Alec Laird runs the improved Trippi gelding Solar Triptych in the Gr 2 R1 million Supreme Cup sponsored by SAP, but both he and the yard’s other feature race runner on the day Walking On Air are not officially well weighted in their respective events.

However, he did say both horses had been working well. Both horses will be ridden by KZN Champion Apprentice Callan Murray.

Solar Triptych carries bottom weight of 50kg, but is weighted 2kg below the top of his particular merit rated band and is therefore 3,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse in the race, the filly Jade Vine, and 2kg under sufferance with the best weighted males in the race, Deputy Jud and Isphan. Solar Triptych has improved as he has strengthened but is now five-years-old, so does not have much further scope despite being relatively lightly raced. However, he is an honest sort and would have come on from his last run, so could earn from a fair draw of seven.

Walking On Air contests the Listed Britehouse Supreme Fillies and Mares Stakes over 1450m. Her merit rating is also at the bottom of one of the merit-rated bands, which immediately puts her 2kg out. However, this five-year-old A.P. Arrow mare has shown amazing improvement this season with her turf rating improving from 62 to 79 and her sand rating improving from 62 to 84.

In her last two sand starts over 1450m and 1600m respectively, both handicaps, she has won by 6,8 lengths and 3,25 lengths respectively. In the 1450m start she beat Peep Show by 6,8 lengths, but is now 7kg worse off so they should finish on top of each other on paper, considering margins on the Vaal Sand are treated at 75 % of the normal length/distance factor by the handicapper. However, draws have become important over the course and distance and Walking On Air has cracked a fine draw of two, which will particularly suit her front-running style.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Solar Triptych (Nkosi Hlophe)

Karl Neisius, who has not ridden since last Saturday week, will be out of action for another month and possibly longer.

He said: “There is inflammation in my lower back and also a bit of osteoporosis. I’ve had it for about a year to a year and a half. It comes and goes but normally it settles down again if I have a break.

“I have seen one or two specialists and they have said that it is basically wear and tear and that I must give it a rest. They will look at it again in about a month from now.”

Neisius, who will be 59 in January, jokes that it is old age creeping up on him but there is no shortage of jockeys who have ridden for longer and his renowned sense of timing is as good as it has ever been.

Devin Ashby, who had an operation on his ankle after a nasty fall at Milnerton last Thursday, will be out for two months.

He said: “I was riding Mayoral Decree, on whom I won at Kenilworth in May, when he came over with me and fell on top of me. The doctors inserted two pins into my ankle but it could have been worse.”

Gerrit Schlechter, though, is optimistic that he will be back shortly. He was off for three months with a prolapsed disc and the problem flared up on his first day back early this month.

He said: “My doctor is waiting for the results of scans and he should have these by Thursday. However the back is getting better and I will probably be able to resume either at the end of the month or early next month.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Karl Neisius (Liesl King)

Sean Tarry said that while he had chances on Saturday at the Supreme Cup meeting sponsored by SAP, he could not go in overly confident as his string was still not firing on all cylinders at present, although they are going in the right direction and he expected them to peak in about Mid-October.

He has three runners in the Gr 2 R1 million Supreme Cup over 1450m and said Willow Magic would possibly be the one he would side with.

He said, “Willow was given a nice prep down in Durban, where the string has been going well. He might just be needing it but is in a good place and works well on the dirt, so we are hoping.”

On a merit rating of 106 Willow Magic is at the very top of the 56kg merit rating band, so is officially relatively well weighed. He has won a Gr 1 over 1160m and a Gr 2 over 1600m in his career, so this trip should be ideal and being from a Mr Prospector line sire should love the Vaal sand. His draw of nine makes it quite tough but he will be ridden by the  brilliant national log-leading jockey Andrew Fortune, who is a master of placing a horse in the running and of pace.

These merit-rated band conditions races favour fillies and mares and Tarry’s five-year-old Argonaut mare Jade Vine is duly the best weighted horse in the race. She is 1,5kg better off than any other horse and carries only 50kg from a good draw of five under Muzi Yeni. However, she has had an interrupted preparation and Tarry said, “She had a mild colic so had to be scratched from her last intended start (1000m event on September 10). She is fit and well and has had no ill effects but the interruption to her preparation is still a bit of a concern.”

Jade Vine has been a facile winner over course and distance before. That was off a merit rating of 68 compared to her current rating of 97 and she has generally run in sprints since then, but Tarry isn’t concerned about the trip.

Tarry’s third runner is Tap Tap Makhatini, who hasn’t run since April, but this is likely a deliberate ploy. Tarry said, “He runs well fresh and is in good shape.”

However against the seven-year-old is that his merit rating is at the very bottom of one of the bands, which puts him 2kg out with some of the males and 3kg out with Jade Vine. Furthermore, he is drawn wide in 14 (comes into 11 if the three reserve runners come out), which makes it tough for this handy-running type. He is effective from 1450-1800m and will be ridden by in-form Karl Zechner. Tarry makes Deputy Jud as well as the Mike de Kock coupling of Toro Rosso and Mootahadee and the Stephen Moffat-trained Roman Carnival as the horses to beat.

Tarry regards Faberge Style, who runs in the Non-Black Type SAP Sophomore 1000 as his probable best runner on the day. The St. Petersburg three-year-old filly won her maiden over this course and distance by 10,25 lengths and followed up by winning over 1200m on the Greyville poly. Under the conditions of the race she is the second best in at the weights on official merit ratings but is less exposed than the horse who is best in, Kingoftheworld, and might be even better than her 88 merit rating suggests.

Tarry runs all of Run For Revelry, Lady Of Kildare and Crystal’s Revenge in the Listed Britehouse Supreme Fillies and Mares Stakes over 1450m. Run For Revelry’s net merit rating is at the very top of her particular band and she is drawn in pole. Krystal’s Revenge’s merit rating is also at the very top of her band, while Lady Of Kildare’s merit rating is only one point below the top of hers, but they are drawn in eleven and twelve respectively. Tarry said, “I can’t really separate them, they all have shouts and are in good shape, but Run For Revelry’s draw is worth quite a bit and I would make her the elect only for that reason.”

The yard’s nine-year-old soldier Across The Ice runs in the Listed SAP Hampton Handicap over 1000m and had excuses for his last two below par runs, which saw him drop down three points in the merit ratings. He was found to have had a respiratory infection which has now been sorted out. Tarry said it would be a touch sharp for him, but gave him an outside chance.

He runs Bold Approach and Super Guppy in the Listed Banyana Handicap over 1000m and said, “Bold Approach has progressed from his last run, but I have no real confidence. Super Guppy is out at the weights (4kg under sufferance).”

He runs three horses in the Non-Black Type Vaal River Handicap over 1800m, but two of them, Escudo and Peregrine are under sufferance by 2kg and 3kg respectively. The other runner Orchestrated should enjoy this trip and Tarry said, “He has been a bit lethargic in his races lately so we have fitted the blinkers and I give him an each/way chance.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Willow Magic (Nkosi Hlophe)

Mike Azzie’s Gr 1 SA Derby runner up Deputy Jud has been gelded since returning from KZN and has been doing some fantastic short, sharp work in preparation for the Gr 2 R1 million Supreme Cup sponsored by SAP this Saturday.

Azzie makes the Judpot gelding the yard elect ahead of the Tiger Ridge gelding Isphan purely due to his better draw.

Azzie admitted the one concern about the four-year-old Deputy Jud was the 1450m trip could be too sharp but added, “I have freshened him up completely and kept him to short, sharp work and in his final workout he jumped like a sprinter. We had wanted to geld him a while ago but the races were all on top of each other so couldn’t. He is a better horse since the gelding, he is more honest, he is running straight and not running all over the place.

“He won his only start on the sand by 4,25 lengths (over 1600m in his second career start last November) and I deliberately kept him away from the surface in case he was a sand freak and would become merit rated out of it. He could be the surprise package in the race.” Deputy Jud jumps from a great draw of four and will be ridden by JP van der Merwe.

Azzie said about the four-year-old Isphan, “We’ve always wanted to send him over this sort of trip and now that we do he goes and lands a terrible draw. With a good draw he could have used his fantastic gatespeed to get there for nothing, but now it’s going to be tricky and we will have to think about how to ride him.”

Isphan’s first career win was actually over this trip on the Turffontein Inside course and he has held his own against some of the best sprinters in the land since then.

Isphan has won twice on the sand before. He will be ridden by Francois Herholdt from draw 15, which will come into 12 if the three reserve runners come out.

Azzie concluded by saying both of his contenders were “very, very well.”

Deputy Jud and Isphan are both well weighted under the conditions of the race as their respective net merit ratings of 102 and 98 coincide with the top of the 54kg merit-rated band and the 52kg merit-rated band rspectively.

Azzie contests two other features on the day, the Non-Black Type Investec Sophomore Fillies 1000, with three horses, La Strada, Mella Maria and Inyanga, and the Listed Britehouse Fillies and Mares Stakes over 1450m with Peep Show. He gives all of them chances and said if he had to side with one in the Sophomore Fillies it would be La Strada. The latter certainly has the right breeding for the sand being by Windrush and Azzie said, “She ran a cracker last time and will be right there.”

Peep Show won her last sand start over the Fillies And Mares Stakes course and distance by a facile 6,75 lengths and is another of the yard’s horses on the day whose merit rating is at the very top of one of the merit-rated bands, which makes her officially relatively well weighted. She is also drawn quite well in five and is 7kg better off with Walking On Air for a 6,8 length defeat over course and distance.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Mike Azzie (Nkosi Hlophe)

Make The Magnet, second or third in the last four of her seven starts, should finally get her head in front in the Gold Circle Maiden at Durbanville tomorrow.

She is well drawn, has experience of the course and would appear to have been handed it on a plate by the enforced scratching of Preoccupation who won on Saturday. She also wears blinkers for the first time.

“She switches off too well,” says Eric Sands, explaining why he is putting them on. “Last time we tried racing her closer but she didn’t produce the kick that she normally does.”

She has most to fear from Glen Kotzen’s pair Nakshatra and Jamaica Me Crazy. Greg Cheyne is on the latter and it is significant that he rides Skysign rather than stable companion Bruno (who is the TAB sheet forecast favourite) in the Gold Circle Novice Plate. “It was my choice although there is not much in it,” he says.

His mount would have finished closer last time had she got off on terms and is the marginal choice. Others to note in this mile race are Kemal Kavur – the horse MJ Byleveld was riding when he was kicked by Ready To Attack returning to unsaddle after the Langerman – and Do Be Snappy even though he is badly drawn. “He comes from behind so I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” says Ronnie Sheehan.

Sheehan may win the first with Kwando even though Morethanthat seems sure to start favourite after her good debut at Kenilworth last month. Her problem is the draw, nine out of 11. “She is a nice filly but it’s going to be very hard for her from there,” reasons Justin Snaith.

Kwando’s form is not as good – on a line through Brilliant Idea she has about two and a half lengths to find – but the draw is such a big factor on this course, particularly over 1 400m and shorter.

Grant van Niekerk, who rides her, also has a good chance on Imperial Guard in the Pick 6 Maiden two races later but this four-year-old is proving expensive. He has started favourite on four of his last six starts and is again sure to be one of the market leaders.

It could pay to side with Nutbush instead. The Dean Kannemeyer-trained colt is well drawn and went close here two races back.

BLOB Michael Clower’s three selections last Saturday all won, including Jets-A-Blazing at 9-2. Clower has won with 12 of his 33 selections at the last eight Cape Town meetings, giving a profit of R161 to a R10 level stake.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Grant Behr (Nkosi Hlophe)