Summerveld trainer Paul Lafferty was thrilled his charge Bint El Malak could win the lucrative Hollywoodbets Sizzling Summer Horse challenge for stalwart owner Brian Riley.

Riley also owns the third-placed horse Explosive Beauty in partnership with Sherwin Jerrier.

Lafferty said, “Brian and Sherwin are two of the gentlemen of the game, every stable would like to have people of this ilk in their yard.”

Lafferty said that once Bint El Malak, a four-year-old Kings Chapel filly, had gathered 14 points with a win on the first day of the challenge, which stretched out over three months from December 1 to February 29, it was decided to try and win it.

That first win was in a qualified maiden in her 13th start, but nevertheless she started out her handicapping career in fine style with two seconds, a win, a third and a sixth. This increased her tally to 75 points and she finished eight clear of Wendy Whitehead’s Jayden’s Shreya.

Lafferty said, “I didn’t think she would improve that much, but she did and is still in fine shape so will probably be out again soon.”

The competition came at the right time for the yard because in about October last year they had finally overcome a persistent virus which had blighted them for about a year.

The yard then hit form and Lafferty finished second in the Sizzling Summer Trainer’s competition.

He said, “Garth Puller was too strong but I think we had the highest percentage if I’m not mistaken. Well done to the Puller yard. Alyson Wright in third place also pressed hard and won a number of races for their clients, who have got to be happy.”

Lafferty praised Hollywoodbet for the initiative in providing this excellent incentive.

Warren Kennedy won the Jockeys challenge from Anton Marcus.

The R750,000 total prize money, R250,000 for each of the three challenges, was split between the first six places with R100,000 going to the winner of each challenge.

Lafferty and team are determined the yard will never be affected so badly by a virus again and have taken extreme precautions. He said, “We check bloods everyday and it was a very tough time, the blood pictures were shocking. But the horses have come well and now we take many measures, including spraying the boxes with viruscides and administering herpes injections every three months.”

By David Thiselton

Greg Cheyne, heading for his best season in terms of races won, rides two favourites and three second favourites from eight rides when Cape Town racing reverts to Durbanville on Saturday.

The early betting suggests that his best prospect is the Andre Nel-trained Tostada who has opened a warm 11-10 favourite for the Racing Association Maiden (race two) but Our Prized Jewel also heads the market in the Hospitality & Venue Booking Handicap. The Brett Crawford-trained 2-1 shot was impressive when odds-on for her debut and is bred in the purple, being a half-sister to both Cape Fillies Guineas winner Silver Mountain and SA Nursery scorer Cloth Of Cloud.

Cheyne is on the 127-winner mark at the moment and his present strike rate suggests he will top last season’s 160 winner total. Three times before he has bettered 150 winners.

Also doing well is Grant van Niekerk who is lying fifth on the Hong Kong log with 31 winners, the same number he achieved in the whole of last season. But, being Van Niekerk, he has also had interference problems and has had five suspensions since September. These have cost him nearly R400 000 in fines alone.

He told the Racing Post’s Graham Cunningham: “Racing here is quick – you are always trying to find the best position – so occasionally you are going to find a bit of trouble. I just have to make sure it doesn’t happen as often and do my best to stay out of the boardroom!”

By Michael Clower

A maiden winner with a merit rating in the 90’s is either good according to the handicappers, or over rated if you listen to the trainer. The handicappers won out at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday as Winter Sun gave all sunburn in the Durban View Restaurant Novice Plate.

Michael Roberts thought well enough of Winter Sun to race her mostly in feature company last season that earned the filly a lofty 97 rating. But yesterday she showed that her rating was very much in the mark.

Roberts, a world champion rider in his day, has given Serino Moodley a break and he has paid the faith. “Mister Roberts picked the right race.

“She gave me a good feel at work so this was not a surprise. Mister Roberts told me to ride her aggressively and she won well.”

“She over race in the Flamboyant, and she pulled her way to the front,” opined Roberts. “I thought this Novice Plate would suit her. She’s a nice filly.”

Shane Humby is a trainer of few words and his runners seldom have a lot of mileage on the clock. Prime example was Mr Fitz, a four-year-old with just seven runs under his belt, but who stamped himself as a horse for South Africa’s Champion Season with a convincing win.

“He was not putting it in so we had to resort to the unkindest cut of all,” he explained.

This was the now gelded Mr Fitz’s first outing minus his family jewels and he produced for stable rider Donovan Dillon. “He needed gelding but still looked to get out of it and I had to give him a few reminders,” said Dillon.

Humby is not one to run his horses for the sake of it but has built up a band of patient owners.

“I don’t tell my trainer what to do,” said former bookmaker Trevor Fourie who has a share in Mr Fitz. “He trains the horse so knows what is best, I don’t get involved.”

Mr Fitz, not out of the money in his seven starts, could be a horse to follow in the next few months.

Earlier Humby was in front of the TV cameras after Diamondsandpearls landed the first leg of his double. Notching her fourth win, she is not the easiest temperament wise but has been a good earner for owner Geoffrey van Lear.

The filly has temperament issues but, “we are getting on top of them and once we have sorted them out, she can go further,” said Humby.

Frank Robertson is not known for producing his two-year-olds early but he may have uncovered a gem in Love Bomb who quickened away like a good horse to win the Maiden Juvenile Plate.

The luckless Ziva De Grace did everything right but was no match for the finishing burst of Love Bomb.

“She’s got everything,” commented a clearly impressed Robinson. “From day one she has looked like a good filly and I think she can go the whole way. I rate her highly.”

Sean Veale was equally impressed. “I said to Frank, ‘don’t take me off this one.’  I think that she can go on to win a small feature.”

By Andrew Harrison

Kenilworth Racing is to have a general manager once more. This post was abolished, presumably as a cost-cutting measure, some years ago and was not thought necessary when the day-to-day running of Kenilworth and Durbanville was taken over by Phumelela under a management arrangement.

Recruitment consultants Baard and Partners have been appointed to find a suitable person and their advertisement appears on the Sporting Post website. Applicants are expected to have a post-graduate business qualification and at least ten years of relevant experience.

The job involves rather more than just ‘the buck stops with you’ problems on racedays and complaints from racegoers. The successful applicant will be expected to secure maximum returns from the company’s considerable property portfolio as well as from functions and conferences, and also to attract sponsors.

The appointment will be a major stepforward in re-establishing good relations with the racing and betting public. For too long racegoers have had nobody to whom they could address their concerns – whether they were about the food, betting display boards, non-working escalators or anything else. Just having somebody who is known to be in overall charge will work wonders. Applications should be emailed to info@baardandpartners.co.za.

Jonathan Snaith and Justin Vermaak have resigned from the Western Cape Chapter of the Racing Association at the RA’s agm held at Kenilworth and Turffontein Racecourses last month. This is one of several fascinating facts to emerge from the copy of the minutes obtained by the Sporting Post and published on its website.

The relevant minute states that they resigned under the terms of the RA’s Memorandum of Incorporation but (surprisingly) did not make themselves available for re-election. They have been replaced by racecourse commentator Philip Sarembock and Drakenstein racing manager Kevin Sommerville who will sit alongside CTS sales boss Wehann Smith, Ridgemont’s Craig Kieswetter and Avontuur Stud owner Philip Taberer.

Sarembock called for riding fees to be reduced in order to increase the return to owners. Quite what the jockeys will make of this proposal can only be imagined! The proposal was not adopted but, according to the minutes “discussions were ongoing.”

Mike de Kock, who is a director of the RA, proposed that money contributed by race sponsors should be split 50:50 between stakes and Phumelela. At one time Phumelela got the lot but at the moment it is divided 70:30 with Phumelela taking the lion’s share.

By Michael Clower

Summerveld trainer Gavin van Zyl is the only raiding trainer in either of the two classics at Turffontein this Saturday.

He travels his promising Duke Of Marmalade filly Dancing Feather up on Friday to compete in the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic. 

He said, “She is doing well, I am happy with her, she is in a good space. If she reproduces either her 1600m maiden win or her following win over 1750m she will be competitive and that is why I am sending her, I think she has a shout. She is a good horse and we have to give her this chance. She was going further and further away and used all of the straight atGreyville and Scottsville in both of those wins so she should enjoy the Turffontein Standside course. She is not big but stands over a bit of ground and although slightly long in the back is nicely made and has a good action. Keagan de Melo has been very happy with her work and is upbeat about her.”

Meanwhile, Van Zyl’s Grade 1-winning Equus two-year-old champion from last season Gabor is set to make her comeback ahead of her SA Champions Season campaign. She had a problem with her knee which was “not serious” but required time off.

He is bullish too about the future of two three-year-olds in the yard, Trippi gelding Guru’s Pride, who has won three in succession, and Silvano filly Voice Of Reason, who won her maiden third time out over 1600m at Kenilworth. Both of their formlines are looking good and they could be possible SA Champions Season campaigners. 

Older stalwart Blackball continues to do his owners proud.

The yard is looking particularly strong in the two-year-old division. 

Van Zyl is already eyeing the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and other features with Greenlighttoheaven, who cruised to victory in a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m at Scottsville on debut.

Waiting in the wings is the like of R800,000 purchase Secret Is Ours, a Dynasty full-brother to Bela-Bela, who did well in a Barrier Trial recently.

Van Zyl has another superbly bred Dynasty colt called Gotitall, who is out of a USA-bred mare whose dam is a half-sister to a very successful USA-bred sire called Jump Start. Gotitall was scratched from a recent barrier trial as he needs a bit more time

Van Zyl said a full-brother to Rocketball, and therefore a half-brother to Blackball, should be looked out for in a forthcoming barrier trial.

There are others too by the like of Silvano and Global View to keep an eye out for.

By David Thiselton