The underrated sire Mambo In Seattle has relocated from Moutonshoek Stud to the KZN Midlands where he will stand at Peter and Jenny Blyth’s Clifton Stud.

The syndicate members are still the same and he will stand for R10,000 a live foal.

The Kingmambo sire has produced a number of stakes horses but the statistic which caught Peter Blyth’s eye above all before accepting him was his good winners to runners record.

In his first season his 28 male runners returned 22 winners and in his second season his 32 female runners returned 21 winners.

Same Jurisdiction

Mambo In Seattle, whose dam is a half-sister to the great AP Indy, is suited to South African-bred mares as his second and third dams are the blue hen mares Weekend Surprise and Lassie Dear respectively. These two mares have had a great influence on the South African thoroughbred breed.

Lassie Dear is the dam of Al Mufti, who was SA Champion Sire, SA Champion Broodmare Sire and also sired the SA Champion Sire Captain Al as well as the Grade 1 producing sire Victory Moon.

Weekend Surprise is the dam of the late Wilgerbosdrift stallion Tiger Ridge (Storm Cat), who has had a lot of success in South Africa, including producing Triple Tiara heroine Cherry On The Top.

Weekend Surprise’s greatest progeny was AP Indy, who was the US Champion three-year-old colt in 1992, the US Horse Of The Year in 1993, the leading sire in North America in both 2003 and 2006 and the leading broodmare sire in North America in 2015.

Current AP Indy stallions standing in South Africa include the successful sire Judpot, who has produced three individual Grade 1 winners, KZN sire Just As Well and Marchfield. Furthermore, Jay Peg’s sire Camden Park was by AP Indy.

Mambo In Seattle is bred on the same lines as the prominent USA stallion Lemon Drop Kid. Both stallions are by Kingmambo, both of their dams are by Seattle Slew and Lemon Drop Kid’s second dam is Lassie Dear, who is the third dam of Mambo In Seattle.

All in all, Mambo In Seattle provides a good opportunity in SA for fans of line breeding.
As a racehorse his finest moment happened when he came second by a nose in the Group 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga to Colonel John despite running six wide. The Travers Stakes is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to international classifications behind only the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
Mambo In Seattle also won a Listed race over 1800m at three.

His best progeny to date is Same Jurisdiction, a twice Grade 1 winner who went on to place in a Group 3 in the U.K.

He has also produced stake performers like Majestic Mambo, runner up in this year’s Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and fourth in the Vodacom Durban July; Saratoga Dancer, who has a number of Graded places to his name and finished fifth in the July; and stakes winners Mambo Mime, Smart Mart, Fortune Fella, Night In Seattle and Mambonick.

Mambo In Seattle finished 14th on the National Sire log of the season just past.

Majestic Mambo (JC Photographics)

Blyth said he had settled in well since arriving in Mooi River a month ago. “He is fine, is doing well and is as relaxed as anything.”

He said the handsome bay, who was born in 2005, had a lovely temperament and was easy to work with.

Clifton Stud produced the like of Horse Of The Year Classic Flag when based in Mpumalanga. Since relocating to Mooi River there have been a number of black type winners born and raised at Clifton Stud, including Kangaroo Jack, who won two Grade 2’s and a Grade 3 from 1200-1450m, Bezanova, who won the Grade 2 Charity Mile, the Grade 2 Victory Moon and the KZN Breeders Million Mile and finished third in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge, as well as Covered In Snow, Whatalady and Midnight Serenade. Cutting Edge, born and raised at Clifton, won the KZN Yearling Sale Million.

Horses born and raised at Clifton won 44 races last season, 56 the previous season and 58 the season before that.

Blyth has a policy of letting foals loose with their dams five days after foaling and they are then only brought in again for sales preparation. This ensures they are brought up tough.

Mambo In Seattle joins promising young sire Crusade at Clifton. The latter was relocated from Scott Brothers after their recent dispersal sale.

Blyth has taken care of a class stallion before, Allied Flag, who was the sire of Classic Flag but unfortunately passed away prematurely.

Mambo In Seattle and Crusade are in good hands and should both receive good support.

By David Thiselton

Aldo Domeyer is to concentrate once more on Cape Town – and in particular on his first-jockey job with Candice Bass-Robinson – after riding winners all over the country in the final few days of last season to achieve his objective.

Much has been made of his third in the national log earning him a place on the South African team to ride in Singapore next month but in fact his aim was focussed much nearer home.

He said yesterday: “I was trying to win the Cape jockeys championship which was decided on national winners’ basis. From this season, though, it is back to a Cape racemeeting only basis and Richard Fourie could be hard to beat in that.”

Aldo (Candiese Marnewick)

Domeyer rode 18 winners in the last 11 days of the campaign. For four of those days he didn’t ride but the other seven were scattered from Flamingo Park to Fairview and from the Vaal to Greyville.

He said: “I had a mountain to climb and I didn’t think I was going to do it but I don’t think I have ever been on a roll like this one.

“However I missed a lot of work, Candice has a lot of horses and I need to be fair to the clients so I won’t be doing all that again. I will go to Jo’burg to ride for Ashley (trainer wife of his father Andrew Fortune) when they need me but I doubt that I will go to other centres for them.”

The new season began on just the right note for Paul Reeves at Durbanville yesterday when the consistent Photocopy benefitted from a positive ride from Donovan Dillon to finally get his head in front where it mattered.

Reeves, 51 on Tuesday, reckons this could be just the first of several wins, saying: “He has been frustrating but he is still a big baby and he has always shown so much. He has a future.”

Justin Snaith only waited until race two to start the ball rolling in his bid to land a third trainers’ championship and younger brother Jonathan reckons punters should make a note of the Richard Fourie-ridden Margrethe.

He explained: “She is a bit light so we will probably stick her away for a bit but she has a lot of scope and is definitely one to follow. Over 1 400m and a mile she will be even better than this.”

African Night Sky has joined Mike de Kock and is in quarantine prior to being campaigned in Dubai. Fred Crabbia’s Winter Series winner started favourite for the Durban July but suffered more than any other horse from the long delay at the start. By the time the runners were eventually loaded all he wanted to do was gallop as fast as he could and Grant van Niekerk found him impossible to settle. He finished an expensive fifth.

*  Michael Clower won with four of his five selections at Durbanville yesterday.

By Michael Clower

Justin Snaith was officially crowned National Champion trainer when the season closed on Tuesday. Snaith led for much of the season on his way to his second championship, finishing R6 million ahead of reigning champion Sean Tarry.

The Championship is judged on stakes won and Snaith runners, that included 162 winners, earned R26 794 988. Tarry had 138 winners and his runners earned R20 522 775.

Justin Snaith

Mike de Kock finished third with Brett Crawford in fourth place.

The unfortunate fall that side-lined Anthony Delpech for the final three months of the season left the door open for apprentice Lyle Hewitson who took full toll. Hewitson racked up 184 winners in a memorable season that saw him land the National Jockey’s Championship as an apprentice, emulating the legendary Michael Roberts who was the last apprentice to win the National Championship.

Muzi Yeni finished a clear second on 149 winners and Aldo Domeyer edged out Delpech for third by just a single winner with Greg Cheyne, two back in fifth.

The battle between Domeyer and Cheyne went down to the last race meeting of the season with the pair fighting it out for a place on the three-man South African team to take part in the Singapore Jockey’s International taking place on September 25. Domeyer will join Hewitson and Yeni.

Naturally, Hewitson also took the National Apprentice title with Denis Schwarz and Ashton Arries in second and third places respectively.

Sun Met and Woolavington 2000 winner Oh Susanna was the leading stakes earner followed by Undercover Agent and Vodacom Durban July winner Do It Again.

In sixth place was Yulong Prince, the re-named Surcharge, who will resume his racing career in Hong Kong.

The race for the National Breeders Championship was again a close-run thing but reigning champions Klawervlei Stud retained their title from perennial rivals Summerhill Stud.

By Andrew Harrison

Top 10 apprentices

Top 10 Trainer

Top 10 horses by stakes earned (restricted races excluded)

The Equus Awards voting panel met at Greyville on Saturday evening, 28 July to finalise the nominees and winners for this season’s awards.

The first round of nominations were submitted after Vodacom Durban July Day.

The voting panel comprised of Matthew Lips, Robert Garner, Roger Smith, David Thiselton and Larry Wainstein as non-voting chairperson.

The categories and finalists are:

Champion Two-year-old Colt – distance immaterial: Soqrat, Van Halen

Champion Two-year-old Filly – distance immaterial: Mighty High, Return Flight

Champion Three-year-old Colt – distance immaterial: Bold Respect, Do It Again, Eyes Wide Open, Hero’s Honour, Lobo’s Legend, Surcharge, Tap O’ Noth, Undercover Agent.

Champion Three-year-old Filly – distance immaterial: Oh Susanna (Aus), Snow Dance.

Champion Older Male – distance immaterial: Captain America, Coral Fever, Legal Eagle, Will Pays.

Champion Older Filly/Mare – distance immaterial: Nother Russia, Redberry Lane, Sommerlied.

Champion Sprinter – (1000 – 1200m; age/gender immaterial): Attenborough, Bold Respect, Sergeant Hardy, Will Pays.

Champion Miler – (1400 – 1600; age/gender immaterial): Legal Eagle, Snow Dance, Undercover Agent.

Champion Middle Distance – (1800 – 2200; age/gender immaterial): Captain America, Coral Fever, Do It Again, Oh Susanna (Aus).

Champion Stayer – (2400 and up; age/gender immaterial): Hero’s Honour, It’s my Turn.

Voting Criteria
The awards are based on graded races and in particular Grade 1 races. As regards the stayer category, the winning horse will be at the discretion of the voting panel. This decision was taken as the only Grade 1 race in SA is the SA Derby, which would mean that this should be the obvious winner based on a single run. This would also have excluded fillies and mares.

Breeder Awards:
Stallion of the Year
Broodmare of the Year
Breeder of the Year

The Thoroughbred Breeders Association may include outstanding and/or international achievement awards.

Individual Awards:
Champion Apprentice
Champion Jockey
Champion Owner (based on stakes earned)
Champion Trainer (based on stakes earned)
Industry Merit Awards
Horse of the Year Award

The awards are a glittering black-tie gala event that takes place at the Convention Centre at Emperor’s Palace on Tuesday, August 14. Clyde Basel will be the master of ceremonies for the evening and guests will be treated to an array of entertainment. There will also be an after party at the same venue.

If you wish to purchase tickets (R700 per person) for this event, please contact Penny Morsner at the Racing Association on (011) 683-3220 or email penny@racingassociation.co.za

The Vaal Inside track stages a competitive ten race meeting tomorrow and once again the exotics looks the best way to approach it.

Psychic ran on well to win over 1800m last time and will relish the step up to 2000m in the seventh race. He was only given a two point raise in his merit rating and this Visionaire gelding is on the way up despite being a five-year-old so can win again from a plum draw of three. He is selected to be the Pick 6 banker. Zeal And Zest is a fair sort and has bounced back to form recently having dropped to his current mark and looks the main danger. Samar can also be a threat if repeating any of his last three runs which have been over distances from 1800m to 2400m.

The first leg of the PA over 1000m is an uninspiring event and a bit tricky. However, Mischievous Green looks to have scope for improvement and What A Fizz ran a fair race in his only start back in March. They can fight it out with the exposed Deago Deluxe, who ran on well the last time he went this trip and beat the debuting Mischievous Green by 2,9 lengths in that race.

River Ayre (Candiese Marnewick)

In the first leg of the Pick 6 there is an interesting runner in the R220,000 British-bred filly Loja Lady. She was born on July 29 2015 and technically should be a four-year-old but the authorities appear to have given her three days leeway and accepted her as a three-year-old along with all other South African three-year-olds born on August 1 and onward. She makes a belated debut as the authorities did earlier stick to the rules and did not allowed her to compete as a two-year-old. She is by the Group 1 Dewhurst and Epsom Derby winner Sir Percy out of a Brazilian-bred Grade 2 winner and she would not have to be a star to win this 1400m event under Muzi Yeni. Little Sparrow and Soul Of Wit are still unexposed and have shown promise so are taken o be the chief contenders of those to have raced. Pachanga has hard knocking form but is a touch one-paced and limited. Rustling Leaf is another interesting first-timer, being a R140,000 purchase by Pathfork and a half-sister to Grade 1 winner On Her Toes, who also won the Grade 2 KZN Fillies Guineas.

The fifth race over 1400m is open and as many horses as possible should be included. Topweight Gold Shades is selected to win on the grounds of her fast finishing third in her penultimate start over 1700m when beaten a length by the well regarded Lady Val. She disappointed last time and has the same 4kg claimer aboard, but if he can revert to the off-the-pace tactics she enjoyed in her penultimate start she could go close from a plum draw.

In the sixth race, a MR 84 over 1400m, Bold Coast has been consistent in a higher class than this and off a competitive merit rating over an ideal trip he can go close from a fair draw. Dan The Lad and Sail For Joy are also ideally distance suited and are the main dangers.

The last two legs of the Pick 6 are tough 1200m handicaps and punters should go as wide as possible.

In the first of them Operetta has her first run out of the maidens but looks to be on the up and can get it right off a reasonable opening merit rating of 75. Kungfoofighting has dropped to an attractive merit rating and should make her presence felt. River Ayre has won over the course and distance and is only two points higher than that win.

In the last race Wottahottie is an honest and versatile type who gets on well with Keagan de Melo. He was raised only two points for his recent win over this 1200m trip and proved he was up to that mark by going close over 1600m last week. He now drops back to the trip of that last win but it will be tough.

By David Thiselton

Paul Reeves celebrated his 51^st birthday yesterday and victory for Photocopy in the opening Itsarush.co.za Welcome Maiden at Durbanville today would be a most welcome present.

The four-year-old is a consistent, albeit frustrating, sort who has been placed in all but one of his 11 starts but for a long time his trainer has been saying that his trip is a mile. Yet he runs over 1 250m here.

“Yes, I always thought he would be best over a mile but I now believe that is in the summer,” Reeves explains. “He doesn’t like the wet and a mile on softish ground at the end of May proved to be too far.

“This 1 250m should be perfect for him and if he doesn’t win today he is not the horse I thought he was!”

Reeves rode nearly 300 winners before a freak head-on collision riding work on the Milnerton training track ended his career. He started training nearly nine years ago and has earned a reputation as a hard-worker who can be guaranteed to get the best out of even the most moderate horse.

Photocopy probably has most to fear from Tyrian who is ridden by Richard Fourie, the rider of Photocopy in five of the latter’s last six starts. The Dynasty colt raced green on debut and was 9-10 favourite with World Sports Betting yesterday when Photocopy was a 5-2 chance. However the weights favour Photocopy. He has only to concede 2kg to the younger horse whereas the weight-for-age scale says he should be giving away 8kg.

Whatever his fortunes on Tyrian, Fourie should win the TAB Telebet Maiden on Margrethe 35 minutes later if he can only keep the Justin Snaith filly calm in the pens. She ran a most encouraging debut only to become fractious in the stalls on her last start. She got extremely upset and reared repeatedly. She was in no frame of mind to race when the gates eventually opened and she only managed fourth.

She has been backed from 11-10 to 8-10 with Touch Of Green (13-2) and newcomer Princess Irene (11-2) also in contention. Beautiful Beat (15-2) is another with claims.

Ikebana (7-10) is the obvious choice for the Tabonline.co.za Handicap after finishing well last time but don’t ignore 15-2 shot China Wolf as she is expected to leave last time’s disappointing effort behind her. “It was her first run out of the maidens and she was taking on the boys,” says Dan Katz. “She got a bit interfered with but she flew home. She is a big runner.”

Forest Prince (13-10) stands out in the Betting World Handicap despite a poor draw and losing ground at the start last time. Those looking for a better price (and a slightly better draw) may like to consider Astrapi at 9-2.

Blue Roller has been second on all his four starts but his turn should finally come in the Play Soccer Maiden, particularly with Aldo Domeyer’s mount stepping up to a mile.

By Michael Clower

The race for the third spot in the International Jockey’s Challenge to take place in Singapore on September 25 is down to the wire with Aldo Domeyer scoring a treble at Flamingo Park in Kimberly yesterday and going two up on rival Greg Cheyne.

Aldo Domeyer (Liesl King)

Going into the last two days of the 2017/18 racing season just one win separated Cheyne and Domeyer on the jockeys’ log with Domeyer, who started the day on 132 winners, one behind Cheyne, on 133.

Domeyer won the first two races at Flamingo Park for Paul Matchett to edge one clear and went two clear when partnering Bright Flame to victory in the eighth for Steph Miller.

This leaves Cheyne with something of a mountain to climb, needing three winners at Fairview today to claim the final sport in the South African team and a draw is very much on the cards.

The current standings dictate that Lyle Hewitson, Muzi Yeni and either Aldo Domeyer or Greg Cheyne will represent South Africa.

Hewitson, still an apprentice, is set to be crowned the country’s top jockey having ridden 185 winners this season and will hopefully be recovered from a knee injury in time. Yeni, with 147 winners is also guaranteed a place in the SA line-up.

The UK will be represented by Jockeys Hayley Turner (England), Rob Havlin (Scotland) and PJ McDonald (Ireland).

Hugh Bowman, Corey Brown and Kerrin McEvoy will represent Australia.

The Asian team could well be led by Joao Moreira, who has had a tremendous spell in Hong Kong and is currently riding in Japan. His teammates will probably be the top two jockeys from the host country.

According to International Executive Director of Phumelela, John Stuart, Phumelela has been in a very successful relationship with the Singapore Turf Club (STC) for over a decade. The PGI Jockeys Challenge, will entrench this relationship and promote betting across international boundaries.

“Singapore offers magnificent opportunities and we would love South Africans to get seriously involved in Singapore racing,” he said.

By Andrew Harrison

Piet Botha trades in his jockey’s licence for a trainer’s one tomorrow and the man who made a comeback as a rider when all seemed lost is intent on making a big success of his new career.

He said: “I have had training in mind for some time and I have Barn Nine with 33 boxes in the old section of the Milnerton Training Centre where trainers like Dean Kannemeyer, Dan Katz, Billy Prestage and Ronnie Sheehan are also based.”

Botha, 41, was forced to hang up his boots after a bad fall at Summerveld in 2010 caused a broken rib and endless pain that led to his being medically boarded with apparently-permanent nerve damage.

He had a string of Grade 2 and 3 winners to his credit (plus two Grade 1s in Mauritius) including the Green Point and Matchem on Roman Charger, the Peninsula Handicap (Dunford), the Chairman’s Cup, Odessa, Sceptre and two J & B Reserve Stayers.

He began a new career developing a coffee-machine business but the lure of the turf never left him and he returned in April last year to ride for Glen Puller. He has ridden 14 winners since then – Jay Rock being the first and last of them – and has also worked as Puller’s assistant.

He said: “The nerve damage was alright when I resumed race-riding but then it started playing up and it has been causing me problems for quite a while now.”

He passed the trainers’ exam at the first attempt (“although it wasn’t easy, I can tell you!”) and he is keen to build up his string from its present nine horses.

By Michael Clower

Sean Tarry scored the first Grade 1 winner for the promising new sire Pomodoro on Saturday through Thekwini Stakes winner Return Flight and this was fitting as Pomodoro not only won Tarry his first Vodacom Durban July but his dam Golden Apple, bred by Sean’s brother Mark, also provided him with his first Graded winner.

Pomodoro also once recovered from death’s doorstep, so his life has been the stuff of fairytales.

Tarry said, “People forget how well our South African-bred stallions have done. You only have to look at Jet Master (seven times National Champion Sire). Pomodoro was a champion racehorse and is by Jet Master, his dam Golden Apple was a champion broodmare and her sire Northern Guest was a champion broodmare sire, he has every box ticked to be a very successful stallion.”

Return Flight (JC Photographics)

Furthermore, Pomodoro, like one of history’s greatest stallions, Danzig, is a direct descendant of the 1860 born mare Old Orange Girl, who was a half-sister to the first British Triple Crown winner, West Australian.

Tarry pointed out too that Pomodoro’s progeny were likely to be good three-year-olds and then train on from there, as Pomodoro did himself.

“And here they are doing well at two, which is phenomenal,” he said.

He added, “Pomodoro got good numbers in his first two seasons but received very little quality. Now that he has done what he had to do it would be nice to see him get some quality.”

Pomodoro’s dam Golden Apple was sent to the sales. Sean’s opinion was she was a bit on the small side and should be let go and Mark had agreed. However, in the back of Mark’s mind was her beautiful balance and on the spur of the moment, after she had passed her reserve, he bought her back. It was an inspired decision. She grew into a medium sized filly and provided Sean with his first ever Graded winner less than two years after he had taken out his trainer’s license. She got up by half-a-length under Anthony Delpech to win the Grade 2 Gosforth Park Fillies Guineas at odds of 9/2 in March 1999. She later finished a half-a-length second in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville and Sean felt if had not been so early in his career she would have done even better. The precocity of Pomodoro’s progeny this season might stem from Golden Apple’s influence as she was placed in two stakes races as a two-year-old.

Golden Apple, who is deceased, went on to become an Equus Champion Broodmare. All eight of her runners have been winners and she has produced four stakes horses.

History was to repeat itself as Pomodoro, Golden Apple’s fifth foal, was sent to the sales by her breeder Chris van Niekerk.

“We were in two minds, so put a reserve of R1 million on him at the National Yearling Sales and bought him back for about R650,000,” recalled Tarry.

Pomodoro, which means tomato in Italian, took a while to develop so didn’t run as a two-year-old despite being taken down to Durban. He spent the first part of his three-year-old career in Tarry’s satellite yard at Summerveld and after finishing second on debut over 1200m at Scottsville he won his next two starts over 1600m, including the Listed Guineas Trial at Clairwood. His first Graded win was in the Grade 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes over 1450m at Turffontein.

Tarry said, “People didn’t realise how good he was, he was unlucky not to win the Grade 1 SA Classic as he was interfered with and when he finally got a clear run he took off and only just failed (by a head) to catch Slumdogmillionaire.”

Pomodoro then won the Grade 1 SA Derby in a dead-heat and after a below par comeback in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000, he won the 2012 July.

In his reappearance he put up two devastating displays to win over 1160m and 1600m at Turffontein.

However, he was required to stay in quarantine at Kenilworth due to the African Horse Sickness protocols and his preparation for the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and Met were consequently “a mess”. He did well to finish third and fourth respectively in those two events.

He then went to KZN and ran a fine third in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

He was declared to race in a tongue tie in the defence of his July crown but ran well below par.

Pomodoro

He was sent immediately to the Baker and McVeigh clinic at Summerveld to have a minor procedure performed to solve “intermittent entrapment of the epiglottis”, which is not considered a serious breathing problem.

However, on the way there he kicked out in the float and attained a deep gash from the coronet down to the hoof. A life-threatening Infection set in. After some serious scares the “superbug” was eventually killed by an expensive “super-anti-biotoc” and he pulled through.

He made a comeback in March the following year and had a few more races but was not the same horse, although he did finish third in the Grade 1 Champions Challenge.

He received rave reviews at Klawervlei’s Stallion day when being paraded for the 2015 breeding season and started at a fee of R20,000.

His first crop also includes twice Graded runner up Cirillo and multiple stakes placed Royal Italian.

Tarry said about Return Flight, “She is typical of the family as she has a deep girth and is very athletic. Physically she reminds me of Pomodoro’s half-sister Quest For Gold.”

He added, “We were pretty confident on Saturday although I was not confident Greyvile was the right track, I definitely think she will be better at Turffontein.”

Her target for the season will be the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara series of races.

Meanwhile, Pomodor’s service fee is now R12,000 which could prove to be a bargain.

By David Thiselton

Dean Kannemeyer, Anton Marcus and It’s My Turn were the headlines in another day of history-making at Greyville on Saturday and Mike de Kock, Brett Crawford, Sean Tarry and Mike Azzie were a line of stars among the supporting acts.

There were plenty of talking points and the handicappers were criticised by more than a few for their lenient treatment of It’s My Turn.

The Vodacom Durban July and the eLan Gold Cup are traditionally Durban’s two biggest races, despite the latter having been downgraded to a Grade 3, and Marcus became the first rider since Robbie Hill in 1999 to do the July-Gold Cup double in the same year.

Mike De Kock

Hill’s double was on the Geoff Woodruff-trained 14/1 shot El Picha and the Pat Shaw-trained 8/1 chance Place Of Gold. Marcus did it with the Justin Snaith-trained 9/1 shot Do It Again and the Kannemeyer-trained 26/10 favourite It’s My Turn.

In the year which marked the 100^th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth it was somewhat ironic that Marcus broke a 27 year drought in the Gold Cup, his only other win in the country’s most prestigious staying race having come in 1991 aboard Icona.

Icona was the last topweight to win the race and although It’s My Turn was half-kilogram off topweight on Saturday the 59,5kg on his back is the biggest weight ever carried to victory in the Gold Cup.

It was Kannemeyer’s third Gold Cup victory and probably his most satisfying as his five-year-old Dynasty gelding completed a staying race treble in the space of five weeks, although he appeared to have been given some help by the handicappers.

It’s My Turn, owned by Fred Crabbia, won the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby for Justin Snaith as a three-year-old and his first run for Kannemeyer, at Scottsville on 28 February this year in the Fever Tree Handicap over 1400m, followed a seven month layoff. In his next start he ran an excellent, close-up third in the Kings Cup over 1600m. However, he over-raced in the Betting World 1900 and needed a good win in the Grade 2 Track And Ball Oaks over 2400m at Scottsville to book his place in the July. He duly delivered that requirement but the final field panelists decided the field has been to weak to justify a July berth.

The handicappers were of the same mind as they made the surprise decision to drop him two points for the win to a merit rating of 106. He still had to race off his old 108 merit rating in the Grade 3 Gold Vase over 3000m on July day as the weights had already been set, but he once again won easily. He could have feasibly been raised to a 109 merit rating for the win if runner up Flichity By Farr had been used as the line horse but instead the handicappers decided to keep him unchanged on 106. This was particularly surprising in light of the ease of his two victories and furthermore they were also his first two attempts at staying distances.

Some of the other trainers believed they had now been given a mountain to climb to beat It’s My Turn, especially as the Gold Cup is a compressed handicap, which thereby favours the horses at the top of the weights. They were proven correct, although this should not detract from the fine training feat by Kannemeyer. It’s My Turn had in fact not won a race since the Cape Derby, so the gifted Cape Town trainer has turned his career around in one season.

Last year’winner Hermoso Mundo ran a gallant second and the talented but somewhat frustrating Wild Wicket was a revelation in third. Strathdon proved his staying class by running fourth and Made To Conquer ran on well for fifth despite carrying topweight and having come off a tough runner up finish in the July.

Mike Azzie

Earlier, De Kock joined Terrance Millard when clinching a South African record-equalling 117^th career Grade 1. His Australian-bred colt Soqrat by Epaulette is owned and bred by Sheik Hamdan and was highly impressive in the Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m under Randall Simons, defeating Australian-bred stable companion Alyaasaat, also owned and bred by Sheik Hamdan, by two lengths.

Tarry had an equally satisfying win earlier in the day when Return Flight won the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m under Anton Marcus as it provided first season sire Pomodoro with his first Grade 1 win. Tarry trained Pomodoro to July victory and the family of this horse was one of the foundations upon which he has built his championship-winning yard.

Later the Crawford-trained stalwart Captain America bowed out with a third career Grade 1 victory in the Champions Cup over 1800m under Corne Orffer. He will now retire to a plot next door to the property of one of the owners Lance Sherrell.

Azzie scored in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint as the six-year-old Imperial Stride gelding Will Pays, who often flies under the radar, galloped home under Craig Zackey, albeit from a good draw. Second and third-placed Attenborough and Trip To Heaven flew from the back of the field to be beaten just a length and 1,25 lengths respectively.

Duke Of Marmalade scored his first Graded success in South Africa when the Glen Kotzen-trained Temple Grafin won the Grade 3 Debutante over 1200m under Richard Fourie and the Tarry-trained Trippi colt Chimichuri Run was impressive when winning the Grade 3 Umkhomazi over 1200m under S’Manga Khumalo.

The practice of using visiting commentators for big races might end after two incorrect calls were made in the Gold Cup and Champions Cup. Greyville is known by callers to be a particularly difficult course to call at in fading light or under floodlights due to its inner city location and the consequent effect of the surrounding lights and when faced with a big field of unfamiliar colours this task becomes particularly onerous.

By David Thiselton