Andrew Harrison

Mike de Kock’s decision to set up a satellite yard in Summerveld was prompted in anticipation of Hollywoodbets taking over Gold Circle and the expected up-tick in local racing. He already has 18 horses stabled at Summerveld with more on the list but he looks to have a smart three-year-old in Artist’s Model who turned the Non-Black Type Model Man Mile into a procession at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday.

His cause will have been helped by the scratching of Spirit Of Levana but the son of Buffalo Bill Cody won with authority. Muzi Yeni, who had ridden the mare Milk And Honey to four wins during her racing career, got a solid lead from stable companion Jaham before slipping up his inside off the false rail and from there on it was a matter of what would run second.

Second was Actor, who was beaten less than a length by Artist’s Model in the maidens, but he was left bobbing in the winner’s wake which may be some indication as to what the further holds for De Kock’s charge.

While Yeni had something of an armchair ride on Artist’s Model, Gavin Lerena showed just why he is such a sort after rider with a superb front-running ride on the Peter Muscutt-trained Nocturnal Flight.

As Muscutt mentioned post-race, the scratching of Palermo at the start left the race without speed so Lerena took his chances from 13 draw and pushed forward to make the running. He then slowed down the gallop before pushing for home at the top of the straight. All this time he was tracked by Tyrconnell and the two hooked up crossing the subway. Both Lerena and Calvin Habib kept their mounts hard at it without resorting to the stick until the final 100m. Lerena was forced to keep his mount from hanging onto his rival which made the ride even more meritorious with the two crossing the line as one with race caller Craig Peters, back from illness, unable to seperate them with Jazz Festival also closing fast.

Frikkie Greyling currently only has five or six horses in his string with Hurricane Cat his first winner since renewing his license. Captain Oliver was his second as Deryl Daniels got the son of Potala Palace home in the dying strides.

Warrior Royale shows all the signs of turning into a really smart performer for Mike Miller as she spread-eagled her field in the eighth. Always handy, Tristan Godden had her three wide turning for home as he angled out for a run up the outside of the field. A couple of gentle backhanders saw the daughter of Vercingetorix quicken up smartly and she was not for the catching. Assistant Craig Eudy confirmed that the stable had not got to the ‘bottom’ of the filly and was confident that there was more to come.

Warrior Of Royalty come in for some solid market support in the minutes before the off of the last but although she was making late progress, Yeni was denied a third winner on the afternoon as Jet Legacy kept rolling under Athandiwe Mgudlwa. 

David Thiselton

Mike de Kock made a statement with three horses at Turffontein Standside on Saturday, while Gavin Lerena continues to be in sublime form and his four-timer took his strike rate close to 30% for the season.

De Kock’s three-year-old Rafeef colt Heather’s Boy had tongues wagging after an eye-catching debut over 1450m in which he ran on strongly with long strides to win by two lengths last month. 

On Saturday he had to run off a 90 merit rating meaning he had to carry 60kg against older horses in a handicap over 1600m.

He did the job despite having had to jump from the widest draw of all in the ten horse field. 

He also had to find extra to fend off a decent fellow three-year-old in Bacchus after his superiority to the older horses had seen him hitting the front way too early. 

Craig Zackey dropped the big horse out from the wide draw. He was second last early but turned for home in fifth place,  having been one wide with cover in the running, while Bacchus had been on the rail behind him. Heather’s Boy past the leaders like they were standing still and hit the front 500m out. However, Bacchus had got a tow-through from him and drew alongside after being switched out. However, Heather’s Boy then kept on finding under a hard ride and staved the latter off. He crossed the line half-a-length clear of Bacchus, to whom he had given 1kg.

Zackey called him a smart horse and said “the penny has not dropped yet. He added he had been gearing down at the line.

De Kock said, “I am actually glad he got into a bit of a fight because he’s quite unconscious and really needs the penny to drop a little bit more.”  

De Kock is not one to promote horses too early, but he looks to have a fine classic contender on his hands.

Earlier, another promising De Kock-trained three-year-old, the Vercingetorix colt Greaterix, vindicated the accolades he was given in March last season, when winning second time out by more than five lengths. On Saturday, he received  9kg from the well performed Pistol Pete, but on paper that still put him behind the latter, because in their first clash Pistol Pete had given him 5kg and a 5,50 length beating. However, this time Greaterix ran out a comfortable two length winner under Muzi Yeni over the 1100m trip.

Later, De Kock’s four-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Marauding Horde ran on strongly to win a Middle Stakes event over 1800m under Kabelo Matsunyane, despite it being his seasonal reappearance. He was rated 96 and now has a chance of qualifying for the Betway Summer Cup if running a big race in his next start, which will likely be in the Betway Victory Moon Stakes over the same course and distance.

Lerena’s four-timer came through the Tony Peter-trained Kommetjie Storm (Elusive Fort), the Weiho Marwing-trained first-timer Grey Jet (Danon Platina), the Alec Laird-trained Greeting My Master (Master Of My Fate) and the Tony Peter-trained VJ’s Angel, a Gr 1 winner who proved his class by winning a handicap over 1600m by 3,75 lengths off an 111 merit rating.

The other big news of the meeting was the battle of two top class sprinters in the Corne Spies-trained William Robertson and the Sean Tarry-trained Lucky Lad. William Robertson was having his third run after a layoff, while Lucky Lad was making his seasonal reappearance. William Robertson also had a favourable high draw and 2,5kg claimer Trent Mayhew up. Those factors saw William Robertson being able to fend the Craig Zackey-ridden Lucky Lad off to win by a neck. However, both horses should go on to be big contenders in the country’s premier sprint races this season. 

Graeme Hawkins

A very smart filly at two and three, Rascova launched her four-year-old campaign with a dogged victory over Outlaw King in the Klawervlei Stud Cape A Stakes over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday. As expected, the heavily supported San Pedro bounced out the gates in front with Rascova under Denis Schwarz happy to sit in his slipstream and Mercury Sprint (Gr1) winner Surjay a few lengths off the early speed.

Approaching the 400m pole Rascova quickly got the measure of San Pedro but then Outlaw King began to apply pressure under substitute rider Grant Van Niekerk and Rascova had to dig deep over the final 100 metres to thwart the challenge of Dean Kannemeyer’s charge. San Pedro stayed on nicely to finish a clear third while Surjay failed to find his customary acceleration and was beaten out of the frame.

Trained by Glen Kotzen for Eugene and Sandy Arundel’s Itssa It & Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd, Rascova completed a memorable double for the team as just 24 hours prior On My Honour annihilated his opposition in the R250 000 Racing Association Stakes for 3yo’s over 1600m at Fairview. With Rascova being aimed at the Paddock Stakes (Gr1) and Majorca Stakes (Gr1) in January and On My Honour being targeted at the R2-million Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas (Gr1) in December and the Splashout Cape Derby (Gr1) towards the end of February, the Arundels have much to look forward to this Cape Summer Season.

Outlaw King was having only his second start as a gelding and the 4yo son of Rafeef could yet go on to fulfil the promise he showed earlier in his career. All three career victories have come over 1200m and he could have a part to play in both the forthcoming Merchants and Diadem Stakes at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

Champion jockey Richard Fourie rode four winners at Fairview on Friday and followed up with a treble at Durbanville. The first leg of his three-timer came in the third race when Fourie elected to loop the field on King Viserys in the third race, an Open Maiden over 1250m, coming from last position to hit the front before the home turn. The 4yo son of Gimmethegreenlight kept going strongly to hold out the fast-finishing Circumbendibus with race favourite What A Fortune a close third.

Fourie was back in the winner’s enclosure after the sixth race, a Cape C Stakes over 2000m, as Join The Dots (5/2) got up late on the standside rail to deny his market rival Groovejet by a narrow margin. Both Groovejet and Join The Dots languished towards the rear of the field as Twice The Master set a cracking pace, but the pair were separated by the width of the track as they made their stretch runs with Join The Dots out of camera view until the last few telling strides.

Fourie’s third winner was for Owner/Trainer Lunga Gila on the 5yo Futura gelding Unsolved Riddle in the seventh race, a Class 5 Handicap over 1400m. Unsolved Riddle (5/2) took up the running shortly after the start and stayed on resolutely to hold out the favourite Spirit’s Unite by a comfortable margin.

Vaughan Marshall took the trainers’ honours with a treble of his own. Sean Veale steered Dumbledore (5/1) and Gnarly (25/1) to victory in the opening two legs of the Pick 6 while Captain’s Destiny, a desperately unlucky loser the previous week, made amends by winning the tenth race, a Class 5 Handicap (F&M) over 1250m with Ossie Noach in the irons. The favourite Alltheboysiveloved, having only her second career start, finished a creditable second at 8,5kgs worse terms than weight-for-age and Lucinda Woodruff’s filly seems a fair sort in the making.

Johannesburg, 15 October 2024 – 4Racing in conjunction with the Handicappers have published the first log for the 2024 R6 million Gr1 Betway Summer Cup to be run at Turffontein on Saturday 30 November.

Second entries close at 11am on Tuesday 05 November, and final entries at 9am on Monday, 18 November 2024, after which weights will be announced. Declarations must be in by 11am on Wednesday, 20 November 2024 and barrier draws will be conducted at a Betway event on 20 November 2024. The final log will be published on Tuesday 05 November 2024.

TABGOLD have added a Pick 6 to their daily menu of QuickMix bets, which are popular with many customers because they combine races from different local and international meetings, and are completed much quicker than multi-race bets on single meetings.

The addition of the Pick 6 brings the number of QuickMix pools offered most days to six – three Jackpot QuickMixes and a QuickMix BiPot, Place Accumulator and Pick 6. Until further notice, the QuickMix Pick 6 will always be the last six legs of the Place Accumulator QuickMix.

To play the Pick 6 QuickMix, TABGOLD retail customers must mark VENUE SPM and RACE 2 on the betting form.

It must be noted that the Pick 6 first-timer rule will apply to South African races in the bet if these races form part of a South African Pick 6. The first-timer rule will not apply to all other races, including South African races that are not part of a local Pick 6.