Category Archives: Racing News

Fairview Poly Friday 12 June 2026 – Comments by Trevor Reid

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RACE 1

An interesting opening event. RUSH GREEN produced a good debut on the Polytrack. He was doing his best work late and can go one place better. DIGITAL WARFARE has been well beaten in his starts so far but might play a minor role. GREY EAGLE has shown inexperience but the penny could drop and he has a place chance. RUN JOHNNY RUN makes a local debut after a change of trainer and can be a lively danger. SILVA STREAKER showed improvement second time out but might be looking for further. RED BIRCH was not disgraced in her two starts so far and should fight out the finish.

RACE 2

FONTE is improving and could go one place better. A competitive race. ROCK ME MAMA was a major disappointment last time out and is badly drawn this time. She could bounce back to score. BLUE DAME is probably better on the turf but must be respected in this line-up. ONE SUMMER is consistent but is also battling to win. KIM KAY showed some improvement last time out and should be a real threat. LADY OF FATE and MEDITERRANEANFLAME have place chances. KITANA’S JOY can also get involved with the finish.

RACE 3

A very open looking race. OSMIUM has done enough of late to suggest he can also get involved with the finish. MONKEY’S WEDDING has tended to lack a finish late but gets a narrow vote to score from a good draw. PLAYMAKER did not show his best last time out but can be a threat. BUGLE and SATELLITE WORLD are both in good form and would not be surprise winners. STRAIGHT RED has some fair form and is another to consider.

RACE 4

KALEESH CYBORG returns from a lengthy break but on his best form he would win a race of this nature. ALLEYAH’S ROCKET has shown improvement of late and could contest the finish. HURRICANE POWER makes his local debut and could earn some money. HERE COMES JOHNNY clearly did not like the Polytrack in his comeback. He will strip fitter and could bounce back to score.

RACE 5

HONORINE’S GIMMIE has shown good improvement since changing trainers. This is a tougher task but he may well be up to it. Stable companion BOURNE SUPREMACY quickened nicely to win on local debut and could have more to offer. MASKED VIGILANTE has run in better fields than this and could surprise. SLASH ‘N BURN is improving and won a decent enough race in April. He has changed stables since and makes his local debut. NOTORIX is unreliable but does sometimes get into the mix of things. AWAY WITH RED and FLIGHT ENGINEER both tend to lack strong finishes but are course and distance suited.

RACE 6

A tricky race. Under normal conditions ROMAN AGENT would prove hard to beat. He does, however have to give weight away to all his rivals. GOLDEN PAVILION and stable companion TINTAMARRE have been disappointing of late but could bounce back and threaten these rivals. BLACK EGRET was a well-backed winner last time out and could have more to offer. IMAGINABLE should be a threat this course and distance. FOREST SPY is often involved with the finish and clearly not out of it. LOTUS SILK is improving and should be right there at the finish.

RACE 7

HOMING PIGEON has Richard Fourie in the irons and is clearly the one to beat. HELIOTROPE is better than her last run on the Polytrack and is not out of it FLIGHT DISPLAY is consistent and likely to contest the finish. GINGER DELIGHT does her best work on this surface and can get involved with the finish. KEY WORKER and ROYAL MISSY seem better than their last run would suggest and might play minor roles.

RACE 8

A big field handicap. Consistent BLACKBERRY BREEZE is not well drawn at all but deserves a winning turn after some good recent performances. GARDEN SUN finished off his race well last time out and looks course and distance suited. SUN SPECTACULAR and PICK A POMODORO tend to lack extra late and might earn minor money. NIGHTJAR is hinting at a victory and must be included in all bets. GOLDEN GREY, SAN QUINTIN, MELA STRENGTH, ROTOTO and DARLING GIRL are some others to consider.

RACE 9

KLEINZEE has won both her starts for trainer Alan Greeff. Those wins were on the Polytrack. A 4kg claiming apprentice gets the ride this time which could overcome her recent penalties. ALWAYS SHINING is probably better on the Polytrack and could bounce back and be a threat, FLASH LIGHTNING is better than recent performances and could contest the finish. HOSPICES DE BEAUNE struggled last time out but has a place chance. CHEERFUL CHARLIE B is arriving for this after a narrow win but can make the frame.

Gladatorian is back to his best

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David Thiselton
Stuart Ferrie was thrilled with the run of Gladatorian in the Gr 1 wfa Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge last Saturday.
He said, “The pace was not on and he finished like he normally does and came out of it well. They cantered and they quickened better than him at the top of the straight and he got going a bit late. But he was back to his best.”
Gladatorian appeared to be finishing like a train and was duly shown on the sectional timing data to have the fastest 200m to finish time.
The six-year-old Vercingetorix gelding had been below par in three runs in Cape Town, but clearly hated the relatively heavy tracks of Milnerton.
He bounced back in his Champions Season opener with a good runner up finish in the Gr 1 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m to Questioning, who has not only blossomed into a magnificent athlete but 1400m is his optimum trip too.
Gladatorian ran in the yellow and black colours of Michel Nairac for the first time on Saturday. He had been running for the estate of the late Agasthamuni Gujadhur for about three years and that share was sold by public auction at the beginning of this month and was purchased by Larry Nestadt and Jaap van de Vendel.
Larry said he liked buying horses in training and he felt Gladatorian still had racing in him.
The Vercingetorix gelding proved it and gave Larry and Jaap a cracking first run as part-owners.
Larry and partners had also sold Trust last month to a Hong Kong concern and this gives him a replacement July runner.
The Hollywodbets Durban July trip of 2200m creates a slight question mark for Gladatorian, considering he is a Gr 2 winner over 1200m.
However, on pedigree there should not be a problem as he is by Vercingetorix, who won two Gr 1s over 2000m including the Daily News 2000, out of a mare by the July winner Dynasty. Furthermore, that mare, Harvard Crinsom, is out of a mare by  stamina influence Badger Land and she won herself won a Listed race over 2000m.
Stuart added, “Gladatorian was drawn 16 in the July last year, so we didn’t learn much, but it did him no harm running in the July.”
Indeed, after running a not-disgraced five length seventh from that tough draw, he came out three weeks later to put in a career best performance, winning the Gr 1 wfa HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Greyville, a race in which his devastating finish at long last did not come too late.
Gladatorian is currently a 16/1 shot for the Hollywodbets Durban July with the sponsor.

Ormond Ferraris tribute

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David Thiselton

The South African racing fraternity woke up to the sad news yesterday that the legendary Hall Of Fame trainer Ormond Ferraris had passed away after a short illness.

He passed away peacefully at his retirement home in Plettenberg Bay yesterday morning, 10 June, surrounded by people he loved dearly, his sons David and Paul, grandson Luke, granddaughter Caroline and stepdaughters, Kim and Leigh.

Ormond was inducted into the South African Hall of Fame on Champions Day at Turffontein on Saturday, 29 March 2025, two days  before his 93rd birthday.

He had saddled no fewer than ten Oaks winners, including Pretty Border, St Just and Lambarina.

He also prepared eight Derby winners, including the outstanding Distinctly, Newmarket Triple Crown winner Fine Regent, and The Monk, and he won the 2013 Triple Tiara with Cherry On The Top.

Another of Ferraris’ great legacies will be the role he played as a mentor. He played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of champion trainers David Ferraris, Mike de Kock, and Michael Clements, as well as leading trainers Weiho Marwing, Weichong Marwing and Sharon Kotzen.

Yet, what he held dearest was his founding of the Trainers Benevolent Fund, which he personally managed from 1970 to 2022 before handing it over to a private accountant.

Ferraris said about the fund just over a year ago, “The saddest thing I’ve seen in all my years in racing is the passing of many good horsemen without a penny to their names. We tried to help as many as we could, despite limited funding from racing authorities. Resources are now at a minimum, but we built a reserve that I hope will last a few more years.”

Ferraris briefly worked as a trainee antiques dealer in downtown Johannesburg before becoming workrider and then assistant trainer to George Weale in 1949 and 1950 respectively.

In 1954, he was granted his own trainer’s licence and saddled his first winner, Shenandoah, at Gosforth Park on 14 August of that year.

Ferraris went on to train approximately 2,600 more winners before retiring in May 2019, never handling a string of more than 60 runners.

Racing scribe Charl Pretorius ghost wrote Ormond’s autobiography “Thoroughly”.

The book reaffirmed Ferraris’ reputation as a dedicated trainer who put his horses first.

Ormond developed expertise in all facets of training and his most rewarding finds at the Sales ranged from a R200 purchase to the brilliant Australian-bred Tracy’s Element.

His dedication to his profession was in fact emphasised on the day he spotted Tracy’s Element.

It followed an exhausting flight to Australia, but rather than rest in the hotel and wait for the next day he went straight to the Sales grounds where he spotted the filly walking by soon after arriving there.

He was beside himself with excitement and upon returning to the hotel he informed owner Paddy Hinton that he had seen perfection. His expert eye and intuition proved to be a hundred percent correct. Tracy’s Element had 19 starts for 11 wins, four of them Gr 1s and three of those were against the boys, the Gold Medallion, the Computaform Sprint and the Star Sprint and she also won the SA Fillies Sprint.

The book confirmed Ormond to be a forthright man.

The first time a wealthy owner pushed him too far the twenty-seven year-old Ormond drove to the latter’s office, jumped over the receptionists desk and barged into his office.

“Get your horses out of my yard!”, or something to that effect, were the last words he said to a few owners, including that one.

However, this never stopped him progressing steadily and the reason for this was emphasised through another incident.

Ormond was warned by a colleague, after he had given one particular owner the “Get out!” command, he should perhaps have been more circumspect because this particular man had a reputation as one not to be messed with.

Ormond believed his end might be nigh when he came to a lonely bridge on the way to the track early in one of the ensuing mornings to find this man’s car blocking the path.

However, after approaching the car with trepidation, it turned out the owner was only there to beg Ormond to take his horses back.

Ormond was training at The Vaal at the time of that incident and had moved there after a stint at Newmarket.

His career in fact truly took off at the Vaal.

His reasons for the move, i.e. the training tracks had no clay underneath them and thus drained well, proved spot on.

Ormond had up and down relationships with jockeys, but developed flourishing partnerships with the good ones, with fierce loyalty being a determining factor.

The pressure was high on trainers in the old days when they did not get a percentage of the prize money and had to rely on betting. In fact this pressure was so great that in the mid 1960s Ormond packed up training and turned to sheep farming.

Luckily for SA racing, the latter stint did not last long!

There were then the boom years of the 1970s,1980s and first part of 1990, when massive crowds attended the races and the quality of the thoroughbreds competing was outstanding, as it had also been in the 1960s.

They horses were bred tougher in those days and this is emphasised when Ormond states matter-of-factly that his top class colt Distinctly made his debut over 800m on October 10 of his two-year-old season!

Of course Distinctly is at the centre of Ormond’s most disappointing day on a racecourse in the 1975 July, where he believes, but for interference from Gatecrasher, Distinctly would have won by four to five lengths.

Another aspect mentioned by Ormond is that throughout the dark days of apartheid peace and harmony existed between the various races of South Africa on the race course, even in the times when they were forced on to separate grandstands.

Former jockey and now Summerveld trainer Dennis Bosch summed up Ormond is one sentence yesterday morning.

He said, “In racing Mr Ferraris said it as it was, there was no beating around the bush, but out of racing he was the nicest, kindest man you could ever meet. He not only started the benevolent fund for trainers. but I believe he also built a beautiful church for the previously disadvantaged. He was a super guy and a great trainer.”

Ormond was still active into his 90s assisting trainer Weichong Marwing at Turffontein, where the pair once formed a lethal partnership with Ormond as trainer and Weichong as jockey.

Chad Schofield book to ride King Pelles in the July

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David Thiselton
KZN’s reigning champion trainer Gareth van Zyl has announced the rider for his Hollywoodbets Durban July contender King Pelles and it will add further international flavour to the big race.
Chad Schofield will join his cousin Zac Lloyd as a rider in the big race with Zac having been announced earlier this week as the rider for the Justin Snaith-trained Happy Verse.
One factor which will give him an advantage over Zac is he has ridden in the July before, partnering The Conglomerate in 2015 and finding himself stuck behind a wall of horses when trying to find a path down the outside.
He will have that in mind when planning his race this time.
Both jockeys are the sons of world class former Durbanite jockeys who married the daughters of former trainer Aubrey Roberts.
Chad is the son of Glyn Schofield, while Zac is the son of the legendary Jeff Lloyd.
Glyn was not considered a top echelon jockey until the early years of this millennium when returning from overseas, which included a stint riding in Hong Kong.
It soon became apparent he was outriding everybody in the country with his fine hands and quite incredible judgement of pace and he not became one of the most sort after jockeys in South Africa but went on to become, like Jeff, a highly sort after jockey in Australia, where he rode 18 Gr 1 winners.
Chad rose to prominence fter winning Australia’s greatest weight for age race, the Cox Plate, in 2013 on maiden Shamus Award.
He then followed in his father’s foootsteps by riding in Hong Kong where he had 208 wins in a seven year stint.
He continued to be a sort after jockey when returning to Australia and has had nine Gr 1 wins in his career.
Gareth was left without a jockey when Gavin Lerena jumped ship from King Pelles on to Minogue, but this paved the way for further international presence in the big race.

The Real Prince targets Champions Cup

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David Thiselton

Dean Kannemeyer spoke on Monday morning at Summerveld about the scratching of the reigning champion The Real Prince from the Hollywoodbets Durban July. He was one of a number of big scratchings from the big race on either Sunday or Monday, but the two horses who won the traditional July pointer races, the Gr 3 Betgames Cup Trial and the Gr 3 TAB Jubilee Stakes, Zeitz and Aladdin’s Lamp respectively, were both supplemented.

Kannemeyer said about The Real Prince’s 2,95 length fourth in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge on Saturday, “The jockey said it was a slow run race, but he was sitting behind Questioning and then they made a bit of a sprint up the straight. Well I’m making excuses, but he had to wait, wait, and then move out, move out, but then 300m out I thought he is now going to come and get them with his turn of foot. He did quicken up and he was running up to them, but I just thought that in that last 75m he may have just flattened out.”

When asked whether the run would put him spot on for the Hollywoodbets Durban July, he replied, “Well there’s a great possibility he won’t run in the July and may go straight into the Champions Cup. He won it last year because of the right weight and the right draw and everything and this year having won the July and the King’s Plate and coming third in the Met he has a big weight and I have a big doubt he will run in the July, but he’s doing well and is definitely going for the Champion’s Cup.”|

The Real Prince was duly scratched from the July later in the morning.

Not only is The Real Prince out, but so is his runner up from last year Eight on Eighteen, whilst the 2023 runner up and incumbent topweight See It Again was also a casualty and so was the Gr 1 SA Classic winner Grand Empire, last year’s Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge winner Fire Attack and also former Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup winner Atticus Finch.

Other scratchings include Parisian Walkway, Aristotle,  JP’s Palace, Wild Intent, Buster Barnes and Otto Luyken.

There are 29 horses still standing with the Gr 1 winners among them being Wish List (X2), Gladatorian, Mocha Blend, Hazy Dazy and Star Major.

The Andre Nel-trained Zeitz and the Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Aladdin’s Lamp have both been supplemented and both are on merit ratings of 110 following their good wins over the weekend, with Zeitz being raised three points and Aladdin’s Lamp four points.

They will both be carrying 53kg as things stand with Legal Counsel the new incumbent topweight on 62kg off his 128 merit rating following the scratching of See It Again.

King Pelles might just be fair value

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David Thiselton

King Pelles is an under the radar horse for the Hollywoodbets Durban July who might just be fair value in the ante-post market at 20/1 with the sponsor.

He put up a good gallop at Hollywoobets Greyville on Saturday before the races and will be back there for the Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops.

Trainer Gareth van Zyl said, “The gallop went well and he is doing very well.”

He is not having another race before the July as there is nothing suitable for him, so he will go into the race running off a merit rating of 122.

That means he will carry 59kg in the big race as things stand with Legal Counsel as the topweight on 62kg off a 128 merit rating.

Gareth said about King Pelles’ suitability to 2200m, “I don’t think it is going to be a problem, I think he will be alright over the trip.”

The Drakenstein Stud-bred five-year-old Duke Of Marmalade gelding is stoutly bred being out of a Galileo mare.

He is the reigning Gold Cup (3200m) Champion and the reigning Equus Champion Stayer.

However, he is derfinitely not a dour staying stype and when landing four Gr 3s last season over trips between 2400m and 3200m he showed an exceptional turn of foot.

He has also been shown this season to be effective over shorter trips with good performances over distances of 1200m to 1950m.

He was strongly fancied for the Betway Summer Cup over 2000m and disappointed, running a 16,25 length 12th.

However, a number of horses ran below par in that race on a day in which the humidity was high.

King Pelles bounced back after the Summer Cup to win the Umthombothi Stakes over 1950m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville. He showed a good turn of foot to win it by 1,30 lengths, despite carrying topweight of 62.5kg. Among the horses he beat was July entry Isivivane, who went on to win the Gr 3 WSB 1900. In the July he will be 1,5kg worse off with Isivivane for a 1,80 length beating, which puts King Pelles marginally ahead of him. King Pelles will also relish the step up to 22000m, a trip which will be new territory for Isivivane.

Followng the Umthombothi Stakes King Pelles ran in the Listed Kings Cup over 1600m and finished a fine 0,60 length seoond to Okavango recieving just 1kg. The lattter went on to run second in the Gr 1 wfa Premier’s Champions Challege before winning a Conditions Plate over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville in which he beat the like of Equus Horse Of The Year Eight On Eighteen and the crack three-year-old Note To Self, who is one of the favourites for the July.

King Pelles’ Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallop will be keenly observed by his supporters and he will provide his passionate owner Ravi Padayachee with a dream come true, a runner in the country’s biggest race in his hometown of Durban. The horse is not without a chance of winning it either.

Ravi owns King Pelles in partnership with Dave MacLean, Gary Player and N V Parmanand.

Gareth said there were one or two contenders to ride King Pelles, but added he did not want to divulge anything about the riding arrangements yet as nothing had been confirmed.

Soccer Updates and Carryovers – Thursday 11 June, Friday 12 June and Saturday 13 June 2026

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Soccer13 GUARANTEED JACKPOT Thursday 11 June 2026. R8.7 Million (If only One 13 of 13 Winner). Pool Closes at 20h30. Sport 11 Pool 1.

Score8 Thursday 11 June 2026. ADD-IN R10 000. Pool Closes at 21h00. Sport 8 Pool 1.

Soccer10 Friday 12 June 2026. ADD-IN: R200 000. Estimated Pool: R1.8 Million. Pool Closes at 20h45. Sport 14 Pool 1.

Soccer4 Saturday 13 June 2026. ADD-IN R25 000. Estimated Pool: R 100 000. Pool Closes at 21h00. Sport 23 Pool 2.

Soccer10 Saturday 13 June 2026. ADD-IN R200 000. Estimated Pool: R1.8 Million. Pool Closes at 20h00. Sport 16 Pool 1.

Soccer Any 13Xtra Saturday 13 June 2026. Carryover R75 000. Estimated Pool: R200 000. Pool Closes at 15h00. Sport 13 and Pool 1.

Soccer13 Saturday 13 June 2026. Carryover R5 228 236. R10.5 Million (All-13-Correct Pool). Pool Closes at 15h30. Sport 10 Pool 1.

See It Again – the most impactful July scratching

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David Thiselton
There have been a spate of scratchings from the Hollywoodbets Durban July and the most important of them was the 2023 runner up, the four-times Gr 1 winner See It Again, because he was the highest merit rated runner and was thus going to be the topweight carrying 62kg with all of the other weights using that as the benchmark.
However, the new top weight is his 128 Justin Snaith-trained stablemate Legal Counsel.
Jonathan Snaith said about See It Again, “Running over a staying trip under 62kg would have made very little sense. He has given us a tremendous season so far, having travelled far and wide. We felt it would be unfair to ask any more of this wonderful horse, particularly under these demanding circumstances. As always, the horse comes first, and this decision has been made with his wellbeing held paramount. He will be aimed at the Gr1 Champions Cup.”
To underline the importance of this scratching the two supplemented runners, Zeitz and Aladdin’s Lamp, had both come into the race with the perfect merit rating for an older horse i.e. 110, because with See It Agains’ 130 rating as the benchmark that would have seen them carry 52kg without being under sufferance.
However, they will now have to carry 53kg as things stand.
It will also arguably make it tougher for the three-year-olds because although their tasks on a relative scale will still be the same compared to all of the others horses, except for those who have a nett rating of 109, 108 or below, against whom they will have a 1kg tougher task, it has been said before that a three-year-old would be better off carrying a low weight and giving an older horse 2kg than a high weight and giving an older horse 2kg.
Race favourite, three-year-old Star Major, will now have to carry 57kg and if he wins he will set a new weight-carrying record for a July-winning three-year-old.
However, that is only in actual terms because when Legislate carried 56kg to victory in 2014 the topweight was 60kg and when Eyeofthetiger carried 54kg to victory in 2006 the topweight was 58kg, meaning their tasks on a relative scale were togher than the one Star Major faces.