His Champions Season string includes Vodacom Durban July entry De Kock as well as Alexis, Maybe Yes, Gulf Storm, Sail South, Zacharias, Cuve Brut, Valerin and four babies.

The four-year-old Dynasty gelding De Kock won the Gr 2 Selangor Cup over 1600m as a three-year-old but fractured his near fore knee in his next start in the Grand Parade Cape Guineas.

He won his comeback over 1000m last September but has run well below par in three sprints since, so will likely be looking forward to going over further. He is entered in the Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m at the Champions Season’s opening meeting on May 2 at Greyville.

Alexis is a top class filly by Dynasty and has a realistic chance of giving Crawford a second successive win in the Gr KRA Fillies Guineas on May 2. She had to be taken from the inside to the outside in her last start over 1400m at Greyville in order to find a clear run, yet still went down by only 1,75 lengths to the proven Gr 1 performer One Fine Day, despite conceding 2kg to the latter.

Crawford won the KRA Fillies Guineas with Maybe Yes last season. This Tiger Ridge filly has a fine turn of foot and races such as the Gr 2 Tibouchina over 1400m and the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m will likely be on her agenda. She has her Champions Season pipe opener in the Gr 3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1200m at Scottsville on Sunday.

The gelding Gulf Storm is a tough four-year-old sprint handicapper by Sail From Seattle with a merit rating of 100 and looks an ideal type for the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint as he will come in with a nice galloping weight if he makes the cut. He is running in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville on Sunday.

Sail South, another four-year-old gelding by Sail From Seattle, is full of class but has never really fulfilled his potential due to his headstrong antics. If he learns to settle he could pick up a minor feature. He is entered in the Drill Hall, but might not get a place in the final field due to his merit rating of 97 and he might prove difficult to place.

Zacharias, a cheap filly by Lundy’s Liability, won twice in KZN last season from 1400-1600m and is entered in Sunday’s Listed Scarlet Lady Handicap over 1800m, a race the yard scored a one-two in last season with Dancing Dynasty and Luna De Victoria.

Cuvee Brut is a classy, lightly race three-year-old filly by Count Du Bois and the best might not have been seen of her yet as she has only raced beyond 1200m once in six career starts, so it is interesting to see her with an entry in the KRA Fillies Guineas.

Valerin is a merit rated 83 gelding by Lateral, so should be watched in handicaps as the merit ratings of the Cape Town-based horses are often suppressed due to the class of horse there.