Selangor Cup winner Hard Day’s Night is the highest rated horse in the Winter Guineas and he will have to give weight all round at Kenilworth on Saturday week.

Joey Ramsden, who has won the race with stars like Winter Solstice, Variety Club and Act Of War, said: “He worked at Kenilworth last Saturday and he will do so again this weekend. However Mr Wise Guy pulled up a bit wrong after his race last month and we will have to see how the next few days go with him.”

Snaith Racing are flying in Anthony Delpech for the meeting but at this stage the former champion seems more likely to ride Elusive Silva than Langerman scorer Ready To Attack in the big race.

Jonathan Snaith said: “Ready To Attack loves the soft and we are waiting for rain with him. He would be a major contender if we get it. In the Sweet Chestnut Stakes on the same card Anthony will ride Qing who is a very good filly.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Hard Day’s Night (Liesl King)

The weekend’s KZN racing unearthed a few prospects for the South African Champions Season, which officially starts at the Canon Guineas meeting on May 6.

Dean Kannemeyer is in tremendous form countrywide and had a feature double at Greyville on Friday night with Avontuur Stud-bred Mambo In Seattle colt Mambo Mime and Lammerskraal-bred Trippi filly Fromafar.

They started at odds of 11/2 and 22/1 respectively.

However, the Byerley Turk runner up Baritone was the weekend runner who looks likely to have the biggest impact on the SA Champions Season features.

This Justin Snaith-trained Trippi colt is out of the Gr 3 Jubille Handicap winner over 1800m, the Argentinian-bred daughter of Singspiel Candy Singer. Baritone has always struck as a type who would get better and better as he got older and so he proved on Friday night. In the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas in December he was beaten 2,2 lengths into sixth having had the run of the race from pole position and was a length behind Victorious Jay at level weights. He won a handicap over 1600m on Met day in impressive style, pulling away in the closing stages while still looking immature. Mambo Mime was 4,45 lengths behind him that day, although the latter was giving him 2,5kg.

However, on Friday night Baritone had to give both Mambo Mime and Victorious Jay 4kg and had to overcome a wide draw of 12 compared to pole position for Mambo Mime and draw seven for Victorious Jay. He travelled beautifully in the running under a fine ride from Anthony Delpech.

However, he had to come wide into the straight and was still near the back, meaning Mambo Mine, who was ridden by Stuart Randolph, got first run on him down the inside. Baritone cut the deficit with giant strides and went down by just a short-head, despite the 1400m trip being too sharp. He still needed the run and once again gave the impression there is more improvement to come, especially over further. He is likely to be a big runner in both the Gr 2 Canon Guineas and the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and even the Vodacom Durban July.

Mambo Mime has always struck as classy from the day he fought his way around the Greyville 1600m in his second start start as a juvenile, yet still won. He has settled down since then. He has a lot of speed in his female line but Kannemeyer did send him over a mile early in his career so might believe he is looking for a trip. He will be effective over the mile of the Canon Guineas and can’t be written off despite the weight turnaround he will face with Baritone. Friday night was his second run since arriving back at Summerveld and of course Kannemeyer’s record in classic races speaks for itself. He know how to peak them at the right time and has an excellent team behind him as is proved by his current run. Since February 1 he has had the highest win strike rate of the top 20 trainers in the country at 21,28% and has by far and away the highest place strike rate of 63,83%.

The Gavin van Zyl-trained Budapest finished a fine 0,55 length third in the Byerley, also receiving 4kg from Baritone, and the jury will be out in the Canon Guineas on whether he gets the trip having disappointed in the Cape Guineas.

Ernie ran at level weights with Baritone and was 1,3 lengths back in fourth. However, sprints are likely his route from now on because even the 1400m was stretching his stamina reserves.

The Highveld raider Irish Pride finished a 3,3 length fifth and might have put a dampener on the form for some, being merit rated only 84, but he has always been an eyecatching sort and proved his class.

The like of Victorious Jay and Beat The Retreat can’t yet be written off as they over raced and are better than their respective runs.

Fromafar’s upset win in the Umzimkhulu Stakes was likely no fluke, because she pulled for her head slightly behind a slow pace and eventually came around them but still found plenty in the straight to win by a length under Brian Nyawo. The runner up the Neil Bruss-trained Flying Ice ran at level weights with the winner and was a touch unlucky as she took a while to find a split down the inside rail. She and the winner can both be followed.

Another three-year-old filly to take out of the meeting is the Mike Bass-trained three-year-old Nightingale. She is ever improving, which is not surprising as she is by Silvano, and she found a telling finishing burst off a merit rating of 82 to win a MR 76 Handicap over 1600m on the poly in impressive style. She looks likely to develop into a feature class filly and the trip of the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 is likely to suit.

At Scottsville on Sunday the Dennis Drier-trained three-year-old Trippi gelding Ferrie proved himself a sprinter of the future with an eyecatching win of a handicap over 1200 off a merit rating of 82. He has improved with gelding and this was his first run since winning his maiden over 1000m at Kenilworth in late December, so is another one who can improve into a feature class horse.

The versatile Kannemeyer-trained Solid Speed loves KZN and later won a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1600m narrowly from Dynamic, to whom he gave 1,5kg. Solid Speed was a staying race stalwart last Champions Season, but has now won the last two 1600m races he has contested, which poses some interesting questions. However, the stayers route is likely to be less competitive so looks the obvious option and perhaps the July could be a possibility too. The promising Duncan Howells-rained Ten Gun Salute made a fair comeback to run a 5,5 length third, receiving only 1,5kg from the older Solid Speed, and he will come on from the run. He is still on track for the SA Champions Season classics.

By David Thiselton

Entries for this year’s R3.5 million Vodacom Durban July closed at 11am this morning (Tuesday) and entries will be announced at the launch of Africa’s Champion Season at Greyville Racecourse on Thursday.

As per tradition, the race will be run over 2200m on July 2, the first Saturday of the month.

Last year’s race attracted 60 initial entries and Gold Circle officials are expecting a similar number this year. A maximum 18 horses will be allowed to run.

Likely to be at the top of the initial list is the exciting Legal Eagle, winner of the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and more recently the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein.

Legal Eagle is rated the best horse in the country and if trainer Sean Tarry decides to accept for the big race, he is sure to be allotted top weight.

Tarry and owner Chris van Niekerk won the July in consecutive years with Pomodoro in 2012 and Heavy Metal in 2013 and last year’s Gr1 Daily News 2000 winner French Navy is another from the stable likely to be pencilled in come Thursday. French Navy was the victim of some serious traffic problems last year and although he has been a little off his game of late, Tarry has more than enough time to prime his charge for another crack at Africa’s greatest horserace.

Captain America was second best behind Legal Eagle in the Horse Chestnut but will likely be taking his place in the field alongside Legal Eagle in the 2000m Premier’s Champion Challenge come Derby Day at Turffontein at the end of the month and how he fares there could determine whether Brett Crawford allows his charge to take his chances in the July.

By Andrew Harrison

Saturday’s meeting at Durbanville has fallen victim to the African Horse Sickness outbreak in the Paarl area and has been switched to Kenilworth.

There are no further Durbanville meetings until June 29 but the course’s Thursday gallop sessions have been cancelled until further notice and this will hit Cape Town trainers hard.

Racing administrator Teresa Esplin said yesterday: “Durbanville racecourse falls within the containment zone, quarantine is in place for 40 days from the last reported death and so gallops there will cease with immediate effect.”

She ruled out suggestions of opening up Kenilworth for extra gallops to compensate, saying: “The track has been under pressure with the extreme heat that we have been having and it cannot take any extra traffic.

“However horses which have been nominated for features will be allowed to gallop on the morning of a raceday as per normal.”

By Michael Clower

Mambo Mime, winner of last Friday’s Byerley Turk, is set to return to Greyville for the Canon Guineas on May 6 while the fillies’ equivalent could be the target for Fromafar who sprang a 22-1 shock in the Umzimkhulu Stakes.

Dean Kannemeyer said yesterday: “The draw at Greyville is very important and hopefully Mambo Mime will draw well in the Guineas. If he draws badly I will have to discuss plans with Fieldspring Racing.

“He was in need of his previous run and I thought he would be tough to beat from his one draw on Friday but he is a big horse and I don’t believe I have him fully stripped yet.

“Fromafar won exceptionally well – I would have been thrilled if she had just finished in the first four – and I will enter her for the Canon Fillies Guineas. She and Mambo Mime are both on the up.”

The Mike Bass-trained Nightingale, ridden with exceptional confidence by Grant van Niekerk when coming from last to take the Oriental Restaurant Handicap, will be stepped up in class.

Candice Robinson said: “She will run in the Fillies Guineas and then go for the Woolavington on May 28. She is a very nice filly.”

Peninsula Handicap winner and J & B Met fourth Light The Lights, who had the Vodacom Durban July as his target, has been sold to Mike de Kock and is en route to Dubai.

The four-year-old’s former trainer Glen Kotzen said: “It was a shame in a way (to part with him) but they offered us the right money.”

By Michael Clower