Dutch Philip warms up for next month’s Cape Classic in the Supabets Handicap at Durbanville tomorrow.

Aldo Domeyer’s mount won four out of five last season including both the Somerset and the Cape Nursery and he is clearly a class act. World Sports Betting was taking no chances yesterday and opened the colt favourite at 14-10.

Aldo Domeyer

But that price doesn’t really allow for the negatives, namely that this is his first race for four months, his first against older horses and that he races off a high mark of102. Also he is stepping back in trip and that could be the biggest stumbling block of all.

“He will need his run and, while I’m not saying he can’t win, 1 000m could be a bit quick for him,” says Candice Bass-Robinson.

The one that makes most appeal is 9-2 second favourite Starflash who was having his first race of the season when third to Rock Of Africa in a good 1 200m handicap a fortnight ago. He was drawn wide that day and he has a much better position here.

Al Wahed missed that race – off-feed was the reason – but previously he was only beaten a neck by Master’s Spirit. He will have appreciated Monday’s rain and looks real each way value at 12-1 even though he has been raised three points and there is a line of form that says he shouldn’t beat Starflash.

Black Cat Black (5-1) has gone up five points and, although he has won his last three starts, they were all over a furlong further and this is his first outing of the season. Olympian, also a 5-1 shot, is a stable companion of Starflash and is not without a chance.

Evelina is 17-10 favourite for the first and could be hard to beat. The Andre Nel filly is well drawn and would have finished closer last time (only her second start) but for racing green and ducking out sharply 100m from home. Spam Alert is second favourite at 4-1 but don’t ignore 13-2 shot Romantic Crusade. Grant van Niekerk’s mount was only just over a length behind Evelina and then lost ground at the start on her only subsequent outing.

Van Niekerk has a favourite’s chance on Orakal in the next but the 33-10 chance faces stiff opposition, notably from 5-1 hopes Tyrandeus and The Sun Also Rises. The form book says the latter could be the one.

The older horses meet the three-year-olds on far better terms than weight-for-age in these maidens and Destiny Duchess (33-10) can prove the point by beating 5-2 favourite Woodstock Fairy in the Betting World Maiden 35 minutes later.

By Michael Clower

With 19 runners to saddle, Duncan Howells will be a busy man at Scottsville tomorrow and it will be a surprise if he does not make it into the winner’s circle at least once in the afternoon. But the pressure will be on. It’s one of those days where he could be the toast of the town or heading home wondering what went wrong.

Howells holds a strong hand in the Fillies and Mares Pinnacle Stakes that heads the card with three top class runners but was far from bullish about any of them.

Neptune’s Rain

“They are not well weighted and this is a tough field. I don’t know if I can win it,” he said on Thursday morning.

Howells added that he had given stable rider Keagan de Melo the pick of the rides for owner Dave MacLean and he had decided on Neptune’s Rain who Howells thinks has a bright future. However, he felt that Dawn Calling was the more forward of the pair at this stage and although looking for further had a strong chance if racing fresh.

That said, Howells was of the opinion that Lunar Rush was the fittest of the three and “has a chance if she’s good enough.” But even with Anton Marcus, Anthony Delpech and De Melo riding for him he was not overly confident.

Paul Gadsby’s runner Vision To Kill has the benefit of a 2.5kg claimer aboard in Serino Moodley and comes of a cracking last win when fitted with a tongue-tie while Isingamoya is a classy mare who enjoyed just rewards last time out and Mark Dixon’s runner is also in with a winning chance.

The first, if any, of Howells’s winners could be Bear Hug in the third. The gelded son of Ideal World was all at sea on debut, also losing a shoe in the process. He showed good improvement at his second start where in spite of a tardy start he was running on nicely behind the heavily backed Silva’s Bullet.

The step up in trip should be in his favour and he could finish ahead of the consistent Toltec.

Lezeanne Forbe’s runner was reported to have been making a respiratory noise when fading late at his last start but it may also have been that the 1950m was a little out of his compass after finishing close-up in his two previous starts over 1600m. These two look the principal contenders.

Howells saddles Mirwa in the opening leg of the Pick 6 along with three other runners and he will be looking for major improvement from the daughter of Fort Wood. Mirwa was never in the hunt behind Silva’s Bullet but was all over the course. She will definitely prefer tomorrow’s trip and gets the services of stable rider Keagan de Melo who has picked her ahead of stable companions Pharoah’s Tiger, Rippling Music and Roy’s Vogue.

Crime Victim

Queen’s Plain made a winning debut for Howells and can follow up in the fifth although she is up against some seasoned handicappers, most notably top weight Flying Silver. Garth Puller’s mare is hardly ever out of the money and was a game second to Master Of Mischief last time out. The step up in trip should not be a worry although she does have to give the progressive Queen’s Plain 8kg which may prove beyond her.

It was written somewhere that your first winner as a racehorse owner is up there with war and sex. I don’t think either was on the mind of Lady Colleen Glaeser as she dropped the lead rope like a hot potato after Amor Ardiente entered the winner’s circle at Scottsville earlier this month and not necessary out of excitement. “I’m terrified of horses!” she exclaimed.

Belinda Impey’s 25-1 shot was met by a few mutterings from punters but visiting rider Gunter Wrogemann was impressed. “He’ll easily get eight to 10 furlongs,” he surmised.

Amor Ardiente certainly enjoyed going around the turn for the first time and Wrogemann will be in the irons again to back up his claim in the All To Come Handicap.

Of the balance, Crime Victim, another Howells runner, has dropped a further four pounds in the handicap and now looks competitive.

The Soccer 6 Fillies Handicap is a tough race with plenty in with chances. Howells again holds a strong hand with Miziara who was close on stable companion Fiorella’s heels when the two met and is better off at the weights here. With Marcus up she’s a big runner. Fiorella was a close-up second first crack out of the maidens and will much prefer this trip from a good draw while a very much in form Dennis Drier saddles the progressive Tsessebe who has done most of her racing at Greyville and could well improve on some good form over this longer straight.

By Andrew Harrison

The newly laid Durbanville track will be given a searching test when racing resumes at the country course tomorrow. There are races from 1000m to the 2400m Settlers Trophy so every aspect of the newly laid turf will be tested.

All who took part in a series of trial gallops earlier this month were full of praise for the new surface but it was decided to delay a return to the track for a further fortnight to ensure that the racing surface was in tip-top shape.

That said, it won’t make finding winners any easier as punters are faced with a tricky card, no less the Settlers Trophy.

Durbanville race track

Although it is still early days, Justin Snaith is well ahead on the national trainer’s log as far as the number of winners goes and he has set his sights on a second national trainer’s championship. Snaith has three runners in the line-up, best of which may be One Direction, the mount of Richard Fourie. The Silvano gelding has some excellent form to his credit and did not contest Champions Season during the winter, rather taking his chances in his home town. With a string of second placings to his credit it was it was probably a worthwhile exercise but he really came into his own when stretched to 2400m last time out. He made all the running under Fourie and never looked like losing.

He faces a tougher task this time around but appears to have found his optimum trip and can follow up.

Our Emperor was a late starter to his career but has come into his own at recent outings, shedding his maiden and following up with a cracking victory in his first start in handicap company. He has a handy weight and he should handle the extra ground.

The mare Forbidden Duel has her first outing for Glen Kotzen after a consistent career under Duncan Howells in KZN. With few races over ground for fillies, she most often found herself up against males. She finds herself in a similar predicament again tomorrow but she does have a light weight and definitely stays the trip.

Snaith appears to have another good chance of adding to this season’s CV with Overshadow in the Play Soccer handicap where he again has three runners in contention. Bernard Fayd’Herbe does duty in the saddle and the five-year-old has his third run after a break and looks primed for this event after finishing a close-up third to Catkin last time out.

Snaith has a second arrow in his quiver with Star Chestnut who does not know how to run a bad race. It has been over a year since his last win and although the handicappers have been reluctant to drop his merit rating by any significant margin in a hurry he has come down a further kilo since his last race and should be competitive off his new mark.

By Andrew Harrison

The two headliners for the nine race meeting on the Turffontein Inside track tomorrow are both Novice Handicaps where there is the hard task of separating classy young three-year-olds with high merit ratings from toughened lowly merit rated older horses.

In the first of these events over 1200m Wellspring took eleven runs to win his Maiden Plate, but he faced some good sorts like So Var and Snow Boarding and finished close to them. He is the selection as he has been accorded a reasonable merit rating after his maiden win and this is a suitable course and distance. He has a fair draw and has had a couple of runs this season so should be race fit. Flying Free proved his class in the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m. He was bumped at the top of the straight in that race which caused him to lose his good position but he then lived up to his name by running on strongly for a 1,35 length fourth.

Sean Tarry

However, he has not raced since and has been accorded a merit rating of 96, meaning he has to carry 62,5kg and give Wellspring 9,5kg. He has won easily over course and distance before and is drawn in pole, so his class could still pull him through, but history does show that young three-year-olds with merit ratings this high do battle in early season handicaps against older horses, no matter how good they are destined to become. Cedrus Libani is an older horse who has won well over the course and distance before and he makes most appeal of the rest although he will have to bounce back to best after a disappointing run over course and distance last time, where the jockey did not persevere.

In the second of the Novice Handicaps over 1600m the three-year-olds are sided with. The Sean Tarry-trained Yamoto made a sparkling debut when showing pace under the hands over 1160m and then kicking clear when challenged. This Dynasty colt looks full of class and from running style and pedigree he will relish the step up to 1600m. He is drawn two and Anthony Delpech is aboard. His stablemate Aurora Australis also won impressively on debut, over 1400m, but has not raced since that race in March and has a tricky draw here. The older horse who makes most appeal is Boling Point as he has plenty of ability, but appears to have a few problems. From a plum draw over a suitable trip he could surprise running fresh.

The best bet could be Diva Faustina in race three over 1450m. She is an effective front-running to handy sort and from a good draw can get it right if ridden more conservatively than she was the last time she attempted this sort of trip. On that occasion she opened up a big lead and tired late, whereas she stayed on well in her only subsequent event when held up off the pace over 1600m.

The value bet is awarded to Noceur in the last race. She represents the very much in form Alec Laird yard and won easily when stepped up to 2000m first time out the maidens. She has always struck as a solid horse with ability and as one who would improve as she got older, so she can follow up despite being accorded a maximum eight point raise.

In the first race over 1200m the first-timer Silver Maple will be of much interest as he is a full-brother to the dual Guineas winner Janoobi and jumps from pole position. If he has the same amount of pace and resolve as his courageous brother he will be hard to beat, although Over Easy and Combat Muster could give some cheek.

Another Alec Laird-trained horse who could win is Captain Chips in the seventh. He runs over an ideal 1450m course and distance and is well drawn, so as one who has become ultra consistent he could prove hard to peg back. Edisson, unlucky last time over 1800m, could appreciate the step back to his winning distance and looks the main danger along with Walker, who has plenty of ability and returns from a layoff with Delpech up from a good draw over an ideal trip.

By David Thiselton

Dennis Drier has hit the ground running this season with last Sunday’s five winners at Scottsville taking his winning tally to 15 for the season at a 19% winning strike rate. Only Justin Snaith is ahead of him in the winner’s column with 21.

Dennis Drier

After an absence of nearly two months while the pull-up area was extended by 100m, Friday night racing on the Greyville poly track returns this evening and Drier can start where he left off – with another winner.

The gelding Taranaki, after catching the eye on debut, was well fancied to win his next start over the Scottsville 1200m where he started favourite. However, he was caught flat-footed over the final 200 m and did well to finish in the money behind debutant Cumulus that gave Nathan Kotzen the first winner of his career as a fully licensed trainer.

Given that run, it is not surprising that Taranaki has been stepped up to 1600m and just to make sure the gelding’s mind stays on the job, he races in blinkers for the first time.

Drier has a chance of an early double as Al’s Bells will start among the fancied runners for the second, a fillies and mares maiden over 1600m. Al’s Bells made her debut on the poly track and then turned in two useful efforts on the Scottsville turf, the last over 1400m where she found Girl In Gold a touch too smart.

Drier has also stepped her up in trip from a good draw and with Mauritzfontein retained rider and reigning champion jockey Anthony Delpech in the irons, she has a lot going for her.

In opposition, Delpech will also know exactly what his is up against in Roy’s Riviera after piloting Frank Robinson’s Australian-bred filly into a close-up third behind Colour Your Dreams. She has no stamina doubts and has also drawn well but in an ironic twist, Drier’s stable jockey, Sean Veale, will be aboard Roy’s Riviera.

Dean Kannemeyer

The third has a tricky look about it with Dean Kannemeyer back in action with Lady Lisha and Miss Milanna. Most of the Kannemeyer runners are returning from a break after their compulsory African Horse Sickness vaccinations so one needs to be a little cautious in this regard.

Miss Milanna, ridden by Delpech, made the better debut but Delpech has switched to Lady Lisha which may be a story in its self. Song Of Mitu and Just One More have the best current form so it may prove prudent to keep a close eye on the betting.

What A Moon is another Kannemeyer runner that is likely to start near the top of the boards in the fourth after two promising efforts on the poly. However, he is another back from a break and with Drier in such mustard form and Captain Moss, much improved after gelding, having his second start after a lengthy break, one needs to be cautious.

Captains Moll takes on males in the Durban View Restaurant Handicap but is overdue her second win. James Goodman’s yard has come to hand of late and although the filly takes on a competitive field she was a close-up second last time out and looks good enough to have the measure of the likes of Kali’s Champ, Keep Your Light On and Rock Master.

By Andrew Harrison

Barrier trials – a burr under the saddle of many – is about to become a reality in KwaZulu-Natal. Sanctioned by racing operator Gold Circle, the trials are likely to start as soon as the first week of November this year.  The trials will be held at both Greyville and Scottsville, but mainly on the Greyville poly track, prior to the start of race meetings.

Paul Lafferty, Chairman of the KZN Trainers Association and a Gold Circle board director, was instrumental in seeing it through. “This has been my pet project. We need transparency in racing. We need to get punters to trust us.”

“We have tried getting first timer comments published but although the majority of trainers do not had a problem giving out info, there are the few that are unwilling to co-operate.”

Paul Lafferty

“We had an AGM yesterday (Tuesday) and barrier trials were approved by Gold Circle CEO Michel Nairac. It was also unanimously supported by the trainers.”

“I think it’s a very good idea. I just hope that it can be carried out effectively,” said KZN Champion trainer Duncan Howells.

The trials will be held in six-horse heats over 1000m on the racetracks proper (at weight-for-age in case of mixed ages), with full control from stipendiary stewards, and with official race videos produced for every trial. All unraced horses from outside of the province but destined to make their debuts in KZN will also be subject to the trials in their racing silks before they can compete in a race.

Trial runners are expected to be fully punched out under hands-and-heels. All trial results with run-ons and times will be made available so that punters can have access to all the information they require. Barrier trials will also apply to horses that have been off the track for three months or more.

“There are many advantages to barrier trials and the most important of all is that it will go a long way to restoring public confidence in racing,” said Lafferty. “There is a perception that racing is crooked. Certain trainers refuse to talk about their unraced runners and when they win, punters believe they were placed at a disadvantage, that wool was pulled over their eyes or that vital info was withheld on purpose.”

“Perception is reality. We want to eliminate the perception of unfairness so that the people who wager money on races can be assured that they are on an equal footing, they have all the necessary information at hand before they put their cash down.”

“There are trainers who withhold information on their runners to plan so-called ‘betting coups’. This is tantamount to insider trading. It’s illegal on the stock exchange so why should it be allowed in horseracing? I said to them yesterday, ‘How many coups have any of you actually pulled off? I don’t see any helicopters parked at your stables. Forget the betting coups, those days are over. We need new owners in the game!

An added advantage is that young horses will be given experience such as going into a float and experiencing a race on a raceday. It is also an opportunity for trainers to have their horses pitted against other trainer’s horses, something not allowed under current National Horse Racing rules.

Lafferty conceded that there would be teething problems. “There will be incidents where actual race results won’t reflect the results of the trials, but the trials will establish form patterns for stables which punters will be able to follow with reliable results. They will be able to see which stables bring their horses to hand faster or slower compared to others, and so on.  The main issue, however, remains the aspect of public confidence. The betting public wishes to see that the operator is doing everything it can to help them win!”

By Andrew Harrison

Barrier trials will soon be a reality in KZN racing and all minor races in KZN will have stakes increases from November 1 this year.

The barrier trials will be welcomed by punters and will also provide an exciting platform from which racing enthusiasts can become racehorse owners.

The stakes increases will provide an incentive for potential owners.

Paul Lafferty

At the KZN Trainers AGM held on Tuesday there was unanimous agreement by the trainers to go ahead with the barrier trials initiative.

For all unraced horses or horses returning from long layoffs barrier trial will be compulsory. Such horses will otherwise not be allowed to line up in a race in KZN.

The barrier trials will be staged about half-an-hour before the first race or after the last race on the Polytrack at Greyville.

The weights the horses carry will be dictated by weight for age parameters and the distance of the trials will be 1000m. The horses will jump from the starting stalls. The stipendiary stewards will be in control of the trials and the horses must be extended but whips will not be necessary.

There will be full coverage of each trial and an official video will be made available.

Paul Lafferty, the Chairman of the KZN Trainers Association, was excited by this “breakthrough for transparency”, which himself and Gold Circle’s Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins had been advocating for some time.

Lafferty believes barrier trials will have a major impact on “consumer confidence”, or in other words the confidence of owners and punters to invest in the sport.

He spoke of the dwindling confidence of people to venture into ownership and believed this was related to transparency.

The barrier trials would now offer potential owners the chance to view a horse for themselves, either live or on video.

This will be of benefit for trainers who still have shares available in a horse.

What is particularly exciting for potential owners in this regard is that the trials will be carried out under race day conditions.

This could open a whole new perspective to the sport as there are many enthusiasts who have an eye for a horse’s racing style, but this skill has hitherto been of little benefit to them.

Lafferty also spoke of the additional benefits the trials would have for both trainers and current owners of horses, “It will provide an opportunity to show the horse the course and teach them to float (transport) and introduce them to the race pens.”

Lafferty pointed out trainers were often not a hundred percent sure of how good an unraced horse was, or how ready it was, until they had seen them running in a race.

He also spoke of the need from both an owner and punter perspective to eliminate the practice of “insider trading.”

The other important factor is that as the trials will be conducted on race day they will be of no extra cost to the industry.

“We are in discussion with the NHA to implement Barrier Trials at Greyville and are hopeful to start this initiative in December”, said Raf Sheik, Gold Circle’s Racing Executive. “Once finalised the operational details and conditions will be published.”

By David Thiselton

Five times South African champion trainer Geoff Woodruff will likely be attempting a national record in this year’s Sansui Summer Cup, to be held on November 25.

Racing records are poorly kept in SA and in some other racing countries too and there is usually uncertainty surrounding them.

Geoff Woodruff

However, it was believed Woodruff became the second trainer in SA history to win a major race four years in a row last year when landing the Summer Cup with Master Sabina.

Therefore, he will be attempting to become the first trainer to win a major South African race five years in succession.

Fred Murray was believed to be the first to achieve four-in-a-row when training the Durban July winner every year from 1910 to 1913.

The three races in South Africa traditionally considered to be the “majors” are the Vodacom Durban July, the Sun Met and the Sansui Summer Cup.

If it is extended to include the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate, which has risen rapidly in prestige in recent times and is considered South Africa’s most important weight for age event, then Mike Bass can be included alongside Murray and Woodruff. The great Bass-trained Pocket Power won the Queen’s Plate four times in succession from 2007 to 2010.

This year Master Sabina will also be attempting to emulate Java (1956-1958) and Elevation (1972-1974) by winning the Summer Cup three times in succession.

However, Master Sabina joined the Justin Snaith yard for the SA Champions Season and is currently with Highveld trainer Joe Soma.

Woodruff still has twelve Summer Cup entries and he said, “You never quite know who your best for the Summer Cup are going to be and some of them won’t qualify. You only narrow it down in the last fortnight.”

However, he did mention two horses, Deo Juvente and Pagoda. Deo Juvente was runner up in 2015 and this year won the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge over the same course and distance, although his merit rating was raised as a result to 115. Pagoda was an easy winner of the Listed Derby Trial over the course and distance and runner up in the Grade 1 SA Derby over 2450m and he is only merit rated 99.

Woodruff said, “Deo Juvente is a big strong horse, but will have a big weight to carry, Pagoda loves the track and trip and will be a lively runner with a low weight.”

By David Thiselton

Brett Crawford’s Undercover Agent, well fancied for the Betting World Handicap at Kenilworth yesterday, stamped himself as a smart Cape Guineas candidate come the season with an emphatic victory – but so too, third-placed Hemmingway.

Undercover Agent hunted pacemaker Western Storm in the 1400m event but once Corne Orffer extracted him from the traffic the race was over in a matter of strides.

Aldo Domeyer

Aldo Domeyer aboard Hemmingway, tracked Undercover Agent throughout, but the son of Silvano took a little more time to find his stride and did well to snatch third behind a fast-finishing Triple Explosion. The Guineas trip looks ideal.

Crawford will have been well pleased with this showing after earlier upsetting the applecart with outsider One For One putting the skids under two well fancied debutantes November Storm and Sark. However, there was not much in it at the finish and both expensive yearling buys will be short-priced at their next starts.

Later Tap O’ Noth scribbled on his clean sheet when going down to the older Our Mate Art and Cot Campbell in the Play Soccer Graduation Plate, but as in the case of Hemmingway, there was cause for optimism. The year older Candice Bass-Robinson’s Australian-bred Our Mate Art had an exceptional record in last season’s Winter Series without winning but yesterday showed his versatility and stamping himself as a serious Cape Summer Season and Champions Season contender with a clinical demolition of two highly rated sophomores.

Effective from six furlongs and further, Our Mate Art was recording only his second victory in 11 starts but had earned in all but one. Cot Campbell finished his race off nicely in second and in spite of two prior victories, the penny still has to drop with Tap O’ Noth.

Mike Robinson’s Good Time Gal made short work of her opposition in the Interbet.co.za Pinnacle stakes in a superb performance under Bernard Fayd’Herbe. Apprentice Aksay Balloo was determined to make a race of it as he bulleted Mike Stewart’s It Is What It Is to the front off her light weight but Goodtime Gal, not far off the best of her generation that included Bela-Bela and Nightingale, proved far too classy and reeled in the pacemaker with ease.

By Andrew Harrison