Gerrit Schlechter aims to resume race-riding next week after being sidelined for almost three months.

He has not ridden since he won at Kenilworth on Beyond Limits for Brett Crawford on June 2 when he returned in such pain that he had difficulty getting off the horse.

He said: “I thought at the time it was a muscle spasm but when I went to the doctor he discovered that I had torn a ligament that holds one of my vertebrae.

“That has now healed and I resumed riding work last week. It will take one or two rides to really get back into things but I am due to start race-riding again on September 1.”

Schlechter is one of a select band of jockeys to have won both the Vodacom Durban July (Eyeofthetiger) and the J & B Met (Past Master).

The courageous Jet Explorer, who recovered to race again after smashing his top and lower jaws in last year’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge, is to race on as a seven-year-old.

Justin Snaith said: “He is having a proper holiday at the moment – he didn’t get one last year – and we will see how he comes out of his first run before deciding where we go with him.”

No decision has yet been taken on whether the Mike Bass-trained Inara will stay in training in a bid to repeat last season’s wins in the Maine Chance Paddock Stakes and the Klawervlei Majorca.

Owner-breeder Gaynor Rupert said: “We are discussing this at the moment. We will see how she is but Durban didn’t suit her.”

Last month’s Champagne winner Lanner Falcon, second in the 2013 Cape Fillies Guineas, is to stay in training but Jet Belle, third in both the Paddock and the Majorca, is to be retired to visit Trippi. So too is last year’s SA Oaks winner Ash Cloud.

By Michael Clower

There is a nine race turf meeting on the Vaal outside course today and it is high draws that are normally favoured in the straight races on this track.

Of the first-timers in race 1, a Workrider’s Maiden over 1200m, the one that makes appeal is the Mike Azzie-trained Jay Peg gelding Le Clos, a half-brother to Vancouver Gold who won second time out over 1160m by five lengths. He is drawn on the right side and the accomplished Francis Semela rides. However, interestingly Azzie’s usual first choice workrider Lyle Hewitson is aboard another first-timer, Scheme Of Things, who is by King’s Apostle out of an Irish-bred mare. The Barend Botes-trained King’s Apostle gelding Knowingly is a half-brother to the fair Rebel King sprint-miler Somonsberg.  Of those to have run, Bar Dot Accent has been close up twice over course and distance. Ayrton is a battling maiden but has shown enough to possibly earn a cheque.

The second is a 1200m maiden for fillies and mares and of those to have run Angel Of Mercy, who is drawn on the right side, could improve on her decent debut over 1400m when slow away and green throughout before finishing strongly. Honeybush Tea, who has been knocking on the door, is also drawn on the right side and has Piere Strydom up. Vivacious Lady has improved with blinkers and could earn in this field. Phuket is usually thereabouts but often coughs and has a draw of one to overcome. Roxy Lady makes some appeal but is drawn on the wrong side and there is a question whether she will enjoy the step up in trip having found little extra over 1000m. Of the first-timers A Woman’s Will is a R900,000 purchase by Var out of a Windrush mare. Bella Sonata is a R700,000 purchase by Silvano out of a Singspiel mare. Nala is by Trippi out of the Gr 1-winning Kahal mare Bold Ellinore.

The third is also a fillies and mares maiden over 1200m and of those to have run Picardi Pink disappointed when stepped up to 1400m last time but back at this trip should bounce back with champion jockey Gavin Lerena up. Honolua Bay makes most appeal of the rest having shown some ability in two sprints at Turffontein. Of the first-timers Superwoman is an Australian-bred by I Am Invincible and is owned by Michael Leaf. Readyforyourlove is an Australian-bred by Big Brown. Andrew Fortune is an eyecatching booking for the first-timer by Kahal Lady Duchess.

The fourth is a maiden for fillies and mares over 1400m and an interesting first-timer here is the Greys Inn filly Forries Flirt, who is a full-sister to the classy unbeaten colt Forries Waltz. The other first-timer is Seul Amour filly Flirting Around, who is a half-sister to the classy Port Elizabeth sprinter Insearchofthesun. Of those to have run Sweet Habanero has shown up well against one or two fair sorts and has Gavin Lerena up. Matilda’s Daughter is drawn on the right side and went close over course and distance last time out in just her second career outing. Jin-Go-La-Ba comes out the best of the rest on formlines.

The fifth is a MR 68 handicap over 1400m and the hard knocking Max The Man looks the one to beat over a suitable trip with Piere Strydom up. Oreintal Blue beat Max The Man by 1,25 lengths last time over the Turffontein 1400m last time out but, if apprentice claims are included, he is now 3kg worse off, although on the other hand he now has Andrew Fortune up and is drawn on the right side. If the reserve runner Celtic King gets in he could be a big runner over a suitable trip from a favourable draw, although he is 1,5kg worse off for a 0,25 length beating of Max The Man.

The sixth is a MR 90 handicap over 1000m. Will Pays looks to be a horse who is on the up. He proved he is effective over this trip two runs ago and has a favourable draw. Mod Barley is course and distance suited and also has a favourable draw so could go close with Weichong Marwing up. Bad Boy Buddy Boy can overcome his low draw with his speed and, having recorded a hattrick over course and distance before a disappointing run at Greyville, he could be involved in the finish with S’Manga Khumalo up.

The seventh is a MR 92 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1000m and the draw could play a part here as the best contestants are difficult to separate on form. Crown Of Roses has a favourable high draw with S’Manga Khumalo up and could beat home Miss December who is drawn on the very outside with Gavin Lerena up. Piere Strydom’s guile could see Seventh Symphony go close from a middle draw.

In the eighth over 1200m Carter has been doing well off this merit rating and has a favourable outside draw over a suitable course and distance and Fortune has the ride. Nugget Counter improved with blinkers last time and must be a contender from a favourable draw with astute 1,5kg claimer Callan Murray aboard.

The last race is over 1600m and the hard-knocking Gold Status could get it right with a promising 1,5kg claimer Mathew Thackeray up from a favourable draw over a suitable course and distance. Aquaboy is an improving sort who should be involved and Mr Balboa is interesting dropped back to the trip of his decent debut.

By David Thiselton

The KZN Racing Awards ceremony will be held at the Elangeni Hotel in Durban on Thursday in celebration of another memorable Champions Season and some big names are among the nominations for the various categories.

Recently awards candidates and other interested parties have begun pointing out the differences in criteria from province to province that pertain to the various provincial racing awards and it is perhaps time to standardise these criteria in order to prevent the unhappiness that is starting to filter through.

For the KZN awards the equine champions are decided by the best performers in races held in KZN. Out-of-province older horses qualify for an award as long as they have run at least two races in KZN during the season, while out-of-province two-year-olds only have to have run in one race in KZN. The Champion Trainer, Jockeys and Apprentice awards are decided simply on the number of wins of races held in KZN, so an out-of-province participant could win it in theory. The Champion Owner award is decided on the amount of stakes gathered in races held in KZN, so could also be won by an out-of-province participant.

For Gauteng’s “RA Feature Season Awards” the performances of participants, local and out-of-province, are considered in stakes races (Gr 1, Gr 2, G 3 and Listed) held on the Highveld from the time of the Emerald Cup (now called the Supreme Cup) at the end of September through to the President’s Champion Challenge at the end of April. A points system based on the results of the stakes in that period is used to calculate the Champion Horses, Champion Trainer, Champion Jockey, Champion Owner and Champion Apprentice, while the Champion Workrider award goes to the winner of the Work Rider’s Challenge series.

The Western Cape Racing Awards do not consider out-of-province participants and a recent change also saw the awards for horses, trainers, jockeys, owners and apprentices being decided on National statistics.  Only horses trained by a Western Cape domiciled trainer and only Western Cape domiciled trainers, jockeys, apprentices and owners qualify for the awards. However, the equine Champions are decided on the performances of the qualifying horses in races throughout the country, while the Champion Trainer/Jockey/Apprentice and owner is decided by the finishing position of the participants on the relevant National log.

In a recent article by Equus Award winning journalist Michael Clower, Western Cape jockeys voiced their disapproval at the awards being based on national statistics rather than Western Cape statistics as it used to be, but Western Province Regional Racing Association director Robert Bloomberg later expressed his disappointment at the jockeys having used the press to state their viewpoint rather than official channels, where they have had ample opportunity to so, and added the Board would certainly consider any requests for change to the current system.

However, perhaps there should also be a wider meeting between the various provincial boards to discuss standardization in the criteria for the provincial awards.

The chief differences at present are that the Highveld and KZN base their awards on results in their home province, but include out of province candidates, while the Cape now base their awards on national results but exclude out of province candidates.

The most glaring example of a candidate suffering due to these differences was in the case of the brilliant mare Beach Beauty, who was the only dual Gr 1 winner during the 2013/2014 Cape Summer Of Champions Seasons, but did not qualify for the Western Cape awards as her trainer Denis Drier is domiciled to KZN. However, then in her home province awards she was ousted from a second successive KZN Horse Of The Year title, despite winning the Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes and defending her Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Crown as well as finishing second in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge, and this was due to Western Cape-based Legislate’s wins in all of the Gr 2 KRA Guineas, the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and the Gr 1 Vodacom Durban July.

There also appear to be inconsistences in the awards decision making processes and this could probably best be highlighted by the number of times a different result has been arrived at by two different panels. An example happened this year where Fly By Night was named Western Cape Champion Older Female while Hammie’s Hooker was named Equus Champion Older Female, despite the countrywide performances of both horses having been considered by both panels.   – David Thiselton

The nominees for the 2015 KZN Racing Awards are:

CHAMPION TWO-YEAR OLD – MALE
1. SEVENTH PLAIN
2. RABADA

CHAMPION TWO-YEAR OLD – FEMALE
1. CHESTNUTS N PEARLS
2. ENTISAAR
3. LAUDERDALE

CHAMPION THREE-YEAR OLD – MALE
1. EASY LOVER
2. HARRY’S SON
3. THE CONGLOMERATE (AUS)

CHAMPION THREE-YEAR OLD – FEMALE
1. ALBORAN SEA
2. CARRY ON ALICE
3. MAJMU
4. PINE PRINCESS
5. SAME JURISDICTION

CHAMPION OLDER HORSE – MALE
1. CAPTAIN OF ALL (pictured)
2. FUTURA
3. LEGISLATE
4. POWER KING

CHAMPION OLDER HORSE – FEMALE
1. ASH CLOUD
2. GALLICA ROSE
3. JET BELLE

CHAMPION SPRINTER
1. ALBORAN SEA
2. CAPTAIN OF ALL
3. CARRY ON ALICE

CHAMPION MIDDLE DISTANCE
1. FUTURA
2. LEGISLATE
3. POWER KING

CHAMPION STAYER
1. DISCO AL
2. HEART OF A LION
3. J’S OUTSIDER
4. SOLID SPEED
5. WILD ONE

 

Vaughan Marshall is in unstoppable form at the moment and he can trace the roots of it to that desperate day eight weeks ago when he scratched all nine runners because the stable was in the grip of a respiratory  virus.

If that decision sowed the seeds of his current success he is certainly harvesting the rewards. His Kenilworth treble on Saturday was his second of the week and the last six Cape Town meetings have seen him saddle 14 winners.

He recalled: “The virus had been hovering over me for a while but then it got bad for about ten days during which I decided to take the drastic route. It has paid off, the horses are fit and we are cracking on with them.”

Ken Truter was able to celebrate his 60th birthday in style (“My wife told me to pace myself but it’s not easy!”)  with all-the-way scorer Even Better and Paladin while MJ Byleveld completed his own and the stable’s treble on the four-month absent Exelero in the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap.

Zubbadubbadoo’s bid to make it five in a row in the last-named raced proved an expensive anti-climax. The 16-10 favourite never got into it and finished with only two behind him.

Corne Orffer told the stipes that he felt there was something wrong and Brett Crawford said: “I am sure we will find that he is a little bit sore in the morning. He is not a sound horse.”

Langerman winner Ready To Attack ran a fine race over a distance too short for him to take fourth to the comfortable Glen Kotzen-trained winner Albarakah (Greg Cheyne) in the Mother City Handicap, particularly as he lost ground at the start and came back cut into on his left hind. But Justin Snaith wants to see further evidence before he starts regarding the colt as a Guineas horse.

It’s rare indeed for a Mike Bass winner to start at 50-1 but Spanish King surprised the stable as much as the punters under Jason Smitsdorff in the opening maiden.

Candice Robinson said: “He really disappointed first time out and we gelded him, but I wouldn’t have expected him to win this.”

Grant van Niekerk was seen at his determined best on the yard’s Beautiful Bird two races later although he modestly said he was lucky. Maybe he was but he certainly created his own. After repeatedly trying a succession of virtually non-existent gaps he thrust his mount into one that wasn’t there at all and, miraculously, it opened for him. The 15-20 favourite got up to beat fellow Drakenstein homebred Arabian Winter in the last stride.

Paul Reeves rode four of his near-300 winners on Lady Be Mine and her granddaughter Baby Be Mine brought the memories flooding back when leading just over 100m out under Robert Khathi in the 1 200m fillies handicap.

Michael Clower

Mike Bass is making significant progress in a Cape Town hospital as he recovers from the pneumonia and septic shock that came close to killing him.

His daughter Candice, speaking at Kenilworth on Saturday, said: “He is doing really well and he should be semi-conscious by this afternoon or tomorrow. We have still got a long recovery road ahead but he is doing much better.

“He is back on dialysis today and tomorrow because his kidneys are not yet working properly but he is now breathing quite well.”

Bass,70, had to have the lower part of his right leg amputated and apparently it was this operation that saved his life. According to son Mark, quoted by Mark van Deventer on tabonline.co.za, he would have died within four hours had he not been operated on, and he began to show improvement almost immediately.

There have been some concerns about how Bass will take the loss of his limb – he is a keen golfer and a man for whom the club championship looms almost as large as the Met – but his family have done some research and come up with cases of people who have been able to play just as well with a prosthetic limb as they did before.

Michael Clower