Johan Janse van Vuuren, who currently has a small raiding string based at Ashburton, takes to the Greyville poly track on Sunday where his runners have realistic chances in all six of their races and a straight-line Pick 6, while unlikely, is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Crowd Pleaser in the Pick 6 opener is a progressive three-year-old who is no stranger to the Greyville poly as both of his victories have come on the synthetic surface. Back in January she simply ‘smoked’ home, leading all the way over the 1900m.

Anton Marcus (Nkosi Hlophe)

Crowd Pleaser was wacked eight pounds for that win which will make things a touch more difficult this time around against some more seasoned opposition but he has a poly master in Anton Marcus up and he could prove difficult to peg back.

Marcus will be aboard another Van Vuuren runner in Gasoline in the fourth who caught the eye when finding some interference in his last start at the Vaal before finishing second. Older horses tend to take to the poly and on that showing he could have the measure of Keep On Chooglin, going this trip for the first time, and confirmed poly specialist, the Brian Wiid-trained Racing Socks.

Marcus has forsaken the ride on the speedy Vine Street Star and a possible hat-trick of wins for the Mayfair Speculators filly to partner The Thinker for Van Vuuren. If his sequence of win, lose, win continues, he is due another victory although his merit rating is also on the rise. Bonnie Dawn from the visiting Louis Goosen yard, and Vine Street Star are obvious dangers.

Cathedral County hunts a winning hat-trick for Van Vuuren in the Track & Ball Gaming Handicap after scoring two effortless wins at the Vaal. Of concern is that he was reported to be coughing after both of those wins and they won’t be taking any prisoners when it comes to pace in this five-furlong dash with the filly Go With Flo under a postage stamp and the highly rated La Ferrari not short of early toe.

Another Van Vuuren runner, Doosra, has lost his way a little since beating the likes of Heavenly Blue and Daffiq early last season but although well beaten into second last time out, blinkers appear to have improved him a little. He will need to find his best form if he is to get the better of the smart and lightly weighted Palladium.

Cedrus Libani is the last of the Van Vuuren runners in the Jackpot Quick Mix Handicap where he will be up against it from a tricky draw in a field packed with possibilities. Top weight Breakfast Club is finally showing his true colours, winning both recent starts over course and distance, while Yankeedoodledandy, Archilles, King Django and Restless Rogue head a long list of possible winners.

By Andrew Harrison

Tevez is a logical choice for the Royal Horse Pinnacle Stakes at Kenilworth on Sunday but watch out for rising star Kingston Passage.

Tevez (Liesl King)

Greg Cheyne’s mount carries the Whisky Baron colours and has won the last three of his four starts, most recently going straight to the front and killing off the opposition shortly after halfway – and the time was good.

“It’s a big ask at the weights,” says Brett Crawford. “But it is going to be an interesting race and it should tell us exactly what he is capable of.”

True, the Western Winter gelding faces a formidable task against a horse who only two races back was beaten less than two lengths when fifth in the Cape Flying Championship. Even after going up eight points for his last win, Kingston is a full 6kg worse with Tevez than he would be in a handicap.

But he is not the only horse Aldo Domeyer has to worry about because La Favourari beat him off when he appeared to come at him with the race in the bag over a furlong further in a similar event three weeks ago. The four-year-old is on a hat-trick and clearly improving – “He is still doing well and there is no reason why he shouldn’t run another nice race,” says Andre Nel.

Lineker (Nkosi Hlophe)

But Tevez should surely reverse the form with a run under his belt and a 3kg turnaround in the weights. “He always runs a good race and he won’t need it this time,” points out Candice Bass-Robinson.

It looks between the three even though Vincente passed the post only a length and a half behind Kingston Passage five weeks ago and is now 4kg better.

Weights and recent form point to Silvan Star in the Equine Online Pinnacle even though it is debatable whether she deserved to go up as much as 2.5kg for last time’s neck win.

Top weight Milton seldom runs a bad race but he was most disappointing when favourite for a 1 400m Pinnacle at the beginning of last month and it is significant that Billy Prestage is putting him back over this longer trip.

Lineker would have strong claims if Greg Cheyne can get him away on terms but the Snaith four-year-old lost four lengths coming out of the pens in his last race and six lengths the previous time. Little wonder that Bernard Fayd’Herbe has switched to It Is Written.

Excellent looked unlucky when favourite three weeks ago and could be worth another chance in the Epol Handicap.

By Michael Clower

GODOLPHIN chief executive John Ferguson could offer no explanation for Thunder Snow’s antics as the Dubai team’s Kentucky Derby ambitions were smashed almost as soon as the starting gate opened on Saturday in dramatic – and mysterious – circumstances.

In what Ferguson described as “one of the most extraordinary things any of us have ever seen”, the UAE Derby winner Thunder Snow put in a mini-bucking bronco routine in the first 100 yards before being pulled up by the hapless Christophe Soumillon. “The horse is fine and it was just one of these things – they’re not machines,” said Ferguson, speaking at Newmarket on Sunday.

Thunder Snow (Dubai Racing Club-Andrew Watkins)

Beautiful character “He trained so well out there and he’s a beautiful character at home.

“He jumped plunging out of the stalls and was pulled up after 50 yards – you can imagine a two-year-old doing that having his first start but a horse who’s won Group races at Meydan in Dubai and won in France and England?

“Everyone will have a theory but we’ll probably never know what happened.”

No injury came to light in the initial veterinary examinations, while suggestions of some kind of equipment problem were never confirmed.

“I don’t know what happened at the start,” commented Soumillon after the race, while chief Godolphin workrider Daragh O’Donohoe said he was “totally dumbstruck”.

Saeed Bin Suroor had said beforehand Thunder Snow was Godolphin’s best-ever chance of Kentucky success.

“We will closely monitor him over the next 24 hours to ensure that he is okay – our first priority is his welfare,” said the disappointed trainer.

“We gave it our best – the team were amazing but it just wasn’t to be.”

Unless some more tangible explanation emerges, it is perhaps worth recalling that Thunder Snow’s sire, the brilliant Australian performer Helmet, was not entirely straightforward.

He almost threw away the Group 1 Champagne Stakes at Randwick in April 2011 when he veered away from the whip

– racingpost.com

The Vaal Standside course has a low key eight race meeting today where the highest rated race is a MR 88 Handicap over 1400m.

Craig Zackey (Nkosi Hlophe)

Forest Fox has become a consistent sort and is off a competitive merit rating at present. His number one draw might be against him, although at last week’s meeting on this track they were all going to the far side rail in many of the races, meaning the low draws were not at all disadvantageous. He has some class, is ideally distance suited and Gavin Lerena stays aboard. Refuge is a promising sort who is having his third run after a rest over the trip of his last win. He also has a low draw but Strydom rides him for the sixth time and knows how to get the best out of him.

Count Tassilo was beaten fair and square by Forest Fox last time they met and being 0,5kg better off is unlikely to see him reverse the form. On the plus side he is drawn on the standside and if this proves advantageous on the day he should go close. He tended to over race over 1600m, so this looks like the right trip. Bizjet had some good KZN form and is ideally distance suited. On his Highveld debut he found no extra from a handy position, but should have benefitted from the run. Hidden Agenda is a versatile type and will have benefitted from his last outing over 1200m. He has won three times over 1200m and also over 2000m, so this trip should be suitable.

Punters could get off to a good start in race one over 1000m with the speedy So Var, who hasn’t been out of the first three in three starts and has been running in strong fields. However, there are some interesting first-timers here and none more so than the Australian-bred Ancient Spirit. He is by top sire Fastnet Rock out of an Irish-bred Encosta De Lago mare who is a half-sister to the Gr 1 winner Holy Roman Emperor.

In the second race over 1000m Brave Mary also has plenty of speed and has not been disgraced against fair opposition to date, so she is the one to side with, although a lot could depend on whether her low draw is unfavourable or not.

Forest Fox ( JC Photographics)

Race three is over 1600m and the best strategy for the Pick 6 could be to include all of the previous raced horses with the exception of the no hoper Bidvee, The race could well be dominated by first-timers and the most appealing of them on pedigree is Jika who is by Jay Peg and is a half-sister to four-time winning sprinter Varumba and to the promising Rumbavar.

In the first leg of the Jackpot, Queen Anne, Momo and Charter Jet make the most appeal in a weak race and they should be enough to get punters through.

In the fifth race over 1200m, Last Girl Standing has a fair chance. She did not have much luck last time out over 1450m, but made up ground in eyecatching style in the straight. However, she ran out of steam late suggesting she would prefer 1200m. Indeed in her previous start she burst through and went close. However, she did become one paced late, so is not easy to win with and probably needs tp be held up for as long as possible. Therefore a couple of others, Burundi Bush and Pied Piperess need to be included in the Pick 6. They are both capable sorts.

The next race is a competitive 1000m handicap and a number of horses have to be included in the exotics. However, Just Africa is made the value bet of the day. He has a lot of speed and is particularly effective in fast going. He should get the fast going he likes and is off a competitive merit rating.

The last leg of the Pick 6 over 1400m is also a competitive affair, but the one who makes most appeal is Nephrite. This horse clearly did not like the blinkers last time and they are duly off. As a two-year-old he finished three lengths behind Rabada in a Grade 1 over 1600m, so has not surprisingly been knocking on the door off his current merit rating of 70. His draw is close to the standside, which would be advantageous by trends. Marco van Rensburg has ridden him in his last two starts and is back aboard, so should get the best out of him.

By David Thiselton