Anton Marcus averaged a winner every three rides at Kenilworth last season. Tomorrow the four-time champion has six mounts on his first Cape Town visit of the campaign and at least three have winning chances.

He can start off by scoring on True Words in the first. The Ramsden grey ran well last time. In the first two throughout, he beat all except Strikitlikeamatch who put the issue to bed shortly after halfway but True Words did race on the slower part of the course.

Anton Marcus

Seventh Rule probably represents the main danger although What A Summer returned with blood in his mouth when starting favourite last time and riding arrangements suggest that Fake News is the pick of the four Snaith newcomers.

Marcus sits out race two in which Johnny Black makes most appeal and 40 minutes later he renews his acquaintanceship with Ice Queen who, quite frankly, has not shown anything on the racecourse to suggest she is good enough. But she drops in trip, wears blinkers for the first time and the opposition is weak. Those who prefer their form already in the book may wish to have a saver on Moonlight Dancer whose last run reads well.

Rommel, quite well away from an 11 draw last time when he raced second for much of the way, may just be good enough to win race four particularly as Black Belt is badly drawn.

Leadman is the form choice in the 2 000m TAB Maiden and is likely to start favourite assuming things are going Marcus’s way by this stage. But he is far from certain to confirm the placings with Greg Cheyne’s mount Silver De Lange who was only three-quarters of a length behind Leadman a fortnight ago. Indeed, judging by the way he ran on at the end, he may be sufficiently favoured by the extra furlong to turn the tables.

Eastern Front has been dropped two points in the Interbet.co.za Handicap but neither that nor Marcus may be enough to get him home in front. The race has a particularly open appearance although Chill Baby Chill would make a lot of appeal but for this being her second run after a rest.

It’s first time out of the maidens for Querari’s Secret in the last. However he did beat older horses last time when he showed considerable improvement with blinkers and Marcus can be relied upon to make light of the 13 draw.

By Michael Clower

Veteran New Zealand jockey Grant Cooksley has matched one of Lester Piggott’s achievements.

Cooksley, like the famed English rider, has been able to win a Group I race aged 57.

Cooksley became the oldest rider to win a Group I race in New Zealand when he won the Tarzino Trophy on Close Up at Hastings last weekend.

Grant Cooksley (Supplied)

It is likely that and he and Piggott are the oldest riders to have won an internationally recognised Group I race.

Piggott, who won a Group I race at Ellerslie in 1980, recorded his final Group I win in September 1993, in the Moyglare Stakes in Ireland, when two months short of his 58th birthday. He was 58 when he won the Group II Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in 1994, a race that now has Group I status.

Cooksley, who will turn 58 in December, was having just his third ride for the season when he won the Tarzino. It was his 66th Group I win but his first at that level since January 2006, when he won the Wellington Cup on Envoy.

Cooksley has a career tally of more than 2500 wins, including over 1000 in New Zealand, where his list of major victories also includes three wins in both the Auckland Cup and New Zealand Derby.

He has spent much of his riding career in Australia, where his wins have included two Sydney Cups, three Metropolitans and a Doncaster and he has finished second in both the Melbourne Cup and Golden Slipper (twice).

He has also ridden in Singapore, Hong Kong, England, Dubai, Malaysia, Macau and New Caledonia.

Cooksley’s first major win came when he won the 1978 Great Northern Steeplechase, on Ballycastle, as an 18-year-old.

– New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing

The recent successful appeal by Summerveld trainer James Goodman against a National Horseracing Authority (NHA) ruling revealed the high-handed demeanour of one of the NHA’s office bearers at the time of the ruling and the lack of attention to protocol by the latter.

However, the new leader of the NHA, Lyndon Barends, has already made a lot of effort to build bridges between everybody in the racing industry and rather than viewing the NHA as merely the policemen, whose role is to maintain the integrity of the sport, he views the authority as the head of the racing family.

In his “Vision 2020” strategy, Barends aims to transform the NHA over the next four years.

He has identified five objectives of the NHA in Southern Africa in its identified territories.

They are:

1. To regulate the Sport Of Horseracing
2. To govern the Sport with integrity.
3. To serve the industry through excellent, efficient and effective administration of amongst others, the Stud Book, registrations, licensing, race day services and laboratory services.
4. To promote and/or encourage the promotion of the Sport Of Horseracing, the quality of the Thoroughbred, industry training and skills development.
5. To promote and foster co-operation and goodwill with recognised authorities, Governments and local and International Stakeholders.

Goodman won a high court appeal last week relating to a horse of his, Aldric, who won on October 10, 2014. Aldric was later tested positive for caffeine, which led to a fine of R80,000. Goodman was also ordered to pay R45,000 to the NHA for costs incurred.

Aldric

The judge agreed with Goodman that NHA attorney Jonathan Witts-Hewinson should have recused himself from the inquiry into the Aldric case. Witts-Hewinson had indeed been asked by Goodman’s legal representative at the time, Robert Bloomberg, to recuse himself, because at the time of chairing the Aldric inquiry he was not only a National Board Director of the NHA, but was also a panel member of both the Inquiry Review Board and Appeal Board and also sat on a legal sub-committee of the NHA. He was also a former NHA Chairman. However, Witts-Hewinson refused Bloomberg’s request.

Goodman’s legal representatives in the High Court case, Shepstone & Wylie, made a submission highlighting the principle that a man may not be a judge in his own cause or judge of the cause of somebody he is partial to. Had this principle been adhered to, Witts-Hewinson would have automatically been disqualified from the inquiry.

The judge also found the proceedings conducted by Witts-Hewinson to be “manifestly procedurally unfair” and to have “no structure whatsoever”. Furthermore, Goodman’s expert witness, Professor Tobin, “testified he was denied the opportunity of questioning the specialist chemist (Schalk De Kock) employed by the NHA”.

The judge set aside the guilty verdict and both fines and ordered the NHA to pay the costs of the application.

South Africa’s most recognised international trainer Mike de Kock wrote a blog after the case headed, “All we want is fairness.”

De Kock emphasised the ignorance of the general racing public regarding “positives” and believed this had its roots in “bad media reports that emanate from respective racing authorities who are all too eager to make themselves look good and to justify their existence at the expense of the reputation of trainers and jockeys and, ultimately, at the expense of the industry.”

Indeed, the general racing public do not have the knowledge to differentiate between therapeutic medicine and “dope” or, in the case of the former, to differentiate between irrelevant traces and levels that are having a pharmacological effect.

The public invariably believe a positive to be a deliberate attempt by the trainer to cheat by “doping” a horse.

In actual fact most regulatory bodies these days distinguish between the control of illicit substances (doping control) from the control of therapeutic substances (medication control). For doping drugs, the objective is to detect any trace of drug exposure using the most powerful analytical methods. However, this “zero tolerance rule” is not suitable for the control of therapeutic substances because the sophisticated screening methods these days would be able to find traces of a therapeutic medication long after it had been administered and long after it was having any pharmacological effect. Therefore HCL (Harmonised Screening Limits) are decided upon by the regulatory bodies for therapeutic medications. Trainers and veterinarians are advised of “detection times”, or the time it would take for the therapeutic medicine to withdraw to a level below the screening limit.

Most positives appear to emanate from a mistake being made by either the veterinarian in the dosage of a therapeutic substance administered or negligence by the trainer and/or veterinarian in adhering to the detection time. In Goodman’s case, a caffeine positive is often the result of feed contamination.

However, what has most irked De Kock in recent times was the perception by trainers that “all the NHA has to do is to prove that the accused party is the trainer of the horse in which a positive sample was found. By virtue of the fact that he or she is a licensed trainer, such trainer is guilty. Period.”

Barends’ Vision 2020 makes the following statements among others, “By our nature we will be separate from our Stakeholders, but we will seek to understand their environment and take cognisance thereof as we govern. We will serve, support and promote Horseracing and the wellbeing of the horses and the people with integrity, responsiveness, excellence and dedication. We recognise that we are part of a passionate, loyal and committed horseracing fraternity. In all our efforts we will endeavour to enlarge this family to include those who have never been exposed to the pleasures of the sport.”

Hopefully, Goodman’s determination to seek justice and succeed therein will be a watershed moment in the racing industry and will spell the end of the high-handedness Mike de Kock talks about.

By David Thiselton

Ashburton training centre has had its troubles with zebras invading the track in search of green grass this winter and horses and jockeys working on the grass track before sun-up were often confronted with stripped equine roadblocks.

Efforts to relocate the zebras that have multiplied over the years, resulted in a confrontation with local conservationists who put a halt to proceedings but also galloping through the property last week was a herd of a dozen wildebeest.

Zebras (Candiese Marnewick)

But it would appear that Ashburton is not the only racing jurisdiction that has problems with the local wildlife.

racingpost.com reports that track officials awoke to a nasty surprise at Chantilly in France on Tuesday morning when they discovered several wild boar had been having a high old time of it on the racecourse, just days before the Arc trials card.

The boars had dug holes in a section of the track in front of the Grandes Ecuries, near the halfway mark of the mile and a half course which will be used on Sunday for the Prix Vermeille, Prix Niel and Prix Foy.

Ground crews were scrambled to fill in the damage and clerk of the course Matthieu Vincent was quick to offer reassurance there was no danger to the weekend’s action, with the boars having largely left alone the racing line.

“I must stress that everything is fine now,” said Vincent, who in less than a month’s time will be overseeing his second Arc.

“The problem was near the road crossing along the front of the Grandes Ecuries [Royal Stables] but almost all on the outside, stretching for about 50 metres.

“As far as the inside line of the track is concerned, near the rail, there were a few minor traces of activity, but it was nothing really. Everything has now been made good.”

Chantilly is set amid sprawling forest and it is not the first time Vincent and his team have had to confront the boars, who were caught in the act of digging up a section of the Piste des Reservoirs training gallop last October.

It would be no surprise to see sanglier become the dish of the day in the racecourse panoramic restaurant on Sunday.

Horse racing is a fickle mistress and injury, be it horse or jockey, can suddenly be career ending. But perseverance often pays dividends and although apprentice Dennis Schwarz will have had outstanding support and re-hab from the South African Jockey Academy, it is often easier for a young lad to throw in the towel after a career-threatening injury.

Schwarz lost his 4kg claim quickly once trainers cottoned on to his potential and he was on a roll towards the end of last season. But a serious knee injury saw him side-lined for close on six months.

It has taken some time for Schwarz to get back to riding fitness and trainers to pick up on the fact that he was one of the more promising youngsters but he gave notice that he is back with a double at Scottsville yesterday, boosting his seasonal tally to four.

Art Attack (Candiese Marnewick)

His first came on the battling maiden Chilli Affair for Alyson Wright as the six-year-old finally got his act together, much to many punters chagrin, as he got first run on hot favourite Coys and kept rolling to the line.

From a tricky draw, Anthony Delpech was hung out like the washing for most of the early exchanges unable to get close to the rail, and in the straight was not helped as Coys kept looking to run off a straight course.

Schwarz, replacement for fellow apprentice Diego d Gouveia, produced another enterprising ride on out-sider La Gitano in the Track & Ball Gaming Handicap for Tony Rivalland to hold off Captains Moll with favourite Girl In Gold battling to quicken and finishing unplaced.

Ivan Moore was a top jockey in his home country of Zimbabwe before taking out a trainer’s licence and then moving south.

He has a small yard with grandson Darryl, who cut his teeth with top trainer Charles Laird before joining his grandfather, and Art Attack’s victory in the White Horse Function Room Handicap will have been sweet. Consistently place over 1600m but running on empty over the final 100m, Warren Kennedy took advantage of the drop to 1400m, attacked early and pinching a lead before holding on gamely to deny Magic Memory a third straight win.

Delpech had better luck in the second as he produced a well-timed effort on the well-supported Lucky At Last for Nathan Kotzen who, after struggling to saddle his first winner as a licenced trainer, added a quick second after Cumulus broke his duck on Sunday.

Anton Marcus is never one to doubt his ability and an early move on the Mike Miller-trained Fashion Quest paid dividends in the Qualified Maiden Plate. Stepped up to 1600m after a string of placed runs over sprints, Marcus showed faith in that his mount would stay the trip from a tricky draw. Taking up the running before the home turn, he fought off all challengers when at one stage it looked as if he would be swamped.

By Andrew Harrison

Race 1
Preview: THE ROCKETMAN should have a lot of speed being by weight for age Grade 1-winner over 1200m Foxwedge out of a General Niedym mare who won three times as a two-year-old from 1000-1200m, including New Zealand’s richest race, the Karaka Million over 1200m for two-year-olds. He has a plum draw and Strydom is up. MOONEY is improving and was still a bit green last time over 1200m around the turn when running on well. The draw of seven is a bit of a concern, but he should appreciate the long straight and the step up in trip. HARD BALL drops in trip with the blinkers now on and if reproducing his best will be involved. OUTSIDE EDGE has some reasonable form and Khumalo is an eyecatching booking. SOLDAT is never far off and could earn here. MIDNIGHT MESSENGER ran a fair race on debut over 1000m and had excuses last time, so could be thereabouts from a good draw in this uninspiring field. CITY ROCK is by Seventh Rock out of Gr 2 GC Oaks third-placed Santiago, who has produced Listed placed middle distance sort San Trip, but jockey bookings suggest he is not the yard elect. MARIO LANZA is by Judpot out of the Equus champion female stayer Night Diva, who has produced the like of Castle Tankard winner Winter’s Night. (David Thiselton 13-5-3-6-4-9)

Race 2
Preview: SOFII’S MIESQUE made a good debut when running on for second behind a promising sort and she looks to have scope for plenty of improvement. QUICK GLIMPSE ran a fair third on debut after being bumped at the start. PRETTY PENNY is by champion sprinter What A Winter out of Listed Off To Stud winner Magic Penny. ILHA DA VAR has run three fair races and could earn. SAHEERA is an Argentinian-bred by Grade 2 seven furlong winner on the dirt Exchange Rate, but jockey bookings suggest Quick Glimpse is the stable elect. LA BASTIDE is by Dan De Lago out of a Fort Wood two-time winner over 1000m who has produced a couple of one-timer winners. (David Thiselton 15-12-11-2-13-9)

Race 3
Preview: MUTUWAARY is a consistent sort who ran well over course and distance last time. ALL OVER THE WORLD has some class and proved she can mix it with the boys in sprint handicaps last time with a close third.  REBEL’S CHAMP has a touch of class and being a sprinter shouldn’t be hindered by a three month layoff, but he might need to find his feet in handicaps starting off a tough merit rating of 87. HOT AUGUST ran a cracker last time behind a promising sort, despite being dropped out from a wide draw over 1000m on the turn, and that race revealed that hold up tactics might be best for him, although the number one draw can sometimes be disadvantageous here. VULCAN has pace and is interesting dropped down to a sprint again. (David Thiselton 8-5-4-6-1)

Race 4
Preview: CLARET CUP is on the up and can make it a hattrick despite carrying topweight, as the opposition is uninspiring. The pacey QUEEN AT WAR is 7,5 kg better off with Claret Cup for a three length beating over 1200m, if the apprentice claim is taken into account, and could be dangerous over this fast course and distance. GOLDEN ATTITUDE is 3kg better off with Claret Cup for a 2,3 length beating over 1200m and showed pace that time, so should be thereabouts over this course and distance. CATWALK TEASE is 3,5kg better off with Claret Cup for a 4,1 length beating over 1200m and could earn here. QUEENIE is 3kg under sufferance but did look a promising sort as a young two-year-old and if she rediscovers her form in this reversion to a sprint she could surprise. (David Thiselton 1-6-7-5-10)

Race 5
Preview: PILLAROFTHEEARTH is a promising sort who has Lerena up over a suitable course and distance, although making a handicap debut off an 83 merit rating is never easy for a young three-year-old. SECRET HARBOUR was only 1,9 length back off a 90 merit rating on his handicap debut over this trip and off a one point lower mark he could make his presence felt as he likely benefitted from that run. MOSHAV can never be ignored over 1000m down the straight and with Strydom up he can follow up on his latest win off just a three point higher mark. LE TIGRE is 1kg better off with Moshav for a 0,8 length beating and if things go his way this speedster always has a chance. MAGIC will be a big runner if reproducing his run over course and distance in July. ROMAN EVENING has often struck as an underachiever and his win last time out might signal him coming into his own, so he has a chance off just a three point higher merit rating. LIKE ASTAIR looks to have some class and can’t be ignored in his first run after gelding. (David Thiselton 6-1-4-8-2-9)

Race 6
Preview: CELTIC LADY has a good opportunity here off a one point reduced merit rating over an idea course and distance. VARSITY PRINCESS has to carry 62kg but looks to have the ability to go close here. BURGUNDY ROSE is disappointing in that she does not appear to find the necessary extra in the closing stages, but she is always thereabouts. AIMEE SWEET is better than her last run and if bouncing back should be right there. PHILLYDELPHIA improved to win her maiden over this trip and a repeat will see her involved, although her 74 merit rating doesn’t make it easy. (David Thiselton 3-1-2-6-4)

Race 7
Preview: DEFY GRAVITY is well drawn over a suitable trip and should enjoy the long straight on the evidence of his staying on performance over 1900m at Greyville on Gold Cup day. EDISSON is drawn in pole and on pedigree should enjoy the step up in trip. STUNNED is a fair sort who has his third run after a short layoff over a trip which is on the sharp side for him, but he will enjoy the galloping track and Khumalo is an eyecatching booking. AMERICAN INDIAN could be anything after his facile win in a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1700m in June and he starts off an 82 merit rating in his first outing for just over two months. MAN AT WAR stayed on well over 1600m last time and should enjoy the course and distance. CASCAPEDIA won on debut over 1400m in April, but made a breathing noise and has to carry topweight in her first outing since then. (David Thiselton 7-5-2-6-4-1)

Race 8
Preview: BECKONING is capable and from a good draw over an ideal course and distance could go close as Khumalo and Gray are in good form together. LEBANESE TRACTOR was a touch unlucky over course and distance last time and should be running on under Lerena. ONAMISSION returns from a three month layoff having shown some good form in juvenile races over this trip, although she does have to overcome an 82 merit rating on her handicap bow, which is never easy for a young three-year-old. (David Thiselton 3-1-2-9-6)

The Turffontein eight race meeting tomorrow sees an interesting first-timer stepping out in race one and there are a number of other intriguing races to look forward to.

The Rocketman is a three-year-old colt by Foxwedge, who won a weight for age Grade 1 event, defeating the like of Hay List, who was the biggest rival of the great undefeated 15-time Grade 1-winning mare Black Caviar. The Rocketman is out of the General Niedym mare Sister Havana, who comfortably won New Zealand’s richest race, the Karaka Million over 1200m for two-year-old graduates of the Karaka Sale. The Rocketman comes from the family of other successful South African-based horses like Brazuca, Rich Girl, Global News and Suyoof, and he was purchased for Aus $126,364. Piere Strydom rides him in tomorrow’s Maiden over 1400m and they jump from a plum draw of two. He does not look to have a lot to beat. Mooney is improving and should relish the step up in trip as well as the long straight as he was staying on well over 1200m on the tight Inside track last time. Hard Ball has shown glimpses of promise and after showing no interest over 2000m last time he is dropped to this trip with the blinkers fitted. However, he does appear to have his problems.

Sovereign Reign

One of the most interesting races on the card is the seventh, a Novice Handicap over 1800m. Defy Gravity was staying on resolutely over 1900m at Greyville last time for a 5,25 length fourth. Two promising horses, Roy Had Enough and Opera Royal, were the front pair there, so he could feature over a course and distance he should enjoy from a good draw. However, it is an open race. Edisson covers quite a lot of ground and on pedigree might well enjoy the step up in trip. He is by Vodacom Durban July winner Bold Silvano and his dam, an Argentinian-bred by Orpen called She’s So Cold, won on debut over 1200m as a juvenile and next time out went close over 1500m.

Edisson did not enjoy much luck last time when staying on from near the back over 1450m on the Inside track and gave the impression he would prefer this more galloping track. Stunned would likely prefer further, but S’Manga Khumalo has been doing well for St. John Gray and this horse has dropped to a competitive merit rating. He should enjoy this galloping track too. The one who could prove to be a cut above the rest in time is the three-year-old American Indian, who won a Maiden Juvenile Plate by 4,4 lengths over 1700m at the Vaal in June and the third placed horse was a further six lengths back. However, the form is questionable and Defy Gravity did beat him, albeit by a short-head in an earlier meeting over 1600m.

Furthermore, Defy Gravity had a run at the end of July, while American Indian has not run since June. On the other hand American Indian does appear to be a more scopey sort. Both have hard tasks running off 82 merit ratings as young three-year-olds. Man At War stayed on well over 1600m last time from a favourable draw on the Vaal Outside track and this rangy type looks likely to enjoy the step up in trip and the galloping track. He does have a tough draw though. Cascapedia won on debut over 1400m in April, but made breathing noises and hasn’t run since. She has a tough task carrying topweight against the boys, although she has been given a Northern Hemisphere allowance as an Irish-bred who is six months younger than her four-year-old contemporaries.

The best bet has been chosen as Sofii’s Miesque in the second as she looked to have scope in her good debut over this 1160m course and distance and she is being ridden by the unstoppable S’Manga Khumalo.

Beckoning, running in the last, is not the most reliable, but Khumalo and St. John Gray team up with her in the last over 1400m. This capable sort is ideally course and distance suited and is chosen as the value bet.

Celtic Lady has been made a PA banker in race 6 over 1000m as she has proven competitive off her lowered merit rating and she has come down a further point. This is an ideal course and distance and Gavin Lerena is aboard.

By David Thiselton

Record-priced R6 million purchase, Silver Coin, may yet make it into the big time despite his flop in the Langerman.

Hopes were high when the Silvano half-brother to Halve The Deficit made a winning debut in early April and he started favourite for the Langerman only to finish plumb last. There was an excuse – the veterinary examination ordered by the stipes revealed that the colt was not striding out behind – but seemingly there was more to it than that.

Silver Coin (Wayne Marks)

Joey Ramsden said: “The run was too bad to be true. He obviously had something not right but he faced an impossible task. He could have done with another run up the straight and the race came at the end of a spell of elevated temperatures when our horses weren’t running up to their best.”

The colt was given a break afterwards but he is now back in although Ramsden has yet to decide when he will reappear. However Dan Katz, making a hot start to his second training career with three winners in as many meetings, has his eye on Graded targets for Dex Dexter who made it two out of three when quickening well to land a mile handicap at Kenilworth a week ago.

Katz said: “I must keep my feet on the ground but I really do believe I’ve got something in Dex Dexter. Jason Smitsdorff told me that he thought Commander Bond had him beaten last week. Then he gave his horse a smack and it was all over.

“I would eventually like to run him against good horses in something like the Green Point but he is only rated 76 and he will have to tell me he is good enough by winning his next two starts.”

By Michael Clower

Tellytrack television presenter Deez Dayanand was a popular choice as Personality of the Year at the recent KZN Racing awards. He is also an astute reader of form, chief beneficiary being champion jockey Antony Delpech for whom Dayanand acts as agent.

It helps that Delpech is at the top of the tree as far as jockeys go so when Dayanand telephones for the ride there is hardly an argument on the trainer’s part. But first he has to pick the right mount and he looks to have done that in the opener at Scottsville today where Delpech partners Paul Lafferty’s charge Coys.

Anthony Delpech

The Australian-bred has improved with every outing and caught the eye with a terrific finish over the Greyville mile from a coffin draw last time out. He hasn’t drawn much better today with only one on his outside, but it is a lot easier at Scottsville and draw aside, Coys ticks all the right boxes.

Gary Rich saddled his first winner of the new season at Scottsville on Sunday with Connect Me shedding her maiden at her second attempt. Naked Truth is at the other end of the scale, having his 18^th start without much luck. He lines up in the second but has shown improved form at recent starts, running on nicely behind the highly rated Brighteyebushytail last time out.

Naked Truth was given a good workout last Friday to Rich’s satisfaction. “That was good work. I think he has a big chance. My only concern is that this may be a bit sharp for him.”

Ashburton-based trainers won four of the eight races on Sunday and Paul Gadsby’s runner Majestic Moon could prove a threat although his recent improvement has come on the Greyville poly.

With big fields and open handicaps the order of the day punters will need to knuckle down to some serious homework. Fashion Quest has been confined to sprints at recent starts but Michael Miller stretches her back to a mile in the Qualified Maiden and booked Anton Marcus for the mount. She has shown consistent pace in all of her starts and now a year older looks to be crying out for the extra ground. African Honey has her third outing after a break and could prove better than her form suggests and looks a threat along with French Toast and Kailua Beach.

In Clover is an Australian-bred daughter of the re-patriated Delago Deluxe who was trained by Charles Laird and also raced in the Mayfair Speculator silks. In Clover was well supported on debut, winning comfortably on the Greyville poly but she takes on stronger in the Soccer 13 Handicap where top weight Leisure Trip can record his first win in KZN. He has been confined to the poly track but takes a hefty drop in class and Serino Moodley, currently lying joint second on the leading apprentice log, gives 2.5kg relief.

Ku Du Tu

Duncan Howells and Dave MacLean are a formidable combination, recording a double at Scottsville on Sunday, and Girl In Gold could add another in the Track & Ball Gaming Handicap. She only shed her maiden last time out but takes on a weak handicap field and looks good enough to defy joint top weight. Two that could threaten, although a little compromised by tricky draws, are Light House Lady and Captains Moll, the latter dropping in the ratings and with Delpech aboard.

Doug Campbell is another who had a winner on Sunday and is always a stable to keep tabs on at this time of the year. He saddles Eden Garden Blitz in the White Horse Function Room Handicap. She makes her seasonal debut after showing good form in useful company over Champions Season. With Marcus aboard she can snap a two-race winning streak by Magic Memory who got a six-point handicap rise after her last win.

The lightly raced Ku Du Tu won well at second time of asking and Garth Puller’s gelding should have more to come in the Jackpot Quickmix Handicap. Selvan’s Jet has been racing over further and confined to the poly track at recent starts but has won five races and was a close-up second from a tricky draw last time out. He will be a threat along with Valcar who has yet to finish out of the money but has been off for close on three months.

The last is something of a minefield but the adage, “when in doubt, back the top weight’ could hold true here with Roy’s Taxi in consistent form and has Delpech to help him along.

By Andrew Harrison