Geoff Woodruff’s fourth consecutive victory in the Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup on Saturday might have pundits pouring through the record books, because at first sight he looks likely to have become one of an elite trio.

Five-times SA champion trainer Woodruff, the former SA champion jockey Gavin Lerena, owner and breeder Michael de Broglio, and the seven-year-old gelding Master Sabina, combined on Saturday to win Johannesburg’s most prestigious race for the second year in succession.

Two reigning champions, Sean Tarry and S’Manga Khumalo, both had days to remember too, with five and four winners respectively, while the late great seven-times SA champion sire Jet Master had another couple of accolades added to his CV.

Geoff Woodruff (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Summer Cup is considered one of South African racing’s big three along with the Vodacom Durban July and the Sun Met. Woodruff looks to have joined only two other trainers in achieving four successive wins of any one of these races, unless a search through the archives reveals something other.

Trainer Fred Murray won the July four times in succession between 1910 and 1913, while the recently retired trainer Mike Bass won the Met four-times in succession between 2007 and 2010. Murray did it with four different horses, Bass did it with two horses and Woodruff three. Both Bass and Woodruff owe a lot to Jet Master for the achievement.

The Bass-trained Jet Master gelding Pocket Power won three successive Mets. The following year his full-sister and stablemate River Jetez upset him when he was going for a fourth successive win.

Remarkably two of the Woodruff horses involved in his four-in-a-row Summer Cup streak are also by Jet Master.

Jet Master gelding Yorker got the Woodruff roll going by winning it in 2013. Black Minnaloushe colt Louis The King won it for him in 2014.

Then on Saturday, Jet Master gelding Master Sabina became the first horse to win consecutive Summer Cups since the Jean Heming-trained filly Roland’s Song achieved the feat 25 years ago.

It remains to seen whether Master Sabina will attempt to emulate the greats Java and Elevation, who both won the big race three years in succession.

What makes Woodruff’s Summer Cup dominance even more remarkable is that in 2013 he filled the trifecta, plus fifth place, and he filled the exacta positions in both 2014 and 2015.

Master Sabina finished second to Yorker in 2013 to give Jet Master the exacta. Jet Master nearly achieved the feat again this year as his son Master Switch, also trained by Woodruff, finished third.

The Joey Ramsden-trained The Conglomerate finished second on Saturday and was thus denied becoming the first horse to win the July and the Summer Cup in the same year since the Woodruff-trained El Picha achieved the feat in 1999.

Woodruff has now won the Summer Cup six times and Lerena three times.

Earlier, Woodruff’s Drakenstein Stud-bred Philanthropist gelding, Singapore Sling, threw the three-year-old division wide open by beating a quality field in the Gr 2 Investec Dingaans, which included a powerful trio of Mike de Kock-trained horses. Of the latter Heavenly Blue in second place caught the eye as one who will make a massive impact in the classics.

By David Thiselton

Anthony Delpech has been made 7-2 favourite to win the Cape Fillies Guineas for the third time in five years. Race sponsors World Sports Betting have installed the former champion’s mount Querari Falcon at the head of the market for Saturday’s Kenilworth classic.

Gavin Lerena, out to follow up his Sansui Summer Cup triumph, rides 4-1 second favourite She’s A Giver. Sail is next on 11-2 while the unbeaten Quick Brown Fox has already been nibbled at from 8-1 to 7-1.

Fortissimus (Liesl King)

The WSB Green Point Stakes threatens to steal the Grade 1’s thunder with Legal Eagle (16-10) up against local hero Marinaresco (2-1), 4-1 chance Black Arthur, New Predator (9-2) and Abashiri (14-1).

“It’s a mini Queen’s Plate,” says Brett Crawford who reckons he has a big shout with 11-1 chance Captain America. “He is doing very well at home and one of the things in his favour is that he has a win under his belt whereas some of the others haven’t.”

Like last year’s Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut winner, Marinaresco has not been to the course for a gallop since his last run. “He doesn’t need a huge amount of work,” explains Candice Bass-Robinson. “He is doing well and working well although he will be at his best for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.”

She has nominated last year’s Fillies Guineas winner Silver Mountain for Saturday week’s Southern Cross Stakes in which Carry On Alice could attempt to repeat last year’s win. But Silver Mountain may wait.

“There is a 1 400m conditions race a bit later and she might start in that instead,” said her trainer. Stable jockey Grant van Niekerk is expected to take over the mount. Aldo Domeyer, for whom Silver Mountain went so well last season, has commitments to Andre Nel and Bernard Fayd’Herbe (who rode her in her last three starts) looks like staying in Mauritius for a bit longer.

Red Ray has been installed 7-2 favourite for the WSB Cape Merchants despite his huge task under 62kg. Tevez, bidding for his third win in this race, is a 12-1 chance.

Greg Cheyne joined the sidelined Andrew Fortune at the top of the log on 57 with an inspired four-timer at Kenilworth on Saturday.

He was particularly effective on Rocketeer in the Steelbank Maiden, dashing the 8-1 chance into the lead just before the straight and building up what proved to be decisive lead. The winner gave a boost to the Guineas hopes of Cape Classic runner-up Elevated.

Icy Fire (Liesl King)

“Rocketeer is the only horse that can work with Elevated in the sand at home so he had to be able to win a maiden,” pointed out Riaan van Reenen. “But last time he hung badly so the next day we had his balls off.”

Two of the four Cheyne winners were for the Bass-Robinson yard but perhaps the most significant was Icy Fire’s narrow defeat of old rival Fear Not in the Scout Paints Conditions Plate.

Crawford said: “She will run next in the Victress Stakes (December 17) but she would have to do very well in that for us to think of the Paddock Stakes. However I am considering putting blinkers on her at home because at the moment she is always doing only just enough. Once she gets her mind on the job we will have a bit of fun with her.”

Richard Fourie is also enjoying a rich vein of form and a first and sixth race double took his tally to 45. Peter de Beyer, owner-breeder of the Glen Kotzen-trained Elusive Singer, is hopeful of a big run from stable companion Final Judgement (Piere Strydom) in the Fillies Guineas. Surprisingly the Golden Slipper winner is the only Cape Town-based horse in the top eight on merit ratings.

Etienne Braun’s Fortissimus, the second Fourie winner, took Justin Snaith’s total to 78 and benefited from some uncharacteristic generosity on the part of the handicappers who originally put the filly on 92 on the strength of her fifth to Querari Falcon in the Thekwini. Three subsequent unplaced runs saw her dropping to 77.

This poses an intriguing question. Is Saturday’s favourite grossly over-rated?

By Michael Clower

Winners proved difficult to find at Greyville yesterday with upset results the order of the day, but the first race back on the turf track after a three-month spring break saw the progressive Miss Minver take her tally of victories to four from six starts in the Beekman Management Services KZN 3YO Series Fillies.

Miss Minver (Nkosi Hlophe)

Dean Kannemeyer’s Dynasty filly boasts a smart pedigree that suggest further than a mile is well within her compass and although she met yesterday’s field on favourable weight terms there was very little in it and she could well prove a candidate for the filly’s classics come Champions Season.

Karatage, who easily landed a gamble on debut, was sent out a luke-warm 5-2 favourite but found the step up in class too much to handle and it was left to Onesie to chase home for second.

Kannemeyer and Anthony Delpech were quickly back in the winner’s enclosure as Pure Logic, making her local debut on the back of some good Cape Town form, finished too strongly for the year-older Calabash.

The trainer and jockey combination got their day off to a fine start with Prince Myshkin building on his two smart poly efforts to shed his maiden in the second of the day.

Trainers are quick to latch onto any apprentice that shows a modicum of talent to take advantage of their claim and both Denis Schwarz and Calvin Habib fall into that category. Both recorded doubles yesterday although punters would not have been well pleased as all four were on outsiders. Schwarz was first off the mark on the Belinda Impey-trained She Done Good (27-1) and following up with an excellent ride on Caprivi (18-1) for Des Egdes as he got his mount to quicken smartly over the final 100m to win going away.

Habib scored a quick double on two long-shots, Joshua’s Answer (22-1) for Lizaane Forbes from a wide gate and following up on the Frank Robinson-trained veteran Sounds Positive (22-1) in a particularly courageous ride as he barged through a closing gap.

Less than one percent of the Pick 6 was won resulting in a large carry over.

By Andrew Harrison

Geoff Woodruff continued his stranglehold on the Gr1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup as Master Sabina recorded back-to-back wins at Turffontein yesterday. It was also Woodruff’s fourth consecutive win and sixth overall threatening Mike de Kock’s record of seven.

It took 26 years for back-to-back winners after the filly Roland’s Song but it was not all plain sailing as Gavin Lerena punched his mount through a narrow gap to deny The Conglomerate a rare Vodacom Durban July and Sansui Summer Cup double. Master Switch, who delayed the start when bursting through his gate, finished a close-yup third with Liege some way back in fourth.

The start had been a problem all afternoon with gates opening prematurely and horses bursting through and the Cup start proved no different. Master Switch came through his gate and had to be re-loaded but when the start was effected there were a number who blew their chances before that race had hardly begun.

Anthony Delpech was not one caught napping and was quickly away from his outside gate to race Master Switch up into third as the Sean Tarry pair of Stonehenge and Liege set the gallop. Master Sabina was another who did not get the best of breaks. “Things did not work out for me early,” said Lerena. “But he is all heart and determination,” he said of his mount.

Once clear of traffic in the straight Lerena found himself confronted with the battle between Master Switch and The Conglomerate and quickly running out of track. So he took the direct route. With the gap between the two closing and still plenty of horse still under him, Lerena barrelled his way through to the line.

Woodruff was almost matter-of-fact. “This is a handicap and in a handicap, you need luck. He nearly got cleaned up by my other horse.”

There was little place for the small stables at Turffontein yesterday as Sean Tarry, Woodruff and Johan Janse van Vuuren held sway. Tarry won five of the first eight races with Woodruff a double including the Gr2 Investec Dingaans and the very smart Green Pepper winning the Gr3 Magnolia Handicap for Van Vuuren.

Chase Maujean is one of the unsung heroes of the weighing room but makes the most of what comes his way and grabbed his opportunity with both hands. He rode a cracking race on Woodruff’s colt Singapore Sling in the Dingaans, a race that surely needs to be up-graded to Gr1 status as it draws a top class field year after year.

Woodruff was lavish in his praise of Maujean. “That was one of the very best rides that I have ever seen recently from any jockey,” he complimented.  Quickly over from a wide gate, Maujean stalked the opposition like a hunting lion and pounced with a perfectly timed run. Graham Beck winner Doosra hit the front two furlongs out seemingly with plenty in hand but once off the bit he came up empty as Graham Beck runner-up Heavenly Blue took over. However, once Maujean let his lion loose it was a case of race over and the drinks were on owners Dave and Tiaan Shaw.

Trip To Heaven, denied in the boardroom in the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge last season, has really turned the corner for Tarry as a sprinter and produce possibly the performance of the day in the G2 The Citizen Merchants. Slowly away as is his want, S’Manga Khumalo had him at the back of the field in company with Talktothestars. Hot favourite Kangaroo Jack threatened briefly at the 400 m mark but Trip To Heaven was in full cry and reeled in the opposition with a sustained run. Bull Valley tried hard in second while Talktothestars also rallied from off the pace for third.

Andrew Harrison

Geoff Woodruff sends out four runners in search of his fourth successive Gr 1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein tomorrow with last year’s first two past the post, Master Sabina and Deo Juvente, topping the betting boards and grabbing most of the attention. But the lightly-raced Master Switch has just as much going for him and could present decent value (around 16-1) in a fiercely competitive renewal of ‘The People’s Race’.

Anthony Delpech (Liesl King)

Master Switch was rated around the 86 mark this time last year but has progressed to a 101 since and was again impressive on his season return when boxing on to fend off Master Sabina in a top division handicap over 1800m at the Vaal. That was just the fifteenth start for the Jet Master-gelding who looks open to further improvement this term and has a profile that suits the handicap conditions of the Summer Cup.

The big drawback is a wide draw of 18 but the booking of the accomplished Anthony Delpech for the ride is enough to ease these concerns. Delpech has overcome far worse in steering home dozens of Grade 1 winners during his career and Master Switch has the necessary gate speed to assist in the task of finding a good early position. With just 53,5kg on his back, Master Switch looks a big runner tomorrow and is a must inclusion in all bets.

Woodruff, looking for his sixth Summer Cup overall, felt earlier this week that Master Sabina’s preparation had gone much better than last year when they were unsure of whether they had him fit enough. Speaking to TabNews he said: “I leant towards Deo Juvente (last year), who was flying, but Master Sabina beat him a short head.”

But this year: “He’s pleased me in his work, looks very well in his coat and is much closer to his fighting weight. Master Sabina is what I call a Gary Player seven-year-old. He might be a year older, but Gavin [Lerena] gets on incredibly well with him and he can still be competitive,” said Woodruff.

Woodruff was also encouraged by Deo Juvente’s recent performance in the Charity Mile: “[That] was a nice comeback over a trip that’s short of his best. We have Anton Marcus in the saddle and for me he is one of the greatest riders this country has produced.”

Woodruff’s fourth runner is Master ‘N Commander who has yet to prove himself over this trip. But the trio of Deo Juvente, Master Sabina and Master Switch could provide the yard with another Summer Cup exacta and are worth chancing in smaller exotic perms.

If you’re going wider, the Duncan Howells pair of Saratoga Dancer and Ten Gun Salute are definite inclusions. Saratoga Dancer confirmed that his close-up finishes in the Vodacom Durban July (5^th to The Conglomerate) and Champions Cup (4^th to Marinaresco) were no flukes when giving New Predator a big scare in the Charity Mile (2^nd). Nothing went right for Ten Gun Salute in the same race but he remains “pretty well handicapped” according to his trainer and suited by this trip. Ten Gun Salute is not the easiest of rides but this is the perfect race for him to begin fulfilling his potential.

Of the rest, Mac De Lago and Liege appeal on form alone with the recently gelded Samurai Blade respected at the weights and on potential.

Kangaroo Jack is likely to prove a popular favourite in the fourth, Gr 2 Merchants, but Trip To Heaven has improved since being gelded and must go into all bets – especially if the going is on the soft side.

Mike de Kock holds a strong hand in the Investec Dingaans with a talented trio of runners headed by Heavenly Blue who is fancied to continue on a steep upward curve.

By Brendan Pather

The Gr 1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup has not been won twice in succession since the Jean Heming-trained Roland’s Song completed the feat 25 years ago, but the Geoff Woodruff-trained Master Sabina could achieve it again this year.

Deo Juvente (Sporting Post)

The seven-year-old Jet Master gelding impressed in his preparation run and goes into tomorrow’s big race off only a one point higher merit rating than he had last year. Compared to last year he is effectively 1,5kg better off with his stablemate Deo Juvente, whom he beat by 0,2 lengths. He had better luck in running than Deo Juvente last year but is drawn well again in 6. Lastly, he has enjoyed a better preparation than he had last year and on top of his one build up race has had four grass gallops.

Deo Juvente has also had a good preparation and although facing a tougher task at the weights is drawn in 8 this year compared to 18 last year. He could repeat his runner up spot.

Mac De Lago is full of class and coming from the Weiho Marwing yard his one preparation run will be enough to have him spot on. He is capable of carrying topweight so from a plum draw of three will be a big runner.

The Conglomerate overcame a wide draw to win the Vodacom Durban July and will have to do so here too, so Piere Strydom will have to work his magic again. The Conglomerate was 2,5kg under sufferance in the July and was only raised five points so effectively runs off the same rating, which gives him a good chance. He has enjoyed a good preparation.

Saratoga Dancer showed his liking for Turffontein Standside in the Charity Mile and the only draw back he has here is his wide draw.

Samurai Blade looks to be off a lenient merit rating, considering he has a Gr 1 second and third to his name, so he should be involved in the finish from a good draw.

The aforementioned are fancied to finish in the top six in the order mentioned. However, none of the twenty runners can be ignored.

Punta Arenas loves to gallop so is interesting in his first visit to Turffontein Standside from a good draw.

Liege should be improving being by Dynasty, but as a handy type has it tough from a draw of 12.

Juxtapose is big and strong and full of class, so won’t be bumped around by the boys, and it would be no surprise to see her go close off an attractive merit rating.

Master Switch looks to have come into his own and has the Woodruff factor on his side.

Master ‘N Commander is better than his last run when trapped wide, but will have to be ridden cold over a trip which will stretch his stamina capacity.

Mogok Master didn’t have it pan out well for him last time and now has blinkers on, so with luck n running could be one of the dark horses.

No Worries is six points lower in the merit ratings than he was two years ago when finishing sixth.

Judicial has a fine record in this race and was “bursting out of his skin” before unfortunately casting himself in his box earlier this week. He will only line up if the swelling on his leg has gone down.

Stonehenge could be dangerous from the front with a lightweight, but the downside is his wide draw.

Ten Gun Salute is a dark horse from a fair draw over an ideal trip as he has plenty of ability, although he does need things to go his way.

Irish Pride is 2kg under sufferance and has a stamina doubt, but was finishing strongly in the Charity Mile and for a very much in form yard is another dark horse.

St. Tropez should love the course and distance and is drawn in pole. He is 0,5kg under sufferance, but has always struck as one who could go places. However, both his July and his Charity Mile runs were disappointing.

Romany Prince has a tough draw and has to bounce back from an ordinary run in the Charity Mile, which was his only preparation outing.

Bankable Teddy is better than his Victory Moon run when over racing behind a slow pace, but he has a tough task being 4kg under sufferance.

In the Gr 2 Investec Dingaans, Heavenly Blue has a wide draw, but should relish the step up in trip. He could give Mike de Kock his second successive win of the prestigious three-year-old level weights event, although it looks highly competitive.

The third race, the Gr 3 Daily Sun Magnolia Handicap over 1160m, features Green Pepper. She looks to be a top class sprinter in the making and runs off a capped merit rating, having obliterated older horses last time when under sufferance. She is the best bet on the card.

The Gr 3 Fillies Mile has the days value bet, Tambalang, who found plenty extra last time despite appearing to over race a touch. She has a wide draw but with luck in running could cause an upset.

The Gr 2 Gauteng Ipi Tombe Challenge could see Polyphonic fighting it out with Negroamara. Polyphonic appears to have come into her own and gets the nod.

By David Thiselton

The Tyrone Zackey-trained soldier Judicial’s Sansui Summer Cup participation hangs in the balance after he cast himself (rolled) in his box earlier in the week and banged one of his legs.

Judicial (Nkosi Hlophe)

Zackey said on Wednesday it remained to be seen whether the swelling would come down in time for him to run, but added, “I will be the happiest man in the world if he is able to start, but won’t be cross if he doesn’t because he’s been so good to us. I worry about the horse and there are a lot of other races, we don’t want to hurt him.”

Zackey said the six-year-old gelding by Miesque’s Approval, who finished a three length third and a 1,1 length fourth in the last two running of the Summer Cup respectively, had been “bursting out of his skin”.

“He ran a good race in the Victory Moon with that weight and it was maybe because he was so well that he rolled in his box.”

Judicial has a plum draw of two, as opposed to his draws of 13 and 20 in the last two renewals of the big race. Karl Zechner, who rode him to third two years ago, knows him well and is aboard again.

Front Rank (Nkosi Hlophe)

Zackey’s only other runner on the day is Front Rank, who runs in the tenth race, a MR 95 Handicap over 1600m. Zackey said nothing could be found wrong with the consistent five-year-old Mogok gelding after his disappointing run two weeks ago over 1800m at Turffontein. That was in fact the first time he had been tried beyond a mile.

He has won over Saturday’s course and distance before and has a plum draw of three with Zechner up. Betting World have priced him up at 11/2 in the ten horse field. Zackey said, “He has been working very well and is a good each-way bet.”

By David Thiselton

Captain’s Flame attempts to make it four in a row in the McNaughtans Handicap at Kenilworth tomorrow as she continues her so far-relentless progress towards the Paddock Stakes.

“I am giving her two prep runs and this is the first of them,” says Andre Nel who has also earmarked the Jet Master on December 17 for his progressive four-year-old who faces a stiff task under top weight – even though the handicappers only raised her half a kilo for her Diana win.

Aldo Domeyer

She won that Durbanville Grade 3 with authority with Aldo Domeyer saluting the crowd as he began pulling her up approaching the line. She was certainly value for more than the official three-quarters of a length, particularly as it was her first race for four and a half months.

“She was pretty ready for that,” recalls her trainer who provides one of the biggest threats in Quine who is on a hat-trick. Can Captain’s Flame beat this one? “It will be tough but I think she can,” answers Nel who is targeting the Victress Stakes with Sihle Cele’s mount.

However Goodtime Gal, unlucky when second in the Diana and now 2kg better, could be a different proposition. “She was baulked early in the straight and she couldn’t get a clear run. I think it cost her the race,” recalls Mike Robinson’s wife Louella. The rerun confirms this view. It’s also worth pointing out that her rider couldn’t claim that day so she is effectively 4.5kg better with the top weight.

She has since chased home Sail and The Secret Is Out, and Richard Fourie (31 today) is in inspired form.

Miss Marker is, in theory at any rate, the best handicapped of all the Diana runners. She was fourth, only 1.3 lengths behind the winner, and is a huge 6g better. But she had the smoothest of passages that day and it was her third run of the season.

You can make some sort of a case for Jane S Piddy and Moonlight ‘N Roses  but it is Harlem Shake’s first outing for four months. Captain’s Flame keeps doing it, she is a class act and she gets the vote.

The sahorseracing computer says she will beat Goodtime Gal a head with Quine a neck away third and Jane S Piddy a well-beaten fourth.

The computer predicts a surprise in the Scout Paints Conditions Plate (race two) with victory going to Adorada who has little chance on adjusted ratings despite last time’s third to In Limine over this 1 800m.

There is precious little between Fear Not and Icy Fire on Final Fling running although that was in the soft. Icy Fire had much the better reappearance run and, with both Brett Crawford and Greg Cheyne doing so well, she gets the vote.

Loadshedder looks good in the first after two promising outings. “We think he is a miler but he is still pretty inexperienced so I am giving him one more run up the straight,” says Nel. “The form is standing up well.”

By Michael Clower

Warren Lenferna chats to James Rich about Duncan Howells runners [Nov 25 to Nov 27]

Gavin Lerena and the Geoff Woodruff-trained Master Sabina will attempt to retain the Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup together at Turffontein on Saturday and the high-flying jockey believed the seven-year-old gelding was going in with a better preparation than he had last year.

Gavin Lerena

Lerena has a number of other good rides at the meeting and it is no coincidence that the majority of them are for two trainers who were mentored by Woodruff, Johan Janse van Vuuren and Candice Dawson. Lerena said about the latter, “They are both very good trainers, they have done amazingly well, they learnt a lot from Geoff.”

Master Sabina is highly regarded by Lerena. The son of Jet Master was a touch disappointing in both the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and J&B Met subsequent to his Summer Cup win last year, but he ran a cracker in the Vodacom Durban July. Lerena said after the July, “I was forced to take him back early, so was considerably further back than I had wanted to be, but he ran on really well in the straight.” He finished a 3,35 length ninth.

He followed up by running a decent fifth in the Gold Cup over 3200m with topweight. That was the fifth consecutive time he had not made the frame, but on the positive side this allowed the handicapper to drop him three points back to 105, the same merit rating he ran off in last year’s Summer Cup.

He made his seasonal reappearance in a MR 104 Handicap over 1800m at the Vaal on October 25 and made eyecatching progress in the straight to finish a 0,8 length second to his stablemate Master Switch. He was raised one point for the run, but still faces the latter on 1kg better terms.

He carries 56kg in Saturday’s 2000m handicap event off a 106 merit rating, as opposed to 56,5kg off 105 last year, and he jumps from draw six as opposed to draw seven last year.

Lerena said, “He has a fair draw and his prep has gone very well. He had a nice prep run and took the run well. He has been putting up nice work and I am happy with the progress he has made. I think he is in a better place than he was last year. I can’t say I am confident, because it’s a horse race, but he is definitely in with a chance with luck in running.

Master Sabina (Nkosi Hlophe)

“I think his stable companion Deo Juvente and also Saratoga Dancer are big runners and we will also have to be careful of the lightweights, there are some strong lightweight gallopers.”

Lerena rides the exciting Janse Van Vuuren-trained Captain Al colt Doosra from a tricky draw of nine in the Gr 2 Investec Dingaans over 1600m and said, “I certainly think he will get the trip. I have been very happy with his work at home, he keeps on improving nicely. Obviously we don’t have the number one draw we had last time, so will need a little bit of luck.”

He rides the equally exciting Australian-bred High Chapparral filly Being Fabulous for the Janse van Vuuren yard in the Gr 3 Fillies Mile. Like Doosra, she possesses a magnificently long stride, but she also has to overcome draw nine. Lerena said, “I would have been more confident with a couple of weeks and another run under the belt, but having said that she a very nice filly and is doing very nicely at home.”

In the Gr 2 Gauteng Tourism Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m Lerena rides the Alec Laird-trained Polyphonic, who was well regarded last year as a three-year-old and now looks to be coming into her own. Lerena said, “She is now having her third run after a rest and her last run was brilliant, carrying that big weight it was full of merit (she finished a 2,5 length second in the Gr 3 Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m under Lerena carrying 60kg and giving the winner Girl On The Run 8kg). She has the number one draw too, but it’s competitive, it’s quite open.”

African Ruler (Nkosi Hlophe)

Lerena rides the Paul Peter-trained African Ruler in the Gr 2 Citizen Merchants over 1160m and this consistent four-year-old Trippi gelding’s form speaks for itself, as he has only once failed to finish in the first three in 15 career starts, six of which he has won. His runs include a runner up finish to Equus Champion Sprinter Talktothestars in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville, but he faces the latter on 0,5kg worse terms here despite being defeated 2,25 lengths in the latter race. It is a very strong field and it remains to be seen whether his low draw of three is disadvantageous, which it can be in rain affected going. There is some more rain expected this week, so it might be on the soft side.

Lerena doesn’t know much about the Woodruff first-timer by Captain Al he rides in the first, Whosethebossnow.

In the second over 1160m, he rides the Candice Dawson-trained Ideal World filly Royal Utopia, who appeared to be going backwards on debut, but then suddenly stayed on well. He said, “She is doing ok, she is still quite green, but it’s not a bad formline and she could be in the places.”

He rides the Dawson-trained Prince Of Orange in the last, a MR 95 Handicap over 1600m. This five-year-old Indigo Magic gelding’s victory under Lerena in the Grand Heritage consolation race over 1475m was full of merit as he jumped from a seemingly impossible low draw of three.

Lerena said, “He is not drawn well again (10 in a field of 10), but is feeling fit and will be running on again.”

By David Thiselton