Vaughan Marshall sent a chilling ripple of fear through the Milnerton training centre on Saturday morning when he scratched all his six runners from that day’s Kenilworth card because of a respiratory virus.

For obvious reasons it was felt most by his immediate neighbours Greg Ennion and Candice Bass-Robinson  (“I don’t need that going into Met day”) but Marshall, speaking at the Convention Centre’s cauldron of dreams that evening, played it down.

He said: “It’s just a few horses that are affected and I did it as a precaution. We are taking no chances and we have also nebulised them all.”

Vaughan Marshall

He confirmed that Alec and Gillian’s Investec Derby favourite Tap O’Noth is fine and on course for Saturday. But for Andre Nel and Platter Racing’s Rondeberg yard 100 kilometres up the coast the nightmare continues.

Abnormal bloodcounts forced them to scratch all Saturday’s four runners and, with the problem having continued on and off for many weeks, Nel has now  brought in a virologist and is toying with the idea of shutting up shop for a short period.

In any case stable jockey stable jockey Donovan Dillon will be out of action for another three weeks because of a broken bone in his right hand that has sidelined him for the past fortnight.

He said: “It happened coming out of the starting gate shortly before the Queen’s Plate. I didn’t think much of it to begin with but it then began to get more and more sore. It is now getting better and I am due to see the doctor again on 12 February.”

Ken Truter has purchased CTS 1600 favourite Talk Of The Town from Mayfair Speculators. The price is undisclosed but the shrewd Truter is only 2-1 against winning over R3 million on Saturday.

Last year’s Sun Met winner Whisky Baron is also on course to collect big money, in his case in Dubai, and Brett Crawford said: “He is doing very well there. He’s been on the grass and on the main track and is on schedule to run in the Zabeel Mile (Group 2) on 22 February.”

With 13 horses scratched last Saturday’s Kenilworth card was left looking like the equine equivalent of the Marie Celeste and all bar the last race averaged less than six runners.

As a result they took less winning than usual but two of them were won by horses who look like beating the handicapper again next time even though both winners have an unviable medical history.

With Marion Belle it’s due to an offset knee. However Crawford said: “It’s an ongoing thing but it’s manageable. She is a decent filly and she has the ability.”

Seemingly not even the best vets could find what was wrong with Brave Move. “Before she even ran she developed a massive swelling on her hock and nobody could tell us what it was,” related Adam Marcus. “We tried ice-bandaging and box rest but in the end it was time that proved the great healer. Even now, though, she wears magnetic therapy boots in her box.”

By Michael Clower

…so does KZN with a number of runners missing yesterday’s Scottsville meeting due to temperatures and respiratory infections.

The Racing. It’s a Rush Pinnacle Stakes only drew eight runners and that was cut to five as Mark Dixon had two casualties due to respiratory infections and Marsala missed her engagement after being cast in her box.

Duncan Howells also had a ‘patient’ on his hands with the well fancied Holy Flame forced to miss the last race on the card but he took full toll in the Pinnacle Stakes as his runners bagged the first three places for staunch owner Dave MacLean.

Fiorella (Candiese Marewick)

Dawn Calling is probably the best Novice in racing and for the ninth time in her career had to settle for a runner-up berth as stable companion Fiorella got the better of her in a tight finish with the least fancied Girl In Gold holding on to third from top weight Lala.

It was always going to be a race where tactics were going to play a big part and it was left to Anton Marcus to make the bidding as he allowed Dawn Calling to pull herself to the front with Anthony Delpech settling Fiorella off the pace, kept company by Lala.

Dawn Calling was keen throughout and although Marcus tried to keep some gas in the tank when challenged, the needle quickly dropped to empty when Fiorella arrived with a telling challenge.

Fiorella gave Delpech a quick double as he had earlier got up on the line aboard the Dean Kannemeyer-trained favourite Pure Logic in the Gold Circle Facebook Page Handicap.

With Delpech hard at work at the top of the straight, Keagan de Melo appeared to have timed his run to perfection on second favourite Coys for Paul Lafferty, but Pure Logic gradually found top gear to get up on the line.

Lafferty was also out of luck earlier as favourite Majestic Glory was one of the biggest sufferers in a logjam in the Rockafellas Handicap. Constantine, for once not missing the kick, raced up handy and avoided all the shouting and bellowing behind him to keep going just long enough under apprentice Diego de Goveia to hold off the late-charging Majestic Glory.

Belinda Impey’s Amor Ardiente looked the part in the Soccer 6 Handicap but when it came to the crunch, recent maiden winner Ballymaine had too many guns and drew off to win comfortably under Warren Kennedy for the grandfather and grandson training partnership of Ivan and Darryl Moore.

By Andrew Harrison

Fillies and mares have won three of the last eight runnings of the Sun Met but Mike De Kock freely admits that he did not consider running Cascapedia until shortly before the second supplementary stage. The Irish-bred has won five out of six and is as short as 9-1.

De Kock said: “She has defied her mark in each of her last two starts. She had no right to win the Turffontein Pinnacle on 23 December yet she did and in the London News last time she again had no right to beat the opposition at the weights. It was a good field and she won again.

“The manner in which she has risen through the ratings has impressed me – in fact I think she is still under-rated – and I thought she deserved her place in the field.”

The maestro is bidding for his fourth Met win following the legendary Horse Chestnut in 1999, Badger’s Coast 12 months later and the filly Igugu in 2012. He also runs Heavenly Blue (25-1) and 33-1 shot Nother Russia.

His Naafer is 7-2 favourite with the sponsors for Saturday’s Betting World Cape Flying Championship despite not having raced for two months.

De Kock explained: “The plan was to run him in the race in which Mujaafy was fourth (Diadem) and I thought he would have been good enough to win it but he was sick with a temperature when he arrived. If you take that away, everything has gone well with him. He is a good horse and he is a quality sprinter.”

By Michael Clower

Dawn Calling is possibly the best one-time winner racing but gets a chance to double her winning tally in the Racing. It’s A Rush Pinnacle Stakes at Scottsville on Sunday although punters will be treading carefully.

Duncan Howells has a strong hand in the eight-runner field and although Anton Marcus, who has been pencilled in behind many of the Howells runners recently, stays with Dawn Calling, it may be because of the weights. Marcus is hardly comfortable at 55.5kg so Anthony Delpech has picked up the plum ride on stable companion Fiorella.

Dawn Calling

On current evidence, Dawn Calling does not appear to have an optimum distance. Stretched to a mile she has come up one-paced on a number of occasions, although admittedly against superior opposition. Over sprints she lacks early ‘toe’.

If she does have an optimum trip it could be this 1400m and although she has again drawn the short straw as far as barriers go, she must rate an outstanding chance.

Dawn Calling and Fiorella finished within a neck of each other behind the rising star Hashtagyolo in the Flamboyant Stakes with the former one-paced and the latter running at them late. Sunday’s shorter trip could be the key to the outcome of this battle.

Mark Dixon has tossed She’s A Dream in at the deep end but although badly out at the handicap her two victories to date have been super impressive. She romped home in a MR70 Handicap last time out and put in a smart piece of work at Summerveld yesterday and would not have blown out a candle after her gallop so she is super fit. Is she good enough? Only the race will tell.

Top weight Lala is the best weighted in the field but Doug Campbell’s mare does appear to be lengths better on the poly.

On a tricky ten-race card, punters will be looking to cut down where possible and the Ashburton pairing of Amor Ardiente and High Green could be enough to get them through a difficult leg of the exotics.

Belinda Impey had a winner at Scottsville last Sunday when City Of Stars ran out a narrow winner and in Amor Ardiente she looks to have another bright chance for the winner’s enclosure. The gelding has his quirks but also useful form to back his claims. Racing from a wide draw last time out, he ran the smart mare Mark My Card to within a length. He meets slightly weaker here and has a better draw.

High Green shed his maiden for Lowan Denysschen last time out, blossoming over the extra. High Green comes out of some solid formlines and another win would not come as a surprise.

Majestic Glory was another recent maiden winner but Paul Lafferty thought enough of the Australian-bred colt to start him off in Cape Town during their season. It all came together first time of asking as Majestic Glory lived up to his billing as favourite. He takes on a few hard-knockers in his handicap debut in the Rockafellas Restaurant Handicap but does look to have enough scope to follow up on that win.

By Andrew Harrison

The Turffontein Saturday nine-race meting is headed by a MR88 Handicap for three-year-olds which looks to be a stepping stone for one or two decent sorts into the forthcoming Gauteng classics.

Yakeen looks to be classy and hard to beat in this race. In his second start in October he just failed to beat older horses over 1700m and he should have matured and strengthened since then. Delpech is aboard and they can beat stablemate Alshibaa considering they are getting 2kg from him. Alshibaa is well regarded and having won his first two starts and then running below par in the postponed Dingaans, he ran a cracker last time in third in the Listed Secretariat Stakes behind the top class Majestic Mambo. Aurora Australis has his second run after gelding and makes most appeal of the rest.

Corne Spies (Supplied)

Corne Spies has been as lethal as usual in the early season two-year-old races and has two well-bred first-timers in the first two races, so another two-year-old double looks on the cards for him. The first of them is called Rule The Sky, is a R375,000 Var half-brother to Grade 3 winner Jet Aglow, and the second of them is Miss Khalifa, a R250,000 Sail From Seattle half-sister to the three-time winning stakes-placed Fortissimus.

Punters can get through the first leg of the PA with Hero’s Honour, who went close over 1160m last time and, being by the excellent late sire Await The Dawn, will relish the step up in trip to 1600m here. Manhattan Cocktail is an interesting first-timer here, as he has the same sire as Whisky Baron, Manhattan Rain, and his dam by Charge Forward placed in her only start and is a three-quarters sister to a horse who has won from 1200-2400m, including a Group 2 and a Group 3, and is also a half-sister to another Group 2 winner.

The first leg of the Pick 6 over 1600m should see Shukamisa going close as he is a handy horse with a good kick and he has a good draw. He has second-time blinkers on and ran well with the headgear on from a wide draw last time. He is by Silvano so will be improving all the time and the Ormond Ferraris yard are starting to hit their straps as they had an impressive winner during the week.

Yakeen is tipped to be a banker in the second leg of the Pick 6 but the risk averse can also include Alshibaa and as these two are liking having preparation runs the like of Aurora Australis, Harlan County and Full Of Attitude could also be considered for those hoping for a train smash.

In the second leg of the Pick 6, a staying event over 3200m, Arte is coming into her own like a typical daughter of Ideal World, Casino has always been considered a fair staying in the making and Just A Jet is a talented but enigmatic type who can never be ignored.

In the next leg Vicomte has some class and packs a strong finish so will relish the slight step up to 1160m. However, he does have quite a low draw which might be against him, so Boatswain and Mujallad can be included.

In the next leg the improved Lauren Of Rochelle and the talented The Tin Man, who unfortunately has a breathing issue, can dominate the race and are taken as  the only two horses in the exotics.

The last leg of the Pick 6 is the toughest race on the card. Gaisge Gold is tipped to win having done well over this trip the last time he was drawn this well. Just A Gigolo has ability if things go his way and Strydom remains aboard. Flexible Fugitive took well to blinkers last time and will be in the shake up too as his low draw will suit his likely front-running effort. However the suggestion is to go as wide as possible in this race.

By David Thiselton

Earl Of Warwick stands out in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden at Kenilworth tomorrow and the Brett Crawford runner is a confident choice after going close on the last two of his three runs.

He was decidedly unlucky in a bigger and better field than this one the eve of the Queen’s Plate. Anton Marcus had the mount that day and made up between three and four lengths in the final furlong. He was beaten less than a neck and was unlucky not to get up.

Corne Orffer

Corne Orffer, a close second on the colt’s previous outing, is back on board and this should prove a useful preliminary to his ride on Captain America in the big one on Saturday week. The Earl is 16-10 favourite with World Sports Betting which has Green Archer (9-2) and Psychic (5-1) as the main dangers.

Donovan Dillon is sidelined until 13 February so Andre Nel has called on Bernard Fayd’Herbe for his fancied runners in the first two races. Chatuchak only just failed at Durbanville on New Year’s Day and is odds-on at 15-20 for the opening maiden but the form of 18-10 shot Prince Oracy reads the better and Aldo Domeyer’s mount gets the vote.

Nel put blinkers on Kampala Campari last month but they didn’t work the expected oracle and the horse hung in the closing stages. So they come off for the TAB Telebet Handicap and the gelding may oblige at 18-10.

Top weight Summer Sky is second favourite at 22-10 but there is a line of form which suggests that recent winner Perovskia (7-2) could beat him at the weights. However I reckon that the main danger to Fayd’Herbe’s mount is 4-1 chance Carbon Offset.

Mike Stewart’s pair Fujin (2-1) and Zanadu (3-1) dominate the market for the Betting World Maiden and the trainer said yesterday: “I think Zanadu has the advantage because she has raced more recently. Fujin is probably the better horse but he had a cough and has been off for a bit (over three months) and hasn’t had a grass gallop.”

Zanadu may have most to fear from the Joey Ramsden-trained Dance A Jig whose form two races back would be good enough.

Ramsden also has good prospects in the last with 7-2 shot Unicorn but it is an open race and Duntoche (11-2) could run her close. The sahorseracing computer, rather disturbingly, has Unicorn finishing out with the washing and Pumpkin Queen delivering a 12-1 shock from Azinza at 15-1!

By Michael Clower

Lammerskraal Stud horses have always been sought after at the Sales and they have a small but select draft of six colts at the forthcoming CTS Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

Some will be surprised to see one of their best mares, Strawberry Lane, being represented by a Seventh Rock colt.

Jallad mare Strawberry Lane has produced the dual Guineas winner Solo Traveller alongside a number of other multiple winners, including Strawberry Ice. The latter went on to produce Flying Ice, who won a Grade 2 and a Listed race for Sally’s trainer husband Neil Bruss.

Seventh Plain

However, Seventh Rock is not the most fashionable sire, despite having produced Grade 1-winner Guiness, dual Grade 1-winner Seventh Plain and Grade 1 runner up Rockin’ Russian.

But, Stud manager Sally Bruss explained that for anybody who was a fan of line-breeding, like she was, it was an exceptional mating, as it produced no fewer than six close up ancestors who were either duplicated or triplicated.

The USA-bred mare Flower Bowl is in both Seventh Rock’s and Strawberry Lane’s 6^th generation. Flower Bowl is the dam of His Majesty, who is the sire of Danehill’s dam Razyana (Danehill is the sire of Seventh Rock’s father Rock Of Gibraltar). Flower Bowl is the grandam of Whiskey Road, who produced the Australian-bred Strawberry Fair, the grandam of Strawberry Lane.

Australian-bred sire Century is in the fourth generation of both Seventh Rock and Strawberry Lane as he is grandsire of both of their dams, the New Zealand-bred Ruby Clipper and the Australian-bred Taineberry respectively.

The USA-bred Red God is in Seventh Rock’s sixth generation, being on the sire line of Ruby Clipper’s dam, the Australian-bred Miss Clipper. Red God is in Strawberry Lane’s fourth generation as the sire of Jallad’s father, Blushing Groom.

Northern Dancer appears in Seventh Rock’s male line twice, both in his fifth generation, and in the sixth generation of Strawberry Lane’s male line.

The British-bred Tudor Minstrel appears in both Seventh Rock’s and Strawberry Lane’s male lines in the sixth generation.

The Australian-bred Todman appears in Seventh Rock’s sixth generation as the damsire of Ruby, the dam of Ruby Clipper’s sire Rubiton. Todman appears twice in Strawberry Lane’s fifth generation. He is the damsire of Rainbeam, the dam of Taineberry’s sire Centaine, and he is also the sire of Taineberry’s grandam Avellino.

Sally admitted she was hoping the result of this mating would be a filly, as she would have had immediate paddock value. However, instead Lammerskraal have got a strapping colt, lot 149, “a lovely specimen who is perfect for the Sale physically.” He is sure to attract some interest and Dennis Drier might be one of the bidders, having trained both Guiness and Seventh Plain.

Strawberry Ice, who finished second in both the Grade 2 KRA Fillies Guineas and Prix du Cap, among other Graded places, has a colt by Dynasty (lot 148). Sally described this half-brother to Flying Ice as a “smashing colt.”

Sally said Lammerskraal’s best looking lot was lot 44, who is by Judpot out of twice-winning Western Winter mare, La Belle Helene. She described him as “magnificent, very attractive.”

Sally had been hoping for a good Cape Summer campaign from the Dennis Bosch-trained KZN raider Billy Silver as Lammerskraal have a half-brother to him on the sale by Duke Of Marmalade. However, nothing went right for the promising Billy Silver and Bosch decided to transport him home to fight another day, although he did emphasise the Silvano colt had lost none of the ability which had seen him winning his first two races impressively. Sally described this Duke Of Marmalade colt (lot 252) as “deep and muscular, like Billy Silver”, despite being a November foal.

Lot 36 will attract a lot of attention being by champion sire Silvano out of Grade 3 runner up Izora. The latter is by Western Winter out of the champion racehorse Icy Air. Izora is a sister or half-sister to three other stakes performers.

Lot 213 is an interesting colt being by Captain Al and the first foal of unraced Galileo mare Cantabella, who is a full-sister to Pretty Perfect, who won the Group 3 Munster Oaks in Ireland as well as a Listed race. Sally described this one as having “perfect conformation but he is a bit small.”

By David Thiselton

Justin Snaith said the cancellation of the Sun Met gallops saved him from having to scratch his Met contender Oh Susanna, whom he said will instead arrive at the race “spot on”, as will all four of his other contenders, African Night Sky, Copper Force, Krambambuli and Elusive Silva.

Oh Susanna, a smart three-year-old daughter of Street Cry, romped home to a cosy 1,5 length victory in the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m last time out despite over-racing in the early stages. Before that she flew home for second in the Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas after having to be dropped out from a wide draw. Snaith pointed out that when Street Cry fillies are good they are very good with the two best examples being the legends Zenyatta and Winks.

“There are no boundaries to them,” he said. “So with such a good pedigree, and as she is a young horse who is still raring to go, she has got to be respected carrying just 51,5kg.”

Justin Snaith

Snaith added, “But, she cannot afford to over-race in the Met”.

The Phillippi-based trainer began working on the over-racing issue immediately after the Paddock Stakes and said, “Fortunately playing polo has increased my knowledge of bits.”

A new bit has been part of the solution and he added, “I think the pace will be faster in the Met too, which will help.”

Oh Susanna’s set up with the bit is now similar to the one applied to Bela-Bela. Snaith also drew a comparison with Dancer’s Daughter, who many wrote off before the 2008 Vodacom Durban July as she had pulled hard when winning her previous outing in the Gold Challenge over 1600m at Clairwood. Dancer’s Daughter then settled beautifully in the July after the over-racing antic had been worked on in the build up.

Snaith was quoted after the Cape Fillies Guineas saying Oh Susanna tended to “take her races hard.” However, he is beginning to change his view on this one, particularly as he now knows just how classy she is.

He said, “The Paddock Stakes was her hardest race, make no mistake, so I have had to be quite careful. But horses with class can handle more and she is also maturing. I am testing all of her ability and am getting the feeling now she is the type of horse who can handle it. It is a big ask but the good news is that if they had gone ahead with the Met gallops we would have had to scratch her. She can’t do it all. Cancelling the gallops has helped a lot and given us the opportunity to run her.”

Winter Triple Crown hero African Night Sky did not have much luck in the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate, as he was caught one wide without cover the whole way. Snaith was upbeat about the four-year-old Dynasty gelding’s chances in the Met and said, “That was his second run after a rest in a fast run race and he finished only 2,9 lengths back. Over 2000m, in his third run after a rest, he will finish closer.”

He was also bullish about Copper Force’s chances. The four-year-old Royal Air Force gelding nearly caused a major shock in the Queen’s Plate when flying through for a 0,4 length second. Snaith said, “He was very unlucky as he came from last and couldn’t get a run in the straight, he had to be switched twice, and the winner also wouldn’t give up. Legal Eagle is a tough horse and showed incredible guts.”

There is a possible question mark about Copper Force enjoying 2000m, but Snaith said, “I don’t see why he shouldn’t get it. The best milers can win the Met.”

Snaith used Flaming Rock, trained by his father Chris, and Legal Eagle as examples, although both were twice runners-up without ever winning.

Oh Susanna (Liesl King)

Krambambuli is rated a 50/1 shot by Betting World, but Snaith said on the performance of his last start in the Grade 2 Peninsula Handicap over 1800m, he “without doubt has a shout.” On paper that run does not look exceptional as the six-year-old Black Minnaloushe gelding was 5,25 lengths back in fifth. However, Snaith pointed out, “He carried 60kg so gave the whole field weight and he came from last, 20 lengths back, and cut through the field like a knife through butter. I thought it was the most impressive run of the day together with Oh Susanna’s run in the Paddock Stakes.”

Snaith’s five-year-old Silvano gelding Elusive Silva is also 50/1 with Betting World. His class was proven by his impressive wins in the Grade 3 Winter Derby in 2016 and the Listed Sledgehammer over 1800m last year, where he showed an exceptional turn of foot on both occasions. However, his career has been beset by injury. In his latest comeback he ran on well from well back in the running in the Peninsula and finished a 6,35 length ninth.

Snaith said, “That was a prep run and he has come on a lot for it. But I do worry about his capability in a weight for age event like this.”

He concluded by saying that Oh Susanna was one to watch out for, as being a three-year-old brought in an unknown factor, and he said there was not much between his four older horses.

He has been happy so far with all of their preparations and is also happy with the jockey arrangements; Oh Susanna (Grant van Niekerk); African Night Sky (Bernard Fayd’Herbe); Copper Force (Lyle Hewitson); Krambambuli (Brandon Lerena); Elusive Silva (Robert Khathi);

He regarded Legal Eagle and Marinaresco as the ones to beat and also mentioned Captain America, who ran a gallant race from the front in the Queen’s Plate. They are in fact the three highest merit rated horses too, so should be in front on paper under the new weight for age conditions.

By David Thiselton