Marwing, with his main yard now based in Ashburton, has had great success since his move and his horses have blossomed. Uncle Tommy made his local debut over a mile on the Greyville turf in the Christmas Handicap, finishing five lengths adrift of another old campaigner, Fourth Estate.

He was then switched to 1400m on the poly and the result was never in doubt in spite of giving the speedy filly Captain’s Daughter 12,5kg.

Uncle Tommy (JC Photos)

Uncle Tommy has the ‘grandstand’ on his back again but gains some relief from four-claiming apprentice Akshay Balloo who has been riding with new found confidence in recent weeks.

Uncle Tommy’s optimum trip looks to be 1400m but there is no doubting that he his lengths better on sand and poly than on turf and he will be racing off his turf rating, nine points lower than his sand rating which should see him right up there.

The handicappers appear to be on the hunt for Kings Archer who has risen steadily in the ratings in spite of not winning a race.

“We will see if the handicappers have got it right tomorrow,” said Duncan Howells. “Every time he runs a place he gets more weight. I don’t think he’s an 83 but having said that he does have a light weight and he’s fit and well. Here’s hoping.”

Cat In Command has smart form over the course and distance and landed the odds again on the Scottsville turf last time out. He is in receipt of 6kg from Uncle Tommy which puts him in with a big chance.

The opening leg of the Pick 6 is a maiden over 1400m on the poly where there looks to be a few to consider.  All Together Now was sent out favourite on debut at Scottsville but the stable where not wildly confident. That was borne out as All Together Now found himself out-paced for much of the race but finishing two lengths adrift of the hard-pressed winner Ace.

He takes to the poly for the first time but given his pedigree he should appreciate the extra furlong.

Dennis Drier is back in town after a three-month stint in Cape Town for their season and has lit the fire in his yard. His horses are coming to the boil and he looks set for a good evening. Drier’s runner First Sea Lord, like All Together Now, made a smart enough debut and is expected to pick up on that effort.  Marwing’s runner Fabrizio has the benefit of experience and has the makings of a promising trifecta.

Summerhill-based stallion Solskjaer failed to land a bid when offered up for auction last week but he is capable of a good winner. Drier saddles the Solskjaer filly Red Label in the fourth with Cousin Annie as back-up. Red Label is in very good form over the course and distance but this is a race where it may prove wise to go as wide as finances permit.

Gill’s Fancy is another Drier runner that looks to have plenty of scope and should enjoy the step up in trip when she takes on a fairly modest field in the fifth. The Dynasty won very comfortable on the Scottsville turf when shedding her maiden and has the benefit of a good draw.

Drier saddles Tell The Tale in the sixth, a comfortable winner of his last start, and the lightly raced son of Jet Master could prove too good for Strategic’ s Pride and top weight Mumsy’s Jet who has come very well since being gelded.

Yorker was expected by many to be among De Kock’s runners carded for the much-anticipated Super Saturday meeting at Meydan this weekend, but the five-year-old son of Jet Master has not made enough progress during his short time in the UAE.

De Kock commented: “Yorker has taken more time to adapt to conditions here than we anticipated, so we’ve backed off him. He hasn’t been working as well as he should be and given the time constraints we’ve had to rethink our plans. We’ll ship him on to the UK and play things by ear from our Newmarket stables. The horse will show us when he is ready.”

Yorker has won six of 14 career starts, including three Grade 1s.

– Mikedekockracing.com

“This is something we have wanted to do for a while now,” said Racing and Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins. “We love the idea of 12 of South Africa’s top jockeys doing battle over a four-race competition. The Cape, Gauteng and KZN will each be represented by four of their leading riders in what is intended to become an annual attraction,” added Hawkins.

“We need names for each of the “franchises” and to add further public interest we are going to run a competition through our Racing App to see what comes up! We clearly can’t use the rugby or cricket names and hopefully something really creative and catchy will come out of the competition. Mystery prizes await the fans whose names for each Province are ultimately chosen. Details of the competition will be announced in due course.”

“Teams will be chosen using the National Log as at the end of June 2015 as a guide and the Interprovincial Rider Cup is sure to provide a fitting backdrop for the all-important WFA Grade 1 Mercury Sprint,” concluded Hawkins.

The Gr3 Meydan Sprint over 1000m on turf presents a tough introduction to international racing for Via Africa, who will be facing the likes of dual Gr1 Kings Stand Stakes winner Sole Power, another older ace in the form of Ahtoug and a few up-and-coming younger rivals including the five-year-old mare’s stable companion Banaadeer, and Moviesta.

Via Africa (Nkosi Hlophe)

Via Africa, by VAR, was bred by Gordon’s Bay-based Andre Hauptfleisch, who owns her in partnership with Albert Boshoff, whose home-bred colt Lizard’s Desire achieved phenomenal success when sold on to Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum before the 2010 Dubai World Cup.

Boshoff, in particular, is a wily horse lover associated with much good fortune and Via Africa’s supporters will be hoping that her part-owner’s luck will rub off again when she goes to post in the big league.

Mike de Kock commented:  “This will be as tough a field as Via Africa has ever come across and it won’t be straight forward. She’ll be tackled for speed by a few tough male rivals and we’re hoping she can carry it through. She’s doing very well, her work has been very good especially in the last two weeks. She’s on the up, but has improvement to come and it won’t be easy for her to win this competitive race.”

Leading South African jockey Gavin Lerena has been booked to ride Via Africa – his first chance to show his skills in the UAE and one the former Champion Apprentice is keen to convert successfully.

Pylon (Liesl King)

Banaadeer (Paul Hanagan) made marked improvement in his most recent outing, beaten a length and a quarter by Caspian Prince over the course and distance. He’s 1kg better off with his conqueror at the weights and must have a money chance again. “Banaadeer is very fit now and this is a good test for him,” De Kock opined.

It will be an exciting and busy afternoon for the De Kock team and the action starts in the Listed Al Bastakiya over 1900m on dirt. Mubtaahij (Dane O’Neill) and Ajwad (Christophe Soumillon) will represent Blue Stables in this curtain-raiser for the UAE Derby on World Cup night.

‘’Both runners are improving and in good nick, Mubtaahij is the stable elect. Christophe can’t make the weight on Mubtaahij, but Dane gets on well with him.  We’ll have to see what happens, Godolphin has entered an unbeaten horse in the race we’ll have to contend with,” said De Kock.

South Afican-bred sand specialist Pylon (Lerena) will have his own baptism of fire in the Gr3 Burj Nahaar over a mile on dirt and Mike told that this one was short of peak fitness due to a few hiccups in training. “Pylon is doing well of late, but he really needs this run.”

Mickdaam (Soumillon) and Umgiyo (Johnny Geroudis) will come under starter’s orders in the Gr2 Dubai City Of Gold over 2410m on turf, a race Mike has won before with Grey’s Inn (2004), Oracle West (2005) and Front House (2009).

Vercingetorix (Nkosi Hlophe)

“Mickdaam ran on very well last time and he’s doing fine, but this race is at level weights and he will have to up his game out of a handicap. Umgiyo is smart, he stayed on for second to a top horse over 2000m last time and my gut feel says he’ll see out the extra, he should run a big race.”

The top horse referred to in the Umgiyo formline is of course Godolphin’s 116-rated Hunter’s Light, who will be out to spoil the party for Mike’s six-strong onslaught on the Gr1 Jebel Hatta over 1800m on turf that tops the seven-race programme.

The Jebel Hatta has fallen to the stable four times, the winners being Ipi Tombe (2003), Surveyor (2004), Master Of Hounds (2012) and Vercingetorix, who won the 2014 renewal and will be defending his title with Soumillon in the irons in the company of stablemates Anaerobio (Richard Mullen), Flying The Flag (Geroudis), Darwin (Hanagan), Johann Strauss (O’Neill) and Sanshaawes (Lerena).

De Kock rated his runners: “Vercingetorix is in excellent form and has a good chance of following up, he’s enjoyed a good preparation. Flying The Flag won a nice race for us last week, he’s yet to prove himself in this class however and this is a last chance for him to prove that he can rise to the occasion to have any chance of racing on World Cup night. Darwin ran on over 1600m last time but is a bit suspect over 1800m.

“Johann Strauss is an exciting horse, as I’ve said before. It’s a pity we’ve had to rush him into this race, but that’s the way it goes in the Carnival. Sometimes one has no choice. He’s very well and we’re taking our chances, expecting a good run. Anaerobio will probably retire after this race, he earned a stake last year. Sanshaawes is also approaching the end of his career, we’re hoping he can step up to the plate. He has place prospects.”

• mikedekockracing.com

He is currently just over R2,3 million ahead of his good friend and rival and many-times champion trainer Mike de Kock, but was still philosophical about his chances. “The Championships only really starts now as all the big money meetings like the ones in Jo’burg at the end of March and April, the Scottsville Sprint meeting in May and the other big KZN meetings are yet to be run.  Mike has horses like Majmu, Ertijaal and Alboran Sea so it’s going to be tight. It would be nice to win the title, but it’s not something you can chase. You have to handle each horse’s career properly and just hope they do well. If you chased the title you would just burn your string and have nothing left for next season.”

Sean Tarry

Tarry’s brilliant results in the lucrative Sales races have contributed a lot to his earnings this season. He won the R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m with Zambezi River, finished second with the same horse in the R1 million Cape Thoroughbred Sales Stakes and then finished first and second in the R2,5 million Cape Thoroughbred Sales Book 2 Graduates Race with Siren’s Call and Trophy Wife.

Siren’s Call and Trophy Wife both produced strong finishes on Saturday in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and fourth-placed Tamanee was also doing her best work late. Tarry said they had all come out of the race well and he wasn’t writing off unplaced Bichette either. He said, “The race probably came a bit soon for Bichette, but she’s a lovely filly. We will soon begin preparing these horses for the big meeting at the end of March.”

Siren’s Call et al will face the mighty Majmu in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m in that meeting. Tarry wasn’t writing off Siren’s Call’s chances and said, “I think she can give Majmu a go. She was comprehensively beaten by Majmu over 1400m, but will be a lot better over 1800m, although Majmu maybe will too. Majmu smashed them in the Cape Fillies Guineas and the runner up Inara then came out and won two Gr 1s, so Majmu is definitely the best of the crop at present.”

Tarry was “excited” about French Navy’s run in the Gauteng Guineas, in which he finished very strongly for second. The Triple Crown has always been on his agenda, so he will get better as he goes further and Tarry is looking forward to the Gr 1 Betting World SA Classic. That race will be a humdinger with the like of Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal entering the fray and Gauteng Guineas winner Harry’s Son also due to travel for the race.

Siren’s Call (left) and Trophy Wife (JC Photo)

Tarry was pleased with the run of Halve The Deficit in the Hawaii Stakes. He was handy throughout and only just failed to catch the frontrunner Chekilli. However, Tarry was surprised by the seven point raise to a 111 merit rating Halve The Deficit was awarded by the handicapper for the run and said, “Wow, if he’s a 111 over 1400m, what is he over his right trip, 120?”

He was also happy with Whiteline Fever’s run in the Hawaii and said, “He was caught wide and his hanging in the straight was nothing serious. I thought it was a lovely preparation for the Horse Chestnut Stakes.”

Halve The Deficit will be one of Tarry’s Vodacom Durban July hopefuls this year. He won the race in both 2012 and 2013 and the winner of the latter, Heavy Metal, is back in South Africa after an successful stint overseas and will be making his comeback on Saturday in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1160m. Heavy Metal will also be a July possible and Tarry added, “They will battle to leave out Gold Onyx this year, there is also Cagiva, who has come back well from injury, and French Navy and Siren’s Call are also possibilities.”

Meanwhile among his speedsters the brilliant former Gr 1 SA Nursery and Dingaans winner Willow Magic came out of his last run, when a flying third with topweight in the Gr 3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap over 1000m, well and will now be aimed at the Gr 2 Senor Santa Handicap over 1200m on April 4 and the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m on April 25.

Tarry is “still getting used” to his satellite yard at Summerveld, so is not sure how he is going to approach the Champions Season this year and mentioned the possibility of raiding with some of his horses.