After showing potential early in his career, Varallo was effectively an under achiever after his maiden win but gelding finally brought out the best of him at Greyville yesterday.

This was his second run after gelding and also his second for Dennis Bosch after the Charles Laird handed in his trainer’s brief and instead of turning it up under pressure, Varallo finally went on with his effort under Gunter Wrogemann to get the better of Flying Free and more fancied stable companion Founding Father.

In a small field, Anthony Delpech went forward on Founding Father and looked to have made the right decision in front turning for home as Flying Free, hot on his heels, battling to go with him.

Varallo (Candiese Marnewick)

However, Varallo finished with a wet sail on their outside and Flying Free, at one stage looking to disappear out of the back door, found another gear and came hard at the winner but too late to catch him.

With that run under his girth and gelding, Varallo may finally realise his potential while Flying Free is one for the notebook and should not be long in finding the winner’s enclosure.

Shane Humby, former assistant to Herman Brown Snr, and long-time resident of Cape Town, has not had the best of luck since returning to KZN and Ashburton in particular. His string has been dogged by a recurring virus but hopefully things have turned for the good as Socrates ran out an easy winner of his maiden, beating strongly fancied favourite Sand Path.

It proved no race, Socrates coming home by five with Sand Path also well clear of the chasing pack.

Humby’s horses are starting to find form and the stable could pay to follow.

Socrates was the first of an Anton Marcus four-timer, the third leg being a copybook ride on Champenois for Dennis Drier and the controversial Mayfair Speculators outfit of disgraced Steinhoff boss, Markus Jooste.

Most are in the dark on how Jooste’s vast racing empire is being disbanded, and the National Horseracing Authority is tight lipped, but the Mayfair colours are still in evidence much to pubic chagrin.

But thoroughbred racehorses cannot be left idle in their stables, no matter the shenanigans of their owners, and it is up to their trainers to keep them at their peak until the dust has settled.

Champenoise, a half-sister to the smart Pierre Jourdan, showed enough early in her career for Dennis Drier to include her in his Cape summer raiding string but in her first start she bumped the crack filly Snowdance and ran well below form. It was a better effort next time out but back home yesterday she showed her best form to grind down long-time leader Call Me Winter who had dropped from a rating high of 102 to 75 yesterday and looks competitive once again off her lower mark.

Toltec took the step up in class into his stride in the Track & Ball Shelley Beach Handicap bursting through late to snatch victory in a blanket finish.

One could have thrown a blanket over the first six home but Tristan Godden produced Lezeanne’s Forbes’s gelding with a perfectly timed finish to snatch victory from Border Control.

By Andrew Harrison

Whisky Baron put in a smart gallop at Meydan yesterday in preparation for the Gr1 Jebel Hatta Sponsored by Emirates Airlines on Dubai World Cup night this Saturday.

Kevin Shea, former jockey and now television presenter, is in Dubai with Mike de Kock and Brett Crawford for Saturday’s big meeting.

Shea spoke to Whisky Baron’s rider, Irishman Colm O’Donoghue, after the gallop and his big race jockey said, “He’s in great form. He has improved from his last run and is moving great and feels good. He did 23.9 secs hard-held for the last 400m. I think I had four more gears. I am looking forward to Saturday.”

The $300 000 race is over 1800m on turf and is off at 6.20pm South African time.

Shea flew to Dubai for this weekend’s Super Saturday race meeting as Dubai has a special place in his heart as he has had some wonderful success there including a close second aboard Lizard’s Desire in the 2010 World Cup. “It is lovely to see all my old mates again,” said Shea

Shea spent some time at the De Kock yard with assistant trainer Trevor Brown and one of the yards work riders Divan Neethling, formerly from the Duncan Howells stable here in South Africa.

Shea reports that all of Noa From Goa, Light The Lights and Janoobi look particularly well. Whisky Barron made a smart debut at Meydan and he looks set for a massive run come Saturday.

By Warren Lenferna

Lyle Hewitson was glad to get “the monkey off his back” on Tuesday at the Vaal when passing the record number of winners for an apprentice.

Ironically the 285^th winner of his professional career, on the Sean Tarry-trained Shenanigans, was recorded exactly two years to the day after he made his professional debut.

He said he had not been under any pressure, but with so much media focus on the record he had wanted to get it over with and “kick on.”

He certainly got Shenanigans to kick on as the Dynasty colt swept through to win going away and thus convert 16/10 favouritism.

Fittingly, Gavin Lerena, the previous holder of the apprentice record, later opened the champagne bottle for the celebrations.

Lyle Hewitson

Hewitson is currently in second place on the National Jockeys log on 88 winners, 33 behind the title holder Anthony Delpech, and is 52 winners clear of Ashton Arries in his defence of the Apprentice Championship.

He said, “Mr Delpech receives unbelievable support around the country and realistically it is not possible to catch him. But I am proud of what I have done so far this season and want to maintain my spot near the top of the log and retain the Apprentice Championships.”

He added one of his remaining goals for the season is to win his first Grade 1 race.

He said of his goals for next season, “For the first five months of the season I aim to just enjoy my racing and you then see where you are before deciding whether to give it a full bash.”

One of his long term ambitions is to ride overseas.

Hewitson organises his own rides and is well supported. In Johannesburg he rides for reigning national champion trainer Sean Tarry, as well as Mike Azzie and Gary Alexander and in Port Elizabeth he is stable jockey to Yvette Bremner. He sometimes rides in KZN and in big meetings in Cape Town, and in the odd meeting in Kimberley. His 88 wins this season include 48 on the Highveld, 31 in PE, four in KZN, three in Cape Town and two in Kimberley.

Hewitson plans each race he rides in meticulously. He said, “When I study the form it is firstly about working out how much pace there is going to be and how to run my horse in comparison, so I might want to be further back if there is a lot of speed and handier in a race which lacks pace. I then plan my race in relation to the horses I need to beat.”

Hewitson is acutely aware of all the horses around him in a race, especially the main dangers, and which ones he would or would not want to be following. As Michael Roberts once said, bad luck in a race is usually just a lack of homework.

Hewitson continued, “The most important phase of the race is from the start until the 400m mark. It is all about the process of relaxing your horse, being in the right position and travelling well. If you get to the 400m mark the way you planned to, then your horse will win if it is good enough.”

He said his strength at this stage lay in being “an all rounder”, but added, “it is all related to what quality of horse you are able to get on to”.

“A good horse makes you look good,” he said.

Jockey skills and presenting oneself well are a vital coupling in order to get on to those good horses and Hewitson, who matriculated with five A’s at Kearsney College, has them both.

However, he said in this sport one never stopped learning and through natural progression believed he would continue to make minor improvements in all areas.

When Gavin Lerena rode Rock Blast to victory at Turffontein on 12 May, 2007, he broke the record of 260 winners for an apprentice which had been set by the legendary Michael Roberts more than thirty years earlier.

Roberts said at the time of Lerena, “He is a good kid with a bright future” and added he liked the fact that he was both “very patient and very consistent.” He proved to be correct as Lerena went on to become a National Champion Jockey and has ridden many Grade 1 winners and has also excelled in Jockey Challenge events in both Hong Kong and England.

Roberts said of Hewitson this week, “I’ve watched Lyle from the days he rode in workrider races. He rides with his head and by the time he became an apprentice he was so much more advanced than the other apprentices. His success has come as no surprise. From early on you could see he was going to make it. He’s a good kid and he has very good grounding.  He will definitely be a champion jockey, that’s written all over him. He conducts himself well and he’s very presentable.”

Hewitson rode 23 winners as a workrider and also won the Workriders Challenge Series on the Highveld. He is the son of UK-born former jockey Carl Hewitson, who is these days the assistant trainer to Yvette Bremner. Lyle used to canter Bremner’s horses when visiting his father on school holidays and he then began workriding at Summerveld after befriending Anthony Delpech’s son at Kearsney College in grade 8.

He was thus an accomplished rider by the time he arrived at the Academy and had a head start.

Lerena reportedly took 3,326 rides to reach his record while Nooresh Juglall, who rode 248 winners as an apprentice, took 3,237 rides. Hewitson’s 285^th winner came in his 2,653rd ride. The exact statistics on Roberts’ performance are not available.

Lerena had to wait until after his apprenticeship to record his first Grade 1 winner on Kings Gambit in the SA Classic in April 2008 and he rode the same horse to victory in the SA Derby a month later.

By David Thiselton

The Vaal Outside Track has a lowkey nine race meeting but there look to be opportunities for exotic and on-the-nose punters alike.

In race six over 1000m the bottom weight, Sirtain, still looks to be learning so has plenty of scope for further improvement. This four-year-old Australian-bred by Not A Single Doubt started his career with two ordinary runs, but blinkers then turned him around and, after winning his maiden by 4,1 lengths, he won a handicap last time cosily. He has a middle draw on a track, which tends to favour outside draws and off only a three point higher mark has a fine chance, although he is stepping up from MR69 class to MR84 class. Delpech rides which will be a bonus. The topweight Clever Guy has been facing top class fields and has dropped to an attractive merit rating. He is drawn on the standside rail and has Strydom up in his third run after a layoff, so has a shout. Rebel’s Champ is not the most reliable, but has ability. He seems to run best when away from other horses at which point he makes an early charge for home with telling effect. He can also be a threat. However, the progressive Sirtain is selected as a banker for all exotics.

Costa Da Sol

In the last race over 1600m, No Man’s Land caught the eye last time staying on over this trip from a tricky draw at Turffontein and he now has a favourable high draw by trends. This son of Oratorio has only had five starts and now that he is going over the mile should start coming into his own. Marco van Rensburg stays aboard which is significant, as he has become a rider out of the top drawer. Tumbling Stream could be dangerous from the front, although there might be a question about him staying the trip. He led over 1400m last time and finished a decent 2,25 length second. Over this step up in trip he will be able to take it easier in front from a nice high draw, as long as he settles, and he might enjoy the trip despite being by sprinter King’s Apostle because his Western Winter dam won over 1800m. Divine Connection will relish the step up in trip as he only got going late when winning over 1400m last time. He runs off a reasonable merit rating

In the seventh race over 1400m Schippers is an interesting runner first time out the maidens. This Var filly is out of a Count Dubois three-time winning sprinter, which doesn’t augur well for the step up to 1400m. However, last time she ran on from behind over 1160m and then found another gear when challenged late, so she has a chance of seeing out this trip. If she doesn’t the pieces could be picked up by Amanika. Last time over this course and distance she seemed to hit a flat spot when it started getting serious, but she then suddenly picked up and won more cosily than the head margin suggests. She will be improving all the time being by Silvano and for the second time in succession has the favourable standside draw. Record-breaking apprentice Lyle Hewitson remains aboard.

In the second race, a workrider’s maiden over 1600m, Agent Kay would have been made the best bet of the day if he had not landed a low draw. Last time over 1800m he raced a bit keenly, which was costly in the end, so he will relish the step down in trip. He has been catching the eye lately and looks a cut above this field, so he can still win it despite the unfavourable draw by trends. He has a fair workrider aboard in Siyabonga Mthembu.

The third race will be tricky for PA punters with eight first-timers involved and little form having been shown by the raced runners. Railtrip and Coyote Girl make most appeal of the first-timers on pedigree and of the raced runners Liquid Gold has found support in both of her starts and ran two fair races.

The first leg of the Pick 6 is also tricky, but the first-timer rule could come to punters rescue. Considering draws and overall form Ancient Spirit, Bourbon Bouquet and Flying Falcon could get punters through the Pick 6.

In the first leg of the Jackpot the first-timer What A Fizz, who is by the exciting new sire What A Winter out of a Listed-placed Argentinian-bred mare, is tipped to beat the best of the raced runners, That’s Life.

By David Thiselton

Legal Eagle has -a little surprisingly perhaps – been installed favourite as short as 18-10 for the Premier’s Champions Challenge at Turffontein on May 5.

Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

The dual Horse of the Year’s suspected vulnerability over 2 000m was confirmed when he was beaten by 25-1 shot Deo Juvente in last year’s race. He managed only fourth when tried over the distance again in the Sun Met and, although he went off favourite once more, his price was 57-20.

World Sports Betting makes Triple Crown winner Abashiri second favourite at 11-2 for the Grade 1 with last year’s third Nother Russia next on 8-1. Deo Juvente is a 45-1 shot this time while French Navy (fourth last year) is quoted at 35-1.

Glen Kotzen is going to send his Cape Derby third Pack Leader to Durban as well as Eyes Wide Open who won that race.

He said: “Both will go for the Daisy Guineas (May 6) and the Daily News (June 2) but Pack Leader could be the July horse as he is likely to have less weight while Eyes Wide Open could go for the Champions Cup.”

Both horses carry the yellow and blue checked diamond colours of Hugo Hattingh’s Chrigor Stud but Pack Leader’s breeders Bruce and Ann Nicholas are partners in the Philanthropist colt.  Kotzen famously made a clean sweep of the Guineas, Daily News and Vodacom Durban July with Big City Life in 2009.

By Michael Clower

It took a little longer than expected! Stuck on 284 winners, Lyle Hewitson needed just one more winning ride to eclipse the number of victories by an apprentice after he had equaled Gavin Lerena’s mark of 284 wins at Greyville on Sunday.

With almost a full card of rides for Sean Tarry at The Vaal yesterday, it proved a frustrating afternoon until he finally broke the ice on Shenanigans, his last mount of the afternoon for Tarry.

Lyle Hewitson

It was fitting that his record-breaking ride was for Tarry as the champion trainer has been a pillar in the 20-year-old Hewitson’s career.

Hewitson only comes out of his apprenticeship early next year and after he won on Roy Had Enough and reached the magical 284 wins on Sunday, he said: “I’ve still got nine months to run and I intend to build up as big a lead as possible during the time.”

Hewitson had extensive work riders experience and was crowned champion before being accepted at the SA Jockey Academy after matriculating at Kearsney College and his apprenticeship was cut to three years.

He had his first ride as a fully-fledged apprentice at Scottsville on March 6, 2016 and trainers were quick to capitalise on his experience and 4kg claim. In a little over three months 60 winners were in the bag and he was in with the big boys without his apprentice claim.

It was more than 10 years ago that Lerena broke the original record set up by Michael Roberts of 260.

While exact stats on Roberts’ performance are not available, we do know Lerena took 3,326 rides to reach his record while Nooresh Juglall, who rode 248 winners as an apprentice, took 3,237 rides. Hewitson has ridden his 285 winners in 2,790 rides.

By Andrew Harrison

Flying Free has toured the country in his short career and although only managing a single victory in his 11 starts he races off a hefty MR of 97 that sees him carrying top weight in the Track & Ball Stanger Handicap that heads a testing Greyville card – all races on the poly.

Flying Free was close to the top of the pile as a juvenile, finishing a close-up fourth to Purple Diamond in the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe on July day and was caught late in two subsequent starts.

Founding Father (Candiese Marnewick)

Gavin van Zyl then shipped him to the Highveld where he disappointed in the Graham Beck Stakes behind the then promising but now deceased Zen Arcade.

His best run to date was in the Dingaans, beaten just over a length by Monks Hood, and not having much luck in the running from his outside draw.

He makes his poly debut under a hefty burden but strikes as a horse with some potential and could prove up to the task although it will not be easy against some hard-knocking older horses.

He was firm at 11-2 with raceday sponsors Track & Ball early yesterday.

Founding Father, 5-2 ante-post favourite, has registered all four of his victories on the poly and comes off a recent demolition of the game and consistent El Ciberano for which he took an eight-point hike in the handicap. Judging by the gaps between his races he is obviously a horse with issues so Dennis Bosch ensures that he is fully tuned when making it to the track.

Stable companion Varallo has attracted the early money, in from 7-2 to 33-10. The gelding has been disappointing given his form in some useful company and he surrendered tamely when fourth behind Sunset Eyes at Scottsville. That was however, his first run for Bosch and his first since gelding, so can possibly be given another chance. Certainly, a win would not be out of turn.

Louis Goosen has enjoyed an 18.6% winning strike rate since arriving in Ashburton and one of his stable stalwarts is the giant Haddington who had one win behind his name in 21 starts before arriving in KZN. His next seven starts resulted in four wins and three in the money and another win looks possible when he lines up in the Track & Ball Shelly Beach Handicap. A mile on the poly is possibly at the bottom of his optimum range but he is a relentless galloper and barring accidents should be involved.

The Brett Crawford / Anthony Delpech combination is proving lucrative to follow and Haddington could have his hands full fighting off Border Control, favourite at 3-1 with Haddington and Subtropical bracketed at 4-1. Border Control’s last win was over course and distance beating Forceful Rush and he has been close-up at his last two.

Prosperous is the early market mover in the Track & Ball Pietermaritzburg maiden, opening leg of the Pick 6. The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained filly has been improving slowly in soft ground but the initial 22-1 on offer has been snapped up and she is now 15-1 but Dark Sienna remains 2-1 favourite although there are five horses quoted at 5-1 and shorter in a race that typifies a difficult card.

By Andrew Harrison

Defending Vodacom Durban July champion trainer Candice Bass-Robinson said she would be unlikely to have a runner in the big race this year and her chief focus of this year’s SA Champions Season will be the Scottsville Festival of Speed meeting where she will likely run Dutch Philip, Live Life and Magical Wonderland.

Her best male sprinter Dutch Phillip, who became an instant multi-millionaire when winning the US$500,000 CTS 1200 on Sun Met day, has been merit rated 115, so his task won’t be easy in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m on May 26 at Scottsville. Bass-Robinson said this three-year-old What A Winter colt was the only one of her horses who would be a possibility for the Grade 1 weight for age Mercury Sprint, although she was not yet sure what route he would be taking.

Dutch Philip (Liesl King)

Bass-Robinson also won the CTS 1200 last year with the filly Live Life and she is coming off a fine third place finish in the Grade 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship over 1000m. The Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m is her obvious target. This Trippi four-year-old has responded well to the use of a new bit after choking up on her seasonal reappearance in the Laisserfaire Stakes over 1100m. However, her two best efforts in three subsequent runs were both over 1000m. In her other run over 1200m she was perhaps too handy, so settling in the running and finding cover will still be a slight issue at Scottsville. She raced twice at the Pietermaritzburg track last season, finishing a narrow third in the Grade 3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1200m and a disappointing 5,65 length ninth in the SA Fillies Sprint.

The three-year-old What A Winter filly Magical Wonderland will also be going for the SA Fillies Sprint and will likely be the yard elect. She went into the CTS 1200 unbeaten in five sprints and had proved her class by also finishing second and fourth respectively in the Grade 2 WCF Championship over 1400m and the Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas. However, sprinting is her forte, and starting 11/10 favourite for the CTS 1200 she finished a good two length third, 1,65 lengths clear of the next best filly. Bass-Robinson did not mention whether Magical Wonderland would be earmarked for the Grade 2 Tibouchina over 1400m two weeks after the SA Fillies Sprint, but she would be a good candidate for that race.

She mentioned Ollivander and Leaves Of Grass as two other horses who would be among the smallest Bass yard SA Champions season string for many seasons.

The former, a four-year-old Silvano gelding, has achieved numerous stakes places from 1800m up to 2800m. In his penultimate start he finished a 2,05 length third in the Grade 2 Western Cape Stayers and in his only other attempt at a staying race, he finished third in last year’s Grade 3 Winter Derby. The 99 merit rated-gelding looks likely to be a candidate for the Gold Cup and other middle-distance and staying events.

Leaves Of Grass, an Australian-bred four-year-old filly, won the Listed Jamaica Handicap over 2000m last time out when 2kg under sufferance off a 76 merit rating. She has been raised to an 84, but minor features look to be her target.

Bass-Robinson said her hopes of having a July runner would rest on any of her three-year-olds excelling in the Cape Winter classics. However, after mentioning two candidates for that series, Selangor Cup winner Rocket Countdown and the improving Ben-Hur, she added they had some way to go to be up to July standard.

By David Thiselton

Featured Image: Candice Bass-Robinson (hamishNIVENPhotography)