Top weights Kasimir and Bold Respect are the class horses in today’s Gr2 Post Merchants but being a handicap, this race has a reputation of throwing up a surprise package or two so punters are advised to take a wide view of the field. These two are the only runners quoted in single figures with 10-1 bar so there is plenty of value if you can find one to beat them.

With 62kg on his back, the Justin Snaith-trained Kasimir has a big task ahead of him but he comes from a very much in form stable and his Cape form is strong. He appears to have come into his own as a late four-year-old, winning three of his last four starts including the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship and Gr3 Diadem Stakes.

The one chink in his armour may be the three-month break since his last race and he will need to be sharp to win this one and Snaith may just have the Gr1 WFA Mercury Sprint in mind as his ultimate goal for the season.

Bold Respect, on the other hand, a well beaten fourth in the Diadem but not far back in any of his meetings with Kasimir, has had a blow-out this winter, finishing under two lengths back to Chimichuri Run in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint. He is in receipt of 2kg from Kasimir and with a run under his girth Brett Crawford’s runner could put one over his nemesis.

Take out the top two and you have a race on your hands. Last year’s winner Sniper Shot has been winless since and was among the longer priced runners that evening. Given his current form one is hard-pressed to make out a solid case for Paul Lafferty’s runner and a better proposition could be the filly Green Plains. Sean Tarry is a master at planning and peaking his horses for the right races and at around 25-1 in the current market Green Plains looks fair value for money.

She has been dropping steadily in the handicap and although down the field in the recent Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint, she did not have the best of luck in the running. Tonight, she has a plum draw and a handy galloping weight and Lyle Hewitson will get the best out of her.

Barrier trials are not every trainer’s want but just as in any race, if one can read between the lines, they are a valuable tool in a punter’s armoury.

Dean Kannemeyer generally has a better type horse in his yard than most and Captain Elliodor turned in an eye-catching barrier trial. Although only a neck in front of his nearest ‘trialist’ he could hardly go slow enough for the rest to keep up.

Bookmakers were quick to cotton on and Captain Elliodor is currently joint favourite in the ante-post market with the already exposed Land Of Mystery. Also in the mix for the opening leg of the Pick 6 is Thomas Shelby, a beaten favourite last run but possibly a better proposition over the extra two furlongs.

Johan Janse van Vuuren saddles Thomas Shelby and he has a chance of a quick double with Ultra Boost in the next.

A lightly raced three-year-old, he has been tossed in at the deep end as he takes on some salted opposition having only had a barrier trial after a five-month break. It may be a bit much to ask but he does appear to have some scope and with only 49.5kg to should courtesy of claiming apprentice Jason Gates, he could have enough gas in the tank.

By Andrew Harrison

To take a bet go to www.tabgold.co.za or www.trackandball.co.za

Gavin Lerena will be riding the Eric Sands-trained Rainbow Bridge in the Vodacom Durban July and Anton Marcus will be aboard the Mike de Kock-trained Hawwaam.

Sands and owner Mike Rattray had been under the impression Anton Marcus would be aboard their charge Rainbow Bridge.

However, Marcus made his intentions of riding Hawwaam clear even before he rode Rainbow Bridge in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge on Saturday.

Sands said he would not want somebody on his horse who did not want to be there and a replacement was sought.

Lerena had stated some time ago he would jump at the opportunity to ride Rainbow Bridge in the July, although at the time of making that statement he was probably not reckoning with Hawwaam being in the big race.

Lerena was originally the regular rider of Hawwaam but as he is retained by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Studs he had to ride Cascapedia in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge in early May and thus lost the Hawwaam ride to Marcus.

Hawwaam duly won the Champions Challenge and De Kock stuck with Marcus for the Grade 1 Daily News 2000, which Hawwaam also won.

Sands said he had been “a little disappointed” with Rainbow Bridge’s third place finish in the Gold Challenge on Saturday.

He said, “I would like to see what the result would have been with a clear run.”

Rainbow Bridge’s path was blocked by a hanging in Cirillo just as he was coming to challenge the eventual winner Do It Again. Marcus had to check and switch outward.

Sands was surprised Rainbow Bridge, under the circumstances, was still able to rally back for third.

He said Marcus’ only comment after the race was, “He definitely needs further.”

Rainbow Bridge was seen to be a little bit keen in the running early on when Marcus reined him back in order to slot in to a midfield position.

However, in Sands’ opinion the Ideal World gelding did not “over race.”

He said, “He is the sort of horse if you just touch his mouth he will lift his head, but I don’t think he was fighting.”

Rainbow Bridge will receive half-a-kilogram from Do It Again in the July.

Do It Again has beaten Rainbow Bridge three times over a mile but in their only other meeting, in the Grade 1 weight for age Sun Met over 2000m, Rainbow Bridge, with Marcus aboard, was the victor by three-quarters of a length.

Sands said Rainbow Bridge had come out of Saturday’s race well and he would just keep him ticking over until the July gallops on Thursday, 27 June.

By David Thiselton

Gavin Lerena has landed the plum mount on Rainbow Bridge in the Vodacom Durban July. The Sun Met winner will be the former champion’s ninth July ride and the closest he has come so far is fourth on Tellina in 2014 when Legislate got the race in the boardroom.

Eric Sands has had calls from as far afield as Hong Kong since it became known that Anton Marcus had opted for Hawwaam but Lerena was already in pole position, not least because he had asked for the ride in the Met. Intriguingly he used to be the regular rider of the big race favourite, partnering him four times on the trot to win the Dingaans, Tony Ruffel and the SA Classic plus finishing second in the Gauteng Guineas.

Sands reported yesterday that the horse “took his race well” after finishing a possibly unlucky third to Do It Again in last Saturday’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge. The Milnerton trainer did not claim that he would have won had Anton Marcus not been forced to switch inside the final furlong “but maybe it would have been a tighter finish.”

Nooresh Juglall will fly in from Mauritius to partner Daily News runner-up Twist Of Fate for the River Palace Racing Syndicate who are based in Mauritius and have been keen to have “their man” in the irons for the big one.

Juglall, 27, was twice South African champion apprentice and this will be his third July ride. He finished down the field on Wagner in 2013 and again on Safe Harbour two years ago. He has spent much of the last five years in Singapore but earlier this year he decided to return home as his wife could not get a visa to stay in the country.

Joey Ramsden said yesterday that 16-1 shot Twist Of Fate has continued to thrive since the Daily News – “He is a hardy so-and-so and he is doing fabulously well.”

Ramsden, successful with The Conglomerate in the 2016 July, was speaking from Singapore where is he doing some serious bureaucracy work as he and partner Steph decide whether to go ahead with their talked-of move to that country.

He said: “We are over here seeing how easy, or how hard, it is to set up and get things like residence permits. It is not like Hong Kong where they do it all for you. Here you do everything yourself. Nothing will be set in concrete until we can get all our ducks in a row.”

By Michael Clower

Ashburton-based Belinda Impey is due to hand in her trainer’s brief at the end of this month but after Antigonus ruled in the last at Scottsville yesterday she may have a change of heart.

Impey was assistant to Gilbert Werner for many years but went on her own after his death. It’s been a struggle since with new owners like hen’s teeth and she has no definite plans. “I’ll take a break for a while and then see from there,” she said last week.

Antigonus had been off the track since September last year and with only a barrier trial under his girth it was a smart training feat to get the gelding into the winner’s box first up.

Kom Naidoo sends out a steady stream of winners from his Ashburton yard and he produced a double yesterday along with two runner-up berths.

Two-year-old Rainbow Unicorn out-ran the year older Winter Retreat in the second and Flaming Desire, a 50-1 winner at her previous start, repeated the dose as Jarred Samuel got her home again in the eighth at generous odds of 30-1.

Naidoo was a little cautious during the week concerning Flaming Desire, fearing that the winter track may be on the firm side for the filly, but Samuel held her up for as long as he dared before pouncing late. “She was on point today,” said Samuels.

Fives Wild, the R3k purchase from a horses-in-training sale, added more to his stake earnings that have topped R200k in four starts for Naidoo. This time he was not able to match the turn around in weights with Bedazzled Joker who finally got his act together for Alyson Wright, Anton Marcus taking no prisoners as he made an early move on the leaders and Fives Wild holding on just long enough from a faster finishing Dallas.

Wright was back in the winner’s enclosure in the sixth as Bernard Fayd’Herbe got Scarlet Chill to snatch a short-head decision from the Naidoo-trained Arizona Sunset.

Fayd’Herbe is riding with supreme confidence of late and lifted his tally of winners since May 1 to 27 with a double. He started his day with a typically driving ride on Kateecador for Gavin van Zyl in one of the tightest finishes of the day.

Garth Puller has had something of a quiet time of late with his horses not firing, but has tracked it down to feed, specifically a batch of teff. He appears to have got on top of the problem as March Preview finished of his race with a rattle under apprentice Luke Ferraris and Forceful Rush, drawn wide and last for much of the early exchanges, finishing on top of the placed runners.

Miss Frankel was the talk on course and taking an early lead from her outside draw she looked on track to land the odds. Keagan de Melo ease her over from her outside draw, looking for company. When the challenges came, she stuck gamely to her task but was unable to hold the late rattle from Kateecador and the grey Isca, making it a father and son exacta.

Angel Bouquet gave Met winning trainer Yogas Govender a few anxious moments in the first as she took Lyle Hewiston on the scenic route to the line.

She was none to keen once getting her nose in front but kept going well enough to hold off the first timer Point Of Sale.

Point Of Sale did not have a barrier trial which had some observant punters hot under the collar but officials have cut some slack regarding problem horses at trainer’s requests.

Point Of Sale, sporting earmuffs, was in the paddock a good 10 minutes before the rest of the field and left the paddock five minutes before them but showed no signs of being unruly. Given that all first timers in KZN are required to trial it should be incumbent on officials to provide a public explanation as to why there was no trial!

By Andrew Harrison

The Vaal Classic track eight race meeting tomorrow begins with a Workriders Maiden Plate over 1600m for fillies and mares and Heart Stwings can be bankered in the Bipot despite being the only two-year-old in the field. On debut she was caught wide but still managed to stay on well for second in a Workrider’s maiden for fillies and mares over 1400m. She has scope for improvement and Sam Mosia is back aboard from a good draw of two against an uninspiring field. The main danger will be Jay Bomb, who stayed on last time from a handy position over this trip on the Turffontein Inside track for second behind a firecracker in Perfect Storm. The latter was returning from a rest and showed a lot of improvement. This time Jay Bomb jumps from pole position and should finish in the top two. 

In the first leg of the PA over 1000m Anton Marcus has the first of four rides on the day for Mike de Kock. He is aboard the first-timer Quick Wit, an R80,000 Philanthropist filly who is out of the twice Listed Syringa Handicap (1600m) winner Saucy Savannah (Kahal). She has been priced up 3/1 favourite by Track And Ball. The Ashley Fortune-trained Before The Dawn made a good debut when slowly away and running on over this trip. This Oratorio filly is out of the Grade 2 Post Merchants winner Varikate and should improve enough to reverse form with the speedy but exposed Allmyloving. Quick Wit and Before The Dawn should be enough to get punters through the PA.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1450m Marcus is aboard Fort Carol. Last time out he was pushed from the off from draw eight out of 12 over 1600m but ended up being trapped one wide in second place. The early exertion took its toll as he found no extra late and faded into fifth, beaten four lengths. He now has a plum draw of three and with Marcus up can be more effective from the front this time and although by Elusive Fort the step down in trip might suit too as he is out of National Emblem mare Hot Ember, whose two wins were over 1200m.  Jet Storm beat Fort Carol by two lengths in the aforementioned race when getting the run of the race from pole position. However, he made a breathing noise and might not have it as good this time from draw five. Atomic Blonde looks a nice type and is also a must include after making a good debut over 1400m and now jumping from draw two. Youcanthurrylove made a fair debut over 1200m and looks to have scope for improvement, so can be involved over a step up in trip he should enjoy, although he does have a tough draw of ten. Country Squire ran a fair third last time out when stepped up to 1400m, although he was finding no extra late, so might be a little stretched by the trip.

In the first leg of the Jackpot over 2400m Horace can continue his romp through the divisions having taken to staying races like a duck to water. He is drawn two and looks capable of handling a six point raise for his easy last win. American Indian could be dangerous in his first start for Stuart Pettigrew, who does well with stayers and this horse has performed well enough over this trip before. Wonderous Climber is a decent stayer too and can also be considered.

In the fifth race over 2000m Pettigrew could win it with Gottalottaluv, who has always struck a one with a touch of class. She disappointed over 2400m last time but that was against the boys and she might have gone a bit fast in second place. She can make amends here back against her own gender over a course and distance she has run three times for three seconds. Lady Val has always been held in good regard and Marcus rides here from pole position over a trip which should be ideal, considering she is by High Chaparral out of a Giant’s Causeway mare. Pretty Ballerina has won win and a second over course and distance and has a shout, although she has a tough draw. Pretty Border finished fourth in the Grade 2 Gerald Rosenberg over this trip but was given a hefty ten point raise. Tehuano can also be considered first time out the maidens as she sneaks into the handicap with the minumim weight and is drawn well.

In the sixth race over 2000m Itsmydarlin is the one to beat if repeating her storming finish from off the pace over this trip last time. Ex’s ‘N Ohs and Big Myth look to be the dangers. All I Got and Live In Love are capable sorts too and must be included in the Pick 6 and Jackpot.

In the seventh race over 1000m Dalai’s Promise is in fine form and can make it a hattrick. Double ‘O’ Eight has always been well regarded and has been in good form on the Highveld so can be included and Winter Watch has a chance on the weight turnaround with Dalai’s Promise. Kissable can’t be ignored in the current fast conditions and Ulla is a consistent course and distance suited horse who can be included. 

In the last race over 1450m Reconnaissance is interesting stepped down in trip with blinkers on in an uninspiring field. Royal City and Pieces Of Gold have the ability to go close. Sleepinseattle has a tricky draw but could be involved in this field and In The Game and Prince Jordan can also be considered. 

By David Thiselton

Mike de Kock believes that 7-1 shot Barahin has a better chance in the Vodacom Durban July than the favourite Hawwaam who is a third of the price.

De Kock, eight times champion trainer and four times a July winner, explained his reasoning in a fascinating interview with James Goodman on Monday evening’s Winning Ways programme.

He said: “Barahin is very well handicapped – fortunately he hasn’t had the handicappers’ grubby paws all over him yet (just joking!) – but when he ran behind National Park and Hawwaam in the Gauteng Guineas he was never really at his best.

“Going into the Derby I thought he would be an absolute certainty but then we had a little bit of a niggle – he went a little bit off behind. We dealt with that and he has been very good since. Sunday’s Jubilee Handicap win was for me super impressive given the fact that he was giving five or five and a half kilos to older horses and going to fetch them when they were not stopping.

“I thought that was very meritorious. The fact that he had room for the handicappers to give him two, three, four pounds or whatever they felt like giving him (in fact they raised him 2kg to 112) and he is still under sufferance – and in my opinion still under-rated – so we take our chance and I believe he has a good few pounds in hand. He is a horse that should probably finish up on 117 or 118.”

When put on the spot by Goodman and asked to say which one he would pick in the July, De Kock replied: “Tough one but I must be inclined to go for the horse that is better off at the weights. The problem is that the other one (Hawwaam) is so good. But he is also mentally immature and Barahin is possibly a little bit more stable mentally than Hawwaam. Rainbow Bridge and Do It Again are two very good horses – and I was particularly impressed with Do It Again last Saturday –but we are getting much better than our weight-for-age allowance and that makes him (Barahin) a big runner.”

De Kock has offered Muzi Yeni the mount. “Barahin wants a strong ride and I think he will suit Muzi. But Muzi might be juggling a couple of balls – it’s like a big circus out there!”

It now appears that Anton Marcus will be on Hawwaam as he was when the colt won the Premier’s Champions Challenge and the Daily News. “I am fairly confident that Anton is going to ride him,” said De Kock. “He hasn’t told me he is not so I am taking that as a yes. Anton takes juggling to another level but he is coming and riding work every morning like a man that is riding the horse.”

Everybody wants Marcus, the most successful July jockey in history, and Goodman likened the demand for his services to Lester Piggott in the Epsom Derby. But for some time now Marcus’s choice has appeared to be a straight fight between Hawwaam and Rainbow Bridge on whom he won the Sun Met and has ridden on the horse’s two subsequent Greyville outings.

De Kock said that he decided to keep Hawwaam at Summerveld rather than sending him back to complete his preparation at home in Gauteng so as to avoid the risk of injury associated with the long journey. But other factors also had a bearing.

“One of the big ones is that we can gallop him at Greyville in the July gallops. I felt he needed to see the track again. He was very green when he won the Daily News – he was all over the show from the time he left the gates, not really concentrating and running in snatches. The July gallops are the ideal scenario.”

By Michael Clower 

Rampancy got a solid workout in her barrier trial so Dennis Drier’s filly will know all about it when she lines up in the All To Come Juvenile Maiden at Scottsville today.

She caught the eye on the paddock and Sean Veale did the rest as he punched her out to the line. Whether she is good enough, only the race will tell as she takes on an almost full compliment.

Rampancy will have a race on her hands as Rose Moon showed up well in her trial and followed up with a smart effort behind subsequent Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Miss Florida. That fact has not by-passed Anton Marcus who replaces Australia-bound Brandon Lerena in the saddle.

Ahead of Rose Moon in her barrier trial was Katie’s Treasure. Paul Lafferty’s filly proved to be a bit of a handful when making her debut but that was against males in the Godolphin Barb where she tired late behind African Warrior. Back in the maidens against her own sex, she must rate a solid winning chance.

The card has the all the hallmarks of a punter’s minefield and in cases like this it often pays to follow the in-form trainers and jockeys. Marcus is often deadly in the early exchanges and also has a promising card. He partners Arctic Princess for Glen Kotzen in the second, a trainer in a rich vein of form at present. Arctic Princess was all over the place in her barrier trial on the Greyville poly track but that was back in April and she is sure to have come on from that effort in the interim.

Rainbow Unicorn made a smart debut when trying 1400m first crack out of the box and Kom Naidoo’s filly looks a lively threat under Mark Khan but has a dreaded 14 draw to overcome and the better drawn, year older Winter Retreat could prove a better proposition, Shane Humby’s filly making just her third start and her second after a break.

The opening leg of the Pick 6 is filled with speed with Miss Frankel and Antony Hotspur most likely to make the running and the balance chasing.

Miss Frankel is quick and beat the smart Neptune’s Rain last time out. She was giving the SA Fillies Sprint fourth 8.5kg but it was still a tremendous effort. Antony Hotspur has had a stop-start career so far and it appears that Alistair Gordon has his work cut out keeping him together. But he is smart and showed up well in his comeback run.

Isca, Kateecador and visiting Whorly Whorly must all rate chance while My Majestic Glory has his first run back as a gelding and can also surprise.

Bedazzled Joker and Fives Wild renew rivalry in the fourth. There was less than a length separating them when last they met and the former is now 1.5kg better off. Alyson Wright’s gelding has been knocking at the door of late and with Marcus back in the saddle he can turn the tables although Fives Wild has come well for Naidoo. Arriving in his yard a R3k purchase and a one-time winner, he has repaid his connections many times over.

In the fifth, Padre Pio won on debut for Dennis Bosch and was not too far back in feature company at his next outing. This is not a strong field and his class could see him through. The filly Silver Raisin is down in class had the worst of the draw last run. She is much better drawn here while Techno Captain is dropping steadily in the handicap and was not far back last run. At best he will go close.

In the sixth, Cherry Pop has had two sprints since returning from a lengthy break. This could prove a much better trip and she races in a tongue-tie for the first time. Pina Colada has another tricky draw but went close from the worst draw last time out and must have a chance here although the race is wide open.

Flaming Desire caused a major upset when winning last time out but that form has since held up with Suzie Woo franking that form. However, she does not have the best of legs and firm ground could compromise her chances in the seventh in another wide open event. Biker Babe was not far back from a tough draw last time out and is holding form while Barinois is in good form but is drawn one inside of Biker Babe on the outside.

By Andrew Harrison

Anton Marcus rides in seven of the eight races at Cape Town’s next meeting, the Youth Day public holiday fixture at Kenilworth on Monday. Six of his mounts are for Brett Crawford – including three for his retainer Ridgemont – and he also partners the consistent Apollo Ace for Joey Ramsden in the Interbet.co.za Handicap.

Punters are likely to centre on Boomps A Daisy, already a winner for Marcus and up six points for last time’s comfortable success under Greg Cheyne, and the promising maidens Too Cute and Super Silvano.

By Michael Clower

Racing all rounder Justin Vermaak’s chief occupations these days are Bloodstock Agent and syndicate manager and in his opinion horseracing in South Africa is still in good shape “considering.”

Vermaak flies between bases in Singapore and South Africa and made headlines at April’s BSA National Yearling Sale, where he bought 19 horses.

Fifteen were for prolific Gauteng-based owner Laurence Wernars, two were for his Green Street Bloodstock syndicate and two were for Paul Matchett and his clients.

Vermaak’s sales partner, trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren, was out of action at the Nationals after a back operation, so Vermaak was left alone to do initial selections and specimens, although he had help from Wernars and Janse van Vuuren on pedigrees and evaluations.

He said. “We buy whatever drops in what we think is the right price. I am more worried about the performance of the mare than stallions. Obviously, you try and get good stallions where you can, but generally then you have to pay a lot more. We’ve done very well with horses who are by good stallions but not by those top two or three. We don’t follow fashion because it just effects the money. This year we bought Gimmethegreenlights and they cost us barely anything. We got two really nice Gimmethegreenlight colts, both for R225,000, and a filly for R325,000.”

Vermaak added, “We are not scared of first season sires, definitely not.”

Consequently, he has some unraced two-year-olds in his camp by Silvano’s son, Vercingetorix, who has quickly proved himself to be an exciting sire prospect. He picked up another Vercingetorix at the Nationals and said, “The surprise is that Vercingetorix has been throwing all of these two-year-olds. He is a horse who went 2000m and he never ran at two, so they should improve and improve and improve, which is big.”

One of Vermaak’s unraced Vercingetorix colts, Prince Of Venice, caught the eye in a Greyville poly barrier trial recently, doing it effortlessly with a nice big action. He is one to look out for.

Wernars also has a big breeding operation.

Vermaak said, “Johan and I work with all of his mares and the stallion we supported heavily was William Longsword. He was expensive for a first season sire, but he was a brilliant racehorse and I think he is the best Captain Al to have gone to stud. Johan and Laurence have a good working relationship with Anton Marcus and Anton speaks the world of that horse. Then there is a new stallion at Maine Chance called Erupt. He is a Group 1-winning Dubawi, so we supported him as well.”

Speaking of the equine export protocols, Vermaak said, “I know the guys are doing as well as they can but we have been hearing for years and years that in a few months it is going to open up and it just never does. For my personal career and the management of my clients, we’re carrying on with the expectation that it is not going to open. If it does it will be an added bonus, because we are racing in Singapore too, so we would then be able to send our own horses to Singapore and I wouldn’t have to fly to all of those places halfway across the world to buy horses.”

There is no breeding in Singapore and no sales, so Vermaak buys mainly out of Argentina, “where the value is so strong”, and also out of Australia.

He has also bought out of Argentina for Wernars in the last couple of years.

Vermaak races in Singapore through his Green Street International syndicate. The initial members were the like of Marsh and Guy Shirtliff, Bryn Ressell, Lindsay and Kathryn Ralphs, Wehann Smith, and a bunch of his Green Street owners.

“We now have a lot of local Singaporeans involved and some English guys, one guy from Qatar and some Aussies. In Singapore half the people are ex-pats so it’s a big mix.”

Vermaak tries to attract a young crowd and continued, “Of our 20 owners in Singapore, at least half of them are what you would call young. We had a horse in the Singapore Guineas, he ran poorly, but he cost Aus$25,000 and he has earned Aus$100,000. It is a place where the prize money is brilliant, a maiden win pays for ten months keep, unlike here where it’s only three-and-a-half months, so you need a horse to win once a year and some places and you also get an appearance fee. You get about a third of your training fees back as a rebate everytime you run so financially if you crack a half decent horse you can do alright there, you can pay for the slow ones with some change.”

Part of the package Vermaak sells to SA-based clients are the fun weekends to be had in Singapore, a remarkable city in many respects.

Racing is a great leveller and Vermaak said some of the new clients take to it like a duck to water, while others battle to understand the difference between class and divisions. He said, “I find you have to be strong with the guys, either they will stay or they will run and the ones who stay are the ones who want to.”

He continued, “Our best horse at the moment is Herodotus, who finished third in the Grade 1 Cape Derby. He is a smart horse but he needs gelding. We are targeting him at his four-year-old season.”

Vermaak spoke of a downward trend in racing worldwide at present, even in Hong Kong, where illegal bookmakers have become a big problem.

However, he concluded, “But the prices here are still strong. There have been a lot of dispersal sales recently and mares were not easy to buy, weanlings were not easy to buy either, so there is still money around and I think the industry is still in good shape considering.”

By David Thiselton

Joe Soma, annoyed that his pre-race comment about Left Hook was omitted from the list of trainers’ comments published by Computaform last week, has urged his fellow-trainers to help punters by providing sensible pre-race information.

Soma said: “I have not been giving comments myself, but I decided recently to give punters access to as much info as possible. Punters are getting bored, they are losing interest and we need to do everything we can to keep them in the game.”

Soma had said about Left Hook: “Not today boys. But watch this horse, he can get us out of it in the future!” A comment that somehow didn’t find its way into Computaform.

“I gave it to the Racing Bureau and I thought I’d been censored for some reason.” Danie Toerien, Editor-in-Chief at Phumelela, who publishes Computaform, said that Soma’s comment must have gone missing somewhere along the line. “I am not sure what happened but there was nothing wrong with Joe’s comment. We encourage comments by trainers and if they happen to offer something extra, in an unusual note like this, even better.

“We will accept any comments within all reasonable publishing limits, because punters thrive on information. The more they have, the better. Punters hate going in ‘blind’. If there are five first-timers in a race with no comments available, what must they do? They may as well play the Lotto. We’d like trainers to type in their comments themselves on the Bureau system to prevent info from getting lost.”

Soma added: “We need to speak to the punter in his language, to spruce up our presentation of information on television and in print. You know, punters get tired of the same old, same old, same old. We need to find new angles in our written copy and our television presentations to keep the betting public interested. “I said, for example, ‘Left Hook can get us out of it in the future’. I think this is something the punter understands better than the standard comment, ‘will need the run’, which is something that makes them pull their hair out!

“Left Hook is a horse with nice form, many may fancy him on paper, but he’s had a colic operation and he’s recovered from injury, so he’s an unlikely winner. If he sticks his head into the frame for fourth, fantastic, but I’ve given he punter the info I believe to be as true and valuable as possible.

“I think trainers are wary of being proved wrong, or putting their owners in the middle, but there is a way of commenting that will keep everyone happy. We see too many ‘will need the run’ horses that fly up to win and nothing annoys a punter more than thinking he has been lied to. Worse still is ‘no comment’, of which I was guilty of but I look at things in a different way now.”

“When you’ve had any horse in your stable for a while, you have a fair idea of what it’s worth, what its ability is. I’m suggesting that trainers add just a bit extra, like saying, ‘needs the run but not without place prospects in a weak field’… that says so much more and gives the bettor a chance. If you’re wrong, you’re wrong, stiff. Try again next time. Punters appreciate honesty more than shots in the dark or nonsensical drivel.”

Soma concluded: “The days of the big coup are gone. The market establishes the runners in race fairly, reflects what’s going on. You can maybe get R10,000 of a horse, or a bit more, but the big money is no longer there to pull off massive betting coups. We must look after the punters we have left, give them the info to win. It will benefit all of us.”

– turf talk