Andrew Harrison

Tienie Prinsloo is the sole survivor of the Flamingo Park shutdown who has hung in and stayed in KZN. It has been a tough ask with owners departing and Prinsloo has basically started from scratch in a testing environment, but he has hung in, confident in his ability, and his tenacity is paying dividends.

He had a double at a hot, humid and uncomfortable Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday, both with greys. Miss Platina is not the easiest of fillies and horse behavioralist Glyn Redgrave paraded her around the paddock beforehand and kept her calm at the start.

His ‘whispering’  obviously did the trick as Miss Platina behaved and fought off all comers in a tight finish ahead of African Beat and Broadway Girl.

In his post-race interview, Prinsloo expressed confidence of a big effort from Global Movement in the next and the gelding duly obliged, finishing off his race in fine style to win going away.

Best bet on the card was Major Tommie in the card opener who had solid form to back his claims and he duly obliged under Serino Moodley. Up with the pace throughout, he drew off in the final furlong to win comfortably.

There was drama in the second as the hot tempered and hot favourite Sun In My Pocket went over backwards in the gate, dislodging Calvin Habib, and was duly withdrawn by the course vet. This left Littleblackgem as tote favourite but she too had proved to be a reluctant loader in the first line with Michael Roberts, frustrated from a kilometer away, calling for the hood. However, a hood did the trick at the second call. Littleblackgem loaded perfectly and duly saved many PA punters their money although second-placed Dressedtothenines could have done with a little more help from the saddle.

Gavin Lerena is not leading the jockey championship for nothing as he showed when getting strongly fancied Woza Nawe home in the opening leg of the Pick 6 in spite of trainer Peter Muscutt and Hollywood Syndicate nominee Anthony Delpech chewing on their pens as the field turned for home. Woza Nawe looked to have blown her chances on the turn as she dropped the bit on Lerena and was a long way back as Dee Day lead the field for home. However, Lerena got Woza Nawe into a good rhythm and she motored down the outside of the tack to catch Dee Day who was run out of it for third by La Vida Loca who was full of running at the death. 

Frikkie Greyling only has a handful of horses in his yard, mostly for Tinus Gerrike of Blue Sky Thoroughbreds, but they have been firing of late and Deryl Daniels rode a super confident race on Go Grayson Go, a son of Potala Palace. Runner-up at his last two, Daniels hunted the lead from the jump, gave his mount a breather on the turn, before accelerating away in the straight to win as he liked with the luckless Lou The Legend out-pointed again

There were a lot of ‘no-hopers’ in the field so it remains to be seen how the handicappers rate this performance.

David Thiselton

Saturday racing was focused on Cape Town and the Gr 2 Punters Cup over 1600m, although there was a meeting at Turffontein Standside too and one or two horses made it into the notebook. 

At Hollywood Kenilworth the One World colt One Stripe not only won the Punters Cup as expected but looks to be the most exciting three-year-old for some time… more on that after the Turffontein report. 

Rachel Venniker rode a treble at Turffontein and will be looking forward to the Betway Summer Cup meeting where she has eight rides. 

Her first win on Saturday was aboard the Paul Matchett-trained Karate Kid over 1000m.

It was a notable win because this three-year-old Erupt gelding defied the weights in the Drakenstein Stud Graduation Plate event. He was 6kg under sufferance with the best weighted pair in the race according to official merit ratings. However, he has a progressive profile and the 1,5kg claim Venniker is allowed also helped as he galloped home full of running to win by 2,50 lengths, beating Rondebosch who was having his second rum after layoff and looks to have scope for improvement. The best weighted pair Master Casper and French Bolt needed their runs after layoffs. It was left to the decent Mike and Adam Azzie-trained Lead The Charge to run on for third. 

In the next race the form of the Johan Jansen van Vuuren-trained Happy Mo’s win last time had been franked and the Royal Mo filly duly followed up with a good win under Venniker off an 86 merit rating in the 1600m handicap. 

Venniker scored her treble in the last when the Fabian Habib-trained six-year-old Pathfork gelding Passage Of Power made it a fifth career win in the 1160m handicap. 

In the first race over 1600m the Alec Laird-trained Futura filly Tuscan Star is a big horse who won readily under Calvin Habib and Laird has hopes she could become an Oaks candidate. 

In the second the Crusade mare Tried and True had shown notable resolve when winning over 1400m last time and this time over 1600m under Diego Degouveia nobody was going to carch her from the front and she ran out a 3,25 length winner. The mare has had two wins from three starts since joining Robyn Klaasen as a five-year-old.

In the fifth race over 2000m it was another master class by Piere Strydom. He had outfoxed the opposition on the Lorenzo Karriem-trained The United States mare Indian Ocean last time by going to the front despite carrying 64.5kg and running out an easy winner. This time when coming back from a three month layoff he did the opposite and dropped her out to last. She used her big stride to eat up the ground down the inside rail in the straight and made it three-in-row by two lengths. Strydom has ridden her three times for three successive wins.

In the sixth over 1400m the Grant Maroun-trained Just Var made it two wins in a row despite stepping up from 1000m. The Var gelding gets on well with 2.5kg claimer Trent Mayhew and he brought him home again.

In the seventh over 1160m Serino Moodley has a fine record on the Sean Tarry-trained Silver Tudor (Lance) and he got him up despite him returning from a five-and-a-half month layoff.    

Meanwhile, One Stripe looks to be a special horse as it did not pan out well for him in the Punters Cup, as he was caught wide without cover throughout in the small six horse field, and yet he still won easing up under Gavin Lerena. 

The Vaughan Marshall-trained One World colt looks to be a particularly exciting prospect.

Marshall believes him at this stage to be a sprint-miler so his two immediate goals are the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas on December 14 and the CRS R5 million Big Cap over 1400m on March 16.

However, the L’Ormarins King’s Plate might be in the offing too as there is three weeks between that and the Cape Guineas and then a full two months to recover for the Big Cap.

Graeme Hawkins

Trainer Vaughan Marshall enjoyed a champagne-popping red-letter day at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday with three winners across the 10-race programme, all sired by the sensational young stallion One World. The most significant of course being One Stripe who wrapped up his Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas preparation with a dominant and stylish victory in Saturday’s headliner, the R500 000 Cape Punters Cup (Gr2) over 1600m.

Stable companion All Out For Six, also by One World, ensured a true-run race and turned for home many lengths clear of his four rivals. For just a few moments 400m from home it appeared as if the bird had flown, but once Gavin Lerena sent One Stripe about his business the odds-on favourite lengthened his stride beautifully and quickly reeled in the leader to score cosily by nearly two lengths. The R2-million Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas on 14 December, when One Stripe is likely to face a few talented and highly regarded 3yo’s from up North, will be his acid test but he certainly passed his preliminary examination on Saturday with flying colours.

All Out For Six stayed on well to provide One World and Marshall with a 1-2 finish while Eight On Eighteen, having his first run since taking out the Langerman in June, made some late progress to round out the Trifecta. Justin Snaith will no doubt be encouraged by Eight On Eighteen’s comeback performance and the son of Lancaster Bomber should strip a lot fitter when lining up in the Guineas three weeks hence. One Stripe, All Out For Six and Eight On Eighteen were all bred at Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud.

Earlier in the day One World enjoyed the distinction of siring the first three past the post in the R250 000 World Sports Betting Sophomore Sprint (Listed) over 1200m. Marshall’s Lion Rampart, re-united with Richard Fourie who has partnered the 3yo colt to all his victories, enjoyed a useful advantage approaching the final 400m and although the chasing pack were closing at the line, the Hollywood Syndicate-owned Lion Rampart stuck to his guns well and held on by a diminishing margin.

Kaiboy snatched the runner-up berth narrowly ahead of Miss World with Handsome Prince completing the frame. Roman Agent, who drifted sharply in the market from 9/4 to 7/1, was a touch disappointing, finishing a never dangerous fifth.

The Hollywood Syndicate were back in the winner’s enclosure some 35 minutes later when Ziyasha (40/1) bounced back to his very best form and held off the race favourite, Meu Capitano, by a whisker in the R225 000 World Sports Betting Bantry Bay Stakes over 1100m. Ziyasha, a first Western Cape winner for Highveld-based trainer Clinton Binda, was ahead with 300m to run but Fourie produced Meu Capitano with a good-looking challenge inside the distance and at that stage the Piet Steyn-trained 4yo son of Captain Of All was being hailed the likely winner. In fact, Meu Capitano may have put his nose in front close home, but Ziyasha rallied strongly under Raymond Danielson and the pair prevailed in a tight photo finish.

The expected three-horse war in the R180 000 Summer Bowl over 1600m failed to materialise as both Red Palace and, to a lesser extent, Rascova failed to bring their best form to the track. That left the way clear for Double Grand Slam to exact revenge on her principal rivals and the 4yo daughter of Vercingetorix was full value for her half-a-length victory over Rainbow Lorikeet, who ran well above expectations. Saartjie ran her usual honest race to finish in third spot with the pace-setting Rascova staying on to complete the Quartet. Red Palace clearly had an off-day but the daughter of Potala Palace cannot be written off on the basis of this below-par effort.

Marshall and One World’s third winner came in the eighth race, a Class 4 Handicap over 1400m, in which World Of Pleasure (14/1) edged out the favourite Empire State (15/10) in a thrilling stride-for-stride duel over the final 200m. Snaith and Fourie also notched up three winners apiece but no doubt the stars of the show on Saturday were Vaughan Marshall and One World, and of course One Stripe.

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.