The J & B Met-winning trainer said yesterday: “This is the wrong time to be looking for boxes with a waiting list for Champions Season but the Gold Circle people have been very helpful and supportive.

“They have said that they are going to help me with a few boxes to get going and then increase the number later. I should know by the end of the week, or early next week, how many boxes I am to get.”

Govender, who has a house in nearby Hillcrest, is delighted at the response he has received from owners.

He said: “I have had a lot of phone calls from people who want to send me horses although I don’t want to make commitments until I know about the boxes as that would be unprofessional.”

Govender, 41, split with Sabine Plattner at the end of last month after five and a half years as her private trainer.

Picture: Yogas Govender

Laird said yesterday: “Normanz lost his stalls certificate when he ran in the Betting World Cape Flying Championship in January and I decided to leave him in Cape Town so that horse whisperer Malan du Toit could work with him.

Charles Laird

“Malan has done a fantastic job so far and, if all goes well on Saturday, we will get the horse up to Johannesburg for the Computaform Sprint at the end of April.”

Normanz will again be ridden by Anton Marcus who had the mount in the Cape Flying when the four-year-old burst through the pens and broke his breastplate. He became restless when reloaded and lost four lengths.

The gelding was difficult to load on his previous start at Turffontein and in the race before that at Greyville he was also restless and lost two lengths.

Picture: Normanz (Nkosi Hlophe)

Candice Robinson said: “Tevez runs in the itsarush.co.za Pinnacle Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday and Fly By Night will run in the next one (6 April) when Tevez will also run.”

Bass flew up What A Winter to win the 2013 Computaform Sprint. On his most recent start Tevez was fourth to Alboran Sea in the Betting World Cape Flying Championship when Fly By Night (seventh) was troubled by a previous joint infection.

Anton Marcus will partner last year’s Golden Horse Sprint winner Normanz in the Pinnacle on Saturday when the four-time champion has three rides for Joey Ramsden – Prince Of Thieves, St Tropez and Sir Henry – as well as Balletome for his nephew Adam, Azarenka for Justin Snaith and My Emblem for Eric Sands.

Picture: Fly By Night (Liesl King)

This was a fifth win in the Listed contest for Mike de Kock.  He landed the race in 2007 with Asiatic Boy, who remains the only UAE Triple Crown winner – aside from the Al Bastakiya also winning the UAE 2000 Guineas and the UAE Derby.

De Kock commented: “Mubtaahij won a super race, this was a very good performance beating the 117-rated Sir Fever. Our third horse Ajwad was 10 lengths off the winner, underlining the ability of the first two. Sir Fever is one to watch because he is likely to improve several lengths for this run. We’ll have a healthy respect for him, but Mubtaahij also has improvement to come. The UAE Derby is going to be some race!”

O’Neill said: “I have been lucky to pick up the spare ride on him three times for three wins. He ran a good race in the UAE 2000 Guineas last time and we knew this extra distance would suit him. Hopefully he has a massive chance in the UAE Derby.”

Owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Mubtaahij is a three-year-old colt by Dubawi from Pennegale, by Pennekamp.

Meanwhile, De Kock said: “I have plenty of hope for both Via Africa and Banaadeer,” after the stable’s top sprinters finished out of the frame in Saturday’s Gr3 Meydan Sprint over 1000m on turf.

Banaadeer and Via Africa were beaten just 1.50 and 1.75-lengths respectively in a high quality line-up and De Kock reflected: “If you look at the result, both actually ran very well and weren’t in the least disgraced.”

The pair arrived from South Africa late in 2014 and while Banaadeer was fully fit for the race, Mike feels he’d be a better horse next season. “Banaadeer has some maturing to do and he’s fared well in three international starts. He’s going to be a better horse at four and I believe he will show his worth over 1200m.”

Via Africa arrived in the UAE late in 2014 and this was her first start in 10 months. She paced it out well with her male rivals before weakening a bit going into the last 250m, but she picked it up again in the last 100m and ran through to the line.

De Kock said: “I really liked the way Via Africa fought on when it looked all over. She held the bit and stayed on competitively after being matched for pace, perhaps for the first time ever. She will improve massively with this run, I’d say at least by the margin she was beaten.  I am confident she can finish in the first four on Dubai World Cup night.”

– Mikedekockracing.com

– Andrew Watkins for Dubai Racing Club