The Charles Laird-trained Exit Here and the Gavin van Zyl-trained Redcarpet Captain have both been prepared in more ways than one for the country’s most expensive ever race, the CTS Million Dollar to be run at the Investec Day Of Dreams meeting at Kenilworth on January 23.

Every precaution has been taken to ensure they will be there no matter the travel restrictions which could potentially be placed on Summerveld-based horses at a time of the year when the risk of African horse sickness (AHS) outbreaks are historically quite high. This is because entry into the AHS Free Zone in the Western Cape is subject to strict movement controls to ensure that AHS virus does not enter South Africa’s export zone.

Exit Here (Nkosi Hlophe)

Both horses’ stables have been “vector protected” to state veterinarian approved standards. They have been completely sealed off from top to bottom largely through the use of shade cloth. They are only allowed out to exercise two hours after sunrise and must be stabled two hours before sunset. This is because the culicoides midge which carries the AHS virus is primarily active during the night.

Exit Here will leave for Cape Town at around midnight on Friday night (15 January), provided there has not been an outbreak of AHS within a 40km radius of Summerveld. If, however, there has been an outbreak, he will only be permitted to load onto the float, which will also be vector protected, during the vector-safe time of the day (2hrs after sunrise).

This is to ensure that he is not exposed to potentially infected midges during the loading process. In such a scenario his departure will be delayed until just after 7.a.m on Saturday morning and gives an indication of how strict the State Veterinary measures are. He is due to arrive in Colesberg on Saturday where he will spend the night under observation by the local state veterinarian. He will then complete the journey to Kenilworth Racecourse, where two potential places of residency have been set up for him upon his arrival on Sunday.

If he has had to travel from an AHS outbreak area, he will be accommodated under vector protected conditions at the Kenilworth Quarantine Station, otherwise he will be allowed to stay under normal conditions in the Kenilworth Racecourse stables.

Redcarpet Captain, who is due to depart on Tuesday next week, is subject to the same conditions although he will have a shorter turnaround time in Colesberg, in order to stretch his legs, before completing the journey.

The Million Dollar is going to have an atmosphere of unique proportions in South African racing history and the million dollars will be split as follows: US$500,000 to the winner, US$200,000 to the runner up, US$150,000 for third, US$100,000 for fourth and US$40,000 for fourth. The remaining US$10,000 will go to the vendor who sold the winner.

Charles laird has an outstanding record in Sales races and will be looking to retain his current status as trainer of the winner of the richest race in South African history. Laird won the 2014 running of the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein with the aptly name filly Rich Girl, as the race carried a stake of R3,85 million, the highest to date in South African history. Laird also won that same race in 2010, when it was worth R1,5 million, with the filly Hollywoodboulevard, who defeated the mighty Igugu.

Redcarpet Captain (Nkosi Hlophe)

Anton Marcus was aboard Rich Girl in her big win and is the regular pilot for Exit Here. The Jay Peg colt is one of Marcus’ options for the Million Dollar, as he is part-owned by the owner who retains him, Markus Jooste, although he races in the colours of Alesh Naidoo. However, Marcus said on Monday that he is “at the moment” on the Dennis Drier-trained Seventh Plain, a dual Gr 1-winner. Seventh Plain was second on the final Million Dollar log off his merit rating of 109, compared to Exit Here’s third on the log a 105 merit rating.

The final field and draw announcement for the Million Dollar will take place live on Tellytrack at 13h50 on Thursday. Marcus’ final decision on whom to ride might depend on the draw.

One asset Exit Here definitely has is the stamina to stay the 1400m trip. He has won his last five in a row and three of these have been over 1600m, including an easy win in the Listed KZN Guineas Trial, and two have been over 1400m. He proved the suitability of the 1400m trip last time in a handicap against older horses on the Greyville poly, when leading from start to finish and winning with a ton in hand.

Gavin van Zyl will be attempting to make it two Sales races out of two in the Cape Summer Of Champions Season, having won the R2,5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes with Budapest. His son Gareth trains owner Brian Burnard’s horses in the new compartmentalised structure of the yard and the latter owns both Budapest and Redcarpet Captain. Gareth confirmed his charge would be perfectly distance suited. He added his preparation had gone perfectly. The Captain Al colt wore first time blinkers last time out in a MR 86 Handicap over 1400m on the Greyville turf and ran on powerfullly to win by  3,25 lengths, despite carrying 61kg. He was fifth on the last Million Dollar log off a merit rating of 104. Redcarpet Captain’s travel plans are the same as Budapest’s before his Lanzerac win.

Laird has been given permission to gallop Exit Here on the Kenilworth racecourse next Tuesday. Redcarpet Captain will also be shown the racecourse before the big day.

By David Thiselton

The remarkable Zubbadubbadoo attempts to make it six wins from nine starts in the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap at Kenilworth today and, although this is a hotly competitive handicap, he is attractively priced at 9-2.

Corne Orffer’s mount scored by a length and a half last time and was raised five points (2.5k) which is roughly the equivalent of the winning distance. As he has such a high strike rate you would expect the handicappers to have given him a bit more. Furthermore he appeared to win with something in hand.

“He has done well since but five points is quite a bit,” cautions Brett Crawford who also provides one of the main dangers in Sail South. World Sports Betting opened this one at 11-2 on Monday and he has since eased to 8-1.

Kingvoldt also opened at 11-2 and was 5-1 yesterday. He looked considerably higher class than this at one stage and gelding ended his haemo-concentrating problems. He has been dropped three points for his last performance and it’s his third run after a rest. So is he pretty near right? “He should be,” answers Justin Snaith. “No excuses now and it’s time for him to live up to his reputation.”

Blarney Bay (12-1) will ensure a strong pace but he tends to get touched off in the closing stages on this fast ground and 7-1 shot Blackmore could be a bigger threat, particularly as he had to overcome a slow start last time and went up only a kilo for his win. ”This race is tougher but when he puts his best foot forward he can run,” says Dean Kannemeyer. “He’s got to have a chance.”

Kannemeyer also runs his 2014 Gold Vase winner Hot Ticket who is a 25-1 shot here and is having a prep for the J & B Jet Stayers on Met day. “I’m a bit on the back foot with him. He’s fat after getting a virus,” reports the Milnerton trainer.

Eighth Wonder is the only three-year-old in the field and has been backed from 8-1 to 9-2. He won the Cape Classic but had no luck in the Selangor or the Cape Guineas. “Everything went wrong last time – he is far better than that,” says Greg Ennion. “He burst through the pens and then raced five wide.”

Extradite, who lost valuable ground at the start on debut, opened 15-10 favourite for the two-year-old race but WSB has since erased its prices. Betting World simply avoided pricing up the race – or at least that was the situation yesterday afternoon.

In any case preference is for The Secret Is Out. The Captain Al newcomer is a full sister to the Mercury Sprint, Allan Robertson and Thekwini winner All Is Secret. Vaughan Marshall, who trained All Is Secret, confirms that this one is smart and is not expected to need the run.

Orion Quest, who went into the notebook when well backed on debut, is odds-on for the All To Come Maiden and is hard to oppose. “He is a nice horse who will definitely be competitive,” says Crawford.

> A service to Oratorio, worth R100 000, is one of eight stallion coverings being auctioned at Saturday’s Sceptre Stakes meeting in aid of 16 ‘Horses For Causes’ charitable organisations.

By Michael Clower

Picture (Nkosi Hlophe): All Is Secret winning the Mercury Sprint in 2013

Noah From Goa ran another game race taking third place in the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate over 1600m at Kenilworth on Saturday, against some of the best older milers in the land.

The three-year-old by Tiger Ridge will be given a well-deserved rest now and Mike de Kock commented: “Noah From Goa gave a great account in what was considered to be one of the strongest renewals of the Queen’s Plate in recent years.

“Noah From Goa has had a long and successful season so far, he’s given his best and he will enjoy a nice few weeks off now. We have the autumn feature season coming up in Gauteng so we’ll probably point him at the Horse Chestnut 1600 or the Classic early in April.”

– Mikedekockracing.com

Picture: Noah From Goa (Liesl King)

Reigning National champion trainer Sean Tarry might have won the R1 million L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate on Saturday with Legal Eagle but Justin Snaith had by the end of the day increased his lead on the current National Trainer’s log, due to five wins, as well as, among other stakes cheques, claiming second and fifth in the Queen’s Plate with Legislate and Futura respectively, and third in the Gr 1 R1 million Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes with Bela-Bela.

Snaith always takes a big team to both of Cape Town’s biggest meetings, the Queen’s Plate and the J&B Met, and has on two occasion had five winners at the J&B Met, so the five winners on Saturday was another milestone moment.

At this time last year Tarry had already taken the lead in his successful title bid, but looks to have a tougher task this season, although the firepower he has for the lucrative Johannesburg Autumn Season will make it exceedingly tough for Snaith to stay ahead.

Snaith currently has stakes earnings of R9,301,950 and Tarry is on R8,209,587, while Mike de Kock, whose focus these days is on his overseas campaigns, in in third on R7,424,225.

Snaith made it to a century of winners for the season on New Year’s Day at Fairview and has had 110 to date, while Tarry has had 75 and De Kock 61.

The win strikes rates are Snaith 18,12%, Tarry 12,5% and De Kock 15,25%.

By David Thiselton

Legal Eagle, 11-2 last Saturday morning and as big as 7-1 at one stage, is now as short as 11-10 with Betting World for the J & B Met after the way he decisively beat many of the January 30 opposition in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate. Rival firm World Sports Betting makes the Sean Tarry-trained four-year-old a 13-10 chance.

Another big mover is the Paddock Stakes winner Smart Call who has been slashed from 20-1 to 12-1 with Betting World and a point longer with WSB.

The response to Legal Eagle’s emphatic win was expected although not many foresaw the new favourite’s price being quite as short. Indeed one bookmaker queried it, saying: “A number of horses in the race ran too bad to be true, notably Futura.”

Smart Call (Liesl King)

This backs up rider Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s view that the steady pace last Saturday meant that he had no chance of winning on a horse that needs further. Last year’s winner has been marked out from 13-10 and 12-10 to a best-priced 33-10 but, significantly, the five-year-old is still shorter than stable companion Legislate even though Saturday’s runner-up has hardened from 15-2 to 11-2 third favourite.

Captain America ran a fine race on Saturday to take fourth after nearly coming down shortly after leaving the pens but he has gone out from 17-2 to as much as 18-1, presumably because he has long been regarded as essentially a miler.

Power King, last of 14 in the Queen’s Plate and reported distressed by the course vet, has gone from 20-1 to as big as 50-1.

Peninsula Handicap winner Light The Lights has been dramatically reassessed, dropping from 200-1 to a quarter of those odds.

There were no additions to the field at yesterday’s final supplementary stage. Declarations are next Monday with the draws taking place at the public racecourse gallops on Thursday January 21.

Betting World: 11-10 Legal Eagle, 33-10 Futura, 11-2 Legislate, 12-1 Smart Call, 14-1 Deo Juvente, 15-1 Mac De Lago, 16-1 Captain America, French Navy, Master Sabina, 18-1 Paterfamilias, 33-1 Same Jurisdiction, 50-1 and upwards others.

World Sports Betting: 13-10 Legal Eagle, 3-1 Futura, 11-2 Legislate, 13-1 Smart Call, 18-1 Captain America, Deo Juvente, French Navy, Mac De Lago, Paterfamilias, 22-1 Master Sabina, 28-1 Same Jurisdiction, 45-1 Power King, 55-1 and upwards others.

By Michael Clower