It is nine years since Sun Classique, and 14 since Sport’s Chestnut, but the Mike Bass stable has its sights firmly set on Cape Fillies Classic victory. This time the bullet is Silver Mountain.

This half-sister to Helderberg Blue cost R1.3 million but the way she won the Rugby 5 Maiden Juvenile at Kenilworth on Saturday suggests she is going to be worth every rand. She took it up over two furlongs from home and strode away to win in a manner far more conclusive than even her three-and-a-half length margin would suggest.

Aldo Domeyer said: “She has come on by leaps and bounds and, on what she showed today, she could win anything from five, six or seven furlongs. This was probably the easiest winner of my career.”

Maybe he was a bit carried away! But the rather more feet-on-the-ground Candice Robinson, who has seen Hammie’s Hooker, Lanner Falcon and Inara all agonisingly beaten into second in the last three seasons, is also eyeing the Avontuur-sponsored classic. “This looks to be a really smart filly,” she said. “I am very optimistic about her future.”

This winner started at 15-20 but on a day of upsets the Bass stable also struck with 16-1 two-year-old winners Elysian Park and Marinaresco to leave Grant van Niekerk only three short of his century.

Vaughan Marshall is optimistic that he is getting on top of the respiratory virus that caused him to scratch all nine runners at the last Cape Town meeting and Bernard Kantor’s Irish bred Roman Perfection underlined his point by springing a 25-1 shock against older horses in the Soccer 6 Maiden.

Marshall said: “It started two months ago. We eased up for ten days and, while scratching the lot was a drastic step, I think it was the right thing to do because the horses are running better now.”

The winner provided an overdue change of luck for Ossie Noach who had ridden only one previous winner this season and leaves for Hong Kong next week.

He said: “This will be my first time there and I am going for a year. I will ride work and see how it goes.”

Richard Fourie, runner-up in the championship last season, has been repeatedly ramming home what might have been had injury not sidelined him for so many weeks in the early part of the campaign – and he did it again with a Snaith Racing double, scoring on convincing winner Paolo and getting two-year-old A Time To Dream up in the final two strides of the concluding handicap. He needs just four more to reach his hundred.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Mike Bass (Nkosi Hlophe)

Bernard Fayd’Herbe will take over as stable jockey to Justin Snaith when Richard Fourie moves to Hong Kong next month and in the meantime Fayd’Herbe will regain the ride on Futura in Saturday week’s Champions Cup.

Fayd’Herbe, 33, has had a long association with Snaith and has won five of the trainer’s 22 Grade 1s. He also won this season’s L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and J & B Met on Futura when the horse was trained by Brett Crawford.

He said yesterday: “I am very happy to be back on Futura and to ride for Justin again. Riding for Joey Ramsden has been a pleasure but it was a no-brainer when I got the opportunity to join Snaith Racing. I have been a bit restricted in the big races because Joey’s main owner is Markus Jooste who has his own jockey.”

Fayd’Herbe was replaced by Sean Cormack on Futura in the KZN season because he was committed to the Ramsden-trained King Of Pain and even under the new arrangement Wayne Kieswetter’s Ridgemont Stud operation will have first call on him.

Snaith, who paid tribute to both Fourie and Cormack, said: “Bernard has always had close ties to the stable and, although he has big shoes to fill, I am certain he will add enormous value to our stable. I was extremely pleased with Futura’s run in the July with top weight and he has come through it particularly well.”

Legislate (Fourie) will race over 1 200m for the first time since his debut two years ago on Saturday and a week later he is pencilled in for a further showdown with Futura.

Jonathan Snaith said: “Legislate runs in the Mercury Sprint and if he pulls up well he will then run in the 1 800m race.”

At Kenilworth this Saturday Fayd’Herbe partners last year’s winner Jet Supreme in the stable’s bid to win this Grade 3 for the third successive year. Snaith will also run Cat And The Moon.

King Of Pain, winner of last year’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge, was scratched from the Vodacom Durban July a few weeks before the race and has not raced since. “There is nothing wrong with him. He is just having a holiday,” said Ramsden.

Act Of War, the surprise packet among the Mercury Sprint entries, will not be declared this morning – Ramsden had some unprintable comments to make about the horse’s widest-of-all draw – but the Cape Guineas winner just might run in the Champions Cup.

Ramsden said: “It’s a possibility. We will see how we go.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Bernard Fayd’Herbe

The Hawks will be taking on the Eagles and the Falcons and racegoers will get an opportunity to watch three teams of the country’s top 12 jockeys compete in the inaugural Interprov Rider Cup at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday, July 18.

The Highveld Hawks have a particularly strong team and will be represented by champion jockey elect, Gavin Lerena, with strong support from current champion S’Manga Khumalo, former champion Piere Strydom and recent Daily News 2000 winner Raymond Danielson.

The Western Cape Eagles will fly with the internationally experienced Richard Fourie and Greg Cheyne along with Grant van Niekerk and Corne Orffer.

The KZN Falcons will swoop with former champions Anton Marcus and Anthony Delpech and top riders Muzi Yeni and Sean Cormack making up their quartet.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe was originally pencilled in for the Western Cape team but has to honour contractual obligations at Kenilworth on the same day while Anthony Delpech has been laid low by a heavy bout of flu but will hopefully be back in the saddle come next Saturday.

“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.”

In order to give all riders an equal opportunity, the horses in each race will be ceded 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.

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 riders will contest four races, including two Listed features, with points being allocated as follows. 20 for first 16; 14; 12; 10; 8; 6; 5; 4;3;2;1 with 7 points for a scratched ride. Because of the narrow band of points allocation it is hoped that competition will be close and contain a little “needle”.

KZN stages a low key eight race meeting at Scottsville this weekend and most punters will likely be attempting to recover losses from the Vodacom Durban July, which produced an upset result. An MR 86 Handicap over 1400m is the highest rated race. Will Pays has a wide draw but has talent and looks likely to enjoy the step up in trip. Entree looks to be perfectly course and distance suited and after running two good races over 1600m here he drops back to the trip of his easy maiden win, albeit off a four point higher mark.

Scottsville is a ‘horses for courses’ type of track and Azincourt is unbeaten in two starts here over 1200m, while he also once ran 1,75 lengths behind subsequent Cape Guineas winner Elusive Gold in a 1600m event, so he should stay this trip. He is seven points higher than his last win so it won’t be easy, but he has a fair draw.

Always Al has come down to an attractive merit rating and is drawn well over his best trip. Aware is four points higher than his highest winning mark but is well drawn over a suitable course and distance.

The second highest rated race is a MR 84 Handicap over 1000m for fillies and mares and the top weight Miss Varlicious could be the one to beat. She will effectively be 0,5kg better off with Easy Game for a 0,35 length defeat over course and distance last time out.

The draw bias has been seen to even out a bit lately at Scottsville so her high draw shouldn’t be a big factor, although earlier races should be monitored. On paper there won’t be much to separate her and Easy Game, but a negative for the latter is that Mike Azzie’s Summerveld Champions Season yard had a dip in form on July day. Rock On Baby found some support on debut and looks hard to oppose in the first over 1000m, although Nikki is a first-timer to consider. Whiskey Joe bumped a good one last time and could win the second over 1600m from pole position, although the maiden Team Guys caught the eye last time and with a 3kg advantage could be a big danger.

Melliflora was not disgraced in a Gr 1 over 1400m last Saturday and she should be perfectly suited to the 1600m of the third from a good draw. Tide is Turning looks hard to oppose in the fourth, a weak maiden over 1000m, although first-timer Cyclone Sassie makes some appeal and must not be ignored. Bold Attitude is the one to beat in the seventh over 1400m as he has run some fine races at this track and is well drawn over a trip he is effective over, although he would probably prefer a touch further. Snap Shap is a decent two-year-old but doesn’t have an easy task at the weights. First Sea Lord has been a bit expensive to follow in his last two but from a good draw over a suitable trip should get it right in the last race over 1600m.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Miss Varlicious (Nkosi Hlophe)

Justin Snaith may be on the point of losing his trainer’s crown but for the third successive season he will train the most winners and he should waste no time in adding to his tally (currently 174) at Kenilworth tomorrow.

Aspara, who lost ground at the start last time, should be able to beat the poorly drawn Top Of The Rock in the opening Welcome Maiden but 35 minutes later it is Silver Mountain who stands out. The Mike Bass-trained filly went into the Winning Ways notebook with a cracking first run and she looks impossible to oppose.

Her danger is probably Blu-Tack who returned with a mouth injury last time. “It was a minor thing, nothing really,” says Dean Kannemeyer. “She disappointed us the first time but she then improved and she will continue to improve.”

Mamselle Al is proving expensive and has started favourite in her last three races. Even so, she looks worth another chance in the Soccer 6 Maiden and can reverse the form with So Suspect.  “She jumped sideways last time, taking out four or five horses, and had the wind knocked out of herself,” says Glen Kotzen.

Glen Puller was bullish about Solar Night on debut and the gelding proved him right by going under by only a short head to the highly regarded Cuban Emerald. Brandon Morgenrood’s mount looks a ready-made winner in the Winter Holidays Maiden.

Stan Elley is intent on the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap being run at a strong pace. “My World (4-1 in the Betting World forecast) is looking for a mile and a half plus and so we will chase him along early,” reports the gelding’s trainer. “If he can get to the front then we will have a chance.”

Paolo (7-2) stands out on recent form but he has been raised a kilo for last time’s second and Johnny Rockets is better off with Paolo, Friendly Tibbs (9-2) and Tribal Dance (5-1). Johnny Rockets was ridden from the back last time, and was still last two furlongs out, but he is 28-10 favourite in the forecast and that is short enough. If he drifts to 7-2 or better, and he could well do so, he would be worth considering.

Snaith boldly pitches two-year-old winner A Time To Dream into handicap company against older horses in the last and, while the handicappers appear to have taken no chances with an 84 rating, the filly still appeals.

One worth considering each way at a decent price (8-1) is Alzerra who returns after nearly three months off. “She may just need it but we have put quite a lot of work into her and she is well drawn which is a big advantage,” says her trainer.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Brandon Morgenrood