It’s been a long time between drinks but Gunner finally got his connections to raise their glasses once again when winning the fourth at Greyville yesterday. Paul Gadsby’s gelding was the first Gr1 winner for the now prolific sire Gimmethegreenlight when victorious in the Premiers Champion Stakes some two year’s back but he has since struggled to add to that tally.

But Gadsby has been nothing but patient and persistent and Gunner repaid him yesterday. Apprentice Eric Ngwane, who comes out of his time at the end of the year, had him perfectly placed throughout and when asked to kick, Gunner fired to get home comfortably from Gat Henshaw and Legend who fought a head-to-head duel for the minor placings.

Palace Rose was widely regarded as a possible Pick 6 banker in the opening leg of the exotic bet but Kom Naidoo’s filly again found one too good for her and those that had faith were tearing up their tickets a long way out.

Gunner (Candiese Marnewick)

Gareth Wright, who had earlier guided Andre Nel’s filly Playlist to a well-deserved win in the previous race, rode a supremely confident race on Face Of An Angel to give Nel and assistant Byron Forster a quick double.

The writing was on the wall a long way out for Palace Rose as Wright sat his filly in behind and shadowed her every move. In the straight, Anton Marcus tried hard to shut all the doors but Wright had more than enough horse under him and Face Of An Angel sailed by with plenty to spare, the balance of the field strung out behind.

Dennis Drier, crown KZN Champion trainer and recording the 2000^th winner of his career, has got his new season off to a strong start with a treble last Sunday and adding another when Illuminate ran out a comfortable winner of the fifth.

Stable rider Sean Veale, fresh back from a week’s suspension, took the shortest way home for the joint top weight and the result was pretty much in the frame a long way out with Vallanaut coming on late to touch of Red Al for second.

Apprentice Khanya Sakayi continues to impress and rode another cracking finish on Essenceoflife for Glen Kotzen in the sixth, getting the better of luke-warm favourite Accidental Tourist in a driving finish. Sakayi allowed his mount to drift off a straight course under pressure but he always had the measure of Accidental Tourist who was quickly running out of room on the outside rail.

Apprentice Ashton Arries is a man of few words and had to be collared as he tried to duck his acceptance speech as KZN’s Champion apprentice at last weeks KZN Racing awards.

He was fully deserving of his award as he showed aboard Gorgeous Guest for Alyson Wright. Arries made the pace and then let the chasing pack move on past. Just when it looked as if he would finish out of the back door, the stepped on the gas and Gorgeous Guest rocketed away to win as she liked.

Julie Dittmer and staunch owner Carol Kingham go back a long way together and they pick up their second win in a fortnight when Winter Wolf, a reserve runner, came from the clouds to snatch victory from favourite Trust In Gold. A chance ride for Jarred Samuel, Trust In Gold and Anton Marcus appeared to have the race sewn up before the 55-1 outsider snuffed them out on the line.

By Andrew Harrison

The Pick 6 for the eight race Vaal Classic track meeting tomorrow looks tough but will likely return a healthy dividend.

It starts off with a tricky MR68 Handicap over 2400m. These low class staying handicaps can yield shock results and this race looks particularly tough. Tern Unstoned is tipped as a gelding who has done well over staying trips before and he gets a good draw for a change and runs off a merit rating which has dropped to a competitive mark. Cheat The Cheaters, Highlander, Desert Sunset, Brand New Cadillac, Evolver, Kings Cup and Excalibur’s Return should also be included and the whole field should be considered.

King’s Cup (Nkosi Hlophe)

In the first leg of the Jackpot over 1800m the imposing galloper by Captain Al, Invincible Lady, is looking for this trip but unfortunately has a tough draw which diminishes  confidence. However, she does not face as good a field as last time and having just her sixth career start as a four-year-old she still has scope for improvement so is still the selection to win. Waity Katie is a talented sort who should have benefitted from her last start. She is drawn well and has done well over this trip before. Braxton won well last time over 2000m and must be included despite a four point raise and Mambo Model and Littlewood have to be included too.

In the next race over 1600m Come The Day, Aurora Australis and Front Rank should get punters through. Come The Day is a progressive colt by Await The Dawn who was given just a two point raise for his win over this trip last time, He doesn’t have the advantage of a 1,5kg claimer up this time but he is strengthening and can come on from that last win. Aurora Australis is a four-year-old by Judpot having only his seventh start and is having his third run after a layoff. He looked promising after winning his debut over 1400m as a two-year-old easily despite a slow start and being cut into. He was disappointing when coming back in the September of hi three-year-old but last time out over 1400m, with his merit rating having dropped to 68 he came from last to run off for third in eyecatching style. He should relish the step up in trip and has dropped a further two points in the merit ratings. Front Rank is 5,5kg better off with Come The Day, if apprentice claims are included, for a 3,75 length beating and from a good draw he should maintain his recent good form off his current competitive mark.

The sixth race is the highest rated race of the day and the enigmatic Secret Captain has drawn well over a suitable trip of 1600m having finally notched up his third career win last time over 1800m. He beat the classy Lord Silverio in that last race and in form Muzi Yeni stays aboard. Now that the grey has recorded his first win for Mike de Kock he can follow up off a three point higher merit rating. His stablemate Puget Sound looks to be coming into his own and is the danger, although he does have a two point higher merit rating to contend with after going close over this trip last time. Soldier On is another one who is coming into his own and he is drawn in pole over an ideal trip so can go close again despite being given a five point raise for his last win.

De Kock could also dominate the next race over 1450m. Gimme Hope Johanna looks to be a promising sort with further scope for improvement although she was given a four point raise for her close second last time over 1450m and also has a wide draw now to overcome. Stablemate Only To Win ran a good race against the boys over 1600m on the weekend and looks to be well handicapped at present. This looks to be her ideal trip and he is well drawn. Those two could be enough to get punters through although the risk averse can include Comme-Ci-Comme-Ca, who is interesting with first-time blinkers on, La Roquette, a R1,1 million horse who did well in her recent comeback from a layoff over the too sharp 1000m, and Last Girl Standing, who might now be looking for this trip.

De Kock could also win the last with Elbi, who does have pace but being by Philanthropist and one with plenty of scope she might well be looking for this 1450m trip. She is well drawn too. Quebec Queen ran well against the boys last time and enjoys this trip so can be a factor too despite a wide draw. Others to include are the improved Kick Butt, Samarra, who is proving competitive off her current lowered merit rating and Bell Tower, who is by Ideal World looks and looks to be coming into her own.

By David Thiselton

Dennis Drier clinched the 2000^th winner of his career when the three-year-old Silvano gelding Hard Core passed the post first on debut in the first race at Greyville on Sunday and by the end of the day the maestro Summerveld-based trainer had treble cause for celebration.

Two nights earlier he had been crowned the KZN Champion trainer for the umpteenth time and the treble he landed at Sunday’s meeting put an end to a relatively dry spell.

Dennis Drier (Nkosi Hlophe)

Drier started out as assistant trainer to his late-great Uncle Syd Laird in the late 1960s and took out his own license in August 1977.

He had been associated with many great horses while with Laird and learnt a lot about preparing horses for big races.

He won the country’s biggest race, the Durban July, with Spanish Galliard in 1992 and at around the same time was training the good sprinter Polished Silver and the classy sprint-miler Spook And Diesel. Polished Silver won seven races, including the 1992 Grade 1 Computaform Sprint. In 1990 Spook And Diesel gave Drier the first of his wins in a race he was to later dominate, the Grade 1 Gold Medallion, which is a race for two-year-olds over 1200m run at Scottsville’s big Festival Of Speed Meeting.

Like a fine wine, Drier has had the best spell of his career this decade. He has won at least 17 Grade 1 races from 2010 onward.

He has won six of the last nine runnings of the Gold Medallion and has also trained two great fillies this decade.

Val De Ra, a sprinter, won eleven of her thirteen starts and her three Grade 1 wins included both the Computaform Sprint and the Cape Flying Championships on weight for age terms against the boys. Beach Beauty was a miler to middle distance filly who despite her tiny stature won five Grade 1s and she never let punters down on the numerous occasions in which she was regarded as “the meeting banker.”

Drier won his ninth Scottsville Grade 1 this decade and his tenth overall when Sommerlied won the SA Fillies Sprint in May this year and she was named KZN Champion Sprinter and Champion Older Female.

In his speech on Friday night Drier owed a lot of his success to the owners who support him, the stalwart team of people around him at Summerveld and to his wife Jill, who is the daughter of the trainer John Breval and is a fine horsewoman in her own right.

By David Thiselton

Anton Marcus, who has got this season off to a rollicking start, doesn’t need the help of an agent. He can pick his own plums and the looks to have plucked a ripe fruit in the third on the Greyville poly today.

He partners the Kom Naidoo-trained Palace Rose and although the filly can be difficult she looks to be head-and-shoulders above her rivals in spite of stepping up to 1600m for the first time.

Palace Rose has gone close on a number of occasions, including last time out when beaten under a length on the poly and of her rivals, only Face Of An Angel has finished within two lengths of the winner.

Palace Rose looks to have this field at her mercy, but three that could be worth taking note of are Paradise Song, Cosmology and Counter Fate.

Legend (Candiese Marnewick)

Palace Rose was priced up at around a seemingly generous even money yesterday with Paradise Song the only market mover. Glen Kotzen’s filly was in from an opening call of 11-1 to around 8-1 so it may be worth taking note as she too stretches to a mile for the first time. The Sean Tarry-trained Cosmology made no show in her barrier trial but is bred to stay today’s trip and further so any market support should not be ignored, similarly Counter Fate. Dennis Drier, recently crowned KZN’s champion trainer, has kept his filly to sprints but she did make marked improvement last time out. The extra should suit so is another to warrant serious consideration is you do not fancy the ante-post favourite.

Former Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes winner Gunner is taking ages to record a third victory but has been knocking at the door of late and today could be his day when he lines up in the fourth. However, he does take on a more than useful field and exotic bet punters may be advised to added a few for insurance.

Legend took on feature company last time out but has shown consistent form since his last win and the drop in class could just bring out the best in him. Royal Armour and Seattle Skyline are others that stand out.

Bold Beauty was a recent maiden winner but has had her problems and is lightly raced. She may well prove much better than her current rating and can follow up in the fifth but again she is no betting proposition. Red Al found some strong market support in Gr1 company last time out and although not featuring, today’s opposition is way below the quality field of that run. Espresso Martini, Illuminate and Peggy’s Dream look pick of the balance.

The sixth is another open affair where Via Sacra is a weak 7-2 ante-post favourite but she comes from a stable that has hit the new season running. She is lightly raced but has never finished far back and the step up in trip, first up with a tongue-tie and a 2.5kg claimer up makes her a must for all bets.

She faces the year older poly specialist Accidental Tourist who is proven over course and distance and the Howells stable is also coming to form.

Royal Kaitrina was a beaten favourite first run back from a successful Kimberley raid but she should prove more effective over today’s trip. Marcus appears to think so two and she must have a decent chance in the seventh, although again, not a betting proposition.

A qualified maiden rounds off the afternoon where Leslies Pathtofame and Trust In Gold are the obvious contenders while Lucara and Command Respect are others to consider.

By Andrew Harrison

Ryan Munger has been appointed first jockey to Glen Kotzen and he will move from Johannesburg to Cape Town by the beginning of October.

Kotzen said: “We had been watching Ryan last season and we were quite impressed. We had a meeting with him and he accepted our offer.

Ryan Munger

“Obviously he has a lot to learn so far as the tracks and weather conditions in the Cape are concerned but this will come with time. He already has a good rapport with our owners and the horses and what is nice is that he is a natural lightweight.”

Last season Richard Fourie was retained by some of the stable’s main patrons but this term he has elected to ride freelance.

Munger,22,  was one of the busiest jockeys in the country last season with over 1 300 rides. He finished up in the top ten on the national log with 107 winners.

He said: “I’ve got plenty of winners on my CV. What I need now are feature-race winners.”

Munger only really started riding In Cape Town on anything like a regular basis towards the end of last season and was making just his third visit to the course when riding his first Kenilworth winner on the Andre Nel-trained Room At The Top in June.

He won for Kotzen on Lanza at the end of last month and on Strawberry Wine last Saturday. He has five rides for the stable at Kenilworth on Saturday plus two for Candice Bass-Robinson for whom he has a good record.

By Michael Clower

Lemaire pipped legendary Japanese jockey Yutaka Take to the crown, with Mirco Demuro completing a top-three finish for the Japan Racing Association side, who landed the team prize for a fourth consecutive year.

Christophe Lemaire (Kenneth Chan)

The French-born Lemaire, whose glittering honour roll includes the Melbourne Cup, 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, Japan Cup and Dubai Sheema Classic, was taking part in the two-day challenge for the fifth time, in which Shane Foley, Joao Moreira and Chad Schofield were among those who featured for the World All-Star team.

Foley, out of luck in a Grade 3 and maiden race on the undercards, finished joint sixth of 14 riders on his first time competing in the event following some small stints in Japan on a short-term licence.

Richard Hughes, Johnny Murtagh and Ryan Moore are among jockeys to have landed the annual challenge in previous years.

US-based Rafael Bejarano fared best of the World All-Star team in fourth, but victory on Smart Elements sealed the top prize for Lemaire, who also rode a winner on the first day.

Lemaire said: “This is great – Sapporo is a wonderful course and I want to thank the racing fans for their support. I was really lucky to have been able to ride good horses this year.”

There was frustration for Take, who topped the standings going into the finale before finishing second for a third consecutive year.

Take, who has filled the runner-up spot seven times since last successful in 1992, said: “I’m glad I was able to win one race in the series, although I was hoping that maybe I could win the title this year.

“I was on top after the third leg so naturally I was a bit disappointed when I saw Lemaire lifting the trophy.”

– racingpost.com

Chad Schofield, son of former South African jockey Glyn, competed against Joao Moreira in the World All-Star Jockeys series in Japan last weekend, but longer-term he is hoping to help fill the void left by the Magic Man’s departure from Hong Kong.

Schofield finished fifth in the jockeys’ championship last season with 38 winners, but with three-time champion Moreira moving to Japan and Nash Rawiller disqualified, two of the riders above him are gone and opportunities have opened up.

The 24-year-old, who got engaged to his partner, Hannah, in the off-season, is entering his fourth season at Sha Tin – collecting his highest win total last campaign – and feels he is ready to take the next step.

Chad Schofield

“With the big hole Joao Moreira has left, there’s definitely more winners to be had for me especially,” Schofield said.

“I want to finish top three and just ride as many winners as I can and try to break into some of those bigger yards because I think that’s quite important in Hong Kong.

“Last week I was riding as much trackwork as I can for as many trainers as I can and just try to broaden my support base. Everyone seems to be pretty receptive so hopefully I can have a new season.

“In Hong Kong, riding against the best in the world and all that high-pressure racing, it definitely improves you as a rider and I felt every season I’ve come in better and more experienced and I just hope I can keep improving and raising the bar.”

After getting a taste of big-race success with Singapore Sling’s victory in February’s Classic Cup, Schofield wants more and he has formed a strong association with rising stars Win Beauty Win and Refined Treasure.

“The good horses in Hong Kong, they are quite hard to get on, but if you can get on a young horse going up and stay with them, it’s a lot easier,” he said.

“I feel like I do have some really nice young horses heading that way so hopefully they can stand up when the big races come around.”

While all his rivals will be racing down the Sha Tin straight (on foot) in Saturday’s preseason carnival, Schofield will blow out the cobwebs in World All-Star Jockeys event at Sapporo.

He will be aiming to be the fourth Hong Kong representative to win the event, following in the footsteps of Douglas Whyte (2004), Zac Purton (2012) and Moreira (2015).

It is Schofield’s first time riding in Japan and he has been in touch with Moreira after the Brazilian’s scintillating start to his stint there, winning 22 of his 57 rides at an astonishing 38.6 per cent.

“He’s been messaging me and told me to bring the rain gear because there’s lots of rain around but I’m looking forward to catching up with him,” Schofield said.

“A lot of the people at trackwork were saying how well he’s done and all that, but it’s no surprise to me, obviously he’s just brilliant.”

Jockey, assistant trainer and Riding Master Stephen Jupp’s career in racing has spanned five decades and he will thoroughly deserve his retirement which starts at the end of this month.

Jupp was one of the top riders of his day in an era when the competition was ultra tough.

Top jockeys Robbie Sivewright and Charlie Barends, upon seeing young Jupp playing junior soccer at the Kingsmead football club, suggested to his father he apply for the South African Jockeys Academy due to his tiny physique.

In 1972 Fourteen-year-old Jupp had never sat on a horse before but gelled with them immediately, although the Academy itself in that day was tough due to a prevalence of bullying. It took him just three months to be workriding and nine months later he had his first ride at Clairwood on the Jackie Gorton-trained Saving Grace, which finished unplaced.

His first winner was in his fourth ride on the Eileen Bestel-trained French Doll at Scottsville. Looking back he regards Scottsville as his favourite track. He recalled, “It used to have a dip at about the 1400m mark where you disappeared from view and the bend had a reverse camber so it wasn’t an easy course but I once rode five winners in a day there.”

Stephen Jupp

Jupp was indentured to small-string Clairwood trainer Joe Goss, but was in demand and had 1500 odd rides as an apprentice for 156 winners, seven of them for Goss.

Among those was the Brian Cunningham-trained Amazing Grace, who in 1975 became the first filly to win the Grade 1 Smirnoff Plate. As an apprentice he also won the Kings Cup and the In Full Flight Stakes and finished second in the Gold Cup aboard the Jackie Bell-trained Compass Star.

The Oppenheimers wanted to buy the indentures from Goss but the latter refused and Jupp believes in retrospect that was probably a blessing in disguise.

However, upon becoming licensed he joined the Newmarket-based Oppenheimer stable, whose trainer was John Gorton.

The Oppenheimer’s good sires Free Ride and Wilwyn had been replaced by Ribofilio, who did not throw much, so they went through a relatively dry spell and soon closed their Newmarket stable and began using a number of trainers.

He did win the SA Oaks twice for the Oppenheimers though with Grease Paint and Torpedo Boat and also won the Jubilee Handicap for them. He went on to win the latter race three times in succession.

He had plenty of support and his big career wins which sprang to mind were the Grade 1 SA Guineas on Crimson Waves, the Racing Digest 1900 on the one-eyed Bluffing, he twice won the Grade 1 Ok Gold Bowl, on The Monk and Honey Chunk respectively, the SA Derby on Kadarko, the Keith Hepburn twice, on First City, owned by Bles Bridges, and on Susan’s Dream, and he also won the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint on the latter, and he won the Grade 1 Natal Derby twice, including on Fire Arch.

However, he said his best memory in racing was his victory on the Roy Magner-trained Leopard Strike in the first million rand race in SA, the Bloodline Million.

He recalled, “Leopard Strike was the most expensive horse in the race, costing R250,000, and I was so confident I told Roy Magner to put his wages on.”

His best finishes in the July were third on Violero and fourth on Tickets And Tax and he finished third in the Met twice, on Brief Affair and Bluffing respectively.

Jupp’s career was cut short when he injured his back in a fall at Randjesfotein one morning at the age of just 38.

He had ridden with a selection of South African greats like Gerald Turner, Martin Schoeman, Raymond Rhodes and David Cave in Johannesburg, Michael Roberts and Johnny McCreedy in KZN and Garth Puller and Karl Neisius in the Cape, among many others.

He said, “In Johannesburg a trainer could throw his colours in the jockeys room and would not mind who picked them up. In KZN Muis (Roberts) was different division and was just about unbeatable at Greyville.”

He remembered the Cape trainers, Terrance Millard, Theo de Klerk and Jackie Bell as being top class and in Johannesburg he had ridden for the like of Ormond and David Ferraris and Jean Heming and he named Clairwood trainer Jackie Gorton as “a legend”.
Jupp also rode in Mauritius for five months for Sir Guyton Duval and had a number of winners.

Top trainer Charles Laird offered Jupp a job a year after his retirement from the saddle.

He was assistant to Laird for eleven years, including in his SA Championship-winning year, and ran his KZN satellite yard at Clairwood before Laird moved down from Johannesburg. He was thus associated with many great horses like Vodacom Durban July winner Hunting Tower, Lion Tamer, Warm White Night, Oracy, Rebel King and many others. He recalled Laird as being a master of planning target races for horses, no matter whether they were top class or lesser thoroughbreds. He said the other key to his success was the “hard-working Anton Marcus.”

Upon Clairwood being closed, Jupp applied for a position as riding master at the Academy and was there for six seasons. “I loved teaching the youngsters,” he said.

Drumming in “the basics” was his first goal. He mentioned current champion jockey Lyle Hewitson as being easy to work with as “he had good manners and listened, he was not a big shot.”

Donovan Dillon, Callan Murray, Keagan de Melo, Ashton Arries, Eric Ngwane and Serino Moodley are other talented riders he has worked with and he mentioned Khanya Sakayi as a rider who had become prominent among the claiming apprentices due to “sheer hard work.”

Jupp’s son Calvin followed him into jockeyship but had to stop due to an ankle injury and his other son Darren has a fire protection company where Stephen might now help out in while enjoying his retirement.

By David Thiselton

Joey Ramsden, whose horses have been under a post-vaccination cloud for the past fortnight, intends to break cover with two runners at Kenilworth on Saturday – Made In Hollywood (Liam Tarentaal) in the Protea Toyota Bellville Conditions Plate and Fours A Crowd (Francois Herholdt) in the 1 000m fillies handicap.

He ran nothing at last Saturday’s Kenilworth meeting and he scratched all his remaining runners the previous Saturday after Bountiful Strength had finished several  lengths last in the first, saying that his horses had not been right since they were vaccinated.

Joey Ramsden

Ramsden said yesterday that Made In Hollywood’s race “looked too good to miss” and, asked if his vets had come up with an explanation for the horses running below form, he said: “I didn’t really bother investigating because you could look to the ends of the earth and still not find anything.

“Instead I took the advice of William Haggas who said ‘Walk them for a week and make sure you are somewhere else at the time so you don’t sit there looking miserable!’

“I am not saying that it is a virus – I hate that word – but the horses are just not right.”

The only Cape Town-based one he has raced since Kenilworth on August 18 is Fresnaye who drifted from odds-on to 14-10 when starting favourite for the Jockey Club Stakes at Fairview last Friday.

She finished third but ran quite some way below the form she showed when third in both the Cape Fillies Guineas and the Paddock Stakes.

Ramsden hit out at the officialdom that trainers have to go through with African Horse Sickness vaccinations, saying: “What makes it worse is the whole export protocol.

“They just can’t handle the volume of people wanting to vaccinate. I try to get it out of the way in one hit but I spent over two weeks with my applications in and sometimes they don’t even answer the phone.”

Anton Marcus, 34% strike rate so far this season, will be back in Cape Town on Saturday for four Ridgemont rides (Depeche, Marion Belle, Engage And Beware for Brett Crawford plus Silver Plains for Eric Sands).

He also partners Goodtime Gal and Master Of Spain for Mike Robinson.

By Michael Clower

Apprentice jockey Mpumelelo Mjoka is expected to be out of action for a very lengthy period following his fall during training at Randjesfontein last week.

Mjoka came off his mount at Randjesfontein on Wednesday morning and hit the barrier rail which is made of steel.

Mphumelelo Mjoka (Nkosi Hophe)

He was taken to the Sunninghill Hospital where he was diagnosed to not only have dislocated his knee but there was also quite a lot of nerve damage as a result. The 21-year-old had to have two operations to correct the problem and at one stage there was a thought that this injury could be career threatening.

However, after a second operation the doctors were able to save his leg and it looks as if we will see Mjoka back in the irons but he could be out for as long as two years.

Mjoka often rides for Mike de Kock’s stable and on his website, mikedekockracing.com, the former champion trainer called for the rails at Randjesfontein to be replaced with plastic ones.

Speaking about the injury De Kock added: “Mpume is a positive young man, which will help with his recovery, but he’ll be out for a long time and it’s a blow to his career.”

– TAB News