French Navy finished like a train from well back in the running to win the Daily News 2000 rather convincingly at Greyville on Saturday.

Jockey Raymond Danielson was more elated about this victory than the geldings Gr 1 SA Classic win and said, “This was at Greyville and I know now that he likes the course.” The Count Dubois gelding was the highest merit rated horse in the weight for age race so shouldn’t be too badly punished by the handicapper and will be a big runner in the July.

Danielson knew French Navy was top class when winning his maiden aboard him over 1600m last October. He described him as lazy at home and also lazy in a race. That is until he hits the straight and he then becomes electrified. He was concerned he was too far back on Saturday and didn’t mind pushing him along, as he was confident he would find his usual finish.

The De Kock-trained Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal relished the faster ground and the 2000m trip and ran a gallant second. The Joey Ramsden-trained favourite The Conglomerate ran well enough for third, but was never a serious threat and will likely drift in the July betting. The Weiho Marwing-trained Rampant Ice, fifth in the KRA Guineas, relished the step up to 2000m and finished fourth ahead of Mac De Lago, who had finished second in the KRA Guineas.

By David Thiselton

Picture: French Navy (Nkosi Hlophe)

Majmu’s trainer Mike de Kock said the big grey filly would likely just be given a few days off due to the temperature she was found to have had on Saturday morning and she would then continue her preparation for the July.

The 14/1 shot Smart Call benefitted from a change of tactics in the Woolavington and showed a smart turn of foot at the top of the straight under Weichong Marwing which enabled her to fetch the De Kock-trained Pine Princess close to home.

Pine Princess won the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks, so it was not surprising to see her go to the front from a wide draw under Anthony Delpech, although she was then allowed to dictate.

Alec Laird never had any doubts about Smart Call’s stamina due to her pedigree. In her previous starts she had tended to do the donkey work, so her ability to quicken had never before been evident. However, it was displayed in no uncertain terms on Saturday and Laird believed she had undoubtedly been the best horse on the day.

“She is a smart horse,” he said. Laird said he had always believed Smart Call would be better as a four-year-old and it was likely that she would now be given a deserved break until next season. However, he did say that she had gone down to the start like a July horse, so the big one might still have been in the back of his mind, but he then added, “I don’t think it’s worth it. She will be better next season and the July might be the ruination of her.”

Laird has always had a concentration of colts and geldings in his yard and described Smart Call as the best filly he had trained since Mill Hill, who was one of the best of her generation in the late 1980s. The win was a milestone moment for an ecstatic Jessica Slack of Mauritzfontein Stud, who own and bred Smart Call. Jessica revealed that this was Mauritzfontein’s first Gr 1 win since she had taken over the reins from her late great grandmother Bridget Oppenheimer. It was also the first Gr 1 winner for Mauritzfontein’s new sire Ideal World and it augurs well for the stallion’s future that Smart Call is from his first crop.

Jessica was fittingly wearing her grandmother’s broach, which is of a horse with a rider aboard wearing the famous yellow and black Oppenheimer silks. Jessica had even remembered to point the horse slightly upwards as her grandmother had always done. She reminisced, “Grandma was such a favourite of everybody.” Bridget, known as the Queen Mum of South African racing, had an obvious influence on the pedigree of Smart Call as the latter’s dam is by the great Horse Chestnut and is a half-sister to Greys Inn, who won the Daily News 2000 and the July for the Oppenheimer’s in 2004.

The ultra tough Tarry-trained Trophy Wife managed her fifth big race place of the year by running third, while the Neil Bruss-trained Zante expectedly relished the 2000m trip and finished fourth. The hot favourite Inara found little extra after taking a bump in the straight and could only manage fifth. It was clearly not her run and the Tarry-trained Tamaanee also disappointed by running ninth.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Majmu (Liesl King)

French Navy has been slashed from 25-1 to 10-1 for the Vodacom Durban July following his Daily News triumph, the same price as runner-up Ertijaal (from 14-1) but third-placed The Conglomerate is still shorter than both of them, despite being eased from 6-1 to 8-1.

Betting World has also cut Woolavington runner-up Pine Princess from 50-1 to 33-1 but Siren’s Call has been marked out from 25-1 to twice that price and Inara (only fifth in the Woolavington) from 50-1 to 150-1.

Futura remains favourite, hardening from 33-10 to 3-1, but the temperature-sidelined Majmu has been eased from 4-1 to 5-1 and Wylie Hall has come in from 7-1 to 6-1 third favourite.

Micheal Clower Picture:French Navy (Nkosi Hlophe)

Sean Tarry is having a mighty season and if there were any doubts that he would not be crowned Champion Trainer come the end of July they were dispelled at Greyville yesterday as French Navy capped a disappointing day for rival Mike de Kock. Tarry’s gelded son of Count Dubois proved too strong for De Kock’s Cape Derby winner Ertijaal and favourite The Conglomerate in the Gr1 Daily News 2000.

In doing so French Navy also stamped himself a leading contender for the Vodacom Durban July to be run in a little over a month and there are sure to be some major changes to bookmaker’s boards come this morning.

Winner of the SA Classic and third in the SA Derby, French Navy was still expected to play second fiddle to stable companion Siren’s Call who had come within an ace of winning the Triple Tiara in a year where the three-year-old fillies have proved to be a vintage crop. However, the filly ran a flat race and was in trouble even before the field turned for home.

Raymond Danielson explained, “When I rode this horse for the first time I told Mr Tarry that he had a lot of potential. I was afraid that there would not be a pace because he can get a bit lost in a race. But the gas was on, at least I thought so, because he was off the bridle.”

“Things got a bit tight,” said Tarry later, “but he got a run.”

“This came five weeks after the Derby and I think the gap made a big difference, I was able to freshen him up. In the past I think the gap was four weeks and sometimes even three.”

“I felt he did not get the 2450 of the Derby, especially in the going.”

Tarry has had a remarkable few years with stalwart owner Chris van Niekerk and heaped praise. “It’s nice to have an owner that understands that you need to do what you need to do and not try and train the horses. A lot of people don’t realise that we are dealing with flesh and blood and things don’t always go right.”

“You need things to go right and fortunately things have gone very well, very smoothly (this season).”

The laid-back Danielson is an integral component of the Tarry setup on the Highveld and can be frustrating to work with. “Sometimes I have to take his pulse to see if he’s alive,” quipped Tarry. “But he rode a great race from that draw.”

Drama at the gate saw Ultimate Dollar a late scratching as he kicked the back gate after being loaded. From the jump a very headstrong Run Rhino Run grabbed a hold of the bit and carted Keagan de Melo into the lead and stretching the field as he set solid early fractions.

As the field settled Mljet tracked the pacemaker with Ertijaal and Deputy Jud handy and Anton Marcus stalking Ertijaal on the favourite The Conglomerate. Danielson had French Navy settle in the back half of the field.

Approaching the 600 m mark Piere Strydom was hard at work on Siren’s Call and her race was run but Danielson eased French Navy off the fence preparing for a dash up the centre.

Run Rhino Run emptied out in a hurry at the top of the straight as Ertijaal and Mljet moved in with the Cape Derby winner moving the better. However, Danielson managed to ease through some traffic and French Navy, once in the clear, quickened up to collar Ertijaal and win comfortably.

Second with Ertijaal and 35 minutes later with Pine Princess, Mike de Kock’s day had already started badly. At nine o’clock yesterday morning the field for the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 were racing for second as the grey filly Majmu was unopposed in the betting and to all intents and purposes looked a racing certainty.

Half an hour later De Kock was on the telephone with the news that the hot favourite had spiked a temperature and would not be making her way to Greyville.

The defection of the favourite threw the race open although duel Gr1 winning filly Inara was cut to 18-10 in Majmu’s absence with Tamaanee and Pine Princess the only others in single figures.

But of the trio only Pine Princess featured in the finish as the 12-1 chance Smart Call turned the tables on many of her rivals. She put in a sustained finish to out-gun pacemaker Pine Princess with the less fancied of the Tarry runners, Trophy Wife third ahead of a fast-finishing Zante.

“I thought on pedigree she would stay but I don’t know if you noticed but we rode her differently this time,” said an emotional Alec Laird post-race. After a second to Siren’s Call in the Gauteng Guineas, Smart Call subsequently finished in the pack in the SA Classic and the Empress Club Stakes. “I decided to have one more crack at a Group 1 and thank God it worked out.”

Veteran Weichong Marwing was in the irons and all the cards fell his way. “The race panned out well and I got a nice slot,” he said.

“This was Ideal World’s first Grade 1 winner and I was wearing Grandma’s broach for luck,” enthused owner Jessica Slack who inherited the famous Mauritzfontein Stud and Oppenheimer colours from her equally famous Grandmother, Bridget Oppenheimer. Indeed, Smart Call has a solid Mauritzfontein pedigree being by resident stallion Ideal World out of a mare by the Mauritzfontein-bred champion, Horse Chestnut.

The change of tactics on Smart Call may well have caught the rest of the field napping. She will have been tagged as an obvious pacemaker given her recent record but it was apparent early on that this was not going to be the case as all hung back in the hope of someone taking the initiative.

That arrived in the form of Pine Princess. Anthony Delpech, switched from Majmu to De Kock’s second string, set off in front on a soft lead with Tamaanee and Inara in close attendance and Marwing tucking in Smart Call just off the pace.

At the top of the home stretch Delpech looked to have ridden the perfect race as the field battle to close the gap but a furlong out the pictured changed. Smart Call finished with a telling run on her outside and got home with a neck to spare.

 By Andrew Harrison

Picture:

The Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 to be run at Greyville tomorrow have become the two biggest pointers to the Vodacom Durban July. The country’s premier race has been dominated by three-year-olds in recent years and there is always a mad scramble for the line in both races knowing that a place in the July is the reward for a prominent finishing position.

This year is one of the few times in history that the Woolavington is being seen as a pointer of equal importance to the Daily News. There are no fewer than six three-year-old fillies in the top 20 of the July log at present and four of them will be running in the Woolavington, while one of them runs in the Daily News. There are five three-year-old males in the top 20 on the log and four of them will be running in the Daily News.

Majmu will be the star attraction on the day and will be hard to beat in the Woolavington. The other two-time Gr 1 winner in the race Inara has 2,5 lengths to make up on her from the Avontuur Estate Fillies Guineas. Majmu proved she stayed 2000 last time out when second in the Gr 1 President’s Champions Challenge against the boys and as she carried a Gr 1 penalty her performance was of at least equal merit to that of the winner Wylie Hall. That was her second run after a layoff and she might do even better on Saturday. She is drawn seven and considering the number of gears she has it will take a world class horse to get the better of her down the straight.

Inara has the advantage of previous course experience. She has improved from her last outing, which she needed, and this agile filly will likely be looking to use her pole position draw coupled with her fine turn of foot to steal a march on Majmu. She should enjoy this trip having got home in the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes over 1800m despite running quite wide and having to be eased and switched in the straight.

Tamaanee won impressively last time out when stepped up to this distance for the first time in the Gr 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes and her time was actually 0,43 seconds quicker than Majmu’s on the same day, despite the fact that she was carrying 2,5kg more. On that performance she will be in the first three here.

Pine Princess showed both a fine turn of foot in her Gr 1 SA Oaks win and courage as she fought back after being headed. She looks to have improved and although she would prefer further she can’t be discounted as she really looked to be enjoying herself in the latter win. She does have a tough draw of eleven and will likely go handy.

Zante will relish this step up in trip and will be doing her best work late. She has an outside place chance.

Trophy Wife has a big heart and has improved into a fair sort. She was making late progress in the KRA Fillies Guineas and is said by the Tarry yard to be at her peak for this race.

Olma has been impressive over this trip on the Greyville polytrack and there is nothing to stop her from doing just as well on the turf.

Smart Call and Silver Class should enjoy this trip on pedigree.

Sensible Lover, Indaba and Mamsita will need a lot of improvement to feature.

The Daily News 2000 is very open and any of the 16 runners could win it.

Ertijaal will relish the trip as well as a return to firmer ground and displayed a fine turn of foot in the SA Derby so should enjoy Greyville.

Siren’s Call is one of the best of a vintage three-year-old fillies crop. She has a huge heart and an outside draw might not necessarily be a disadvantage as she will be away from the scrimmaging.

Mljet has been disappointing but blinkers and a change of environment in a new yard could reignite him. He has a fine chance on collateral form with The Congolmerate.

The Conglomerate won the KRA Guineas easily and will relish the step up in trip.

Mac De Lago should not be underestimated as he possesses plenty of class and has a fine turn of foot, while on pedigree he should enjoy the trip.

Light The Lights finished third in the KRA Guineas and has been looking for this trip.

Jayyed is another classy sort who could be reignited by blinkers.

Run Rhino Run has also been looking for this trip and should be finishing fast and the same can be said of Rampant Ice.

French Navy possesses a strong finish when getting going. Ultimate Dollar will relish the trip and also finishes well, although he takes a bit of time to wind up.

Deputy Jud is in the top 20 on the July log but does strike as a staying type who might not be suited to Greyville which is best suited to horses that can quicken instantaneously. However, he could possibly set a good pace.

Amsterdam also looks likely to prefer a more galloping track. Unparalleled is yet another who will be finishing well.

Prince of Orange has been consistently found out at this level.

Ertijaal is taken to get the better of Siren’s Call and Mljet in the Daily News while Majmu will be hard to beat in the Woolavington and is taken to finish ahead of Inara and Tamaanee.

The Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m could be won by the ever improving Solid Speed from Sun On Africa with Kingston Mines, Gone Baby Gone and Coltrane next best.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Majmu (JC Photo)