After a two-month break and having various appendages stitched back together, multiple champion Anton Marcus is back in full-time action at Hollywoodbets Greyville this evening. Never one to sit back and let others dictate his course of action, Marcus has had two barrier trials to test fitness and booked himself some competitive rides that will hopefully announce his return.

First up he partners Valiente for Brett Crawford in the card opener where the switch back to the poly should prove beneficial after disappointing on turf last time out. Assistant Peter Muscutt has removed the blinkers and Valiente looks the part in a field that shows modest form.

Marcus has taken advantage of Warren Kennedys absence due to the latter’s seven-day suspension and partners a few hot runners for Gavin van Zyl including the first timer Whizz Of Odds in the second.

“Whizz Of Odds barrier trialled well but unfortunately has a bad draw. But we are taking our chances because she is very quick. I rate her and she has a good winning chance,” commented Van Zyl to colleague David Thiselton mid-week.

Vying for favouritism are Another Secret and Royal View, the two finishing within a head of each other when last they met. Another Secret has the better draw this time around and that may give her the edge. Also in the mix is Katie’s Treasure who makes her poly debut but has shown some ability. The switch of surfaces could bring out the best in her.

Marcus has another plum ride in Wave, also for Gavin van Zyl. Wave is another that makes his poly debut but although returning from a break he has strong form in feature company. He had the worst of the draw over a mile in the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes last start but prior to that was up with the best of his generation. Tonight’s trip is possibly on the short side but Van Zyl has declared blinkers and Wave could prove a little too smart for this line-up even though he is up against some useful opposition and Marcus will have to trim to 56kg!

Railtrip is another that Van Zyl is warming up for bigger things and he appears to have picked the ideal race for her second outing of the season in the Concorde Cranes Graduation Plate. Although taking on males, Railtrip is well in at the weights and is a smart filly who should come on lengths from her last run. About the obvious dangers; What A Blast is back on his favourite surface while Dennis Drier saddles a lively pair in Walterthepenniless, who is possibly the stable elect, and Bank Robber who has his third run after a break and improved nicely last time out.

If not making the winner’s enclosure by the fourth, Marcus should be on the mark in the fifth where he partners La Duchesse for Paul Gadsby. Placed in her last five starts, she is due a change of fortune and outside of a possible threat from the disappointing – to date at least – Tarocco, La Duchesse should be hard to beat.

The sixth is a tricky handicap with many in with chances but On The Double has her third run after a break and has been up against stronger in those two starts. She tries blinkers and should be cherry-ripe. Barinois has been consistent and her last win was over course and distance. She takes a small rating drop and with a claiming apprentice aboard will be a threat. One to watch is American Princess. She scrambled home on debut but was expected to do it a little easier so may have more to come.

The seventh has an impossible look about it but Agent Murphy is lightly raced and does appear to have some scope. He was in need of his last run when taking on stronger and can feature prominently in a tough contest. There is very little separating the likes of Grande Maestro, Sovereign Soldier, Roy’s Taxi, Rumbleinthejungle and Jonathan while the honest soldier Putchini, out for the 99^th time, hardly ever runs a bad race and was less than a length behind Sovereign Soldier last run. Do Or Dare let the side down last time out has been costly to follow but should be worth another chance in the last where Academy Award and Man In The Moon look the most likely dangers.

By Andrew Harrison

Adrian Todd’s bid to persuade the European Union to send officials to conduct an audit of protocols, and so pave the way for South Africa to be allowed to export horses direct once more, has run into problems from poultry.

Todd said: “The EU has stated that no audit regarding horses will be forthcoming while poultry exports to South Africa are closed after the 2017 Avian influenze outbreak.”

Todd is still convinced that he can succeed and has adopted a slogan from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, declaring: “Let’s push this over the line.”

By Michael Clower

The Cape Mile at Kenilworth on November 9 could be on the agenda for Tap O’Noth as he heads towards the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and after the encouraging way he ran on into third behind Head Honcho in last week’s Durbanville pinnacle.

It was the five-year-old’s first outing since the Sun Met in January, and his first since being gelded, and Vaughan Marshall said: “I was very pleased. He might run next in the Cape Mile even though the conditions are ridiculous. If your horse is rated 101 he has to carry 60kg.”

Tap O’Noth is on an unchanged 120 after his run and, unless there are any of the real stars in the race, he could benefit from the conditions of the R135 000 1 600m non-black type event as he will meet anything rated above 100 at levels. There is a 2kg penalty for Grade 1 winners but this only applies if they won at the top level in the last 18 months.

Marshall also has One World for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate but he is keen that the two stable companions should not clash before the big one. Last year’s Cape Mile was won by Rainbow Bridge en route to third in the Queen’s Plate and victory in the Met.

By Michael Clower

Eking out a living at the bottom end of the food chain when it comes to training thoroughbred race horses is no bed of roses. Even those at the top of the food chain don’t have it easy in this country’s shrinking economy with well-heeled owners who enjoy the sport increasingly hard to come by.

Gary Rich operates a small string out of Ashburton and is no mug when it comes to horses. Born into a racing family, his father Des, won the July with Lightning Shot ridden by Gary’s brother-in-law Leslie Mustard.

It has been a rewarding week for Rich who saddled Clouds Of Witness to win last Sunday and he followed up with Stormy Miss in the second at Hollywodbets Greyville yesterday.

Stormy Miss may not have been a hit with punters, given that she was friendless in the market at 45-1, but given her nature she is well named. A handful in the mornings, pacifiers will have given some indication of her nature but not her ability.

Going head-to-head with short-priced favourite Ode, Keagan de Melo with first to pull the stick. “When Keagan pulled his stick first, I knew a had him,” enthused Billy Jacobson, a journeyman rider who has stuck loyally with Rich.

“She’s a bit dippy,” Rich confided. “But she’s shown us that she can run.”

Owner Geoff Perkins has also been a staunch supporter of the yard and was on hand to lead the filly in. “We didn’t expect much although Billy and Gary said she had worked well at home. I wish that I had a little bit more on!”

Rumours of the Ashburton Training Centre closing have been doing the rounds for years and given the current financial state of affairs, there are a few that would like to see the centre mothballed.

However, there is no doubt that it is a prime facility, three of yesterday’s eight winners coming out of Ashburton, Kom Naidoo and Duncan Howells also on the bandwagon. Juniper Lane scored for Naidoo in the first and Coldhardcash staying on gamely to dead-heat with Kingsmead in the fourth for Howells.

Ashburton’s only fault is that it is situated a long drive from the Umhlanga playground.

Seasoned trainer Doug Campbell, privately based on his farm outside of Richmond, has never been tempted to move to one of the two training centres although he makes use of Ashburton to pass his runners through the pens and give them a good blow-out on the grass track.

It worked a treat in the Greyville Convention Centre Handicap with Kentucky Spur finishing too strongly for Merlin From Berlin, a recent addition to the Nathan Kotzen stable.

Kotzen makes a rare raid on Fairview this weekend where he has Tommy Grand in the Algoa Cup on Sunday and three other runners, all owned or in partnership by Alderman Rob Haswell, former mayor of Msunduzi (Pietermaritzburg), and a staunch supporter of the sport.

In addition, there will be the full Kotzen family of trainers, Glen from Cape Town, Nathan, from Durban, and Sharon, who will be on home soil.

By Andrew Harrison

Anton Marcus will make his long awaited comeback to race riding on Friday night at Greyville and among his six rides are three talented Gavin van Zyl-trained horses, Wave, Railtrip and Whizz Of Odds.

Marcus said last week his wrist and knee had “improved” from the state they were in before surgery and believed fitness would be his main obstacle.

However, Van Zyl had no concerns about the latter and said, “When Anton Marcus is riding your horse you know he will be ready. He is a professional. He will start off where he left off from and will be a force to be reckoned with for as long as he puts his backside on a saddle.” 

Ironically, Marcus was able to pick up those three rides because the national log leading jockey, Warren Kennedy, who is Van Zyl’s stable jockey, is sitting out a one week suspension.

KZN racing can look forward to a fierce rivalry between the pair as Kennedy has recently looked more and more capable of filling the gap left by the retirement of Marcus’s arch rival Anthony Delpech. 

Van Zyl has no doubt Kennedy will fill the gap and added, “He will give Anton a run for his money. But Warren’s agent will have to sharpen his pencil and be quick on the draw to outmanoeuvre Anton for the best spare rides. Anton picks his rides himself and is very choosy. He is as sharp as a two-edged blade. You know anything he asks to ride has a chance, especially when he phones, because you know he will have done his homework and handpicked the horse. His ability to pick them out is why he has such a phenomenal strike rate in KZN.”

Kennedy’s one advantage over Marcus will be the strength of the Van Zyl strings.

Gavin probably has the strongest string in KZN at present and his son Gareth, who also has Kennedy as his stable jockey, also has some good horses.

Gavin is currently in joint second place on the log with twelve winners and Gareth is in joint seventh with seven.  

Gavin said about his three Marcus-ridden horses on Friday night, “Whizz Of Odds barrier trialed well but unfortunately has a bad draw. But we are taking our chances because she is very quick. I rate her and she has a good winning chance.”

“Wave is Grade 1-placed and comes back from a rest. He is not quite where I want him but is good enough to run well in this competitive field. If they have a place chance, they have a winning chance. He was caught wide in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes without cover and didn’t stay so we are going to stick to sprints with him. We have fitted him with blinkers so he should get out of the pens quicker. A couple of times at Greyville he has been sluggish, especially at night.”

“Railtrip finished second in a Grade 1 as a two-year-old and we have sorted out some problems with her, so she is back to her best. She is looking for further than this 1700m but she is well prepared and should be competitive.”

By David Thiselton