Alexis loving Greyville

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Brendan Pather

Stalwart Cape trainer Brett Crawford seldom leaves KZN in the autumn without a Graded trophy in the bag and he secured his first big race victory of this year’s SA Champions Season on Saturday when the speedy four-year-old Dynasty filly Alexis proved her liking for Greyville by running on strongly under stable jockey Corne Orffer to win the Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m.

Crawford admitted 1400m was probably the small filly’s best trip. However, she gets a mile and will line up next in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m on Vodacom Durban July day.

Alexis has now won three of her four starts at Greyville, including last season’s Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas, which proved her effectiveness over a mile. The Connemara Stud-bred filly is owned by Delma Sherrell, whose former Springbok rugby-playing son Lance has become very passionate about horseracing and made a rare non-appearance on course on Saturday.

The Mike Bass-trained pair Silver Mountain and Inara ran second and fourth respectively in the Tibouchina. Assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe was pleased with both runs going into the Garden Province. They were split by the ever-improving Weiho Marwing-trained Sensible Lover, whose days of being sent out in big races at long prices are over, despite her still relatively lowly merit rating of 95. She is also an entry in the Garden Province.

The front-running Duncan Howells-trained Little Black Number was swamped late but earned a cheque for a gallant fifth place finish.

The Frank Robinson-trained Olma raced wide from a high draw and finished a 2,75 length sixth. However, Piere Strydom climbed off and immediately asked Robinson for the ride in the Garden Province, which the latter obviously jumped at.

In the Garden Province Alexis has drawn 15 of the 21 nominations, Silver Mountain has drawn five, Sensible Lover eight, Inara four and Olma thirteen.

Crawford’s charges have tended to need their first runs in KZN this season, so should all be watched from now on in.

He later sent out Big Cat in the Gr 2 Cup Trial, but this horse did not appear to be himself and ran last.

Big Cat’s passionate part-owners James Drew and Mike Fullard also have shares in Punta Arenas, who ran ninth in the Cup Trial for the Dennis Drier yard.

The pair had a rare winter last year in which they had no concerns about the perennial borderline Punta Arenas qualifying for the July, as he won the Cup Trial, before going on to finish an unlucky second in the big one. However, it a reversion to finger-nail chewing time again this year.

Drew was initially disappointed in Punta Arenas run on Saturday. However, he was later shocked to see he had only finished 2,65 lengths back, so then became hopeful again as the horse had carried topweight off his 107 merit rating and in his opinion had fulfilled the criteria of “showing his well-being.”

David Thiselton

Rising Sun Gold Challenge Racemeeting Wrap

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Nikita

The four-year-old Australian-bred gelding Mac De Lago cemented his place in the final field for the R4.25-million Vodacom Durban July in three weeks’ time when declared the winner of the R1-million, Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1 600m at Greyville on Saturday.

Touched off by a whisker at the line by the Trippi gelding Trip To Heaven, the gutsy son of Encosta De Lago from the Weiho Marwing stable would have been hard done by if his place in the big race had been in question had the result stood, but Marwing was quick to object against Trip To Heaven on the grounds of interference in the closing stages and the success of the move removed any possibility of that.

Mac De Lago was 16^th on the latest July Log and in spite of his success being his first in 529 days, his fourth to Legal Eagle in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Challenge at Turffontein, where he stayed on at the end of the 2 000m trip, was strong enough form for the selection panel to consider him a possible inclusion. Saturday’s gutsy fight under Piere Strydom was evidence enough that he deserves his place in the field on July 2.

For racegoers, however, it might have been a very confusing race. Trainer Sean Tarry had reportedly stated that Trip To Heaven, that will be competing in the Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1 200m at Greyville this coming Friday, would go to the front if he broke well enough but in the race the four-year-old took station at the back of the field with stable companion Prospect Strike under Anthony Delpech going quickly to the front to set a good gallop.

In the straight, replacement rider Grant van Niekerk sent Trip To Heaven for home with a strong finish, joining issues with Mac De Lago. The two raced together in a bitter duel but Trip To Heaven shifted inwards onto Mac De Lago with the pair then racing neck and neck to the finish. There was just a whisker between them at the line but there had been contact and because of the close finish the stipes had little choice but to uphold the objection.

Tarry’s big race contender French Navy, that had raced midfield in the early stages, got fully into stride in the straight and ran on strongly for third place ahead of New Predator while Prospect Strike faded out to finish seventh.

The R250 000, Grade 3 Cup Trial was also not without incident and an objection was a feature of this result as well. All eyes had been on the two major July candidates The Conglomerate and Dynamic that both required a major showing to get a run in the country’s premier race. As it turned out, it was the outsider from the Charles Laird stable, Exit Here that stole the glory after a cunning ride by Weichong Marwing who dictated the pace at a slow tempo then fought off a challenge from Dynamic to take the honours.

The Conglomerate followed them across the line ahead of Saratoga Dancer but trainer Duncan Howells lodged an objection against The Conglomerate on the grounds of interference and intimidation in the closing stages and this objection was upheld reversing the order of third and fourth places.

The result of this race possibly put paid to the chances of The Conglomerate and Dynamic being considered for the Vodacom Durban July field.

The R400 000, Grade 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1 400m was won by the Brett Crawford-trained Dynasty filly Alexis that gave credence to the racing saying of “horses for courses”. The filly under stable jockey Corne Orffer loves the Greyville track having won the KRA Fillies Guineas at the venue last year. Her record at Greyville now stands at three wins from four starts.

It was a race targeted by Crawford for the filly and she will now go for the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Strakes on July day.

In the slow-run race Alexis finished strongly to snatch victory from the Mike Bass-trained Silver Mountain with another fast-finished Sensible Lover taking third place ahead of Inara.

There was a close finish to the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes with Laird snatching his first feature win of the day with the Silvano colt Palladium that got up to beat favourite Daffiq by about a head. The race was marred by a false start but Keagan de Melo allowed Palladium to settle at the rear of the field before putting in his flying finish to snatch victory.

The Listed Devon Air Stakes saw Weichong Marwing at his best as he drove the Judpot filly Maleficent through with a powerful finish to swoop past favourite Querari Falcon to win going away by more than three lengths.

By Richard McMillan

‘Big Mac’ delivers

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Brendan Pather

Speaking prophetically on Friday, Weiho Marwing said “Big Mac” was in good order after arriving from his Turffontein satellite yard the day before. “Those Jo’burg races, especially at Turffontein, may have been too far. He always looked dangerous but didn’t finish of his race. I think the 1600 might be his game. We’ll see.”

Well it was close! “Big Mac” didn’t get home first in the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville yesterday, but it took an objection from Marwing to get him there.

Trip To Heaven came from well back in the field to hit the front two furlongs out but Mac De Lago stuck to him like a burr. Under pressure, replacement rider Grant van Niekerk allowed Trip To Heaven to shift ground onto Mac De Lago and with the winning margin a piece-of-paper most agreed that the stewards made the correct decision to reverse the result.

Not a great way to win a Gr1 but it was some consolation for Marwing who two years back was on the wrong end of a steward’ protest in the Vodacom Durban July with Wylie Hall relegated to second behind Legislate.

Mac De Lago (Nkosi Hlophe)

In spite of being suspect over the distance, Mac De Lago will take his chances in the July.

“I thought the objection was clear-cut,” said Marwing. “I don’t know why the stipes didn’t object. You will have to ask them.”

“It was a great prep for the July. I think he will spark from here.”

French Navy, having his final race before the July, was doing his best work late finishing third and Sean Tarry will be more than happy with his showing in his lead-up to the country’s big one.

The notorious ‘Cape Crawl’ has taken hold in KZN this winter and there appears to be no antidote as both the G3 Cup Trial and the Gr2 Tibouchina Stakes caught the virus and the recent Gr1 Daily News 2000 was also not immune.

That said, there is no substitute for experience and internationally experienced Weichong Marwing played the field on the brake in the Cup Trial. Controlling the pace on rank outsider Exit Here he spoilt the chances of a few Vodacom Durban July hopefuls and cemented the chances of his mount making the final field as he kept Exit Here finding extra to hold Dynamic, the heavily supported The Conglomerate and Saratoga Dancer with a blanket covering the rest of the finishers.

Setting a sedate gallop Exit Here, beaten out of sight by current July anti-post favourite Black Arthur in the G2 Canon Guineas, responded to Marwing’s urgings to hold off the attentions of Dynamic who battled to quicken past his rival after being in close attendance throughout.

Chares Laird, not complimentary of his previous jockey bookings for Exit Here, confirmed that pace was the key and was critical of the

Exit Here (Nkosi Hlophe)

colt’s last two rides. “He’s a very gutsy horse and went the right pace. Weichong was able to ease him up a little bit. At the top of the straight he gave him a kick and it’s actually nice to know that it’s not his fault that he had two bad runs.”

Behind the first two, Anton Marcus aboard favourite The Conglomerate and Muzi Yeni on Saratoga Dancer had a barging match resulting in a successful objection by trainer Duncan Howells against The Conglomerate on the grounds of interference and intimidation over the final 350m resulting in the placings being reversed.

With both runners in the running for a place in the final July field this could prove a costly dust-up for both runners who could be relegated to contesting the July consolation.

Last year’s KRA Fillies Guineas winner Alexis has a shine for Greyville and she added a third victory at the track from just four starts. Putting in a telling finish in the Gr2 Tibouchina Stakes, Brett Crawford’s filly got up close home under stable rider Corne Orffer to edge out Silver Mountain and a fast-finishing Sensible Lover, defying odds of 20-1.

Favourite Inara, caught wide early in a race run at a dismally slow early pace, loomed dangerous for a few strides but was caught for finishing speed and plodded into fourth.

Crawford said, “For me this was a race that we pin-pointed so it’s mission accomplished”. Next up will be the Gr1 Garden Province Stakes on July day.

It was also mission accomplished for Charles Laird and owner Alesh Naidoo when Palladium finished with a rattle to catch favourite Daffiq in the Gatecrasher Stakes. The race was marred by a false start but did not faze the R1,7 million yearling buy who came from last under Keagan De Melo.

“We have a plan for July day,” said Laird. “We’re three-quarters of the way there.”

Later, the Alec Laird-trained Maleficent booked her place in the Golden Slipper on July day in similar fashion in the Devon Air Stakes. Weichong Marwing was hard at work from the top of the straight and the filly only got rolling inside the final furlong to catch Querari Falcon to win going away with the balance well beaten.

Andrew Harrison

Machine to crank it up

Posted on June 11, 2016 by Brendan Pather

The Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge heads a top class card for one of KZN’s most enjoyable and well attended annual meetings and there is sure to be a festive on course atmosphere at Greyville today as well as plentiful entertainment, thanks to the usual joint efforts of Gold Circle and Rising Sun CEO Vijay Maharaj.

In the R1 million weight for age 1600m event, Ice Machine could finally land a deserved Gr 1. He ran on smartly in the Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes to finish third to New Predator who had been allowed an easy lead. He now has the man who knows him best, Anton Marcus, back aboard. Ice Machine will want a good pace and it could well be quicker than the Drill Hall with Trip To Heaven in the field. However, this will depend on the latter breaking well, which is unlikely statistically as he has been slow away in his last five starts.

Triptique ran on fluently in the Drill Hall Stakes for second, dispelling fears he might only be a sprinter, and on both that effort and pedigree he should get the mile so has a chance from pole position.

New Predator has proved himself possibly the best three-year-old miler still in the country and if allowed to dictate as he did in the Drill Hall he has a big shout.

However, jockey Weichong Marwing has jumped ship to French Navy. This trip will likely be a touch sharp for French Navy and is also likely a preparation for the Vodacom Durban July, but he appears to enjoy Greyville and will be running on strongly.

Bezanova loves Greyville and finished a 0,9 length third last year despite being drawn wide. He now has a good draw and is the dark horse.

Mac De Lago would likely prefer further but has a strong finish and Piere Strydom is up. He’s likely to have been freshened up since the tough President’s Champions Challenge, where he finished a decent fourth, and the Weiho Marwing yard often do well with horses running fresh.

Prospect Strike is a another dark horse as he was caught wide in the Gr 2 Canon Guineas, yet still finished only 2,4 lengths behind July favourite Black Arthur.

Captain Aldo’s best career performance was when winning the slowly run Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m and he had the like of Ice Machine and Trip To Heaven behind him. However, he has a tough task at the weights.

Trip To Heaven is a similar type to former stablemate Willow magic who finished second in this race last year, as he has plenty of speed but stays a mile. If breaking better than normal he could be a threat from the front in a race run as slowly as last year’s.

The selection is Ice Machine to beat Triptique with New Predator, French Navy and Bezanova next best.

Dynamic (Liesl King)

The Gr 3 Cup Trial is a traditional July qualifier for borderline horses and is always a highly competitive affair.

However, Dynamic is off an attractive merit rating and is now drawn in pole as opposed to 14 when finishing third in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900. Big Cat should be cherry ripe having his third run in KZN and is likely the best value in the race as it is easy to imagine him making good late progress with his big stride, after having settled in the running from a good draw. It Is Written does tend to take a keen hold, but settled well from a good draw in the Betting World 1900 before staying on for fifth. He will appreciate the slight step down and now has the bang in form Anthony Delpech up from a fair draw of seven.

The Conglomerate has been disappointing but has been seen to stay on steadily in his last two races off moderate paces, so he can feature if getting the strong pace which saw him winning last season’s KRA Guineas. Master’s Eye is quirky and tends to look around, but over raced when the blinkers were tried last time. If he is able to concentrate he will be a big runner from a good draw under Piere Strydom. The classy Saratoga Dancer will be coming into his own and Greek Legend, Exit Here, Gold Onyx and Halve The Deficit are others who can’t be ignored if producing their best, while Deputy Jud could do well if finding a good position near the front.

They are selected in the order mentioned.

Silver Mountain (Liesl King)

The Gr 2 Tibouchina over 1400m could be dominated by top class stablemates Inara and Silver Mountain. Alexis, who love Greyville, could be the biggest danger. Olma is the dark horse as she is doing extremely well at Summerveld and loves this track, but her wide draw makes it tough. Cuvee Brut is a classy, distance suited sort who could upset.

In the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes, high-flying Vaughan Marshall has a chance with the classy Step Up, despite a wide draw. The maiden Side Show and impressive Aussie Austin could be the biggest dangers.

In the Devon Air Stakes, Querari Falcon impressed with the ease of her win over 1200m on debut. She should love this trip on pedigree. The penny dropped for Oriental Oak last time and her late burst caught the eye. Call Me Winter is well bred and looks to be full of class, so it will be no surprise to see her defy topweight, although being a handy type means her wide draw is a distinct disadvantage.

David Thiselton

Olma in a good place

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Nikita

The Frank Robinson-trained Dynasty filly Olma will be using Saturday’s Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m at Greyville as a stepping stone into either the Gr1 Vodacom Durban July or the Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes and has been thriving at Summerveld, as can be seen in the picture of her taken yesterday morning (Tuesday).

Olma (David Thiselton)

However, she faces a tough field and there was also bullishness from the Mike Bass and Brett Crawford yards.

Frank Robinson said, “She is doing exceptionally well, I couldn’t hope to have her in a better place. She has a wide draw but Piere Strydom is up, so he could take care of it.”

Olma is drawn 12 out of 12. The four-year-old filly acts equally well on turf as she does on polytrack and in a total of nine starts at Greyville, from 1400m up to 2000m, has won six of them.

She has been in the winner’s enclosure in her last three starts at the city track and this included comfortably beating the boys in the Gr 3 King’s Cup over 1600m on the poly.

Her exceptional turn of foot is one of the reasons she loves the tight track and the fashion of her wins over 1600m this season suggests she should be equally suited to the 1400m trip.

Olma’s last run in the Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein was disappointing. However, this is a part of a trend because of the five below par runs she has had in her career, she needed one of them and the other four have been on the Highveld. The classy filly has otherwise been a model of consistency.

However, the favourite for Saturday’s race is likely to be the Mike Bass-trained four-year-old Trippi filly Inara.

Inara (Liesl King)

After winning the Empress Club Stakes, Inara was back at Turffontein two weeks later for the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m and ran well below her best.

She was given a deserved “little break” and assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe said she had come back from it well. He added she does not take much work, so should be fit enough.

Three-year-old Silvano filly Silver Mountain is also in the Tibouchina, her first start since disappointing in the Gr 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas.

Fayd’Herbe said the yard had got the better of Silver Mountain’s feet issues and, although she was not wintering very well, she was doing a lot better than she had been.

However, In his opinion Inara is at this stage a “much better filly” than Silver Mountain.

Inara’s class is proven by her status as a four-time Gr 1-winner and she started this season with two good wins over 1400m at the tight Durbanville course, so the course and distance on Saturday should not pose a problem.

Silver Mountain, as a horse with plenty of speed and a fine turn of foot, should be ideally suited to the Greyville 1400m if bouncing back to the form which saw her winning the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas by five lengths.

Alexis (John Lewis)

Inara is the highest merit rated horse in Saturday’s race on 111, while Silver Mountain and Olma are joint-second highest on 107.

Inara is drawn wide in nine with Grant van Niekerk up, while Silver Mountain is drawn two with Bernard Fayd’Herbe up.

Brett Crawford could not separate his pair of four-year-olds, Alexis (Dynasty) and Cuvee Brut (Count Dubois), and felt they both had good chances.

Crawford’s runners have needed their first starts in KZN this season.

However, Alexis won well second time out over the Greyville 1400m. She loves Greyville and 1400m is her optimum trip, so she should have every chance from a draw of six under stable jockey Corne Orffer. She will likely be cherry ripe, although on paper off a merit rating of 100 she has a bit to do at the weights in the weight for ager plus penalties event.

Cuvee Brut has come out of her race at Scottsville on Saturday well. She was far from disgraced in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, in which she was one of only two fillies, and finished a 3,4 length fifth to the brilliant Talktothestars.

She has proved to be equally good at 1400m and back in February won the Gr 3 Prix Du Cap over that trip at Kenilworth in fine style. She beat Alexis by 2,4 lengths that day, but was receiving 3kg and on Saturday she will only be receiving 1kg. She has a tricky draw of nine to overcome. However, she has the bonus of Anton Marcus up and this will be her third run of the SA Champions Season.

By David Thiselton

Ice Machine eyes first Grade 1

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Brendan Pather

The Charles Laird-trained Ice Machine can make up for last season’s hugely disappointing on course scratching by winning Saturday’s Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and there would hardly be a soul in the house who would begrudge this gallant seven-year-old Silvano gelding the victory.

Despite his brilliance, Ice Machine is yet to win a Gr 1.

Ice Machine (Nkosi Hlophe)

Last year, after a scintillating victory in the IOS Drill Hall Stakes, connections were optimistic of him upsetting the like of Legislate and Futura in the Gold Challenge. He had never been better in the build up, but alas, upon arriving at the course he stepped on a stone and had to be scratched.

There are no Legislates or Futuras in this year’s field and furthermore, with the scratching of Legal Eagle, the man who knows him best, Anton Marcus, is available to ride him. On the downside he is one year older than last year and has yet another wide draw to contend with.

However, Laird said Ice Machine was “very, very well” and his preparation had gone “exceptionally well”. He just hoped there would be a decent pace and not the same crawl which had played into the hands of pacemaker New Predator in the Drill Hall Stakes. Ice Machine was dropped out from a tricky draw of seven in the latter race and ran on strongly for a two length third.

Exit Here (Nkosi Hlophe)

Laird has Exit Here in the Gr 2 Cup Trial over 1800m. He scratched him from the Vodacom Durban July after his disappointing run in the Gr 2 Canon Guineas. However, this will likely be in his favour as the Cup Trial is now his chief target and the yard have been able to train him up to his peak.

Laird said a line could be drawn through the Canon Guineas run as Exit Here had been asked to set ridiculously fast fractions out in front under an inexperienced rider and had not surprisingly faded in the straight.

The Jay Peg colt will appreciate the step up in trip. However, Laird felt his 103 merit rating was still harsh, despite him having been dropped two points for that last run (The Cup Trial is a handicap). He also has a wide draw of ten to contend with, but Weichong Marwing is aboard and should give him every chance.

Laird has two horses in the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes for two-year-olds over 1400m.

He said Anton Marcus rated Warm White Night colt Buffalo Soldier and had always regarded him as one who would be better from 1400m up to 1600m. He jumps from a tricky draw of nine.

He finished 3,25 lengths behind Horse Guards over 1200m at Scottsville last time out in his second start, after having run on well to win over 1000m at Scottsville on debut. Horse Guards went on to disappoint in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, but his saddle slipped, so it was not his race.

The other Laird runner in the Gatecrasher Stakes is the well-bred Silvano colt Palladium, who is a half-brother to the like of Val De Ra and Tevez. He jumped from a tricky draw over 1200m on the Greyville turf on debut and made up a lot of ground to just get up and beat the hard-knocking Rand Hedge. On that showing he should also appreciate 1400m. Laird described him as “decent”. Keagan de Melo sticks with him and they jump from a good draw of five.

David Thiselton

Team decision to scratch Eagle

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Brendan Pather

Sean Tarry described it as a “team decision” to scratch Legal Eagle from this Saturday’s Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and it was due to nothing more than the horse’s poor draw.

However, he added the crack gelding might still run in the Vodacom Durban July.

He said Legal Eagle would likely have had to run on from behind in the Gold Challenge at a course where the draw over a mile was usually all important. A potential blemish on his record was therefore averted by the scratching.

Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

He said he was definitely fit and well enough at present to be able to take his place in the July: “He is not a big horse and does not require a lot of work.” However, he said the decision to run him in the big one might ultimately depend on the weights.

Owner Markus Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman will likely have the final say.

Tarry is coming off a tough week in which it was well documented he was concerned about a potential bacterial infection going around his Randjesfontein yard.

However, he believed this had nothing to do with brilliant sprinter Carry On Alice’s disappointing fifth place finish as odds-on favourite in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint at Scottsville on Saturday.

He was firstly disappointed she had been loaded early despite her history of being restless in the gates. She had started badly and he then felt jockey S’Manga Khumalo had possibly found cover too early, and behind the wrong horses, meaning she was travelling too well in the early stages. The jockey had then been “undecided for about three or four seconds and you can’t do that in a sprint.”

By the time she was extracted from her snookered position the race was over. However, Tarry said she had not been blowing after the race and had pulled up well.

The majority of his runners on the day had run well and he said the two-year-old fillies, Visuality and Myfunnyvalentine (3^rd and 4^th in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship respectively), would likely line up in the Gr 2 Golden Slipper on July day.

He said he had pointed out last week Captain’s Causeway had only been his third choice runner in the Tsogo Sun Sprint and “you can’t win Gr 1s with your third choice.” He felt he had been vindicated in the belief Buckland should have been his first accepted runner as this horse had finished just 1,8 lengths behind Talktothestars in the Gr 2 Senor Santa Stakes and would have been considerably better off in the weights in the Tsogo Sun Sprint.

Tarry said it was impossible to tell with certainty which horses had been affected by the bacterial infection and which hadn’t. However, every declared runner is being tested before their respective races and if they pass the test they run, otherwise they are scratched.

French Navy, Trip To Heaven and Prospect Strike take their places in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge on Saturday.

French Navy (JC Photos)

Tarry said, “It is a preparation run for French Navy, we freshened him up after the Champions Challenge and the mile at Greyville is a touch sharp for him, but he will be running on strongly.

“Trip To Heaven (who will have his first run as a gelding) has put up a good gallop and has his final gallop tomorrow (Tuesday). It all depends on the break as he is a funny horse at the start, but if he breaks well he will lead.

“I thought Prospect Strike’s runs in the Canon Guineas and Daily News 2000 were both good ones from poor draws, now he gets a reasonable draw and is fit and well, so we will take our chances.”

Of his two Gr 2 Cup Trial runners (1800m) he was more pleased with Gold Onyx’s run in the Betting World 1900. Both horses had been too far back in a race where the front horses weren’t stopping.

He said Gold Onyx would improve further while Halve The Deficit would be placed more handily from a plum draw and the race would give a good indication of his well-being.

Bichette, who runs in the Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m, disappointed the yard in a Pinnacle over 1450m last time, but that was her second run after a rest and she will now be “cherry ripe and not without a chance.”

Tarry said it was unfortunate she was drawn eight out of 12 as she liked to run handy. However, he added this was probably her best trip and a positive showing would give the yard confidence to run her in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes on July day.

Tarry felt Side Show would be competitive in the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m after having come from strong maiden form and jumping from pole position with a weight allowance.

David Thiselton

Tibouchina for Inara

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Brendan Pather

Mike Bass has decided to run his four-time Grade 1 winner Inara under top weight in the Tibouchina Stakes at Greyville on Saturday rather than go for the Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

Daughter Candice Robinson said: “Inara galloped last week and she worked well. She has raced at Greyville before (in last year’s KRA Fillies Guineas, Woolavington and Garden Province) but she wasn’t at her best then so we will have to see how she handles it.”

Grant van Niekerk again takes the mount while Bernard Fayd’Herbe will team up with Cape Fillies Guineas winner Silver Mountain for the second time in this seven furlong test. Bass runs Paterfamilias (Van Niekerk) in the Gold Challenge but Helderberg Blue will miss the Cup Trial.

The stable, buoyed by Fly By Night’s return to form at Scottsville, also had the satisfaction of seeing Whose That Girl make up for her March disappointment by responding to Robert Khathi’s urgings to get up on the line in Saturday’s Kenilworth Maiden Juvenile.

“She was feeling her shins quite a bit last time and she didn’t really travel as a result but she still needs to mature a bit more,” Mrs Robinson reported.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe turned his back on the big bucks at Scottsville to stay loyal to his Ridgemont retainer and he was rewarded with success on joint top weight Make It Raine in the Place Your Bets Handicap even if the pens proved a fraught affair.

He related: “I knew I was in a bit of trouble – she was obviously still thinking about the bad experience she had last time – and she tried to flip over with me.”

Ridgemont manager Craig Carey added: “She is a little hot and, while I like them to have a bit of fire if they are going to go to stud, we will have to keep an eye on her temperament. She also has a breathing problem – you can hear it when she works on the track. It’s no problem racing on the straight course but I don’t know how it would affect her if she goes 1 400m.”

Fayd’Herbe was also riding for Brett Crawford when he was at the centre of the action in the mile maiden. His mount Navasha started a prohibitive 9-20 and looked like overhauling the pace-setting Dontknowhy only to falter in the closing stages and go down by a short head.

Her rider promptly lodged an objection and the close-circuit suggested he might get it but, as so often, you had to see the boardroom head-on to really tell what happened. Brandon May switched his whip from his right hand to his left and his mount promptly began to hang away from it. She moved two or three metres to her right and in the process her quarters twice slammed against those of the favourite like a wet sail in a gale.

The stipes had little hesitation in reversing the placings and in suspending May for a week (June 5-11). He and Darryl Hodgson had some compensation when Ocean’s Swell won two races later but the apprentice was promptly back in the boardroom, this time to be fined a grand for celebrating before the line.

Table Bay could be under consideration for the Langerman on June 25 after proving much too good in the 1 400m Juvenile Plate with Donovan Dillon predicting: “I think he will go a long way. He is getting better and better.”

Captain Bagg, who usually makes the running, benefitted from a switch to waiting tactics under Grant Behr in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap – although the change was not by design. “Normally we can’t stop him going to the front but this time there was a pace and he settled,” explained Eric Sands.

It was disturbing to see three horses having to be scratched from the last because there weren’t enough jockeys available but that didn’t worry Paul Reeves who took over Grant Knowles’s Declarator from Shane Humby a month ago, slapped on a pair of blinkers and let Richard Fourie do the rest.

Michael Clower

Watch the Rising Sun Gold Challenge promo

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Brendan Pather

Tibouchina next for Silver Mountain

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Brendan Pather

Silver Mountain will take her chance in the Tibouchina Stakes at Greyville on Saturday week and her performance there will determine how long she stays in KZN.

The Mike Bass-trained Cape Fillies Guineas winner was originally to have run in last Saturday’s Woolavington but Candice Robinson said: “We are not 100% sure that she gets 2 000m and, had we run her, we might not have learned anything.

“She hasn’t been thriving in Durban and we will bring her back home to Cape Town if she doesn’t run well in the Tibouchina.”

Silver Mountain, fourth in the Cape Guineas, only managed sixth behind Bela-Bela when odds-on for the Daisy Fillies Guineas earlier this month. That was her first start since beating all except Illuminator in the CTS Million Dollar in January.

Michael Clower