KZN trainer Dennis Drier said “the Old Man is on track” when talking about his J&B Met contestant Punta Arenas yesterday. Meanwhile, he was bullish about the chances of Gr 1-winning sprinter Guinness, who runs in the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships at the same meeting.

Punta Arenas appeared to be loving his gallop as usual at Kenilworth last Thursday and Drier confirmed he had been “very happy” with the evergreen Silvano gelding’s preparation.

He was not concerned about the seven-year-old’s draw of ten, as long as there was a “decent pace.” Draws of 13 and 11 respectively didn’t worry him in his last two attempts at the big race, in which he finished third and fifth respectively, and he always seems to enjoy his racing so there should be no concerns about over-racing if caught wide.

The often under estimated Ian Sturgeon is reunited with Punta Arenas, having ridden him to an unlucky second in the Vodacom Durban July towards the end of last season.

Drier’s four-year-old Seventh Rock gelding Guinness disappointed last time out over the 1000m course and distance of Saturday’s race, fading out to be beaten 4,75 lengths, despite starting 33/10 joint-favourite. Before that at Scottsville he had proved a “wind operation” to have been successful when winning impressively at Scottsville. Now, Drier believes the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion-winning speedster is “back to his best”.

He said, “He needed it last time and galloped at Kenilworth last week and both Anton Marcus, who rode him, and I were very happy. He is on track big time.”

Drier has had a fine run in this race in recent years, winning it with Val De Ra in 2012, finishing fourth and fifth with Chave De Oura and Torra Bay in 2013, and finishing a hair’s breadth second with Captain of All last year.

He believed the course was fair at the moment, with no draw bias, so was not concerned by Guiness’ draw of 12, which is similar to Captain Of All’s nine draw last year, which proved then to be on the “wrong side.”

Drier also runs Gr 2 Cape Merchants winner Triptique and felt the 1000m would be a touch far but added he was in good shape and would be “flying at them” at the finish.

Drier ran fourth in Saturday’s CTS Million Dollar with second favourite Seventh Plain and said, “No excuses, although the draw did us no favours. It was a great race and well done to the winners, it’s a very nice race to win.”

By David Thiselton
Picture: Punta Arenas (Nkosi Hlophe)

Turffontein has a seven race card on Tuesday night and some good exotic dividends can be expected as most events are competitive.

The first race is a Maiden Plate over 1000m. The first-timers The Witness by Mogok and Devious Xandre by Warm White Night are of interest due to the weakness of this field and not because there pedigrees make much appeal. Of those to have run Sea Knight has shown speed so should love this fast course and distance but he has bled on two occasions so can’t be relied on. Justash should beat the rest on form.  Time To Be Great should enjoy the step down in trip.

The second is a Maiden over 1400m. Vee Man was a touch unlucky last time out over 1160m when bumped at the start losing a length and still finishing a two length third. The form has worked out well and he should enjoy the step up in trip, although he does have a tricky draw. Captain Chips made a good debut and can be excused his last start over 1160m when not having a good start. However, his full brother is a sprinter and he now has to jump from a wide draw over a step up in trip. Champions Cup improved last time when a tongue tie was fitted and the distance should be suitable even though he stays further as he moved up well in that last race over 1800m. Druid’s Temple is by Oracy out of a Jet Master mare who won four sprint races. Red Dragon is by Warm White Night out of a National Emblem mare who won one race over 1400m.

The third is a Maiden Plate over 140om for fillies and mares and Tracy’s Legacy has had little luck with the draw and is drawn wide again but she has plenty of ability and if settling better than last time could use the long straight here to get up. Monarch Air will be out to make amends for her last start when an unlucky second on the Inside course 1450m. Inaninstant should improve over this trip being by Silvano, having stayed on over shorter on debut. She has a wide draw to overcome but Gavin Lerena is up.  Chinawhite was caught late over this trip at the Vaal last time but is another with a tricky draw. Love Tryst showed improvement last time in that same race when running on and could earn here despite a wide draw.

The fourth race is a Conditions Plate for fillies and mares over 1400m and the classy Kwinta is the one to beat over an ideal course and distance. However, Tiger’s Touch, who is out to land a hattrick from a good draw, won’t make it east as she is officially best treated at the weights and should stay the trip. Seventh Heart’s best win was over course and distance and she could earn.

The fifth race is a Conditions Plate over 1000m and the talented Moofeed (Lerena) could get it right being quite well treated at the weights and as one who always stays all the way to the line.  Doing It For Dan keeps on winning and will be a tough nut to crack again over a suitable course and distance from a probable nice draw by trends. Unparallelled has won impressively over 1160m before and is interesting running fresh here after a long layoff as he is officially best in at the weights.  Ha Lucy is second best in at the weights and can’t be ignored over her ideal trip. Bad Boy Buddy Boy has plenty of pace and should be thereabouts.

The sixth is a Pinnacle Stakes race over 2450m and Flying The Flag could be interesting here as one who could turn out to be a dour stayer. Judicial has class and is interesting over this trip as one who is always staying on against the best over shorter and as officially the best treated horse at the weights. Storm Warning is a classy stayer and should be thereabouts. Arch Rival won well over course and distance last time out. The conditions of these race suit females and Marmalady is a consistent stayer so can’t be ignored but she faces Arch Rival on the same terms as when beaten 2,25 lengths last time.

The seventh is a MR 80 Handicap over 1400m and Kings Archer is drawn fairly over a trip he ran a fine race over last time. Gaisce Gold gets the ideal draw for his handy style and this is an ideal trip. My Treasure goes for a hattrick over the trip having been backed last time but the runner up in that last race was most unlucky so the bare form flatters him slightly. Cherokee Grey is drawn well and  is still improving and could earn having won his maiden in hard fought fashion last time out over this distance. Antonius Charm is course and distance suited and has Strydom up.

By David Thiselton
Picture: Gavin Lerena rides Moofeed at Turffontein tonight

Sean Tarry introduced an exceptional two-year-old in Cloth Of Gold at Kenilworth on Saturday and she now returns to Johannesburg to compete for some of the top juvenile prizes there.

The R2.2 million Captain Al half-sister to Silver Mountain may have beaten unknown quantities – four of the other five were also unraced – but she won with devastating ease, coming right away to score by six lengths.

S’Manga Khumalo said: “I think she is very special and there is more to come.”

Tarry (pictured) added: “I was a little anxious because she is no easy baby but, if we can just keep a lid on her temperament, I think she is the real deal. She is top class but she is a challenge because of that temperament.”

The winner is owned by a mixture of some of the biggest names in South Africa and Ireland with Messrs Jooste, Kantor and Van Niekerk being joined by classic-winning breeder Diane Nagle and Linda Shanahan whose husband Paul has long been one of the key men in Coolmore.

Joey Ramsden ,who trained the filly’s dam Our Table Mountain, did not have a winner but he still went home a happy man. He is to train Silver Coin, the R6 million colt who smashed the South African yearling record at the Convention Centre on Thursday evening. He was bought by Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier and Markus Jooste.

By Michael Clower

Durban – probably including a crack at the Daily News – is next on the agenda for Fred Crabbia’s It’s My Turn following his surprise win in Saturday’s Investec Cape Derby when hot favourite Black Arthur was beaten into fourth.

Justin Snaith, who also won the Derby with Russian Sage and Legislate, said: “He is definitely going to Durban  – he has improved so much – but I think Black Arthur’s win in the Politician took too much out of him. Two weeks between the two races is too close.”

The favourite’s rider Bernard Fayd’Herbe echoed similar sentiments, saying: “He was very green, jumping shadows down the back straight, but I thought I had him in a winning position. However the Politician took a bit too much out of him. It was too close.”

With Investec seemingly locked in with CTS, the chances of its race being moved back to Met day are about on a par with the rand recovering its old levels. The answer, surely, is to run the Politician a week earlier and find another race on Queen’s Plate day for Cartier to sponsor.

It’s My Turn started at 16-1 and apparently Piere Strydom felt even that was overstating it. He said: “I thought I’d got the ride on Black Arthur only to be told I hadn’t and I was riding Prince Of Wales who was then scratched. It’s My Turn’s merit rating is not even near the top horses but at the 200m mark I thought ‘I can’t believe this – I’m going to win.’”

Brazuca, a fast-finishing two length-second, would have been even closer had he had a clear run but his writing was on the wall from the moment he dawdled out of the pens. “I was off the bit the whole way,” reported JP van der Merwe.

Rabada, who on the book would have won, stayed in his box nursing 28 stitches in his near hind. Mike Azzie explained: “He went for a spin at Milnerton on Thursday, got loose, cracked into the tyres at the end of the gallop and cut his leg open”

Inara could also go to Durban after wearing down Same Jurisdiction to take the Klawervlei Majorca for the second successive year and despite Grant van Niekerk re-iterating: “She never felt the same filly in Durban.”

But Candice Robinson said: “She might go – it depends on what stables we get. Those we had last year were very dusty.”

Mike Bass, winning the race for the fifth time in 11 seasons and given a great reception, paid tribute to his daughter, saying: “Candice has done a great job getting Inara ready for this and today the filly was probably at her best.”

The first three ran in Gaynor Rupert’s colours and, although the starter reported that Same Jurisdiction stumbled shortly after leaving the pens, Anton Marcus said: “She had every conceivable chance.”

By Michael Clower
Picture: It’s My Turn (Liesl King)

Heavelon van der Hoven earned almost R630 000 for winning Saturday’s CTS Million Dollar on Illuminator but it will be the end of the year before the 23-year-old from Namibia can get his hands on it – and even then he won’t get it all.

Apprentices are credited with 7.5% of winning stakes but the Jockey Academy takes a cut (it is reluctant to say how much) and the rest goes into a trust account until the end of the apprenticeship. They can draw on it in the meantime but only for specific purposes and these require JA approval.

Van der Hoven completed his five years last month but, as he hadn’t ridden 50 winners (Saturday’s success was only his 23^rd), he signed on for a further year so that he can continue to claim and riding master Terrance Welch is now arranging for him to go countrywide to increase his opportunities.

Welch said yesterday: “This couldn’t have happened to a better kid. He works his butt off and keeps his weight down so that he can ride at 50kg.”

Van der Hoven asked Glen Puller for the ride at exercise on Saturday morning when he heard that Weichong Marwing had what proved to be the most expensive sore back in the country.

Puller said: “Illuminator is a difficult boy and Heavelon rides him all the time at home. He also rode him to win his first two starts.”

Ex-jockey Puller,54, has been training since 1989 and has 38 horses at Milnerton. His immediate problem, apart from on what to spend his percentage of the near R8.4 million winning stake, is whether to geld the winner who has been haemo-concentrating.

Puller said: “Gelding is what he needs and what he ought to have. It has always been on the cards but he might just be too good for that now. We won’t rush the decision.”

Francis Carruthers, backed by Puller’s advice, bought the Klawervlei-bred Trippi colt for R180 000 at the less fashionable March sale. Carruthers, boss of a company in the nuclear power industry, parted with 20% to Ian Robinson who had his own air-conditioning business before deciding to retire. He could have made a fortune in the present climate but he still collected over R1.3 million after deductions.

Contrary to expectation there were no reports of rough-riding – or fines or suspensions – and Aldo Domeyer, beaten only three-quarters of a length on 17-10 favourite Silver Mountain, reported: “She had every chance.”

However the stipes’ report suggests that Victorious Jay, a head away third, might have finished in front of her had he not been blocked and forced to switch just under two furlongs out.

By Michael Clower
Picture: Apprentice Heavelon van der Hoven