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

The galloping Blarney Bay makes considerable each way appeal at 12-1 in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap at Kenilworth today.

The Mike Robinson seven-year-old is at his best over 1 400m, when his searching pace will often last to the line, but the short straight here suits his game.

“He would have won last time had the race been on the winter course,” says his trainer. “He has come on a lot since and the short run-in will help.”

The top weight is an exciting horse to watch – and to bet on – as he always gives his all and, win or lose, he always looks as if he is going to come home in front. Indeed he was four lengths clear coming to the furlong marker last time. He was eventually beaten less than two lengths into fifth, not bad considering it was his first race for four months.

Heavalon Van Der Hoven (Liesl King)

Heavelon van der Hoven, who won on him last October, again takes 2.5kg off his back and he meets Star Chestnut (second) and Spirit Of Hamilton (third) on the same terms. Star Chestnut had to be switched inside the final furlong so it is understandable that World Sports Betting has him favourite at 7-2.

Nanna’s Rock has been backed from 5-1 to 33-10 favourite for the opening juvenile fillies after her debut third against older horses and she could well prove to be the one. However the Snaith pair Harakiri (4-1) and Laikipia (a huge price at 25-1) have both shown enough to suggest they can at least go close against Paddy Kruyer’s filly.

Lord Balmoral stands out in the Place Your Bets Maiden Juvenile and MJ Byleveld’s mount has already been nibbled at from evens to 9-10. He made his debut against older horses and was only beaten three-quarters of a length by fellow newcomer Our Mate Art who ran so well in Saturday’s Cape Nursery. William The Brave (10-1) was over five lengths behind Lord Balmoral.

So often in Kenilworth maidens there are a number of possibles who could upset the applecart but not this time and 35 minutes later 18-10 shot Hero Quest also looks a good thing. Corne Orffer’s mount has a length to find with Gyre (already backed from 4-1 to 5-2) on last time’s run but it was only his second start and he ran as green as grass, having to be ridden much of the way and turning for home almost last.

Mega Secret (7-2) will again have his supporters but he is costing them a fortune and there is a line of form that puts him behind Hero Quest.

The All To Come Maiden (race four) is far more complicated but Celtic Charm appeals at 11-2. She finished in front of Baqueira two races back and again ran well last time even though the stipes report says she was hanging in. “She got checked and had to switch in,” explains Mike Stewart, adding: “She will run a good race.”

La Flambee (4-1) is an obvious danger even though she has been off for nearly three months. “She has benefitted from her break and she worked better than I expected on Saturday,” reports Adam Marcus. “She runs well fresh and has definitely got to be in with a place chance.”

Prudence Prevails has a bad draw and Sabrina Fair has not raced since January while two-year-old Arctic Green meets the three-year-olds on terms 5kg worse than weight-for-age and that is worth about four and a half lengths. All three are quoted at 9-2.

Michael Clower