Vaal Thursday Tips and Race Previews by David Thiselton

Race 1
Preview: ZULUONMYSTOEP (4) is a long-striding sort with plenty of scope and with the Tarry yard having hit form he could reverse form with the more exposed El Romiachi. GREAT ESTEEM (2) showed what he could do from a good draw last time over 1800m, having had two tough draws before that, and he could earn here despite the trip being on the sharp side. PACIFIC DREAM (11) should improve over this more suitable trip after being beaten ten lengths on debut over 1200m.  (David Thiselton 4-2-11)

Race 2
Preview: AFTERNOON TEA (2) is well regarded and after getting off the mark on Saturday in good style over 1160m when running all the way to the line he can follow up here over a trip he should enjoy although he will be carrying 3kg more than carded. MYNAGE (8) has finished second in both starts but was a touch one paced from a handy position last time although he could till improve. ZERNEZ (2) was doing some good work late last time over 1160m and on pedigree should relish this step up in trip. (David Thiselton 3-8-2)

Race 3
Preview: FIRE AND ICE (1) is by Noble Tune and is a half-brother to Cape Fillies Guineas winner Missisippi Burning so should enjoy this step up in trip so he can build on his useful form to date and the 4kg claim helps too. SIREN OF GREECE (11) has finished fair seconds in both starts to date and will relish the step up in trip being by Duke Of Marmalade out of Siren’s Call who failed narrowly to land the Triple Tiara. BLUE MOON CITY (5) is by Marchfield out of twice-winning Victory Moon mare from 1600-1800m. (David Thiselton 1-11-5)

Race 4
Preview: KOOL BAIKAL (2), who is by Byword out of Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic winner Urabamba, was a touch unlucky last time over 2000m but was staying on at the finish and on pedigree he has a shout of getting this trip and is well drawn. ABDUL (3) is by stamina influence The Sheik out of eleven-time Listed winner Formation who won up to 2000m. GREY STREET (4) proved he stays the trip when a narrow second last time and he has a similarly wide draw here. (David Thiselton 2-3-4)

Race 5
Preview: BELLAGIO KING (9) was not disgraced in the Derby Trial last time out and before that ran a much improved race when easily winning his maiden over this trip so he should make a bold bid from the front off a reasonable merit rating. KINGS CUP (4) just needed it last time when right up there and fading late and he now has his third run after a rest so should be right there if able to overcome a wide draw. SERENDIPITY (14) has good form over this trip and did well against the boys the last time she tried it. THERAVADA (1) has a wide draw but is course and distance suited and has a 1,5kg claimer up so can go close if finding a good position. GENTLEMAN ONLY (2) finished strongly last time for a close second over 2000m with this 2,5kg claimer up. AFRICAN ADVENTURE (2) was flying at the finish last time when losing by a length to Gentleman Only over 2000m and he would have preferred that trip although he is 0,5kg better off with Theravada for a 0,75 length beating over this trip. Reserve runner LATIN OPUS (17) has a chance if getting a run. HIGHLANDER (3) SEEKING GOLD (5) and CAPETOWN AFFAIR (7) are tough to ignore. (David Thiselton 9-4-14-1-10-2-17-3-5-7)

Race 6                                                                                    
Preview: DIORAMA (7) ran a fair fifth in the Oaks Trial and has a chance here from a good draw. TAHITIAN ORANA (8) was a length behind Diorama in that race and now has a plum draw with first-time blinkers on. JIVE EXPRESS (2) has a win and a second over course and distance but does have a five point raise to overcome for her last win. (David Thiselton 7-8-2)

Race 7
Preview: LIBERADO (7) has fine form over this trip and has won over this course and distance. AKWAAN (1) won his maiden well with first-time blinkers on last time over 1400m and now tries further which he should get because although his sire I Am Invincible was a sprinter his dam by Fastnet Rock won over this trip. WAQAAS (9) is off a competitive mark and could earn. (David Thiselton 7-1-9)

Race 8
Preview: RODGER THE DODGER (2) won well on debut and has been given a reasonable opening handicap mark. WRITTEN IN STONE (6) goes well for this jockey and will be staying on over this trip. STRIKEITLIKEAMATCH (11) has not been disgraced lately and and is off a competitive mark. (David Thiselton 2-6-11)     

To take a bet go to www.tabgold.co.za or www.trackandball.co.za

The Kings Cup run last Sunday at Hollywoodbets Greyville is a traditional precursor to the SA Champions Season, a three month feast of world class horseracing from May through July, and this year’s winner Born To Perform was fitting as he has a pedigree with the Vodacom Durban July stamped all over it.

Yet this grey gelding might never have seen a racecourse at all had it not been for the fine horsemanship and patience of trainer Dennis Bosch. 

Born To Perform’s father Silvano is the most successful July stallion in history and his mother Dancer’s Daughter won the July in 2008 in a dead-heat with the great Pocket Power.

Silvano is the only stallion in history to sire four July winners and he is also the only stallion in history to have the first three past the post in a single running. 

His four winners have been Bold Silvano is 2010, Heavy Metal in 2013, Power King in 2015 and Marinaresco in 2017. In 2015 the first three past the post, Power King, Punta Arenas and Tellina, were all by Silvano. In 2017 the first two past the post, Marinaresco and Al Sahem were both by Silvano and in 2014 he sired the first and third horses past the post.

With a pedigree like that Born To Perform was always going to attract interest at the Sales, especially as he was bred by one of the country’s top breeders, Highlands Farm Stud. He also strongly resembled his robust grey mother, Dancer’s Daughter.

He was duly hammered down for R500,000 at the CTS Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

He was then put on another sale, the CTS Empress Palace Select Yearling Sale, and was bought by Markus Jooste’s Mayfair Speculators for  R800,000. 

Jooste was then exposed in the Steinhoff scandal and Born To Perform, whose stubborn reputation preceded him, was sold on at a dispersal sale. Bosch managed to secure him for a mere R55,000 on behalf of R Hurchund. 

Dancer’s Daughter was difficult herself. She would drag riders around the training centres and on the racecourses, other times she would stop dead-still and look around and then only go when she was ready to and she would usually go faster than the rider wanted her to, and by the end of her career she was becoming reluctant to jump out of the starting stalls.

Born To Perform inherited the strength of his mother in both mind and body. Bosch explained how he would walk out of the ring in the mornings and then just stand stock still and no amount of effort would budge him. He just refused to work.

Fortunately Bosch was a top jockey in his day and he decided the only way was to ride the big horse himself,

He said, “I rode him for three months myself. I won’t do that again in a hurry! We gave him a lot of time to play in the paddock too and nursed him. A lot of work was put in by everybody in the yard. He is a sound horse but the main thing was his mind started coming right.”

There was a lot of concern when Born To Perform was taken down to the racecourse. However, he fortunately behaved everytime, sometimes with the help of a lead pony.

Born To Perform, due to his antics, only made his debut in the December of his four-year-old year. 

Bosch today thinks his late start was probably a blessing as the horse has been able to progress steadily. He believes even as a five-year-old today he is still improving.

The grey gelding has now won six of his 12 starts and the Kings Cup was the first time he had won a feature.

South Africa’s current champion jockey elect Warren Kennedy has played a big role in the horse’s success. Kennedy knows all of this horse’s quirks. In a race he leaves him alone to do his own thing and never pushes him in the early stages. Therefore, Born To Perform usually produces a strong finish from off the pace, as he did on Sunday. Kennedy has ridden Born To Perform seven times and won on him six times, an incredible strike rate.

Bosch will now be thinking of targeting a couple of similar features during the SA Champions Season. He believes Born To Perform to be of Listed to Grade 3 class at present, which is still a couple of rungs below the Grade 1 class of his mother.

Bosch admitted Born To Perform was still a difficult horse to train but concluded, “He knows us now and enjoys us so is manageable. On Sunday he didn’t even need a lead pony, he went down to the start on his own!”

By David Thiselton

The uncertainty in racing regarding the COVID-19 virus, and a period of national lockdown, has impacted on racing’s export drive. Turf Talk spoke to Adrian Todd, MD of South African Equine Health & Protocols (SAEHP) regarding the outbreak, national lockdown and how this is affecting our successful recent export initiatives and racing in general.

Obviously while exports are of vital importance to the South African industry, global health concerns have taken precedence. The pre-audit scheduled for last week by the Asian Racing Federation and the Hong Kong Jockey club has been postponed due to Governmental travel restrictions.

The official European Union (EU) audit scheduled for 20 April is currently being re-assessed regarding the date, even prior to the national lockdown this was being re-assessed. “The current outbreak of COVID-19 is an international emergency and people’s lives come first. We will be hearing from the operators regarding the impact this will have on the mechanics of racing.” said Todd.

“Regarding exports we have been assured that the audit will take place as soon as it is safely possible. SAEHP is working in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the EU auditors to explore the development of procedures that will allow as many of the presentations and record keeping assessments to be conducted remotely via video prior to the physical visit.”

Todd said that all efforts are being made to ensure that the audit goes ahead in a timely manner and that SAEHP would continue in pre-audit mode, in full preparation for the audit. “We have been assured that the EU audit will take place as soon as it is safe to resume international travel, as our country works to restore the economy after COVID-19 the ability to trade horses internationally will become even more important to the survival of our industry.

“Given the domestic movement restrictions SAEHP will continue with remote assessment of systems and ensure that we remain compliant with international equine disease risk mitigation measures. When it is safe to travel, we will get very little notice of the physical audit starting. It is imperative, therefore, that we maintain a state of preparation and that we do not drop standards.” Commented Todd.

Racing has been hovering on the edge for a while and the impending national lockdown along with a delay in the EU audit will cause further hardship to the South African industry. With the 21 day national lockdown looming, the postponing of the National Yearling Sale and other sales, this is a very difficult time for racing and breeding. Unsurprisingly, turnover is down and more so than ever before racing is in troubled waters and fighting for survival, said Todd.

The most important thing right now is to make sure that racings participants are safe. Exactly what lockdown means regarding the ongoing care of horses will no doubt be clarified in the next days. This will be devastating for the industry, but we will survive, he stated. Todd stressed that this is a pivotal moment for our industry. “In recent days we have seen racing stand united and do everything possible to take the necessary measures to make sure that racing operated in as safe a manner as possible.

“Disease control is something SAEHP is very familiar with and given our experience in the drafting of disease control protocols and the implementation thereof, SAEHP offered our assistance to racing. We are the only organisation in the industry with epidemiologists and disease control experts on our staff. We deployed this expertise to do what we can to assist in ensuring that all possible measures are taken to protect racing’s participants.”

SAEHP deployed on-staff experts last week to consult with the various centres to assist with conducting risk assessments and implementing preparedness measures at the training centres. Todd concluded: “This is not a time we can stand by and say this is someone else’s job. We the racing industry have to work together to protect racings participants, we have to save ourselves, SAEHP has disease control expertise and it was simply the right thing to do in getting involved to protect the people who live at the training centres The unity shown by the RA, Phumelela, Gold Circle, NHA, and KR is great to see and together we are all doing our best.”

– turftalk

Leaders of the South African horseracing industry met this morning in the wake of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s nationwide lockdown announcement last night and have formed a special task team to navigate the sport through the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

The task team comprises representatives from Phumelela Gaming, Gold Circle, Kenilworth Racing, the Racing Association and the National Horseracing Authority (NHA), which is charged with regulating the industry.

Racing has been taking place behind closed doors since last week and in line with the President’s ruling last night, the task team has confirmed that the race meeting at the Vaal this Thursday 26 March will be the last until further notice.

Industry betting shops, including TAB, Betting World, TABgold and Track & Ball stores, will be closed down tonight and tomorrow, and only online and telephone betting will be available from Thursday.

It is obviously critical that training centres nationally are able to operate during the lockdown and the NHA has been tasked with urgently seeking confirmation from Government that key individuals like track staff, trainers, jockeys, grooms, feed merchants, farriers and veterinary surgeons will be able to access training centres without being prevented therefrom.

In addition, the task team intends to meet soonest with the highest levels of Government to seek assistance in putting South African horseracing back onto a viable financial footing and thus protecting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people employed in the industry.

Changes in provincial government legislation and other well-publicised issues have destroyed the industry’s funding model and the virus-enforced lockdown has now put the future of the entire sport at risk.

A spokesperson for the task team said every endeavour would be made to resume racing when the current lockdown ends on 17 April, but that any such resumption would obviously take place behind closed doors and conform to any restrictions and requirements laid down by Government.

If racing does resume then, it is planned to hold a major raceday at Turffontein on Saturday 18 April, when the programme will comprise the best feature races programmed during the lockdown period, as well as the Empress Club Stakes already scheduled for that day.

In the Western Cape the Klawervlei Farm Sales Race programmed for 28 March at Durbanville will also need to be rescheduled. In addition consideration will be given to rescheduling Listed races not run in the Eastern Cape during the lockdown.

Unavoidably as a result of the loss in revenue arising from both soccer and horseracing closing down virtually globally to retard the spread of COVID-19, prize money for minor races will in all likelihood have to be reduced to keep the industry afloat.

Any such reductions will only be done after full consultation with the Racing Association, which represents the majority of racehorse owners in South Africa.

Should racing not be able to restart at the end of the current lockdown period and Champions Day, one of the big four racedays on the national calendar, cannot take place as scheduled on 2 May, it is likely that all feature races not run as a result of the lockdown will be cancelled for this year.

The task team will convene twice weekly, or as required, for the foreseeable future in order to constantly reassess the situation and to adjust plans as required.

“These are tough times for South African horseracing and the country as a whole. But racing has survived tough times before by working together and will do so again,” said the spokesperson for the task team.

Ends

The eight race card at the Vaal straight course tomorrow offers fair opportunities for exotic and on-the-nose punters.

In the first race over 1600m Zuluonmystoep is a long-striding scopey sort and the Sean Tarry yard are back in form so he looks the one to beat. Great Esteem had a good draw for a change last time over 1800m and finished a good second to Bellagio King who was subsequently not disgraced in the Listed Derby Trial. He would prefer 1800m but can place in this generally uninspiring field. Pacific Dream was beaten ten lengths on debut over 1200m but as a full-brother to Port Key, who has won twice from 1600m to 2000m and placed four times in all of his starts, he should both improve and relish the step up in trip.

In the second race over 1400m the well regarded Afternoon Tea got off the mark on Saturday after three second place finishes. He should relish this step up in trip. Mynage, who jumps from pole position, will have a chance from a likely handy position. She has been a touch one-paced in the finish in her two runner-up efforts over 1450m, but this is her third run and she is open to improvement. Zernez was not disgraced in her last two starts against stronger than this and on pedigree she should relish this step up in trip.      

In the third race over 1400m Fire And Ice is not much to look at but the same can be said of his half-sister Missisippi Burning, who won the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas. He faced some good sorts in his first four races without being disgraced and then won well over 1160m in soft ground last time, beating a decent field of maiden two-year-olds. He has to give 3kg to the non-winners here but that is alleviated by the 4kg claim of Philisande Mxoli and on pedigree and racing style he should relish the step up in trip. Siren Of Greece has finished close up placed in her only two starts, both over 1160m, and being by Duke Of Marmalade out of Siren’s Call, who failed by a stride or to to land the Triple Tiara, she will be improving and will relish the step up in trip. The Paul Peter-trained first-timer Blue Moon City is an interesting first-timer by Marchfield out of a twice-winning Victory Moon mare from 1600m to 1800m.

In the next race over 2400m, the first leg of the Jackpot, Kool Baikal looks a nice sort and is well bred being by Byword out of Fort Wood mare Urabamba, who won the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic. He was a touch unlucky last time but rallied again after switching and looks to be capable of staying this trip. Abdul has also caught the eye as one who should enjoy the trip and on pedigree should do as he is by The Sheik out of Formation whose eleven wins were up to 2000m. Grey Street is proven over the trip and should also be included.

In the next race over 1800m Bellagio King has turned the corner and was not disgraced last time in the Derby Trial, having won his maiden well over 1800m. Kings Cup has his third run after a rest and will be cherry ripe over a suitable trip. Serendipity has done well over this trip against the boys before and is not only off a competitive mark but also has a useful 4kg claimer in Philisande Mxoli aboard. Those are the preferred choices but not far behind are all of Theravada, Gentleman Only, African Adventure, Latin Opus, Highlander, Seeking Gold and Capetown Affair.

In the sixth race over 1800m Diorama stayed on quite well in the Listed Oaks Trial to not be beaten by far. She finished a length clear of Tahitian Orana who now gets the blinkers on and is well drawn. Jive Express proved her capabilities last time again and now has a win and a second over the course and distance, but she does have a five point raise to overcome.

In the seventh over 1600m Liberado has fine form over this trip and has dropped to a competitive mark. Akwaan won his maiden well over 1400m with first time blinkers on and now steps up in trip. His sire I Am Invincible was a sprinter and his Listed-winning and Grade 1-placed dam by Fastnet Rock won five times from 1200m to 1600m so he has a chance of getting this trip. Waqaas is off a competitive mark and could be in the shake up.

In the last race over 1200m Rodger The Dodger has been given a reasonable opening handicap mark after running on strongly from well of the pace to win over 1000m on debut. He could follow up over a suitable step up in trip. Written In Stone has stayed on well over this trip since gelding and can earn again. Strikeitlikeamatch makes most appeal of the rest.

By David Thiselton