Horse Racing News | Gold Circle Horse Racing And Betting

Fortune to follow

PUBLISHED: October 21, 2015

Durbanville hosts it’s last meeting until February and Tumbles could be very competitive…

The in-form Andrew Fortune rides at Durbanville for the second time in three weeks today and, as on his last visit, the former champion can kick off with a winner.

He has six rides but only one of them is a favourite and Betting World yesterday opened the well drawn Tumbles at 7-2 for the opening maiden. At that price the filly looks value.

This is the last meeting at the country course until February but, so far as Adam Marcus is concerned, the all-important factor is the fast going.

“Tumbles has a lot of natural speed and in her first two starts at Kenilworth the ground was very heavy,” says the Milnerton trainer. “She needs to be settled and Andrew has beautiful hands. I think she is going to be very competitive.”

She is drawn two whereas many of the form horses are drawn wide, notably 5-1 shot Gin For Genius who starts on the outside. Has she the gate speed to overcome that? “I don’t want her to have the speed early,” answers Eric Sands. “I want the speed to pull her along and I think she might be alright.”

Ichkeria, 100-1 on debut in a good Kenilworth maiden last month, ran well enough to suggest she could pose a threat here and she is a 4-1 chance but her 12 draw is hardly a positive.

Molly’s Chambers (14-1) has a bit of form but she failed to show it when making the running here last month. “It was her first time on the course,” explains Piet Steyn. “I think she has a place chance.”

Favourite at 3-1 is the Andre Nel-trained newcomer Skip A Beat, a daughter of Dynasty. This is not an easy course for a first timer and it will be interesting to see if she remains at the head of the market come race time.

Nel has made a sparkling start and his La Favourari is 18-10 favourite for the Soccer 10 Maiden Plate even though the colt’s debut second reads poorly with Roxy Babe (third) and Hammie’s Game (fifth) letting the side down on Saturday.

“La Favourari is a fairly decent horse,” says Andre Nel. “We thought he would win first time if there was nothing special among the other newcomers and he has come on since.”

The form of Heart Of Darkness’s fourth to March On, on the other hand, has been repeatedly boosted with the second, third and fifth all winning next time out and at 7-2 he makes more appeal despite not having raced for almost three months and being drawn seven out of ten. Knight Of Glory (5-1) looks best of the rest

Fortune’s mount Moment To Shine is 22-10 favourite for the All To Come Maiden Plate but she and last time’s runner-up Excellent (5-2) are drawn wide. The vote goes to Sky Fly whose 7-2 looks reasonable. The Geoff Woodruff-trained filly lost valuable ground at the start on her first run here last month and she is sure to have learnt from that.

Icy Trail is a stingy price at 6-10 in the Place Your Bets Maiden Plate but he looks the one they all have to beat. Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount had to drop back and switch when his path was blocked last time and he ran on as if he will be better suited by the extra distance here.

However if you don’t like betting odds-on, a good case can be made for Roman Silvanus at 5-1 after last Saturday – he was the meat in the sandwich between One Away and Avail on their previous start – and Accountability (28-10) is the one that comes out best on merit ratings.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Andrew Fortune (Nkosi Hlophe)

Greyville goes Pink!

PUBLISHED: October 20, 2015

Greyville Racecourse goes pink in aid of breast cancer awareness this Friday 23rd October…

Final field for Betting World Algoa Cup

PUBLISHED: October 20, 2015

Sean Tarry has two runners in the Betting World Algoa Cup, one of which performs well on both sand and Turf…

Champion trainer Sean Tarry will be taking two horses to Port Elizabeth on Sunday to contest the R350,000 Betting World Algoa Cup. The Grade 3 race is run over 2000m on the turf track.

Tarry’s two runners are Orchestrated, to be ridden by S’manga Khumalo, and Stonehenge, who will have Donavan Mansour aboard. Orchestrated has won four of his 15 starts and has placed on another eight occasions. The son of Jay Peg is one of those horses who performs well on the sand and on the turf.

This could be a shrewd move by Tarry because if, as has happened before, inclement weather results in the meeting being moved to the Polytrack, he has a horse who could win on either surface. Orchestrated four wins have been over 1600m and 1700m and he has yet to prove he stays 2000m. In fact, the last time he raced over the trip he was beaten 8.25 lengths by stable companion Stonehenge.

However, Orchestrated did run well enough in the Listed Aquanaut Handicap over 2450m at Turffontein in heavy going when a 4.25-length fourth behind Cool Chardonnay.

In the Algoa Cup he is well drawn at No 2 and has just 52.5kg to carry.

Stonehenge has raced 11 times for two wins and four places but his best effort came in the Listed Derby Trial over 2000m at Turffontein last season when he finished a 2.25-length second behind Legal Eagle. Unfortunately Stonehenge has drawn No 14 but over this distance that should not be too much of a disadvantage.

Justin Snaith saddles three runners in Krambambuli, Current Event and Masterly, while Glen Kotzen sends out Political Playboy and Gone Baby Gone.

There are two other visiting trainers with runners in the main event. Vaughan Marshall has sent Gothic while the Mike Bass yard will be bringing Mountain Master. MJ Byleveld and Grant van Niekerk are the respective jockeys on the two runners.

Top weight is local star Gogetthesheriff, trained by Jacques Strydom and to be ridden by Raymond Danielson. They have been allotted 61kg and will jump from barrier No 8. The five-year-old son of Go Deputy has won seven of his 14 starts since arriving in Port Elizabeth, of which six have been on the Polytrack.

Final field for the R350,000 Betting World Algoa Cup (Grade 3) over 2000m at Fairview (turf track) on Sunday 25 October.

1 – 8 GOGETTHESHERIFF (JVA Strydom) R Danielson 61.0 – 105

2 – 9 KRAMBAMBULI (S J Snaith) A Fortune 57.5 – 100

3 – 4 GOTHIC (V H Marshall) M Byleveld 56.0 – 95

4 – 13 POLITICAL PLAYBOY (G S Kotzen) A Domeyer 54.5 – 92

5 – 10 SYMBOLIK (D Sham) K Zechner 54.5 – 92

6 – 15 KALAMAIN (A C Greeff) G Cheyne 53.5 – 92

7 – 5 ZESTFUL (JVA Strydom) X Ndlovu 53.0 – 89

8 – 6 CURRENT EVENT (S J Snaith) R Khathi 52.5 – 88

9 – 1 MOUNTAIN MASTER (M W Bass) G van Niekerk 52.5 – 88

10 – 2 ORCHESTRATED (S G Tarry) S Khumalo 52.5 – 88

11 – 12 TAARISH (M Wiese) J P v’d Merwe 52.5 – 88

12 – 3 MASTERLY (S J Snaith) K de Melo 52.0 – 87

13 – 7 GONE BABY GONE (G S Kotzen) C Zackey 52.0 – 86

14 – 14 STONEHENGE (S G Tarry) D Mansour 52.0 – 85

15 – 11 SILENT PARTNER (M Wiese) …………… 52.0 – 79

Same Trainer: (1,7) (2,8,12) (4,13) (10,14) (11,15)

RELEASED BY: PHUMELELA GAMING AND LEISURE LIMITED

Picture: Sean Tarry

Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile weights

PUBLISHED: October 20, 2015

Sean Tarry trained French Navy will carry top-weight in the R1-million Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile…

An ideal world for Free State

PUBLISHED: October 20, 2015

Free State eyes the Magnolia Handicap on Sansui Summer Cup day…

The ever-improving Paul Gadsby-trained four-year-old speedster Miss Varlicious will not be embarking on a feature race program until next year’s Champions Season.

However, another potentially exciting KZN-based sprinter, the Wendy Whitehead-trained three-year-old Ideal World filly Free State, is eyeing the Gr 3 R250,000 Magnolia Handicap over 1160m at Turffontein on Sansui Summer Cup day November 28.

The Var filly Miss Varlicious gave the impression when winning a Conditions Plate over 1200 at Scottsville on Sunday that she had hung to the left just before making her final charge, but that was due to apprentice Eric Ngwane overcorrecting when attempting to straighten her as she had begun drifting right towards the horses on the far side. However, when she quickened she impressed all and sundry, even if she was only carrying 48kg, and she had a flying Chestnuts N Pearls, who is a Gr 1-winning three-year-old, beaten by 1,5 lengths at the line.

Gadsby believes Miss Varlicious’s best trip is undoubtedly 1200m, as opposed to the 1000m distance of her previous two wins, and her chief target will be the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m next May. The handicapper has dictated the route he is taking with her as he would like to at least get five wins out of her, in order that the owners can recoup their investments, before taking on the best. She was given an 82 merit rating for winning a 1000m maiden in her second career start in March by six lengths and she was increased from an 85 to a 91 after winning a 1000m handicap at Scottsville by 1,5 lengths three runs later. She was then given another three points for a second place finish over 1000m, which took her merit rating to 94. She showed she had improved further on Sunday and Gadsby will likely be looking for another conditions race like Sunday’s one, because being still only a three-time winner she will come in well weighted again.

Another promising Var filly from the Gadsby yard, the three-year-old Royal Kaitrina, also won in her second career outing over the Scottsville 1000m. She impressed in that 2,75 length victory, which took place on the second weekend of September, and the form has worked out exceptionally well, with three horses behind her having won next time out. However, she was also accorded an 82 merit rating. Gadsby will try and find more wins for her before embarking on a Champions Season feature race program.

In other yard news the useful 100 merit-rated six-year-old Lundy’s Liability gelding Candy Moon has returned from a stint with Noordhoek Beach-based trainer Mike Stewart, where the therapeutic qualities of the sea helped him overcome a tendon injury. Fortunately one of Candy Moon’s owners, Dr Ralph Katzwinkel, was present when he pulled a tendon while preparing for last season’s Betting World 1900 and was able to administer treatment immediately. The yard had fancied the gelding’s chances in the Betting World 1900 and were hoping to qualify him for the July. However, instead he had to be box-rested for two months, before being transported down to Cape Town. Mike Stewart apparently commented that Candy Moon had not seemed like a horse that had ever had a tendon injury, so sound was he while down at his Noorhoek Beach yard. Candy Moon’s best effort last season was a narrow second in the Gr 3 Kings Cup over 1600m and he also had close up fourths in the Gr 3 Christmas handicap and the Listed Sledgehammer over 1800m and 1750m respectively. He will likely be targeted at similar races this season.

Meanwhile, Whitehead will be giving Free State an outing in a fillies and mares MR 76 1000m handicap at Scottsville on November 6 before committing her to the Magnolia Handicap. The strongly-built filly was given an 83 merit rating for her impressive debut victory over 1000m at Scottsville on October 11, in which she was backed from 33/1 into 33/10 favourite before winning full of running by 2,25 lengths. Ideal World’s progeny usually improve with experience and over ground. However, Free State looks like a sprinter, being quite short-coupled, and Whitehead believes the minimum trips will be her game. However, she is a full-sister to the Adam Marcus-trained Fear Not, who finished a fine 1,1 length third to the dual Gr 1-winner Inara in the recent weight for age plus penalties Gr 3 Diana Stakes over 1400m at Durbanville.

Whitehead is having a fine spell at present, having had six winners in a three week period between September 18 and October 11.

She added that the yard had a number of promising unraced youngsters to look forward to.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Free State (Nkosi Hlophe)