The Vaal has another ten race meeting on the turf outside track today and, while the going is usually superior on the outside, high draws are not always favourable because hold up horses drawn on this side often find themselves stuck behind a wall of horses in the closing stages.

The eighth, an intriguing MR 100 handicap over 1000m, is the highlight and could be won by the progressive speedster Bad Boy Buddy Boy. He is 2kg worse off for a 1,2 length defeat of Mod Barley, but looks to have landed the perfect draw of six in the eight horse field considering his front-running style. Mod Barley could chase him home and Isphan, who will likely be using this as a preparation for the Supreme Cup sponsored by SAP on September 26, should be running on strongly. The classy Sarve is drawn on the outside and can’t be ignored, while Greasepaint should get closer to Bad Boy Buddy Boy than in their last meeting.

In the first over 1200m Ntoma stayed on well over 1000m on debut and Gavin Lerena now rides over an extra 200m she will appreciate. Lindelize drops back in trip and makes most appeal of the rest to have run. Of the first-timers the Trippi filly Nala is out of Gr 1 winner Bold Ellinore. Another Trippi filly Killauea is a half-sister to the promising Knox. Vogadonna is by Dynasty out of a Western Winter mare and is a half-sister to useful sprinter Piano Man. Perfect Dream is by Warm White Night out of an Argosy mare who has produced a facile debut winner before. Amazing Var is by Var out of a Northern Guest mare who hasn’t produced much to date.

In the second over 1200m Brazuca is full of class and was unlucky in a Gr 1 over 1400m last time so will be hard to beat. Machismo comes from strong formlines and could earn. Danza has been thereabouts against some good sorts and this is a suitable trip. Ashkenazi could earn at best. Le Clos has pace and should appreciate the step down in trip. Suyoof is an Australian-bred by Magic Albert. Umthetho is an Australian-bred by Encosta De Lago and Andrew Fortune rides.

In the third over 1200m A Woman’s Will found some support on debut and showed pace so is tipped to win, although a concern is she made a breathing noise. Honeybush Tea is knocking on the floor and should be up with the pace on the outside.  Seal My Fate is improving and could earn. Soul Of Spain has not been disgraced against some good sorts.

Monarch Air will appreciate the step up in trip.

In the fourth over 1400m the well-bred Liege caught the eye on debut behind a promising sort and will relish the step up in trip. Scheme Of Things has pace and could improve on his fair debut. Teagan’s Boy stayed on well over course and distance last time out and could earn.

In the fifth over 1400m Calico Quiver wasn’t disgraced first time out the maidens over this trip and could be the one to side with especially as Andrew Fortune now has the ride. Capuche is in good form and should go close over his optimum trip. Nahoon Beach flew late when stepped down to 1600m off a lowered merit rating and is interesting stepped further down in trip.

In the sixth over 1400m Love To Sail looks distance suited and has the form to win. Sapsan finished an excellent third in a Gr 1 over this trip last time but doesn’t have it easy as a young three-year-old off a merit rating of 95. Stablemate Green Crest has the form to be a contender too.

In the seventh over 1400m Antonia Major was raised only two points for a comfortable win over this distance last time and could follow up. Intergalactic has ability but it is not easy for a young three-year-old in a handicap off a merit rating of 81. Tell my Star has a tricky draw but has the form to earn over a suitable trip.

The ninth over 1000m is at the mercy of Little Genie who runs off a capped merit rating having obliterated a handicap field last time over course and distance by 7,25 lengths and receiving the maximum raise of eight points.

In the tenth over 1600m Matilda’s Daughter should appreciate the step up in trip and could beat home Samarra, although the first-timer Noor is one to keep an eye on.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Mod Barley (Nkosi Hlophe)

South African swimming legend Chad Le Clos had a winner with the first horse he has ever owned, the Paul Lafferty-trained three-year-old Toreador colt Unbelievable Chad, who started odds on favourite in the 1400m maiden at Scottsville yesterday and won comfortably under Stuart Randolph.

The colt looks a decent sort and Chad was on course with his equally famous father Bert, whose description of his son after his Olympic Gold saw the term “UN-believable” becoming a Le Clos-associated cliche.

Chad said after the race that to be involved with a racehorse had been an “unbelievable” experience and he had been “proud” of the colt after all three of his career runs to date.

Later on the day, Dennis Drier-trained Seventh Rock gelding Guiness defied a nine month layoff to comfortably win a Graduation Plate over 1200m under Anton Marcus, thus showing his wind operation has been successful or at least so far.

It was the first leg of a double for Drier and Marcus and this was the same course and distance of the four-year-old Guiness’s Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion victory. However, despite being merit-rated 111 he was still allowed to go off as Tote second favourite paying R2.60. The favourite, the Mike Miller-trained three-year-old Executive Power, who was having just his second start, ranged up dangerously but might have been put off by the winner shifting outward slightly and it was left to another decent sort, the Alistair Gordon-trained Bunker Bill to fill second place.

Lafferty also won the first race with Apollo’s Gift, who denied the eye catching first-timer from the Drier yard Ante Omnia, a R3 million purchase by Speightstown. Anthony Delpech was the other double scorer on the day.

Three horses to follow from the day are the Paul Gasby-trained third race winner, the Var filly Royal Kaitrina, and the winner and runner up of the following race, both first-timers, the Mike de Kock-trained Fort Wood filly Rozenna and the Dennis Bosch-trained Ashaawes filly Joyful Mystery.

– David Thiselton

Picture: Chad le Clos (centre) with his dad Bert and jockey Stuart Randolph at Scottsville yesterday (Nkosi Hlophe)

Donovan Dillon boosted his chances of getting more of the Bernard Fayd’Herbe mounts by booting home his first four-timer at Durbanville on Saturday.

Fayd’Herbe, 34 today, is taking three weeks off on doctors’ advice to help heal the knee he damaged in the KZN season and so the mounts on the Justin Snaith winner-producing machine are up for grabs.

Dillon has taken to Durbanville like a duck to water – “It takes a different style of riding, you’ve got to get your position early and I feel I am getting the hang of it” – but on Aspara in the mile handicap he broke one of the most important of the Snaith Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not win too far.

He set the 22-10 favourite alight fully 400m out and rode him to the line to score by six and a half lengths with commentator Jehan Malherbe announcing to the world: “This horse races off 83 and he shows that’s all wrong.”

Snaith, promptly envisaging a 13 point hike, said: “Donovan’s a young jockey and I don’t think he knows there is a handicap system in South Africa. You certainly don’t want to expose a horse too much and when you win that far the handicappers nail you.”

To be fair, Dillon was only keeping to the letter and spirit of rule 62.2.3 which requires jockeys to ride their mounts right to the end. The rule is presumably intended to avoid all the trouble that Piere Strydom got himself into but trainers regard it as helping the handicapper. Most are intent on keeping as much up their sleeves as possible. Karl Neisius would have got there with half a length to spare and two more victories still in the tank.

Dillon is too talented to make this mistake more than once, and too dedicated. The time between the second and third legs of the four-timer was spent in the sweat box. He rides work on the Snaith battalions almost every day as well as for as many other trainers as he can, and second string on Thursdays involves a mad rush to Durbanville to ride racecourse gallops. Of course many other jockeys are just as busy but it shows his commitment to making the grade in Cape Town.

Three of the Snaith winners – Jo’s Bond and Fifty Cents as well as Aspara – are eligible for the  CTS Million Dollar (R13.5 million), prompting their trainer to remark: “You are not worried about the Guineas when you’ve got a race like that. What’s the Guineas worth?  A million?”

He was promptly reminded by one owner that for those operating at the top end of the bloodstock market the status and prestige of the Grand Parade-sponsored classic are more important than mere money!

Donavan Mansour has had less opportunity to display his talents to the Western Cape than Dillon but the way he made all on Arachne – repeatedly asking for more, and getting it, when the pursuers came at him – was inspired stuff. An impressed Adam Marcus commented: “Donavan rode exactly to instructions. It was a great ride.”

Mike Stewart emerged from a cough-induced six weeks in the wilderness to score with Casey’s Jet (Heavelon van der Hoven) to delight his ex-MI5 brother Paul while Shane Humby and Neil Bruss also got off the mark for the season with outsiders Exploracy (Neisius) and Argun to give punters little chance. The former started at 30-1 and Devin Ashby’s mount at 50-1.

– Michael Clower

Andre Nel has been appointed trainer to the Plattner Racing operation, filling a post left vacant since Sabine Plattner split with Yogas Govender over six months ago.

Nel, 36, is a long-serving Plattner employee. He worked in the yard at Yzerfontein for four years before spending the next four in the Summerveld satellite yard. He then switched to the breeding side and was manager of the La Plaisance Stud near George for more than five years.

He said: “I got my licence just over a fortnight ago and my first runners could possibly be at Durbanville on the 23rd^st but more probably on the 26^th. We did nominate horses for this Saturday’s meeting but it doesn’t now look as if any of them will run.”

His initial entries included the useful I Am The Law and Ma Choix who won on her last appearance (on J & B Met day) as well as three newcomers. Ma Choix has been entered for the Settlers Trophy on the 26^th.

– Michael Clower

Ian Sturgeon (pictured) was in fine form on Greyville’s polytrack on Friday night and rode an unlikely treble, two of them for Ashburton-based Des Egdes, while up and coming Summerveld-based trainer Lezeanne Forbes scored another double of her promising career and her husband Alec also rode a double.

The polytrack showed its value as the meeting was completed despite continual rain.
The first of Sturgeon’s winners, the Bruce le Roux-owned and bred Just As Well filly Just Rap, was allowed to open at odds of 50/1 despite having been green and staying on well on debut in a strong juvenile fillies maiden over 1200m at Scottsville behind the promising Tony Rivalland-trained Judpot filly Not A Word.

However, punters quickly snapped up that price upon viewing her striding out superbly going down to post and she started at 20/1. The filly was once again green but showed a touch of class when quickening well at the top of the straight and holding on to beat Swan Dance by half-a-length with the perennial bridesmaid Masked Girl a short-head further back. Later Sturgeon scored on another Bruce le Roux-bred horse, the Egdes-trained Fort Beluga gelding Keep Your Light On, who ran on strongly to win a MR 66 handicap over 1200m by one-and-a-half lengths having been backed in from 10/1 to 11/2. Sturgeon’s other winner was aboard the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained raider Princess Tantan, who won the last race over 1400m after being backed in from 12/1 to 8/1.

Lezeanne Forbes won the sixth race over 1400m with Mogokity, who was ridden by 4kg claimer Tristan Godden, and this was the Mogok filly’ second win over course and distance since being purchased into the yard at the Mike Holmes Bloodstock Shongweni Horses in Training Sale in February. Forbes followed up by winning the next race over the same course and distance with Mission Rapids, ridden by her husband Alec, and this was an amazing victory considering she had lost a few lengths at the start. All seemed lost when Forbes was seen glancing angrily over his shoulder at the handler who had held on to the horse for a few moments after the starter had pressed the button. However, this allowed the filly to use her big action early and she was soon sitting in the back seat travelling comfortably. She scythed through the middle in the straight to win easily by 2,75 lengths and the key to her might now have inadvertently been found.

Alec had earlier scored on the Alistair Gordon-trained Triptronic, who looked a picture going down to the start of the 1200m maiden. Like many Trippi’s this gelding loved the poly and was at last able to bring his excellent home work to the racecourse.

Friday’s racing was characterized by starting woes with the worst of them being in the R100,000 Founders Trophy over 1600m at Fairview. The starter pressed the button while the fancied topweight Gogetthesherrif was still standing behind the stalls being readied for loading. The starter had apparently been misled by a couple of the horse’s hoods having been removed too early and jockeys shouting “let’s go”. Two jockeys drawn next to Gogetthesherrif as well as a third jockey immediately began pulling their horses up expecting a false start to be called. However, no false start was called so they had to be declared runners despite being tailed off at the finish. The race was won by the favourite Symbolik, one of four winners on the day for trainer Dorrie Sham with three of them including this one being ridden by Karl Zechner. However, an enquiry will be held into the action of the starter and the riding of the three jockeys.

At Greyville the outsider Oracle Kingdom was declared a non-runner in the fourth race as the handler was still holding him at the off, understandably, as the horse reared just as  the starter pressed the button. Later, Mission Rapids was also still being held by the handler at the off but went on to win the race.

– David Thiselton