Ashburton-based trainers punch well above their weight if one considers numbers – horses and trainers – and the quality of horse stabled there. There are only ten trainers based at the picturesque training centre situated on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg and most of the horses housed there did not set the sales ring alight.

Gary Rich

The biggest and strongest yards belong to Gr1 winning trainers Duncan Howells and Weiho Marwing. Howells has been champion KZN trainer and is currently heading the local log while Marwing has quickly settled in since relocating from Turffontein and came within an objection of winning the Vodacom Durban July with Wylie Hall.

But the smaller yards are also doing their part as they battle the economy and a dearth of owner support and between them saddled five winners over this past weekend. Paul Gadsby, Des Egdes and Howells had a winner apiece along with Gary Rich and Steven Janse van Rensburg while Lowan Denysschen saddled two seconds.

Rich and Janse van Rensburg are two relatively recent additions to the Ashburton ranks. Rich is the son of July winning trainer Des Rich (Lightning Shot) who also trained at Ashburton before his death. Gary started his training career at Ashburton before turning his hand to working at the South African Jockeys Academy where he worked for seven years.

But he missed training and when the offer came from Adam Kethro in Mooi River he jumped at the opportunity. That lasted for just over four years before they parted company.

“I was at a loose end but couldn’t find a job,” surmised Rich. “My age probably counted against me so eventually I decided to start out on my own again.”

“It’s been tough going but I’m enjoying it much more this time around,” he said.

Steven Janse Van Rensburg

Rich has had five winners since his return, most recently Roy’s Twilight for prolific owner Roy Moodley introduced to Rich by good friend Warren Lenferna. Roy’s Twilight had poor form before arriving in Rich’s yard. “After I started working her I couldn’t believe that her form was that bad,” said the trainer. He was correct in his assessment and after showing marked improvement at her first two starts for Rich, the daughter of Al Miqdaam shed her maiden third time out.

She followed up at her next start at Scottsville on Sunday. “It was a surprise but not really a surprise if that makes any sense,” he laughs. “She was working well but I didn’t think she could win two in a row.”

Steven Janse van Rensburg is the most recent arrival in Ashburton after relocating from Port Elizabeth. Van Rensburg started in Gauteng, working for Leon Erasmus for four years before joining the late ‘Oom’ Nic Claassen when he moved from the Vaal to Port Elizabeth.

“I worked for Oom Nic for 16 years and have been on my own for five years now,” he said.

He moved to Ashburton at the beginning of the year. “I suppose I was looking for better opportunities,” he said when quizzed on his move. Janse van Rensburg has 18 horses at the moment and has had two winners since relocating, the favourite Dhaamer obliging at Greyville on Friday night.

By Andrew Harrison

Kenilworth Racing and Phumelela are to adopt a more flexible approach to race programming in a bid to meet trainers’ concerns about the shortfalls of the present system.

Phumelela boss Clyde Basel said: “We are going to review the programme every two months, see which races are filling, which are not and why they are not. We can then tinker with the programme and make the necessary changes.

“Cape racing is fantastic and we want to keep it that way. The trainers are keen to increase the number of runners per race and we want to put things in place to enable them to do this.”

Eric Sands, one of those at the forefront of the call for change, said: “This will help – and we certainly can’t afford to give away any more of our racemeetings to another centre – but it can’t be done without also having an up-to-date horse census each time.

“Derek Brugman has suggested to me that we should go to each trainer each month, ask him or her what horses they have to run, the type of horse and the distances they are looking for – and that is a good suggestion.”

By Michael Clower 

Picture: Eric Sands (hamish NIVEN Photography)

A number of good horses are turning out at tomorrow’s KZN meeting, which has been moved from Scottsville to Greyville, and some of them like the much talked about Royal Life will be returning from long layoffs.

Trainer Alistair Gordon said Royal Life would definitely need his outing over the too sharp 1200m of the sixth race.

Monte Christo (Nkosi Hlophe)

The gelding was bought into the Gordon yard as a three-year-old just over a year ago after an impressive six length win over 1600m in his second career start.

However, he had a few initial hiccups and then contracted a serious virus after being gelded.

This run will get him going again, but he is looking for a lot further.

Gordon also brings back classy sorts in Monte Christo, Beat The Retreat and Sublime Code.

Monte Christo finished lame last time over 1600m on the day the jockeys protested about the Scottsville turn (December 20), so has had to be brought back to fitness.

Gordon said, “He is fit and well and put up a good gallop on Monday. He is talented and I hope for a good run, although he might just need it.”

The good looking Trippi colt should love running fresh over the 1400m course and distance of the Novice Plate event and is tipped to win.

Beat The Retreat by Argonaut has a fine record down the Scottsville straight and has never run on the poly before. However, he should be right there in the seventh, a competitive MR 97 Handicap over 1200m.

Beat The Retreat (Nkosi Hlophe)

Gordon said, “He has been gelded and it’s made a big difference. He has been working nicely. It might be a bit sharp for him now, but I expect him to run a nice race.”

Sublime Code, a three-year-old by Warm White Night, has his second run after gelding in the last, a MR 77 Handicap over 1200m.

Gordon would have obviously preferred the race to have been at Scottsville, as he said, “He was really, really green on the poly last time and will be better up the straight. He has improved a lot and I am hoping for a decent run.”

The Dennis Drier yard make Desert Fighter their best runner on the day in that last race. He looks to have been leniently treated by the handicappers, especially considering the form of his 3,25 length win over the course and distance has turned out well.

The Drier yard said Sea Fever would likely need his first run back from the Cape in the seventh, although he would still be fit enough to be a contender.

Drier’s Var filly Nova has her second career outing in the third race over 1000m, after a five month layoff, and they said it would likely be inexperience rather than fitness which could find her out as she was a small filly and had put in the necessary work.

Sublime Code (Nkosi Hlophe))

Gareth van Zyl said Redcarpet Captain was beginning to become a bit coltish at home so they were sending him out, to run in tomorrow’s seventh, a bit earlier than ideal in order to settle him down. This run will bring him on as he obviously has a lot bigger fish to fry in the forthcoming South African Champions Season.

Garth Puller brings back Mr McSteamy from a nine month layoff to run in the fourth, a Maiden over 1000m. He said he had some class, but might be one run short.

Puller viewed the Charles Laird-trained Variable Pitch as the obvious horse to beat, because despite also returning from an eight month layoff he had decent form as well as the advantage of a 4kg claimer aboard. However, he pointed out Mr McSteamy’s half-sister Dreya’s Gold had relished the step back to this 1000m trip on Sunday when beating a promising sort in Cosmic Burst and hoped Mr McSteamy would do likewise.

Mike Miller’s decent sort Executive Power over raced when sent over1600m last time, but Miller refuses to accept he is a pure sprinter yet so tries him over 1400m of the fifth.

By David Thiselton

Scottsville has received 23mm so far this morning and it is still raining steadily, with a forecast of further rain over the next few days.

As a consequence, and in a good faith move to ensure that racing goes ahead, Gold Circle has decided to move tomorrow’s Scottsville race meeting to the Greyville Polytrack, with the clear proviso that the Company reserves the right to abandon the meeting if there are too many scratchings as a result of change of venue.

As it currently stands there are only 68 runners engaged at tomorrow’s meeting and any significant drop in this number will result in the abandonment of the meeting.

ends

Cloth Of Cloud, hugely impressive on debut at Kenilworth on the day of the CTS Million Dollar, may take on the best in Johannesburg in one of the two SA Nurseries at Turffontein at the end of next month.

“Either the colts’ race or the fillies’ – we will see which one,” said Sean Tarry yesterday. After her win in January, Tarry expressed concerns about the temperament of the R2.2 million Captain Al half-sister to Silver Mountain but he said yesterday: “She seems to have it under control.”

Cloth Of Cloud scored by six lengths at Kenilworth and, while the form has not worked out – the third and fourth have been beaten since, she won with incredible ease.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Sean Tarry 

Trainer Gareth van Zyl showed a rare display of emotion at Scottsville yesterday and the horse which had caused it was the highly promising Australian-bred two-year-old filly Mygirldownunder.

Anton Marcus (Nkosi Hlophe)

Meanwhile, Michael Roberts now looks to have two strings to his bow for the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint as his Argonaut gelding Natal obliterated a strong Graduation Plate field over 1200m.

Mygirldownunder was backed into 12/10 in her debut over 1000m in yesterday’s first race and never looked in danger of defeat under Anton Marcus.

She had the odds-on favourite Ebtihaal off the bit a long way out and just had to be shaken up to win by 4,75 lengths. She was receiving only 0,5kg in actual weight from the runner up, whose 2,5kg claimer alleviated some of the 3kg penalty she had earned for her impressive debut win.

Van Zyl had followed this filly’s pin-hooking auction in last year’s Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Sale with keen interest, as she had been consigned by his chief client Brian Burnard. Upon seeing her knocked down for a sales-topping R2 million, he presumed she would soon have new connections and a new trainer. However, he was overcome to discover Burnard had bought her back and was sending her back to him.

Gareth also thanked his father Gavin for allowing him the opportunity to train all of Burnard’s horses on his own under the banner of the now compartmentalised Van Zyl yard.

“It has changed my life,” he said.

Marcus vouched for the amount of work which had gone into preparing Mygirldownunder for her all important debut, describing her as perhaps too precocious, meaning she had at one stage been headstrong. He had even on occasion seen Gareth himself aboard her on the training tracks.

Mygirldownunder (Nkosi Hlophe)

Burnard has had the biggest monetary win of his career since Gareth took over the reins, landing the R2,5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m at Kenilworth with Budapest last November. Mygirldownunder could well repeat the dose next November. However, races like the Gr 1 Allan Robertson are likely to be on the agenda before then.

Later, Natal showed high cruising speed, allowing Brandon Lerena to sit still on him in front. He came away to beat the decent Bunker Bill by four lengths, despite conceding him 3,5 kg.

Natal had shown a blistering turn of foot from off the pace when winning his previous start over 1000m by 2,25 lengths off a merit rating of 96, so is by no means a one-dimensional sort.

The Nick Labuschagne and Benji Jonsson-owned Cheveley Stud-bred gelding was knocked down for just R60,000 at the KZN Suncoast Yearling Sale. This was despite her USA-bred dam having produced a number of winners, including a Listed winner. The cheap price might have been due to sire Argonaut having fallen completely out of favour.

Roberts’ older sprinter Muscatt broke the Scottsville 1000m course record last weekend and the yard, which had gone through a bleak spell, has turned the corner in no uncertain terms.

By David Thiselton

National Jockeys log leader S’Manga Khumalo’s six-timer at Turffontein on Saturday took him further clear in the title race, while Sean Tarry’s five-timer provided further proof he could dominate the National Trainers Championship for some time.

S’Manga Khumalo (Liesl King)

Tarry landed both Juvenile features on the card and said this was without doubt the best crop of two-year-olds he had ever had, at least as far as their performances in juvenile races had gone.

Tarry has won all six of the Juvenile Fillies races he has contested this season, with five different horses.

Var filly Exquisite Touch became the first of them on Saturday to land a feature and her 1,3 length victory in the Listed Ruffian Stakes over 1000m looked effortless.

Tarry regarded Exquisite Touch as the standout of the Emperor’s Palace Select Yearling Sale and felt fortunate to clinch her for only R350,000. Her Elliodor dam Lavender Sky’s four wins were all in the weaker centre of Port Elizabeth and she had not produced much from a few foals before Exquisite Touch, which perhaps explains the relative lack of interest from buyers.

The yard’s Trippi colt Flying Myth was workmanlike in winning the Listed Storm Bird Stakes over 1000m on his debut, but he did show pace and Tarry was not sure whether he would stay much further. This colt will likely be close to Tarry’s heart being out of the  talented and speedy mare Mana Mou, whom he trained to five wins without her ever quite fulfilling her potential.

Both of Saturday’s juvenile feature winners were owned by Chris van Niekerk.

Sean Tarry (Liesl King)

Tarry’s other juvenile filly winners this season have been Water Lily Lake (Trippi), Cloth Of Cloud (Captain Al), Safe Harbour (Elusive Fort) and Kahula (Kahal).

He said it was too early to tell which route they would all take.

Tarry and Khumalo also won the Non-Black Type Gold Rush Sprint over 1100m on Saturday with the classy Western Winter colt Buckland.

He said, at least until gelding, Buckland would likely stick to 1200m and the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint was a possibility.

He added Kahal filly Intergalactic, who relished the Standside 1600m on Saturday, might take her chances in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m.

Tarry has had a couple of five-timers before, which is his record number of winners in one meeting.

By close of play on Sunday, Khumalo was ten winners clear of Anthony Delpech in the title race and he added 3 more winners at Flamingo Park yesterday.

By David Thiselton

Captain America will have his first race since finishing third in the J & B Met in a pinnacle at Turffontein on Saturday as he bids to repeat last year’s HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut win.

Brett Crawford said: “He is with the Mike de Kock yard in Jo’burg at the moment and goes in a 1 450m race on Saturday before running in the Horse Chestnut on April 2.”

Captain America (Liesl King)

Crawford travelled to Melbourne to buy one horse at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for the second successive year. Twelve months ago he bought the AUS$ 560 000 sale-topper for Ridgemont Stud and this time he picked up a Fastnet Rock filly out of a full sister to Holy Roman Emperor for AUS$ 300 000 for the same operation.

De Kock, Joey Ramsden, Johan Janse van Vuuren, Candice Robinson and Derek Brugman were also in action. Ramsden will train two of the three Brugman purchased on behalf of Markus Jooste and Mrs Robinson the third. She bought two others and was also acting for Marsh Shirtliff, Bryn Ressell, James Drew and Mike Fullard.

Jooste, for whom Brugman also bought two to stay in Australia, was among the sellers as well and sold four by the 2012 Golden Horse winner Delago Deluxe who was bred in Australia and stands at the Newhaven Park Stud in New South Wales.

Brugman said: “Delago Deluxe has been very well received in Australia and his yearlings are selling fantastically well.”

Jooste, the leading owner in South Africa for each of the last eight seasons, is now part-owner of a significant number of horses with the great Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien at Ballydoyle, one of the most impressive and most successful training establishments in the world.

By Michael Clower

Sublime Lady is to try feature company again despite drifting the width of the course after Grant van Niekerk sent her to the front two furlongs from home in the mile handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Candice Robinson said: “In the Victress she was almost put over the fence and in the Jamaica last time she was caught three wide. We will keep her here in the winter and have a go at one of the smaller fillies features.”

Mike Bass was on course but his hopes of initiating a double with Whose That Girl in the juvenile fillies were dashed when the 5-10 hotpot trailed in seventh behind Aldo Domeyer on the Darryll Hodgson-trained Chill Baby Chill. “Maybe she was feeling her shins,” reported a disappointed Van Niekerk. “That wasn’t her run at all.”

Grant Van Niekerk (Nkosi Hlophe)

Punters were already reeling from Gray Frost in the first. The Brett Crawford newcomer was backed from 14-1 to 4-1 but finished with only one behind him, 14 lengths off the Joey Ramsden odds-on Attenborough under Donovan Dillon.

Crawford said: “He is a nice horse and, while I wouldn’t say I expected him to trot up, I thought he would finish in the first four. Maybe something will show up.”

Followers of the stable had compensation when Crawford and Corne Orffer fired off a quick-fire treble with Tide Is Turning, Silver Snaffles and Mr Bond who all started favourite.

Crawford commented, straight-faced: “For two and a half years I’ve been telling Corne that when he wants to go he must first count to ten and then go. At last he he’s got it – up until now I think he was only counting to five!”

The first and third of the stable’s winners were led in by Mark and Louise Currie who were in Cape Town to take part in the Cape Cycle Tour. The Investec executive said that it was ten years since he had last ridden in the famous cycle race so he would probably be in need of the run!

But the Philippi partnership suffered another reverse when odds-on Juba never got into it behind the Paul Reeves 20-1 shot Fifty Other Shades in the 1 000m maiden. The stipes ordered a veterinary report but nothing showed up. However Orffer reported: “She got a bit above herself and became very sweaty.”

The winner was the second Gareth Wright had ridden from his last seven mounts and he is optimistic that this change of fortune will enable him to leave behind a freak and unwelcome spell on the sidelines.

He said: “Unknown to me I fractured a finger, I think when I was holding a horse, and a fortnight later it started to hurt. When I had it looked at, the doctor told me that it was an old injury that had broken again and I had to stay off for six weeks.”

The 16-runner finale turned into one of starter Fred Brosman’s nightmares with one horse (Mr Piscato) breaking through the pens and galloping back to the stables. Then, when the other 15 were reloaded, Mini Loushe also burst out. The increasingly fractious field was eventually off nine minutes late.

But for those who backed Mega Secret from 5-1 to 28-10 the agony came at the business end with Craig du Plooy inflicting a last gasp defeat on Captain Splendid.

Chris Snaith, though, was impressed, saying: “Craig does all the work but rarely gets a good ride. When he does he produces the goods.”

By Michael Clower

KZN has a double header this weekend with eight races on the Greyville polytrack tonight and eight more at Scottsville on Sunday.

The latter meeting has attracted some good horses and should provide purists with a feast of action.

In the first on Sunday Mike de Kock brings out the Argentinian-bred filly Ebtihaal for her second career start. She looked to be full of class on debut over this 1000m course and distance. She was slow away but made up the ground quickly and then still managed to kick away from the field in impressive style despite soft underfoot conditions. The Allan Robertson could be beckoning. She has to give weight to the rest of the field, who are all first-timers, but it will take a good one to peg her back. The Australian-bred Mygirldownunder by Gr 1 Prix Morny winner Myboycharlie is an interesting contender.

The second is competitive, but Bold Approach makes a lot of appeal coming back down to 1000m. Her last win, over 1200m, was off an 81 merit rating and before that she beat the useful Sarve over 1000m off a 77 merit rating. She has come down the ratings quickly to a 66 and with her natural pace from a good draw should go close. Kingsview loves this course and distance and has a shout with a 2,5 claimer up. Easy debut winner Cosmic Burst could still be anything and her mere 72 merit rating gives her the chance to progress through the ranks if she proves good enough.

In the third over 1200m an exciting sprinting sort in Natal is the one to beat. The turn of foot he showed over1000m last time was effortless but devastating and he should enjoy the step up in trip. He is best in at the weights. Captain Chaos, the facile Gr 3 Cape Nursery winner, makes his debut for the Mark Dixon yard. Dixon said the run might come just one week too soon. However, Cape form can never be sneezed at and he has to be considered.

In the fourth over 1200m the Highveld raider Joan Ranger looks the one to beat. She has shown plenty of speed over 1450m against good horses, so the step back to this trip might be what she is looking for despite her pedigree. She has a nice stride and Delpech rides from a plum draw. She is also officially the best in at the weights.  The older Shezaleader loves this course and distance and has not been disgraced against some good sorts recently, so will be a threat. Elusiveenchantment looked a smart sort when winning her maiden and is another big runner.

In the fifth over 1950m, All Together Now relaxed beautifully in the running before turning it on nicely in the straight when winning comfortably over 1600m last time out. He should love the step up in trip on both pedigree and running style and looks to have a touch of class.

In the sixth over 1600m the exciting Mater Familias reappears after impressing with an easy maiden win second time out on the poly. She could be anything and is a banker possibility. However, beyond her the race is very open and the whole field would probably have to be included.

The seventh is a maiden over 1400m and is much more open than it appears to be at first sight. Lateral Dancer looks to have the most scope for improvement among this weak bunch and is tipped, but all of Hanji, Destined For Dawn, Reactive, Nutcracker, Powder Keg and Stormatic could be considered.

The eight is a competitive fillies and mares handicap over 1400m and it would be wise to go wide in the exotics, although the one who makes most appeal is Black Cashmere.  She looks likely to appreciate the step down in trip, as one who has over raced over further, and she looks to have some scope too. Furthermore, she jumps from a good draw off a merit rating which has been dropped ten points since her handicap debut.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Ebtihaal (Nkosi Hlophe)