The four-year-old Seventh Rock gelding made short work of beating a Graduation field over 1200m at Scottsville last Sunday and “couldn’t blow out a candle after the race”.

Said Drier: “He has come out of the race fantastically well. I was confident going into the race that the operation was a great success, but Anton Marcus was concerned because Guiness was making a little bit of a noise in the pull-up at the end of his work. On Sunday he reported back that there was no noise. And Guiness’ joints were ice cold on Monday morning. It was unbelievable to see him trot out.

“I think he’s a hell of a sprinter, so I expected him to win like that. I would have been disappointed if he hadn’t beaten that field. He’s back on track, big time.”

Guiness “went in the wind” when compounding to fifth behind Zinnavar in a 1000m Graduation Plate at Kenilworth in December last year. A few of Drier’s Cape Town string had come down with a virus and immediately after the race the poor performance was put down to Guiness being off colour. Sadly that was not the case and Cape veterinary surgeon Dr Alasdair Cameron performed a wind operation and removed his vocal chords four days later. Guiness was then gelded in January.

Drier held his breath. “I’m not one for wind ops because in past we haven’t had too much success but my last three have been phenomenal,” he said. “Sea Fever, a horse owned by Jack Mitchell, has been 100% and even won the KZN Winter Challenge 1200, while the Trotters’ Legend Fighter, while no star, has had no issues since his wind op.

“Vets have obviously developed new techniques and are getting better.”

Having aced this test, Guiness will now be a member of a 24-horse raiding party Drier is taking to Cape Town for the Sizzling Summer Season with his main mission being the Betting World Cape Flying Championship in January.

He will be joined on the float by dual Grade 1 winner Seventh Plain, who is targeting the CTS Million Dollar on Cape Flying Championship Day, and Grade 1 Golden Slipper winner Chestnuts N Pearls, who is first set to run in a sales race on Charity Mile Day at Turffontein.

“We’ll see how she travels and then decide whether she will go for the Cape Fillies Guineas in early December. That race might come a bit soon and I won’t just run her for the sake of running her. Her Cape mission will probably be the Klawervlei Majorca Stakes on J&B Met Day.”

  –    Nicci Garner for TAB News

Picture: Guiness (Nkosi Hlophe)