The Vaal has an eight race meeting on the outside turf track tomorrow and there look to be one or two opportunities for punters.

Eye The Countess is by Visionaire who has quickly gained a reputation as a producer of precocious speedsters and on debut Eye The Countess caught the eye with a late charge having been slow away and then racing green before finally seeing daylight. Piere Strydom takes the ride and she is drawn on the right side. Aldiara beat Eye The Countess by 3,5 lengths on debut when slightly slowly way before maintaining a good pace throughout and she is also drawn on the right side. Just A Reminder is a half-sister by Captain Al to the Gr 1 winner Do You Remember. Peg O’ My Heart is by Jay Peg out of an unplaced Windrush mare who is out of an own sister to Met winner Alastor. Sharp Princess is by Dynasty out of a Gr 3-winning Tamburlaine mare.

In the second over 1200m, Prospect Strike by Toreador is out of a Mr Prospector mare who has produced a couple of precocious sorts so he could be involved from a good draw. Jayaash is yet another Mike de Kock-trained Sheikh Hamdan-owned Australian-bred and this combination has been all conquering lately, although he does have the worst of the draw. Nucky Thompson showed good pace from a tough draw on debut and should be included in all bets from a good draw especially considering he should relish the step up in trip.

Winter Al looks difficult to oppose on form in the third but is returning from a six month layoff. She has a good draw so is still the selection, but those wishing to play it safe can include Fiesta De Espana and Winter’s Hope who are both drawn on the wrong side but have some reasonable form.

The fourth over 1000m is a weak affair. Return To The Sun caught the eye with a late charge over 1000m on the sand last time to finish runner-up. Star Of Burma could be interesting having done well on debut over 1400m and now returning from a five month layoff as he struck as one that had some pace. Blackadder could shape from a good draw if repeating his last run.

In the fifth over 1200m, Doing It For Dan looks to be a progressive sprinter who could rise above his current merit rating and he is drawn on the right side. Mootahadee impressed on the sand last time and might be coming into his own so is the other one to consider.

Rock Me Var finished close up in a Gr 1 over 1400m last July but hasn’t raced since and is drawn on the wrong side. However his merit rating of 87 makes him a fair proposition.

In the sixth over 1200m, Graduation Day looks destined for bigger things and is hard to oppose off just a 76 merit rating despite being drawn on the wrong side. Barbel Run and Will Pays could follow him home.

In the seventh over 1000m, the topweight Captain’s Diva is consistent on turf and could win from a good draw with a 2,5kg claimer up. King’s V would prefer 1200m but is drawn on the right side and should be charging home late. Lady Al also has the form to go close and is not too badly drawn.

In the last over 1600m, Icy Breeze could improve over a suitable distance from a good draw. Eau De Creole is drawn on the wrong side but has caught the eye on occasion and faces a moderate field so should be thereabouts. Three-G is also drawn towards the inside but ran on well last time over course and distance after losing a couple of lengths at the start.

– By David Thiselton

Picture: Ice Pack (Nkosi Hlophe)

Act Of War landed the almost unbelievably prohibitive odds of 2-17 in the Tekkie Town Winter Guineas at Kenilworth yesterday with a performance that owed far more to guts and determination than his natural brilliance but he is far from certain to be seen in Durban this year.

Markus Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman spelt out the provisos with unmistakeable clarity, saying: “I have learned over the years that it is not fair on a good horse to run from a bad draw if you can help it and if he doesn’t draw well in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge (June 6) he will stay in Cape Town and wait for next season.”

He was drawn badly in yesterday’s Grade 3 and Anton Marcus, typically, had him out of the pens better than any of his rivals. He then slowed the pace but, even so, he had most of the opposition in trouble as he turned into the straight.

A furlong later, though, the favourite was also having to be ridden and in a matter of seconds those bold enough (or rash enough) to have backed him went from winnings-calculating to something approaching heart failure. Three times Marcus was forced to give his mount a tap but, to the colt’s credit and to his backers’ considerable relief, the horse responded each time and at the line he had a length and a quarter to spare over 25-1 shot Sail For Gold with 33-1 chance Royal Dreamer less than half a length away third.

“Job done and I’m happy,” declared Joey Ramsden. “It was a pretty good effort and I wasn’t expecting any more.”

The Milnerton trainer, sending out his 75^th winner of the season, then revealed just what he and the Cape Guineas winner have been going through with haemo-concentrating.

He said: “The red blood cells become very thick and the horse can’t get enough white cells to absorb the oxygen and this is why he pulled up slightly wobbly after the Cape Derby. What we do is hydrate him a lot by dripping him.”

Stable companion The Conglomerate, so convincing in Saturday’s KRA Guineas, is set to return to Greyville at the end of the month for the Daily News 2000.

Ramsden said: “I will speak to Derek but I would think he will run there next. He is a live contender for the Vodacom Durban July and that is his target.

“The idea is to get there with as low a penalty as possible. I don’t know what he will get for Saturday’s win but he had lower rated horses second, fourth and fifth.”

Ramsden is puzzled by King Of Pain’s disappointing effort when starting 4-1 second favourite for the Drill Hall and said: “We did a lung wash and found a little bit of muck but he didn’t want to gallop early on which is not like him.”

Title leader Gavin Lerena had to be content with one second from his flying visit to Cape Town and so he remains on 134, just three winners in front of S’Manga Khumalo, with Anthony Delpech and Greg Cheyne on 128. Piere Strydom is only four winners behind him.

– By Michael Clower

Picture: Act Of War (Liesl King)

Kearsney College matriculant Lyle Hewitson was crowned winner of the Workrider’s Challenge series at Turffontein on Saturday after a thrilling tussle with Charles Ndlovu that went right down to the wire. Hewitson earned R20,000 as the overall winner of the three-legged Challenge series. Samuel Mosia earned R5,000 for being the leading rider in Saturday’s third leg meeting.

Hewitson rode a double in the first leg of the Challenge series on October 23 last year at the Vaal and rode a memorable four-timer in the second leg on February 3 at the Vaal. However, he still entered Saturday’s final leg six points behind Ndlovu, who was very consistent.

The points system had 10 points for first, seven for third, five for third an three for fourth and Hewitson ensured there would be a monumental struggle for supremacy throughout Saturday’s meeting when reducing the gap to one by riding the winner of the first race, the Mike Azzie-trained favourite Hot August, to Ndlovu’s third place finish. Hewitson then took a two point lead when riding a fourth place finish in the second race.

Two races later Hewitson won on the Gavin Van-Zyl-trained favourite Rascality to open up a seven point lead, as Ndlovu finished third in that event. However, Ndlovu kept the heat on Hewitson by finishing fourth in the next race to close the gap to four points. Both riders scored blanks in the sixth and seventh races, so the Challenge outcome hinged on the result of the last race. However, both Hewitson and Ndlovu failed to find the frame again leaving Hewitson the overall Workrider’s Challenge Series winner. Mosia won the last race to complete a double and his 32 points on the day were enough to be leading third leg rider. Hewitson scored 88 points in the series. He has ridden 14 winners this season at an incredible strike rate of 33,33% so thoroughly deserves the title of Champion Workrider. He will receive an award for winning the Challenge series at the annual Racing Association Highveld Feature Seasons Awards.

– By David Thiselton

The Joey Ramsden-trained The Conglomerate burst into the Vodacom Durban July picture with his impressive win in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas at Greyville on Saturday under Anton Marcus and kept up the fine recent run of Australian-breds in South African feature races.

The bookmakers have suspended betting but are likely to shorten him from his previous price of 20/1.

Ramsden chose the colt at the Australian sales together with Markus Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman and said, “We are lucky we were able to buy the one we wanted, we both fell in love with him.”

Ramsden was also grateful that he was allowed to take his time with the slow maturing colt and said that after this win the plan would now definitely be the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and the July.

Ramsden had believed beforehand that the 1600m trip would be far sharper than ideal for The Conglomerate and wasn’t expecting him to win so was glad to have got the strong pace set by Riff Raff that played right into his hands.

He continued, “The KRA Guineas was not part of his plan, but there were no other races for him and we had to start him somewhere. The mile is the bare minimum trip for him.”

The Conglomerate is by the brilliant eleven-time Gr 1-winning Australian hero Lonhro, nicknamed “The Black Flash”, who won his big races from six up to ten furlongs.

Two outsiders, the Weiho Marwing-trained Mac De Lago and the Glen Kotzen-trained Light The Lights, stayed on well for second and third respectively. Light The Lights is a July entry and enhanced his chances of getting into the big race field.

– By David Thiselton

The Brett Crawford-trained Dynasty filly Alexis proved herself suited to a mile, despite her speed, when winning the Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas in fine fashion under Corne Orffer on Saturday and it was a second big race win in the space of five weeks for owner Delma Sherrell.

Crawford won this race last year in similar style with Maybe Yes and wasn’t tempted to go for the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 on that occasion. However, he was leaving his options open with Alexis. Considering the way she won, settling well, quickening superbly and then running all the way to the line, she could possibly get the 2000m trip.

Second-placed Inara ran well in her comeback race and will come on for the effort and Ataab stayed on gamely for third, while One Fine Day was probably the hard luck story as she was too far back in a slow-paced race after missing the break.

Delma Sherrel now owns Alexis outright and also has a share, among others, in the Crawford-trained Captain America, who won the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein on March 28.

Her son Lance, the former Springbok flyhalf who was selected for the tour to New Zealand in 1994 at the expense of subsequent World Cup hero Joel Stransky, represented her on course on Saturday and was full of smiles.

He revealed that being involved in horseracing was a continuation of a legacy left by his father, who owned the Gr 1 Cape Derby winner Impressive Style among others.

Lance spoke about the thrill of watching a family-owned horse win a big race. “It is more exhilarating than lining up a kick in a big game, it is proper goosebumps and it’s also very addictive!”

Crawford heaped praise on his assistant trainer Barry Donnelly who has being taking care of his Champions Season string at Summerveld.

– By David Thiselton