Mike and Adam Azzie’s Grade 1 Computaform Sprint winner Rivarine will definitely be raiding Durban on Gold Cup day to take part in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m.

Rivarine is by Var out of the Grade 1 J&B Met winner River Jetez, who is a full-sister to the great Pocket Power.

Rivarine’s full-sister Delta Queen will be attempting to make it two Grade 1 wins in successive weekends for the Var and River Jetez  union as she runs in the Allan Robertson on Saturday. Both siblings were bred by Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm.

Mike Azzie said one of the keys to fulfilling the potential they always knew Rivarine had was they had found a jockey in Devin Habib who was listening to their instruction of holding the athletic horse up. 

The yard had also got on top of some of the now six-year-old gelding’s small niggles and Azzie said this had allowed them to “reach the bottom of him again.”

With his hold up and fast-finishing style he should be suited to running around the turn in the Mercury Sprint.

In fact as a juvenile he won over the Greyville course and distance in fine style, beating the subsequent Grade 1 winner Gunner among others.

In other Azzie yard news Mike said Wylie Wench’s unplaced effort in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes had been “all wrong” and the yard were awaiting results of blood tests before taking their next step.  

Meanwhile, the first son of Var to go to stud, Talk Of The Town, has arrived at Avontuur. 

Talk Of The Town was retired for health reasons from racing after just 5 runs, from which he registered three wins on the trot from his last three starts. He was favourite for the 2018 CTS Million Mile, but was withdrawn and never raced again.

By David Thiselton

St. John Gray is planning the next move for his classy filly Ronnie’s Candy, who deservedly earned Grade 1 status last Saturday when winning the HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes over 1600m, and the KZN Breeders Million Mile or the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m are the most obvious targets.

Gray said she had come of Saturday’s race well.

The four-year-old King Of Kings filly was dropped out to last from a wide draw on Saturday and displayed her devastating turn of foot in the straight under Piere Strydom to beat a good field which included Grade 1 winner Queen Supreme and well performed sorts like Vistula, Saragon, Running Brave, In the Dance and Magic School.  

She is in line for the Equus Older Female Of The Year award now alongside the like of Queen Supreme, Celtic Sea and Clouds Unfold as she has also won the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Stakes over 1600m this season.

Gray said that types like her who come from off the pace could often go further than their optimum distance, with a case in point being his own top class mare Dancewiththedevil, who won the Grade 1 Summer Cup over 2000m on top of her four Grade 1 mile victories.

Ronnie’s Candy looked to be going away at the line of Saturday. 

Gray also pointed out that in her only attempt at 1800m in the Grade 3 Yellowwood Handicap she had been beaten 4,25 lengths into second by Queen Supreme but had been giving the latter 7,5kg.

Gray races his own homebreds almost exclusively.

Many are mystified by how well he does with such obscurely bred horses as Dancewiththedevil and Ronnie’s Candy, who are by the uncommercial stallions Modus Vivendi and King Of Kings respectively.

He pointed out that he is a firm believer in nicks and patterns and said he would often avoid a commercial stallion if there was no nick.

He admitted though that the nicks and patterns did not always work.

However, they did work in the case of Ronnie’s Candy, whose Jet Master dam Bennie Andthe Jets had provided a “beautiful” mating for King Of Kings.

Looking at her pedigree from an amateur perspective some of the famed nicks which exist on both the male and female sides of the pedigree are Nasrullah/Princequillo and also Sir Gaylord exists on both male and female sides. The latter is an example of a genetic affinity that exists when combining his dam Something Royal, who is also dam of Secretariat, with Royal Charger.

Bennie Andthe Jets is currently in foal to Potala Palace. 

By David Thiselton

Ashley and Andrew Fortune’s Listed Gatecrasher Stakes winner Gold Season is now being targeted at either the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m on VDJ day or the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Stake over 1600m on Gold Cup day. 

“He’s a very laid back horse and had always shown us that he was capable of going places,” said Andrew.

Ashley added, “You can only be so confident as he was a Maiden taking on winners. We were hoping for a place as his work showed he could run a place, but his win confirms what we think of him.”

The Gimmethegreenlight colt had only run in one previous race, finishing a 3,50 length fourth over 1200m, and that form was franked on Saturday when the fifth-placed horse, Nourbese, finished third in the Grade 2 SA Nursery. 

On Sunday Craig Zackey found the rail in midfield and Gold Season ran on steadily in the straight to beat the well regarded Paul Peter-trained Master Of Disguise by 1,70 lengths. He was receiving 4kg from Master Of Disguise. The latter cost himself by taking a strong hold in the running and should be watched as he oozes class. 

Gold Season arrived at Summerveld two days before Sunday’s race and will continue staying there until his next race, which will be his last outing of the season.

The Fortunes found this colt at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale together with owner Preggie Somasundrum and they clinched him for R375,000. 

Andrew said, “Preggie wanted to stop at R150,000 and I kept kicking him!” 

Andrew, Ashley and Preggie had all liked him in all respects, including his pedigree. Andrew recalled, “He had this thing about him that spoke to you.” 

Andrew won twice on his mother, the Joey Ramsden-trained sprinter Miss Gold Digger, who is by Rich Man’s Gold. 

Gold Season is a half-brother to Easy Lover (Right Approach), who won two Listed races over 1600m and finished second in the Grade 2 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m, so he should stay further than 1400m.

Also in the Gatecrasher Stakes, Royal Exhibit caught the eye staying on strongly from way back for third. This Mike Miller-trained Oratorio colt has plenty of substance and looks to be one to follow.

The fancied Glen Kotzen-trained Fast Love is a nice looking type too and should be given another chance after his disappointing fourth. He had to overcome a tough draw so had an excuse for not building on his impressive debut win.

By David Thiselton

Got The Greenlight will be prepared out of his home base of Turffontein for the Vodacom Durban July and incumbent national champion jockey Lyle Hewitson has been booked for the ride.

Hewitson, whose minimum riding weight is 52kg, was booked some time ago and it has worked out perfectly as Got The Greenlight looks set to carry 53kg, meaning he will hardly carry any deadweight.

Under the current lockdown protocols the Joey Soma-trained Gimmethegreenlight colt will have to stay at Summerveld until Wednesday before traveling back to the Highveld.

He becomes unsettled in any stable away from home and relaxes as soon as he is back in his own stable at Turffontein.

Furthermore, Soma only has a small string so there are not many capable of working upside him. 

Soma thus needs to improvise and he feels being on tracks the horse is familiar with will help his cause. 

Got The Greenlight sauntered to his second Grade 1 victory at Hollywoodbets Greyville and third career Grade 1 when winning the Daily News 2000 under Bernard Fayd’Herbe yesterday.

It was the coming together of the Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban three-year-old form and Johannesburg well and truly put the others in their place.

Got The Greenlight was still cantering as they turned for home, while the favourite Golden Ducat and the fancied Sachdev were already being driven.

He had to veer around Padre Pio, who had set the pace well clear of the rest of the field, but he then exerted his authority.

He might have appeared to be tiring in the latter stages as Fayd’Herbe had to drive him out but Soma pointed out he was a “very intelligent horse” who only did what he needed to and tended to idle when in front. In fact, he did the same in the Grade 1 SA Classic but when challenged by Green Laser and Youcanthurrylove he simply changed gears and found the extra to repel them.

Soma added he was hardly blowing at all after yesterday’s race and said he had come of it sound and well.

The eventual 1,50 length runner up yesterday, the Dennis Bosch-trained Vercingetorix gelding Padre Pio, had appeared to be fading coming up the hill from the 800m mark but in actual fact Craig Zackey was just giving him a breather and he stayed on well in the straight.

However, Bosch’s immediate thoughts of a next target seemed to favour the Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m on Gold Cup day rather than the Vodacom Durban July. 

Philanthropist gelding Golden Ducat was attempting to earn a history-making third Grade 1 victory over the weekend for the reigning Equus Champion broodmare Halfway To Heaven, who is also dam of Hawwaam (Silvano) and Rainbow Bridge (Ideal World).

However, he took a long time to get going in the straight and was eventually beaten 1,55 lengths.

Shango was finishing fastest of all for a 3,05 length fourth in a run which was quite reminiscent of Pomodoro’s fifth pace Daily News finish in 2012. The Sean Tarry-trained Captain Of All colt runs in the same blue and red Chris van Niekerk silks carried to victory by Pomodoro and Heavy Metal in the 2012 and 2013 Julys respectively. 

Of all the preparation races, participants in the Daily News 2000 have produced the most July winners. By David Thiselton

Invincabelle can get punters off to a winning start in the opening Investing Made Easy Juvenile Plate at Kenilworth today.

This Querari colt ran against mostly fellow newcomers when scoring on debut just under three weeks ago but he made a good impression and his connections clearly hold him in good stead. “He is a very smart horse and we have always thought a lot of him,” enthused Corne Orffer while Brett Crawford confirmed: “He has always shown nice work at home.”

The ground that day was good to soft and it is going to be a lot more testing today, particularly after all that rain last week including the 80mm that put the kibosh on Saturday’s fixture – the four features (including Katak’s race) will now be run next Tuesday.

Invincabelle is understandably hot favourite but a possible danger at a decent price is 5-1 shot Tarantino who has already won on genuinely soft ground. Robert Khathi reported that day that his mount “had no speed and at one stage I wasn’t going anywhere” but his mount dug deep and is likely to do so again.

In terms of class, or potential class, this is one of the best races of the day. Matthew The King and Jet Dark, both good enough to win first time out, also pose serious threats.

Lady Warrior showed early speed when six lengths-fourth to Caya Coco on debut in good to soft 13 days ago and just might improve enough to take the Properties You’ll Fall in Love With Maiden. She has been nibbled at (from 11-2 to 9-2) but is still at a reasonable price. Spring Awakening is favourite and Aldo Domeyer’s mount has obvious claims after showing up well first time.

The Snaith newcomer Really Royal has eased from 8-10 to 11-10 in the Trade The Markets Juvenile Fillies but she will need to be good to get the better of previous winner Captain’s Flo whose third to Captain’s Ransom in the Perfect Promise was even better than it looked – she had to ease off the heels of the second horse at a crucial stage.

Sakura Trick showed promise on debut, despite hanging from the 300m, and the Brett Crawford filly looks best on form in the Don’t Call It A Dream Maiden. However don’t overlook the claims of 18-1 shot Apache Girl.

Cape Of Storms would be a topical tip for the last but he is hard to fancy after his six-month absence but Worlds Your Oyster has won three out of four and should handle the ground in the Bred In The Purple Handicap. Hammie’s Fan (race six) and Rosalie Runs (race seven) are others sure to act on the going.

SELECTIONS

Race 1: Invincabelle
Race 2: Lady Warrior
Race 3: Captain’s Flo
Race 4: Sakura Trick
Race 6: Hammie’s Fan
Race 7: Rosalie Runs
Race 8: Worlds Your Oyster

By Michael Clower