Gin Fizz is well named. The daughter of Soft Falling Rain has not been the easiest to get to the racetrack but when she is in the mood, she has stamped herself as one of the better sophomore fillies to have stepped out on the Highveld this season.

The Cape Summer Season and Cape Fillies Guineas may be high on her agenda but given her temperament, Mike de Kock, who is blessed with a plethora of smart horses this season, may keep her under wraps for the Highveld Autumn season where she does not have to travel.

That’s all speculation of course, but just how she fares in The Citizen Fillies Mile (Gr3) at Turffontein tomorrow could give an indication as to where she is headed for the balance of the season.

Gin Fizz has been competing at the highest level and has not been out of the money in seven outings, her last three over the Turffontein Inside track where she finally cracked a win in a Graduation Plate after two runner-up berths.

Given that at her previous outing she had finished a close-up second to the smart older filly Vistula in the Jo’Burg Spring Challenge, that win was hardly unexpected.

She takes on her own age group tomorrow but there could be a few IED surprises in store.

Marco van Rensburg has a good mouth on him and after two indifferent rides on Spiritofthegroove, Sean ‘two strikes and you’re out’ Tarry was ready to give him the bullet.

Van Rensburg’s mouth kept him aboard and it was third time lucky, as he rode a cracker in the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Stakes, weaving his way through from a difficult draw to land the lucrative first prize.

The opposition is a lot stronger tomorrow, but Van Rensburg should now know what is required and Spiritofthegroove, fourth behind Vistula and Gin Fizz in the Spring Challenge, could prove more of a threat this time around.

The De Kock-trained Mill Queen is garnering a reputation as one of the better fillies around. She got home from an almost hopeless position to win the Starling Stakes but rank outsider Kayla’s Champ was only a length off her at the line with the Van Rensburg-ridden Wisteria Walk beaten a neck in second.

One can pick holes in Mill Queen’s form but the fact stands that she has not finished out of the first two in five starts, including a close-up second to Gabor in the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes, which puts some perspective on Kayla’s Champ’s performance.

Of the balance, Summer Pudding is unbeaten in two outings and the last run of the De Kock-trained Tallinn is best ignored and cannot be discounted lightly.

By Andrew Harrison

African Warrior can boost his Cape Guineas claims by landing the Concorde Cup at Kenilworth tomorrow although there are serious doubts about whether he is as superior to the opposition as the official ratings would suggest.

Assessments based on two-year-old running in Durban at two can sometimes fail to stand up simply because many trainers, and particularly those in Cape Town, prefer not to test their juveniles to the full as they believe a more patient approach will pay dividends in the long term.

However African Warrior, rated 112 after winning the Umkhomazi Stakes, was reassessed at 115 after his first Cape Town start when he took a 2 ¼ length fifth to One World in the Matchem from a poor draw.

“That was his best performance so far,” says Dean Kannemeyer who is bidding for his seventh win in this race. “He has to give a kilo to the whole field and it’s his first time at a mile. I think he should get it and all has gone well with him.”

Stable companion Seventh Gear is rated 7.5kg behind him but their trainer does not accept this as a true reading of their comparative ability and says: “African Warrior has earned his stripes and his rating but I think a lot of Seventh Gear.”

African Warrior is 13-10 favourite and the market leader has won four of the last ten runnings. Seventh Gear is second best at 9-2 with 6-1 about Viva Rio (who has won his last three) and Sachdev who flopped in the Cape Classic.

“I am hoping you will see a very different horse on Saturday,” says Justin Snaith. “We were disappointed with Sachdev’s run in the Cape Classic and we took his blood afterwards – I would like to have seen it better.”

Glen Kotzen, who brought off a 28-1 shock with Gold Standard three years ago, says: “I have rated Viva Rio from day one and after we gelded him he came good. He is a very smart horse.”

In the Racing Association Stakes over this trip at Fairview four weeks ago Viva Rio beat the smart Cane Lime ‘n Soda (an 8-1 chance here) by more than three lengths but part owner Robert Bloomberg reckons there were valid excuses – “They went slow and our horse was caught flat-footed. I think he can reverse the form.”

Macthief, third in the ratings, is on offer at as much as 11-1, largely because he only managed fifth in the Cape Classic but seemingly not too much notice should be taken of this. “He was giving 2kg to those who finished in front of him, he was not well drawn and he was last away. I thought he ran well,” argues Brett Crawford, “and I think he will run a big race.”

The rest are longshots but, if you fancy any of them, don’t let their price put you off. Twice in the last three years there has been a major upset with Rocket Countdown at 36-1 following on from Gold Standard.

The Cape Merchants is a difficult race to assess but it is worth noting that four-year-olds have won three of the last four runnings and that no winner has carried more than 58kg since the Stan Elley-trained Kapil humped 60kg ten years ago. A repeat of this statistic would rule out 7-2 favourite Pleasedtomeetyou.

Elusive Trader (16-1) might well get into the shake-up but the vote goes to 10-1 shot What A Winner who was beaten half a length by stable companion Russet Air (9-2) last time and is now 2.5kg better.

By Michael Clower 

TAB will operate a second Jackpot pool on one South African race meeting daily from today’s race meeting at Fairview.

The second Jackpot will start on the race after the first leg of the normal Jackpot at race meetings comprising eight or nine races.

So, at an eight-race meeting, Jackpot ONE will be on races 4 to 7 as normal and Jackpot TWO on races 5 to 8.

In the case of a nine-race meeting, Jackpot ONE will be on races 5 to 8 and Jackpot TWO on races 6 to 9.

TAB customers must note that in order to play Jackpot TWO in Phumelela regions they must mark venue oval number 9 and the first-leg race number of Jackpot TWO.

TABGOLD customers in KwaZulu-Natal totes must mark the SPQ oval.

This is in order to ensure that will pays for both Jackpot pools on a meeting can be displayed correctly. If there are two South African meetings on a day, Jackpot TWO will be offered on the race meeting likely to attract the biggest pool.

Paul Gadsby was caught off guard when the course commentator announced that La Duchesse would be ridden ‘cold’ not having given any instruction to her jockey. In any event, La Duchesse was ridden from off the pace and arrived on the scene too late, snapping a string of placed runs.

Making excuses for beaten horses is bad punting policy but Warren Kennedy is back in the irons for the first at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow evening and La Duchesse may be worth another chance in spite of being labelled a bookies favourite.

Her latest defeat was particularly painful for those that had banked her in their exotics as the field looked ripe for the taking. Tonight, she faces a more competitive line-up. Masters Beauty was much improved last run but may have found the 2000m a touch too far when trying to make all. Lightly raced, she appears to have come to hand and this shorter trip should suit. Imperial Seal comes from an in form stable and has been close up at recent starts while Storm Tune has come to hand and goes well over course and distance and is a must for all bets.

Keeping up with an ever-changing programming can be a testing exercise and for the first time in KZN we have Progress and Graduation Handicaps. The first of these comes in the second, a Progress Handicap (maximum three-time winners capped at MR90) for fillies and mares. Wendy Whitehead has been amongst the winners of late and she saddles Liquid Irish in an exceptionally difficult race with all 11 runners in with some sort of chance. Liquid Irish has only once been out of the money and was a game winner of her last start beating the useful Statute. She is equally at home on the poly and the turf and should be thereabouts. The lightly raced Star Vega won well from a wide draw on her poly debut and may still have more to come. She should start at long odds as should Just One More looks held on current form, but this is her third run after a break and improvement is expected off her light weight. This trio could be the pick in a tough race.

Head Boy is the obvious choice in the third given his consistent form over the trip and the modest opposition but Paddy’s Legacy is the highest rated runner who was badly in need of his last start. He makes his poly debut and had shown some fair Highveld form early in his career. Royal Pursuit showed improvement first time out for his new stable and on the poly. He may be worth following.

Backing horses first up in handicap company is a risky business but Silva Magic finally got it right when coming from a long way back to shed her maiden and second-placed Magic Mountain has franked that form. Silva Magic does face stronger here but is lightly raced and can go in again. Zagara is on her favourite surface and found good market support last outing while Silver Prancer improved last run and her two best recent efforts have been on the poly. Chatty Cathy finally had some luck last run for a well deserved win and is definitely not out of the reckoning.

By the way, JG Guthrie is not a new trainer – Julie Dittmer married Gordon Guthrie last month. All the best Jules.

By Andrew Harrison

The National Horseracing Authority confirms that an Appeal was held in Johannesburg on 15 November 2019, against the finding and the penalty relating to a contravention of Rule 72.1.11 imposed by an Inquiry Board on 8 August 2019.

BACKGROUND:

At an Inquiry held at its offices in Turffontein on 8 August 2019, Jockey M Yeni was charged with a contravention of Rule 72.1.11, in that whilst riding the horse MR GREENLIGHT, he intimidated and interfered with Jockey L Hewitson, when he took his hand off his left side rein and placed it on Jockey Hewitson’s arm, in the second race at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse on 27 July 2019.

Mr Yeni pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Inquiry Board found Mr Yeni guilty of the charge.

In determining a suitable penalty, the Inquiry Board balanced Mr Yeni’s factors in mitigation with the need to protect the integrity of horseracing, the public’s perception regarding racing control and from circumstances which have the potential to cause danger to both horse and rider. Accordingly, the Inquiry Board imposed a suspension from riding in races for a period of 90 (ninety) days.

Mr Yeni was afforded the right of Appeal against the finding and the penalty imposed.

The National Horseracing Authority and Mr Yeni were legally represented at the Appeal hearing.

The Appeal Board found as follows:

The Appeal Board dismissed the Appeal in respect of the guilty finding by the Inquiry Board as well as the penalty imposed by the Inquiry Board.

The Appeal Board noted that because of the seriousness of the contravention by Mr Yeni, if appropriate evidence in respect of aggravation of penalty had been led on behalf of The National Horseracing Authority, the Appeal Board would have been prepared to consider interfering with the penalty imposed, by increasing same.  However, the Appeal Board elected not to interfere with the penalty imposed by the Inquiry Board of a suspension from riding in races for a period of 90 (ninety) days.

The Appeal Board ordered that the prescribed fee be forfeited in terms of rule 85.5.8. The decision of the Appeal Board was unanimous.

– NHA