Vaal-based Peter is “leaning towards” the Dupont gelding Forest Fox as his chief contender in the Sales race, where he also runs the impressive debut winning Judpot filly Eliza Doolittle and the promising Rebel King filly London.

He said, “They are all extremely well. Forest Fox’s prep has gone perfectly and he is a decent horse.”

Sean Cormack

This gelding looked to be going nowhere over 1400m at the Vaal last time off an 87 merit rating against older campaigners, but then suddenly got his mind on the job and sauntered clear to an impressive  2,5 length win. The penny appeared to have dropped in that race, which was just his fourth career outing.

Peter confirmed that Forest Fox, having tended “to fall asleep early in his races early”, now appeared to have “woken up” and had been “more enthusiastic” in his work. He continued, “There looks to be a bit off pace in the race, which will suit him.”

Eliza Doolittle hardly came off the bit on debut in a moderate workrider’s maiden to win by seven lengths and impressed with her long, comfortable stride. Peter said afterwards that she had only been “about 70% fit” for that race.

He said, “She has tons of improvement to come. But this race does come a bit soon and she is drawn wide.”

London impressed when stepped up to 1450m for the first time last August in a decent maiden on the Turffontein Inside track, finding a strong finish to beat useful sorts like Gold Cup Girl and Will I Do by 4,5 lengths and 10,75 lengths respectively. She was disappointing in her next two starts, but was running on quite well last time out over 1600m. Peter said, “She had a muscle problem which we have sorted out and she has been working well.” London is well drawn and if she finds her best form she could be an outsider to consider.

Peter has taken all three horses to see the course.

Derreck David is usually Peter’s first choice jockey, but in this case Sean Cormack rides Forest Fox (draw 8), Gunther Wrogemann rides Eliza Doolittle (draw 14) and JP van der Merwe rides London (draw 5). Peter explained, “Hassen Adams wanted Sean Cormack to ride Forest Fox and we weren’t sure whether Eliza Doolittle would qualify so Derreck accepted the ride on Dominic Zaki’s horse (The Stones). Derreck did want to ride Forest Fox.”

Peter’s Mod Barley looks well held in the Gr 3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap, but he said, “He is working well at home.”

He said about his charge Mogok Master, who gives weight to the rest of the field in a Juvenile Plate over 1000m, “He is an extremely good horse and is strong in the field. He should follow up on his debut win.”

He said: “I have no choice now but to go for a fusion which is the last case scenario. I have been told that it means losing a lot of the movement in my wrist and hand so I won’t be able to ride. The whole reason for having the first op was to avoid the fusion but it wasn’t a success.

“In a way it has come as a surprise and, while I have obviously thought about the future, I don’t yet know what I will do. I don’t think I will train – it’s not my cup of tea.”

Hatt,50, calculates that he rode some 2 300 winners and the tally includes J & B Mets on Bunter Barlow (2001) and River Jetez (2010), and three Queen’s Plates on Wainui (1989) and Winter Solstice (2005 and 2006).

He said: “I had so much to look forward to with Futura and the others in Brett Crawford’s yard, as well as my great relationship with Brett. Things were going so well but I’m not complaining. I’ve had a great time and I wouldn’t have done anything else. Indeed, if I were to come back in another life, I would be a jockey again!”

The Philippi trainer said: “I normally have a stable of 24 but I am now down to 11 and the yard is a mere shadow of what it used to be.

“A lot of people have promised to help me and some have already come to the party. I said to Lionel Adams ‘Please, I need horses’ and he bought this filly out of Dean’s yard. It shows the faith he has in me and he has been rewarded at the first attempt.

“Before this I was very despondent because, if you haven’t got the stock, you can’t produce the goods. You work hard but you don’t get results. This win shows that I just need a bit of support and I will be back to myself.”

The win was also a change of luck for Morne Winnar who had ridden only two previous winners this term. It was the fourth for Van Reenen, 43, who has a string of Graded races to his credit including the Final Fling three times, the Victress, Cape Summer Stayers, Winter Derby and Winter Classic.

Greg Ennion pulled off a remarkable feat in sending out Rhona Beck’s Monsoon Magic (Greg Cheyne’s 80^th winner of the season) to win for the second time in her last three starts because the three-year-old filly has loose bone chips in both fetlock joints.

Ennion said: “She chipped the joints in her first start in October. We put her legs in ice for 40 minutes twice a day and she lives on a type of aspirin that is legal. She will have to be operated on but I would like to keep her going until after the Fillies Winter Series.

“Had it not been for the chips I would have stuck my neck out and run her in the Cape Fillies Guineas and the Paddock Stakes. She will go for next year’s Paddock Stakes.”

Grant Behr went to hospital for x-rays yesterday but he is confident that he will be cleared to resume at Kenilworth on Wednesday when he has four rides for Dean Kannemeyer and one for Eric Sands. He was hurt on the way to the start on Steady Beluga in the Macsteel Maiden.

He said: “She stopped dead at the road, reared up twice and smashed me in the face with her head.”

The 19-times champion jumps jockey announced at Newbury on Saturday that he will retire at some point this season, but he still plans to ride at the Cheltenham Festival and in the Grand National ahead of the final day of the jumps season at Sandown on April 25.

He told Sky Sports News: “I want to hopefully be able to ride at the Cheltenhams and the Aintrees – the big Festivals – and then take a view.

“I’m not looking forward to it but I haven’t set any specific day or any specific date. I will just take it as it comes and see how it happens.

“I want to ride in the Grand National and I want to ride in a lot of those bigger races that are left in the season so I honestly don’t know when the day will come.

“It could be the last day of the season, it could be beforehand, it’s not something that I’ve set a specific day or date on.”

Barring injury McCoy will be crowned champion jockey for an unbelievable 20th successive year after riding his 200th winner of the season on Mr Mole at Newbury shortly before he announced his retirement.

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Earlier, the Weiho Marwing-trained Australian-bred filly Sensible Lover ended the unbeaten run of the Ormond Ferraris-trained Lazer Star in the Gr 3 Three Troikas Stakes over 1450m, although she was receiving plenty of weight from the latter.

Belong To Me, a three-year-old colt by Antonius Pius, had a slight stamina doubt over the trip, but was fine value considering he finished just 3,25 lengths back to the champion Harry’s Son in the Gr 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m on the standside track, albeit when receiving 2,5kg.

He disappointed in the lucrative R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m at Kenilworth, but bounced back with a win over 1160m at Turffontein. The latter race gave Donavan Mansour the opportunity to get a feel of the speedy bay, who proved much more suited to the tight Inside track 1450m on Saturday than he was to the Standside 1400m.

Mansour rode a finely judged race again and his mount had enough in the tank late to just get the better of the persistent Australian-bred Mike de Kock-trained Redoute’s Choice colt Mutamakkin. The latter was backed in to 7/2 and was a touch disappointing, considering he was receiving 2kg from Belong To Me and 3,5kg from Unparalleled. However, he does have some stamina on his female side and will be better suited to further, so could still be a player in the Triple Crown events.

Unparalleled, a gelding by Lateral, was dropped out to last from a wide draw by Gavin Lerena, but finished powerfully to be beaten just 0,5 lengths. He will relish returning to the standside track 1600m of his facile Gr 2 Dingaans victory, in which he beat the Paul Lafferty-trained KZN raider Harry’s Son in testing conditions by 4,25 lengths.  He will renew rivalry with Harry’s Son over the Dingaans course and distance in the Gauteng Guineas and the latter will be hoping for faster ground.

The Tony Ruffel did nothing to quash the overall opinion that this is not a vintage three-year-old male crop, although the unbeaten Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal, who is due to meet the like of Unparalleled and Harry’s Son in the R2 million Gr 1 SA Classic at the end of March, could still prove to be something special.

The three-year-old fillies crop, on the other hand, is unquestionably strong and Sensible Lover, who is by Good Journey, a Gr 1 mile winner at Woodbine in Canada, is the latest to put her hand up. She was officially receiving 7,5kg from the Toreador filly Lazer Star, but jockey Marco van Rensburg was reportedly riding 1,5kg overweight and it was also only the filly’s third career start.

The mighty De Kock-trained Majmu will square up to the exciting Gr 1 Thekwini winner, the Duncan Howells-trained Same Jurisdiction, in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas and the Three Troikas one-two finishers should add to what should be a vintage field in that race. Sensible Lover will likely relish the Standside 1600m trip having rallied to just get the better of Lazer Star on Saturday. The Fillies Guineas will tell whether it was the trip or the weight that was the Lazer Star’s undoing.