has been doing well at Summerveld and the yard are taking their chances and hoping she earns black type.

By David Thiselton

Most punters were caught unawares when the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Joan Ranger won the Gr 2 Camellia Stakes over 1160m on Champions Day at Turffontein at odds of 20/1 and she is unlikely to start that long at Saturday’s festival Of Speed despite meeting a much stronger field in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint over 1200m.

Those who had followed her closely would likely have been licking their lips at the price on Champions Day before helping themselves to an each-way opportunity which had slipped through the net.

Joan Ranger (Nkosi Hlophe)

Houdalakis summed it up yesterday by saying, “The bend is not for her.”

This is despite her being by Triple Crown hero Horse Chestnut out of Rambo Dancer mare Fashion Edition who won six times from 1300m to 1800m.

Joan Ranger won her maiden over 1400m and had been tried in four Gr 3 races from 1400-1600m. The fact she earned three close up thirds in the latter events proved her class as she had shown a lot of pace in all of them. When dropped in trip to 1200m at Scottsville, she duly romped home. The form of that event now looks good too, as she beat Elusiveenchantment by 2,25 lengths and the latter has won both of her subsequent  course and distance starts.

Joan Ranger was tried over 1400m again subsequent to the Scottsville race in the Gr 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes at Greyville and once again her pace was her undoing. She fought for her head after the jockey had attempted to settle her in second place behind the leader. Yet, she still managed to stay on for a 1,25 length third.

Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)

She was crying out for another sprint trip and duly, after being able to use her lengthy stride the whole way, admittedly from a favourable high draw, she found a strong finish in the Camellia Stakes and won cosily by 1,25 lengths.

She will arrive at Scottsville on the morning of the race, having travelled from her Vaal home base.

Houdalakis concluded, “The owner is the breeder, so it’s all about black type.”

Carry On Alice looks impossible to oppose in Saturday’s race.

However, Joan Ranger looks to have the class to defy her 102 merit rating and earn a place.

She is officially the second worst handicapped horse in the twelve horse field, but it should be borne in mind that since her debut she has only been given two opportunities to run in sprints and she has won both of them comfortably.

She is drawn eight and will be ridden by Brandon Lerena.

By David Thiselton

Racing industry persons of all walks were watching the “public” section of the SA Horse Racing website with keen interest yesterday morning and the most notable scratching from Saturday’s big Scottsville Festival Of Speed meeting was the impressive Robbie Hill-trained Red Chesnut Road.

Hill said after withdrawing the unbeaten colt from the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, “He has an abscess on his hoof. There are a lot of disappointed people, but it is what it is, we couldn’t run him.”

Hill has no doubt the blinkered Highlands Farm Stud-bred Pathfork colt will stay up to a mile, so he will still have two more big race opportunities this season, the Gr 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m and the Gr 1 Premiers Champions Stakes over 1600m.

Red Chesnut Road had looked likely to be the meeting banker on Saturday as no other juvenile male had come close to creating the impression he had in his respective 7,75 length and 6,25 length romps in a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m and in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes over 1100m, both at Scottsville, respectively.

Red Chesnut Road (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, the Gold Medallion has now been thrown wide open.

It would be a brave man to bet against the unbeaten Horse Guards as he represents the Dennis Drier yard, who have won five of the last six renewals of the Gold Medallion.

However, the most interesting entry is the Tiger Ridge colt Oomph, who has won all three of his races in Port Elizabeth with consummate ease, all of them over 1200m and one of them being a Listed event.

He has been bought out of the Alan Greeff yard by SA Triple Crown-winning owners Adriaan and Rika van Vuuren and will be saddled by their trainer Mike Azzie. However, his regular pilot Aldo Domeyer remains aboard.

The Mike de Kock-trained Australian-bred by More Than Ready, Act Of Loyalty, is another interesting entry as he beat a moderate field on debut over 1200m at the Vaal a lot more comfortably than the 0,2 length margin suggests and looks to have plenty of scope for improvement.

Corne Spies has shrewdly declared his classy filly Seattle Singer to face the boys in this race instead of pitting her against the like of The Seecret Is Out, who would have had her held, in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship for fillies. To date she has been runner up in three stakes race, including two Gr 3s. As a maiden she had weight allowances in all of them, but when she did get off the mark last time out in a Maiden she did it in impressive style, getting the better of a ding-dong tussle with the Mike de Kock-trained Ektifaa over 1200m at the Vaal with the rest of the field nine lengths back. She will receive a 2,5kg gender allowance on Saturday.

Vaughan Marshall has a good record at the festival Of Speed meeting and has Captain Al colt Always In Charge involved, a facile winner of his maiden at Kenilworth and the form has worked out well.

Sean Tarry has had a magnificent season with his two-year-olds and Red Rock is his representative, although at first sight he will have to improve on his last run when only managing a well beaten fifth in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb.

Azzie also has the promising Var colt Rivarine in the race. He was a 0,9 length runner up to the classy filly Cloth Of Cloud in the Gr 1 SA Nursery with the rest of the field well beaten.

The Kumaran Naidoo-trained Godolphin Barb runner up Over Sure is one of only two KZN-trained horses in the race.

Dean Kannemeyer has entered Paperback Writer, whose form isn’t too inspiring, but this will only be his third start and as a superbly bred horse, by Var out of an Elliodor Gr 1 SA Fillies Guineas runner up, he could still prove himself worthy.

Brett Warren will saddle the classy Rebel King colt Sporting Monarch, who won easily on debut and was then narrowly beaten by the promising British Royale, to whom he was giving 5kg, second time out over 1000m with the rest of the field in a different province.

By David Thiselton

Silver Mountain will take her chance in the Tibouchina Stakes at Greyville on Saturday week and her performance there will determine how long she stays in KZN.

The Mike Bass-trained Cape Fillies Guineas winner was originally to have run in last Saturday’s Woolavington but Candice Robinson said: “We are not 100% sure that she gets 2 000m and, had we run her, we might not have learned anything.

“She hasn’t been thriving in Durban and we will bring her back home to Cape Town if she doesn’t run well in the Tibouchina.”

Silver Mountain, fourth in the Cape Guineas, only managed sixth behind Bela-Bela when odds-on for the Daisy Fillies Guineas earlier this month. That was her first start since beating all except Illuminator in the CTS Million Dollar in January.

Michael Clower