The Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas contender Budapest put in a pleasing gallop at Kenilworth last Wednesday under the watchful eye of trainer Gareth van Zyl and it is all systems go for the Lithianian gelding ahead of Saturday’s R1 million race.

Budapest was a 4,25 length winner of the R2,5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m last time out on November 21 from a good draw. The collateral form is interesting because the runner up Anglet then went on to finish a 5,8 length fourth to Silver Mountain in the Gr 1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas two weeks later. Silver Mountain is quoted at around 9/20 for Saturday’s race, while Budapest is around 9/1.

However, Silver Mountain has a plum draw of two while Budapest is drawn wide out in 15. Van Zyl is not too concerned by the draw due to the athletic bay’s gatespeed and handy running style.

By David Thiselton

Blarney Bay seems sure to give punters a run for their money in the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap at Kenilworth today.

This free-running galloper loves to go off in front and the 1 400m is his ideal trip. True, he has to give weight all round and his task is made even harder by being raised 2kg for his last win.

That was in a Pinnacle over the same distance when he beat subsequent Green Point winner Captain America and had a string of other big names behind including last Saturday’s Premier scorer Paterfamilas and third-placed Helderberg Blue.

Of course such results need to be taken with a pinch of salt but Brandon May’s 4kg claim will help. “Heavelon van der Hoven (who rode him last time) is going on holiday and, as Brandon is still claiming 4kg, I thought why not give him a chance,” says Mike Robinson (pictured).

Blarney Bay opened at 9-2 with World Sports Betting yesterday and the improving Sheer Trouble, winner of three of his last four, is 16-10 favourite.

Robinson can also take the opening Welcome Maiden with 7-2 chance Prize Peg who drops in distance for this. But that, apparently, is not significant – “She is so well and showing me so much pace that I thought I should let her run,” her trainer explains.

On the book there is little in it between Donavan Mansour’s mount and Princess Jane (also 7-2) who is invariably right there at the death.

Artic Teon has a clear chance in the Summer Of Champions Maiden although the opening 7-10 is giving nothing away. But here the step-up in distance is relevant. “I’ve been waiting for a stayers’ maiden for some time,” says Andre Nel whose good run was temporarily halted last Wednesday when hot favourite Keep On Chooglin flopped and was reported coughing.

“We did have a lot of coughing but it’s mostly gone,” says Nel. “Keep On Chooglin coughs every time he runs and I think it was just a flat run. I may have run him too soon after his previous race.”

Exclusive Knight (9-2), attempting to win at the 34^th attempt (he has been placed 19 times), also steps up in trip. “Competition is a bit weaker over this 2 500m. Over 1 800m you’ve got three-year-olds coming up all the time,” says Piet Steyn who has an interesting story about Money Surger with whom he won for the ninth time in 76 races on Saturday.

Nobody bid for her as a yearling and a float driver, picking up the yearlings after the sales, rang Steyn when found her on her own. Steyn told him to deliver her to him and rang breeder Dan de Wet. He wanted R5 000, they settled on R3 000 and Steyn named her Money Surger because he believes she would prove to be just that. She was won R557 000 so far.

Justin Snaith, now only three short of 2 000 winners, has a big chance with 15-10 favourite Sub Zero in race three but Mr Piscato is marginally preferred at 5-2.

By Michael Clower

Paterfamilias has been cut from 20-1 to 14-1 by World Sports Betting for the J & B Met after giving Mike Bass his third Premier Trophy in ten seasons at Kenilworth on Saturday. He remains a 16-1 shot with Betting World.

The six-year-old was always travelling like a winner and led a furlong out to justify 14-10 favouritism, scoring by a comfortable length and a quarter from last season’s Met runner-up Gold Onyx. The latter was having his first race for four and a half months and ran on most encouragingly.

Winning rider Grant van Niekerk reckons there is more to come and said: “Paterfamilias is a horse to follow for the Met. He ran very well here despite getting cut into behind.”

Paterfamilias (Liesl King)

Candice Robinson added: “He was drawn wide in last season’s Met and hopefully he will have better luck this time. He has loads of ability, although he has had two tendon injuries, and I don’t see why he shouldn’t run in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate first.”

Gold Onyx has been clipped from 66-1 to 50-1 and S’Manga Khumalo said: “He wants further than this 1 800m but I was pleased with his run.”

Third-placed Helderberg Blue, 50-1 for the Met, will first tackle the Peninsula Handicap on January 9. Master’s Eye (now 150-1) would have finished a lot closer than fourth if he had not clipped the heels of the winner early on and then stumbled badly when doing the same to the runner-up just over a furlong out.

King Of Pain (eighth and now as big as 50-1) also had a hard luck story because he was repeatedly baulked when trying to get a clear run. But there were no such obvious excuses for Punta Arenas who managed only fifth and has been pushed out from 25-1 to 33-1.

Andre Nel had been planning the Victress Trophy for Ma Choix ever since Sabine Plattner’s mare gave him his first winner at the end of September. She fairly romped home at 20-1 with stand-in Brandon Lerena reckoning that this was his first visit to Kenilworth since the 2013 Met.

This was Nel’s first Graded success and he promptly upped the target, saying: “Ma Choix will get a proper penalty for this win so she may now have a go at the Maine Chance Paddock Stakes (Jan 9).”

Grant Behr, unplaced on Indaba, has been suspended for a week (Dec 16-22) for interference to Sublime Lady 300m out. Sensible Lover and Zante also suffered.

Justin Snaith made an impassioned plea for more competition in the two-year-old races after the Bernard Fayde’Herbe-ridden Var Ahead booked his Met day ticket by outclassing the opposition from the start in the first juvenile race of the season.

Snaith said: “At this time of year 60-70% of a trainer’s yard consists of two-year-olds and they are doing nothing. We need to get them running and the handicappers need to slow down on the handicapping of young horses so we can. Then owners can have a quick return like they do in Australia.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Paterfamilias (Liesl King)

Mike Bass is to retire at the end of the season when his daughter Candice Robinson will take over the Milnerton yard.

Bass, 70, informed his staff at their pre-Christmas party on Friday and Mrs Robinson confirmed the announcement in a Tellytrack interview at Kenilworth on Saturday, saying: “I will take out my licence for the new season – it’s exciting – and my father will still be there in an advisory capacity.”

Bass’s health has been hit hard by the savage attack of pneumonia in August that nearly killed him and led to the loss of part of his right leg. Candice has worked with him for the past 13 years.

Bass’s training career started in 1976 and since then he has been Western Province champion trainer nine times, won the Durban July three times, the Met on five occasions and six Queen’s Plates. The legendary Pocket Power has been a major contributor.

Meanwhile, an ominous question mark hangs over Sean Cormack’s career and Dennis Drier’s stable jockey decided to forego his six rides at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Cormack, 45, said: “I’ve got a health issue, I will be sidelined for quite a while and it doesn’t sound positive. It has all happened very quickly and it has come as a shock.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Mike Bass (Nkosi Hlophe)

The highlight of a low key meeting at Greyville on Friday night was a ride by Anton Marcus on the Doug Campbell-trained The Lonsdale in the first race which would be a master class lesson to any aspiring youngster and would be contender for ride of the season if there was such an award. Marcus and Campbell both went on to score hattricks at the meeting.

The Lonsdale was slow away from a wide draw in the Maiden over 1400m and was initially caught eight lengths off the pace. The Mogok gelding had over-raced behind the leaders in a 1600m race in his previous start and consequently found little extra in the closing stages. Marcus had clearly done his homework on Friday night, the first time he had ridden The Lonsdale, because it was soon clear the expected faster in this shorter race was not materializing and the horse was once again beginning to over race. Marcus summed up the situation in an instant and immediately switched his horse outward and rushed him some eight lengths around horses to the front, from where he was able to give him a breather running up the hill. He then stole a length or two at the top of the straight and held on to beat the admittedly weak field by 1,5 lengths. “Superman” had once again done it for the public, who have always appreciated his professionalism in treating every race, whether it be the Vodacom Durban July or a Maiden Plate, with equal resolve. Campbell was full of praise for the ride and confirmed Marcus had phoned him at least twice during the week to discuss the race. It was a good training feat by Campbell too as the Scott Brothers-bred gelding, who races in the famous colours of Des Scott, had earlier had to have a throat operation and has to wear special glue on shoes. Marcus was typically humble and said he had “wanted to get him going” because having watched some replays he had noticed the horse had often “flattered to deceive”. His plans were initially scuppered by The Lonsdale’s tardy start, but he was given a second chance when the pace proved slow.

The two stand out equine performances of the night came from the Duncan Howells-trained three-year-old Argonaut colt Kitty’s Destiny and the Kumaran Naidoo-trained three-year-old High Chaparal filly Princess Vurunya.

Kitty’s Destiny had always struck as a horse who would get better and better and who would enjoy going over ground. He was comfortable in the running of Friday’s MR 66 Handicap over 2000m under Muzi Yeni, who has now without doubt broken into the top echelon of riders in the country, and it was race over when he moved up effortlessly at the top of the straight. He went on to win by 5,75 lengths running off a merit rating of 81, so looks to be going places.

Princess Vurunya later ran in a MR 75 Handicap for fillies and mares over 2000m on the turf and made light of her 86 merit rating, relaxing nicely before quickening well and winning by 2,75 lengths under Anthony Delpech.

Earlier, Marcus and Campbell had scored a quick double when the Campbell-bred and part-owned A.P. Answer filly Dark Rose, who has been knocking on the door for a whole year, proved her liking for 1400m and finally got her nose in front at the expense of the promising Michael Roberts-trained Durban Blues, who was making her seasonal reappearance.

The Glen Kotzen-trained Western Winter mare French Lass, who had been campaigning in Port Elizabeth, then made it two out of two on the Greyville poly by winning a MR 70 Handicap for fillies and mares.

Western Winter progeny then made it a quick double when the blinkered Alyson Wright-trained gelding Dark Avenger relished the 2000m trip with blinkers on and beat a maiden field easily under Brandon Lerena.

The Charles Laird-trained three-year-old Australian-bred Bernadini colt Team Guys has always been a talked about horse due to his excellent homework and he is starting to put it together on the racecourse. He won a MR 73 Handicap over 1600m under another finely judged ride by Marcus to follow up on his recent maiden win. It was a meritorious victory as he beat a horse who had brought some useful Cape Town form, Ferdinand The Bull, and the rest of the field well beaten under.

Campbell clinched his hattrick in the last race, a fillies and mares Maiden over 2000m on the turf, and made it a double on the night for progeny of A.P. Answer that he had bred and part-owns. The three-year-old filly Maybe relished the step up in trip and ran on well to score comfortably under Ian Sturgeon.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Anton Marcus