Krambambuli, fourth in the recent Vodacom Durban July, heads the weights for the R1,25million Grade 3 eLan Gold Cup to be run over 3200m at Greyville on Sunday, July 30.

For the first time, the Gold Cup meeting will take place over two days of the weekend July, Saturday 29 and Sunday, July 30, with the Grade 1 Champions Cup the highlight of the Saturday card and the Gold Cup plus the two final two-year-old Grade 1 races of the season, namely the Premier’s Champion Juvenile Stakes and the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes supporting Gold Cup Sunday.

Ten Gun Salute (Nkosi Hlophe)

Vodacom Durban July winner Marinaresco and Rising Sun Gold Challenge victor Captain America head the 17 nominations for the Grade 1 Champions Cup to be run over 2000m. Marinaresco, runner up in last year’s July, made amends in the Champions Cup and will be out to defend his crown. Also nominated are Garden Province winner Bela-Bela, and July runners It’s My Turn, French Navy, Ten Gun Salute and Nightingale.

Krambambuli heads an entry of 28 runners for the Gold Cup that includes Hermoso Mundo and Captain Splendid, the pair recently involved in a tight finish to the Gr3 SABC Gold Vase.

The Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes has attracted 31 nominations including recent Grade 2 Gold Circle Golden Slipper winner Desert Rhythm who will be looking to cement her place at the top of the two-year-old female rankings and Equus Champion. Her cause has been helped by a plum draw at 6.

In opposition will be the first five past the post in the Golden Slipper, Let It Flow, Tsessebe, Rockin Russian and Neptune’s Rain.

Purple Diamond, surprise winner of the Gr2 Durban Golden Horseshoe on July day, runner-up and beaten a short head, Ancestry, and the unbeaten Sand And Sea are among the 20 nominations for the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes which will make for a cracking race if all three stand their ground. Also in the mix is Captain And Master, the more fancied of the Tarry runners in the Golden Horseshoe and possibly a touch unlucky after finding traffic.

By Andrew Harrison

The Gold Cup Festival Of Racing will be run over two days at the end of July and has all the makings of being, and becoming, one of the great racing celebrations in the country featuring 19 races over the two days headed on the Saturday by the Grade 1 Champions Cup and on the Sunday by the iconic marathon event, the eLAN Gold Cup.

The Festival, which begins with social events like the Gala Dinner on the Thursday and Golf Day on the Friday, will include a variety of entertainment on both race days to give the occasion an incredible festive atmosphere.

Marinaresco & Candice Bass-Robinson (Nkosi Hlophe)

Entries for the main feature events of the weekend closed on Monday with 28 horses being nominated for the eLAN Gold Cup and 17 for the Champions Cup, both races attracting an outstanding level of quality that should guarantee racing of the highest level to close off SA Champions Season and the South African 2016-2017 racing season.

The R1-million, Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1 800m could see the Vodacom Durban July winner Marinaresco going for the double having won the race last year trained by Mike Bass and staged as a tribute to Mike and his wife Carole with Mike retiring following a life-threatening illness. Under Mike’s daughter Candice, Marinaresco made history when winning the Vodacom Durban July in that he was saddled by the first lady trainer to ever win the big race.

Marinaresco’s participation in the race is yet to be confirmed but if he does run and win again, it would be one of the great fairy tales of South African racing.

Candice Robinson has also nominated her outstanding filly Nightingale that ran the race of her life when fourth by less than half a length to Marinaresco in the Vodacom Durban July having previously finished second over 1 400m in the Tibouchina Stakes.

It is a power-packed entry that includes the winner of the Premier’s Champion Trophy at Turffontein, Deo Juvente from the Geoff Woodruff stable, as well as the runner-up in that race, the Tyrone Jackey-trained Judicial. Brett Crawford has nominated his powerful Captain Al gelding Captain America that won the Rising Son Gold Challenge as well as Sail South that finished fourth in that race.

Justin Snaith has entered three horses headed by the brilliant filly Bela-Bela that cruised home in the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes. Black Arthur, third in the Cup Trial and It’s My Turn that was third in the Betting World 1900 and strongly fancied to win the Vodacom Durban July, are his other entries.

Add to the list the winner of the Betting World 1900 Ten Gun Salute from the Duncan Howells yard that found traffic problems when unplaced in the July and French Navy from the powerful Sean Tarry stable and you have what could be an outstanding field.

The eLAN Gold Cup over 3 200m carries a stake of R1.25-million and is the premier marathon race in the country.

The entries include the winner of both the Gold Bowl at Turffontein and the SABC Gold Vase, Hermoso Mundo, from the Weiho Marwing stable that will be going for the big staying race treble. He is likely to start as favourite but could find strong opposition from the Justin Snaith duo of Krambambuli and Captain Splendid, the latter having finished a head behind Hermoso Mundo giving the Marwing runner 1.5kg. Krambambuli had won the Highland Night Cup prior to running an outstanding fourth by less than half a length in the Vodacom Durban July where the 2 200m was short of his best trip.

Marwing has also entered the Dynasty gelding Let It Rain that finished fourth in the Gold Bowl and third in the KZN Derby and Adam Marcus has nominated Royal Badge that filled second place in the Betting World 2200. Candice Bass-Robinson has nominated Helderberg Blue and My World, the latter having finished second to Captain Splendid in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup.

The two-day festival promises to be an absolute feast of racing and entertainment with betting pools in the millions of rands on both days.

By Richard McMillan

The South African juvenile racing programme is set to come to an exciting close at Greyville in Durban on Sunday, July 30, when the country’s top two-year-old thoroughbreds compete for victory and Equus glory in the final Grade 1 races of the season.

The young horses will compete over 1 600m with the colts and geldings doing battle in the R750 000 Premiers Champion Stakes and the fillies fighting it out in the R750 000 Thekwini Stakes.

Desert Rythym (Nkosi Hlophe)

Exciting entries have been received for both races and South Africa’s champion trainer Sean Tarry will be hoping to follow up on his juvenile success on Vodacom Durban July Day when he saddled the winners of both two-year-old events, Desert Rhythm in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper and Purple Diamond in the Durban Golden Horseshoe.
Desert Rhythm, that had won the Nursery at Turffontein before her Greyville success will be strongly fancied to take the honours over the mile on eLAN Gold Cup day and Purple Diamond, that won the Durban Golden Horseshoe as a 20-1 outside, will command a lot more respect in the Premiers Champion Stakes.

Tarry has also nominated the Seventh Rock filly Rockin Russian, fourth in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper for the Thekwini Stakes and, as back-up to Purple Diamond in the Premiers Champion Stakes, the Captain Al colt Captain And Master that finished third in the Durban Golden Horseshoe. With a team like that Tarry is likely to approach the day with a lot of confidence.

Sand And Sea (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, the stable will be wary of the Twice Over colt Sand And Sea that was a comfortable winner of the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1 200m at Scottsville, Sea And Sand is from the Dennis Drier yard. The Twice Over colt had previously beaten the Great Britain colt Al Mariachi on debut and Brett Crawford’s charge had come out to win the KZN Yearling Sale Million at Greyville on Vodacom Durban July day.
But the challenge to the Tarry stable in the Premier’s Champion Stakes does not stop there. Trainer Joey Ramsden has entered his Oratorio colt Ancestry that was just touched off by Purple Diamond in the Durban Golden Horseshoe. This colt will have a better draw than those mentioned and will be a big runner.

In the Thekwini Stakes, Desert Rhythm will again face the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Let It Flow and Tsessebe from the Drier stable that finished second and third respectively to her in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper. In this case, however, Desert Rhythm will have a major draw advantage.

Neptune’s Rain from the Duncan Howells stable, third to Brave Mary in the Allan Robertson Fillies Championship at Scottsville, will be out to prove she is a lot better than her disappointing run in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper and the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Tiger Ridge filly Meryl , winner of the Devon Air Stakes, could step up to the plate and show that performance was no fluke.

These are two great races and could determine the winners of the juvenile categories at the Equus Awards in the months ahead.

By Richard McMillan

Recent Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint winner Bull Valley, winner of five of his nine starts to date, will be looking to end his season on a high when the takes on a top field of sprinters in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint to be run over 1200m at Greyville next Saturday.

Bull Valley (Nkosi Hlophe)

Tarry holds a strong hand with Merchants winner Trip To Heaven also in the line-up. Trip To Heaven loves Greyville having twice finished second in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge, the first time after being relegated, but he also shows top sprint form having won the Grade 2 Merchants beating Bull Valley and finishing second to star stable companion Carry On Alice in the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship.

At time of writing Tarry had yet to declare riders.

Talktothestars, once the highest rated horse in the country, has found form again and after being unlucky in the Tsogo Sun Sprint where he was a fast-finishing runner up to Search Party in the Grade 2 Post Merchants. Search Party will be in opposition again but faces his rival on 2kg worse terms.

Gavin Lerena has stayed in the country to partner New Predator for Johan Janse van Vuuren before heading back to the UK for a month to finish his contract.

By Andrew Harrison

Krambambuli, who ran one of the best races of his life when beaten only a third of a length into fourth in the Vodacom Durban July, will return to Greyville on July 29 to run in the eLan Gold Cup.

Jonathan Snaith said: “Bernard Fayd’Herbe will ride Krambambuli and we will also run Captain Splendid (Greg Cheyne) in the race.”

Neither Justin Snaith nor Fayd’Herbe has yet won the Gold Cup but Cheyne was successful in the 2008 running on the Basil Marcus-trained Desert Links. Captain Splendid finished first in the SABC Gold Vase but was relegated to second for interference.

Snaith Racing is also planning an assault on the Champions Cup which it won with Futura two years ago and Jonathan said: “Bela-Bela will be nominated and owners Varsfontein will make a decision on whether she runs after seeing the draw. If she does run Anthony Delpech will again have the mount.

“Black Arthur and It’s My Turn (seventh and eighth in the July) will both run and Piere Strydom will again ride It’s My Turn while this Saturday Richard Fourie partners Sergeant Hardy in the Mercury Sprint and we think the horse has a decent chance.”

Fayd’Herbe, bidding for his fourth Mercury Sprint after Honour The Guest (2004), August Rush (2011) and What A Winter 12 months later, rides Talkothestars for Coenie de Beer. He finished second under top weight on the five-year-old in last month’s Post Merchants.

By Michael Clower

The Highveld Hawks snatched a short-head decision as they landed the New Turf Carriers Rider Cup at Scottsville yesterday. At the end of the four-legged contest, the Hawks scraped home by five points ahead of the KZN Falcons with the Cape Eagles a rather distant third.

The Highveld Hawks Team (Candiese Marnewick)

The Falcons were seemingly cruising going into the third leg but Gavin Lerena pulled one out of the bag on outsider Sonar Active for Mike Miller and Marco van Rensburg and Lyle Hewitson, a late replacement for S’Manga Khumalo, also collecting a bag-full of points for the Hawks.

Diamond In The Sky was the only runner in the final leg not to have a cross behind her name denoting a chance in the Computaform but Kom Naidoo had her spot on in her first outing for the yard and Falcons rider Warren Kennedy drove her hard for an upset win with less than two lengths covering the first seven home.

It was too little too late for the Falcons as Lerena and Hewitson, along with Van Rensburg and Zackey earning enough points to scrape in by five.

Some consolation for the Falcons was that Anton Marcus finished Victor Ludorum, eight points clear of second-placed Hawks rider Gavin Lerena who had a lucrative afternoon, booting home a double.

Lerena is headed back to the UK shortly where he still has a month of his contract to run.

The race for title of Champion KZN Trainer is going down to the wire with the two perennial contenders Dennis Drier and Duncan Howells in a neck-and-neck tussle.

Drier is the ruling champ but after yesterday’s meeting finds himself four behind Howells who won the opener on the card with Mind Your Business and shut the door in the last with the Antonius Pius filly, Sorceress. The money came for Mind Your Business as if the result was already known and from an opening call of 10-1, started second favourite at 3-1, but the false start resulted in some frayed nerves. “Unfortunately, it was a false start,” said winning rider Gavin Lerena. “But she handled it well. We didn’t go very far.”

Lyle Hewitson & Craig Zackey (Candiese Marnewick)

“She’s had a few niggly problems,” said Howells. “But she’s quite a smart filly and has improved a lot since her first run.”

Paul Lafferty has had some horses with startling names in his yard, Goat and Another Goat, to name but two and Freddie Flint, who triumphant in the second, was not named after Fred of the Flintstones, but rather British bloodstock agent John Kilbride. “He’s a dead ringer for Freddie Flintoff (famous English cricketer) so we had to name a horse after him.”

Freddie Flint had the most exposed form in the race and had been up against some useful runners in his short career, so his win was not entirely unexpected although he started easy to back at 16-1.

The starter had a tough afternoon after having called a false start in the first race of the day and later The Slade playing up in the gate and going to the line sans rider Anthony Delpech. Post-race he was declared a non-runner after it was judged that the starter’s assistant did not release the gelding’s head before the gates opened. The Slade is never the easiest horse at the start and one can hardly lay the blame on the starter’s assistant.

Similarly, the starter was caught between a rock and a hard place at the start of the first. Innocently Naughty played up just as the gates were sprung and the runners were called back.

There were a number of unhappy trainers but as chief stipendiary steward Shaun Parker pointed out it was a case of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t”.

“If you don’t call a false start and the favourite gets beaten, then there are calls for the race to be declared null and void. If the offender happens to run into a place then it cannot be declared a non-runner and it could quite possibly beat the favourite. Basically, the starter does not know what is going to happen at the end of the race. He has to make a split-second decision.”

By Andrew Harrison

INTERPROVINCIAL RIDER CUP