Mount Anderson gave hope for local participants in South Africa’s Champion Season Classics and Guru’s Pride could be added to that list after tonight’s meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville. Gavin van Zyl’s gelding lines up in the Soccer Any 15 Handicap on the poly and although he steps up in class, he does appear to have a touch of class himself.

“He’s a very, very nice horse,” confirmed Van Zyl after his recent win. “The owners can look forward to some fun.”

“He came up on us a bit when he won over 1000m. I think the Natal (KZN) Guineas will be the ideal race for him.”

“I rode work on him on Monday and thought ‘wow this is a nice horse.’ I was very confident going into this race,” according to stand-in pilot Serino Moodley who was deputising for stable rider Warren Kennedy that day.

Guru’s Pride put to bed a fairly smart field in that race and looks capable of taking the step up in spite of the presence of the more experienced and exposed older runners Caliente, Gimme Peace and Q The Music.

If he can’t, then the swan may just be an ordinary goose.

An indication of Guru’s Pride’s chance could come early where African Sunrise, second when the two met, lines up in a Novice Plate, second race on the card.

However, Wendy Whitehead’s gelding was clearly second best behind Guru’s Pride but prior to that hacked up in his maiden. A win for African Sunrise will add plenty of gloss to Guru’s Pride’s prospects but a better proposition could come in the form of Nathan Kotzen’s runner, Arizona Silk.

He has been close-up in useful older company and a repeat of his narrow defeat to Stream Ahead three runs back will put him in with a strong chance.

The filly Electric Surge and the consistent Lundy’s Lad are others to consider.

Lowly fillies and mare’s handicaps are seldom races to plunge on and the Track & Ball Gaming Handicap poses similar problems and is not a race to cut down on expenses. But the two who could fight it out are Satin Slipper and Ms Rosa Parks. The two met last time out with Mr Rosa Parks finishing two lengths ahead of tonight’s rival who jumped from the extreme outside gate. Satin Slipper is also 2kg better off and drawn inside of Ms Rosa Parks which should bring them a lot closer together.

Brave Lass looks capable of getting off the mark in the fifth, a modest maiden field. Lightly raced, she has come into her own recently and the trip holds no fears. Duchess Of Malfi, having her first run in KZN and also making her poly debut, started favourite for Glen Kotzen but a wide draw and an unfamiliar surface may have been her undoing. Anton Marcus has picked up the ride and replaces Warren Kennedy who has switched to Brave Lass which could prove a subtle pointer. Of the balance, Sacred Blues was a little disappointing last run after a much improved previous sprint but she jumps in trip and is one to watch.

By Andrew Harrison

Halfway To Heaven’s feat of producing three Grade 1 winners with her first three foals might be a world record according to Cape Town-based racing guru Charles Faull and she needs just one more Grade 1 winner to become the most prolific Grade 1-producing mare in South Africa history.

She is owned by the current champion breeders, Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Studs, and her three runners to date are Rainbow Bridge (won the Grade 1 Sun Met and Grade 1 Champions Cup), Hawwaam (Grade 1 SA Classic, Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge, Grade 1 Daily News 2000) and Golden Ducat (Grade 1 ARC Commemorative Cape Derby). 

Faull’s Action Racing Online website named seven other South African mares who have produced three Grade 1 winners each since 1940, they being: AVE MARIA (stakes winner) (Israfeel –SA Oaks, Jelal Shah-SA Guineas, Kerason- Durban July); FIRST LISA (Stakes winner) (Divine Fashion-Garden Province, Counter Action-Champions Cup, Perfect Order-Paddock Stakes); JULIE ANDREWS (Gr1 winner) (Principal Boy –Durban July, Col Pickering-Hawaii Stakes, Grease Paint- SA Oaks); LOYAL LINDA (placed) (Gold Flier- Smirnoff, Successful Bidder- Gold Challenge, Trust Antonia- Allan Robertson); MARITIME (3 wins)  (Top Gallant- SA Guineas and Cape Derby, Sea Cottage-seven Gr1 wins. Naval Escort- Durban July);  REACTION (Stakes winner) (Nervous Tension- Cape Guineas, Hifrac-SA Derby, Response-Cape Guineas); TECLA FIELDS (winner) Circle Of Life-Garden Province, African Lion- Champions Cup, Zebra Crossing- Met).

Maritime was probably the most celebrated of the above seven, having produced the immortal Sea Cottage as well as another Durban July winner and a Durban July runner up.

One mare who can be considered unlucky to miss out was Trade Enquiry, who stood at Bruce le Roux’s Spring Valley Stud in the KZN Midlands. Her first of five foals was Grade 1 Woolavington winner Count The Money, her second foal was Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and Champions Cup winner Buy And Sell and her fourth foal was the SA Oaks winner Bedloe’s Island. However, the SA Oaks, which has periodically enjoyed Grade 1 status, was a Grade 2 at the time. 

Two famous names who are missing from the above list are Drohsky and Ethane.

1929-born Drohsky, imported from Great Britain, produced nine winners from eleven foals, including Lenin, who was widely considered the greatest racehorse South Africa had seen before the appearance of Colorado King and Sea Cottage in the 1960s. Drohsky was revered as a foundation mare of the Birch Brothers, who were SA Champion breeders more than 40 times. She is the third dam of Sea Cottage and appears in the pedigree of many Birch Brother greats.

Ethane produced the greats William Penn and Hawaii and also left a lasting influence, with an example being twice Equus Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle, who has her as his fifth dam.    

Halfway To Heaven has a full-brother and full-sister to Hawwaam (Silvano) on the ground as well as a Querari foal, so she should go on to smash more records. 

By David Thiselton

Strathdon, beaten less than a length when fifth in the New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers on Sun Met day, has been installed 16-10 favourite for the Kenilworth Cup at Cape Town’s Leap Year meeting on Saturday.

Tap O’Noth, a neck second in that race, finished over half a length in front of The Justin Snaith six-year-old that day, but Vaughan Marshall’s hope now has to concede 2kg and is second favourite at 18-10.

Dynasty’s Blossom was three lengths behind Tap O’Noth when ridden by Ryan Moore on that occasion and she reopposes on the same terms. Corne Orffer rides the mare for the first time in public and she is third favourite at 9-2.

Snaith, by his own admission expecting a “monster day,” has three favourites and three second favourites from his 14 runners.

By Michael Clower

The richest race in history, the US $20 million Saudi Cup, will be screened live on Tellytrack at 12 noon on Saturday 29 February.

It will be run on a dirt surface over 1800m at King Abdulaziz Racetrack.  

The race has attracted a star studded field from around the globe, including Maximum Security, whose only two losses in nine races were in a preparation outing and when controversially disqualified in the Kentucky Derby. This Jason Servis-trained colt is by the Street Cry sire New Year’s Day and was the meritorious winner of the Derby, having crossed the line well clear. He will be hard to beat, especially as the surface is predicted to favour front-runners. However, he will have to handle the new environment and also the absence of standard USA medication lasix and bute, which is not allowed in this race.  

Top America dirt horses McKinzie and Mucho Gusto could be the chief threats.

They are both trained by Bob Baffert, who has won the Dubai World Cup before and is more used to shipping and running horses internationally than is Servis. 

McKinzie is reportedly in the best form of his career.

Mucho Gusto was the winner of the recent Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

Aiden O’Brien runs the mare Magic Wand, who was second in the Pegasus World Cup Turf invitational last time out, but her pedigree suggests she might not be suited to dirt. 

Benbatl is an interesting contender from Britain as he has won three Group 1s, all on different continents, and is currently in good dirt form in Dubai.

Frankie Dettori rides Gronkowski, second to Justify in the 2018 Belmont Stakes, but he was well beaten by Benbatl last time out in Dubai.

Chrysoberyl and Gold Dream finished first and second respectively in Japan’s Champions Cup.

The remaining two are both from America, Midnight Bisou, who was second in the Breeders Cup Distaff, and two-time Group 1 winner Tacitus, who comes off a disappointing third in the Group 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup.

By David Thiselton

Winning your first horse race, be it apprentice jockey or trainer, is a thrill never forgotten. As an owner it is even more special as it can be a long time between drinks.

The horse winning in the first-time owner’s colours gives even more of a kick and Wayne Maybery could hardly wipe the smile off his chops after Stella Act won the first at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday.

Apprentice Jabu Jacobs steered the filly home for trainer Glen Kotzen, Maybery and partners and giving Jacobs the first of his three winners.

Summerhill-bred Stella Act was the second winner for freshman sire Act Of War and was never in doubt from the jump as Jacobs let her roll chased home by favourite Nirvana Girl and Ziva De Grace.

Jacobs made it a quick double getting Matchless Captain home in the second for Brett Crawford, favourite Candy Man arriving on the scene too late to trouble the winner.

Brunilda was an armchair ride for Anton Marcus as the Garth Puller-trained filly put six lengths over the opposition in the third.

Behind every horse that steps onto the track there is a story.

Most are mundane but there is always a story.

Keep On Dancing boasts a pedigree, that with a win or two behind her name will make her a sought-after broodmare, but she nearly did not make it to the track.

“She degloved (badly skinned) a leg that she had to be rested for six months,” revealed Wendy Whitehead. “But Jane Thomas said we should send her to Summerveld and give her a try.”

“She was a box walker, or should I say she ran in the box.

“So, I built her a lean-too and she lives outside.

“She only comes in when it’s raining – a really a big storm.”

Having only her third start, Stuart Randolph played cat-and-mouse.

He let To The Max and Empress Ella pass him in the straight, but when he asked for an effort, Keep On Dancing took to the floor like the winner of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.

Jet Lignite finally proved brave enough to win a race as Tristan Godden coaxed him home.  “This horse has so much talent but he’s his own worst enemy,” confided Alyson Wright.

“He’s not a brave horse, he’s always got to have his friend with him, Kotchka, the lead pony.”

“They went so slow he should have led but we wanted him to settle.

“When he gets to the other horse you saw that he just wants to stay there.”

Wright and stable rider Tristan Godden were back for a further welcome into the winner’s circle with Deposition denying Jacobs and Puller their fourth winner of the afternoon.

Godden, talented enough to be selected to attend the British Racing School apprentice programme in his formative years has had a spell in the doldrums but has come good with valuable support from Wright and Paul Lafferty, was wary of stable companion and favourite Sea Sponge.

Apprentice Khanya Sakayi, after a solid start to his career, has been short of confidence and winners in recent months, but a winner does wonders for confidence as he picked up a chance ride in the last for Tony Rivalland and obliged on Clara for one of racing stalwart owners, Mary Liley.

By Andrew Harrison