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)

Champion trainer elect Sean Tarry has three well-drawn runners in the weight for age Gr 1 Mercury Sprint and not surprisingly fancies the dual Gr 1-winner Carry On Alice marginally ahead of the other two Willow Magic and Trip To Heaven. He said, “I would say Carry On Alice would be my first choice, but the other two are close behind. Willow Magic might be wanting a bit further now. I think the course and distance will suit Trip To Heaven quite nicely.” Tarry is not too phased about three-year-old filly Carry On Alice having run just two weeks ago in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m, “She’s coming back in distance, she pulled a little bit hard, she didn’t give her effort at the end, she’s taken her run well, looks good and is enjoying herself.”

He said about her draw of six in the eleven horse field, “It’s halfway, she can come from off them or go up handy. But it’s a strong field.”

Carry On Alice first met the ruling Mercury favourite Captain Of All in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship over 1000m at Kenilworth and on that day she was asked to stand in the stalls for ages, while others including Captain of All were taken out, after Normanz had broken through. The colt beat her by 1,5 lengths and Tarry said, “We don’t know what she would have done (without the starting incident).” However, in their next meeting in the weight for age Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m she was 3,3 lengths ahead of Captain Of All. Tarry is not taking that form to literally and also does not believe the soft going on the day was necessarily in Carry On Alice’s favour. He pointed to Captain Of All’s next run when carrying topweght to an impressive 1,25 length victory in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville and said, “Captain Of All’s performance was very good with that weight. It may just be that he reserves his best for Maritzburg, but if not he’s a very good horse. Having said that the price of the second and third horses were 11/1 and 33/1 and we ran fourth with Bichette (16/1).” He also pointed to the times. Carry On Alice, carrying 58,5kg in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint, recorded a time 0,07 seconds quicker than Captain Of All, who was carrying 60kg. She will now be receiving 3kg from Captain Of All, which effectively means that taking the weight for age scale into account she is 2,5kg better off with Captain Of All from the Scottsville comparison. On the other hand Captain Of All did have to come from a tougher draw than Carry On Alice had to contend with at Scottsville.

The four-year-old Willow Magic, who won the Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m as a two-year-old, is drawn well in three. He last ran over course and distance in the Gr 2 Post Merchants and was caught late by Daring Dave and Moofeed to be beaten narrowly. Tarry said, “It was a good effort but I do think that the false start would have affected him more than most horses.”  He said about the draw, “He can be used but I don’t think he has to pace it out with them, it also depends on the pace.  He likes this course and we might leave him in the Champions Cup next week. He’s only run the mile twice and won the Dingaans and then finished second in the Gold Challenge to Legislate.”

The talented three-year-old colt Trip To Heaven has a plum draw of two and could be the dark horse as he finished just 0,25 lengths behind the classy sprinter Trip Tease when facing him on just 1kg worse than weight for age terms in January over a possibly too sharp 1000m. He had won the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1160m in fine style before that when officially 1,5kg under sufferance. He hasn’t run since facing Trip Tease and Tarry said, “He didn’t pull up well and he is a horse that you have to work quite carefully with, so he wouldn’t have been ready for Scottsville and this is his next and last opportunity.” He doesn’t think that the strange course will affect him and added, “He can use that draw. He is very versatile, he can come from last or lead, it just depends how hard they go.”

Tarry runs the Rebel King filly Rebel To The Fore, who won on debut over 1000m, in the Gr 2 Debutante over 1200m, and said, “She won a five furlong so she’s got enough speed, but I don’t think she’s limited to a sprint.” She came from a bit off them on debut so the draw of eight is not much of a concern and he added, “I think she’s definitely got a nice future and having a look at the field she has a chance.”

He runs Enchanted Silk and City Of Athens in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes over1600m on the polytrack. The former is joint second best in at the weights and has shown both in her last race and at home that she loves the poly, although Tarry regards her ideal trip as being 1700-1800m. The latter often doesn’t try her hardest, but does have ability. She is 3kg under sufferance with the best in, but Tarry believes she is worth taking a chance with as he reckoned wearing blinkers for the first time on the poly might help her.

He runs Eva Tibbs in the Listed Queen Palm Stakes over 2400m, where she is 2,5k under sufferance with the best in. However, Tarry pointed out that she was a touch unlucky when finishing a five length fourth to the promising stayer Wild Ash in a Listed event over 2450m, so he is hoping she can earn black type here.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)

Dean Kannemeyer and Stuart Randolph will be looking for a big race double when they team up with Solid Speed in the R1,25 million Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup to be run over 3200m at Greyville on Saturday, July 25.

The pair were successful with Power King in the Vodacom Durban July and Solid Speed’s Gold Cup chances were further enhanced when he drew gate 2 at last night’s draw for barrier positions.

Solid Speed suffered his first defeat in four starts at Greyville when going down less than a length to Heart Of A Lion in the SABC Gold Vase over 3000m on July day lumbering top weight of 60kg. He carries a handy 53kg in the Cup and is 1kg better off with Heart Of A Lion.

Kannemeyer also saddles last year’s top weight Hot Ticket and the lightly weighted Balance Sheet who drew 13 and 10 respectively.

Hot Ticket found traffic in the recent Vodacom Durban July but will much prefer this longer trip. Prior to the July he was just beaten a nostril by Disco Al in the Track & Ball Derby. Hot Ticket finished fourth under top weight in last year’s Gold Cup behind Wavin’s Flag.

Second last year was Mike de Kock’s runner Wild One and his name was first out of the draw. He has only had two outings since last year’s Cup and should be primed come next Saturday from gate 5. He came from near last to finish second to Punta Arenas in the Cup Trial over 1800m and followed up with a smart second behind Bezanova in the KZN Breeders’ Million Mile. He will much prefer this extended trip and will be one of the fancied runners.

Joey Ramsden has two smart stayers in Disco Al and Coltrane. The former has been in good form and got up in a blanket finish to touch off Hot Ticket in the Track & Ball Derby over 2400m at Scottsville with other Gold Cup entries Savage Wind and Kingston Mines less than a length behind. Disco Al drew 11.

Coltrane has been disappointing since arriving for Champions Season but he had some smart staying form in the Western Cape where he won the Chairman’s Cup over 3000 m and prior to that was just run out of it by Kingston Mines in the J&B Urban Honey Stakes over 2800m. His recent form has been over 2400m and the step up in trip could see him come into his own from draw 3.

Ash Cloud managed her first win of the season in the Gold Circle Oaks, this year run at Scottsville. She finished three lengths off Wavin’ Flag last year under 52kg but this year has a steadier of 57kg but has a plum draw at 8.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: Solid Speed (Nkosi Hlophe)

Mark Dixon was realistic about the chances of his Gr 1 Mercury Sprint contender African Dream and admitted this run would partly be used to show exactly how good she was.

He said, “She’s exceptionally well after that last win (in which she defended her crown in the KZN Breeders 1200). It’s a massive step up in class, but she’s going to have a break anyway so our theory was we’ve got nothing to lose. She’s drawn eleven of eleven which is obviously not great, but one of her greatest assets is her gate speed. She’s out the stalls like a bullet, that’s if she behaves herself on the day, although there’s no reason to believe that she won’t.”

The four-year-old Mogok filly has always had an aversion to the starting stalls but behaved herself well last time having been accompanied by Dixon’s wife and assistant trainer Hayley and the “horse whisperer” Glyn Redgrave. The pair will be with her at the start again.

Dixon continued, “Then we can get across and sit nice and handy, that’s her style of racing. We will learn an awful lot and see where we are at, because we’re taking on the best. We can run a place maybe.”

Dixon ran third in this race last year at Clairwood with Showmetheway and felt he was a touch unlucky not to have won it having been drawn badly, but he admitted it had been a “sub-standard Gr 1 and this year’s is a lot more competitive.”

African Dream’s six wins (in 12 starts) have all been over this distance, but she is merit rated 101, which leaves her with a mountain to climb against the like of 120 merit rated Captain Of All under the weight for age conditions. Regular rider Keagan de Melo will be aboard.

By David Thiselton

Picture: African Dream (Nkosi Hlophe)