Gregorian Chant, his form boosted by Caballo Blanco’s win last Saturday, can start the afternoon on a winning note at Kenilworth today.

The Dean Kannemeyer colt divided Le Harve and Caballo when the latter pair made their debuts last month and he probably has most to fear from Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount Cream Soda Green who went close first time.

“I thought Cream Soda Green had a good chance that day but we weren’t 100% sure,” recalls Harold Crawford. “He has improved a bit since and they are going to have to be quite good to beat him.”

Dean Kannemeyer

All but five of the 16 runners are newcomers but watch out for R2 million buy A New Dawn, an Australian son of Epsom Derby winner New Approach. “He is a very nice horse,” says Joey Ramsden, “although I’m four weeks behind where I would like to be with him.”

A New Dawn opened at 10-1 with World Sports Betting who went 33-10 Cream Soda Green, 4-1 Gregorian Chant, 9-2 the once-raced Moonrise Sensation and 6-1 the Vaughan Marshall newcomer Always In Charge.

Half the 14-strong field in race two are unraced with 11-2 chance Don’t Stop Dancing (a Dynasty daughter of Majorca winner Sarabande) among the most expensive at R900 000. Trip The Willow (3-1 favourite) and 4-1 shot Rock On Wood have the right credentials, and Justin Snaith’s booking of in-form Grant van Niekerk for the former looks significant.

Arctic Blast has proved expensive and frustrating, starting favourite or second favourite in his last four starts. He has often shown tremendous early speed only for something to cause him to fade. Three races back part of his breastplate broke and last time MJ felt there was something wrong although the racecourse vet reported only “poor recovery.”

Mighty Hash (13-2) is an obvious danger in the Itsarush.co.za Maiden but Arctic Blast looks worth one more chance at 16-10 even though Vaughan Marshall cautions: “He is a very light-framed horse. He will win a maiden but he is not very good.”

Ramsden, with a string of two-year-olds ready to run, has two in each of the first two races and pits four against three-year-olds in races three and four. “Everything was coming back sore but now the rain has come I’m running them. I’m fully aware that it [racing them against older horses] is not the right thing to do.”

The weights are against them. They should be receiving between 8.5kg and 9.5kg according to the weight-for-age scale but they get only 3kg in race three and 4kg in race four.

Even so, many punters will want to side with Moonsaballon (33-10) after the filly was nominated as a horse to follow on Winning Ways, particularly if Trip The Willow franks her form by winning race two. “I worked her quite hard to get her where she was first time,” Ramsden points out.

She certainly looked useful but then she is going to need to be and prudence suggests 5-2 favourite Peonie Rock in particular, and Variance at 9-2, may prove better value.

By Michael Clower

Glen Kotzen is going to aim Princess Royal at the Gr 1 Fillies Sprint at Scottsville on June 4 and last year’s Gr 1 Allan Robertson runner-up boosted her claims by producing a spectacular turn of foot to sprint away from the opposition at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Admittedly the Sceptre winner had nothing of the calibre of Carry On Alice to contend with this time but, as part-owner Peter de Beyer put it, “She did it far better and far easier than I thought she would.”

Anthony Andrews, who gets on so well with what can apparently be a tricky customer, said: “The key to her is keeping her calm beforehand. If she plays up with you down at the start you’ve as good as run your race.

“This was only an allowance plate whereas the Sceptre last time was a Group 2 but I wouldn’t think she was 100% – it was a prep before going to Durban and she would have needed it.”

Princess Royal (Liesl King)

But keep an eye on Captain’s Flame. The lightly raced second favourite would have been closer than fourth had she not been hampered and twice forced to switch.

Mike Bass has the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery on May 28 as his objective for the highly regarded Caballo Blanco who comfortably landed the odds in the first.

“He shows a lot of ability at home and I’m very excited to see how he progresses,” said Candice Robinson while Grant van Niekerk, who rode five winners for his boss in two days, added: “This horse is talented and he will go places.”

The Kenilworth Fillies Nursery on the same day is the target for stable companion Live Life who also justified odds-on and is a half-sister to Cold As Ice.

Mike Stewart reckons he will make winter hay with Al Wahed who was sent to him from Duncan Howells to avail of the daily benefits of sea-water. But, according to his new trainer, the vet’s knife has also improved the four-year-old who certainly came good under Brandon May in the Soccer 6 Handicap.

The Noordhoek trainer explained: “Al Wahed has an offset knee but it’s since I gelded him three weeks ago that he has begun moving nicely. This is going to be a serious horse to follow over the winter.”

Cape Town-born Ralton Peters is optimistic that a long-awaited first South African winner will open up new avenues of opportunity.

Peters, 31, said: “I was sent to Zimbabwe by the Jockey Academy in 2001 because they had very few apprentices there and I stayed until I joined Brett Crawford two years ago.”

Newcomer Make It Raine in the 1 200m fillies maiden was Peters’ first winner since Approval Rating in the 2013 Zimbabwe Guineas and only his sixth ride of the season. He had to sit and suffer when he found his path blocked approaching the 200m mark and he then coolly switched the 25-1 shot through a gap to look as impressive as his mount.

Wayne Kieswetter and his Ridgemont manager Craig Carey were impressed with both horse and rider. “Ralton does a hell of a lot with the horses at Brett Crawford’s. We were a bit worried about this filly because she has taken a long time but she suddenly seems to have come good,” said Carey.

But the hero of the hour was racehorse owner Dr Sarembock. The failure of the booked medical officer to turn up  caused consternation both at Kenilworth (“The start of racing has been delayed indefinitely,” announced the public address) and Turffontein where race times had to be put back with Clyde Basel assessing his various options as busily as punter working out the bipot. Sarembock calmly stepped into the breach and, not surprisingly, was welcomed like manna from heaven.

> Aldo Domeyer, successful on Tripinthemist for Paddy Kruyer in the last, has been suspended for a week (April 6-12) for interference when winning on Streaming the previous Saturday.

By Michael Clower

Fear Not, fifth in the Klawervlei Majorca and the Vasco Prix Du Cap, has had a throat operation.

Adam Marcus said: “She was showing signs of having an entrapped epiglottis which means she could choke up in her races.

“There are some suitable features for her at Kenilworth over the next few months so I won’t be taking her to Durban. On her day she is only just off the best although she does need things to go her way.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Adam Marcus

Summerveld trainer Mark Dixon will begin sizing up his South African Champions Season hopes after Friday night’s Greyville meeting (April 8), where his gelding Captain Chaos runs in the Gr 3 Byerley Turk over 1400m on the turf and his filly Isingamoya runs in the Umzimkhulu over the same course and distance.

Mark Dixon (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, Dixon’s chief SA Champions Season hopes probably lie with his sprinter London Call.

Captain Chaos is a former Cape-based horse who won the Gr 3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery over 1200m at Kenilworth by 3,5 lengths in just his third career start, having won over 1100m on debut. He beat the like of Tar Heel and Eighth Wonder in the Nursery, so must possess some class.

After opening his KZN career with a sprint, the good looking bay by Captain Al stayed on well from some way back for a 5,5 length second to Beat The Retreat in a Progress Plate over 1300m on the Greyville Turf a couple of weeks ago. He was giving the winner 2kg and Dixon said, “He has come on from the race and I think he will get the mile, so might go for the Canon Guineas although I don’t know whether he is good enough.” Captain Chaos is drawn 27 of 35 entries in the Byerley Turk and as a two-time winner will carry the minimum weight.

Isingamoya by Muhtafal caught the eye when running on fluently to comfortably win her maiden over 1200m at Scottsville second time out and she has finished close up thirds in all three of her subsequent starts from 1200-1300m.

However, the last two of those runs were in Plate races against some promising sorts and Dixon said, “She is still building up and can improve.”

She has drawn well in three of 32 entries in the Umzimkhulu.

London Call (Nkosi Hlophe)

Dixon said he would make his five-year-old Kahal gelding London Call a “massive” runner in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint to be run on June 4 at Scottsville if he were able to get into the field off his current merit rating of 101. He might in fact send him straight into the race due to his soundness problems.

While he is not a horse who can be raced often, he is on the other hand one who is easy to get ready for a race.

London Call deserves to line up in the Tsogo Sun, having won four of his eight career starts and being placed second twice.

Of others in the yard, the four-year-old Kildonan gelding Blessed Release could be one to follow in the lower divisions. He was accorded only a 66 merit rating after winning his maiden in very soft going over 1400m at Scottsville by 7,5 lengths against an admittedly uninspiring field. That was his seventh career start but Dixon said the best had not yet been seen of this gelding.

By David Thiselton

In a pre-race interview for the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes Sean Tarry chose his words like a crafty politician. “Obviously the race at the end of the month is the main aim …. so I’ve left some meat on the bone,” he cautioned gloomily, pausing after each word.  Anyone listening will have been left pondering the question; was an obviously under-done Legal Eagle good enough to win the unofficial second leg of the Gr1 WFA Championship, after the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate?

Tarry’s words were ringing in the ears coming through the 700 m mark as Gavin Lerena gambled on New Predator, bulleting past the pace-making Legal Eagle and pinching four lengths on the odds-on favourite.

But commentator Alistair Cohen had it nailed. “New Predator’s gone for broke a long way out,” he called.

The early pace was desperately slow and Anton Marcus confirmed. “It was never by design. I didn’t really want to lead,” and Tarry concurred. “There were two gallopers in the race and I couldn’t understand their tactics. But I’m not going to complain in the winner’s box.”

Marcus found himself in front for nothing and played the field on the brake but briefly his plan looked to have backfired as New Predator pounced off the false rail. Caught flat-footed for a few strides, Legal Eagle responded; he changed down a gear, got the revs up, and roared past a tiring New Predator with the odds on the gelding winning the Premiers Champion Challenge slashed from evens to odds-on in a matter of strides.

Last year’s winner Captain America was in the box seat all the way round but once Legal Eagle turned it on he was always chasing and did enough to collar a game new Predator on the line to take second.

Later Abashiri proved that he is everything he is touted to be as he nailed down the second leg of the Triple Crown with a bloodless victory in the Gr1 SA Classic. An injury after his Gauteng Guineas win was a well-kept secret by a trainer who wears his heart on his sleeve and no doubt Mike Azzie will have found himself biting his tongue as the media questions were put.

“I’m not the old brash Michael Azzie,” he said but he will still have been under tremendous pressure, inside the yard and out, after an injury scare put Abashiri’s participation in the Classic and the Triple Crown in doubt.

“He had eight days of box rest,” admitted Azzie after an early morning call from his son and assistant saying, “We have a problem.” Not quite the same magnitude as Apollo 13 but for a trainer the words will have triggered a cold sweat. “But he was a fit horse before the injury,” reasoned Azzie, “and a horse does not lose its fitness in eight days.”

Karl Zechner, savouring his first Gr1 victory, was lavish in his praise for his mount. “It was an ordinary race to him and he made it look like an ordinary race.”

Injury scare or not, Abashiri was ridden with supreme confidence by Zechner, the son of Go Deputy scything through the opposition down the Turffontein straight. Midfield in the opening exchanges, shadowed by Marcus and Brazuca, Zechner hunted a clear passage up the straight and confidently punched through a yawning gap. Marcus knew quickly that he was in trouble. Zechner had a hard hold while his whip was flapping and it was just a matter of who would run second.

Given the manner of victory the SA Derby and the Triple Crown are at his mercy and owners Adriaan and Rika van Vuuren can invite a few more orange-clad guests to the party for Derby Day come the end of the month.

It was a tough day at the office for Johan Janse van Vuuren who had third, second and second in the three Gr1’s.

Stanley Ferreira is a man of few words, none in fact after Juxtapose caused a major upset in the Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic, second leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara. Ferreira has eight stables booked at Ashburton for South Africa’s Champion Season and Juxtaposed booked her box and a crack at the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 with a grinding win over favourite Negroamaro with first leg winner Heaps of Fun back in the pack.

The last furlong was a lung-bursting grind to the wire as Negroamaro, Juxtapose and She’s A Dragon fought their way clear of the pack but treading treacle. The trio were dead on their feet crossing the line but Chase Maujean got his filly’s head down when it counted for his first career Gr1 success.

Tarry is in lethal form at present and kicked off the meeting winning the first three races with the promising juvenile filly Cloth Of Cloud showing solid credentials for the SA Fillies Nursery later in the month. She ground the Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes field into the turf in spite of racing green and almost sending S’Manga Khumalo over her neck and into the Turffontein landfill as she dug her toes on the line and Bull Valley making a winning debut for the stable in the Gr3 Man ‘O War Sprint.

Tarry and Khumalo signed off a red letter day with Captain’s Causeway in the last.

– Andrew Harrison
Picture: Abashiri (SportingPost)