Brett Crawford has made a fine start to his Champions Season campaign and has more chance of success with former Selangor Cup winner De Kock in the Betting World 1900 on Friday night at Greyville.

Crawford’s assistant Barry Donnelly is taking care of the string at Summerveld and the horses have been delivered for their early Champions Season targets in fine condition.

Donnelly said, “As was the case with two of our other recent winners (Alexis and Maybe Yes), De Kock was short of match practice for his first KZN race and has come on plenty for the run.”

The 98-merit rated Dynasty gelding was a little bit keen early over 1600m at Scottsville last week, before settling into rhythm and staying on well for a 1,75 length fourth, despite carrying topweight in the competitive MR 98 Handicap.

He showed his class as a three-year-old last season when beating the subsequent Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate by 0,4 lengths in the Selangor Cup over 1600m. He displayed a tremendous turn of foot in that race and that asset is an essential weapon at Greyville.

However, he subsequently fractured his near fore knee in the Grand Parade Cape Guineas.

He made a successful comeback from the injury last September by winning easily over 1000m. However, some felt that there was cause for alarm when he ran below par in three subsequent sprints, which included two Gr 2 events.

However, Donnelly explained, “Most top horses can win over sprint trips when coming back fresh. He won so well in that first sprint that we decided to try him again but his next two runs simply proved that he wants at least a mile. So we gelded him and brought him back (the third of the below par sprint runs in the Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes happened subsequently to the gelding).”

Donnelly confirmed that De Kock was over the injury and was sound.

He could not see the bay four-year-old gelding having a problem with the 1900m trip on Friday night and rated him as having a winning chance. On pedigree his female line is full of speed but the influence of his Vodacom Durban July-winning sire Dynasty will help him see out the trip.

He is drawn fairly well in seven in the 16 horse field and will have his final breeze up tomorrow morning (Wednesday).

By David Thiselton

Picture: De Kock (Liesl King)

One of the season’s most disappointing three-year-olds MLJet has joined the Summerveld yard of Gavin van Zyl, and will continue to run in the colours of owner Michael Leaf.

MLJet is not a Vodacom Durban July entry, but Van Zyl hinted that the big race could still be a consideration when saying that he would “see how it goes with him”.

Van Zyl also spoke about his July log top 20 incumbent No Worries and added that in his belief the country’s premier race would benefit from the added pressure for places now that the field had been reduced from the 20 strong of a couple of years ago.

MLJet was due to run at Greyville on Friday night in an Allowance Plate, but unfortunately the race has been scrapped due to only five horses accepting.

The Varsfontein Stud-bred Jet Master gelding put up a good gallop on the Summerveld grass with first-time blinkers yesterday (Monday) and will run in the headgear in his next race, which is likely to be the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 on May 30.

He looked set for big things after two impressive wins in Juvenile Plates at Clairwood last year were followed by an unlucky 0,25 length third to Equus Champion colt Harry’s Son in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m at Greyville.

He has not lived up to expectations, although some of his runs, such as his 0,5 second to The Conglomerate in the Gr 3 Julius Baer Politician Stakes over 1800m at Kenilworth when giving the latter 3kg, now look good on paper.

He joined Van Zyl’s yard after a disappointing run in the Gr 1 SA Classic over 1800m at Turffontein on March 28, although the very soft ground did probably go against him in that race.

Van Zyl’s five-year-old Kahal gelding No Worries is in position 16 on the July log. No Worries can still be considered a borderline case, despite the size of the field being increased from 16 last year to 18.

He was not concerned about “unqualifying” him by running him in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and said, “There are three ways of getting into the July, through the front door (the top qualifiers like Futura, Legislate and Majmu), the side door (the mid-log incumbents who are relatively safe) and through the back door (the last minute feature race winners and placed horses who stake a late claim) and if you don’t make it you don’t deserve to be there.”

Van Zyl believed the current qualifying system would lead to the July developing into a truly great race packed with deserving participants. He added that the days of “moderates” qualifying could be over.

No Worries finished third in the Gr 1 President’s Champions Challenge over 2000m in his last start and Van Zyl said the strapping chestnut would be “ready” for both the Gold Challenge and the July.

He will continue to race in blinkers and Keagan de Melo will keep the ride for both races.

No Worries has become known as a handy to front-running type, oddly, because his two best runs, a short-head second to the top class Vercingetorix in the Daily News 2000 and a fourth place finish in the July, both came when producing flying finishes from way back in the running. He subsequently developed a bit of a headstrong habit down in his Cape Town campaign last season. However, he has settled nicely in the running since De Melo took over the reins and Van Zyl hoped that in his next two races the draw and factors like the pace would allow the versatile horse to employ the hold up tactics which brought his best results.

Van Zyl was pleased with his Horse Chestnut filly Banbury’s runner up finish over 1400m at Greyville on Sunday, which heralded a return to form, and said her next start would likely be in the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000.

By David Thiselton

Believers in the second and third-run-after-a-rest theory will be wading in on Charlie Strong in the Rugby 5 Maiden at Kenilworth tomorrow – and with good reason.

This gelding ran a cracker when he reappeared 19 months after his debut to beat all except the useful Saint Donan in a 1 200m maiden here in March. Five weeks later, though, when he was backed down to 22-10 second favourite, he proved a bitterly expensive disappointment.

“I thought it was just a question of how far,” recalls Adam Marcus (pictured) ruefully. “But what I think happened was that other horses came across towards him and he became a bit intimidated. But he is fit and well and this race looks quite winnable.”

Indeed it does and Gavin Lerena, travelling far and wide in his search for title-bringing winners, has reason to fancy his chances. He is on the 14-10 favourite and, although Betting World makes the five month-absent Baksteen second favourite at 22-10, the selection probably has most to fear from the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Last Tiger (7-2) who ran as if he found  1 200m too short last time.

S’Manga Khumalo is also hungry for winners and Greg Ennion is pleased to have the champion aboard Northern Corner in the opening maiden juvenile. This colt has arguably better form than Ready To Attack and Victorius Jay and last time’s fourth to Macduff (with subsequent winner Black Tractor third) reads well.

“He was a bit unlucky that day because he raced on his own for a while but he really ran on when he joined the others. He has done very well since,” says Ennion.

Eleven of the 17 runners are newcomers with Angkor Wat catching the eye as Joey Ramsden’s two-year-old crop is particularly strong. The morning performances of Purple Mountains (by Var) have attracted the attention of a number of rival trainers but Glen Puller says: “He and Larimar are nice types but I think they will both need the experience.  I haven’t pushed them at all.”

So maybe Northern Corner will be good enough but Ramsden’s Sugar Frosted should be able to reverse her debut running with Nordic Wind, and confirm with Khumalo’s mount Frenni, in the Soccer 13 Maiden Juvenile. Septima also has the form to win but she has been off for four months.

Roman Silvanus ran well in a sprint last time but the 18-10 favourite appeals in the 1 800m Soccer 6 Maiden. “That last race was his first run back (since December),” says Candice Robinson. “This is his type of distance and he will have a good chance.”

Bono Vox (9-2) is drawn wide but 5-1 chance Hurricane Attack is, intriguingly, fitted with blinkers for the first time after showing signs of improvement on his most recent run. “I am putting them on because he ran in snatches last time,” explains Paddy Kruyer. “But I can’t be confident.”

Perini (33-10) and Alascan Maiden (7-2) head the market for the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap but at 7-1 Khumalo’s mount Thaler Point makes considerable each way appeal.

By Michael Clower

Cape Town trainers continued their stranglehold on the SW Security Solutions SA East Cape Derby when the Joey Ramsden-trained St Tropez easily landed odds of 15-20 under Anton Marcus at Fairview yesterday.

This was the tenth time in the past 11 years that the race has gone to a trainer based in Cape Town and the third success for Ramsden in the past nine seasons.

Robert Khathi also had a good day, flying to Nairobi to win the Kenya Oaks on Happy Times at Ngong. He had already won both the Kenya Derby and Fillies Guineas on this daughter of Casey Tibbs, bred in South Africa by David Southey.

By Michael Clower

The Dennis Drier yard have said that Captain Of All is on track for the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint to be run over 1200m at Scottsville on May 23. His participation will have an important effect on the weights as he is merit rated 116 and is set to carry 60kg, so without him the weights will all have to be dragged upward.

The two Gr 1-winning fillies Alboran Sea and Fly By Night are second highest in the weights, but are more likely to run in the weight for age Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint. The next horse in the weights is Gulf Storm, who was punished nine points by the handicapper for winning the Listed In Full Flight Handicap over 1100m. Gulf Storm, who appeared to relish the tough Scottsville track, is set to carry 56,5kg.

The two stand outs at the weights are the former Gr 1 SA Nursery winner Willow Magic from the yard of champion elect trainer Sean Tarry and last year’s Tsogo Sun Sprint winner Normanz from the yard of Charles Laird. Both horses are set to carry a mere 54kg, amazingly light for respective Gr 1 winners. However, Tarry said recently that Willow Magic’s participation might depend on the draw he lands and he could otherwise be rerouted to the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m on June 6.

Normanz missed what would have been a useful preparation in the recent 600m dash race at Scottsville, which had to be cancelled due to a rain affected track. However, he only has to carry 1kg more than last year, when leading throughout and producing a good kick under Athandiwe Mgudlwa. Laird is going for his fourth successive victory in this race and has won an incredible ten Gr 1 races at this festival with nine different horses. Laird’s other two recent Tsogo Sun Sprint winners, Delago Deluxe in 2012 and Contador in 2013, carried 54kg and 53,5kg respectively, so Normanz has the right looking weight again this year.

However, before Laird’s three victories the race was dominated by top class sorts who had to lug big weights. In 2007 Kildonan carrying 57,5kg touched off his three-year-old contemporary Mythical Flight, who carried topweight of 60kg. J J The Jet Plane carried topweight to victory as a three-year-old in 2008 and again carried topweight when winning in 2010. In 2009 Earl Of Surrey won with topweight and Shea Shea carried 58kg to victory in 2011. Captain Of All is already a Gr 1 winner at this track having won the Tsogo Sun Medallion as a two-year-old and the manner of his win at Scottsville in his penultimate start suggests he could well join some of those aforementioned stalwarts by triumphing with topweight on May 23.

By David Thiselton 

Picture: Nkosi Hlophe