David Thiselton

The highest rated race at the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly meeting on Sunday is a Conditions Plate over 1000m and King Of The Gauls could claim his first win since winning over this distance on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf tack 16 months ago.

King Of The Gauls is officially 5kg under sufferance with Luhamba Pambili as he has to give the latter 3,5kg.  A look back at the last time they met in the Listed In Full Flight Handicap over 1100m in April makes them just about inseparable on merit, so it will be tough for King Of The Gauls to give that amount of weight away. However, King Of The Gauls followed that In Full Flight Handicap run with an excellent third in the Gr 1 Golden Horse Sprint over 1200m, where he showed his speed and class, opening up a lead before hanging on for a 2,70 length third. He now has his third run after a layoff over his favourite 1000m trip and he is drawn in pole, whereas Luhamba Phambili’s last run was a bit disappointing and followed a three month layoff and he now comes back from a 70 day layoff. King Of The Gauls has the in form Serino Moodley up and will not be easy to catch. Luhamba Phambili jumps from draw two so will get a tow and he will likely be the favourite, but will he be able to fetch King Of The Gauls over this fast course and distance? It will be an intriguing contest. In these sort of contests the next most fancied horse should never be ignored, because the battling pair can tire themselves out and the other one can just sit off them and pounce late. Vihaan’s Web has the speed to be right there and the top class S’Manga Khumalo can deliver him with a late challenge. However, King Of The Gauls is taken to beat Luhamba Pambili with Vihaan’s Web third.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 What A Passion ran with first time blinkers last time over this 1200m trip on the turf and finished 2,20 lengths behind the smart Showgirl, who followed that win with a 2,25 length victory in the strong centre of Cape Town. What A Passion will be hard to beat from draw five under Khumalo and can beat Priory Terrace, who should enjoy the step back up in trip, and Warrior Rose, who was not disgraced on debut in quite a strong form race back in May and has not been seen since.

In the next race over 1400m Strutting was beaten 6,40 lengths on debut over 1200m and has drawn widest of all, but this Hawwam filly will appreciate the step up in trip and might have the ability to win this uninspiring contest. Roy’s Blossom will be a threat if recapturing the form of her debut effort over this course and distance. It must be remembered that this is an “Open Maiden”, meaning it is a handicap and so all runners must be considered and the field might be an idea for the Pick 6.

In the fifth race over 1000m Moscow Miss can reverse form with the more exposed Vision To Achieve and she should make a bold bid from a plum draw of two under a 2,5kg claimer. Her penultimate start can be ignored as she had no luck throughout. Prankster and Call Me Jane are also contenders.

In the sixth over 1100m Dawn Surprise won well on the poly last time and as she is not over exposed on this surface she could follow up off a five point higher mark. Nile The Boss  brings some decent Cape Town form and is a big runner too.

In the seventh over 1200m Professor Lupin went close during the week over 1400m and will have a chance over this drop in trip from a good draw. Firelighter has come down to a competitive mark and should enjoy the trip. Bank Street has a form chance in this line up.

In the last race over 1200m Navajo Dancer has been knocking hard and has a fine chance here. Ndaka is an honest sort who is capable of popping up. Willow Gem gets a handy decrease in merit rating and could earn.

The first race sees Grand Force having a fine opportunity from pole position and he will be hard to beat.

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David Thiselton

Luke Ferraris is within grasping distance of getting a berth in the world’s most famous jockeys competition, the International Jockeys Challenge at Happy Valley, which will take place on December 10.

The three berths given to locally based jockeys are for champion jockey, leading jockey of the current season and leading homegrown jockey.

Zac Purton is well clear in the current championship, but had already earned a berth as champion jockey, so the berth for leading jockey goes to the second-placed jockey.

The contenders are Ferraris, who is in second place with 15 wins, Bowman who is on 14 wins, Alexis Badel on 12 wins and Lyle Hewitson and Karis Teetan who are both on elevens wins.

The Happy Valley meeting on Wednesday (26 November) is the last meeting which counts towards the choice of local IJC riders.

Hewitson won the last race at Sha Tin on Sunday to give himself a mathematical chance of still winning a berth, although it is highly unlikely he will do so and it looks to be a straight fight between Ferraris and Bowman.

The fight for a place among the homegrown jockeys has also developed into a two horse race after Vincent Ho and Jerry Chau both struck at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Ho leads Chau with 11 wins to 10.

Ho is the only homegrown jockey to have ever won the IJC, winning it in 2023 and earning the fist prize of HK$600,000.

Gavin Lerena was the last South African to have won the IJC in 2015. He won the last two races of the four-race competition that year.

Douglas Whyte has also been a previous winner of the challenge.

The ten jockeys who are already in the IJ are Zac Purton, defending champion Mickael Barzalona, James McDonald, Christophe Lemaire, Umberto Rispoli, Hollie Doyle, Rachel King, Joao Moreira, William Buick and Ryan Moore (subject to fitness).

Meanwhile, the world’s best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising extended his unbeaten run to 15 races on Sunday at Sha Tin when romping home in the HK$5.35 million Gr 2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint over 1200m.

He obliterated nine rivals in clocking the second-fastest time in history over 1200m at Sha Tin, 1m 07.33s, marginally outside his own track record of 1m 07.20s, despite being eased down over the last 100m by jockey Zac Purton.

Conceding five pounds to the rest of the field, the world’s highest-rated sprinter jumped cleanly to lead from barrier ten before settling in second place behind Beauty Waves and, such was his superiority, Purton said the tempo was still not fast enough, despite a blistering sectional of 21.93s from the 800m to the 400m.

Purton quickly put the issue beyond doubt on straightening as Ka Ying Rising surged clear inside the last 200m before being allowed to saunter to the line.

The winning margin of two-and-three-quarter lengths flattered runner-up Fast Network (123lb) with Helios Express third, a further length-and-three-quarters away.

Ka Ying Rising’s 15th consecutive win leaves him third overall for the most wins in a row by a Hong Kong-trained horse behind Silent Witness (17) and Golden Sixty (16).

The world’s highest earning racehorse in history, Romantic Warrior, made his comeback from a layoff at the same meeting on Sunday.

Resuming after 232 days between races after surgery to his left fore fetlock, Romantic Warrior lifted his world record earnings to HK$217.7 million as he became the first horse to win a third Gr 2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup after victories in 2022 and 2024.