The brilliant veteran jockey Andrew Fortune made his intentions of winning the National Jockeys Championship for a second time in his career clear yesterday when riding a five-timer at Flamingo Park.

He has ridden 35 winners this season so far at a strike rate of 18.52% and has opened a five winner lead over Anthony Delpech.

Four of Fortune’s winners yesterday were for trainer Tienie Prinsloo and one was for Cliffie Miller. They returned odds of 5/1, even money, 3/1, 2/1 and 9/10.

Muzi Yeni, who rode one winner yesterday, is seven off the pace on the national log in third place. Last year’s champion Gavin Lerena is now 21 off the pace as is Anton Marcus, while Piere Strydom, who has a suspension cloud hanging over his head, is 15 winners behind Fortune.

The 2013/2014 champion S’Manga Khumalo had one winner yesterday, but is 22 off the pace in the early running for the championships.

– David Thiselton

Trainer Garth Puller scored a 2000m handicap double at Greyville yesterday with the Overlord gelding Seeking The Dream, ridden by 4kg claimer Akshay Balloo, and the Tiger Dance gelding Worship Dancer, who was ridden by Athandiwe Mgudlwa. Later Puller clinched a meeting treble when the Mullins Bay filly Respect At Bay won the last over 1000m under 4kg claimer Eric Ngwane.

Worship Dancer gets up in a tight finish (Nkosi Hlophe)

Drier and Cormack added another two winners yesterday. First the hard knocking Fort Wood gelding Lighting The Fire relished the step up in trip in the third, a maiden over 1600m, to win comfortably. Later the three-year-old Just As Well filly Well In Flight proved herself a useful type when easily winning a Novice Plate over 1400m for fillies and mares.

Wendy Whitehead completed a weekend double yesterday when the three-year-old Mogok filly Storm Kitten ran on strongly under Ian Sturgeon in a maiden for fillies and mares over 1200m having jumped from a wide draw. On Friday night Whitehead’s The Sheik gelding Texican relished the step up to 1400m in a maiden and ran on strongly to score under Sean Veale.

Paul Lafferty’s Lecture gelding Roy’s Strike Force ran on well to win the first yesterday, a maiden over 1200m, and along with Drier’s Lighting The Fire could win more races.p out of the maidens.

Brandon Lerena added another winner yesterday to score a weekend double. Delpech had a double on Friday night.
– David Thiselton

Cape Town’s trainers have been issued with an unpalatable ultimatum and they are united in their belief that they must produce more runners to avoid the axe falling. But they are far from agreed as to how this should be achieved.

They have been informed by Phumelela boss Rian du Plessis and Kenilworth Racing chairman Chris van Niekerk that fixtures will be reduced and/or stakes dropped in races with less than eight runners if they do not produce an average of at least 12 runners per race.

This average, considered essential for betting turnover, has fallen from 12 to ten in the last three seasons.

Brett Crawford, a member of both the Cape trainers’ committee and the programmes committee, said: “I think the trainers need to ask themselves what should be done because there are certainly enough horses in Cape Town to make up the numbers.

“The problem is basically at Durbanville as people are not prepared to run horses there from bad draws. I am not sure what we can do – maybe some sort of incentive – but we need to sit down and discuss it.”

One trainer who asked not to be named was adamant that the draw for stall positions should be made after declarations and not, as at present, when entries close – “This is the way they have it in every other racing jurisdiction. The authorities know it would solve the problem but they won’t do it.”

It was tried a few seasons ago but many trainers were against it, hence the change back to the original system. Also horses drawn wide had a tendency to suddenly go off their feed, start coughing or develop sore shins!

Justin Snaith has a different solution, saying: “There should be nominations for ten races and you then run the eight with the biggest fields. Problem solved.”

Another trainer maintained that the fault lies with the programmes which are not mapped out quite as often, or with as much local input, as they used to be. They are now done twice a year instead of every four months when they were “closely allied to the horse census and demographics – and depending on how well races filled – and the Cape Town handicapper was also involved.”

It might be possible to ease some of the Durbanville problem in races from 1 000m to 1 400m by siting the stalls 20-25m out from the rail instead of right up against it. This would reduce the advantage of those drawn low, particularly if the stalls were set at a slight angle so that all horses started the same distance from the beginning of the bend. The course is wide enough to do this.

Owners are adamant that trainers must come up with a solution. One said: “I pay R 10 000 a month plus vet’s fees and I would rather see my horse racing once during the month, even if only for a chance of finishing third or fourth, than staying in his stable.”

Michael Clower

Daughter Candice said: “He now starts intensive physio and we will know more where we are after a week or so. He is still on dyalisis and he has to stay on that until his kidneys are right again.   He is a bit frustrated and a bit miserable.
Still, it is less than six weeks since he was at death’s door and arrangements are already in place for the prosthetic that will become the lower part of his right leg. He is going to have two of them made, one for daily use and one that swivels so he can play golf.

His horses gave him another boost at Durbanville on Saturday when dual Grade 1 winner Inara could hardly have won the Gold Circle Allowance Plate more easily. Sail For Gold, also partnered by Grant van Niekerk, had to work a bit harder in the Graduation Plate but he booked his Kuda Matchem ticket while Inara also returns on Saturday week for the Lanzerac Diana.

Candice said: “Inara stays in training and she will again go for the Paddock and Majorca – there is not much else for her in the Cape season. Most of the other races are sprints and she is no sprinter.”

Captain Chaos dropped out a little disappointingly in the final furlong of the Graduation and finished last but, significantly, his trainer was not in the least put out.

Ronnie Sheehan said: “It was like I told you it would be. He hadn’t seen grass for three and a half months and I’m happy because he lasted to the 200m mark before he tired.

“I’m not sure yet but I will have a rethink about the Matchem. I just might give him another three weeks and wait for the Cape Classic.”

Grant Behr was taken to hospital for x-rays on his right arm when Flying Mistral lived up to his name in the parade ring before the Pick 6 Maiden. The colt reared up and then landed on top of him before careering off dangerously towards other horses, while Behr staggered to his feet clutching his arm. Fortunately nothing was broken.

Brett Crawford and Corne Orffer won this with My Man Alex and completed a treble with Preoccupation and Bono Vox while CTS Million Dollar candidate Victorious Jay justified 22-10 favouritism under MJ Byleveld to add extra enjoyment to Vaughan Marshall’s short Mauritius holiday.

Punters got off to a disastrous start, backing newcomer Secret Seven from 5-1 to 28-10 favourite and letting stable companion Jets-A-Blazing drift from 5-2 to 9-2. The latter made all under Craig du Plooy while Secret Seven was among the backmarkers all the way.

“”I don’t know why they made Secret Seven favourite,” said a bemused Justin Snaith. “I suppose somebody must have heard a rumour but Jets-A-Blazing had the form to win.”

Joey Ramsden withdrew two of his runners because of dirty lung washes. He mentioned this problem in his most recent blog but played it down on Saturday, saying: “The vaccinations hit my horses quite hard this year but I am sure a lot of other trainers are in the same boat.”

The Donavan Mansour-partnered Around Not Across went some way towards proving his point by coming from last to first in little more than a furlong to spring a 12-1 surprise in the last. The handicappers also helped, dropping the gelding five points for his previous run.

Michael Clower

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained three-year-old Mambo Mime was the most significant winner over the weekend in KZN, although the older horses Barbosa and Bold Inspiration confirmed their class with sterling performances.

The Greyville polytrack proved its worth again as rain fell continually at the Friday night meeting, but this did not stop it from being completed, while yesterday’s meeting was able to be moved from Scottsville which could well have been too waterlogged to stage the racemeeting.

Mambo Mime’s ability was apparent in his second career start in May, a maiden over 1600m on the Greyville turf, as he pulled hard throughout but still managed to win. He over raced again in his next start in mid-July in a handicap against older horses on the Greyville poly over 1600m but still managed a short-head second to his promising contemporary Celtic Captain.

Mambo Mime winning at Greyville on Friday night (Nkosi Hlophe)

He faced older horses again in a handicap over the same course and distance on Friday night and was racing off a merit rating of 88, so didn’t face an easy task.  However, the writing was on the wall for the opposition when he settled beautifully in the hands of Anthony Delpech, who was riding him for the first time. He duly pulled clear in the straight to win by a comfortable 1,75 lengths, converting odds of 5/2. The good looking bay colt by the ever more exciting sire Mambo In Seattle will now head for Cape Town and will soon be tested against the best of his age in the country.

The Dennis Drier-trained Barbosa, a six-year-old gelding by Captain Al, has really come into his own and the Greyville poly suits him due to his telling kick in the straight. He showed his class under Sean Cormack over his favourite trip of 1000m on Friday night and converted odds of 12/10. His main rival Viva La Var, to whom he gave 3kg, did hang outward which helped his cause and the latter, trained by Charles Laird, was having his second run after an eight month injury layoff so could still be a force to be reckoned with.

Laird’s five-year-old Horse Chestnut gelding Bold Inspiration loves the poly and powered clear from a handy position with topweight of 60kg in a MR 99 handicap over 1600m under Anton Marcus to win comfortably by 2,75 lengths. He does have feet issues, one reason why he prefers the kinder poly surface. The runner up in this race Baracah must be followed over a mile as he became stuck in campaigns over longer distances after winning over 2400m 18 months ago, but his two best recent runs have been when dropped back to a mile and he is now off a competitive merit rating.

Others to follow from Friday night are the Weiho Marwing-trained Khonza, a three-year-old filly by Kahal who is full-sister to Kwinta, and the Gavin Van Zyl-trained Sarge gelding Harrison. The former produced a powerful late run under in form Ian a sturgeon to get up in a fillies and mares maiden over 1400m and looks to have plenty of scope for improvement. Harrison produced a strong finish from behind after jumping from a wide draw over 1200m under Brandon Lerena and he could also progress further.

Four-year-old Toreador gelding Thrust produced another telling late kick to claim a 1000m hattrick at Turffontein on Saturday and he could continue to go through the divisions as he strikes as being better than his 70-something merit rating.
The Lucky Houdalakis-trained Count Dubois gelding Counterstroke is another four-year-old who is ever improving and his victory over 1600m off a merit rating of 76 suggested he had more wins in the tank.
– David Thiselton