RACE 1     

2 VELVET VALOUR 1 GREENLIGHT EXPRESS  6 HAT MAN 3 WAR OF HEARTS 

Preview: 2 VELVET VALOUR beat Greenlight Express by just over a length when the latter was making his East Cape debut. 1 GREENLIGHT EXPRESS should go close based on his two East Cape runs. 6 HAT MAN has 1,75 lengths to make up on Greenlight Express. 3 WAR OF HEARTS looks capable of earning here.  (David Thiselton 2-1-6-3)

RACE 2     

9 DIRECT HIT 7 SUPREME JUDGE 8 WINTER WARFARE 6 ROYAL KINGDOM

Preview: 9 DIRECT HIT is by Canford Cliffs out of a fast Great Britain mare. 7 SUPREME JUDGE is by Horizon out of a Singspiel maiden who has produced a Listed runner up in a Juvenile contest. 8 WINTER WARFARE is by Act Of War out of a Listed-winning sprinter by Crusade. 6 ROYAL KINGDOM is by William Longsword out of a three-time winning Trippi mare. (David Thiselton 9-7-8-6) 

RACE 3     

1 MY BEST SHOT 4 GOLDEN RULE 2 GOLDEN LINK 5 GLOBAL STATE

Preview: 1 MY BEST SHOT is a decent sort and can win again over a suitable trip. 4 GOLDEN RULE won well second time out and was thought of so highly that he was tried in a Gr 2 in Durban, but he does return from a long layoff. 2 GOLDEN LINK has some good form and should be in the shake up. 5 GLOBAL STATE is out at the weights but could make the frame. (David Thiselton 1-4-2-5) 

RACE 4     

6 MS PATTY 3 FIRE ALARM 4 GLOBAL SCENE 1 TIK TOK ADDICTION

Preview: 6 MS PATTY should improve on her Cape Town form in this weaker centre and doesn’t have a lot to beat and jumps from pole position. 3 FIRE ALARM is knocking on the door and should go close from draw two. 4 GLOBAL SCENE will appreciate the step up in trip and has a chance. 1 TIK TOK ADDICTION can be involved if producing her best. (David Thiselton 6-3-4-1)

RACE 5     

1 HEART STEALER 4 HEAD GARDENER 3 HOME REEF 7 SAN QUINTIN

Preview: 1 HEART STEALER has hard-knocking form and will enjoy the return to turf from pole position over a suitable trip. 4 HEAD GARDENER races mainly on the poly and comes off a good win on the poly over this trip for which he received a four point raise. 3 HOME REEF is course and distance suited but does have a tricky draw. 7 SAN QUINTIN went close over 2400m last time and is effective over this shorter trip. (David Thiselton 1-4-3-7)  

RACE 6     

2 MR MOLONY 1 LEGAL THRILLER 7 ARIVIDICIO 4 POTENT CAPTAIN

Preview: 2 MR MOLONY has good form on turf and poly so could be the one to beat over a suitable trip , although the wide draw is a concern. 1 LEGAL THRILLER tried hard last time and only just failed over this trip on the poly, but he might not necessarily enjoy a return to turf as most of his form is on the poly. 7 ARIVIDICIO is another who has good recent poly form so turf might not definitely be to his liking. 4 POTENT CAPTAIN’s best form is also on the poly where he is usually thereabouts. (David Thiselton 2-1-7-4)

RACE 7     

4 OLIVER TWIST 3 HOLOCENE 2 SCAMPTON 5 FUJISAN

Preview: 4 OLIVER TWIST starts off handicapping off a reasonable mark having had some decent maiden form. 3 HOLOCENE went close last time over 1400m on the poly and should prefer this trip. 2 SCAMPTON has disappointed in his last three and a compression mask replaces the blinkers on a turf surface he should enjoy. 5 FUJISAN has a good draw and tries a return to the turf. (David Thiselton 4-3-2-5)

RACE 8     

2 PASSCHENDAELE 4 GIMME’S LASSIE 1 THREE ROCKS 5 GOCEKWITHLOVE

Preview: 2 PASSCHENDAELE has speed and class and is the one to beat. 4 GIMME’S LASSIE might enjoy the return to turf and can earn again. 1 THREE ROCKS was most disappointing last time but should enjoy the return to turf. 5 GOCEKWITHLOVE is a consistent sort and is 1kg better off with Passchendaele for a 2,25 length beating. (David Thiselton 2-4-1-5)

David Thiselton

The new description of races in KZN, such as A Stakes, B Stakes, Class 2, Class 3, Open Maiden etc. might have caused some confusion to punters.
The KZN program, covering the period 1 January to 28 February 2025, has introduced the stakes-boosted class racing structure to the province, while unveiling financial incentives via the RaceCoast Incentive Scheme.
This article explains the new conditions of ordinary races in the province.
The ultimate aim of these changes is to improve racehorse ownership and to achieve enhanced field sizes with the knock-on effect of increased betting turnovers.
The “Class” races are the handicaps and the higher the class the higher the stake money to be won.
5% of the stake of each race is put into the RaceCoast Incentive Scheme (RKIS).
Class 2 handicaps have a merit rated benchmark of 112, meaning a horse merit rated 112 will carry 60kg and the weights are worked out using that horse as the pivot.
Class 2 races have a total stake of R150,000 with R7,500 of that going to the RCIS.
Class 3 races have a benchmark of 96, total stakes of R135,000 of which R6,750 goes to the RCIS.
Class 4 races have a benchmark of 80, total stakes of R120,000 of which R6,000 goes to the RCIS.
Class 5 races have a benchmark of 66, total stakes of R90,000 of which R4,500 goes to the RCIS.
For fillies and mares handicaps the benchmarks are the same but the total stakes are R135,000, R125,000, R110,000 and R80,000 respectively and the RCIS contribution is R6,750, R6,250, R5,500 and R4,000.
The A, B, C and D “Stakes” races and Middle Stakes races are merit rated band races.
A Stakes Races:Benchmark at 61,5 kg = 113 & aboveBenchmark at 60,0 kg = 110 to 112Benchmark at 58,5 kg = 107 to 109Benchmark at 57,0 kg = 104 to 106Benchmark at 55,5 kg = 101 to 103Benchmark at 54,0 kg = 98 to 100Benchmark at 52,5 kg = 95 to 97Benchmark at 51,0 kg = 94 & below
For B Stakes races the 61,5kg benchmark is 94 to 96 and the other weights will go down by the same proportions as in Class A.
For C Stakes races the 61,5kg benchmark is 76 to 78 and will go down proportionately.
For D Stakes race the 61,5kg benchmark is 62 to 64 merit ratings and they go down accordingly.
The Middle Stakes race have a different structure, which will be to the benefit of the higher rated horses because the weights are compressed, as shown below:
MIDDLE STAKESFor All Horses with a nett rating of 102 and belowBenchmark at 61,5 kg = 99 to 102Benchmark at 60,0 kg = 95 to 98Benchmark at 58,5 kg = 91 to 94Benchmark at 57,0 kg = 87 to 90Benchmark at 55,5 kg = 83 to 86Benchmark at 54,0 kg = 79 to 82Benchmark at 52,5 kg = 75 to 78Benchmark at 51,0 kg = 74 & below
For A, B, C, D and Middle Stakes races the winner of this race will not incur a penalty of more than 6 Rating points.There will be no rating increase for placed & unplaced horses.Sex allowance of 2.5 / 3.0 / 3.5 kg for Fillies and Mares, subject to a minimum weight of 50 kg.In C, D and Middle Stakes races maidens will receive a 1kg allowance.
The Open Maidens will have the below structure:OPEN MAIDENFor all MaidensWeights:61.5kg to be determined by the highest nett rated horse, for all merit ratedhorses below the highest nett rated horse, weight to be determined from61.5kg downwards, using 2 merit rating points = 1 kgUnrated horses to carry 60.5kg2-year-old Allowance of 4kg will apply to unrated horses2-year-olds to be weighted as unrated horsesSex Allowance of 2.5 kg for all FilliesMinimum Weights:4-year-olds and over C&G – 53.5kg / Fillies 53kg3-year-olds C&G – 52.5kg / Fillies 52kg
Open Maidens for females will have the same structure, except of course for the gender allowance.  
The incentive schemes includes a R2250 rebates for the owner of every runner and a R500 saddling fee to the trainer of every runner and also a R250 fee to the jockey of every runner.
However, this excludes the winners of races, the horses who finish last and scratched horses.
There is also good stakes money for the KZN Juvenile Series and for juveniles in general. 
The KZN Futurity Plate at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday, which was leg 1 of the series, carried a total stake of R300,000; leg 2, The Hollywoodbets Greyville Futurity Plate on March 2, also has a R300,000 stake; and leg 3, the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb on April 27, has a total stake of R500,000.
Juvenile Plates will all carry a total stake of R150,000 and Restricted Maiden Juvenile Plates will carry a R200,000 stake.  

David Thiselton

This season’s jockey’s championship is turning out to be a thriller and it has meant there is a sideshow to a lot of meetings because the trio involved, reigning champion Richard Fourie, current log leader Craig Zackey and twice national champion Gavin Lerena, battle it out.

One amazing statistic, for example, is that there have been 24 races at Fairview this calendar year and only five of them have not been won by either Fourie or Zackey.

In the eight race meeting of January 3 on the turf, Fourie had five wins and Zackey two; in the eight race meeting on January 7 on the poly, Fourie had four wins and Zackey two; in the eight race meeting on January 10 on the turf they both had trebles. 

The two stalwart jockeys represent the powerful stables of Alan Greeff and Gavin Smith respectively and this has added to the intrigue of the perennial East Cape trainer’s championship battle between these two yards. 

Alan took over from his father Stanley many years ago, while Gavin took over from his father Andy and before that it was Stanley and Andy who battled out the championship. It is apparently decades since a Greeff or Smith did not win the East Cape championship. In recent times Alan captured seven titles in a row from the 2012/2013 season to 2019/2020, Gavin then won the next three championships, before Alan was back on the throne last season and he leads Gavin by eight wins this season.

Fourie broke Greg Cheyne’s record of 116 wins in an East Cape season last term and went on to set a new mark of 119 wins.

This season Fourie is on 59 wins in the East Cape and Zackey is on 36. 

Meanwhile Gavin Lerena is not being left out. He had a treble on Saturday at Turffontein Standside, while Fourie and Zackey only managed one win apiece in the Saturday meeting at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. This saw Lerena creeping up to within three wins of Zackey.

However, Zackey was the only one of the trio to ride at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday and he scored a double. That took him to 114 wins for the season, five ahead of Lerena and seven ahead of Fourie.

At present Zackey is the only one in the country riding in all four centres, while Fourie is only riding in the East Cape and Cape Town, while Lerena rides on the Highveld and in select meetings in KZN and Cape Town. Thus, it would seem Zackey should be in the pound seats.

However, Hollywoodbets go 8/10 on Fourie for the championship and 23/10 for the other pair.

The reason is probably that the championship is in Fourie’s hands i.e. if he decided to start travelling to KZN he is likely to soon draw clear as he is in great demand there and he could also even travel to the Highveld. The title could depend on how much Fourie cherishes defending his title and of course the usual scenario of avoiding suspension and injury is another factor.

The respective strike rates of the three riders tell a story: Lerena’s strike rate is 26.72%, Fourie’s is 24.49% and Zackey’s is 18.21%.  

Another championship that was full of intrigue last season was the KZN Trainers Championship, with a number of yards in contention before Gareth van Zyl’s late spate of winners took him past Alyson Wright.

This season it is former champion Garth Puller who is well clear with 30 wins at a strike rate of 16.39% with Mike Miller on 20 wins at 11.83% while Van Zyl and Peter Muscutt are on 19 wins and Wright and Michael Roberts are both on 18 wins and Andre Nel is on 17.

The KZN jockeys’ championship is intriguing this season with Rachel Venniker leading on 39 wins and Sean Veale on 35. Serino Moodley is on 25 together with Zackey. Lerena is on 24 and Tristan Godden is on 23.   

Graeme Hawkins

Without a win for close on two years, and with very little in the way of recent form, the Piet Steyn-trained Gem King delivered a 100/1 knockout blow when he suddenly bounced back to winning ways in the eighth race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, the R160 000 Klawervlei Stud Class 3 Handicap over 1200m. Ridden by Corne Orffer, Gem King joined issue with the front-running Arctic Wizard inside the final 200m and although the latter tried gamely to cling on to his advantage, Gem King found that bit extra to score by a head. 

Talk To The Master had to switch at a crucial stage of the race but stayed on to finish third ahead of War Chariot and a one-paced Riverstone. Marsh Shirtliff and Bryn Ressell race both Gem King and Talk To The Master in partnership, while Marsh also bred the runner-up Arctic Wizard to complete a “personal” Trifecta which yielded a dividend of R3004-00. Gem King’s unexpected victory saw the exit of most Pick 6 tickets and the nett pool of R492 554 was largely carried over.

The Justin Snaith stable has dominated the early juvenile races in the Western Cape and the first race on Saturday, a Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) over 1000m, proved no exception with Music Of The Night (28/10) under Richard Fourie drawing clear of the tote favourite Whatastar to score by more than a length. Both the winner and runner-up are sired by Drakenstein-based stalwart What A Winter.

Lucy Rocket belied odds of 66/1 to score a dominant victory in the second race, a Maiden Plate over 1000m, but fortunately for Bipot punters the favourite Catch A Penny snatched the runner-up berth just ahead of Summer Snow and Flying Finley. The third race, a Cape B Stakes (F&M) over 1200m, produced a form result and a good finish between Miss World and Mai Sensation. Fourie attempted to make all the running on Miss World (9/4) but was collared late by Mai Sensation (7/2) who continued trainer Lucinda Woodruff’s rich vein of form.

Pick 6 punters began on the front foot in the opening leg, a D Stakes over 1800m, when the well-supported Summer Night City (28/10) just prevailed over My Only Weakness (4/1) by a very narrow margin in a driving finish. The improving 3yo My Only Weakness, a half-sister to Equus Champion Bless My Stars, conceded 5,5kgs to the more seasoned Summer Night City and was certainly not disgraced in defeat. Summer Night City was ridden by log-leading Craig Zackey and was the first leg of a race-to-race double for trainer Eric Sands.

The fifth race, a Class 4 Handicap over 1600m, saw another stirring battle between the favourite Hoodia and the Eric Sands-trained 5yo son of Pomodoro, Kebonalesedi. The latter took up the running from pole position at a solid gallop and fought on bravely when tackled by Hoodia approaching the final 200m. Just when it seemed as if Hoodia (9/4) would gain the upper hand, Grant Van Niekerk extracted hidden reserves from Kebonalesedi (7/1) who rallied bravely to score by a head.

The first nail in the coffin for Pick 6 punters came in the sixth race, a Class 4 Handicap (F&M) over 1600m, with recent maiden winner Tap Shoes (16/1) finishing strongly from quite far back to run down Family Power and win going away in good style. Tap Shoes, a chance ride for Ashton Arries, was having only her fourth start and the full sister to Zapatillas is clearly on the upgrade. Enchanting Choice had every chance in third spot but failed to quicken at the business end while Kamchatka disappointed badly, fading tamely over the final 200m to finish downfield.

Palace Gift was the subject of shrewd support in the seventh race, a Class 5 Handicap over 1200m, and the Shane Humby-trained 4yo son of Potala Palace scored readily by more than a length from the fast-finishing Rougarouin. Ridden by Oswald Noach, Palace Gift was in control throughout, registering his maiden victory at the tenth time of asking.

Kelp Forest has taken on a new lease of life since being equipped with blinkers and was a popular winner of the ninth race, a Class 4 Handicap over 1200m. The 5yo son of Flower Alley followed up on his victory a month ago with a commanding effort, notching up the sixth win of his career for trainer Adam Marcus and giving Grant Van Niekerk a double on the day. Kelp Forest (28/10) lagged some way off the early speed, but he quickened up smartly under a confident ride and was more than a length ahead of the well-backed Sooty at the line.

Please Note: From December, Unit cost of all Soccer10 Pools closing on Wednesdays will be R3.

The R3 unit cost on Wednesdays is on a trial basis only & follows requests from many customers to increase the Soccer10 Unit.

The unit cost of Soccer10 Pools on all other days remains R2.