RACE 1

Competitive maiden. (4) KENTUCKY LASSIE has been catching the eye in her finishes and is overdue to win hence she will be the top selection. (5) LAYDELAY has been holding her form and will be a real danger to the top selection. (3) TIPSY wasn’t far on debut and is expected to improve and get much closer. (7) SOMBREUIL has been running consistently and should be there again. (Devonne Govender 4-5-3-7).

RACE 2

(2) AUGUSTA ROSSO ran a cracker in the last start at decent odds, Richard Fourie is aboard and she will make her presence felt in a big way. (1) ROYAL CITY GIRL won a gutsy race in her last start and has been in good form so will be the main danger here. (4) NORTH STAR has been consistent and gets a top rider up so needs to be respected here. (3) SILVAN MISTRESS is capable on her day and can into larger perms. (Devonne Govender 2-1-4-3).

RACE 3

(3) FRENCH FLAME is holding solid form and will be a strong contender here from a top draw. (2) LAGUNA VERDE ran a cracker in the last start and will be a big danger to the top selection, he is capable of a big finish on his day and can win this. (6) WILD FIG has been racing consistently and another decent run can be expected. (8) KING RAHUL gets the claimer up and will have light mass on his back which makes a contender here. (Devonne Govender 3-2-6-8).

RACE 4

(1) ONE DANCE ran a cracker in her last start at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. She now goes 1400m and will have an outstanding chance here. It must be noted Cape form stands up strong in the province hence she is the top selections. (4) TWILIGHT BAY ran well in her last start, she will be a big challenger if repeating that last run. (9) JUST ONE KISS ran a cracker and needs to be respected here, although her overall form isn’t the most reliable she can feature. (7) GREENLIGHT DANCER has been running consistently so should be included in larger perms. (Devonne Govender 1-4-9-7).

RACE 5

(4) GALILEO STAR is in great form, he looks progressive and will be the narrow first selection after catching the eye in the last start. (3) ONE TOO MANY has been consistent and another good run can be expected. (2) KINGS AGAIN is another who is holding consistent form and will make her presence felt. (1) SPEED RACER is very capable on his day, with the claimer taking valuable weight off his back he needs to be respected here. (Devonne Govender 4-3-2-1).

RACE 6

Open looking race. (2) IZANAMI is lightly raced and has been racing well, she will go very close to winning here. (1) ALEX MILLER has been consistent and another decent run is expected. (3) FARAWAY GIRL placed at big odds in her last start, she has a much better draw this time and cannot be ignored. (4) ENDEARED won on provincial debut and has scope to go well. (Devonne Govender 2-1-3-4).

RACE 7

(8) KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ran well in the last start and is holding good form, he is capable of a big finish on his day and will be a serious contender. (3) GLOBAL STATE was impressive in his last win, and another huge run is expected. (2) FEW DOLLARS MORE is overdue for another career win, he goes well on the poly and could be a nice value bet. He is capable of doing work in a race and still produce a big finish so he cannot be ignored. (6) KEY NEWS ran well in his last start and won’t be far. (Devonne Govender 8-3-2-6).

RACE 8

(2) GREY WARRIOR has been consistent in recent starts hence he is the top selection, although he has a tough draw here he is capable of winning this. (1) PICK A POMODORO was a sudden improver when running second in his last start, he can win this if repeating that. (3) O SPACE O is holding form and is another who can feature. (4) AETHELWULF hasn’t been far in recent starts and can’t be ignored. (Devonne Govender 2-1-3-4).

RACE 9

(9) CANFORD QUEEN is never far back and will run a big race from a decent draw. (4) PYROMANIAC has been consistent in recent starts and needs respect. (7) SPOIL YOURSELF gets a much better draw now and can be included in larger perms. (8) CELTIQUE will have a quartet chance after an impressive maiden win. (Devonne Govender 9-4-7-8)

David Thiselton

 

Reigning KZN Champion Trainer Gareth van Zyl has closed within one win of Alyson Wright in this season’s race for the KZN Trainers Championship and his chances of retaining it were boosted when the useful former Highveld-based horse Barbaresco joined the yard.

 

The yard also has the campaigns of King Pelles, Imposing, Salani Kahle and thes like of Wild Justice to look forward too.

 

The Laurence Wernars and Rikesh Sewgoolam-owned grey gelding by Gimmethegreenlight, Barbaresco, is a versatile sort.

 

He has class, but also plenty of speed.

 

Van Zyl will have plenty of options with him.

 

Gareth said, “It is an exciting prospect to train him.”

 

Barbaresco is out of the useful Fort Wood mare Negroamaro, who won the Gr 3 Fillies Mile and she was second in both the Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic and Gr 1 Woolavington 2000, among other stakes places.

 

Barbaresco himself has followed in her footsteps to some extent under the guidance of the same trainer, Johan Janse van Vuuren. Like her he has earned many cheques in stakes races, although unlike her he is yet to win a black type race.

 

Interestingly, Gavin Lerena reckoned he would have gone close to winning his penultimate start over 1160m in the Gr 3 New Turf Carriers Merchants had he not been taken out just as he was beginning his run.

 

Lerena was not able to make amends over the same course and distance next time out, because Keagan de Melo has now become the retained rider for Laurence Wernars.

 

De Melo actually rode Barbaresco in his first two starts, both over the Turffontein 1160m course and distance, finishing second in both, and his last start was the first time he had ridden him since, a gap of two years and eight months.

 

Barbaresco was disappointing and unplaced last time, but Van Zyl and De Melo are likely to get the best out of him in his new KZN career.

 

Barbaresco’s best performances have been third in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, tie second in the Gr 2 Betway Jo’Burg Spring Challenge over 1450m and third in the Gr 2 Allied-Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile.

 

Subsequent to his Daily News run he came in for a ton of support for the 2024 Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July and actually started third favourite at 8/1. However, the distance seemed to stretch him and he finished a 3,50 length eighth. However, he was only a three-year-old at the time and now as a five-year-old he might get the 2200m distance. It will be interesting to see whether the lure of the R10 million stake, together with the longer handicap, will prompt Van Zyl, Wernars and Sewgoolam to have another tilt at the country’s biggest race.

 

Van Zyl does not know what Barbaresco’s program will be yet, but he did speak about the July and was in favour of the longer handicap, which will see topweight being upped to 62kg and bottom weight lowered to 52kg.

 

He said, “It opens it up as it will make it harder for the good horses and will give the less proven horses a chance, it will be an exciting race to be part of. The thing about the July has always been the speculation … in the build up every horse seems to start having a chance even though it’s not the best horse in the race and now it’s going to be even more like that.”

 

A new environment can sometimes bring out the best in a horse and this can not be better illustrated than by the six-year-old Visionaire gelding Imposing, who has won five out of his six starts since joining the Van Zyl yard.

 

He arrived there at the beginning of this season as an 82-rated horse and he is now rated 107 after four victories over 1400m and one over 1600m, with all of them being on the turf except for one on the poly.

 

Imposing shows no signs of stopping either as he won his last start on poly the going way by 3,20 lengths under Van Zyl’s stable jockey S’Manga Khumalo.

 

Gareth said, “We will start asking bigger questions of him and step him up in company and see how he does.”

 

Imposing was obviously well regarded from day one as he was aimed high from day one by his first trainer.

 

He has at last started coming into his own as a six-year-old and shown his true potential, so there is exciting times ahead with him too.

 

Meanwhile, the yard have drawn a line through the Betway Summer Cup run of the stable star, the Equus Champion Stayer King Pelles.

 

He is being targeted at the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

 

Gareth said, “He’s doing very well and we are excited to get him going again. We would like to go for the July, he will just need to do well over one of the shorter distance races to get his confidence back, but the July is the race we would like to go for.”

 

He added, “”The Hollywoodbets horse Salani Kahle looks to have a bright future too.”

 

The Master Of My Fate colt has three starts and won his last two, both over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Greyville, one on turf and one on the poly, by 6,30 and 4,20 lengths respectively.

 

Gareth also mentioned the Vercingetorix colt Wild Justice, whose four starts, all over 1200m, have yielded three wins.

The countdown is on

ONE STRIPE lines up on the world stage in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park, South Florida🌍✨

Catch him on 24 January as we back our South African racing champion and fly the Hollywood Racing flag high🇿🇦🔥

 

📺 Watch on GallopTV

🗓️ Saturday, 24 January 2026

📌 Race 12 | 00:00

Soccer10 Friday 23 January 2026. Carryover R150 000. Estimated Pool: R1.7 Million. Pool Closes at 19h30. Sport 8 and Pool 1.

Soccer10 Saturday 24 January 2026. Carryover R150 000. Estimated Pool: R1.7 Million. Pool Closes at 15h30. Sport 14 and Pool 1.

Soccer Any 13Xtra Saturday 24 January 2026. Carryover R150 000. Estimated Pool: R500 000. Pool Closes at 14h30. Sport 13 and Pool 1.

Soccer13 Saturday 24 January 2026. Carry Over R 11 846  828. All 13 CORRECT JACKPOT POOL: R 25 Million (If only One 13 of 13 Winner). Pool Closes at 16h30. Sport 10 Pool 1.

Soccer CORNERS Carryover R 3 035. Saturday 24 January 2026. Pool Closes at 17h00. Sport 74

Soccer10 Sunday 25 January 2026. Carryover R150 000. Estimated Pool: R1.7 Million. Pool Closes at 18h30. Sport 20 and Pool 1.

David Thiselton

There were only eleven horses still standing their ground in the Gr 1 wfa WSB Met before the barrier draw ceremony, which was set to take place at the Racing Pavilion at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth last evening.

Of the six yards still involved only two have won the big race before, Justin Snaith and Sean Tarry.

Justin Snaith will be out to equal Mike Bass’s record of winning the Met for four years in a row.

Bass won it three years in a row with the legendary Pocket Power from 2007 to 2009 and then with Pocket Power’s full sister River Jetez in 2010.

Snaith won it with Jet Dark in 2023, with Double Superlative in 2024 and with Eight On Eighteen in 2025.

Eight On Eighteen defends his crown this year.

If he wins it Snaith would obviously have done his four in succession with three different horses as opposed to Bass doing it with two horses.

Snaith will have achieved the remarkable feat of doing four in a row with four different horses if any of See It Again, Sail The Seas, Native Ruler, Okavango or Legal Counsel win the big race.

Richard Fourie will ride Eight On Eighteen, Andrew Fortune is on See It Again, Muzi Yeni is on Sail The Seas, JP van der Merwe is on Native Ruler, Callan Murray is on Okavango and Aldo Domeyer is aboard Legal Counsel.

Snaith holds a world record of eight winners at a single meeting, which he achieved on Met day in 2016.

He will have a chance of breaking that record at this year’s Met meeting, because he contests every one of the races and has a total of 43 runners in all at the meeting.

Sean Tarry won the Met with Alastor in 2005.

Gavin Lerena will be riding Tarry’s runner this year, Cosmic Speed.

Lerena is one of only four jockeys in this year’s race who have won the Met before.

Richard Fourie, JP van der Merwe and Aldo Domeyer are the other three.

There might only be eleven runners, but this year’s Met will be a true championship race.

Eight On Eighteen gets a chance to avenge his defeat to The Real Prince in the Hollywoodbets Durban July, a race in which he faced the latter on terms 2,5kg worse than weight for age.

He has since been defeated by The Real Prince in the Gr 1 wfa L’Ormarins King’s Plate over 1600m, but that was over a distance short of his optimum and it was his first run since the July too, so he likely needed it.

The Real Prince was defeated on wfa terms in a middle distance race after the July, when Gladatorian beat him narrowly in the Gr 1 wfa HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m.

See It Again was in third place behind that pair in that race and was a narrow third to The Real Prince in the King’s Plate, while Gladatorian was finishing fast in the King’s Plate and should enjoy the easy 2000m of Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

So the weight for age clashes of Gladatorian, The Real Prince and See It Again has its latest renewal and Eight On Eighteen joins the fray alongside the like of Garrix and Sail The Seas.

The Piet and Elbert Steyn-trained Garrix went close in the Gr 2 Ridgemont Green Point before possibly running a flat race in the King’s Plate. He finished like a train in the Green Point and should be mature enough to step up to 2000m having won the Gr 3 Legal Eagle Stakes as a Three-year-old last year before failing by a shorthead in the Listed Pocket Power Stakes over 1950m.

Sail The Seas beat Eight On Eighteen and Cosmic Speed in the Gr 2 WSB Guineas and he was a close fourth in the King’s Plate. Over 2000m he was beaten only 1,50 lengths by Eight On Eighteen in last year’s Gr 1 SplashOut Cape Derby.

Native Ruler and Okavango are capable of running good races, although their tasks at wfa level are tougher than they have had in the races they have done well in.

The Tony Peter-trained The Equator has a tougher task than he had in the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup, which is a handicap, and he has a tough task with Okavango on their meeting in the Gr 2 Anthonij Rupert Premier Trophy. However, the best might not yet have been seen of him.

Legal Counsel has never run over 2000m before but has won over 1800m and he gallantly stayed on in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate despite having gone fast early fractions.

Cosmic Speed has never tried 2000m before but stayed on well for fifth in the King’s Plate.

The Real Prince is trained by Dean Kannemeyer and it is one of the most surprising facts in SA racing that this prolific big race winner is yet to win the Met.

Gladatorian is trained by Stuart Ferrie, who has only had his license for just under three years, but he has vast training experience having worked in the like of Dubai and the USA and he was for many years assistant trainer to the masterful Dennis Drier at Summerveld.