One of the most interestingly bred horses at Saturday’s Scottsville Festival Of Speed meeting will be the Dominic Zaki-trained Prospect Strike, who displayed his class on debut when waltzing in by 12,75 lengths over 1200m on the Vaal turf. He recorded a fast time that day and could be a big threat in Saturday’s Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1200m at Scottsville.

Zaki said, “His preparation has gone smoothly and he is as fit as a fiddle. I am very happy with him, he is top class.”

The bay gelding was bred by the Tawny Syndicate and is owned by two of this syndicate’s members, Larry Nestadt and Greg Blank, in partnership with Knut Haug.

Nestadt and Blank found his Mr Prospector dam, Prospect Fever, in Australia and brought her back to South Africa. Their reasoning was not only that Mr Prospector mares were hard to come by but that she would also likely be an excellent mating for their Danehill stallion Toreador. This was partly due to the famous Northern Dancer-Mr Prospector nick. Toreador is from the Northern Dancer sire line and Prospect Fever herself has the Mr Prospector-Northern Dancer cross close up in her pedigree.

Furthermore, Prospect Fever had already produced the Gr 3-winning Danehill colt Way West, who became known as a speed influential sire at Summerhill Stud. Way West won an Australian Gr 3 over 1100m as a two-year-old in 2004, beating the now sort after sire Oratorio, so it is not surprising that his three parts brother Prospect Strike is also packed with precocious speed. Prospect Strike is in fact the third Toreador foal that Prospect Fever has produced and this emphasises the vagaries of breeding as the other pair, Abstract and Portrait, have not amounted to much, having won just three minor races between them, all over 1200m.

Toreador’s only Gr 1 winner to date was the Dennis Drier-trained Gold Medallion winner Link Man. This speedy grey was also bred by the Tawny Syndicate and part-owned by Nestadt and Blank.

Nestadt has also part-owned two other Medallion winners. The first was the National Emblem colt Rip Curl, whom he owned in partnership with the late chairman of Turffontein, Collie Fram, as well as with MD Moritz. Scottsville’s reputation as a graveyard of champions was displayed that day as the Nestadt-owned Palace Line started odds on favourite and could only manage fourth place, his only defeat in seven outings in South Africa. Palace Line later exacted revenge on Rip Curl in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes. Nestadt’s other Medallion winner was also by National Emblem, the Mike de Kock-trained 2005 victor Carnadore, whom he owned in partnership with Barry Irwin’s Team Valor syndicate.

Prospect Strike has an unfavourable high draw, by trends, but there is only a small field of ten runners so it shouldn’t be too much of a disadvantage. Craig Zackey keeps the ride.

Nestadt and Blank will be hoping Prospect Strike earns them another Gold Medallion victory, especially as this would help Toreador find his way back into the limelight.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Dominic Zaki

Turffontein-based trainer David Nieuwenhuizen has the lowest rated horse in probably the strongest event at Saturday’s Festival Of Speed meeting at Scottsville, but there are some positives that could see his rags-to-riches Malhub filly Virgo’s Babe earn a cheque in the Gr 1 City Of Pietemaritzburg Fillies Sprint over 1200m.

Nieuwenhuizen said that the speedy Michael Leaf-owned four-year-old had needed her last two runs badly and had come on a lot from them. Furthermore, she was caught in the worst going down the middle when finishing a 7,85 length fifth last time out in the Gr 2 Camellia Stakes over 1160m at Turffonten. She had some good horses behind her that day including City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint contender Sarve and the crack three-year-old sprinter Lazer Star.

Virgo’s Babe has landed a plum draw of one on Saturday, which by trends is on the favourable side of the Scottsville straight. Niewenhuizen said that the other positive was that she is a filly who is helped by the rail. He believed Muzi Yeni would give her a confident ride and he just hoped that she wouldn’t be squeezed out on the rail.

Virgo’s Babe was from a 2010 crop of just three foals produced by the out of favour stallion Malhub. She turns in, an apparent trait of Malhub’s progeny, and went through the ring unsold before originally being leased for just R10,000.

She has caused a massive big race upset before as she won the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery for Nieuwenhuizen by five lengths at odds of 28/1.

She was bought by popular owner Michael Leaf after she had finished downfield in last year’s Gr 1 Computaform Sprint and this decision immediately paid dividends as she won her next two races, including one at Greyville in one of only two runs she has had in KZN.

Nieuwenhuizen has done a fine job of keeping the filly sound, considering her less than perfect legs, and in 23 runs she has had five wins and nine places for earnings of R751,575.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Virgo’s Babe (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Joey Ramsden-trained Silvano filly Gallica Rose has always been well regarded and earned bold black type at Greyville yesterday under a fine ride by Bernard Fayd’Herbe when winning the Listed East Coast Cup over 2 000m.

She jumped from a wide draw but travelled comfortably throughout three wide of the rail in the back half of the field and produced a strong finish to catch and overtake Bilateral, who was the only three-year-old in the field and was the winner of last season’s Gr 1 Golden Slipper over 1 400m at this course. Later the ruling Vodocam Durban July favourite Futura made his debut for the Justin Snaith yard in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1 600m and won by 0,25 lengths under Sean Cormack without being hard ridden. He was turned out in fine condition and this was an eyecatching preparation for the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over the same course and distance on June 6.

Before the meeting the reigning July champion Legislate, also from the Snaith yard, had an easy gallop under Cormack and Snaith said he had done everything asked of him perfectly.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Gallica Rose (Nkosi Hlophe)

Act Of War set out from Cape Town to Durban yesterday with Joey Ramsden confirming that the plan remains a crack at the Rising Sun Gold Challenge on June 6 – subject to a decent draw and despite a surprise entry in the Winter Classic six days earlier.

Ramsden, who has won the last three runnings of the Gold Challenge, said: “He is not running in the Winter Classic but in this country you have to splatter your entries because you don’t know where you can travel and where you can’t.”

His decision to despatch the Cape Guineas winner to Summerveld will come as a relief to the connections of Sail For Gold and Royal Dreamer, second and third in the Winter Guineas.  Their trainer Mike Bass has six entered for the Classic including Sheer Trouble on whom Grant van Niekerk initiated a 37.5-1 stable double at Kenilworth on Saturday.

However Candice Robinson said: “I am not sure whether we will run him because a mile is probably his maximum trip at this stage.”

Stan Elley is optimistic that both Friday evening’s Betting World 1900 winner Dynastic Power and third-placed  Punta Arenas will get a run in the Vodacom Durban July, a race in which he was third with Red Badge in 2003 and again 12 months later.

He said: “I would be very surprised if they didn’t put in a 1900 winner while Punta Arenas has already done enough to get in.”

Elley thinks a lot of Eighth Wonder who made all to win the opener at Kenilworth on Saturday despite veering sharply right 100m from home, giving rise to an unsuccessful objection from the trainer of third-placed Forward Drive. It happened so quickly that Aldo Domeyer, who hadn’t even picked up his whip, was powerless to stop the interference.

Elley said: “Eighth Wonder is still hopelessly green but he can only improve and his future is pretty bright.”

Andrew Fortune, 48 yesterday, was taken to hospital by ambulance after suffering a fall from Sabrina Affair when pulling up after the Maiden Juvenile Fillies won by Richard Fourie on the Snaith-trained favourite Victoria Lavelle.

Fortune, speaking when strapped to the medical room bed, said: “A horse kicked me after I fell and I am sore. I think it’s just the muscle but they want to send me for x-rays.”

He promptly missed a comfortable winner with Gareth Wright deputising on Candaleeyah for Shane Humby in the Rugby 5 Maiden.

Devin Ashby, who enjoyed an effortless success on the Dolf Maeder-trained Mayoral Decree in the Kenilworth Maiden, has been offered another job in New Caledonia. He had a successful seven-month stint in the French territory (1 200k east of Australia) last year.

He said: “This job is with a top stable and is for next year but I will see how things go here. If they go well I will stay in South Africa.”

Greg Cheyne, the 1900 victor, reached the 133 mark when scoring on Aliysa’s Prize for Glen Kotzen and finished the day just ten behind championship leader Gavin Lerena.

BLOB Jockeys wore black armbands and flags were flown at half-mast following the deaths of Billy Steele and Christopher Foulkes. The latter was a son of Normandy Stud owner Veronica Foulkes while Steele, 76, was a long-standing owner who played a considerable behind-the-scene’s role. “He was a wonderful guy and a credit to racing,” said Rodney Dunn who succeeded him as chairman of the Western Province Owners and Trainers Association.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Act Of War (Liesl King)

Masterful Summerveld trainer Dennis Drier has a fine chance of adding to his phenomenal record at Scottsville’s Festival Of Speed meeting this Saturday as he sends out five contestants in Gr 1 1200m events and most of them will be in with definite chances.

Drier has won four of the last five runnings of the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, including the last three in succession, and he also won the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint, now known as the City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint, in 2011.

Drier has a fine chance of landing his fifth Medallion in six years with the ultra-classy Seventh Rock colt Seventh Plain and this rangy bay has landed a plum low draw.

Anton Marcus rode him in his final grass gallop last Tuesday and Drier was happy with what he saw. He added, “Anton didn’t say much so I hope he was happy, if he was happy I’m happy.”

Seventh Plain overcame a high draw of eight in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb over 1100m at Scottsville on April 26 and won effortlessly. He will appreciate the extra 100m on Saturday and further. His only defeat in three starts was when giving the speedy sprinting type Buckinghampshire 3kg in the Listed 1000m race on J&B Met day and only losing by 1,25 lengths.

Drier’s former Medallion winner Captain Of All has the ability to join the like of J J The Jet Plane and Earl Of Surrey as horses that have carried topweight to victory in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m. He was very impressive indeed in his penultimate start over 1000m at Scottsville, so clearly enjoys this track, and in his last start in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m at Turffontein he was by no means disgraced when third, four lengths behind Alboran Sea and Carry On Alice. The latter pair of fillies put in fantastic performances that day and Captain Of All was well clear of four other Gr 1 winners in the field.

Captain Of All worked on his own in his final grass gallop under Sean Cormack at Summerveld on Friday and Drier was very happy. He said, “When they are fit they don’t need to work with other horses, the art is not to overcook them.”

Drier “couldn’t be happier” with Generalissimo, who had his final grass gallop at Summerveld last Tuesday under Keagan de Melo. De Melo was unable to commit to the ride and Warren Kennedy might be aboard. This classy sort will attempt to make it three years in succession that the Tsogo Sun Sprint has been won by three-year-old sons of the amazing stallion Var. Generalissimo broke the Kenilworth course record over 1200m last November before failing to stay the 1600m of the Selangor Cup. He then finished lame after taking a slight sideways knock over 1200m. Drier, with the support of owners Nick and Ben Jonsson, excercised caution by not running him again in Cape Town, and it paid dividends as he bounced back with an impressive win over 1200m on the Greyville poly last month.

Barbosa is another from the yard that could get into the final field after an excellent 2,25 length defeat of the useful Muscatt over the Tsogo Sun course and distance in April, despite giving the latter 5kg. He broke the class record that day despite carrying 60kg. The five-year-old Captain Al gelding was raised to a 104 merit rating and Drier said, “The way he won they can’t leave him out, especially as Muscatt won next time out in a canter. He has had a few niggles and problems but has been a real old soldier.”

Drier’s two-year-old Horse Chestnut filly Chestnuts N Pearls has landed an unfavourable draw of 17 in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m. She has just been kept ticking over since her maiden over the course and distance. The runner up in that race Durban Blues finished second on the poly on Friday night, so the form was not greatly franked, but Drier pointed out that Chestnut N Pearls “could not have won easier.”

Drier is also hoping that Jet Aglow ca repeat her third place finish of last year in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint over 1200m. She also worked on the grass last Tuesday and Cormack was very happy, although this is largely being seen as a preparation outing for races like the Tibouchina and Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes, which are over more suitable distances.

By David Thiselton 

Picture: Generalissimo (Liesl King)