Mike Azzie runs the consistent Brooks-Club in the Betting World 1900 at Greyville on Friday night and another Gauteng-based horse in the field is the Sean Tarry-trained Whiteline Fever.

Brooks-Club is only 1kg under sufferance with the two best weighted horses by official merit ratings, Jet Explorer and Killua Castle, and is well drawn in barrier four. He has been at Azzie’s Summerveld Champions Season yard since Sunday.

The six-year-old Strike Smartly gelding should have no problem staying the trip having finished third in the Gr 1 SA Derby over 2450m as a three-year-old, beaten just a length by dead-heaters Pomodoro and Royal Bencher. On the downside, despite being a consistent place getter, he has only won five times in a career of 40 starts and none of these victories have been in feature races. Azzie said, “He is a hard knocker and I expect him to be right there.”

Whiteline Fever is also a six-year-old gelding who has had exactly 40 starts. He has won seven times, including the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m twice. There is a perennial debate about his stamina capacity, as none of his wins have been beyond 1600m, although he was a touch unlucky when staying on strongly in the 2012 Vodacom Durban July. Whiteline Fever is also 1kg under sufferance with the best in and Tarry said, “He has prepped well and I am confident he will stay the distance, especially at that course.” The Right Approach gelding was due to travel down to KZN today (Thursday). Tarry would like to see Whiteline Fever being placed within striking range of the lead considering the race appears to lack pace. He was confident that Piere Strydom would be able to place him well despite a draw of nine in the sixteen horse field.

Meanwhile, Tarry’s Summerveld assistant trainer Deshone Steyn rated the yard’s three-year-old Trippi filly, In Other Words, “hard to beat” in race 8, a 1400m fillies and mares maiden on the polytrack. It will be her first time on the poly but Trippi’s progeny are known to love the surface and she has worked on the Summerveld polytrack. However, Dennis Drier rates Queen Of Thrones in this race as one of his two best runners on the night, the other being Firewood in race 4, a MR 80 Handicap over 1600m on turf.

By Dave Thiselton

Picture: Whiteline Fever (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Geoff Woodruff yard have operated on Louis The King in an attempt to not only resolve his racing issues but also to preserve his stud career.

Meanwhile, they are also happy with their Gr 2 Betting World 1900 candidate Killua Castle.

It is believed that Louis The King’s below par recent form was due to him pulling a testicle upward, which caused a lot of pain, so this testicle has now been removed.

Killua Castle will be fit from his recent runs and this big-hearted handicapper will travel down to KZN today (Thursday). He is the joint best-weighted horse in the 1900 according to official merit ratings and is drawn well in six over a suitable distance with Donavan Mansour up.

He has finished second last in both of his previous two outings at the tight Greyville circuit. However, in January he easily won the Gr 3 London News Handicap over 1800m on the tight Turffontein Inside course and that dispelled the notion that he only ever ran to his best on the galloping Turffontein Standside course. He also appears better on fast ground, so could well do better on Frday night than in his two most recent runs, which were both in soft going at Turffontein.

By Dave Thiselton

Photo: Killua Castle (JC Photo)

National Champion trainer Justin Snaith faces an important weekend at Greyville as he has two runners, Dynamic and Jet Explorer, in the Betting World 1900 on Friday night and his ruling Vodacom Durban July favourite Futura then has his Champions Season pipe opener on Sunday.Snaith believes he has now done “the groundwork” with most of his Champions Season string as they largely needed their first outings having been given breaks after the Cape Summer Of Champions Season.

He said about his two 1900 contenders, “They are both in the best form they can be and have come on plenty from their last runs. I just wish Dynamic had a better draw because I would otherwise be thinking he would win it. I think he should be in the July but this could cost him his place as this is a tight track and the draw plays a big part.”

He said Futura had been doing very well, but added, “This will be a prep run and his record shows that he always seems to need his first run.”Snaith mentioned two other weekend runners, Bianzino (Friday) and Ash Cloud (Sunday), that he thought would “run well.” His other Friday night runner, Seize The Throne, was looking a picture of health in his box and this well regarded sort should be a big runner in race 3, a MR 80 Handicap over 1600m, as he is capable of rising above his current 86 merit rating.

By Dave Thiselton

Picture: Dynamic (Liesl King)

The Paul Lafferty-trained Equus Champion colt Harry’s Son is healthy and sound but has had his last run in South Africa.

Meanwhile, the yard are happy with the preparation of their Gr 2 Betting World 1900 candidate, “the miracle horse” Double Clutch.

Harry’s son jarred his knee in the week of his intended run in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas. The heat in the knee had disappeared by the time of the race, but the yard had already scratched him knowing that he would have had to miss the finishing touches to his preparation.He will be entering quarantine at the end of the first week of July and faces an arduous five month journey via Mauritius and Europe to the UAE, where he will be a member of Lafferty’s first Dubai string.

Another candidate for the Dubai string will be Vodacom Durban July entry Run Rhino Run, whom the yard believe has as good a chance as any of winning the Gr 1 Daily News 2000.Lafferty said about this talented Silvano gelding, “He has only been running over his minimum trip (1400-1600m) and all he wants is a bit of ground. Wait until he gets that because he is a really good horse.”

Double Clutch has won his last three races, all of them over 2000m at Greyville, and has been able to quicken from the front on all three occasions. However, he was only taken to the front because there was no pace in any of those races. He had shown in his maiden win that he is capable of coming from last too. Friday night’s Betting World 1900 looks to lack pace and the yard would like to see him going handy from his wide draw.

Double Clutch was knocked sideways at one stage when winning the Listed Easter Handicap on April 10 and consequently pulled a muscle. He had to have a bout of physio, but was soon back in full work. He worked very well on the Summerveld grass on Monday and left his moderate companion way behind.The Stronghold gelding is a big, strong horse and the yard hope he can defy the handicapper yet again.Double Clutch was diagnosed with West Nile disease in the first half of last season. This is the same disease that was believed to have killed the mighty Jet Master.

Double Clutch weighed 100kg less than he does now and was close to being euthanized. The veterinarian had also advised that even if he did recover he would never race again. On one occasion the yard were unable to help him walk from his stable across a strip of concrete onto a grass patch. He was simply too weak. He eventually managed to achieve this short trip after being fitted with special foam shoes. It is quite incredible that he has won five races since making a full recovery from his illness and is an entry in the country’s premier race the Vodacom Durban July.

By Dave Thiselton

Picture: Double Clutch (Nkosi Holphe)

In form Cape trainer Dean Kannemeyer has a strong hand in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 at Greyville on Friday night where he runs Vodacom Durban July entries Power King, Solar Star and It Is Written.

He said there had been a lot of horses with upper respiratory problems and others that had bled during the Cape Summer Of Champions Season and he was unable to quite pinpoint why his own string had been performing below par, so he had backed off a lot of them and saved them for the  Champions Season. His excellent results since arriving in KZN in March reflect this.

He duly felt that Power King had run below par in the J&B Met when a 4,6 length seventh. However, the Silvano gelding bounced back with a 0,4 length second to Ze Kaiser in the Cape Mile, despite giving the latter 3kg. He then proved he was thriving at Summerveld by winning very well over the too sharp 1400m at Scottsville in his Champions Season pipe opener, beating the subsequent IOS Drill Hall Stakes winner Ice Machine by a comfortable 2,25 lengths at level weights. Power King worked well over 800m on the grass on Monday and Kannemeyer said he had been doing exceptionally well. Officially he is not one of the better weighted horses under the grouped merit rating conditions of the race, but is only 1,5kg out with the two best weighted horses Jet Explorer and Killua Castle. Anthony Delpech wouldn’t have been able to maintain his partnership with Power King, as his guv’nor Mike de Kock has Jayyed engaged, so a former Kannemeyer stable jockey MJ Byleveld is the replacement. They have to overcome a tricky draw of eleven.

Kannemeyer said that he had thought that Solar Star might have needed his first KZN outing over 1600m on the Greyville polytrack, but instead he won “exceptionally well”. He followed up by winning the Listed Sledgehammer over 1750m at Scottsville “very well.” Kannemeyer said this would be the Kahal gelding’s first test but added, “He is on the up and has everything in his favour (good draw),so we will see how good he is.” He is also 1,5kg out with the best in but is drawn well in two with Stuart Randolph up.

Kannemeyer said that he had always felt that It Is Written would be “a miler plus”. This Dynasty gelding has also benefitted from his stay at Summerveld, for after going a bit off form during the Cape summer he bounced back with a facile 4,25 length win in a MR 94 Handicap over 1400m at Scottsville. This prompted Kannemeyer to supplement him for the July.

He is officially 2,5kg worse off than the best weighted horses on Friday night, but is drawn well in five with Warren Kennedy up. He looks to be another one on the up.

Kannemeyer said that Power King, as the proven horse, would probably be his pick if he had to choose one.

Kannemeyer’s champion stayer Hot Ticket worked yesterday under Leon Govender, who has just returned from a spell in Kuwait where he rode 21 winners, including two in big races, The Derby and the King’s Cup. Hot Ticket took a while to get going in typical stayer fashion, but the yard were happy with him and Kannemeyer said that the initial target of this July entry and strong eLan Property Group Gold Cup candidate would be a defence of his crown in the Gr 2 Track And Ball Derby over 2400m at Greyville on June 21. He runs in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1600m at Greyville on Sunday and among his opponents will be the ruling July favourite Futura.

Kannemeyer said that Sunday’s comfortable Highway Aged Highland Night Cup winner Solid Speed could also be a Gold Cup horse and said that he was a prime example of a horse that had not been ‘right’ during the Cape summer. He was given a three month suspension for bleeding in a race in late November. However, he added that this might have been a “blessing in disguise.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Power King (Nkosi Hlophe)