Act Of War will attempt to follow in the talented hoofprints of Capetown Noir after smashing the Durbanville 1 400m course record on Saturday.

As did Capetown Noir – the only other horse to justify favouritism in the Kuda Matchem in the last decade – last season’s Cape Guineas winner has the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate as his target and in the meantime there is the possibility – not to put too fine a point on it – of a mouth-watering clash with Legislate and/or Futura in the Green Point Stakes on November 21.

The 1-3 hotpot was entitled to beat Saturday’s rivals with some ease and it wasn’t so much that he won that impressed but the way he did it after being off for five months, having a rushed preparation and travelling as many kilometres as a long distance lorry driver.

Anton Marcus deliberately gave him plenty to do, so much so in fact that at the 1 400m mark the disturbing thought flashed through the writer’s mind: ‘He is going to have to be Nijinsky to win from there.’ Substitute your own, more modern, equine superstar if you will but six lengths in a field at full flow is a hell of a lot. Yet the favourite did it with over 50m still to run and, what is more, he took nearly three-quarters of a second off Signal Green’s 1 min 23.8 sec record that had stood for 20 years.

It all contributed to a day to remember for owner Markus Jooste who was at his daughter’s wedding but his retained jockey recalled an even more memorable occasion when he rode the mighty Empress Club to victory in the South Easter Sprint here in 1992. She also broke the course record that day.

Marcus reckons that this was his last visit to Durbanville and he added: “Joey asked me to ride Act Of War a little more conservatively than usual because he hadn’t run for some time.

“In the race it was always my intention to wait until the last furlong, or furlong and a half, because they went a fair tempo and I wasn’t prepared to get into any sort of bunfight.”

Ramsden recalled how he had galloped the horse at Greyville a fortnight earlier when Marcus wasn’t happy with him.

He added: “I probably left it a little bit late bringing him back down from Durban and we galloped him here last Sunday. I then smashed him on the treadmill on Tuesday, giving him another strong piece of work.

“Today he looked magnificent – the best I’ve ever seen him – and he was different class. I reckon to keep him at around a mile so it’s the Green Point and the Queen’s Plate.”

Ramsden revealed that the Arc-En-Ciel bred Dynasty colt had been under consideration for the Champions Cup in July “but he ran a slight temperature. That’s the only reason we didn’t run him.”

He fitted  a tongue tie for the first time in a race, explaining: “From day one the horse has made a little bit of a noise and, as he had taken to it well, I didn’t see any reason why not to use it.”

Racing manager Derek Brugman added: “This is a bloody good horse and to win like that after what he has been through in the last couple of weeks, with the all the travelling and galloping to get him ready, is quite something.”

The Mike Bass stable is considering bringing Inara back in distance after the way Gaynor Rupert’s homebred gave the stable its second Diana Stakes in three seasons.

Candice Robinson said: “She showed a lot of pace here so maybe she will run in a sprint before going for a second Paddock and Majorca.”

Certainly Grant van Niekerk was impressed, saying: “I was never worried at any stage. I knew what I had under me and she showed what she is made of.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Act Of War and jockey Anton Marcus in the Kuda Matchem Stakes (Liesl King)

The champion yard of Sean Tarry kicked into full stride at Turffontein yesterday as the four-year-old Trippi colt Trip To Heaven won the Gr 2 World Sports Betting Spring Challenge over 1450m under S’Manga Khumalo in impressive style. The pair later combined for a double when another four-year-old by Trippi, the 101 merit-rated Zambezi River, won a Pinnacle event over 1000m cosily, while Ormond Ferraris also scored a double, including winning the Gr 2 World Sports Betting Spring Fillies and Mares Stakes over 1450m with the crack filly Lazer Star, who was ridden by Weichong Marwing.

Down at Durbanville the Joey Ramsden-trained Act Of War and the Mike Bass-trained Inara confirmed their brilliance when respectively winning the Gr 3 Matchem Stakes under Anton Marcus and the Gr 3 Diana Stakes under Grant van Niekerk, both over1400m.

Trip To Heaven had to be reshod at the start and then stumbled shortly after jumping, but after surging to the front he settled beautifully. The brilliant Charles Laird-trained miler Ice Machine, who raided from KZN, was well in at the weights on official merit ratings under the weight for age plus penalties conditions, but did not get the pace he needed and was forced to race wide from his high draw. Trip To Heaven kicked for home superbly and when Ice Machine’s challenge petered out, it was left to the Alec Laird-trained Bouclette Top to chase him home and clinch his second Gr 2 runner up spot over this sort of trip. The Tarry-trained Whiteline Fever pipped Ice Machine for third and the Tarry-trained Halve The Deficit was fifth. Trip To Heaven now looks likely to stay the trip of the Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile on October 31.

Earlier, the Ormond Ferraris-trained Toreador four-year-old filly Lazer Star proved herself more than just a pure sprinter when winning the Gr 2 World Sports Betting Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over 1450m under Weichong Marwing. She has now won seven races from just nine starts, six of them over sprints, and is fittingly owned by Marwing’s wife Anneli. Under yesterday’s weight for age conditions, she bided her time in third place behind a steady pace set by Sarve and after creeping forward in the straight she found a telling late kick to go on and win comfortably by 1,75 lengths, converting even money favouritism. Sarve, rated 103 compared to Lazer Star’s 109, held on for second ahead of the three-year-old Madame Dubois.

Ferraris had earlier sent out the Australian-bred Duke Of Marmalade mare Marmalady to score her third win on the trot in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 2200m and she looks to be a highly progressive stayer.

National log-leading jockey Andrew Fortune scored an early double and one of his winners, the three-year-old Gary Alexander-trained Kahal colt Champagne Haze, a half-brother to Piere Jourdan, had a fair bunch spread out like the washing behind him in a MR 92 handicap for three-year-olds over 1450m.

At Durbanville, the Western Cape’s Champion Three-Year-old colt from last season, the now four-year-old Dynasty colt Act Of War, sat one wide in midfield in the Matchem Stakes, which meant he was some way out of his ground on the tight course after the Justin Snaith-trained Heartland, to whom he was giving 2kg, had stolen a march down the inside. However, he came home powerfully after winding up into his big stride and beat Heartland by a comfortable 1,5 lengths, converting 1/3 odds. Charles Lytton finished third and Line Break and second favourite Sail For Gold were next best. Three of the first four are by Dynasty and Charles Lytton is by Dynasty’s half-brother Thomas Crown.

In The Diana Stakes Inara, who conceded at least 3kg to the entire field, sat in second place behind her sprint-miler stablemate Come Fly With Me. After she had eventually found top gear in the straight, she surged past to win by a length, converting odds of 5/10. Come Fly To Me was second favourite at 5/2 and finished second. Fear Not was only a head back in third, ahead of Harvard Crimson and Just Felicity.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Inara winning the Diana Stakes (Liesl King)

Dean Kannemeyer landed a treble at Greyville on Friday night, while his other two runners both finished third, and these results not only provided proof of his skills as a trainer but also of the apparently superior Cape Town form, as all five of his horses were having their first KZN outings since being transported from Kannemeyer’s Milnerton base to his Summerveld satellite yard and most of them were sent out at attractive odds.

In the first race over 1200m his runner, the five-year-old Kahal gelding Black Agate, had already had 13 runs in the maidens and had been beaten more than ten lengths in both of his last two runs. However a closer look at his Cape Town form showed that in good going he had only once been out of the first five over this trip, so considering the strength of maiden races in Cape Town compared to Durban and the fast poly surface, he looked good value at R4.40 a place and duly ran on strongly for third. The winner of this race was the well backed favourite Var Du Bois, who was the second first-timer by Var that Doug Campbell had sent out to win on successive Friday nights and both were ridden by Ian Sturgeon.

Kannemeyer’s second runner of the evening, the three-year-old Kahal colt Tanjiro, looked impossible to impose facing a weak field in a Maiden over 1600m, having gone close over 1400m in Cape Town in his previous run. He was allowed to drift out to R1.80 a win, apparently due to some negative on course rumours, but he duly won comfortably under Anton Marcus.

Kannemeyer’s next runner, the five-year-old Judpot gelding Sussex, was another one who looked likely to enjoy the relatively fast poly surface, so looked amazing value at R23.70 considering the previous time he had raced on good ground over this 1600m trip in Cape Town he finished only 2,45 lengths behind the decent Bianzino and was now not only three points lower in the merit ratings but also had a 4kg claimer up in the handicap event. Apprentice Eric Ngwane didn’t panic when the horse was headstrong early in the running, but instead allowed him to bowl along in the joint lead and he fought back after being headed in the straight to deny Rocketball by a head.

In the next race, a handicap over 1800m, the once highly regarded Kannemeyer-trained Giant’s Causeway gelding Capel Top had dropped to a 66 merit rating and ran on for third paying R1.80 a place.

His runner in the next, a handicap over 1400m, was the Lecture filly Leylani and she didn’t look to have an easy task as a three-year-old carrying 60kg off a merit rating of 82. However, she won cosily under Alec Forbes and returned R7.00 a win.

The record of the off season arrivals to Kannemeyer’s satellite yard at Summerveld from Milnerton now reads seven runs, five wins and two thirds.

Charles Laird and Anton Marcus combined for a double at the meeting. In the fourth, a maiden over 1600m, the Dynasty filly Madame Justice, a full-sister to Legislate, relished the step up in trip and powered to a 9,25 length win.It was a weak field, but she over raced early so looks most promising.

Laird’s strong three-year-old Kahal gelding Dance On Air also looks decent having won the last race, a handicap over 1400m, comfortably despite carrying 60,5kg off a merit rating of 81.

The other two winners on the night were the problematic Belinda Impey-trained seven-year-old Scripture gelding Dulce Leche, who, ridden by Sean Veale, beat an unlucky Sweet Turn in a maiden over 1600m; and the often disappointing Gavin van Zyl-trained Silvano gelding Night Shadow, who enjoyed the step up to 1800m in a handicap, and won comfortably off a lowly 63 merit rating under Warren Kennedy.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Dean Kannemeyer

Gift Funeka, who in the year 2000 became the first black jockey to ride in the Durban July, died on Friday.

Funeka was rushed to hospital with severe internal pains and died a short while after being admitted.

Funeka booked a place in the 2000 July aboard the Anil Maharaj trained New Zealand-bred His Nibs after winning the Gr 2 Greyville 1900 on the seven-year-old gelding at odds of 20/1.

The Greyville 1900 was his biggest career win.

However, he also gained a huge amount of respect for the brave and highly successful comeback he made to the saddle about two years ago, having been off for about four-and-a-half years due to a bout of meningitis which affected his balance for some time.

Trainer Dorrie Sham was instrumental in helping him renew his license and he became associated with her Fairview yard.

Sham had a long friendship with Funeka and admitted she regarded him as an “extra son.” Funeka had a winner for Sham in his second comeback meeting and finished the 2013/2014 season with 20 winners at a strike rate of 6,73%.

In the first part of the 2014/2015 he became associated with the like of the George Uren and Des McLachlan/Duncan McKenzie yards, and he also had rides here and there for the like of Alan Greeff, Glen Kotzen and Mitch Wiese.

He was clearly held in high regard and consequently landed a position with the powerful yard of Yvette Bremner, having ridden two winners for her in his early handful of chances for the yard, a 50/1 shot in Leta’s Bonnet and a 28/10 favourite in Benedict.

He finished last season with 40 winners at a strike rate of just over 9%.

He had not ridden since the second Fairview Friday meeting of this season due to illness.

Funeka joined the South African Jockey’s Academy in 1995 and rode his first winner at Scottsville in April 1997 aboard the Clodagh Shaw-trained Dale Vision, a day he described as the happiest of his life. He went on to ride 48 winners as an apprentice.

One of Funeka’s nicknames was ‘mnotho’, which means money, and was given to him by the grooms who said that whenever the money was down he would bring it home.

Funeka was born and grew up in Kwa-Mashu as one of a family of three boys and is survived by his wife Ntombi Viv, son Nkosinathi and daughter Nkanyezi.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Gift Funeka

Act Of War is as short as 4-10 in the Betting World forecast for tomorrow’s Kuda Matchem Stakes but this Durbanvile feature is a favourite’s graveyard and nine of the last ten have been beaten.

Joey Ramsden’s star has over six lengths in hand on his best form and master-starter Anton Marcus is almost guaranteed to make light of the colt’s eight draw. A gallop on the course last weekend satisfied his trainer that lack of Durbanville racing experience won’t be a handicap either.

However he has not raced for five months and, although the Cape Guineas winner was kept in work at Summerveld over the winter, his racecourse absence just might make him vulnerable.

Ramsden, who won this with the great Variety Club four years ago, does not agree and says: “He is pretty fit. I wouldn’t let him out if I didn’t feel he could do the job.”

Surprisingly there are no three-year-olds in the line-up – ten were entered – and only two other trainers are represented. Justin Snaith, successful with Changingoftheguard in 2012, runs five with Sean Cormack’s mount Alpha Pegasi marginally the best on ratings and a forecast 7-1 chance.

“Alpha Pegasi will run well but I think Heartland (6-1) will probably be our main hope,” says Snaith. “But, really, it’s a toss-up between the five and much will depend on which one handles Durbanville the best.”

Snaith, in tremendous form so far this season, is also of the opinion that the favourite could be vulnerable – “Particularly at Durbanville which is a place that tames lions. Here it’s not always the best horse that wins but the one that acts best on the course.”

Mike Bass, bidding for his third Matchem in eight years, runs four and Sail For Gold could be the one to floor the favourite.  In the Winter Guineas, when Act Of War returned from three months off, he ran the Ramsden hotpot to a fighting length and a quarter on these terms.  He is race fit after winning over 1 300m here a fortnight ago and looks value at the forecast 8-1.

Candice Robinson confirms that Grant van Niekerk’s mount has the best chance of the stable’s quartet but says the hat-trick seeking 20-1 shot Sheer Trouble “is in great form at the moment and I think he will be right there.”

Favourites have a much better record in the Diana Stakes, winning four of the last six. Dual Grade 1 winner Inara scored with incredible ease here a fortnight ago and the stable confirms that she has come on since.

She is sure to be odds-on and she should certainly go in again but punters should not take too short a price. Stable companion Come Fly With Me is 6kg better for two lengths and in the opinion of the handicappers Inara has only 2kg in hand at the weights.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Act Of War (Liesl King)