The Gary Alexander yard have an exciting prospect in the Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Stud-bred filly Mount Laurel, who was an impressive winner of an MR 99 Handicap for three-year-old fillies over 1450m on the Turffontein Inside track on Saturday. She remains unbeaten after three starts.

The Ideal World filly carried 53,5kg off a merit rating of 86 against some promising sorts and ran on powerfully from second last to win by a comfortable 2,75 lengths under Dennis Schwarz. 

Alexander will be patient with her and although entered in the Grade 3 Starling Stakes on Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile day he said she was unlikely to run as he felt she was still too immature. 

He said the long term plan for her would be the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara next year.

South African cricket legend Jimmy Cook is among the syndicate who own her.

“We’ve known Jimmy for a long time and he loves his racing,” said Alexander. “We have had a number of cricketing owners in our yard over the years including Richard Snell and Ken Rutherford.” 

Mount Laurel has proved herself effective from 1000m to 1450m and should get further being by stamina influence Ideal World out of a mare by stamina influence Fort Wood. This one time-winning Fort Wood mare is a half-sister to the Grade 1-winning miler and now sire Noordhoek Flyer, who  finished second in the Grade 1 Cape Derby over 2000m.

Therefore, Mount Laurel should stay the 1800m of the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic on the tough Turffontein Standside course and the SA Oaks is also not an unrealistic target. 

Gary gave the credit to his brother Dean for picking her out at the BSA National Two-year-old Sale as he himself was away on holiday at the time.

He said, “We have been together for years and there is no doubt Dean can pick a horse.”

They landed her for a bargain R50,000.

Gary continued, “Mount Laurel has a beautiful dam line and it was maybe the market which allowed us to get her at that price. We have our criteria when looking at horses and don’t worry what they go for. Our yard has landed a lot of good horses for that sort of price range. Pierre Jourdan, Icy Air and Imperious Sue all cost just R60,000 each. If the horse is an athlete you are half-way there. Pierre Jourdan was a beautiful athlete but didn’t have the nicest head. But London News also didn’t have the best looking head. They don’t run with their heads. Mount Laurel is a nice looking filly, you can’t fault her. You can sometimes get lucky in the bidding, but others we have liked go for too much. If it’s your day, it’s your day.”

Alexander said running her in the Grade 3 Fillies Mile on Gauteng Summer Cup day would be a possibility.

He said it might depend on the draw and added, “The draw has been important in Gauteng lately.”

This is due to the fast going caused by the lack of rain.

He was relieved to see some rain forecast this week which would slow the going down.   

The Alexander yard have 75 horses at present and are looking to buy more in a couple of weeks’ time at the BSA Ready To Run Sale.

Gary said, “The Ready To Run sale has been very good to us.” 

Pierre Jourdan was among the horses they found at this sale.

The yard’s other best horses at present include four-year-old Ato gelding Chijmes, who fined a head second in the Grade 2 Johannesburg Spring Challenge over 1450, Chijmes’ twice-winning half-sister Gaian Glory (Visionaire) and the rangy Philanthropist filly Magic School. He also still has hopes for the syndicated filly Just Kidding and there is also the older soldier Unagi.

Alexander felt syndication was important at present due to the expense of ownership and the yard pour a lot of marketing into this strategy.

By David Thiselton

Anton Marcus returns to race-riding in earnest at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday evening and on Saturday he will be on fancied contenders in both the Cape Classic and the Western Cape Fillies Championship at Kenilworth.

“It’s exciting to be back and I’m very fortunate that I have the support of Ridgemont,” he said yesterday as he calculated that he will have been riding work for two and a half weeks, and have ridden in three barrier trials (the third at Greyville tomorrow), by the time he returns from being sidelined by operations on his wrist and elbow.

The four-time champion has been snapped up by Vaughan Marshall for top-rated Langerman runner-up Silver Operator in the Cape Classic (a race he has won three times in the last six seasons) and for his retainer Ridgemont he partners second favourite Pretty Young Thing in the Western Cape Fillies as well as Yorktown in the mile handicap. Both are trained by Brett Crawford.

He also rides the Candice Bass-Robinson trained Joy Maisha in the 1 400m maiden and Bindi for Glen Kotzen in the last.

Aldo Domeyer’s book on his return from Hong Kong has increased to four. World Radar is 33-10 favourite for the Western Cape Fillies which Domeyer won on subsequent Cape Fillies Guineas winner Silver Mountain four years ago and on Clouds Unfold last season. In addition to Congo Compaq and Vikram for Andre Nel, he has been engaged by Paul Reeves for Pippielangkous in the fillies sprint handicap.

The Western Cape Fillies has a full book of 16 (plus a reserve) and this is something that has happened only twice before in the last decade. The winner has gone on to take the Cape Fillies Guineas five times in the past nine seasons.

Pretty Young Thing is currently a 5-1 chance and the Kotzen-trained Third Runway (Morne Winnaar) is on 6-1. Justin Snaith runs three in his bid to win the Grade 2 for a sixth time but none of his trio is considered a serious threat by the bookmakers. Richard Fourie’s mount Casino Queen is the shortest-priced at 13-1.

Snaith’s Sachdev (Fourie) is 9-2 favourite for the Cape Classic. The former champion trainer’s only previous winner of the race was Solo Traveller who in 2010 went on to land the Cape Guineas, a double subsequently achieved by Act Of War and Tap O’Noth.

Dean Kannemeyer has narrowed his powerful three-strong entry down to just Seventh Gear (Keagan de Melo) who is second favourite at 5-1.

By Michael Clower

Bernie could be worth a chance in in the MR 90 Handicap when Durbanville stages its final meeting of the year this afternoon.

The five-year-old was a little bit unlucky over 1 000m here last month as he started slowly, losing more ground than the extended length he was beaten. He still finished two lengths in front of Power Grid and, on only a kilo worse terms, he should do so again. Furthermore third-placed Roi Querari has since emphatically franked the form.

Frank Lloyd Wright is an obvious danger even if his last two runs suggest that the handicappers have taken his measure once again. Nasty Harry’s stable is in fantastic form but the biggest threat may come from Spectra Force who has been a revelation in recent months, winning three of his last four.

“He has got sounder as he has got older and I think that is the reason for the improvement,” says Michelle Rix. “He went to the farm for a couple of months and came back a hassle-free horse. This is a little bit on the short side for him but there is no other suitable race.”

The shorter trip, coupled with a seven-point increase in the ratings for his last win, is the reason Bernie is preferred but it would be no surprise to see M.J. Byleveld’s mount go in again.

Latest betting sees Spectra Force sharing favouritism with Frank Lloyd Wright at 22-10 while Nasty Harry is on 7-2 and Bernie a 4-1 shot.

Queen Of Quiet is hard to oppose in the opening maiden. She was no match for comfortable winner Missisippi Burning at Kenilworth last time but she has less on her plate here and, given the way the Snaith horses have been mopping up maidens, it is not surprise to her quoted at odds-on.

Adam Marcus, trainer of Missisipppi Burning, again provides what looks the strongest opposition in Noble Freedom who ran well over this course and distance at the end of last month.

Marcus’s Quintay has proved horribly expensive to follow and, despite being the best on ratings and on form, it seems folly to risk even more money on him in the Betting World Maiden.

Maybe a more sensible solution  is to go for Richard Fourie’s mount Lead Singer although it is worth noting that Matchless Captain was six lengths clear at the turn when fifth over this 1 400m earlier in the month.

Warren Kennedy, who rides Quintay for a third time, has a more straightforward task on Freedom Of Speech in the next.

By Michael Clower

Gavin van Zyl’s five-year-old Black Minnaloushe gelding Blackball looks capable of stepping up to bigger races after sauntering to victory in yesterday’s Listed Michaelmas Handicap over 1900m under Warren Kennedy.

The gelding, who wears a cornell collar, was last seen in the KZN Winter Challenge 2000 on June 8, where he was most unlucky. 

However, the yard had him fit and ready and were confident in the build up.

Kennedy is in sublime form and took a strong hold as they jumped from pole position as the gelding has a tendency to pull.

However, the cover was quickly there and the athletic bay was relaxed in midfield from then onwards in the eight horse field. 

In the straight he moved up under the hands and when he quickened through a gap it was race over. 

Starting at odds of 113/20 he won by 1,75 lengths from the two biggest outsiders in the field, the Gareth van Zyl-trained 16/1 shot Paths Of Victory and the Dennis Drier-trained 22/1 shot Wealthy. 

Silver Rose and The Dazzler were next best ahead of the disappointing favourite Our Coys.

The meeting started with winner number 16 this season for Garth Puller when Luke Ferraris extracted a strong finish out of the Var colt Brooklyn, who converted 16/10 favouritism.  He is owned by a Hong Kong-based syndicate managed by Luke’s trainer father David. 

Kennedy was on the board in the next on the Gareth van Zyl-trained Noble Tune gelding Lightning Parcador, who started 28/10 favourite and beat Greek Head by a short-head.

The Kumaran Naidoo-trained Mambo In Seattle filly Jer got off the mark at the eleventh time of asking in the next, ridden by Raymond Danielson. 

Gary Rich and Billy Jacobson combined to win the first of the handicaps with the Master Of MY Fate gelding Clouds Of Witness, but only after an objection against Techno Captain, who carried him outward slightly and crossed the line a whisker in front.

The Paul Lafferty-trained Gimmethegreenlight filly Shoot The Wagon then got off the mark at the ninth time of asking under Calvin Habib.

The sixth was a Mr 92 Handicap for fillies and mares and the Dennis Drier-trained Pathfork mare Stelvio stayed on resolutely from a handy position to win under Sean Veale.

In the eighth over 1400m the Lowen Dennyschen-trained Byword mare Eternal Words won courageously from the front under Jason Gates.

Gareth van Zyl scored a double and Warren Kennedy a treble when the Oratorio colt Horoscope Harry burst through late to convert favouritism cosily in the last over 1200m.

By David Thiselton

Hong Kong-based South African trainer David Ferraris has continued to support the SA sales and six three-year-olds he has an interest in are currently being trained by Summerveld-based Garth Puller, one of whom won at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday.

The Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Stud-bred Var colt Brooklyn won over 1600m on the turf yesterday under David’s son Luke in his fourth career start, converting 16-10 favouritism. 

He turned for home in midfield and after being switched outward ran on strongly to win by half-a-length. He looks to have scope for further improvement.  

The other five horses are Bay Tibbs, Brass Bell, August Red, Backpacker and Cherokee Chief.

All six horses were moved to Puller’s yard after the recent retirement of David Ferraris’s legendary father Ormond.

The long-term intention for all of them was to be exported to Hong Kong and to be trained there by David. 

However, horses in training have to pass certain ability criteria before being accepted for import to the island.

Puller believes two of them, Bay Tibbs and Brass Bell, will soon be on their way. 

Riyo Stud-bred Bold Silvano colt Bay Tibbs won his maiden second time out over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville by 3,80 lengths having finished second on debut over 1200m. He then won first time out of the maidens over the same course and distance in a handicap, scoring by 0,70 lengths against older horses off a merit rating of 88. His current merit rating is 93. He is owned by CW Hui.

The improving Pathfork colt Brass Bell finished second twice in the maidens over 1200m. In his fifth career start he was stepped up to 1400m on the Greyville turf and won cosily by 1,25 lengths. This Highlands Farms Stud-bred colt is now merit rated 86 and is owned by KW Chow.

August Red is a Lammerskraal Stud-bred gelding by What A Winter and he was well beaten on debut over 1000m. However, he is out of the useful stayer Adobe Pink, so will improve over further. 

The Cheveley Stud-bred Cherokee Chief is a colt by Silvano out of twice Listed winner Oceana, who finished second in both the Grade 1 Allan Robertson and the Grade 1 Thekwini over 1600m. He was well beaten in his first two starts over 1200m and then finished just 2,80 lengths back when stepped up to 1400m. Being by Silvano he should continue to improve. 

The Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Stud-bred Silvano colt Backpacker also improved when stepped up to 1400m in his second career start and finished third, although he was beaten 6,30 lengths.

All of Brooklyn, August Red, Cherokee Chief and Backpacker are owned by the Five Up High Syndicate, whose nominee is David Ferraris. 

Puller is currently leading the KZN Trainer’s championship with 16 winners.

By David Thiselton