Andrew Harrison

On the face of it, handicapping is always a punters best guide. It doesn’t always work out, given the vagaries of the sport, but the filly Regeneration looked to be the ‘right’ horse in the Progress Plate that headed the turf card at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday.

Rated way better than her opposition after showing smart form in group company, it was just a matter of Robbie Hill having got her fit enough to win first up in her seasonal debut over 1400m after not having been out since May when contesting the Gr1 Wollavington 2000.

In the event, it was never a contest as Tristan Godden rode a confident race. Tracking the early pace, he gave his mount a clear run and she responded with a romp to the line.

Hill has never been the easiest in a post-race interview, but it was a fitting win as Hill and Sean Veale, once first call riders for now retired trainer Dennis Drier, scored on his birthday.

Often there is a fine line of judgement between pulling the trigger too early and pulling it too late, especially when it comes to a tight finish. That was the case in the first as Deryl Daniels did it all right on Sun In My Pocket, only to be denied in the last few strides by Treasure Island with Tristan Godden timing his run to perfection on Mike Miller’s filly.

Daniels was quick to send Sun My Pocket to lead  and was clear of the pack for most of the race. Heading for home he sat for as long as he dared, only ‘pulling the trigger’ past the 400m mark.

Once Daniels committed, it was just a matter of how long the filly would last; just not long enough as Godden got Treasure Island to finish off her race smartly to get up close home – a finely judged ride by both riders.

 Favourite Light Of Gabriel laboured into third, giving the impression that a furlong or two further would be more to her liking, while Blue Poppy in fourth made an eye-catching debut and is one for the notebook.

Hollywood are never shy to give chances to those that deserve and they look to have backed another winner in Vengi Masawi. Working out of Ashburton, Masawi saddled his second winner as a fully fledged trainer as Spinmyangelspin racing in the Hollywood Racing silks got the better of favourite Celestial Diamond in a tight finish to the second.

Kabelo Matsunyani took Celestial Diamond to the front early and looked to have the race in the bag some way out. However, Sean Veale kept hard at the blinkered Spinmyangelspin who appeared to be doing all she could to shirk the fight with tail spinning and ducking the issue but she did just enough to edge out Celestial Diamond with the balance well beaten.

Those looking for a little ‘cheer’ in the opening leg of the Pick 6 will have been resigned to their fate a long way out as Veale was hard at work to hold position on favourite Cheerscheerscheers even before the home turn. Given his position at the head of the pack, it was smart riding from Veale because if his mount had dropped the bit entirely there would have been mayhem behind.

S’Manga Khumalo was watching all unfold on his inside aboard the well-supported King Celtillus who glided to the front on the turn and although running on empty the last bit, still had enough in hand as Call Me Wild edged out Cheerscheerscheers who remarkably kept on to earn at the shallow end of the purse.

Frikkie Greyling was one of Mile de Kock’s righthand men in the time of Horse Chestnut so has learnt from the best. There has been a torrent of water under that bridge but he is back at the helm of his own yard. Go Grayson Go has been knocking at the door for some time now for Greyling but the gelding has not been the easiest of rides. However, sent over 2000m for the first time, he appears to have found his nice and cruised to a comfortable win under Calvin Habib in the fourth. Go Grayson Go has always appeared to be useful and with the step up in trip he could pay to follow.

Move over Andrew Fortune; In his absence MJ Odendaal has taken over the reins of the post-race interview. MJ was a rider in the same era before a horrific fall at Clairwood Park ended his career in the saddle. But he comes from farming stock in the backwaters of Mphumalanga and knows his way around livestock.

The diminutive filly Ubukhwebezana has never been the easiest but Sean Veale, at the top of his game for his retained stable, Hollywood Racing, timed the mare’s run to perfection to land the sixth win of her career and confirm her superiority over second-placed Happy Fortune, unable to turn the tables.

Regulars on the racecourse who are keen observers of the paddock will know that when seasoned trainer Dennis Bosch arrives in a jacket and tie, it’s game on. It doesn’t always work out, but at least you know that you will get a run for you money. Serino Moodley is the regular pilot of the Bosch-trained Copacabana but must have been at least a little anxious as Nicholas Patel set sail for home aboard Mystique Rouge in the hunt for an Odendaal double. Moodley’s supporters may have been anxious, Bosch included, but  Copacabana sailed past late to win rather cozily.

Muzi Yeni is not one easily denied in a finish and he just got the better of Rache Venniker in the last as Icy Blast and Gorgeous Guy fought out a tight finish in a ding-dong battle for the line.

The wait is over. The opening day of the Sydney Everest Carnival is finally here, and we’re launching in style with feature races that promise action, excitement, and elite thoroughbred talent.

First up: The 7 Stakes a 1600m weight-for-age showdown where some of the country’s top milers battle for a ticket to spring’s biggest prizes, including the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes on Everest Day.

Then it’s time for the Group 2 The Shorts, the ultimate sprint over 1100m where Everest contenders explode onto the scene. This is the race where Everest credentials are on the line, just ask past winners Nature Strip, Classique Legend, and Redzel, who all blazed a trail from The Shorts to The Everest, the world’s richest race on turf. And the tradition continues this Saturday, with confirmed Everest slot-holders and rising stars with Everest dreams lining up for their shot at glory.

One jockey that will be looking to continue his impact this Australian Spring is Tyler Schiller. He’s been partnered with Everest hopeful Briasa for Team Hawkes and after winning the Australian Autumn sprinting feature, the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes, the duo aspire of making their mark on the world by winning the Everest.

It’s a spectacular day of racing and the thrilling start of a world-class carnival. The Sydney Everest Carnival has arrived. Millions are on the line. The stars are out. This is racing at its finest, make sure you are part of it

 

 

Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Ayr and Kempton (UK) – 18 September 2025.

David Thiselton

Both Alec Laird and Stuart Ferrie have decided to avoid the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup with their crack horses Fire Attack and Gladatorian respectively and will take on the best in Cape Town.

Alec said about the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge winner Fire Attack, “Off his 126 rating we just think he must go for the weight for age races at this stage. In the Summer Cup there is only a 6kg spread from top to bottom, but I think it will just take it out of him. He will run his guts out carrying topweight over 2000m at Turffontein. So we are going to have to take on the best horses in the country and will have to take on two of the best (Eight On Eighteen and The Real Prince) in their hometown. It makes it a bit tougher that it’s in their hometown, but we will go for glory. If we run second or third it will be a good run and there will be no skin off our noses.”

Fire Attack faced some of the best in his last start when finishing a running on 2,35 length fourth behind Gladatorian, The Real Prince and See It Again in the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m.

However, the race did not pan out too well for him.

He had to be dropped out to last in the seven horse field and there was some time wasted before he could be committed.

Alec said, “The horse in front of him, Son Of Raj, didn’t know which way he wanted to go, left or right. I think Richard wanted to go handier, but he obviously didn’t know whether to go left or right (due to the horse in front of him not committing either way). So he was at the back of the field and eventually he went for a run down the inside. For his first time at Greyville I thought it was a decent run. He hadn’t seen the course before and he made up ground. He did have an interrupted program too. It gave us hope he could go to Cape Town. All being well he will have a proper program for his campaign in Cape Town. There is only one prep run I could find for him in Jo’Burg before he goes, it is an 1160m Pinnacle event on November 9 on Victory Moon day. He is eligible to travel to the Cape after that and will stay with Eric Sands. Eric has helped me in the past with London News and Smart Call and others. He has always been a big help.”

He continued, “There is a classic program for the horses going for the Met. It is the Green Point first and then the L’Ormarins King’s Plate. We’ll take stock after those two races. It will be the same program for Eight On Eighteen, The Real Prince and Gladatorian. May the best horse win or the one who is well at the time. When you say ‘I am not going to go because I can’t beat this one or that one’, then come the race something could happen, for example, to Eight On Eighteen, and then you are sitting here and saying, ‘Oh dear’. So we are taking our chances.”

London News was expected to win the Queen’s Plate and the Met in 1997 and started 33/10 second favourite and 16/10 favourite respectively.

However, Smart Call was backed in from 40/1 to 8/1 and beat the like of Legal Eagle, Captain America, Futura, Legislate and other Gr 1 winners to land Alec a second Met in 2016.

Meanwhile, Summer Cup reigning champion Atticus Finch has been treated and has recovered from the epistaxis he suffered in the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

Alec said he had been “flourishing” and will take the same route in to the Summer Cup as he did last year.

Another interesting horse in the yard is Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas winner Parisian Walkway.

Alec said, “I think we found out what was slowing him down. He had a very resistant worm we found in his stool and I think we have eventually got rid of it.”

Alec feels Parisian Walkway is too high in the handicap on 119 when looking at the rest of the Guineas’ fields merit ratings today, but he is hoping he bounces back to his Guineas form. He is running in a Graduation Plate on Saturday that he is weighted to win.

Meanwhile, Stuart Ferrie has earmarked a conditions event over either 1200m or 1400m at the beginning of November for Gladatorian to run in before going to Cape Town, where he will go for the Green Point, King’s Plate and WSB Met. He will be staying at Lucinda Woodruff’s yard.

Warren Lenferna

The stage is set at Hollywoodbets Greyville for an eight-race card this Wednesday, September 17, and there are some interesting runners.

There could be plenty of cheering after the third race if Cheerscheerscheers crosses the finish line first. He finished sixth on debut at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, only just under three lengths off the winner, Royal Sword. He was green and would surely have come on in leaps and bounds from that racing experience, and he could be hard to beat at the second time of asking.

Race 1, contested over 1,200m, gets under way at 12:35 PM, and the rapidly improving Light Of Gabriel is the firm first pick. Trained by Dean Kannemeyer and ridden by stable jockey Craig Zackey, she has learned more and more with each race. Last time out, she fought on tenaciously but simply found one better on the day. She is the one they all have to fear the most.

There are also two interesting runners in the third race: Spinmyangelspin and Celestial Diamond. Spinmyangelspin is returning from a January 15 layoff and will more than likely need the run, but her form in the Cape was promising. If she doesn’t need the comeback race too much, she can go very close and must be respected and included. Celestial Diamond is definitely not as bad as her last run shows—forget that and take note of her chances.

Go Grayson Go in Race 4 catches the attention. His recent form is solid, and his last two runs (especially his most recent) were excellent. He has not just been knocking at the door but trying to bang it down. He has a sparkling winning chance.

Race 5 is a Class 4 over 1,400m for fillies and mares. Princess Goldie showed when third to Papillon Blu last time that she is clearly on the comeback trail, and her second career win could be around the corner. An interesting runner in the lineup with Princess Goldie is Sneeuwitjie. The form of her shock maiden win has not stood up at all, but she then ran an encouraging race first up in open company. Despite the form of the maiden not sparking, she could be some value here for places and will now be ridden by a senior jockey. Keep an eye on her.

Saint Brigid, from the Candice Bass satellite barn, can make a winning local debut in the sixth race. Her last win was gutsy.

All in all, an exciting program awaits with many betting opportunities to get the adrenaline flowing for the midweek meeting.