Apprentice Lyle Hewitson proved yesterday he can mix it with the best even on a level playing field when winning the Gr 3 World Sports Betting East Cape Derby over 2400m at Fairview aboard the Justin Snaith-trained Captain Al gelding Captain Splendid.

Hewitson dropped his mount out to last from a wide draw and had him perfectly relaxed behind a decent pace.

The Fred Crabbia-owned horse made steady progress up the inside rail to catch the favourite Welsh Emperor and win comfortably in the end.

Hewitson has been making record-breaking progress in the apprentice ranks.

However, this was an especially significant victory as he was not allowed to claim his usual 2,5kg.

It was Hewitson’s first Graded race success.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Lyle Hewitson (Nkosi Hlophe)

Tevez will stick to similarly low key events for the rest of the season after romping home in the Racing. It’s A Rush Pinnacle Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Aldo Domeyer (Nkosi Hlophe)

Those who made him evens favourite feared the pace was nothing like fast enough when he sat handy and struck the front fully a furlong from home but apparently Aldo Domeyer never had a moment’s doubt.

He said: “Tevez broke nicely, the gaps came at the right time and he was a bit more impressive than the length and a half margin would suggest.”

The six-year-old was the first leg of a treble that took Mike Bass to 90 for the season and daughter Candice said: “He went to Durban in the previous two years. The first time he bled and last year he didn’t do well so there is no point sending him again.

“He is a super little horse but he is not a robust sort and you have to be careful that you don’t overdo it with him. He has a short run but he is as honest as the day is long. There are only two more suitable Pinnacles left this season and he will run in both while next season he will have another go at the Merchants and the Cape Flying.”

Stable companion Our Mate Art, who created a significant impression when making a winning debut against older horses last Tuesday, is likely to step up to Grade 3 company in the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery on May 28.

This race attracted only 12 entries when it closed last Wednesday and three more were added after it was re-opened for 24 hours. A similar, less successful, approach was adopted with the Fillies Nursery and nothing could be added to the original ten.

However these include China Pearl, one of two winners for Brett Crawford on Saturday, and the potentially high class Miranda Frost who underwent an operation on her nose after weakening in the final 200m of the Perfect Promise. “There were various pustules in her nasal passage that had to be removed as they were causing infections,” said Joey Ramsden.

Tevez (Liesl King)

He chose a less drastic remedy for his own nasal problem, deciding that the best cure for a bad cold was to stay at home and supervise daughter Zara’s seventh birthday party – and so watched on TV when Donovan Dillon’s mount Table Bay (backed from 7-1 to 14-10) proved too good for his opponents in the first and when Jetano came right away in the final furlong of the 2 000m handicap.

Heavelon van der Hoven’s mount missed a recent trip to Port Elizabeth because of an eye infection and, according to assistant Ricardo Sobotker, Durban is now under consideration with the alternative being the Winter Oaks at the end of next month.

Richard Fourie, whose phone call to Billy Prestage for the ride on Castlewood in the Place Your Bets Maiden proved rewarding, is full of enthusiasm about Legislate’s new career as a stallion.

Fourie rode the horse in 14 consecutive races including all his victories and said: “Legislate was a spectacular racehorse, by far the best I have ridden. If he had gone overseas he would have won internationally. He is a strong individual and I am convinced he will be a stunning sire. I would stand in a queue to buy his babies.”

By Michael Clower

Marinaresco could be diverted to the Vodacom Durban July if – as expected – he wins the Winter Classic at Kenilworth on Saturday. And, if he does, his price will tumble.

Seemingly Mike Bass, Marsh Shirtliff and Bryn Ressell are preparing to kiss goodbye to a favourite’s chance in the Winter Series for a crack at the big one.  There would hardly be a dry eye in the house if the Milnerton maestro, previously successful with Trademark, Dunford and Pocket Power, brings it off with his final throw of the dice.

Silver Mountain (Liesl King)

Candice Robinson said: “Marinaresco is nominated for the July and he may well run if he does well on Saturday.”

The gelding was third in the Investec Cape Derby, finishing just in front of July favourite Black Arthur, before returning to take the Winter Guineas with a devastating turn of foot.

He was 28-1 with Betting World yesterday, and 25-1 with World Sports Betting, but he could shorten in the next few days as bookmakers assess the implications and seek to get first run on punters.

But the Bass stable is none the wiser about Silver Mountain’s below par return in the Daisy Fillies Guineas after blood tests showed nothing wrong. She is likely to step up to ten furlongs in the Woolavington on Saturday week. “She drew well in that and she will probably run,” said Mrs Robinson.

The 2014 Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner King Of Pain will be ridden by Brandon Lerena for the first time when this year’s Chairman’s Cup winner is one of four Joey Ramsden runners in the Betting World 1900 at Greyville on Friday. Anton Marcus will choose between The Conglomerate, Disco Al and St Tropez.

By Michael Clower

Sean Tarry has three runners engaged in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 to be run at Greyville this Friday.

He said, “Serissa is an honest horse and will ensure a decent pace so the horses won’t pull.”

A horse who will always benefit from such a pace is the evergreen Gold Onyx, especially when he is drawn as wide as he will be on Friday. Gold Onyx is known for his short but potentially devastating run in, which makes him suited to the tight Greyville track, and Tarry said, “A line can be drawn through his Drill Hall run as he was forced into a handy position over a distance short of his best. A big improvement can be expected.”

He continued, “Halve The Deficit’s last run was fair and he is not in a bad place.”

This seven-year-old was unlucky in last year’s July when running off a 109 merit rating, so will be dangerous off a current 103 merit rating if reproducing his best.

By David Thiselton

Tevez has 5kg in hand – in theory at any rate – in the Racing. It’s A Rush Pinnacle Stakes at Kenilworth tomorrow, and that’s a huge amount.

Tevez (Liesl King)

Admittedly the dual Merchants winner has to give away lumps of weight and he has been off for three and a half months but he is going to start favourite and he was 15-10 with World Sports Betting early yesterday afternoon.

“Often he needs his first run back but he is doing well,” says Candice Robinson. “However he wants things to go his way – he needs a good pace, to sit off them and be covered up. If he is too handy he doesn’t run his race.”

Indeed it’s the pace, or rather the possible lack of it, that is almost certainly his biggest danger. It certainly won’t be the lung-bursting gallop that brings out the best in him in races like the Merchants and so often Pinnacles are used as a prep for something else. This is not the case with Tevez because he is not going to Durban and is out to earn his keep until the big competitive Cape Town sprints come round again.

Harry Lime, 7-2 second favourite, is 3kg better with Tevez for three and three-quarter lengths in the Cape Flying Championship which should not be enough, and he was based in Port Elizabeth for his last two runs. “He’s got a small chance and the claim will help,” is the view of Justin Snaith.

Harry Lime (Nkosi Hlophe)

Tomorrow is the first time at Kenilworth for Lyle Hewitson, the former champion work-rider who is notching up the winners at a rate of knots. “He is talented and he is doing a lot of work-riding for me in Durban,” says Snaith.

Captain Bagg (6-1) should help the Tevez cause because he likes making the running although the shrewd Eric Sands will no doubt instruct Grant Behr to ensure that he doesn’t go a Tevez pace!

Interestingly the computer prediction has Harry Lime winning by a neck from Captain Bagg with Tevez failing to quicken and being beaten the best part of four lengths. It reckons 11-2 chance Kirumbo will finish fourth even though he is 1.5kg better with Captain Bagg for last time’s four-tenths of a length.

Olympian (10-1) is much better than the bare form of his seventh in a Pinnacle in March because he lost his chance at the gate that day but Buckinghampshire, Western Storm and Albarakah have surely been off too long to count here.

The Ramsden two-year-olds are on song and Table Bay showed enough first time to suggest he can win the first. He is a big price at 7-1 and 15-10 favourite China Pearl looks good 35 minutes later.

By Michael Clower