Jet Supreme has over four lengths in hand on adjusted merit ratings as she bids to win the Final Fling Stakes for the second successive year at Kenilworth tomorrow.

But punters taking a short price – and Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount could well start favourite – have to decide whether her recent problems at the start mean that she won’t produce her best.

She started slowly in the Olympic Duel but that was nothing compared to what happened when she reared in the pens as the starter pressed the button in the Ladies Mile last time. “She caught her neck in the roof – not a nice experience at all,” says Justin Snaith. “She is going to stud soon and some fillies coming to the end of their careers can get rattled quite easily. Sean Cormack felt that he went in a bit early and this time they must load her later.”

Jet Supreme won the Victress Stakes over this trip in December but more recently her best form has been in sprints. “No, she is not a 1 200m horse,” her trainer is adamant. “She is definitely better around a mile.”

Snaith, bidding for his third successive Final Fling, also runs the improving Cat And The Moon who kept producing more when winning the Winter Oaks over 2 200m last month – “She is a tough little filly and anything around this distance is fine for her.”

Both the Snaith runners have won in the soft and, if the forecast for heavy rain today proves correct, that is important.

Jet Supreme is favoured by recent statistics – favourites have won three of the last four runnings  and older horses every one of the last five – but three-year-olds Moonsong Magic and Crystal Cavern finished close up in the Winter Oaks and have definite claims.

“Moonsong Magic is versatile but once again she has to jump from a wide draw which always makes it difficult,” cautions Greg Ennion.

In the Winter Oaks Crystal Cavern finished fast in a manner that suggested she is one to bear in mind. “We think highly of this filly and we believe that what beat her was the winter course,” says Adam Marcus. “If we had had the longer straight she could have unwound a bit earlier. As it was she sat about second last whereas the two that finished in front of her were sitting handy and had the run of the race.”

This is the winter course again but, if Jet Supreme thinks more about what happened last time than breaking fast, Crystal Cavern could be the one to take advantage. She has won in the soft and she just might start at an each way price.

Of the others Alascan Maiden and Omaticaya should run well on recent form but not well enough to win.

By Michael Clower

The Gr 1 Mercury Sprint meeting at Greyville tomorrow will be full of interest as there are not only five features, but there is also a jockeys’ interprovincial being contested by the KZN Falcons, the Highveld Hawks and the Western Cape Falcons.

The Mercury Sprint over 1200m looks likely on paper to be fought out by Carry On Alice, Captain Of All and Fly By Night, with Trip To Heaven and Legislate being the dark horses.
Carry On Alice gets the nod as a look at the time she ran when winning the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint puts her ahead of Captain Of All, whom she also beat in the Computaform Sprint, although she did lose to him in the Betting World Cape Flying Championship after being made to stand in the stalls for ages.
Captain Of All was only caught late here in a Gr 1 over 1400m as a two-year-old so will handle the course and his speed, class and good preparation will make him a tough nut to crack.
Legislate is unbeaten at Greyville and all four wins were in Gr 1s (from 1600-2200m). His class and devastating turn of foot could carry him close.
Fly By Night will be running on strongly in the defense of her crown and considering she was only beaten 1,8 lengths by Carry On Alice in the City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint when jumping from a tougher draw she should finish close to the latter.
Trip To Heaven is not far off the best on paper and was only just not ready for Scottsville in time, so should be fit now and his speed, class and plum draw make him a runner.
Willow Magic enjoys Greyville and was undone by a false start in the Gr2 Post Merchants over course and distance, so he is another with an outside winning chance, although he appears to prefer further these days.
Daring Dave loves Greyville and together with the talented African Dream could earn a cheque.

The Gr 2 Debutante over 1200m could be won by Cosmic Light, who impressed on debut and the form has been franked. She has a wide draw but there could be a fast pace here set by Khaleesi, who is drawn one inside of her. Khaleesi could stay on for second ahead of Frosted Honey who will be running on late but might prefer further. Rebel To The Fore would not be a shock winner having run on well to win on debut over 1000m. Lala clearly enjoys this course and distance, but this is a step up in class.
The Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m is of below par standard and Buckinghampshire’s class could tell. However, staying all the way to the line from a wide draw might be a bit of a concern and Top Form is the back up. The Port Elizabeth raider Oriental Tiger is drawn in pole and was not stopping when winning by over six lengths on debut over 1000m, so he could be a contender.
The Listed Off To Stud Handicap over 1600m on the poly could be won by Euphoria who won with a bit in hand over course and distance last time and is best in at the weights again. Enchanted Silk loves the poly and could give cheek despite being better over a touch further. Resolution looked primed on Vodacom Durban July day over 1400m and duly delivered with a strong finish and she is as good over this trip too.
The first is a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1200m for fillies and mares. Real Princess looks to have plenty of class, having shown a tremendous turn of foot to win easily at Scottsville last time over 1100m, and she might prove too good for the useful Beloved Country.
The Listed Queen Palm Stakes over 2400m could be won by the up and coming Deputy Ryder, who looks likely to relish the trip. Semra and Counting Angels make most appeal of the rest.
The second race on the poly over 1600m is the first leg of the Rider Cup interprovincial and S’Manga Khumalo could get one on the board for the Highveld Hawks by winning with Sword Storm who is able to produce a strong finish over this course and distance so the wide draw will be of little concern. Cakewalk ran on well over this trip at Scottsville last time and should be right there. Princess Milo should also be in the shake up.
The third is over 1600m on the poly and two-year-old Mambo Mime looked full of class when running on to win on the turf over this last trip last time despite having pulled hard throughout. If he settles here he will be hard to beat. Phoebus has some good Cape form and could be the back up together with Flying Fellow, and others to consider are Mystic Express, Fantasy Art and Celtic Captain.
The fifth is over 1200m on the poly and sees the return of Gemini Gold, who has a touch of class and the draw and trip look ideal for a horse returning fresh from an eight month layoff. Trainer Dennis Bosch could afford to give him a break for a joint injury, as he is the owner, and he said although he might need it he expected him to be right there as he was a “smart horse”. Salesman, Grey Light and Cinema Scope look the chief dangers. Gun Fighter and Theseus can also be considered.
By David Thiselton
Picture: Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)

Three provincial teams featuring 12 of the country’s top jockeys will compete over four races at Greyville Racecourse (Races 2,3,4 and 5) on Saturday, July 18, for the inaugural Interprov Rider Cup.

The competition will be run over four consecutive races (Greyville R2, R3, R4, R5) with points being allocated as follows:

Because of the narrow band of points allocation it is hoped that competition will be close and contain a little “needle”.

In order to give all riders an equal opportunity, the horses in each race have been seeded by a panel of form experts into four categories of three from top to bottom. The riders from each team will get a chance to ride in each category with the choice of horses done by ballot. This will give each rider a chance to showcase their skills on the best and the worst rated runners.

“We are always looking for ways to promote and add entertainment to our racedays and this format has proved successful in the past,” said Gold Circle’s Racing and Marketing Executive, Graeme Hawkins.

“It will give racegoers the opportunity to watch the best jockeys in the country go head-to-head and the bragging rights that go with winning the Interprov Rider Cup will hopefully add a competitive edge to the races.”

All riders will carry the owners’ colours but will be distinguished by different coloured caps. The KZN team will wear black caps with the Western Cape blue and the Highveld red.

The Mike Bass-trained Jet Master mare Fly By Night will defend her crown in Saturday’s Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Greyville and could be the dark horse as she had excuses for her below par runs in both the Betting World Cape Flying Championship and Computaform Sprint and then ran a cracker from a tough draw last time out in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint.

Bass’s assistant Robert Fayd’Herbe said from Summerveld, “She’s drawn well (five) and it’s at Greyville this year so we need a good draw. I managed to get Anton (Marcus) to ride her and she’s doing well. She hasn’t run since Maritzburg (May 23) but she’s had a few gallops and she normally runs well fresh.”

Fayd’Herbe is not to concerned about her never having been around a right-hand turn before and said, “That’s the only thing, she hasn’t been to Greyville before, but she’s quite a straight forward horse, she doesn’t look around or anything. She’s quite a brave filly, she’s an older filly and she doesn’t get phased by new things.”

He added, “Her works good, she’s doing well, but the yard we’re in is exposed to quite a lot of dust and horses have been running in and out, so we will scope her sometime this week.”

He said about her last run, in which she finished a highly meritorious 1,8 length third to Carry On Alice, having jumped from an unfavourable high draw of ten, “The going was biased, you had to go down the inside and we got stuck on the outside of them and she was running on nicely like she did last year (when a narrow second to Via Africa). We have kept her for this race.”

Her preparation for the Cape Flying was affected by a fetlock problem. The yard were mystified by her Computaform run and wondered whether the long journey from Cape Town could have affected her.

Fayd’Herbe said those two runs were now behind her and concluded, “She’s definitely back to her best.”

Fly By Night’s three-year-old full sister Come Fly With Me runs over the course and distance of the Mercury in the first race of the day. She 2,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse, Real Princess, and might prefer further, considering she won over 1600m last time out. However, Fly By Night only came into her own as a four-year-old, so Come Fly With Me should be improving rapidly at present and is an interesting contender.

The yard’s other runner on the day is the four-year-old Count Dubois filly Counting Angels who runs in the Listed Queen Palm Stakes over 2400m for fillies and mares. This is her third run after a layoff and she is officially the joint best weighted horse. On pedigree, being out of a Rakeen mare who won over 2000m and has produced a winner over 2500m, she has chance of staying the trip.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Fly By Night (Liesl King)

Justin Snaith has two Dynasty four-year-olds in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Greyville on Saturday, the Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate and the Gr 2 Post Merchants winner over course and distance Daring Dave.

He said about Legislate, “He was injured in the Drill Hall due to the faulty starting gates and going into the July with only one run after six months would have been a big ask.”

Legislate had also apparently been a little difficult in the stalls after being loaded late before his victory in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge and Snaith said he had later been led to believe by the starter that whatever had been done to help him on the day might not be possible in the Vodacom Durban July (which had a much bigger field). This made the decision to not run him in the July slightly easier.

“With the lack of a proper preparation you can’t take your chances, not over 2200m, so my proposal to the owners was that we take an easier route and look after him for the Cape Summer.”

Legislate is unbeaten in four starts at Greyville, all of them Gr 1s from 1600-2200m. Snaith said it was hard to say whether he had the speed to win the Mercury but had decided upon this option because there was nothing else left for him in the KZN season. “We’re just taking our chances over a sprint, just to sharpen him up a bit for the Cape Summer Season. We have him in the Champions Cup too just in case.”

He said about the gelding Daring Dave, “Very fast, loves Greyville, he should run his race. I said before the Merchants that you wouldn’t have to worry about his Scottsville run and it was exactly that. I expect a good run and just because he’s course suited, distance suited, has a nice draw and a top jockey, he’s got to be in with a chance.

“But it’s a very strong field and at level weights I just don’t know whether he might just be a little outgunned. But off a 107 merit rating there are no other races so you have to take your chances.”

Snaith runs Buckinghampshire in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m, where he is drawn ten with Richard Fourie up. He said, “He’s very well, he will run a big race.”

Snaith said he was not concerned about the trip being too far for the Lonhro colt, and felt at Greyville a horse could get away with it anyway. “He’s drawn a bit wide but he has a lot of speed and I think the fact that he will like Greyville is more important than anything else. I’m quietly expecting a big run from this horse. If things go his way he could win it.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Legislate (Liesl King)