Alec Laird has an exciting prospect in the unbeaten Moutonshoek-bred Trippi colt Broadway Trip, who won the BSA Million Colts and Gelding at Scottsville on Sunday and has recouped his purchase price in just two runs.

Robbie Hill was thrilled to win the BSA Million Fillies with bargain buy Fullfillyourdream and her time over the 1400m trip compared favourably with the boys.

Broadway Trip (Candiese Marnewick)

Broadway was still green and, after jumping from a draw of 12 in a field of 13, he threw his head up once or twice when approaching the turn. However, once jockey Randall Simons had successfully slotted him in near the back he travelled nice and relaxed and was able to lope along behind a fair pace. In the straight his big stride had carried him to the front by the 150m mark and he then stretched away to win by 2,25 lengths from the Louis Goosen-trained first-timer Zen Arcade and the well regarded debut winner Silva’s Bullet.

In a race in which the weights are set by purchase price, Broadway Trip carried 58kg and was receiving 2kg from the second and third-placed horses. He was backed into 37/10 second favourite following an eye catching debut in which he ran all over the place in a 1450m event at Turffontein yet still managed to just get up in the shadow of the post.

He was bought for R300,000 at the Bloodstock South Africa National Two-Year-Old Sale last year and is owned by Peter White and Chris Gerber. He has plenty of scope and looks to be a fine prospect for the season’s classics.

Fullfillyourdream, an Oldlands Stud-bred daughter of Indigo Magic, came into Sunday’s race with just one fourth place finish over 1000m to her name and she started at odds of 36/1. Sean Veale slotted her in from a draw of six and she was relaxed in the running. She turned for home near the back and ran on resolutely to win by half-a-length from the second favourite Mind Your Business from the Duncan Howells yard. She only had to carry 54kg, but so did the second and third-placed horses, so she looks to have a promising future.

Fullfillyourdream was also bought at the BSA National Two-Year-old sale. Hill said he had really liked her at the sale and despite having no buyer clinched her for a paltry R25,000. He is owned by Gerald Kalil and her time on Sunday was only 0,34 seconds slower than Broadway Trip’s.

By David Thiselton

Anthony Delpech was lyrical about the condition and design of Ascot racecourse after riding for The Rest Of The World team in the Shergar Cup on Saturday.

South Africa’s reigning champion jockey rode the John Best-trained Glenys The Menace to victory in the fifth race over a mile-and-a-half.

He also had a second and a fourth, which saw him finishing fourth in the individual standings, while his team finished second to Great Britain and Ireland.

It was the first time Delpech had ever ridden in England.

He said, “It was unbelievable, it is one of the best tracks I have ever ridden on. The condition of the grass was immaculate, it was like a carpet, and the design of the course with the downhills and uphills, and also the parade ring and grandstand, it was just out of this world.”

Delpech spoke also of the tremendous on course atmosphere and also of the camaraderie between the jockeys riding in the Shergar Cup.

Delpech showed his class in scoring a win as race riding in the U.K. is completely different to race riding in South Africa and takes a while to get used to.

The pace tends to be faster and the horses have to be fitter as the ground is generally more difficult to go through compared to South Africa where ii is generally “on top”.

Reserving enough for the finish is of the essence, so good hands, balance and tactical nous are of high importance.

Delpech showed all three when producing Glenys The Menace, who was one of four fillies in the ten horse field, with a strong late run on the outside to get up and win by half-a-length.

She returned odds of 8/1. Trainer Best had been confident as she had finished a close second just two days earlier when staying on over a mile and two furlongs at Sandown.

Delpech managed to get to Scottsville in time on Sunday to ride the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Silvano colt Silva’s Bullet in the BSA August Million Colts and Geldings over 1400m.

The colt had opened 17/10 and drifted out to 32/10 in the face of strong support for the eventual winner Broadway Trip. Silva’s Bullet showed a good turn of foot in the straight from a handy position and hit the front, but had no answer to the finish of Broadway Trip. Delpech was not unhappy at all with the 3,25 length third and said, “He needs further.” He is a half-brother to the useful Kannemeyer-trained Solid Speed, who won eight races including a Grade 2 over 1900m and a Grade 3 over 2400m, and being by Silvano will continue to improve. He is a horse to watch in the classics this season, especially in the Investec Cape Derby and Daily News 2000.

Delpech also rode for Kannemeyer in the BSA August Million Fillies and his mount Pearl Glow finished fifth.

Delpech’s championship winning season just past was unusual in that he was out with a broken collar bone for over a month in December and January.

His 195 winners ridden at a strike rate of 22,01% was not as good as his return last season when he was runner up with 210 winners at a strike rate of 23,57%.

Nevertheless he won his third South African Jockeys Championships by a comfortable 43 winners from Greg Cheyne.

His winners included four Grade 1 victories, one Grade 2, two Grade 3s, four Listed races and five Non-Black Type events.

He was the leading rider at Greyville during the season with 85 wins from 389 mounts at a strike rate of 21,85%, beating Anton Marcus, who had 78 wins from 312 rides at a strike rate of 25%.

Delpech was second only to Keagan de Melo at Scottsville, riding 45 winners from 196 mounts at a strike rate of 22,96% to the latter’s 48 winners from 263 rides at a strike rate of 18,25%. Marcus had 43 winners at Scottsville ridden at a strike rate of 25,6%.

Delpech rode 30 winners at Turffontein at a strike rate of 17,05%.

His 32 winners at The Vaal were ridden at a high strike rate of 34,04%.

He rode three winners at Kenilworth at a strike rate of 11,11%.

He also had four rides at Fairview but no winners.

Delpech has certainly had an August to remember for besides his Shergar Cup exploits he won the coveted Green Jacket at the Gold Circle Racing Masters golf tournament, which is held annually at The Wild Coast in the week after the Gold Cup meeting.

By David Thiselton

The Justin Snaith-Callan Murray combination, two winners at Kenilworth a week ago, can take advantage of a favourable draw to score with 5-1 shot Township Melody at the Cape Town course today.

Justin Snaith

This filly has a fair bit to find with 12-10 favourite Sequined on handicap ratings in the Betting World Maiden, and she is assessed three points below Heart Of A Legend, but she is drawn four and they are going to start towards the outside. Over this 1 400m that can count for a lot and the lightly-raced Township appears to be on the upgrade.

The It’s a Rush Welcome Maiden makes for a difficult start for punters but Danger Rock opened 11-2 favourite with World Sports Betting and at that price Grant van Niekerk’s mount makes a lot of appeal. True, Cot Campbell beat him easily last time but he should confirm the placings with the Snaith-trained Magnificent Seven (10-1).

The sahorseracing computer has Dayonaut (backed from 10-1 to 7-1) dead-heating with Danger Rock but the Paul Reeves runner is six-years-old and hasn’t managed to win in nine starts.

The three-year-olds receive only 2kg whereas they should be getting 5.5kg more under the weight-for-age scale.  That represents four and a half lengths at the distance of this race but the handicappers reckon Danger Rock is over 10kg better than Dayonaut so he should prove the better.

Incidentally three-year-olds won half the Kenilworth all-aged maidens in August last year and the older horses tended to do better in the longer distance races.

The Joey Ramsden-trained Rommel has been nibbled at and he is capable of better than his last run (in April when he started third favourite) would suggest.

Callan Murray

Newcomers don’t win a high percentage of Kenilworth maidens but it is worth noting that Emperors Tractor is out of a half-sister to star sprinter Shea Shea. That said, he has drifted from 10-1 to 14-1. Sabbatical (14-1) is bred to need further.

Orakal has ben supported from 11-1 to 7-1 and Mike Robinson, who has booked Weichong Marwing, can win the Tabonline Handicap with King Of The Corn who is 2-1 favourite and should win by three lengths according to the computer.

The main negative is that his winning run came to an end when the going changed to yielding. Waiting For Rain (5-2) finished a neck in front of him last time but the main danger could well come from Murray’s mount One Direction (22-10).

Pumeza is only first reserve for race two and, although a bit disappointing last time, she stands out on her previous two runs. Tough Love, who wears ear muffs for the first time, has been backed from 6-1 to 15-4 and, if Pumeza doesn’t get a run, this one gets the vote to beat 6-1 shot Waterbaby.

By Michael Clower

Frankie Dettori, whose Cape Derby win in January was to presage a highly successful British season, will be back in South Africa in mid-November as a member of the visiting international jockeys team.

When he heard that Larry Wainstein was contacting potential team members Dettori rang the Racing Association boss and asked: “Is there a seat left on the bus?”

Frankie Dettori (Epsom Races)

Dettori also took part in last year’s competition and rode a double at Turffontein. The other internationals who have accepted are nine times Irish champion Pat Smullen, Hong Kong-based Mauritian Karis Teetan, Brazilian Silvestre de Sousa (champion in Britain in 2015), British-based Italian Andrea Atzeni and Australian Hugh Bowman.

Wainstein said: “The format has changed this year. There will be no Port Elizabeth, just the one day at Turffontein when there will be six races reserved for the competition.”

He added that Kenilworth, dropped in 2015, would have been brought back into the fold last year had the competition not clashed with the big Lanzerac/Selangor Cup day when owners and trainers wanted their own jockeys in the valuable races. The same consideration was likely to apply this year.

By Michael Clower

Supporters of Legal Eagle had their hopes boosted for tomorrow evening’s Equus Horse of the Year Award when he was voted the winner of the Cape Breeders’ version at a dinner near Stellenbosch last Wednesday.

But the Western Province chapter of the Racing Association also gives its awards at the function and in this one Legal Eagle was usurped for the premier prize by Captain America. It might have been a surprise to some but it was greeted with cheers by those involved with the Gold Challenge winner, and Lance Sherrell led the charge to the stage displaying much of the gusto and dash he used to reserve for rugby internationals.

Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

As Cape Breeders deputy chairman James Armitage pointed out, Western Cape-bred horses won the vast majority of last season’s 30 Grade 1 races (Klawervlei alone bred the winners of seven of them) and nearly half went to horses sired by Captain Al, Dynasty or Silvano.

Derek Brugman, accepting the owner of the year award on behalf of Mayfair Speculators, predicted: “One day when we start exporting you guys will reap the rewards you deserve.”

But he also pointed to the recent increase in stakes saying: “Three years ago we raced for R56 million and this year we raced for R96 million. We are going to keep pushing and we are aiming for R150 million.”

The huge prize money on offer in sales restricted races has played a major part in the increase but it was Brett Crawford who dominated the awards, with horses trained by him winning six of them. He himself was presented with an exceptional achievement award.

Similarly honoured was Candice Bass-Robinson for becoming the first of her sex to train a Durban July winner and for having such a sensational first season. “I got lucky this year,” she said modestly but the audience rose to their feet just as they had done for her father 12 months earlier. To cap it all last Wednesday was her birthday as well as National Women’s Day.

Justin Snaith, who pipped Crawford for the champion Cape trainer award, caused some amusement by recalling his first few years with a licence “when we used to go to the smaller breeders to pick from the chuck-out paddocks.”

Charles Faull was presented in his absence with a special service industry award and John Koster, accepting Klawervlei’s breeder of the year award, reported that Captain Al’s stable at the stud is to be turned into a museum to honour the outstanding stallion.

He added: “They say a great horse will change your life and a special horse will define it – and that is exactly what happened with us and Captain Al. He was our hero.”

– Triple Grade 1 winner Bela-Bela will start her stud career by visiting Gimmethegreenlight.

By Michael Clower

Sean Tarry won his third National Trainer’s Championships in succession in the season just passed and if he hasn’t already sealed his place among the greats in South African racing history it seems a foregone conclusion he soon will.

The two other Highveld big guns Mike de Kock and Geoff Woodruff were in the top ten again.

Sean Tarry

Tarry smashed his own stakes earnings record. His phenomenal return of R36,109,550 was 1,71 times more than the earnings of second placed Justin Snaith. In terms of dominance this was second in recent times only to De Kock’s 2010/2011 season in which his R21,714,451 earnings were 1,73 times the amount of second-placed Snaith.

Tarry’s 215 winners also broke his 209 mark from last season.

Tarry led the way in Grade 1 wins with seven, achieved through four individuals. He also won eight Grade 2s, seven Grade 3s, five Listed races and twelve Non-Black Type events.

Tarry’s reigning Equus Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle retained his crowns in both the Grade 1 wfa L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and Grade 1 wfa HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes to confirm his invincibility over a mile. However, when bidding to become the first horse since Sea Cottage to retain three Grade 1 crowns in one season, he was beaten into second in the Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m.  He also finished second in the Grade 1 Sun Met over 2000m and won the Grade 2 WSB Green Point Stakes. He has an excellent chance of retaining his Horse Of The Year title, especially considering he was giving 2,5kg to his 1,5 length conqueror in the Met, Whisky Baron, and 1kg to Deo Juvente, who beat him by a neck in the Champions Challenge.

Tarry’s superstar mare Carry On Alice beat the boys in the Grade 1 weight for age (wfa) Betting World Cape Flying Championships over 1000m at Kenilworth and won the Grade 1 South African Fillies Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville for the second time. The latter race was her swansong. Her stablemate Bull Valley also won two Grade 1 sprints, the Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville, in which he carried third topweight and won comfortably, and the wfa Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Greyville. He also won a Listed sprint, so headed Carry On Alice in stakes successes. Tarry’s other Grade 1 victory was in the SA Derby with Al Sahem.

Mike De Kock

Tarry’s best day of the season was likely on SA Classic day in which he won the first six races and his haul from 23 runners on the day was seven wins, five seconds, one third, two fourths and a fifth, and the wins included one Grade 1 and three Grade 3s.

De Kock finished fifth on the National log with earnings of R16,879,625. His overseas operations mean his best horses usually leave the country during or after their two-year-old or three-year-old years and he also closed his Summerveld yard during the season. De Kock had five individual Grade 1 winners. He won the SA Fillies Classic with Orchid Island, the Grade 1 SA Classic with Heavenly Blue, the Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes with Nother Russia and two full brothers, Mustaaqeem and Rafeef, won the SA Nursery and Computaform Sprint respectively for him on the same day. Mustaaqeem, an Australian-bred son of Redoute’s Choice, looks to be a particularly exciting prospect. De Kock also won three Grade 2s, two Grade 3s and three Listed races.

Geoff Woodruff won the Grade 1 Sansui Summer Cup for the fourth year in succession as Master Sabina retained his crown. Woodruff’s first and third in the Summer Cup was actually his worst recent return in Johannesburg’s biggest race, which emphasises his dominance. Woodruff also won the Grade 1 Champions Challenge with Deo Juvente. He also won one Grade 2, one Grade 3 and three Listed races. His R12,505,038 earnings put him in sixth place on the log.

Lucky Houdalakis’ Vaal-based yard continued their steady climb up the national log and finished in 13^th place. His 68 winners included a Grade 2 win and two Non-Black Type victories.

Johan Janse van Vuuren also achieved his highest position on the log in 14^th place and his 53 wins included two Grade 2s. He won five Grade 3s, including three at one meeting, two Listed events and three Non-Black Types.

Geoff Woodruff

Mike Azzie finished in 16^th place on the log and at the end of the season re-registered his yard in both his and his son Adam’s name. His 69 wins included a Grade 2 and a Grade 3 victory.

Paul Peter, 17^th on the log, also had 69 winners and a Grade 2 and Grade 3 victory, as well as a Listed win.

Gary Alexander was in 18^th place on the log and had two Grade 2s, one Grade 3 and two Listed wins.

Paul Matchett won the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championships with Brave Mary and also had a Listed win.

Weiho Marwing did the stayers “Gold” treble with Hermoso Mundo, who won the Grade 3 Gold Bowl, the Grade 3 Gold Vase and the Grade 3 Gold Cup. Marwing  also won two Non-Black type races.

Alec Laird won two Grade 2s and a Listed race.

Joey Soma won the Grade 2 SA Oaks with Wind Chill and he also won a Grade 3.

Candice Dawson won Kimberley’s biggest race, the Non-Black Type RA Mile with Sundari.

Corne Spies won a Grade 3 and two Non-Black Types; Ormond Ferraris won a Grade 3 and a Non-Black Type; Roy Magner, Grant Maroun and Robbie Sage each won a Grade 3 apiece; Louis Goosen and Barend Botes each won a Listed race apiece; Stephen Moffat won a Non-Black Type event.

By David Thiselton

Expensive yearling buy Silva’s Bullet can go a long way to recouping some of his R2.1 million purchase price when he lines up in the BSA August Million Colts & Geldings at Scottsville on Sunday.

This race, along with the filly’s equivalent, the BSA August Million Fillies, is weighted according to purchase price so it’s no surprise that Dean Kannemeyer’s runner shares top weight with the unraced Louis Goosen runner Zen Arcade who went through the ring at R550k, with Broadway Trip getting 2kg relief for the R300k that secured him for Peter White and Mickey Gerber.

Dean Kannemeyer

But big price tags don’t guarantee that a horse can run and the history of the sport is littered with record priced yearlings that battled to get out of their own way let alone win a race. But in the case of Silva’s Bullet, the signs are promising. A son of champion sire Silvano, he was a late starter, only making his debut in the first week of the new season over the Scottsville 1400m, but is a really smart, well-balanced individual who promises much.

His victims on debut will not get their names on jam tins with third-placed War Demon, also in Sunday’s line-up, making major improvement and beaten less than a length. However, it was the manner of victory that stamped Silva’s Bullet as a horse to follow.

Anthony Delpech was ‘at him’ from the jump and the top of the straight the favourite looked to have blown any chance of winning.

“He was lost halfway down the straight, I thought we weren’t going to get there, but he got going in the last 50m. He is smart, he needs further but he wanted to win. He’s got every little thing about him that tells me he’s going to be a decent horse,” commented Delpech post-race.

It is a little surprising that a race with a R1 million stake has a field littered with unraced horse and maidens and it was enough to tempted Alan Greeff up from Port Elizabeth with Kimberley Star. The colt has twice won over the distance and yet to finish further back than second.

He is obviously a smart colt but there is no collateral form to go on and the opposition is likely to prove stronger than what he has met in his home town, so his ability must be taken on trust.

The fillies event could well rest between Spring Breeze and Mind Your Business. Spring Breeze is the first semi-feature event to be saddled jointly by the father and son combination of Michael and Adam Azzie and it may well prove to be a winning debut. The daughter of Querari has been racing in strong feature company, finishing two lengths of Desert Rhythm in the Golden Slipper and a similar distance behind Princess Peach and Neptune’s Rain in the Debutante Stakes on the last day of the season.

Newly crowned KZN Champion Trainer Duncan Howells will have a line on Spring Breeze through Neptune’s Rain and is fairly confident of his chances with Mind Your Business. “I think I only have one horse to beat; that one of Azzie’s,” he said.

Mind Your Business landed an inspired gamble second time at the races, getting going late to beat Dame Commander and giving the impression that Sunday’s trip will be more to her liking.

However, Pearl Glow and Make Me Happy, come from powerful yards in Mike de Kock and Kannemeyer respectively and both showed up well on debut. They both have to give weight to fillies with a relatively proven track record that may prove difficult but it would be foolish to write off their chances.

By Andrew Harrison

Turffontein Standside stages a nine race meeting on Saturday and there will be some good quality horses appearing in three of the events.

The third race is a Conditions Plate for fillies and mares over 1160m. The best in at the weights here is Queen Laurie. She hasn’t run since April but being a sprinter could get away with it. She is very speedy and would prefer 1000m. However, the Turffontein 1160m is a fast course-and-distance and the going conditions on the Highveld are fast at present. Carrying just 53,5kg she might be able to run them off their feet.

The topweight Secret Star has earned her 100 merit rating. She has a tough task on paper with Queen Laurie, whom she has to give 6.5kg instead of what would be just 2,5kg in a handicap. However, she has excellent cruising speed and a telling kick, so it would be no surprise to see her catching Queen Laurie close to home. Biblical Susan is officially 6kg under sufferance with Queen Laurie, but has always struck as a decent type. In the maidens she beat Secret Star over 1200m in October last year and is now 8kg better off with her from that run. Her last start suggests she is starting to come into her own and she should make her presence felt.

Will Pays (Nkosi Hlophe)

Myfunnyvalentine is returning from a six month layoff after disappointing in Cape Town. She finished a close fourth in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m as a two-year-old. The form of that race has been muddled, but she did win quite a strong Non-Black type event over 1200m subsequently which proved she might be up to her current merit rating. She is second best in at the weights and is only 0,5kg under sufferance with Queen Laurie so has to be respected. Spring Wonder beat Biblical Susan by 1,1 lengths last time, but is now 3,5kg worse off, so there is not much in it.

The fourth is a MR 104 Handicap over 1160m. Pure Blonde showed good cruising speed over 1200m on the Inside track last time out when leading from start to finish and winning comfortably. He has come into his own and could follow up here despite being given an eight point raise. Will Pays has some class and bounced back to form last time when winning over 1400m. He is equally effective over this trip and is capable of carrying topweight to victory. However, Captain Aldo can reverse the form at the weights, especially considering he went close to the classy Rivarine the last time he tried the course and distance. Unagi has class and some speed, so is interesting dropped in trip. Finchatton should be finishing strongly.

The sixth is a MR 92 Handicap over 2000m. Top Shot is six-year-old now but has decent form if his last run at Greyville is ignored. He enjoys the Standside track and the last time he ran here he jumped from pole position over 1600m and led all the way to beat the decent Irish Pride. He is equally effective over this trip and is the one to beat if bouncing back after that failed Durban raid. He could get a good lead from the front-running Stonehenge.

However, the latter looks to be enjoying the current fast conditions and might keep them all at bay. Amsterdam is ideally distance suited and proved last time over 1800m he is up to his current merit rating. He is 1,5kg better off with Happy Pills for a half-a-length beating over 1800m. The latter is in good form and being by Trippi can continue to progress. He should stay the trip. Lee’s Pick is 1kg under sufferance but there is not much between him and Amsterdam over this trip. Wild Horizon has run in staying trips in his last three but before that won easily over 1800m, so also has a shout from a good draw at a course he enjoys.

By David Thiselton