Assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe, who looks after Bass’s new satellite yard at Turffontein, said the horse had travelled well and that he had been taken for a walk to see the course.

Asked whether he gave the horse a chance, he said, “Absolutely. He is quite a light horse, so will improve all the time as he fills out. He is a big runner as long as the altitude doesn’t affect him.”

Usually altitude only really comes into the equation for races beyond a mile, so he should be fine over this trip.

He is certainly progressive and in his third career start in November, his first after gelding, he finished just 1,35 lengths behind his stable mate Equity Kicker over a too sharp 1000m and the latter has gone on to win two more races, including beating tough older horses like Castlethorpe and Happy Forever in a Pinnacle event over 1000m.

Spirit Of Hamilton was then stepped up to a more suitable 1400m two runs later and waltzed in by 6,75 lengths.

First time out the maidens off a merit rating of 80 in a MR72 Handicap over 1600m, he showed good gate speed and settled well enough on the flank of the leader, who dictated a “Cape Crawl”.  He showed a good turn of foot before staying on resolutely and was still full of running at the line. He certainly struck as one with plenty of scope and one that would prefer a quicker pace which he is likely to get tonight.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe (pictured) is on a high after his superb  J&B Met ride on the brilliant Futura so will be a bonus in the saddle. Furthermore, Spirit Of Hamilton jumps from a plum draw of two.

Tarry warned about the Australian-bred Willow Magic, “He is obviously a class horse. This is his second run after a rest and he is significantly worse off at the weights with some of the others. I still expect him to just about win it but am not overly confident that he is going to do what he did last time. At the end of the day he has bigger fish to fry and I was in two minds whether to run him here. But looking at the program there was no perfect race for him between now and his first big target the Senor Santa in about two months time so I decided to run him here and he can then come into the Senor Santa a little bit fresh.”

Tarry explained the reason for his long layoff, “He had inflammation of the tendon, but there was never a core lesion and he is fit and well.”

He said about Siren’s Call, who on 102 is merit rated seven points higher than any other horse in the race, “She is clearly the horse to beat and my only concern is that 1400m is a bit too short for her and if they go fast I hope she is not too far out of her ground.”

Captain’s Clipper is merit rated joint third highest on 94, but returns from a long layoff and he said, “I would have liked another couple of weeks, but he has done well enough to run a good race, although the draw doesn’t help.”

Trophy Wide is a progressive merit rated 84 and he said, “She has had the perfect prep and will run very well. She stepped up in class last time and coped nicely. I think she’s a runner.”

Jupiterandmars come into the race after the scratching  of Cotton Hill and Tarry said, “She should have it all to do. I’m surprised they didn’t accept Seventh Heart, who is five lengths better, but they chose to give her a 76 and gave Eliza Doolittle an 81 for winning a workrider’s maiden.”

Tarry’s older stalwarts Whiteline Fever and Halve The Deficit return from layoffs in the fourth, a Conditions Plate over 1400m. He said, “I am happy with Whiteline  Fever and expect a forward run. His target is the Hawaii again. Halve The Deficit was nominated for the Met, but things didn’t go smoothly so I had to make a plan B. This is a prep run for the features in the season. The Johan Janse Van Vuren filly (Winter Star) is very well weighted and will be hard to beat.”

Tarry gave the Jet Master filly Off The Mark “a big chance” in the third race over 1160m, but added, “Coming back in distance is my only concern.”

THE Brett Crawford-trained Dynasty colt Futura was touted as a Gr 1 R2,5 million J&B Met winner as long as a year ago and showed world class ability at Kenilworth today when storming clear to win the big race with ease under Bernard Fayd’Herbe.

The magnificent looking bay won the Gr 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate just three weeks ago, despite having had an interrupted preparation due to coughing, and has now clearly come into his own. This was his third Gr 1 win and he is likely to add to that record.

The form of the Queen’s Plate was franked as the seven-year-old Sean Tarry-trained Gold Onyx, a close up third in the latter race, finished runner up.

One of the biggest question marks before today’s race was the pace and Punta Arenas, as he did last year, easily overcame a wide draw to find a handy position. Helderberg Blue then came around him to take it up. The favourite Louis The King was handy as was Tellina.

Futura – J&B Met (Liesl King)

Futura was in midfield and Fayd’Herbe was so confident that he was able to afford a cheeky remark at about the 1400m mark to Karl Neisius, who was on his inside on Power King, that he thought he was going to win the race easily.

The pace was not quick and there was a cavalry charge in the straight. Helderberg Blue and Punta Arenas were holding on grimly in front, but Fayd’Herbe still had plenty of horse and when he asked the question the response was instantaneous. Futura burst through and it was race over at the 200m mark as his chief market rival Louis The King was making no impression.

Futura went on to win by 2,25 lengths from Gold Onyx, who ran on strongly to pip a brave Helderberg Blue for second. Tellina stayed on well for fourth ahead of last year’s third-placed Punta Arenas.

It was third time lucky for owners Ian Longmore and Jack Mitchell, who owned the luckless Crawford-trained Jackson, who was strongly fancied in the last two runnings of the Met but failed. Longmore and Mitchell own the Guy Murdoch-trained Futura in partnership with John Freeman. Mitchell became the first since Marsh Shirtliff and Arthur and Rina Webber, owners of the great Pocket Power, to hold the Vodacom Durban July, Queen’s Plate and Met titles simultaneously, as he also won the former race with Legislate. Fayd’Herbe rode Pocket Power to three Met wins, while Crawford won the Net in 2003 with Angus.

Futura appears to be a natural and is easy to work with, according to Fayd’Herbe, while Crawford said he hadn’t been nervous in the build up as the horse had done everything right.

Ertijaal – Investec Derby (Liesl King)

Earlier, Mike de Kock landed his second Gr 1 in successive weekends at Kenilworth when the magnificent specimen Ertijaal, an unbeaten Australian-bred colt by Hard Spun, left the odds-on favourite Act Of War toiling in his wake to win the Investec Cape Derby by 4,75 lengths.

Gavin Lerena took Ertijaal to the front and Piere Strydom had Act Of War perfectly positioned on the rail behind him. Ertijaal used his big stride to stretch away in the straight and Act Of War was under pressure to stay in touch. Ertijaal became more and more impressive the further he went and it was soon clear that Act Of War was not going to catch him. Lerena saluted as he crossed the line, while Act Of War’s fans began sweating that he wouldn’t make a PA place as his Joey Ramsden-trained stablemate Liquid Mercury and the Yogas Govender-trained Krambambuli had begun closing on him. In the end he just scraped in for second.

Mathew de Kock was emotional in the winner’s enclosure revealing that this horse almost lost his life through colic as a youngster. Angus Gold, the racing manager of owner and breeder Sheik Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was on course to accept the trophy.

The Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes was an equally fascinating contest and centred around the brilliant Ramsden-trained three-year-old Cold As Ice’s ability to stay the trip. Her cause was not helped when she found herself in front with Strydom looking over his shoulder hoping that somebody would take it up.

Inara – Klawervlei Majorca (Liesl King)

Eventually the long striding Jet Supreme went around her giving Cold As Ice cover for most of the turn. Cold As Ice went for home early and stayed on gallantly. However, the Mike Bass-trained Gr 1 Maine Chance Paddock Stakes winner Inara began eating up the ground with a strong run down the inside. The latter just got her nose down in time to pip a gallant Cold As Ice.

The Glen Kotzen-trained four-year-old Jet Belle repeated her Paddock Stakes third-place finish and two more four-year-olds Red Flame and Lanner Falcon were next best.

Inara, a three-year-old Trippi filly owned and bred by Drakenstein Stud, had finished a 2,5 length second to Majmu in the Gr 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas before her two successive Gr 1 wins and left many wondering how good the latter is. There is now no question that the three-year-old fillies crop is exceptionally strong this season.

The Listed Sun International Summer Juvenile Stakes was expectedly fought out by the smart colts Buckinghampshire and Seventh Plain. The latter started favourite but the former, a Justin Snaith-trained Australian-bred by Lohnro, took full advantage of his 3kg pull to slowly wear the latter down in an exciting tussle.

Dennis Drier will go home to KZN without a Cape Gr 1 win for the first time since the 2011/2012 season after Captain Of All’s hair’s breadth loss in the Betting World Cape Flying Championship last weekend, but today Balkan and Triptique gave him two wins, both ridden by Sean Cormack, and he had a Listed second with Seventh Plain.

Cormack had a memorable four-timer, having also ridden the Ramsden-trained Swannee Rose and the Snaith-trained Ultimate Dollar to victory.

Crawford and Fayd’Herbe also had a double together as Captain America won the tenth race in fine style despite carrying a welter burden.

De Kock and Lerena secured a Graded double on the day when they won the last race, the Gr 2 J&B Urban Honey Stayers over 2800m, with the four-year-old British-bred Archipenko gelding Kingston Mines.

David Thiselton for http://www.goldcircle.co.za

Pictures: Liesl King

It didn’t come as any great surprise as he has been under a cloud since running a shock last place in the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and subsequently scoping full of mucus in his lungs.

Jonathon Snaith said, “He is 100% healthy but his preparation has not been great. There is too much at stake to risk running another below par race. There used to be four weeks between the Queen’s Plate and the Met but three weeks is just not enough time. It is probably just a week too short. The owners have put us under no pressure and are very much behind us with this decision.”

He was taken to hospital for x-rays as a precautionary measure.

Marcus is engaged to ride the hotpot Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby favourite Act Of War, as well as Priceless Jewel in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, at the J&B Met meeting on Saturday. We will keep readers posted on his well-being.

The aggregate for Session One was R60,2 million, with an average of R620,619 and a median of R350,000.

Chief Operating Officer of CTS Adrian Todd was extremely pleased with the results achieved. “We knew we had a quality draft of horses and a solid local and international buying bench. We have achieved exceptional results during the first Session, which is a credit to the South African breeder and the South African thoroughbred.”

An ex school teacher from Thabazimbi, Du Toit currently owns a game farm in Rustenburg and was delighted that he managed to buy such an outstanding specimen. “ I am so pleased that we managed to get him. I am going to name him Tsunami and he will be trained here in Cape Town by top trainer Mike Bass.”

Candice Robinson, daughter of Mike Bass, who trains with her dad at their Milnerton stables, stated that they loved the colt and considered him the pick of the sale.  “He has a real classy look about him.  He walks well, has a lovely pedigree and he looks like a racehorse, even at this young age.”

Owner of Maine Chance Farms, Dr. Andreas Jacobs was delighted by the price achieved.  “With Silvano doing so well here, we decided to send Shina to South Africa, carrying a foal to Tiger Hill (IRE), on a Southern Hemisphere cover.  Lot 48 is her second foal to be born here. We were expecting a good price, but we never dreamt that he would shatter the South African record!”

Du Toit was back in action when he signed for Lot 79, the half sister to the outstanding three-year-old filly Cold As Ice, at R2.5 million.  The filly, by South African leading sire Trippi, will also join the Bass stable and Robinson was delighted to be getting her.  “She is a sister to a great filly and a beautiful mover.  I am so pleased that she will be joining us.”

Picture: Sale Topper – Lot 48 Cape Premier Yearling Sale 2015 (Liesl King)

Snaith said, “He galloped very well and gave Richard (Fourie) a good feel and he pulled up well. He then scoped clean so it is all good so far, but there is still a long way to go. Basically all will be good until something wrong happens. We know about the problems this time unlike before his last start.

“So we know now that he can run, but before he takes part we must know that he will be able to run well and have a winning chance. Therefore he must have a good workout next Tuesday and a good sprint up next Thursday and come out of both well. But it is the same for all of our horses. They must all pass those tests before being allowed to race.”

Legislate drifted out slightly to 5/2 with Betting World after yesterday’s gallop, while Futura is now a 2/1 shot and Louis The King is at 28/10.

Picture: Legislate (Snaith Racing)

However, this will not detract from the prestige of the great Gr 1 event as it is still full of quality and includes the three highest merit rated horses in the country.

Furthermore, while the scratching of the best three-year-old in the country Act Of War was the biggest blow to the big race, he will still be seen in action on the day in the Gr1 Investec Cape Derby and could now well be viewed as the  “meeting banker.”

Jet Belle, who was the only female incumbent in the top 20 of the final log, was another important scratching but has also not been lost to the meeting as she will run in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes instead.

The J&B Met gallops will be held at Kenilworth racecourse from 07h00 on Thursday January 22. The Barrier Draw ceremony will follow the gallops and is due to start at 08h00. Both the gallops and the Barrier draw will be screened live on Tellytrack.

– Kenilworth Racing

*Images supplied by Kenilworth Racing

Her easy wins in both the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes and the Sceptre in her last two starts have exacerbated the disappointment of her earlier late scratching in the Gr 1 Avontuur Estate Fillies Guineas as it denied her and the racing public the opportunity to see how she would have fared against the filly regarded as the best in the country, the Mike de Kock-trained Majmu.

Cold As Ice has now won two Gr 2s this season, the other being the Gr 2 Choice Carrier’s Championships over 1400m in which yesterday’s runner up, the Glen Kotzen-trained Double Whammy, also finished second.

Double Whammy, who was one of three three-year-olds in yesterday’s small seven horse field, is the only horse to have beaten Cold As Ice, getting the better of her in heavy going over 1200m when the latter was making her debut. However, Cold As Ice proved her superiority yesterday. She used her immense natural speed to lead throughout and was never under any pressure. She crossed the line 2,25 lengths clear.

Ironically, an indication of how good she is can be proved through the formlines of the Cape Fillies Guineas. The 2,5 length runner up of the latter race, Inara, would have preferred further and duly won the Gr 1 Maine Chance Paddock Stakes over 1800m next time out, while third-placed Double Whammy would probably have preferred shorter and duly finished second in the Sceptre yesterday, beating some classy older females.

Cold As Ice started at 9/20 yesterday. Priceless Jewel, a Gr 3 winner over both 1200m and 1400m, was backed in from 10/1 to 5/1, while Double Whammy drifted out from 9/2 to 8/1.  Third-placed Lanner Falcon and the next best pair Priceless Jewel and Miss Saigon were beaten 3,5, 5,75 and 6,5 lengths respectively, which showed just how good the two three-year-olds ahead of them were.

Cold As Ice was bred by Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm and is owned by K Finch, BP Finch, B Kieswetter and Craig and Amanda Carey’s Ridgemont Stud.

Saint Sophia (left) and Gallica Rose (Liesl King)

There was drama in the Listed Sun Classique Handicap in which Catchphrase went some 20 lengths clear down the back straight after her saddle had appeared to slip. The Mike Bass-trained four-year-old Dynasty filly Saint Sophia, who was officially 1kg under sufferance, ran on strongly from midfield and became involved in a ding dong tussle with Gallica Rose, who had come from the back with a burst down the inside.

Gallica Rose crossed the line a nose clear, but had continually bumped Saint Sophia outward in the latter stages. Jockey Grant van Niekerk objected and it was not surprisingly upheld. Saint Sophia started at 9/2. In Limine, Varster and The Queen Vic were the bext best finishers but were well beaten.
Later the Dennis Drier-trained four -year-old Jet Master filly Gathering Fame produced a fine finish from behind under MJ Byleveld to win the Listed Jamaica Handicap over 1700m from Omaticaya, Cat And The Moon, Jeweller’s Joy and Can Cope in a tight finish. The 6/1 shot recorded a hattrick in the process, although this was her first start in Cape Town and her first race since winning on the Greyville polytrack in September. It was only her fifth career outing so she looks to be promising.
At Turffontein the classy Ormond Ferraris-trained Toreador filly Lazer Star, an easy winner of the Gr 3 Magnolia over 1160m on Sansui Summer Cup day, remained unbeaten when producing another fantastic finishing run under Weiho Marwing to win the Listed Swallow Stakes for three-year-old fillies over 1160m by an easy 3,5 lengths, despite carrying topweight.
Earlier, the promising Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Antonius Pius colt Belong To Me bounced back from his disappointing run in the R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes by winning a competitive Progress Plate over 1160m under comeback jockey Donovan Mansour, although he was favourably weighted.
At Meydan racecourse in Dubai Mike de Kock ran first and third with the USA-bred Almoonqith and the Argentinian-bred Lehaaf in a handicap over 1600m. Paul Hanagan rode the winner.
Earlier De Kock and Hanagan ran second with the South African-bred three-year-old Var gelding Mastermind in a 1200m handicap. Mastermind finished a 3,75 length second in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes last April in his final start in South Africa.

The four countries involved are hosts Kenya; Zimbabwe; Mauritius and South Africa and Tellytrack will broadcast the action live.

The race meeting also features the Britam Kenya Guineas and the field of 14 runners boasts four South African-bred three year olds, including the Mogok colt King Of Burma, who could take a power of beating under in-form Denny Smith.