The Vaal stages a low key nine race meeting tomorrow and the Tote exotics could be the best way to play it.

The PA starts with a tricky race over 2000m although there could be a possible banker in Sheema. This Archipenko filly is having her third run for Mike de Kock after a long layoff and stayed on well over 1600m last time so should relish this step up in trip. However, it is never easy against the boys and the risk averse should consider a few others including Tirzan, who was found to be striding short last time in soft ground on the Classic course. If bouncing back to the form of his previous two runs, which were both over this course and distance, he will go close and he has the added bonus of jumping from pole position.

Mike de Kock

The next leg of the PA also has a potential banker in Fragrant Miss. She struck as one who would stay further than 1200m early in her career. However, she has deceptive pace and as one who can stay on over this trip seems best suited to sprints in retrospect. She duly got off the mark in her second start after being dropped back to this trip and in that race she showed good early pace and stayed on well. She is now having her first run out of the maidens but looks to have been leniently treated by the handicapper starting off a mere 64 merit rating. Fictitious will be the main danger if repeating her penultimate start, which was over this course and distance. Her low draw will be on her side by trends. Pretty Popular was a revelation last time when the tongue tie was fitted and she won at long odds. Now that the possible key to her has been found, she could go close again. For Pick 6 purposes all three should be included.

The first leg of the Jackpot also looks to be a three-cornered contest. Silver King represents the in- form Sean Tarry yard and having found little extra on soft ground on the Outside course over this trip he now has a potentially favourable low draw off a two point lower mark and he will appreciate the faster ground which the weather forecast predicts he should get tomorrow. However, Blue Diamond Road must be included as he returned from a layoff to go close over this drop in trip last time and the same 4kg claimer remains aboard. The Tin Man is talented but has breathing issues. He beat Silver King in the soft going the last time they met, but on this occasion might have a tricky draw, although he does have a 4kg claimer aboard.

Pretty Penny looks to have been given a reasonable merit rating in her first start out of the maidens in the sixth race over 1200m. She is well regarded and can follow up. However, Inyanga will be a threat, as the form of her second place last time has been franked and Strydom stays aboard. Nautic Spirit is on the up too.

Highlander is in good form and is course and distance suited and well drawn in the seventh. Wonderous Climber has ability and is facing a weaker field than he’s been meeting lately. Lock Him Up has a fair draw for a change and with the blinkers off over a step up in trip could go close.

The eighth looks tough although Stop And Stare and Mighty And Magic look the main players. Bosphorous will go close too if able to settle from a good draw with the blinkers still on over this step up in trip. Running Fury should enjoy the step up in trip. Hurley can earn if repeating her penultimate start, which was over 1800m as opposed to 1700m here. Agent Kay has become disappointing after looking promising and has been reported to make breathing noises.

In the last race over 1700m Pachanga is a first runner as a trainer for Ashley Fortune, the wife of the jockey legend Andrew Fortune, and she has a chance having shown fair form in the strong centre of Cape Town. Tricia and Candela both have form chances too.

By David Thiselton

Everybody in South African racing wants to have a runner in the Vodacom Durban July and for Harold Crawford the dream could finally become a reality after 42 years as a trainer.

Perovskia is among the 250-1 longshots at the moment but the much-improved four-year-old has won his last three including the Jet Master, Crawford’s first feature success since Native King landed the 1993 Langerman and followed up in a Port Elizabeth Listed race the following year.

Perovskia (Chase Liebenberg)

Crawford, 65, has had to fight his way for most of his career and he is realistic (“at the moment I don’t think he will get in unless he runs well in another feature”) but he is determined to go down the right path – “I’m running him in the (Independent on Saturday) Drill Hall on May 6 even though that is not the right race for him and then maybe the Cup Trial on June 9.”

African Night Sky heads the market at 7-1 now that World Sports Betting has opened its book on the great race – some of the early operators had him at 6-1 last week – with Oh Susanna second favourite on 10-1.

The connections of the Sun Met winner have been careful not to say that the filly is going to run but, if she wins the Woolavington on June 2, the temptation to do so could well become irresistible as she is so favoured by the conditions.

She is the highest rated horse in the race (on 121) but the conditions stipulate that, as a three-year-old filly, she cannot carry more than 56kg. The top weight is 60kg and, with the weight-for-age allowance for three-year-olds being only 2kg over the trip in July, she could end up with quite a bit in hand.

• After Glow, many punters’ idea of a stand-out at Kenilworth on Wednesday, will not now run.

Adam Marcus said on Saturday: “She has come on a lot and she worked beautifully this morning. I thought ‘This is it.’ But then, when she walked away, I noticed that she wasn’t striding out quite right behind. We think a lot of her so I am not going to risk her. She will wait for another 1 400m race next month.”

By Michael Clower

Sheikh Fahad’s Qatar Racing – “Our ambitions include competing against the very best in the world all over the world” – had one of its first South African winners at Kenilworth on Saturday when the Donovan Dillon-ridden Tarsus became the first two-year-old to beat the older horses in Cape Town this season.

MJ Byleveld

Qatar Racing is a major force in Britain where it has some 90 horses in training and its handful campaigning in the distinctive gold-braided claret in South Africa includes the Snaith-trained certain future winner Frank Lloyd Wright.

Joey Ramsden said: “I train two for them and I have a slight family connection as Jamie Spencer rode for them. I would like to think that Tarsus will stay a little further. These Vars are not all about sprinting. I have had a bit of luck going further with them (notably Variety Club) and I have enjoyed the challenge of trying to do that.”

Qatar own this one in partnership with the colt’s breeder Maine Chance who were also on the mark with the Vaughan Marshall-trained Sequined on whom M.J. Byleveld made all in the Interbet.co.za Handicap.

Santa Clara, out of a full sister to champion sire Silvano, put herself in line for a crack at the Irridescence at the end of June by leading over a furlong out under Aldo Domeyer in the opening maiden juvenile fillies.

Candice Bass-Robinson, winning her ninth two-year-old race of the season, said: “She shows quite a bit of pace and she travels comfortably.”

The start of the other two-year-old race – won by Corne Orffer on the Glen Kotzen-trained 12-1 chance Crown Guardian – was delayed for almost ten minutes after one of the riders reported an “indentation” on the way to the start. The ground staff searched the area as carefully as the Turffontein diamond seekers but the hollow proved to be an optical illusion. Even so the jockeys promptly avoided the area like the plague.

The Andre Nel-trained East Lynne (“Tiny, not much bigger than a pony”) and Bernard Fayd’Herbe spoiled Piet Steyn’s 60^th birthday celebrations by readily beating Hammie’s Fan in the Tabonline Maiden.

In the early part of the season Louis Burke was being hailed as the next star apprentice but then it all went cold and the Mike Stewart-trained Al Wahed in the fifth was the still-talented Burke’s first winner for over five months. Jason Smitsdorff also knows what it feels like to go out of fashion but it hasn’t stopped him battling and he was rewarded with his first success since before Christmas on Kotzen’s Star Of London in the Supabets Handicap.

But it was Morne Winnaar who provided the biggest surprise of the day when leading over a furlong out on 16-1 shot Piracy, trained and part-owned by Geoff Woodruff, in the last.

• The Betting World screens showed nothing more informative than a new place rule throughout the afternoon. “It’s a national problem,” explained the long-suffering girl on the desk when asked, for the umpteenth time, what had happened to the prices.

By Michael Clower

Head Honcho, backed like there were no seconds on July day last year, scraped home by the narrowest of margins, much to the relief of many a punter who had braved the early morning chill at the official gallops, where Andre Nel’s runner had put up a particularly eye-catching piece of work.

That was then, in two months’ time he could be taking his place in the Vodacom Durban July proper as he turned in a battling display yesterday to deny Pack Leader and Dark Moon Rising in The Sledgehammer (Listed) in the race moved from Scottsville to Greyville.

Head Honcho (Candiese Marnewick)

Greg Cheyne took over in the saddle from an indisposed Keagan de Melo and he rode the perfect race as he had Head Honcho handy throughout and took up the challenge at just the right time.

Pack Leader came at him hard over the final furlong but Head Honcho kept finding gamely to just hold off the Investec Derby third.

Dark Moon Rising ran on late for third while the well supported The Slade had every chance in fourth but is likely to improve, this being his first outing in three months.

Brett Crawford may not have much luck with his first foray overseas as his Sun Met winner Whisky Baron never found his feet, but Crawford’s run of form continues back home as he landed both The Scarlet Lady and Natal Carbineers Highland Night Cup.

Parabola was the subject of some inspired market support for The Scarlet Lady and it proved to be money on the button as she came home hard under Corne Orffer to edge out top weight Premier Dance who was also well supported to edge out Ngaga at the top of the boards.

Ngaga was caught three deep throughout and was never a factor in the straight.

Blinkers or not blinkers, Hero’s Quest has taken a new lease on life since arriving in KZN and made most of the running to win the shortened Natal Carbineers Highland Night Cup. Orffer rode a forward race on the gelding who kept rolling stoutly in the home straight to win rather handsomely.

Favourite Kapen Pride threatened briefly at the top of the straight but was one-pace the last furlong with a blanket covering second to sixth.

On that showing, Kapen Pride does not appear to stay further than a mile while Hero Quest, racing without his customary blinkers, underlined his chances in the big staying races due in the next three months.

Vaughan Marshal opened his winter season account in the fourth as Lord Balmoral defied top weight in a driving three-way finish to hold off Summer Sky, who came from a long way back, and Tribal Fusion who came up short the last 50m.

By Andrew Harrison

Visiting trainers have yet to make a major impact in the races leading up to Champions Season and although Dean Kannemeyer is still regarded as a ‘Cape’ trainer he has an active Summerveld satellite yard. Kannemeyer’s Clifton Crusher clashes with Vaughan Marshall’s Provocateur in the second on the poly at Greyville tonight in the meeting postponed from Wednesday.

Anton Marcus (Liesl King)

Clifton Crusher has the benefit of having raced around the Greyville turn where he started favourite only to run into the highly rated Goliath Heron. That was in soft ground but Kannemeyer runners have good form on the poly and with that race under his girth, a plum draw and Anton Marcus aboard, Marshall may have to wait a little longer for his first KZN winner this season although that is no foregone conclusion.

Provocateur was allowed to start at long odds in his Durbanville debut and was running on strongly behind winner Sacred Arrow. It was a smart debut from a colt with an A-division pedigree and Clifton Crusher will not have things his own way.

The card is littered with lowly handicaps that have attracted full fields so punters will have their work cut out finding winners.

Either Clifton Crusher or Provocateur should suffice in the opening leg of the PA but the opening leg of the Pick 6 is a lot more difficult but London Knight is consistent and goes well on the poly. He also takes a big drop in class so has something going for him.

Sunny Bill Du-Toy shows promise and looks the right one in the fourth when he steps up to what should be a more suitable trip. He could be worth banking in smaller perms but Monsieur Blanco found a ton of market support at his second start and is likely to make further improvement.

The fifth is wide open and it may be prudent to load this leg of all exotics although Agencefrancepresse was out-paced late by the rejuvenated Tuscan last time out and will prefer the extra furlong tonight.

Similarly, the sixth but Sea Urchin is down in class and the blinkers come off over this extended trip that should suit.

Northern Storm could snap a sequence of runner-up places in the seventh but the form goes a lot deeper with the likes of Zinzara, Roy’s Snowdrops and La Suerte De Matar possibly best in another tough line-up.

Pink Cadillac and Escape Club are the pick of the final event with Lady Jay a trifecta possibility.

By Andrew Harrison

Turffontein Standside tomorrow features the Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes over 1600m and Folk Dance could upset Nother Russia.

Nother Russia (JC Photographics)

Folk Dance has a fine action which enables her to find gears in the straight at the right time. However, she can be a bit strong in the running so is at her best when well drawn. The last time she had a good draw was in the Fillies Mile and she hacked up. She now has a draw just one higher than her draw in that race, so Keagan de Melo will have a chance of finding good cover. If he does she will have a chance of defeating a similar type in Nother Russia. The latter is also able to find gears in the straight and is drawn in pole. She is coming off a fine second to the imperious miler Legal Eagle so is not surprisingly the 14/10 favourite with WSB in the early market, whereas Folk Dance is good value at 25/1. Cascapedia is the unknown factor. She has won five of six starts including two Grade 3s but has never been tested at this level. She was fancied for the Sun Met but was scratched after travelling down badly from Johannesburg.

She has improved since the blinkers were fitted and is undefeated with the headgear on. All of those races were over 1800m but she won her debut over 1400m and has been seen to over race a touch before, so this trip should be ideal running fresh. On the downside she is drawn wide. Silvan Star from the Cape has always struck as having plenty of class and has not had the luckiest of careers. However, she showed she can mix it with the best when running a 2,1 length fourth to probably the best miler filly in the land, Snowdance, in the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes. She has a plum draw of three and will make her presence felt. Orchid Island was most disappointing in the Horse Chestnut when finishing more than 15 lengths behind Nother Russia, but if bouncing back to her best could feature, although she would prefer further. Al Danza has come into her own and is a dark horse over an ideal course and distance.

Simply Royal is another one who could surprise as she is well-bred and oozes class, while being a daughter of Silvano she will be improving all the time. Gimme Six has finished narrowly behind Silvan Star in her last two starts over 1600m and 1450m and has a wide draw to overcome. But she does have a fine turn of foot. Heaps Of Fun won the Gauteng Fillies Guineas but has not reproduced that effort over a mile to date. She’s A Giver finished second to Bela Bela in the Garden Province, although her wide draw will be against her as one who only just gets a mile. Safe Harbour can be a factor if reproducing her form of last season. Fish River proved her class in the Three Troikas over 1400m and is interesting with first-time blinkers on. Tahini looks held at this level but often surprises.

By David Thiselton

Joey Ramsden’s repeated bid to overcome what he regards as a miserly weight allowance with a two-year-old should be rewarded with victory for Tarsus in the Betting World Maiden at Kenilworth tomorrow.

It is quite common for juveniles to beat the three-year-olds in maidens towards the end of the season but less so in April. They receive only 3kg over 1 000m whereas the weight-for-age scale says they should be getting almost three times as much – the reasoning being that a good two-year-old should already be six lengths better than a three-year-old who is still not good enough to win after racing for over a year.

Joey Ramsden

Indeed only interference coming out of the pens stopped Ramsden’s Yolta doing it last Saturday while on Tuesday stable companions Carnage and Sans Regrets were second and third. Tarsus has the form to collect and is a confident choice.

Riaan van Reenen and Carl Burger are doing it the other way round with Celestial Storm in the first. They pitched her against older horses on debut and she led them a merry dance, quickening at halfway and looking like holding on until Capaill finished fast to catch her 50m out.

Punters have been unimpressed, so far at any rate, and have allowed her to drift from 9-2 to 13-2 but the booking of Bernard Fayd’Herbe is a major plus and she can beat Santa Clara who is 13-10 favourite with World Sports Betting.

Captain Of Tortuga is very short at 11-10 for his debut in the TAB Telebet Maiden Juvenile – he is a R4.5 million Captain Al out of triple Grade 1 winner Ebony Flyer and so a half-brother to Cot Campbell – and 22-10 shot Shadowing is chosen to confirm last time’s placings with Perfect Symmetry.

The TAbonline.co.za Maiden (race three) is more difficult because there is so little between 16-10 favourite East Lynne, Hammie’s Fan (17-10) and Everdene (5-2) who has more scope for improvement than the other two. Maybe Hammie’s Fan.

The much-improved Northern Corner has won three of his last four and is on a hat-trick in the Winter Series Handicap. A little surprisingly he has only been raised three points for his last win and, with the capable Sandile Mbhele still able to claim 4kg, the 28-10 favourite may be able to defy top weight. Pillar Of Hercules, 7-2 and only raised a kilo for his most recent win, together with Virtue (7-1) look the most obvious dangers.

The handicappers must have been feeling generous recently because Omega Force was not raised at all for last time’s second and Grant van Niekerk’s mount looks good for the Supabets Handicap.

By Michael Clower