Despite some doubters, barrier trials are starting to show their worth with two trialists, Good Buddy and Anza-Borrego, filling the first two places on the card opener, a maiden for juveniles, at Scottsville yesterday.

Things may have been different had the heavily supported debutant Divine Path not pulled a shoe on the canter down and failing the vet at the start but as things panned out Good Buddy, who had caught the eye in his trial, proved the stronger getting home by just over a length from Anza-Borrego who had finished third in his trial behind Friday’s night’s Greyville winner, The Bayou.

The Duncan Howells-trained Love Theme looked to be an early Christmas gift for punters after the tribulations of her last start but as it turned out, victory was not quite as straight forward as many would have hoped.

Anton Marcus

Up with the pace throughout, she took the scenic route with Anton Marcus testing both sides of the track before winning rather comfortably. It was a win full of merit and when the penny eventually drops, Love Theme could develop into something useful.

Marcus completed a double for Duncan Howells with a hard-fought victory aboard Gingerbread Man in the sixth. In a small field, Marcus made sure he stayed connected to light-weight pacemaker Bling Swing with Draugluin at his quarters.

Marcus made an early move at the top of the straight but the opposition was far from done. Draugluin challenged but couldn’t get past and Bling Swing and Warfarer refused to go away.

However, Gingerbread Man, who looked a spent force with a furlong to run, suddenly picked it up again and crossed the line going away with ears pricked.

Catching shadows was what the opposition were left to do in the Tack & Ball Gaming Maiden as Shadow Catcher barrelled home for Dennis Bosch. Commentator Sheldon Peters called it a dozen lengths, the official margin was 9.5 – I think I would have gone with Peters.

Ivan and Darryl Moore, grandfather and grandson, teamed up with Ballymaine in the fourth, beating home Root Beer and Star Of Kazan with the apprentice rider not making the most of lightly weighted favourite Making Miracles back in fourth.

The Money Man and Toa Nui were involved in a bit of argy-bargy in the fifth with Toa Nui getting the upper hand in the struggle. The stipendiary stewards took a dim view of proceedings and demoted Toa Nui to second in the boardroom.

Louis Goosen, successful with the giant Haddington on Friday, rounded off his weekend with a double as Shwanky had her consistency rewarded with an almost end-to-end victory in the Gold Circle Facebook Handicap. Gunter Wrogemann was on his bike early and some determined opposition proved no match.

By Andrew Harrison

Do It Again and White River may follow him home.

Marshall, not a man given to mistaking his geese for swans, has been talking of this colt being a possible Guineas winner since he first saw a racecourse and he has won three out of four, albeit in workmanlike rather than spectacular fashion.

He is 9-2 favourite yet this is a doubtful honour – seven of the last ten Guineas favourites have been beaten – and the 14 draw is difficult to say the least.

Rocket Countdown (7-1) surprised everybody in the Selangor but, as his trainer said here on Wednesday, he won the race fair and square. He has also won his last three and is clearly on the upgrade. Interestingly the SA horseracing computer says he will win from Do It Again and Tap O’Noth with White River fourth.

Captain And Master

Only three horses have completed the Selangor-Guineas double in the last ten years but three times during that period the Guineas winner had finished second or third in the Selangor.

White River was only beaten half a length despite trying to bite the winner and victory would come as no surprise but, if the favourite is to be beaten, Do It Again (also a 13-2 chance) looks a better bet. He had won his previous two and he might well be going into this unbeaten had he had a clear run in the Selangor. He also lost ground at the start that day.

Bold Respect (8-1) had a terrible draw to overcome in the Lanzerac Ready To Run and he should confirm the placings with the again badly-drawn 16-1 shot Pack Leader and Sir Frenchie (12-1), although it’s worth noting that the last-named had to be switched twice.

Sean Tarry runs three headed by Ready To Run disappointment Wonderwall, 14-1 and the mount of Piere Strydom. But how on earth do the handicappers rate him seven points better than anything else in the race?

Captain And Master (9-1) only managed sixth in the Selangor and 20-1 shot Purple Diamond  seventh in the Ready To Run. It’s hard to envisage either turning the tables on the leading locals.

Mike de Kock, like Marshall, is bidding for his fifth Cape Guineas. Both 10-1 chance Sir David Baird and Like A Panther (12-1) have top jockeys and have the form to run well but neither stands out as a likely winner.

Undercover Agent (8-1), on the other hand, was only beaten three-quarters of a length by Tap O’Noth in the Cape Classic and Brett Crawford believes he has found out why the colt failed to reproduce his best in the Selangor when “he hung in the straight and never really got galloping properly.” He also believes that he has corrected the niggles that caused this.

Cot Campbell has apparently been working in a way that makes a mockery of his 25-1 price but he looks held on his Cape Classic run.

Last Winter is a 20-1 chance for the Sun Met and those odds could tumble if the Dean Kannemeyer stable star keeps his unbeaten record in the Forus Premier Trophy.  Anthony Delpech’s mount meets class opposition for the first time in his life but, on the way he won at Durbanville and on the amount he appeared to have in hand, he should win.

By Michael Clower

Unfancied on debut, she put up a smart showing at long odds on the Greyville poly but it was four months before she saw the racetrack again, this time the Greyville turf, and she turned in another good effort behind Cause And Effect. The step up in trip tonight should also suit.

Likely opposition are Holy Flame and Viva Le Bleu, the former looking the more dangerous. A beaten favourite in the soft over the Scottsville mile last time out, Holy Flame makes her poly debut and that, coupled with a drop in trip give her a strong chance.

Accidental Tourist (Candiese Marnewick)

With Drier in Cape Town for their summer season, Summerveld assistant Stuart Ferrie could be in front of the cameras again after the fourth where he saddles Biometric. The gelding came up one short when sent out favourite for his last race and sports blinkers for the first time. He looks the part here but blinkers have seen Whiteleaf Hills improve for Alistair Gordon and Paul Gadsby has had similar ideas with Emerald Victory also racing in blinkers for the first time.

Winning four races on the bounce is a tall order but Accidental Tourist appears capable in the sixth. Duncan Howells’s runner has stepped up to the plate and denied the handicappers twice in succession and got a further 4 pounds for her most recent win. However, she has taken to the poly track and the step up in trip could also be in her favour.

It won’t be easy however, as she faces a number of in-form opposition including Spring In Seattle, Moon Princess and Strategic Move.

The Dean Kannemeyer yard has hit form with a vengeance of late and Gadget Man will be out to extend his winning run of victories in the seventh. He took to the poly last time out in spite of drifting alarmingly in the market. He does not have the best of the draw but he is now hitting his straps and given his pedigree the step up in trip should be what he is looking for.

Savuti was a winner on Wednesday so is unlikely to take his place in the final race of the evening but Brett Crawford has ample back-up in Scriptwriter who made a promising local debut on the poly. He drops back to a mile and could prove too swift for top weight Haddington who, although having won over course and distance, could well be more at home over a touch further.

By Andrew Harrison

That fervour was dampened as his long anticipated debut proved to be a major disappointment as much for Mike Azzie as for the racing public in general, not to mention Piere Strydom who was the unfortunate jockey aboard.

Hat Puntano hardly raised a gallop and was eventually eased out of the race.

Hat Puntano

The critics were quickly onto social media hinting that South Africa had been sold another ‘lemon’.

But some serious introspection and a visit to a specialist bit-maker based in Pietermaritzburg got things back on track although after his debut flop, Hat Puntano was easy to back for the Charity Mile where he shouldered top weight.

The race proved a major turnaround in fortunes as Grant van Niekerk set for home with a wet sail and the Argentinian champion showed his worth by putting a high-class field to the sword for a much relieved trainer.

Azzie and son Adam, saddle the colt in a Pinnacle Stakes event at Turffontein tomorrow and given his Charity Mile performance and the weight structure, he looks impossible to oppose. Victory here will also set him up nicely for the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate to be run in early January.

Sean Tarry saddles three runners, best of which may be Social Order, runner-up to Hat Puntano in the Charity Mile. More was expected of Social Order in the Summer Cup where he finished seven lengths adrift of his lesser fancied stable companion Liege but he is capable of much better than that. However, given that this is a set weights event, Social Order will be hard-pressed to turn the tables on Hat Puntano.

Unagi has come well for Garry Alexander and comes into the race off a string of two wins on the bounce. He is obviously useful on his day but like all the field, he has it all to do against the top weight.

French Navy has not won a race in over two years but was finishing strongly behind Hat Puntano in the Charity Mile and was not too far behind Liege in the Summer Cup after jumping from a wide draw. He is also better off at the weights with Hat Puntano than Social Order but his current winning record is a concern.

Of the balance, Matador Man and Romany Prince have upset chances but given the Charity Mile result and the weight structure here, it will take a good one to beat Hat Puntano.

By Andrew Harrison

Kantor, who has been a non-executive director since the company was founded, thanked retiring chairman, Peter Malungani, for his 20 years of loyal service to the company and wished him well for the future.

Kantor added that there have been many rumours about the future of racing which is understandable in times of uncertainty. “What is certain is that the board and management of Phumelela are confident about the future of racing and betting in South Africa and we look forward to meeting the opportunities and challenges of 2018 and beyond.”

Kenilworth Racing have announced that Markus Jooste has resigned from their board of directors. The board would like to thank him for his valued contribution to the board and to racing in the Western Cape and in the rest of the country.

Sir David Baird recently won the Listed KZN Guineas Trial in effortless fashion and comes into the Guineas very fit and very well. Trainer Mike de Kock told Turf Talk yesterday morning: “Sir David Baird and Like A Panther have been in Cape Town for a few weeks and we’ve had a chance to gallop them at the track. We’re expecting good runs from both.”

Sir David Baird (Candiese Marnewick)

He said about Sir David Baird: “He has something about him, there is something there. He was beaten against expectations over 1400m twice, once by the smart Surcharge, but all he needed was the bend and a mile and he showed what he was capable of.

“Sir David Baird beat a weak field in the Guineas Trial, but he wasn’t near extended so should handle the step up. He’s well drawn and has a good jockey, two factors we don’t have to worry about.”

De Kock added: “If I look at Saturday’s Guineas I see no obvious stars, they haven’t revealed themselves yet. Vaughan Marshall’s Tap O’Noth is probably the best of the opposition, he may come out of it victorious as the champion among them, but it could be us too, it could be Sir David Baird. We’re keen to see how he goes.”

Like A Panther, De Kock opined, will be better over 2000m and further. “He’s a good Derby prospect for us. He will be hard pressed to win a mile at this level. But he’ll be staying on, he has a place chance.”

Ante-post betting for the Gr1 Forus Cape Guineas

9-2 Tap O’ Noth
13-2 White River, Do It Again
7-1 Rocket Countdown
8-1 Undercover Agent, Bold Respect
9-1 Captain And Master
10-1 Sir David Baird
12-1 Like A Panther, Sir Frenchie (Aus)
14-1 Wonderwall
16-1 Pack Leader
20-1 Purple Diamond, Cot Campbell

Ante-post betting for the Gr3 Premier Trophy

2-1 Last Winter
9-2 Nebula
11-2 Deo Juvente
6-1 Back Arthur, Horizon
8-1 Crambambuli
10-1 Milton
14-1 and upwards others.

– Turf Talk

For a jockey, no matter a champion or a lesser light, the battle against the scale is often more intense that a close finish and for those riders at the top end, life can be a living hell. So those with a disciplined mindset regarding their diet deserve the utmost admiration.

Brandon Lerena is a rider who fights a constant battle with the flashing digits registered by the Clerk of Scales but given the ride he gave the Mark Dixon-trained Diamante in the eighth at Greyville yesterday, the lack of a square meal would have been well worth it for both Lerena and Dixon.

The clique, ‘only fire when you see the whites of their eyes’ is appropriate here. In front early, Lerena let all challenge in the straight and for a brief second looked as if he was headed for the backdoor as all threatened to swamp him.

Diamente (Candiese Marnewick)

But it takes a talent with a steely nerve to know just how much is left under him. Lerena let them all challenge but then squeezed extra out of his mount to come back from a seemingly desperate position.

It was an exhibition of riding out of the top drawer, seldom appreciated by those that care only for the numbers in the frame.

Savuti is one of the most scenic and popular destinations in Botswana but that will have been far from the minds of those punters who took on the favourite Brighteyebushytail.

Sean Veale turned up the wick on Brett Crawford’s charge passing behind the Drill Hall in the sixth, and on a course that was racing quick, he was always in control and going to the line unchallenged.

Having only his second local start, Savuti had obviously come on from this debut effort and won with authority.

The danger light flickered red from the jump for the favourite. Sluggish out of the gate, he was bustled for position but was never travelling well. He raced like he had never seen a racecourse and only in the straight got going when the contest was over – although not soon enough for the majority of PA punters. But on the evidence of yesterday’s performance, you write him off at your peril.

It was a good day for prolific owner Fred Crabbia who recorded a double. Muzi Yeni, who now plies his trade on the Highveld, paid for his airfare as Hidden Thought built on her recent improvement to run out an easy winner of the opening leg of the Pick 6. Yeni took the initiative early and Hidden Thought kept rolling to win comfortably.

Crabbia’s second win was in complete contrast. Miss Milanna, jumping from a wide draw, was well handled by Anthony Delpech and looked to be headed for a fairly comfortable win in the seventh.

However, Sorceress, ridden with a lot of patience by Sherman Brown from a box one outside of Miss Milanna, finished like a rocket but the line came a jump too soon, going down a nostril.

Dean Kannemeyer’s local yard is in top form after a spell in the doldrums and his KZN satellite operation is in the capable hands of Barbara Badenhorst.

Sean Veale’s early forward move on Savuti may well have come as a result of Storm Ruler’s victory in the opening leg of the Jackpot. Champion KZN apprentice for the past two years, Eric Ngwane, made an even earlier move on the Sean Tarry-trained Storm Ruler in the 1800m event, taking over early and making most of the running.

In truth it was something of an armchair ride as Ngwane had little more to do in the dash for home other than punch out for the line as any challenges failed to materialise.

By Andrew Harrison

The Selangor is traditionally the best trial for Saturday’s Forus Cape Guineas – five of the last 12 winners went on to take the classic – but Rocket Countdown’s victory came as a 36-1 shock. Even his trainer was surprised but he has now won three off the bounce, rising steadily up the ratings.

“He needs to take his chance after that  – he won the race fair and square,” says Candice Bass-Robinson of Aldo Domeyer’s mount, a 7-1 chance. “We will see how he follows up but we are still not 100% sure about his best distance, whether it’s going to prove to be 2 000m or a mile.”

Tap O’ Noth (Liesl King)

White River, at 13-2 second only to Tap O’Noth in the betting, has half a length to make up on Selangor running but Greg Cheyne’s mount might well have found it had he not been so intent on taking a bite out of the winner.

“He is a playful horse and he does do a few strange things,” laughs Brett Crawford. “But I am confident he will be fine this time. We have done a lot of work on him since and we’ve tried to teach him a few manners. He is a horse who keeps improving and, while I think he is looking for a bit further, the long run-in will suit him.”

Stable companions Bold Respect (Corne Orffer) and Undercover Agent (Donovan Dillon) are both 8-1 chances but the former has never been further than 1 400m. Will he get the trip?

“Obviously there is a question mark but he can settle and switch off, and he does quicken up well so I think he will be alright,” answers his trainer who reckons he knows why Undercover Agent managed only fifth in the Selangor after going so close in the Cape Classic.

“We found a few little niggles which we have sorted out. He works exceptionally well at home and he is classy horse. I wouldn’t write him off and indeed it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the shake-up.”

Eyes Wide Open is coughing and was scratched yesterday. Richard Fourie has switched to 16-1 stable companion Pack Leader who has just over a length to find with Bold Respect on Ready To Run form. “That race was too short for him but I still thought it a cracking run,” says Glen Kotzen. “He hasn’t got the greatest of draws – 14 out of 15 – but the favourite is on the outside of him so it’s going to be interesting.”

There were no nominations at yesterday’s Sun Met first supplementary entry stage. Legal Eagle and Edict Of Nantes remain joint favourites at 3-1.

By Michael Clower