Jingle Belle gets another chance to show her potential in the Summer Of Champions Maiden at Durbanville today after missing her engagement a fortnight ago when she was under medication.

“It was routine medication but, as the meeting was on the Tuesday rather than the usual Wednesday, I didn’t want to take any chances,” says Andre Nel, adding: “She ran above expectations first time.”

Indeed she did, coming from last two furlongs out to finish a most encouraging third despite starting at 35-1. Stable companion Leisure Trip (second) has franked the form by winning since.

Aldo Domeyer

However she is no certainty. Apart from anything else she is drawn quite wide and she has never been to Durbanville for a gallop. The obvious threat is Secret Plan who started favourite here last time but was caught a bit wide and was run out of it close home. This Vaughan Marshall filly opened 22-10 joint favourite with Jingle Belle and Sugar Frosted with World Sports Betting yesterday but, surprisingly, nobody wanted to know and she was 9-2 yesterday. Jingle Belle, on the other hand, hardened to 13-10 while the Joey Ramsden runner shortened to 18-10.

Sugar Frosted ran well enough to win this in two starts last year but has not been seen since her second in May when she returned choked up and blowing hard.  “She has been back in work for a long time,” says assistant Ricardo Sobotker. “She hasn’t been to Durbanville but she has been doing nicely.”

Form horse State Ballet has been scratched from the opening five furlong maiden. A rope burn at the back of a hind heel opened up when she disappointed at Kenilworth on Saturday and Riaan van Reenen had to put her on medication.

Andre Nel’s newcomers Telekinesis and Cuduiari head the market. Aldo Domeyer had the choice and plumped for Cuduiara who is favourite – 22-10 with WSP and 2-1 with Betting World – while Bernard Fayd’ Herbe’s mount is 5-2 with both firms.

Nel says that neither of his has been to Durbanville and neither is that special.  He feels that Domeyer may have gone for the wrong one. This is a difficult course for first-timers but, with so little to beat from those that have raced, a tentative vote goes to Telekinesis.

Adorada has been supported for race two from 22-10 to 16-10 while second favourite Excellent has eased from 5-2 to 7-2. However both were raised a kilo for their last runs and preference is for Good Grace who looks value at 11-2.

Another to bear in mind is 7-1 chance Pirangi. It’s her first time out of the maidens but she did win quite comfortably three weeks ago. “She has her work cut out but I think she is in with a shout at the weights,” says Mike Robinson.

By Michael Clower

Anthony Delpech rides promising Australian-breds in both the Triple Crown and Triple Tiara races at Turffontein’s big Guineas day meeting this Saturday and admits  both have tough tasks.

He rides the Kumaran Naidoo-trained Princess Varunya in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas from a draw of nine and said, “Kumaran has placed her very well, so she hasn’t had to beat much. This is her first time against this class, so we will have to wait for the race to see whether she is up to it. It’s a bit short for her, but she is going for all three legs, so had to run in this one.”

Delpech believes the likely favourite Negroamaro is going to be very hard to beat.

Princess Varunya (Nkosi Hlophe)

Princess Varunya, as a strongly-built, long-striding daughter of Epsom Derby winner High Chaparral, will love the galloping nature of the Turffontein Standside track as well as its long straight.

This beautiful looking bay filly has won her last four on the trot from 1900-2000m and has done it easily, so is without doubt the dark horse in Saturday’s race.

She was defeated three times in the Maidens over 1600m, but wide draws, immaturity and unsuitably tight tracks looked to be more responsible for the defeats than anything else.

Meanwhile, Negroamaro flew late last time out to finish a neck second in the Gr 3 Three Troikas Stakes over 1450m and will relish the step up in trip. However, the overall form of the three-year-old fillies crop this season is uninspiring to date and the Cape’s Silver Mountain is the only one who has stood out. Therefore, an unexposed horse like Princess Varunya has to be more respected than would normally be the case.

Delpech rides the Mike de Kock-trained Magic Albert gelding Suyoof in the Gr 2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas, where he has to overcome the widest draw of all, 16.

He said, “He is a nice horse but being drawn badly it’s going to be very hard. Abashiri is a nice horse and New Predator and Brazuca are the others who look good but this is a very hard Guineas.”

Suyoof was narrowly defeated by the more experienced Brazuca when making his debut over 1200m, but he followed up with three wins on the trot from 1160m to 1450m, including the Listed GVSC Communications Secretariat Stakes over 1400m on the Turffontein Standside Track and the Gr 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes over 1450m on the Turffontein Inside track. He quickened well in both the latter races and on each occasion held off a challenger gallantly.

De Kock believes he will stay the 1600m, although his sire was a sprint-miler and his dam’s two wins were over 1400m, so there is plenty of speed in the pedigree.

By David Thiselton

Bernard Fayd’Herbe, who rode his first British winner when the ex-Joey Ramsden-trained Cold As Ice won at Chelmsford four days before Christmas, will return to partner her in the Fillies & Mares Final at Lingfield on Good Friday.

Part-owner Brian Finch, who will also fly out for the meeting, said: “William Haggas is now very excited about Cold As Ice. That last run added a new dimension to her in his eyes.”

The Choice Carriers, Sceptre and Laisserfaire winner flew home to take third in a six furlong Listed race at Lingfield early this month and, according to a report in The Irish Field, only one horse has covered the final two furlongs faster at Lingfield since the introduction of sectional timing. The report, dealing with her chance at Easter, was headed Cold As Ice A Certainty.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Cold As Ice (Liesl King)

With the current season barely past halfway the race for the various titles are wide open. Anthony Delpech leads the Jockey’s Championship with latest National Horseracing Authority figures having him four ahead of former champion Andrew Fortune. Delpech leads with 121 winners from Fortune’s 117.

Delpech has recently split from the Mike de Kock yard as retained rider and although he will still take mounts for the stable his is now a free agent and can keep his nose in front.

Anthony Delpech

Close behind are S’Manga Khumalo on 113 and Muzi Yeni just cracking the century mark. Anton Marcus has the highest strike rate of all riders with 24% of his rides making it to the winner’s enclosure but he tends to cherry-pick his mounts and he has ridden 85 winners from his 342 mounts. Delpech is close behind on 23%, his 121 winners coming from 555 rides.

Fortune, Khumalo and Yeni have all had over 700 rides, Fortune topping the list with 784 mounts. These three have also adopted a policy of ‘have saddle will travel’.

Current champion Gavin Lerena is a winner behind Marcus on 84 for the season but on Sunday left to continue his career in Hong Kong where he has landed a contract as Club Jockey to the Hong Kong Jockey Club so will not be defending his title.

On the training front the race for the title looks a three-way contest between Justin Snaith, current champion Sean Tarry and Mike Bass, multiple Western Cape Champion but yet to win a national title.

Snaith is 30 winners ahead of Tarry but the title is based on stakes won. Snaith 133 winners have garnered R11,574 million with Tarry’s 103 winner’s having earned R11,276 million. Bass is only R500 00 behind Snaith, his earnings coming from just 65 winners but with a high percentage of placed runners.

With stakes from restricted races also counted, Glen Puller finds himself in fourth spot on the log with R8 992 million from just eight winners courtesy of Illuminator’s victory in the CTS Million Dollar last month.

Tarry would appear to hold the whip-hand at this stage of the season with the lucrative Highveld autumn season pending and a stable loaded with potential. Snaith will not have many runners on the Highveld and will likely concentrate his energies in preparing his string for the South African Champions Season that starts in KZN in May and continues for three months to the end of the season.

The retirement of Futura will have removed one string from Snaith’s feature race bow but quadruple Grade 1 winner Legislate is to race in Durban before retiring to stud at the end of the season. The Rising Sun Gold Challenge, which he won last year, is a possible objective.

Ryan Munger, Craig Zackey and Callan Murray are spate by a single winner in the apprentice log with Munger on 32 winners and Zackey and Murry on 31 each. However, Munger and Zackey came out of their time at the end of January.

By Andrew Harrison

Negroamaro is 14-10 favourite in early betting for the joint first leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara while you can write your own ticket about Crystal Glamour.

“I don’t say Crystal Glamour can beat Negroamaro. She’ll be hard to beat because she’s obviously such a smart filly. But Negroamaro might be looking for a touch further and it’ll depend on the pace. If she fluffs her lines, my filly has as big a chance as any.

“Crystal Glamour is a beautiful horse who packs a lot of class and, the way she’s been working, I think she’ll definitely finish in the first three,” said Alexander.

“Draw a line through her last run because she was drawn very wide in the Three Troikas Stakes and didn’t get cover. She over-raced three deep all the way round the turn and just ran out of steam. She’s drawn midfield this time so things will be easier.”

This two-time winner from four career starts finished 14th behind Madame Dubois in that race – her worst run yet. Alexander points to an earlier race as key to her chances. That was in the Bloodstock SA Ready To Run Cup in October when Crystal Glamour finished a neck second to Lineker over 1400m. “That was a very good run in only her second start,” said Alexander.

This will be her first race over further than 1450m but Alexander believes she will get the trip easily and, depending on how she comes out of the Fillies Guineas, will probably even enjoy the 1800m of the Wilgerbosdrift Fillies Classic in early April.

That race forms the second leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara, with the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks on Champions Day as the final race in the series. “We’ll take it one step at a time,” said her trainer. “These races are hard for some of these young horses.”

Alexander has the fourth favourite in the R1-million Gauteng Guineas, Champagne Haze – a 6-1 chance behind Brazuca, Abashiri and New Predator.

This three-time winner beat top-class Rabada by three lengths in the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup in a time that equates to about three lengths faster than Lineker won the Bloodstock SA Ready To Run Cup over the same course and distance on the same day in October.

Then rested, he needed his comeback run and he did well last time out in the Tony Ruffel Stakes, finishing a 0.50-length second to Suyoof, who he meets now on 2kg better terms.

He is slightly better drawn this time, while Mike de Kock’s runner has drawn out wide at No 16, and Alexander said: “Champagne Haze has come through his preparation well. So far, so good. With a bit of luck in running he’ll also finish in the first three.”

Alexander believes 1600m might be Champagne Haze’s optimal trip, although he did suggest the other two legs of the SA Triple Crown, the SA Classic over 1800m and the SA Derby over 2450m, would not be out of the question if his charge did well in this race.

“We’ll take it one race at a time with him, too,” said the Turffontein-based trainer.

In the Acacia Handicap (Grade 3) at the same meeting, Alexander will send out Shepard One, who he thinks will be well suited to the 1600m. “She’s a runner,” he said.

He also believes his charge The Elmo Effect has a “place shout” in the Aquanaut Handicap (Listed) over 2450m.

The final fields for the Hawaii Stakes, the Acacia Handicap and the Aquanaut Stakes will be finalised tomorrow. (TABnews)

Gauteng Guineas betting: 28-10 Brazuca; 7-2 Abashiri; 5-1 New Predator; 6-1 Champagne Haze; 8-1 Muwaary; 10-1 Suyoof; 14-1 Rocketball; 16-1 Lunar Approach, Liege; 20-1 Romany Prince, Le Clos; 25-1 Celtic Captain; 33-1 Rikitikitana; 40-1 Malak El Moolook; 66-1 Ole Gunnar, Coral Fever.

Gauteng Fillies Guineas betting: 14-10 Negroamaro; 6-1 She’s A Dragon; 9-1 Princess Varunya; 10-1 Polyphonic; 12-1 Frosty Friday, Alexa; 14-1 Juxtapose; 16-1 Penny Serenade; 22-1 Heaps Of Fun; 25-1 Khonza, Bella Sonata, Christmas Carol; 28-1 Melliflora; 33-1 Persian Rug, Crystal Glamour, Jungle Mist; 40-1 Lala.