Glen Kotzen was pleased Eyes Wide Open had been dropped three points by the handicapper for his 8,65 length fourth in the Listed Sledgehammer over 1800m on the poly as this has put him at the top of one of the merit rated bands for the WSB 1900 on Saturday.

He is carrying topweight of 60kg but according to official merit ratings is the best weighted male horse in the race, although he is 2kg under sufferance with the best weighted female Fresnaye. 

Kotzen said the four-year-old Dynasty colt had come on from that last run.

He said Eyes Wide Open would need to win to get into the Vodacom Durban July and he was expecting a big run.

Eyes Wide Open was just outside the top 20 on the first July log. The former Grade 1 Cape Derby winner was found to have been haemo-concentrating during his disappointing Cape Summer campaign.

However, this issue has been addressed and Kotzen believes he will now be back to his best. 

He was certainly looking well at Summerveld yesterday. He has a tricky draw of nine and in form Warren Kennedy is aboard. Kotzen runs three fillies in the Listed East Coast Cup over 2000m.

He pointed out how good Snapscan’s form was looking after Just Chaos, whom she beat by 3,25 in the Listed East Cape Oaks over 2000m, had come out and finished third against the boys in Saturday’s Listed East Cape Derby over 2400m.

Kotzen described Expedite as a “smart filly” and she proved it when finishing a close third in the Listed Jamaica Handicap over 2000m back in January. He said she had not enjoyed the rain effected going in her last start in the Scarlet Lady at Scottsville, so a line could be drawn through that run.

His other runner Luna Child will be ridden by the Mauritzfontein Stud-retained Gavin Lerena and Kotzen said this was always an advantage. She was eighth in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000, beaten seven lengths, when last trying this course and distance. However, she is certainly bred to go the trip being by Ideal World out of Rambo Dancer mare Cast A Spell, who won twice over 1800m. Furthermore, the progeny of Ideal World improve continuously so she should be coming into her own. She finished a 7,2 length fifth in the Scarlet Lady over 1750m in her last start and should have benefited from the outing, her first for two months.

By David Thiselton

“The last of the great owners,” said Chris Snaith yesterday as he paid tribute to Jack Mitchell who finally lost his long battle with leukaemia on Sunday night. He was 72.

The flags at Kenilworth flew at half mast, the jockeys wore black armbands and at the racecourse on Friday there will be a celebration of his life at 3.30pm.

Mitchell was the owner, or part-owner, of a string of stars that included Horse of the Years Legislate and Futura as well as last year’s Durban July winner Do It Again, Snowdance, Jackson and Ivory Trail.

But his contribution to the South African turf went way beyond that. In the days when the National Horseracing Authority was the Jockey Club he served as a steward for some 21 years. “There were stipes but we on the local executive would make the decisions,” he later recalled. “I did it for nothing and I felt very privileged to do so.”

Educated at Bishops, William Jack Campbell Mitchell was a stockbroker before joining the Old Mutual and for two decades he was an investment manager with Allan Grey. He inherited his passion for racing from his father Wally and his uncle Jack Winshaw who between them owned the 1968 Met winner William Penn.

He was extremely successful in picking the right horses at the sales and this was the result of careful planning. “I tried to buy horses that had the potential to win big races and I tended to pay quite a lot of money for them.”

Asked what excited him about racing, he replied: “When it’s a big race you are always on edge and that is half the fun of it but, that apart, it’s the unknown that appeals – and that it is an extremely competitive game. “

But breeding held relatively little appeal: “I found it too difficult and it is not one of my missions in life. Also you put yourself in a horrible situation – nobody wants the bad ones so you can only sell the good ones that you would like to race yourself. You have to sell them otherwise breeding is meaningless. I would much rather go to the sales and buy one.”

Betting was not for him either: “I might have R20 on if I am bored but I never bet on my own horses. I can’t really see the point. If I have R100 on what difference is it going to make?”

Most of his horses he bought after taking the advice of John Freeman (“a confidant and a good friend”) and the bloodstock agent has returned the compliment with a lengthy tribute emailed to clients and friends speaking of Mitchell’s “straight talk, good manners, generosity and friendliness.”

It was these characteristics that impressed everyone he had anything to do with on the racecourse and it was typical of him that he made a point of shaking hands with owners of rival horses when he was beaten into second. The fact that he had only one arm – the result of a motor accident – fazed him not one iota.

Mitchell and wife Helga had two children, commercial property developer Jerome and Nancy who followed her father into investment management and racehorse ownership. She owned many horses in partnership with her father including their latest star General Franco who runs on Saturday. There won’t be a dry eye in the house if, as expected, he wins.

By Michael Clower

Handicaps are difficult for punters at the best of times and they face another tricky card and race in the sixth at Scottsville this afternoon, a MR 90 Handicap.

The field is loaded with potential winners so the list is long one, but it may prove prudent to stick with the still improving three-year-olds headed by Rip It Up.

Justin Snaith’s gelding is on top of the handicap as far as his young rivals are concerned and comes into the race with some useful Cape Town form to back his claims.

He made his local debut in the Byerley Turk where he was never in contention but that outing should have done him the world of good and given his past record and first time blnkers he should prove a better proposition this afternoon.

The Paul Lafferty-trained Buckleberry has not been out of the money in his eight stats and finished a close-up third in a tough Pinnacle Stakes behind the smart Wynkelder. He was getting a massive 9.5kg from the winner but it was still a creditable effort considering the opposition and should be a contender.

Duncan Howells had a double at the same venue on Sunday and bottom weight Ruby Spirit must have an undeniable chance. He made nearly all the running before being caught late by the useful Cabo Da Cruz last time out and with useful apprentice Jason Gates claiming 2.5kg he could be difficult to peg back.

The Snaith-trained Pinkerton looked to be one of the better bets on the card in the second but was coughing in work and will be on the side-lines. His defection could possibly leave the way clear for Knight Warrior although current ante-post odds of 2-1 about Dennis Bosch’s runner don’t inspire too much confidence with Deer Park and Al Jazeera close-up in the market.

Brett Crawford is a master trainer in his own right and together with assistant Peter Muscutt running his KZN satellite yard, they are a lethal combination.

From a dozen or so horses after leaving the employ of Plattner Racing some years back, Crawford has built up one of the most powerful strings in the country in a relatively short time.

Crawford’s results speak for themselves and the stable has enjoyed a cracking run of late and can add to that run with GG’S Dynasty in the opening leg of the Pick 6.

Beaten favourite on his KZN debut, GG’s Dynasty is sure to have come on from that effort and with a good draw and a handy galloping weight may be the right one in a tricky field.

Joint top weight Collabro is at the top of the boards. Seldom out of the money and in good form of late, he will give Dennis Bosch hope of a fifth win for his charge but a better option could be Mr Greenlight, a 25-1 chance yesterday.

It is seldom that a Howells-trained winner starts at 55-1, but that was the case on Sunday when all were blind to favourite Sovereign Spirit. Howells has admitted that all went pear-shaped in his trip to Cape Town for Met day and Mr Greenlight’s two subsequent outings after his no-show in the CTS 1600 do not inspire much confidence.

However, he was drawn in Woodhouse Road over a course and distance last time out and with a better draw and two outings under his girth after his disastrous trip to the Cape, Mr Greenlight could prove full value with Bernard Fady’herbe aboard.

Maiden races over 2400m are often more difficult to call than MR60 Handicaps and the fourth is such a race.

Every stat points to a different possible winner so the advice is to load up in this leg of the exotics.

Cassius Colt and World Cruise have been in good form on the poly track while Keelan Dynasty, Sun On Sand and the front-running Excessive Grace are all in with a shout.

By Andrew Harrison

Head Honcho will have his first race since his third to Rainbow Bridge and Do It Again in the Sun Met in the mile pinnacle at Greyville on Saturday.

Andre Nel said yesterday: “He has been at Summerveld for the past two months and he is doing pretty well. He is not quite at full race sharpness but he is going to run a good race. I am hoping he will be able to go straight into the July after this but we will see how Saturday goes and then decide.”

Keagan de Melo, who has a good record on the five-year-old, again has the mount. Head Honcho, winner of six of his last eight starts, is a 20-1 chance for the Vodacom Durban July.

Joey Ramsden returned from a week’s prospecting in Singapore yesterday but without having made a final decision on whether his future lies there.

He said: “We met with everyone and we got to see everything and we now have an idea of the enormity of the task that lies ahead should we go. But we haven’t made up our minds yet and I have many things to think about including the children.”

However he was taken aback to find that the two-year-old fillies race at Kenilworth on Saturday had failed to fill and that the colts’ race has attracted a field of only six – “Two of them are mine and I only have 30 horses in training in Cape Town at the moment. I thought it a sad greeting.”

Clouds Unfold has met with a setback and will miss the rest of the Natal season. Candice Bass-Robinson reported yesterday that the Sceptre and Majorca winner has injured herself, adding: “We will give her the time she needs – her wellbeing is paramount – and I am sure she will be back for the summer season.”

Stable companion Dutch Philip, who returned to form to take second to Clouds Unfold in the 1 000m pinnacle at Kenilworth nine days ago, goes for the Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville on May 25.

In other Bass-Robinson news Drama Queen is being aimed at the Irridescence on June 29 after she was caught on the line by the talented Amy Johnson in the Perfect Promise, with her trainer saying: “It was only the penalty that beat her but she wants a lot further.”

Sailing Ship started favourite but dropped away in the final furlong – “We couldn’t find anything wrong but she over-raced early.”  

Brett Crawford has decided against sending recent Somerset 1200 winner Armando to Scottsville for the Gold Medallion after discussing plans with the colt’s future trainer Tony Millard. Instead the dual winner will run in the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery on June 8.

Anthony Andrews has the unenviable distinction of being the first jockey in Cape Town to be penalised under the new guideline forbidding hitting a horse more than 12 times in the course of a race. Andrews is rarely a whip offender but he was fined R750 for the offence on Photocopy at Durbanville on Sunday.

The stipes report for that day contains the new guideline and specifically states that the 12-strike limit excludes slaps down the shoulder. This is the opposite of what I was told by the Kenilworth stipes when I was preparing last Wednesday’s whip article.

Hopefully racing control executive Arnold Hyde will do what he suggested in the Alistair Cohen Tellytrack interview and lower the limit during the course of this year. The very idea of hitting a horse 12 times in a race will have the animal rights people up in arms and does little for racing’s image in the eyes of the general public.

By Michael Clower

Too Cute may reverse debut placings with Dark Crystal and Richard Fourie in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden Plate at Kenilworth today and the pair dominate the betting.

Dark Crystal opened 28-10 favourite and World Sports Betting had Too Cute on 33-10 yesterday with Sweet Karma (15-2) the only other in single figures. Dark Crystal came out a length and a quarter the better 17 days ago despite losing ground at the start. Anton Marcus’s mount, on the other hand, raced prominently only to weaken in the final furlong. Crucially she had to switch approaching the 300m mark.

There is no shortage of confidence in either camp. “She just needed that first run and I think she has improved a hell of a lot since,” says Brett Crawford of Too Cute while Jono Snaith reports that the favourite has also come on, adding: “She has a lot of ability and I think she will take some beating.”

Sweet Karma, the mount of champion Lyle Hewitson, also has solid form and was fourth to the smart Mirage with subsequent Perfect Promise winner Amy Johnson third. But she has less obvious scope for improvement.

Donovan Dillon makes a welcome but overdue return on 10-1 shot Caribbean Sunset after the knee damage he suffered in the pens on Met day took longer than expected to heal. His best hope of a winner is probably the Joey Ramsden-trained Lip Service in race seven.

Two-year-olds have won only three times against older horses in Cape Town this season but they mount a strong challenge in the first as well as in race three. The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Sir Michael was only three-quarters of a length behind the more experienced Pick Eight Captain on debut at Durbanville and so it is reasonable to suppose that he will reverse the placings with his fellow 9-2 joint favourite.

But the vote goes to the older Fergie’s Rock (5-1) who went close on this course three weeks ago. “That was his first run since being gelded and he has done well since,” says Brett Crawford.

Man About Town has the benefit of the in-form Bernard Fayd’Herbe in the Play Soccer Handicap, his recent form is good and he has won over the trip. His price (12-10) is nothing to write home about but he is hard to oppose.

Kursk, on the other hand, carries a red warning light as he is drawn on the wide outside in the 16-runner Betting World Maiden. He finished third from a similar draw last time (Crawford: “It cost him that day and it is going to be tough for him again”) but his jockey’s famed ability at the gate may just be enough. Stable companion High Key and 15-1 longshot Sark (slight interference last time) look the dangers.

By Michael Clower

Top Cape jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe has made a significant statement ahead of Saturday’s Grade 2 WSB 1900 by opting to ride the Andre Nel-trained Kampala Campari in preference to either of the Justin Snaith-trained pair Magnificent Seven and Made To Conquer.

Snaith said, “Bernard decided not to ride either of them, so maybe that’s a sign that Kampala Campari is a big runner.”

Fayd’Herbe won this race last year on the Snaith-trained Elusive Silva.

The Nel yard have made a deliberate decision to go into the race fresh with Kampala Campari and the five-year-old Querari gelding was looking in fine shape at Summerveld yesterday. 

He has the same draw as last year, pole position, but a better run can be expected than his 6,30 length tenth. He went to the front in that race but was doing a touch too much. He still had the lead at the 200m mark before being swamped.

Assistant trainer Byron Foster said, “Corne (Orffer) didn’t really know the horse last year. Kamapala Campari was also more aggressive in his racing back then and has now learnt how to race.”

Fayd’Herbe has only race-ridden Kampala Campari once before, a victory over 2000m at Durbanville last October. The big bay led at a comfortable gallop that day and stayed on well.

He carries topweight of 60kg on Saturday off a 107 merit rating, which puts him 3kg under sufferance with the best weighted Fresnaye. This is as opposed to carrying 58kg last year off a 100 merit rating (which put him 4,5kg under sufferance with best weighted Fort Ember). 

Foster concluded, “His work has been good.”

Kampala Campari is the only runner in the twelve horse field who is not entered in the Vodacom Durban July.

Meanwhile, Sun Met third-placed Head Honcho has been doing well since arriving at Summerveld in March. 

He runs in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1600m on Saturday and Nel is hoping that will bring him on enough to go straight into the July.

He said, “He seems to run better when his races are spaced widely apart.”

Nel said Foster had reported the long-striding five-year-old Querari gelding to be “ring rusty” at present. However, he won his first start this season following a virtually identical layoff of three months and three weeks and that race was over this same 1600m distance on the equally tight Kenilworth Old Course.

By David Thselton

Only six of the 49 original entries for Africa’s greatest race, the R4.25-million, Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July to be run over 2 200m at Greyville in Durban on Saturday, July 6, failed to stand their ground at the first declaration stage today together with the recent sad loss of SA Derby winner Samurai Warrior.

There are 42 horses still in contention for a run with a further two, recent The Sledgehammer winner Orpheus, trained by Mike and Adam Azzie and Insignis from the Geoff Woodruff yard, in line to be supplemented tomorrow.

While some of the six that have been withdrawn might have found it difficult to make the final 20 runners carded for the race based on their current rating status, and with limited opportunities available to improve their situations, saving the R3 450 non-refundable fee to move forward may not have been seen as worthwhile.

Heading the withdrawals is the five-year-old Captain Al gelding Doosra from the Johan Janse van Vuuren stable that had a 104 merit rating and the Wolf Power victory on which to make a claim while the three-year-old Querari filly Arianos Shadow and the two entries from the Sean Tarry yard, Shenanigans and Silver God, would require considerable improvement to catch the eyes of the July Selection Panel.

The three horses seen generally as the main contenders for victory, Hawwaam, Do It Again and Rainbrow Bridge, have stood their ground with many racing fundis expressing opinions that it “looks like” a three-horse race.

The full early ante-post betting as declared by World Sports Betting is: 7-2 Hawwaam; 5-1 Do It Again; 11-2 Rainbow Bridge; 11-1 Barahin; 20-1 Head Honcho, Doublemint, Magnificent Seven; 25-1 Twist Of Fate, Orpheus; 28-1 Made To Conquer; 33-1 Return Flight; 35-1 Bunker Hunt; 40-1 Legal Eagle, Tilbury Fort, Hero’s Honour, Zillzaal, Charles, 45-1 Oh Susanna, Platinum Prince; 50-1 Lady In Black; 66-1 Alyaab, Miyabi Gold, Noble Secret; 70-1 Dark Moon Rising, Divine Odyssy; 75-1 Eyes Wide Open, Elusive Silva; 85-1 Alyaasaat, The Dazzler; 100-1 Fresnaye, Camphoratus, Secret Potion, Run Red, Protea Paradise, Silva’s Bullet, 125-1 Dawn Assault; 150-1 Roy Had Enough, Herodotus; 200-1 Banner Hill, Thanksgiving; 250-1 Red Chestnut Road, Fiorella, Roy’s Riviera, Flichity By Farr, Top Classman.

First declartions for the R4.25 million (Gr1) Vodacom Durban July

Sc#  Horse               Mass   MR       Draw  B  A  T  Jockey                    Trainer

 0  DO IT AGAIN          0.0  125 (125)    0      A     ……………           Justin Snaith

 0  RAINBOW BRIDGE       0.0  124 (124)    0      A     ……………           Eric Sands

 0  HEAD HONCHO          0.0  122 (122)    0      A  T  ……………           Andre Nel

 0  HAWWAAM              0.0  121 (117)    0      A     ……………           Mike de Kock

 0  OH SUSANNA           0.0  118 (118)    0      A     ……………           Justin Snaith

 0  TWIST OF FATE        0.0  117 (113)    0      A     ……………           Joey Ramsden

 0  LEGAL EAGLE          0.0  116 (116)    0      A  T  ……………           Sean Tarry

 0  BUNKER HUNT          0.0  112 (108)    0      A     ……………           Justin Snaith

 0  LADY IN BLACK        0.0  112 (112)    0      A     ……………           Dennis Drier

 0  DIVINE ODYSSEY       0.0  111 (111)    0      A     C Habib                   J A Janse van Vuuren

 0  TILBURY FORT         0.0  110 (110)    0      A  T  ……………           Sean Tarry

 0  EYES WIDE OPEN       0.0  109 (109)    0   B  A  T  ……………           Glen Kotzen

 0  RETURN FLIGHT        0.0  109 (105)    0      A     ……………           Sean Tarry

 0  ROY HAD ENOUGH       0.0  109 (109)    0      A     ……………           Frank Robinson

 0  BARAHIN              0.0  108 (104)    0      A     ……………           Mike de Kock

 0  MADE TO CONQUER      0.0  108 (108)    0   B  A     ……………           Justin Snaith

 0  HERO’S HONOUR        0.0  107 (107)    0      A     ……………           Gary Alexander

 0  DARK MOON RISING     0.0  106 (106)    0      A     ……………           Paul Lafferty

 0  DAWN ASSAULT         0.0  106 (106)    0   B  A  T  ……………           St John Gray

 0  THANKSGIVING         0.0  106 (102)    0      A     ……………           Duncan Howells

 0  ATYAAB               0.0  105 (101)    0   B  A     ……………           Mike de Kock

 0  CAMPHORATUS          0.0  105 (105)    0      A     ……………           R A Hill/S R Hill

 0  MIYABI GOLD          0.0  105 (105)    0      A     ……………           Justin Snaith

 0  NOBLE SECRET         0.0  105 (105)    0      A  T  ……………           Mike de Kock

 0  ZILLZAAL             0.0  105 (101)    0   B  A  T  ……………           Sean Tarry

 0  CHARLES              0.0  104 (100)    0      A     ……………           Brett Crawford

 0  DOUBLEMINT           0.0  104 (104)    0      A     ……………           Justin Snaith

 0  FRESNAYE             0.0  104 (104)    0      A     ……………           Joey Ramsden

 0  MAGNIFICENT SEVEN    0.0  104 (104)    0      A     ……………           Justin Snaith

 0  ELUSIVE SILVA        0.0  103 (103)    0      A     ……………           Justin Snaith

 0  SECRET POTION        0.0  102 (102)    0      A     ……………           Geoff Woodruff

 0  HERODOTUS            0.0  101 ( 97)    0      A     ……………           Glen Kotzen

 0  FIORELLA             0.0  100 (100)    0      A     ……………           Duncan Howells

 0  THE DAZZLER          0.0   99 ( 99)    0      A     ……………           Mike de Kock

 0  PLATINUM PRINCE      0.0   97 ( 97)    0   B  A     ……………           Justin Snaith

 0  BANNER HILL          0.0   96 ( 96)    0      A     ……………           Geoff Woodruff

 0  ROY’S RIVIERA        0.0   95 ( 95)    0      A     ……………           Frank Robinson

 0  FLICHITY BY FARR     0.0   94 ( 94)    0      A     ……………           Alyson Wright

 0  RUN RED              0.0   94 ( 94)    0      A     ……………           Andre Nel

 0  PROTEA PARADISE      0.0   92 ( 88)    0   B  A     ……………           Mike de Kock

 0  SILVA’S BULLET       0.0   91 ( 91)    0      A     ……………           Dean Kannemeyer

 0  TOP CLASSMAN         0.0   84 ( 84)    0      A     ……………           Paul Lafferty

(42)

STILL TO BE DECLARED – 2 Horses in Category

 0   INSIGNIS            0.0  102 (102)    A     N  Supplementary Entry                 2816231 Geoff Woodruff 

 0   ORPHEUS             0.0   94 ( 94)    A  T  N  Supplementary Entry M v Rensburg    2813027 M G Azzie/A A Azzie 

  SCRATCHINGS 

   SILVER GOD                               

   SAMURAI WARRIOR    

   RED CHESNUT ROAD   

   ARIANOS SHADOW     

   SHENANIGANS        

   DOOSRA             

   ALYAASAAT     

Important Vodacom Durban July dates to diarise:

• First Supp. Entries: Close 11:00 Tuesday, 14 May 2019
• Second Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 3 June 2019
• Final Supp. Entries: Close 11:00 Tuesday, 18 June 2019
• Weights Published: Tuesday, 18 June 2019
• Final Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 24 June 2019
• Final Field and Draw: Announcement of the Final Field and Barrier Draws will take place on Tuesday, 25 June 2019
• Public Gallops:  7am at Greyville Racecourse, Thursday, 27 June 2019

Twelve horses will face the starter in the traditionally important Vodacom Durban July pointer, the Grade 2 WSB 1900, at Greyville on Saturday and eleven of them are entered in the country’s premier horseracing event.

Saturday’s race is run under merit rated band conditions and female runners receive a further 2,5kg allowance.

The horses are listed below in sequential order according to how well they are weighted according to official merit ratings and in brackets is the number of kilograms they are under sufferance:

Fresnaye (best weighted), Camphoratus (1,5kg), Eyes Wide Open (2kg), Fiorella (2kg), Made To Conquer (2,5kg), Doosra (2,5kg), Doublemint (2,5kg),  Magnificent Seven (2,5kg), Kampala Campari (3kg), Dawn Assault (3,5kg), Orpheus (3,5kg), Silver God (8kg).

However, official merit ratings are not always a true reflection in South African handicapping due to the effect the “guidelines” have on them. For example Doublemint ran to a 117 when finishing sixth in the Sun Met if the official line horse, Undercover Agent, is used as the yardstick. However, a clause in the guidelines which only allows upward adjustment to the top five in Grade 1 and Grade 2 races saw him escaping punishment.

Doublemint could thus be seen as the proverbial penalty kick,, but, on the other hand, races are not run on paper.

However, adding to his chances is that Anton “Superman” Marcus is aboard. Furthermore, he has a good draw of four.

Doublemint has not run since the Sun Met, so will be a bit ring rusty, although he did gallop on the Greyville turf recently under Marcus.

The Twice Over colt is trained by Justin Snaith who won this race last year for the second time. He also has Made To Conquer, and Magnificent Seven engaged on Saturday so has a fine chance of making it a third.

The conditions of this race are attractive for July qualifiers as the winner cannot be raised more than six points and placed horses will not incur any merit rating raise unless requested.

Doublemint and Magnificent Seven can both afford to win without any change to their July weight due to the presence in the big race of their 125 merit rated stablemate Do It Again.

They are both merit rated 104 at present and off a potential 110 rating they would carry 53kg in the July and still be 0,5kg under sufferance.

However, Made To Conquer, who finished runner up in the July last year after winning the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup, is merit rated 108 and a potential 114 rating would see him having to carry 54,5kg in the July.

Magnificent Seven has not run since winning the Grade 2 New Turf Carriers Stayers over 2800m on Sun Met day. This progressive gelding by Horse Chestnut has won seven of his last nine starts and will be effective over the 1900m trip as he won the Listed Algoa Cup over 2000m last October. He has a fair draw of five and should make his presence felt. He had Luke Ferraris aboard in a recent Greyville grass gallop. The latter retains the ride, suggesting there is a chance he might have his first ever July ride.

July runner up Made To Conquer finished eleventh in the Met in his last start. He was beaten 5,25 lengths by Doublemint and now has to give the latter 2kg, so is up against it. However, he does enjoy Greyville, as most progeny of Dynasty do. He put up a good recent grass gallop at Greyville together with July winner Do It Again. He has a tricky draw of seven and stable jockey Richard Fourie, who will ride Do It Again in the July, is aboard.

Fresnaye’s three runs in Johannesburg were a touch disappointing, but she had hardknocking form in Cape Town and should appreciate being back at the coast where the air is thicker. This twice Grade 1 Paddock Stakes-placed filly is ideally distance suited but has a tough draw of eleven under S’Manga Khumalo.

Camphoratus proved her class by winning the Grade 1 Empress Club over 1600m and if left alone for long enough will likely produce another blistering finishing effort here. She has a chance from a good draw of two.

Fiorella is distance suited having just failed in the Woolavington 2000 last year. She beat Fresnaye by a quarter of a length in the Empress Club but was way behind her in the Grade 1 Majorca. She needs to bounce back to form but has a tough task from the widest draw of all.

Kampala Campari disappointed in this race last year from this same pole position draw but if it pans out better this time he will be a threat being half-a-kilogram better off with Doublemint for a mere 0,2 length beating in the Peninsula over 1800m. However, Doublemint comes out on top on Met form. The Met was Kampala Campari’s last run. 

Eyes Wide Open will have come on from his last outing in the Sledgehammer. The Glen Kotzen yard believe they have this former Cape Derby winner back to his best as they have addressed a haemoconcentration problem he suffered in the summer. He has a tough draw of nine.

Orpheus ran them ragged in the Sledgehammer over 1800m on the poly. The jockeys will be more wary this time but he is still an interesting contender.

Doosra has a tough task at the weights and the trip might stretch him.

Dawn Assault is a resolute galloper who is capable of surprising, but he would probably prefer a less tight course.

Silver God is well bred being a half-brother to William Longsword and Real Princess but he will need to show dramatic improvement.

It is too early to make a selection as the runners still have to complete their preparations.

By David Thiselton

General Franco will make his eagerly awaited reappearance in the 1 200m Juvenile Plate at Kenilworth on Saturday and Jono Snaith reports that, with Richard Fourie at Greyville to partner last year’s Vodacom Durban July runner-up Made To Conquer in the World Sports Betting 1900, Greg Cheyne will ride the exciting Frankel colt.

The form of his debut win was given a hefty boost when Three Two Charlie, beaten three and a half lengths into second, romped home by almost as far in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden Juvenile Plate at Durbanville yesterday with Candice Bass-Robinson singing his praises as she celebrated Mother’s Day with a whole string of winners.

She said: “He is a lovely colt and he looks to me like he is pretty quick but he is quite lazy at home and he has taken a bit of time to come to hand.”

The Milnerton trainer and Bernard Fayd’Herbe made a clean sweep of the first three two-year-old races, courtesy of Roll In The Hay who swept to a five-length victory in the opener and Snow Report who pulled too hard for both his trainer and his jockey’s liking in the third. All three winners started at odds-on but the last one now has some serious tuition to come.

Mrs Bass-Robinson said: “I don’t want him to race like this. I would have preferred him to have had a bit of cover and in his next race I will have him dropped in and taught to settle.”

Fayd’Herbe added: “I was in two minds today. I didn’t want to get caught behind a couple of the others if I dropped him out. I knew he was the best horse in the race so I just used his class.”

Plans for the trio are fluid but the trainer said: “Features would be a possible but I will play it by ear with all of them.”

Mrs Bass-Robinson is now responsible for ten of the 42 races in Cape Town won by two-year-olds this season – Justin Snaith has also had ten and Vaughan Marshall seven – but her hopes of going into a clear lead with Elusive Rain in the fillies maiden juvenile were dashed when the 9-2 chance could manage only eighth behind the Glen Kotzen-trained Third Runway.

The 27-4 winner was ridden by Gavin Lerena on his first visit to Durbanville since 2012 when he was locked in a battle royal with Anton Marcus for the championship, a battle which ended painfully (for him) at Kenilworth on the final day of the season.

This winner was some compensation for Cedar Man managing only fifth in Saturday’s East Cape Derby and Lerena said: “I was expecting to win that but the horse didn’t travel great. I was in the box seat on Third Runway, though, and every time I asked her for an effort she gave it to me.”

The in-form Brett Crawford celebrated his second successive century when Hudoo Magic won at Scottsville but he had to sweat on an objection and a lengthy boardroom inquiry before he knew he had followed up with Indi Anna in the Tellytrack.com Handicap.

This meeting was put on at short notice to replace the scrapped election-day fixture and many owners and trainers praised the efficient way the gears were put in motion but it would not have happened at all but for representations made by Jono Snaith in his capacity as Western Cape Racing Association chairman. He is entitled to take a bow.

By Michael Clower

Silva’s Bullet faces an up-hill task if he is to make the final Vodacom Durban July field in spite of being on the receiving end in a bumper-car rally. Dean Kannemeyer’s runner was a relatively short priced favourite for the Garth Puller Racing Progress Plate, but any chances he had of winning were scuppered a long way out.

The stipendiary stewards were quick to call for a race review but after considering all the video evidence and the distance by which Silva’s Bullet had been beaten, they decided not to take action.

It all started at the 500 m mark when Warren Kennedy lost his right hand stirrup iron resulting in the ultimate winner, Our Coys becoming unbalanced.

Once regaining his right-side iron, Kennedy’s left foot came adrift, resulting Our Coys shifting abruptly inwards carrying Hand On Heart and Silva’s Buller inwards just as Silva’s Bullet was beginning his run.

Keagan de Melo was forced to switch Silva’s Bullet in but was faced with Our Coys and eventual runner-up Capoeira drifted in across him, forcing De Melo to switch again.

Silva’s Bullet was eventually beaten just under two lengths and that swayed the stipes decision.

Anton Marcus was planning a day off from the saddle but he was quick to heed a late call to replace Corne Orffer and Bernard Fayd’Herbe who were carded to ride in the rescheduled Durbanville meeting.

Orffer was booked to ride Hudoo Magic for Brett Crawford and the three-year-old Aussie-bred proved too classy for his older rivals with fellow sophomores Trippi’s Express and Priceless Ruler next best.

Trippi’s Express put in a determined run up the inside to make made a race of it with his stable companion, but Hudoo Magic was always going just a little bit better to score rather comfortably in the end.

The ‘bomb’ landed in the fourth where 9-1 chance Count Dubucks scraped home under De Melo ahead of a fast-closing Red Herring and Chestnut’s Charm, the latter pair rank outsiders contributing to a quartet dividend of R83 555.30.

Travelling Light made short work of ruling favourite Talia Al Ghul in the card opener, Gath Puller’s filly pulling nearly five lengths clear with the balance of the field four lengths adrift of Talia Al Gul.

Summerhill-based sire Capetown Noir has some good looking horses in his first crop and Enjoy The View was an equally comfortable winner of the second giving title chasing Lyle Hewitson another winner, this for Michael Roberts. The race developed into a two-horse contest over the final two furlongs but favourite Into The Future was first to weaken with the balance well beaten.

Five’s Wild has been a revelation since joining Kom Naidoo. Bought off the Shongweni Horses In Training sale for a paltry R5000, he ran third first time out for the stable and recorded his second win from just three starts as apprentice Jason Gates got him home in the seventh, the second of two apprentice races.

The first went the way of Hey Boy, a difficult ride by all accounts, but Denis Schwarz rode an accomplished race to get him home for Duncan Howells, who rounded off the meeting with 55-1 chance Special Blend giving the stable a well-earned double.

By Andrew Harrison