David Thiselton

The field for the R5 million Big Cap is out and the Vaughan Marshall-trained dual Gr 1-winning three-year-old One Stripe looks to have an easy task on paper.

The benchmark for the race is 53kg equals a nett merit rating of 96 and for three-year-olds there is a 2,5kg penalty for a Gr 1 win and 1kg for a Gr 2 win (penalties not cumulative).

However, there are upper weight limits as such: 

three-year old male 60kg

three-year-old female 57,5kg

four-year-old male 62kg

four-year-old female 60kg.

One Stripe is merit rated 132 and is a Gr 1 winner, while the weight for age allowance for a three-year-old at this time of the year over the 1400m trip is 3kg. 

That means that if there were no upper weight limits he would have to carry 70,5kg.

Therefore he is a whopping 10,5kg well in all in all and he is 8kg better off than he would be in a handicap.

His wins in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas and Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate showed that a mile could be his optimum trip, so the step down to 1400m might not be ideal.

However, he has shown in his close second to last year’s Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot, when actually giving that year older Cape Guineas winner 1kg at a time when on the weight for age scale he would have been getting 6,5kg, that he is effective over this trip too.

He has plenty of speed and Gavin Lerena is in fine form so he should make it seven wins from nine starts from a plum draw of two.

It will be his first start with Hollywood Racing as part owners together with original owner Rikesh Sewgoolam and could well be his last ever start in South Africa as he is due to depart overseas after this race.

One interesting point is that on Cape Guineas form alone the Justin Snaith-trained 112-rated Great Plains would finish close to One Stripe. Great Plains was beaten 2,75 lengths in the Cape Guineas and is now 2kg better off. However, Gavin Lerena divulged to connections that the horse still had a ton in hand at the finish of the Cape Guineas. This was proven when Great Plains was beaten 11,20 lengths by One World in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate on the same weight terms as the Cape Guineas.

Nevertheless, Great Plains is continually improving and could use his big stride to go close to One Stripe again, although Richard Fourie will have to overcome a tricky draw of seven out of ten.

The 112-rated All Out For Six actually has his stablemate One Stripe beaten on the form of the Cape Punters Cup over 1600m. He was beaten 1,75 lengths and is now 2kg better off.

However, in his next start in the Cape Guineas One Stripe put All Out For Six in his place by beating him by 8,45 lengths.

Nevertheless, All Out For Six has the ability to earn, although he has a tricky draw of eight under Grant van Niekerk.  

The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Rafeef colt Empire State is 3kg under sufferance according to the benchmark carrying 53kg off a 96 merit rating and is 11kg under sufferance with One stripe on official merit ratings. However, this one is on the up and could be ideally distance suited looking at his overall form. He jumps from the widest draw of all though with JP van der Merwe up.

The Justin Snaith-trained The Grey King is a talented horse who is in good form at present and is distance suited and looks to have had a good prep, so this 98-rated four-year-old could make his presence felt from a plum draw of three with leading jockey Craig Zackey up.

The Snaith-trained 106-rated Makazole has won a Listed race at Fairview over this trip, but on Cape Town form he looks well held by the like of The Grey King and All Out For Six. Muzi Yeni rides from draw nine.

The 106-rated four-year-old Coastal Commander gets 2kg from One Stripe, but on official merit ratings is  8kg under sufferance. This Marshall-trained horse finished a neck send in last year’s Gold Rush and his only subsequent win was over this trip. He also ran a good third to Snow Pilot over this trip this season so on his day he is capable of earning from draw five with Gareth Wright up.

The 104-rated East Cape-based Kelly Mitchley-trained Passchendaele is another who is capable of a fine performance and is effective over this trip. He will likely be the pacemaker, so as he is drawn in pole position with Calvin Habib up, Lerena will be wary of him.

The Sean Tarry-trained 88-rated four-year-old Tail Of The Comet would be a big threat receiving 7kg from One Stripe if able to produce his best. However, he has for some reason completely lost his way and in his last seven starts has only once not been beaten by more than ten lengths and that was last time when beaten 9,20 lengths in a class 3 race running off a 93 merit rating. Ashton Arries rides from draw four.

La Pulga is an improving sort but has it tough off a 93 merit rating as a three-year-old and he looks to need further. Sean Veale rides from draw six.

David Thiselton

The Hollywoodbets Durban July is looming large already with ante-post betting out and the Mike and Mathew de Kock yard will be a player this season.

Mike de Kock has won the race five times and two of his winners have carried the familiar yellow with a royal blue chevron colours of Sheik Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, which are these days registered as Al Adiyaat South Africa (Pty) Ltd.

On Saturday at Turffontein Standside the Shadwell Stud-bred Vercingetorix colt Immediate Edge remained unbeaten in three starts when carrying Sheik Khalifa’s colours to victory in the Listed WSB Hawwaam Stakes over 2000m and De Kock said in the winner’s enclosure, “He is the sort of horse you have to aim at the July and make sure you come in with the right weight.”

De Kock’s last winner in the July was Sparkling Water, who gave Mary Slack her first win of the big race as an owner as the Silvano filly was a Wilgerbosdrift Stud homebred.

Fittingly, Wilgerbosdrift also own a share in Immediate Edge.

Mike de Kock himself owns a share and so does a long time supporter of his yard, Chris Haynes.

Immediate Edge, who is out of the Australian-bred Commands mare Anhaar, an unraced half-sister to the three time Gr 1-winning champion Soqrat, was a R1.2 million Purchase at the BSA National Yearling Sale.

He was not actually the best performed horse in the Hawwaam Stakes on Saturday as he received 3kg from the Lucky Houdalakis-trained shorthead runner up Wild Intent. The latter is by Gimmethegreenlight out of the useful Listed-winning stayer Wild Ash and this twice winner was thought of as good enough to go down to Cape Town to run in the Gr 3 Politician Stakes over 1800m, where he finished a not disgraced 6,25 length ninth.

Wild Intent went into Saturday’s race merit rated 96 compared to Immediate Edge’s 88.

Towers Of Gold opened up a big lead at a fair pace and Immediate Edge, jumping from pole position, sat in midfield behind Wild Intent, who had jumped from draw five in the eleven horse field. 

Wild Intent set sail for home quite close to the rail and there was a difficult moment for Immediate Edge who was on his inside because Towers Of Gold had impounded and was on the rail. Immediate Edge managed to squeeze between the latter and Wild Intent.

A thrilling duel ensued between Immediate Edge and Wild Intent but Ryan Munger managed to get the former’s head in front close to home. Wild Intent fought back but Immediate Edge managed to keep him at bay by a head.

Hollywoodbets reacted by making Immediate Edge a 17/1 shot for the July and they have Wild Intent at 25/1.

Diwali Rocket was third but was beaten 8,25 lengths.

Muzi Yeni rode a feature race double on the day.

The Robbie Sage-trained filly Poplar Park, a R40,000 buy back by Met runner up Last Winter (Western Winter) out of a Judpot mare, also jumped from pole position and needed every inch of the 2000m trip in the Ormonde Ferraris Oaks Trial.

Yeni had to push her at the top of the straight from midfield to stay in touch, but the further they went the stronger she got and she ran out a 2,40 length winner from Cocomelon with the rank outsider Fetching Flyer third.

Poplar Park only ran off an 82, despite being a twice winner, and she received 1,5 kg from the runner up and third-placed horses.

She was bred  by “JJ” van der Linden and he part-owns her together with Larry Nestadt, Mark Currie and M Lieveaux.

It was a fine day for Nestadt because he had back to back Gr 1 and Listed part-owned winners in Australia earlier in the day.

In the Listed WSB Aquanaut Handicap over 2400m the Mike and Adam Azzie-trained Breeze Over dwelt and lost a couple of lengths but Yeni decided to take her round horses to the front as that is where he likes to be. Fortunately, there was no pace on and he got there without wasting any energy. The big horse dictated and kept going well in the straight to win by 1,70 lengths from Marauding Horde and Twenty Drachma’s with Raiseahallelujah and Thunee Playa next best.

Meanwhile, at Tampa Bay Downs in the USA, the former De Kock-trained Mauritzfontein homebred Gimmethegreenlight filly Gimme A Another lost her unbeaten career record but did not lose anything in defeat. It was the champion dual Gr 1-winner’s eighth career start and her first outing for eleven months. In the Gr 2 Hillsborough Stakes over a mile and an eighth she simply found the track to tight under Irad Ortiz as she was unable to fetch Saffron Moon. Gimme A Nother was toward the back of the nine horse field and showed her usual exhilarating turn of foot, but was 1,75 lengths shy at level weights to the winner, who stole a march in the straight.

Yesterday, Lyle Hewitson had a welcome double at Sha Tin in Hong Kong and two seconds, while Luke Ferraris had a winner too. Ferraris is now on 30 wins for the season and Hewitson is on 15.

Graeme Hawkins

Richard Fourie’s charge in the defence of his Championship title is now in full swing, booting home another three winners at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday just a day after posting a five-timer at Fairview on Friday. Current leader Craig Zackey added a solitary winner to his tally on Saturday and his overall lead has now rapidly been reduced to single figures. Meanwhile Gavin Lerena, who does not enjoy the benefit of riding for either Alan Greeff or Gavin Smith in Gqeberha, won’t surrender easily and rode four winners at Turffontein over the weekend. At the conclusion of Saturday’s action, Craig Zackey had 167 victories to his credit with Fourie on 159 and Lerena on 155.

The first of Fourie’s three winners came in the second race, a Cape B Stakes over 1600m. Adopting very aggressive tactics on the 5/10 favourite, Let It Be Said, the pair turned for home with a significant advantage but not surprisingly Let It Be Said began to shorten his stride in the closing stages while Fatal Gem (14/1) was running on strongly from the rear. The winning post came just in time for Let It Be Said to hang on by a rapidly diminishing neck and land trainer Justin Snaith the opening double on the 9-race card.

Fourie recorded his second winner in the eighth race, a Class 3 Handicap over 1250m, riding a more patient race on the well-backed Dumbledore (33/10) for the Vaughan Marshall yard. Tracking the pace into the home stretch, Fourie made his move approaching the final 200m and the 4yo grey son of William Longsword lengthened beautifully to put the race to bed in stylish fashion. The ultra-consistent Callmegetrix finished second ahead of African Prince and a rather disappointing Miss World who drifted ominously in the market as race time approached.

Fourie closed out the meeting for in-form trainer Des McLachlan on Pilot Flame (7/2) who showed tremendous courage when taking out the ninth race, a Class 4 Handicap (F&M) over 1250m. Caught wide in the early stages Fourie was forced to make a forward move on the 4yo daughter of Master Of My Fate and she was disputing the lead as heads turned for home. Pilot Flame stuck to her task well in the stretch, but defeat was on the cards when Tanneron moved in to challenge at the 200m pole. Tanneron appeared to edge past Pilot Flame for a few strides but somehow Pilot Flame found hidden reserves over the final 50m and fought back bravely to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Zackey’s solitary winner came in the seventh race, a Class 5 Handicap over 1250m, when scoring back-to-back victories aboard Tambourine Man for trainer Adam Marcus. Zackey made best use of pole position and took the 5yo son of Twice Over into an uncontested lead but halfway up the home straight dangerous-looking challenges were being mounted either side of Tambourine Man (28/10) by his stable companion True Horizon and the Paul Reeves-trained Mighty Mac. But Tambourine Man responded gamely under pressure and forged clear over the last 150m to score by a length with rank outsider Wing Walker (33/1) flashing up late to grab the runner-up spot. The favourite Trippi’s Silk (14/10) was never comfortable in running and failed to make an impression.

Louis Burke cemented his position at the top of the Workriders’ Series with a facile victory aboard Dawn’s Early Light (13/10) in Saturday’s opener, a Maiden Plate over 1250m. Sporting blinkers for the first time, Dawn’s Early Light made all the running and was two lengths clear of the newcomer Ocean Sky (12/1) as they reached the winning post. The biggest disappointment of the day was Victor Hugo who flopped badly in the fifth race, an Open Maiden over 1400m. Victor Hugo led the field into the home straight but was a spent force a long way out and faded away tamely as Chasingtherainbow flashed up with a strong late charge from the rear of the field to beat his lesser fancied stable companion Monkey Puzzle by a neck.

From the energy and thrill of Champion Day, to the stylish elegance of Style Wednesday, every day at Cheltenham is charged with an electric atmosphere. St Patrick’s Thursday brings the joy and spirit of the Emerald Isle to life while Gold Cup Day brings the festival to a close with unforgettable drama and glory.

From the anticipation, the roar of the crowd, the thunder of hooves, and the rush of emotion as the world’s finest horses and jockeys battle for supremacy – there truly is nothing that feels like Cheltenham.

Set in the heart of the Cotswolds, Cheltenham racecourse has hosted racing since 1815 and now showcases some of the best jump racing in Britain.

The highlight of which is the Cheltenham Festival, which runs for four days in March and is widely considered the pinnacle of the jump racing season.

There are a total of 28 incredible Cheltenham races, featuring 14 Grade 1 events contested in front of more than 65,000 racegoers each day.

Every owner, jockey and trainer dreams of a winner at the Cheltenham Festival, cementing their place in history alongside some of the legends of the sport including Denman, Kauto Star and Istabraq.