Dean Kannemeyer will send out his Equus Champion Stayer Hot Ticket to defend his Gr 2 Track and Ball Derby crown over 2400m at Scottsville on Sunday and he runs the improving three-year-old Master James in the same race.

Hot Ticket was unlucky not to win this race as a three-year-year old over 2400m at Clairwood when baulked for a run. However, he made amends in no uncertain terms last year, also at Clairwood but over 2500m, when cruising unextended to a 3,75 length win over the useful sort Tribal Dance. He went on to win the Gr 2 Nokia Gold Vase over 3000m on Vodacom Durban July day and then ran a cracking fourth with a welter 60kg in the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m at Greyville. Since then he has had to have a wind operation due to an infection. Kannemeyer revealed that the surgeon had done an outstanding job because, whereas a horse would normally still make a breathing noise after such an operation, in his case it could hardly be heard.

Kannemeyer said, “He badly needed his first Durban run this season over a mile at Greyville but ran a very good race. I then put him in another mile at Greyville, which is far too sharp for him, against Futura and he was doing nice work late. He has never been a great worker, he just goes through the motions, so he needs races to get him fit, but I now have him ready. He is an old tough campaigner, he knows what to do, and if he runs to his rating he is the horse to beat. He enjoyed Clairwood and Greyville, now we will see if he enjoys Scottsville too.”

The five-year-old Silvano gelding has actually run once over the course and distance, as a still maturing three-year-old, and finished a close up second. He will jump from draw six in the eight horse field on Sunday and his regular pilot, Karl Neisius, will ride him for the first time this season.

Master James three career wins have all been over a mile, although he did finish close to the fair sort Warcraft over 1900m on the Greyville polytrack.

Kannemeyer said, “He is coming on nicely and improving. He was a big backward Jet Master who is only now coming into himself. His mother (Park Lane by Elliodor) was a good race horse (won a Gr 2 over 1400m) but didn’t stay further than a mile. Nevertheless I have always thought that Master James would stay but only the race will tell. This Derby is now an open race and is not so easy for three-year-olds, but he has improved since coming to Durban. The penny has dropped and we will see how good he is.”

Master James will be ridden by Luyola Mxothwa, who has ridden him once before, and jumps from draw four.

He said that both horses were “fit and well.”

Kannemeyer runs the two-year-old Noordhoek Flyer colt Shap Shap over 1300m on the turf in a Juvenile Plate at Greyville on Friday night. He had always thought this horse would stay a mile, so was  disappointed when he didn’t seem to go through with it over 1400m last time having travelled well throughout, so is now in two minds and wonders whether he might be a 1200m horse. His only win was in a weak 1000m race on the Greyville polytrack and he could fare better over this slight drop in trip on Friday from a good draw under Bernard Fayd’Herbe.

On Sunday he also expects plenty of improvement from the Ideal World colt Cape Speed, who runs over a much more suitable trip of 1600m in a Maiden Juvenile Plate. He said this horse had been “hopelessly left and was then completely lost” over 1200m on the polytrack at Greyville on debut. Anthony Delpech was seen to be pushing him along throughout as he raced very green. Ideal World’s often surprise when stepped up in trip and find a place at big prices. However, Kannemeyer did conclude by saying that he was the type that might still need one more run to have him exactly where he would like him to be.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Hot Ticket (Nkosi Hlophe)

Champion trainer Justin Snaith will have runners in all three of the Champions Season features this weekend and rates his Gr 2 Gold Circle Oaks contender Ash Cloud the best of them.

He said about the four-year-old daughter of Black Minnaloushe, who will jump from a plum draw of two and be ridden by stable jockey Richard Fourie in the 2400m event at Scottsville on Sunday: “Months and months of effort have gone into her run, this is the one we have been waiting for.”

The former Gr 1 SA Oaks winner is only merit rated 95 and has to carry a 2kg Gr 1 penalty, meaning she is officially a whopping 5,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse Vino Veritas, but Snaith feels she is up to it.

Snaith also runs the Kahal filly Bountiful Harvest. She finished third in the East Cape Oaks over 2000m and has landed a nice draw with Donovan Dillon aboard, but Snaith said, “It will be very hard for her at the weights as a three-year-old.”

Snaith runs French Revolution and Krambambuli in the Gr 2 Track and Ball Derby, also over 2400m at Scottsville on Sunday.

He sounded more bullish about the chances of Krambambuli and said, “He stays all day but it is a pity they have opened this race to older horses because it is not easy for three-year-olds and I will be impressed if he can do it. But he is very well.” This Black Minnaloushe colt has been working up a storm at Summerveld and Fourie rides from the widest draw of all in the eight horse field.

At the beginning of the Champions Season Snaith was touting French Revolution as a strong Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup contender, but this attractive New Zealand-bred four-year-old grey colt is currently merit rated only 92 and has his work cut out to still qualify for the big race. Snaith said, “This will be his prep to see if he stays, although I’ve always viewed him as a staying type. He has put on a bit of condition, like we all do in Durban, and has gone a little bit heavy on me although I hope I am wrong.” Sean Cormack rides from a good draw of three.

On Friday night the yard will defend their crown in the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m at Greyville, having won the race with Varikate last year.

Snaith said about their contender Daring Dave, who jumps from a plum draw of four under Fourie, “You will see a big improvement and I think this will be his best run in Durban. In the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint last time he had to stand for four-and-a-half minutes in the pens, which affected his gate speed, and then his eyes were closed for two days afterwards because he was hit by clods. He actually had to be treated as it caused him to have a temperature.” Snaith had also not been too happy with the four-year-old Dynasty gelding’s preparation leading into the Tsogo Sun Sprint, but said that this time “he has had a proper prep.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Justin Snaith

They say there is no such thing as a free lunch but there is between now and the end of September if you are a racehorse owner with a runner at Kenilworth.

Owners will qualify for a complimentary lunch in the first floor Paddock Room or Garrett Bar on the days they have runners provided they are in a party of at least three others who are paying for their lunch.

Oscar Foulkes, co-owner of Dish Food & Social which does the first-floor catering at Kenilworth, said: “This is an extra reason for owners to come to the races and watch their horses run and, at the same time, it provides an opportunity to enjoy the social experience of racehorse ownership.”

The offer also applies to trainers with runners, again provided they are in a party of three or more lunch-payers. Those taking advantage of this offer also get vouchers for meals at Dish Food’s other restaurants.

By Micheal Clower

The annual Vodacom Durban July three-year-old versus older horse debate will begin in earnest this week as the countdown to the final field announcement next Tuesday begins.

The three-year-old fillies crop was for a long time seen as a vintage one and they duly had an unprecedented six representatives on the first July log. However, their reputation was dented on Gr1 Daily News day.

Firstly, in the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000, Smart Call’s upset victory in which she narrowly beat the SA Oaks winner and staying type, Pine Princess, put a slight question mark on the Johannesburg form, where her best feature race finish was two length third in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Guineas. Furthermore, the Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club third-placed Tamaanee, who was an impressive winner of the Gr 2 Gerald Rosenberg over 2000m, could only manage a well beaten ninth, while the dual Gr 1-winning Inara’s fifth place also put a question mark on the Cape sophomore form.

The best of the crop Majmu, had meanwhile been scratched from the Woolavington in the morning due to a spiked temperature. Later, Siren’s Call, who went within a stride of landing the Triple Tiara, was beaten before she had turned for home in the Daily News. This was the second time she had been beaten by three-year-old males, who have spent most of the season being criticised as a below par crop.

However, there were some genuine excuses. Smart Call relished a change in tactics. Inara was run into from behind and trainer Mike Bass also believed she didn’t quite  stay the trip. Tamaanee lifted a shoe which was then found to be bent into her foot. Furthermore, the perennial Triple Tiara bridesmaid in Johannesburg, Trophy Wife, ran third without any excuses, which provided some confirmation of the Johannesburg form.

Siren’s Call was caught wide and rushed up the hill, so not surprisingly found little extra, and she was also coming off an ultra tough Highveld campaign.

Nevertheless, there are now only three sophomore fillies still involved in the July, Majmu, Pine Princess and Tamaanee.

The three-year-old colts were given a boost in the Daily News 2000 when the Gr 1 SA Classic winner and SA Derby third-placed French Navy stormed home impressively to beat the Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal. Third-placed The Conglomerate also came from classic form, having won the Gr 2 KRA Guineas in comfortable fashion. Furthermore, the unlucky horse was Deputy Jud, who had finished third in the SA Classic and runner up in the SA Derby.

The impressive SA Derby winner Legal Eagle then gave the three-year-old males a further boost on Sunday when slamming a field of older horses in the Gr 3 Jubilee Handicap over 1800m despite carrying topweight.

Suddenly, the three-year-old males have become the talk of the town.

The criticism of the three-year-old male crop was largely based on them not having fared well in open company, as well as by facile Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal’s failure in both the SA Classic and SA Derby. However, Unparalleled and Kingvoldt were the only two that had really been tested against older horses in features and the latter’s class is questionable, considering his Investec Dingaans victory was achieved in boggy ground, while Kingvoldt was already having coltish issues when running below par in the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate. The like of French Navy were beaten in ordinary handicaps in the early season, but that is not unusual, even for the best three-year-olds.

Legal Eagle’s defeat in an ordinary 1700m handicap in March off a merit rating of a mere 74 was his first time out the maidens and just his third career start. Lastly, Ertijaal’s dislike of soft ground was confirmed by his good Daily News run, although he has unfortunately been scratched from the July.

Legal Eagle’s demolition job on Sunday came off a merit rating of 112 and showed just how much he has blossomed. However, there are still question marks because second-placed Judicial and third-placed Killua Castle were well beaten by Wylie Hall in the President’s Champions Challenge.

The most fancied older horse is ruling July favourite Futura, who is viewed by some as invincible at his peak, even considering the 60kg he has to carry.

Wylie Hall also looks top class. An upside for the older horses is that Wylie Hall defeated one of the most fancied three-year-olds in the July betting, Majmu, by 1,25 lengths in the Gr 1 President’s Champions Challenge over 2000m and, taking the weight for age scale into account, the pair will face each other on identical terms in the July. The question mark is whether Majmu ran a bit of a flat race in the Challenge, it being her second run after a layoff.

Majmu’s class is beyond question. However, although she will carry the same weight of 55kg that Igugu carried to July victory in 2011, she does have a harder task as she will run off a 114 merit rating compared to Igugu’s 109.

Other older horses with chances are Punta Arenas, who is clearly thriving at Summerveld, and Halve The Deficit who looks quite well weighted on recent form. Helderberg Blue and Tellina will be fairly well weighted in comparison to Futura from the Met, while the best might not yet have been seen from Dynamic, who is officially 2,5kg under sufferance.

The downside for the older horses is that the Met form has not been convincingly stamped by the placed horses Helderberg Blue, Gold Onyx and Tellina.

Furthermore, No Worries let the form of the Gr 1 President’s Champions Challenge down.

Virtually every year these days the older July analysts make the same mistake of saying “a three-year-old can never win with that weight”, without stopping to think of the class dilution that each older crop has suffered in the last decade or two due to the export of many of the best overseas. They usually end up with egg on their faces, but this year they perhaps have a higher chance than normal of being right.

By David Thiselton

The Gr 2 Post Merchants will be run over 1200m on Friday night at Greyville and the Sean Tarry-trained Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge runner up Willow Magic could be the one to beat.

The four-year-old has lost some of his speed since winning the Gr1 SA Nursery over 1160m, but is still effective over sprints and is the best weighted runner according to official merit ratings. He has a fair draw of seven.

The Charles Laird-trained Gr 1 winner Normanz has landed a plum draw of five. He is officially not well treated at the weights weighted, but his early speed coupled with his resolute finish will make him a huge runner.

Aurum Pot’s defeat of Sheik’s Brashee over 1160m in his penultimate start now reads well, as the latter went on to finish third in the Tsogo Sun Sprint, and he will be able to make full use of his considerable early speed from draw three.

In form Mike Azzie runs Isphan, who ran the prolific winner Trip Tease to 0,3 lengths over 1000m in his penultimate start and then ran a decent fifth in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m, beating the like of Willow Magic and Tevez. He is drawn fairly well in eight.

Daring Dave didn’t enjoy the best preparation going into the Tsogo Sun Sprint and could do better here from a good draw over a suitable trip.

Brutal Force is drawn wide but is a big, strong horse with plenty of early pace. Nothing went right for him in the Tsogo Sun Sprint but otherwise he would likely have confirmed that he had improved with gelding.

Tevez is known for his exceptional turn of foot from off the pace and is well drawn, although at the weights he has a tougher task than last year when finishing a 1,85 length fourth from a wide draw.

The consistent Moofeed has a wide draw but is capable of a strong late run.

Kingston Boy has a fine turn of foot and ran second in this race last year from pole position, but is now four points higher in the merit ratings and drawn 15.

Sheik’s Brashee remains on a 103 merit rating despite his Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint third, but Scottsville is his best track and he is drawn 16 here.

Royal Zulu Warrior won over course and distance in March but this is tougher and he is getting a bit long in the tooth.

Showmetheway is ten points higher in the merit ratings than when running sixth in this race last season, but a change of tactics since then has benefitted him so he can’t be ignored.

Diamond King faces a tough task at the weights but is yet to fulfil his considerable potential so could surprise.

Equity Kicker is progressive and could also be a dark horse. Royalsecuritypower is largely kept to 1000m these days and has never faced a field this strong.

By David Thiselton