Arabian Beat and Abashiri will be making their seasonal reappearances at the big Turffontein meeting on Saturday.

Their respective trainers had divergent opinions on the chances of the two top class Gr 1 performers.

Arabian Beat, a three-year-olds Black Minnaloushe colt who only just failed from a wide draw in the Gr 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m at Greyville in his last start, runs in the Gr 2 AmTote  Merchants over the 1160m, course and distance of his Gr 1 SA Nursery victory. Dominic Zaki said he would be close to his peak and added, “His preparation has gone smoothly and I give him a big chance with that low weight.” He carries only 53kg off his 110 merit rating in the handicap event and regular pilot Craig Zackey is aboard from a nice middle draw of 10.

The long-striding Abashiri, a three-year-olds gelding by Go Deputy, has tremendous scope and should love the 1600m course and distance of the Investec Dingaans. However, Mike Azzie cautioned, “He hasn’t run because there was nothing suitable on the program for him, but has had gallops and we have him as fit as we possibly can. However, there is nothing like one run under the belt, so I’m approaching the race with caution.” Abashiri jumps from a tough draw of 12. On the plus side the ever-professional Anton Marcus is aboard.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Arabian Beat (Nkosi Hlophe)

The pool for Saturday’s Pick 6 for the Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup meeting at Turffontein is expected to reach R5 million after the injection of a R1,5 million carryover. All six legs are Graded Stakes events.

The first leg is the Gr 2 AmTote Merchants over 1160m. Races 1 and 3 on the card are over the same distance and punters should watch for any draw bias.

Copper Parade (JC Photo)

Copper Parade prefers fast ground so rain will affect his chances. The eight-year-old won the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m less than two years ago and in that race got the fast pace  which allowed him to free wheel at his high cruising speed before using his devastating turn of foot. He will certainly get a fast pace in this big field sprint and has dropped to a 101 merit rating from 116, as well as being drawn on what is usually the right side, so if in the mood could go close.

Doing It For Dan was raised four points for his easy last win but trainer Louis Goosen has a knack of extracting continual improvement from his classy sprinters. Trip To Heaven’s last run can be ignored as he was slow away and rushed and he is capable of carrying top weight to victory. Tiger Territory was desperately unlucky last time out when cruising in behind horses with nowhere to go, so is potentially well handicapped. The scopey Arabian Beat won the Gr 1 Nursery and despite a layoff of nearly five months trainer Dominic Zaki reckoned he would be close to his peak and gave him a “big chance with that low weight”. Brutal Force has improved with gelding. Toro Rosso loves to gallop and is dropped back in trip. Al Don Cumarco is an impressive specimen and Gavin Lerena will suit him. Whiteline Fever, Aurum Pot and Amazing Strike are three others that could be considered.

The fifth race is the Gr 3 Joshua Doore/Russells Fillies Mile and the classy and progressive Madame Dubois should love the course and distance and is a potential banker from pole position despite having to give the field 1kg. The improving Joan Ranger could be a threat being 1kg better off with Madame Dubois for a neck beating in the Starling Stakes over 1400m, but there is a reversal in draw fortunes. Sapsan is the only danger to the front two on current form, although the gigantic Persian Rug could do better if the ground is soft and Shaama might bounce back to form having her third run after a rest.

Trip To Heaven (JC Photo)

The sixth is the Gr 2 Investec Dingaans over 1600m and the impressive Noah From Goa is a possible banker as he should relish the step up in trip. Unbelievable Chad ran away with the rider last time but is usually a relaxed type and is now familiar with the course. So if able to tuck in from a wide draw his big stride will carry him close. Bull Valley should be cherry-ripe for this his target race. New Predator won his maiden impressively over course and distance and the form has worked out well. Long-striding Abashiri is top class and should be suited to the standside track, but this is his first start of the season, as there was nothing suitable for him, and although the yard have him as fit as possible trainer Mike Azzie added, “There is nothing like one run under the belt, so I’m approaching the race with caution.” Lineker has class and should just about stay the trip. Rikitikitana has caught the eye on occasion.

The seventh is the Sansui Summer Cup and will be reviewed tomorrow.

The eighth is the Gr 2 Bradlows/Morkels Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m. Trophy Wife will have come on from her last start and over her probable favourite course and distance is the third of the possible bankers. Smart Call needed her last start over 1400m and will appreciate the step up in trip but does have to give 2kg to most of the field including Trophy Wife. Bichette beat Smart Call  comfortably in her last start over 1450m and is now 1kg better off, but is not certain to enjoy the step up in trip. Love To Sail might prove to be suited to this trip. Featherfoot should be coming into her own being by Silvano but has a tough task at the weights.

The ninth race is the Gauteng Racing Association Handicap over 3200m. Weiho Marwing has a superb record in staying races at Turffontein and Fulcrum and Cool Chardonnay both look to be out-and-out stayers and should be involved. The classy topweight Storm Warning should finish on top of Fulcrum. J’s Outsider has to be included too, as the winner of the Gold Bowl over course and distance. Wild Ash is a big filly with some class and plenty of stamina. Savage Wind can never be ignored.

By David Thiselton

Trainer Yvette Bremner sends three raiders from Port Elizabeth to Turffontein for the Sansui Summer Cup meeting and all three of them, Copper Parade, Al Don Cumarco and Eros’s Girl, are interesting runners.

The horses leave Fairview today for Johannesburg.

Copper Parade prefers fast ground and will be scratched if there is too much rain, but he should be alright as there is 3mm forecast for tomorrow (Thursday), 10mm for Friday and 10mm for Saturday. The now eight-year-old gelding by Lecture has become a bit cantankerous and Bremner admitted his performance would depend on his mood. However, she added that he had given Anthony Delpech a good feel last time out in an International Jockeys race, a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1000m at Fairview when running on strongly for third, and added Delpech had said he would want to ride him in Johannesburg if not retained for any other ride.

As it happens Delpech will be riding his guv’nor Mikede Kock’s Toro Rosso and instead Karl Zechner is aboard Copper Parade. Bremner also pointed out that Coppeer Parade loves travelling and has always run well away from home. Another plus to his chances is that as a horse with a high cruising speed and an electric turn of foot when at his best, the likely strong pace of the big field Merchants will play into his hands and, furthermore, he has carried 60kg and more in his last 18 runs and now has a featherweight 53kg on his back. The outside part of the straight is often favourable on big Turffonteinrace days so his draw of 18 looks to be another plus. There is no doubting his ability, as he won the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m at this course two seasons ago, downing the like of the brilliant Via Africa. Copper Parade is a potential value each/way bet on the day.

Five-year-old Captain Al gelding Al Don Cumarco will also be a runner, although it remains to be seen whether his low draw of five will have any affect will on his chances. Bremner believes national champion jockey Gavin Lerena will be the perfect rider him and said, “He is a big horse and needs to be balanced, so I think Gavin will have him balanced before he flies. His last win was full of merit.” In that last race, the same one Copper Parade ran in, he didn’t break well from a low draw and sat at the back towards the inside and eventually had to be switched towards the outside of horses to find a run. Just as he was going forward he was sandwiched between two horses, affecting his momentum, but then picked himself up again to win going away under S’Manga Khumalo. The big bay ran in the weight for age Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Greyville and interestingly beat Trip To Heaven at level weights as he now receives 3,5kg from him. However, Trip To Heaven, who is defending his crown on Saturday, was coming back from a six month break in The Mercury and has clearly improved since then.

Eros’s Girl, who was rated by former trainer Justin Snaith, is a talented but headstrong sort. The four-year-old Captain Al Filly has only been with Bremner for three weeks and she said she had been “perfectly behaved” so far. However, the yard will still be taking a pony with her up to Johannsburg. Eros’s Girl’s last two wins, both at Fairview, were over 1800m and 2000m respectively. However, she won both of her first two career starts easily over 1200m, at which stage she looked set for big things. Bremner believes she still has the necessary speed to compete in Saturday’s Gr 3 Magnolia Handicap over 1160m. In fact, considering she pulled badly in her last start over 1600m at Kenilworth when finishing 4,55 lengths behind Fear Not in a handicap, the sprint might be what she is looking for. She has also fallen to an attractive merit rating of 87, the first time she has been below 91 in her career. Zechner rides from a draw of 12.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Copper Parade (JC Photos)

Distribution of weight would appear to be the key to Anton Marcus’s extraordinary ability to get horses fast away from the pens – an ability that has puzzled onlookers, profited punters and been the envy of rivals.

The four-time champion does it race after race, seemingly without having to ask his mounts to use up valuable energy, and they are invariably in a handy position within 200m no matter how badly they are drawn.

Close examination reveals that he doesn’t jizz up his mounts either in the pens or before going into them. In fact he sits remarkably still but when the gates open he rises high in the irons, bringing his weight well forward over the horse’s withers.

After no more than a couple of nudges with his hands his horse is running freely and easily – and doing so fast enough for him to be able to position it where he wants.

Most jockeys, finding that their horse is not going fast enough to get a positon, don’t rise at all and instead crouch low in the saddle and start pushing hard. This brings their weight significantly further back than it would be using the Marcus method.

It will be interesting to see if any of them switch to the Marcus way of starting and how successful they are at it.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Anton Marcus

Trainer Dean Kannemeyer has the five-year-old Silvano gelding Power King as well as he had him before his famous victory in the Vodacom Durban July in the build up to Saturday’s Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein.

Power King will travel from Summerveld to Johannesburg on Friday and the one concern could be the altitude adjustment. It is generally agreed that horses raiding the Highveld from the coast will struggle at distances beyond a mile, but what is often ignored is that Summerveld is already a third of the altitude of Johannesburg and this could explain why horses raiding from that particular KZN centre have been successful in middle distance and staying races at Turffontein in the past.

Power King had an excellent seasonal reappearance, when flying up for second in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1200m on the Greyville turf on November 1.

Kannemeyer has not wanted to over exert him in his preparation and his next serious bit of work was last Thursday, when he had a gallop over 1200m on the Summerveld grass. “Boom, he was ready,” said Kannemeyer, who added big race jockey Stuart Randolph had also been pleased with the workout.

Power King has a plum draw of five and was only given a three point raise for his July win. He will still have to shoulder second topweight of 58,5kg off his 109 merit rating in what looks to be an ultra competitive race, so it is not going to be easy, but he is the fancy of a number of pundits and is the second favourite at 6/1 with Betting World.

There is about 23mm of rain forecast this week up to and including Saturday. Kannemeyer pointed out, “Power King won the Winter Guineas in soft going, finished second in the Winter Derby in the mud and won a Scottsville race on firm ground, so he can handle all conditions. He is a genuine horse with a big heart and his preparation has gone like a dream, he’s very well.”

Kannemeyer, whose main base is at Milnerton in Cape Town, has been with Power King at his Summerveld satellite yard this week.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Power King (Nkosi Hlophe)