Anton Marcus, booked for Do It Again in Sunday’s Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, will be riding the horse  for the first time in a race since landing a record fifth Vodacom Durban July on him nearly two years ago.

But seemingly the sponsors are more influenced by the five-year-old’s disappointing form so far this season and make him only third favourite at 5-1. Rainbow Bridge heads the market at 5-2 with Vardy close up at 3.03-1.

However favourites in the Gold Challenge have a poor recent record. The last six have all been beaten and there has not been a winning one since odds-on Variety Club (Marcus) won the race for the second successive year in 2013. Furthermore Do It Again won last year’s race and Justin Snaith is bidding for his fourth Gold Challenge victory.

Do It Again remains a big price in the July market with most layers offering around 11-1. Predictably the big movers on Sunday were Snaith’s Saturday feature winners Belgarion and Myabi Gold. The former was cut from 8-1 to 6-1 joint second favourite (with Rainbow Bridge) while the mare was slashed from 66-1 to 22-1. Hawwaam remains favourite but has been eased from 4-1 to 5-1.

Do It Again has finished no closer than sixth in three outings this season but his trainer is hoping  for a much-improved effort on Saturday: “He is going well, we have had no hiccups, everything looks fine and on song.

“There are some good horses in the race, and it’s going to be tough, but I am quite confident Do It Again has no reason to run a bad race. We have found all his little issues.”

The last-named includes the ulcers which were believed to be at the root of the horse’s problems in the Cape season. “We did all the tests prior to putting him back into training and everything had cleared up. He is carrying condition which he wasn’t before. He looks a happy horse – he is bucking every morning – and it doesn’t look as if anything is bothering him.”

Snaith also mentioned Roi Querari, a horse he believes could develop into a top sprinter. The three-year-old will be ridden by Marcus in Sunday’s Durban Dash – “He is having his first run back and he is doing exceptionally well. He should have run in the Post Merchants and how he didn’t get in I don’t know. Let’s see if he proves them wrong on Sunday!”

The dual champion trainer was in treble form at a wet Kenilworth on Sunday but those punters who follow the stable blindly – and many do – had to contend with four beaten favourites including a particularly expensive start with 11-20 shot Stuck On You.

“She should have won by five,” said Snaith. “I don’t know what her issues are but there is something that’s not right.”

Stable companion La Quinta, in contrast, made up those five lengths in the final furlong for M.J. Byleveld to come home at 16-1. “I had her ready to run just before the lockdown but the meeting was scrapped. This time we put in our stable comments that she is very speedy and could easily run into the money.”

Vaughan Marshall’s hot favourite Freedom Park also proved costly, starting at 11-10 and managing only ninth  behind Robert Khathi’s mount Tarantino. The Milnerton trainer, though, promptly served up 66-1 compensation with the Ossie Noach-ridden newcomer Dubai Lights.

Noach completed an 870-1 double on the Glen Puller-trained 12-1 shot Miss D’Aray in the last but the most obvious post-lockdown lesson in the Western Cape is that Glen Kotzen’s stable is on fire. The Woodhill trainer followed up last Tuesday’s treble with two more winners – Mountain Ridge (Greg Cheyne) and the appropriately-named Winter’s Awakening (Morne Winnaar).

By Michael Clower

by David Thiselton

Justin Snaith’s stable jockey Richard Fourie will have a headache choosing his Vodacom Durban July ride this year after Belgarion put up a scintillating performance yesterday to win the Grade WSB 1900 at Greyville under Anton Marcus.

Belgarion is set to carry 53kg in the July as things stand not the widely reported 54kg. 

The 54kg is in fact two kgs out because he will be 1kg under sufferance off his expected 119 merit rating. 

Belgarion is likely to be given the maximum six point raise for his three length win over the KZN horse Tristful, who was 1,4 lengths clear of another KZN horse Camphoratus.

That means he will go from 113 to 119 which is 16 points less than the 135 merit rating of the current highest rated horse Do It Again. 

As each point represents half-a-kilogram that equates to 8kg and with top weight being 60kg it would have him carrying 52kg in a true handicap. 

However, the July is a mixture between a handicap and a conditions race and one of the conditions is that the minimum weight for a male horse is 53kg, meaning he has to go up 1kg from his true handicap weight. He will thus, as things stand, be “1kg under sufferance”.

However, he will be regarded by the experts as being well weighted because his 119 merit rating is likely “capped”. A condition of the WSB 1900 is that the winner can not be raised more than six points and given freedom the handicappers might well have raised him higher.

One of South Africa’s best handicappers Jay August unofficially awarded Belgarion 115 on a scale which can be compared to the Asian Pacific Conference (APC) ratings.

This makes his performance equal best for the SA Champions Season so far alongside the Snaith-trained, Kasimir, who ran to that rating when second in the IOS Drill Hall.

However, August said Belgarion could even be given a 115+ considering the ease of the win.

On the other hand he said the international handicappers on the APC panel, which includes South Africa’s chief handicapper Lennon Maharaj, would always challenge a 115 first time for a horse outside of a Grade 1 race and predicted they would knock him down to 114.

Last year Do It Again achieved the highest APC in this country of 121 with Hawwaam and Rainbow Bridge close behind on 120 and 119 respectively.

Presuming Belgarion is given a 114 that puts him just seven points lower than Do It Again at his best and under that rating scale Belgarion would have had to carry 56,5kg in the July. The experts might thus regard him as being 3,5kg “well in”, i.e weighted 3,5kg better than he should be. 

Marcus does not yet have a ride for this year’s July so might well be aboard the leading Snaith contender Fourie rejects i.e Belgarion or Do It Again.

Do It Again was ridden by Marcus to win the July two years ago and was ridden by Fourie last year.

Fourie’s minimum riding weight is 54kg and Marcus’ is 55kg, so both will have to slim significantly to ride Belgarion as things stand.

Caption: Belgarion easily winning yesterday’s Grade 2 WSB 1900. (Candiese Lenferna).

Belgarion will have his odds slashed by the sponsors for next month’s Vodacom Durban July as he turned in a terrific performance in the Grade 2 World Sports Betting 1900 at Hollywoodbets Greyville today.

Justin Snaith has done a masterful job in placing his charge for a crack at the country’s biggest race, ducking the Sun Met, and even after his facile win in a race that is a traditional stepping stone into the VDJ, he is likely to make it into the field with close to bottom weight for his age group.

Belgarion will not be seen out again before the big race, “my runners are out for one look before the big day,” explained Snaith and if he gets into the VDJ off a predicted 54kg he could take some stopping.

Snaith stable jockey Richard Fourie is marooned in Cape Town at this stage of the virus lock-down but Anton Marcus could be on a diet of brown rice and stewed apple to make the weight if he can jock Fourie off Belgarion in spite of possibly having the possible option of Do It Again for a record-breaking third successive VDJ win.

“He was super, super impressive,” enthused Marcus post-race. A disappointingly slow pace saw the field bunch up on the home turn with Belgarion seemingly taking a couple of awkward strides as they came off the turn. Marcus was then left hunting for galloping room. “The horse got me out of trouble,” he said as he had to dodge further traffic in the straight. But once in the clear, Belgarian accelerated home to win comfortably.

Tristful ran a cracker in second and may well have booked his place in the VDJ and the mare Camphoratus, sixth in the big race last year, gave notice that she is on the up as she snatched third after blowing the start.

“It has been difficult but a year ago this was sort of the plan,” explained Snaith. “Bernard (Fayd’Herbe) found himself in no-man’s land in the Derby and he finished some seven lengths off them. We gelded him after that and it was then a case of run in the Met and finish fifth or sixth and get a penalty or save him for the Natal season.”

Snaith is in the fortunate position of having owners who are wise to the ways of the sport and Gillian and Alec Foster, who also bred Belgarion, have gone along with the plan. Given that all goes smoothly in the lead-up to the VDJ, Belgarion will be among the strongly fancied runners.

It may still take a month or so for handicap ratings to settle into some form of normality with the majority of runners coming off an enforced three-month break from the Covid lock-down. That said, Miyabi Gold was rated a division superior to her opposition in the East Coast Handicap (Listed) and consequently made short work of her opposition.

Although skating home by the best part of three lengths from a late finishing Perfect Air, the win may have held more merit than the bare facts would suggest.

The early pace was little more than a strong canter and Anton Marcus had his mount handy and on the heels of the pacemakers. But he took action a long way out and was hard at work on Mayabi Gold as the field hit the final turn and at that stage looked to be in a spot of bother.

However, Marcus persevered and the mare responded under a vigorous hands-and-heels ride and a couple of backhanders to eventually shake off her rivals. Perfect Air came out of the scrum late to take second and Coral Bay holding on for the shallow end of the purse.

Miyabi Gold is out of the former Alistair Gordon-trained Mkushi Gold and is owned by Evanstan Investments with the late Robin Hamilton as nominee in partnership with Nick Jonsson. She does have the Vodacom Durban July pencilled and it will be interesting to see which path Justin Snaith takes with the mare as he has a boat-load of VDJ nominations including duel winner Do It Again and World Sports Betting 1900 winner Belgarian.

Marchingontogether has always struck as a better horse than his record shows as he looked set for a smart sophomore career but appeared to lose his way a little. As a late four-year-old he seems to have hit his straps and Gavin van Zyl and the Pathfork gelding’s myriad of owners can look forward to a promising end to the season after Marchingontogether spread-eagled his field in the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup.

Midfield turning for home in the 2400m event, Warren Kennedy threaded him through the traffic and Marchingontogether whistled past to win as he liked with the grey White Lightning finishing best of the rest for second.

On this showing, the 3000m Gold Vase on Vodacom Durban July day and the 3200m Gold Cup look well within Marchingontogether’s compass.

By Andrew Harrison

After a tumultuous week of outspoken challenges against the Special Resolutions brought by the Gold Circle Board before their Members, the 4 motions failed narrowly to receive the 75% required, achieving support of between 70-72% for each vote.

Business rescue was a looming threat for the Operator and would have been the likely course of action had it not been for the generosity of Hollywoodbets to offer an unsecured loan of R40m to Gold Circle. “It would have been a tragedy for all the stakeholders if racing had to stop when the company went into business rescue, said Michel Nairac, CEO of Gold Circle. He continued “I am relieved that the stakeholders who depend on racing can continue to benefit from it. Ï am grateful to Hollywoodbets that racing will continue uninterrupted until the next Special General Meeting can be convened”.

Speaking on behalf of the Hollywood Sportsbook Group, Basil Thomas said “It is no secret how difficult things have been for stakeholders in the horse racing industry over the past few months. Severe hardship and real anxiety has been experienced by participants, that extend way beyond Gold Circle Racing Club. Grooms, Trainers, Jockeys, Breeders, Owners, Tote Agents, Suppliers…the list is endless. 

“So much good work has been done to get horses back on the track. In short, it would have been a disaster if racing had once again been interrupted for an extended period. The KZN Winter/Champions Season is the flagship of the national racing calendar. For it to not be completed would be the unnecessary raising of the white flag.

“Hollywoodbets is averse to ‘racing politics’. We are not picking a side and we have no desire to be caught in the middle. We have one agenda – that is to apply our resources – financial and human, to supporting Gold Circle in its quest to return to profitability. The natural consequence of that objective, if successful, will be a stronger and sustainable future for KZN Racing. The events of the past week could well have resulted in unintended or unanticipated consequences. We are pleased that such consequences have been averted.”

The premier South African Champions Season weight-for-age mile, the Grade 1 Gold Challenge has a new sponsor. The race to be run on Sunday, 28 June will be sponsored by South Africa’s leading bookmaker, Hollywoodbets.

The race makes up the trifecta for Grade 1 WFA 1600m races that includes the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate run at Kenilworth and the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes run at Turffontein.

The race is an important stepping stone into the Vodacom Durban July and the honours roll is littered with Vodacom Durban July winners from Dancer’s Daughter and Pocket Power, to Big City Life, Legislate and last year’s dual champion, Do It Again.

Other recent winners include Winter Solstice and international Grade 1 winning miler, Variety Club.

Devin Heffer, Brand and Communications Manager for Hollywoodbets, says that this race is another feather in the cap for his company. “Being able to sponsor a race of this magnitude is something we are incredibly excited about. Seeing the Vodacom Durban July contenders in Rainbow Bridge, Vardy, and Do It Again battle it out over the mile, will truly show who is poised to announce themselves as the number one contender in this year’s racing spectacle.”

“This is also Hollywoodbets’ first ever Grade 1 race sponsorship, and a milestone in our company’s history.”

“Hollywoodbets has invested heavily in horse racing in KZN, with the sponsorship of both Hollywoodbets Greyville and Scottsville Racecourses, the Grooms’ Initiative, and the Back On Track Challenge – encompassing trainers, jockeys, racehorses, grooms, apprentices and of course the punters.  Being able to collaborate with Gold Circle on these projects and sponsorships have allowed us to make a positive impact on racing in the province, and we look forward to continuing our support in the months to come.”

Gold Circle’s Events and Marketing Executive Steve Marshall said that it was both a privilege and pleasure to welcome a leading industry brand to one of their foremost South African Champions Season features.

The National Horseracing Authority confirms that at the Licencing Committee Meeting held in Johannesburg today, Jockey Grant van Niekerk was licenced as a Jockey with certain conditions attached.

Mr van Niekerk’s Jockey licence was withdrawn on 6 April 2020, whilst riding under the Rules of the Hong Kong Jockey Club due to a non-racing, conduct related matter. 

The Licencing Committee ruled that Mr van Niekerk be provisionally licenced for a period from 19 June 2020 to 18 September 2020 on condition that he enrols in and completes an Anger and Stress Management Course as determined by the NHA.

Upon proof of completion of the course, the Licencing Committee will consider issuing Mr van Niekerk a more permanent Riding Licence.

Eyes Wide Open will be out to defend his crown in the Grade 2 WSB 1900 on Saturday although he will be doing it as a gelding this year and is up against some tough opposition, including his two stable companions Herodotus and Pack Leader.

Trainer Glen Kotzen said, “It was a hard decision to geld a twice Grade 1 winner by Dynasty. Before gelding he used to haemoconcentrate (a thickening of the blood which affects the efficient transport of oxygen and thus leads to the horse tiring in the latter stages.) He also used to pull up sore behind but he is now sound and is much happier. He has lightened up and is enjoying life. In his first run as a gelding in the Drill Hall he only got into the race when it was all over and he was only beaten three lengths. I then thought why try and qualify him for the July in a weight for age mile so we are rather going for the 1900 to qualify and if that is not enough we will still have the Cup Trial. He has come on from his first run and will run a cracker.”

Eyes Wide Open looked a picture in the preliminaries of this race last year and ran accordingly to win by 0,25 lengths.

He was the highest rated horse last year on 109 but was one of four horses who carried 60kg under the merit rated band conditions. This year he is highest rated again but off is 116 rating is the only one in the top band so has to give 2kg or more to the entire field. However, if the ten point across the board raise at the beginning of the season is taken into account he is three points lower rated than last year and the gelding could have improved him too so he is probably just as well treated. He had a tricky draw of nine last year and has it even tougher this year from barrier position 12.

Herodotus is coming off an encouraging second place finish in the Grade 2 Peninsula over 1800m on January 11 in which he was doing his best work late. 

Kotzen said, “He is very well and we are expecting a huge run. He will have to get lucky from the draw but he is fit and ready. His mission is to get into the July with bottom weight.”

Herodotus is drawn 13 out of 13 and is only half-a-kilogram better off with Peninsula winner Belgarion for that 1,25 length beating.

Kotzen said Pack Leader, despite looking amazing in the ring last time out on June 10 in a Pinnacle race over 1600m at Scottsville, was yet to return to his best since a tendon injury some time ago. However, he will have the blinkers removed and Kotzen hoped this would see him putting his best foot forward. 

Kotzen sounded bullish about the chances of Catchafallingstar in the Listed East Coast Cup over 2000m. She is only merit rated 82 but she is running over her right trip for the first time.

He also runs Coral Bay and Je Ne Sa Quoi.

He described Coral Bay as a staying sort and gave her a big shout despite a tough draw of 13. 

Kotzen has been trying to get Je Ne Sa Quoi into a race for months but she keeps being eliminated so she has not had an ideal preparation. She does have a win and a close second over 2000m and 1800m in her last two starts respectively so has a chance under Keagan de Melo.  

Kotzen also mentioned Thomas Henry, who competes in the third, a maiden over 1400m, as one of his best runners on the day. 

By David Thiselton

PHUMELELA MEDIA RELEASE

Flamingo Park Racecourse and the adjacent training centre in Kimberley will be closed at the end of July.

Phumelela had intended to continue racing at Flamingo Park until at least at the end of this year after Gold Circle and other sponsors offered to contribute towards the costs of staging race meetings there in 2020.

Covid-19 lockdown regulations, however, have thwarted staging racing at Flamingo Park since March and it is uncertain when racing will be able to resume there. In addition, the massive financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on horseracing has resulted in Gold Circle announcing that it will not be able to offer financial assistance beyond 2020. Consequently, Phumelela has decided to close the venue next month and several resident trainers are planning to relocate to other racing centres.

Flamingo Park was a valuable venue in terms of giving opportunities to horses not able to compete at other centres and races to enable such horses to remain competitive will now be added to the racing programmes at the four remaining racing centres.

Vardy, 5-2 favourite for Sunday week’s Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, has come on considerably since his reappearance third in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes according to Adam Marcus.

The Milnerton trainer, based at Summerveld for most of the KZN season, said on Wednesday: “His Drill Hall run might have looked a little disappointing at first glance but it had been so difficult to plan preparations for these horses without knowing when racing was going to continue. He hadn’t had a racecourse gallop and was going into the Drill Hall off one grass gallop at Summerveld and some sand work. Also he had never been on a clockwise turn.

“He was a little bit above himself on the day and he travelled a bit hard which is not like him – he usually comes from further back. The race did him the world of good and he has responded to it exceptionally well. He has tightened up beautifully and so far his preparation has been very good.”

Craig Zackey again has the mount on the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner at Hollywoodbets Greyville while Donovan Dillon will partner stable companion Twist Of Fate.

This represents a change of plan for last year’s Vodacom Durban July third as Marcus had planned to keep him away from the big weight-for-age races in his build-up to the July.

He explained: “In the WSB Cup Trial he was going to be handicapped out of it because several of the higher-rated horses are running in the Gold Challenge and, although he is looking for more ground than a mile, I feel he needs another run under his belt before the big one.”

Missisippi Burning is second favourite for the 1 400m Tibouchina on Sunday week but the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and KZN Fillies Guineas winner is also second favourite for the Woolavington 2000 on the same card – and she may not run in either race!

Marcus explained: “She is drawn wide (17) in the Tibouchina so that is doubtful and, while we are still making a final decision, my gut feeling is that 2 000m is too far for her.

“She has done us proud and she owes us nothing so I want to put her in races where I know it’s the correct distance and things are in her favour. She is KZN-bred so the KZN Breeders Million Mile on July 19 could be a possibility.

Friday is an important day for Grant van Niekerk as the licencing board is to meet to consider his application for the renewal of his South African licence.

According to the sahorseracing website he will not be able to resume until August 1 but he could be back quite soon if all goes well on Friday.

He has already been given a clearance letter by the Hong Kong Jockey Club who dismissed him in early April following a domestic dispute on Jockey Club property. As he has since explained himself, and apologised, on social media he will be anxious to put this episode behind him and resume race-riding as soon as possible.

He had been doing particularly well in Hong Kong at the time, was fifth on the log with 37 winners and was becoming much in demand with local owners and trainers.  

By Michael Clower

The Turffontein Standside meeting today (Thursday) consists purely of plate races, including seven Maidens, but there is still some good class racing to look forward to in the four Juvenile events. 

Mike De Kock has two first-timers by the promising Australian sire Deep Field in the first two events and both have been installed as favourite. 

In the third Stuart Pettigrew has an exciting prospect in the Var filly Anything Goes, who is a half-sister to the Grade 1 SA Classic runner up Green Laser. She has plenty of substance and came from way back to win on debut over 1450m after dwelling at the start. She faces some well performed types here 

Place Accumulator: (R216)
Leg 1: 1,2,4
Leg 2: 4,2,3
Leg 3: 10,6,7
Leg 4: 2,10
Leg 5: 2
Leg 6: 12,1
Leg 7: 10,1

Pick 6: (R1080)
Leg 1: 4,2,3,9
Leg 2: 10,6,7,11,3
Leg 3: 2,10,6
Leg 4: 2,1,3
Leg 5: 12,1
Leg 6: 10,1,11

Jackpot: (R90)
Leg 1: 10,6,7,11,3
Leg 2: 2,10,6
Leg 3: 2,1,3
Leg 4: 12,1

Best Bet:
Race 7: 2

Value Bet:
Race 3: 1

By David Thiselton

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