This time of the year is traditionally greatly looked forward to by the more astute and patient punters of the SA racing fraternity as it heralds the arrival of the summer rains and trainers have their best horses tuned like machines to take advantage of the more forgiving going.

Unfortunately the rains are yet to arrive and there is no sign of them in the forecast this weekend, where the highlight is a MR 104 Handicap over 1200m.

The latter race is difficult to analyse, but Grade 2 Post Merchants winner La Bella Mia is given the nod. She has a wide draw to overcome but will be fit, having had recent runs, and has a 4kg claimer up. She has won over this course and distance before and many of the opponents she faces have question marks against them. If she gets the necessary luck in running she will go close.

Winter Storm struck as one who was headed for the top in the sprinting division last season but by the end of the term he needed a layoff and disappointed in his last couple of starts. He should have come on from his comeback run last time. Interestingly, the blinkers have been removed and with Warren Kennedy aboard he has every chance of overcoming a tough draw.

Warrior’s Rest is a highly effective front-runner but such is his style, in which he continually ups the pace, it is essential he gets to the front as he lacks turn of foot when sitting behind a slow pace. This trip is too sharp, so he could battle to get to the front, but he is well drawn so might be worth including. State Trooper is capable of running on so is interesting from a tricky draw. Attenborough had a disappointing last season but this Grade 1 winner can’t be ignored over an ideal trip from a plum draw.

In the previous race, a MR 99 Handicap over 1800m, Silver Spectrum appears to be on the up and can follow up on his last win off a five point higher mark. Green Haze has some class and will be a threat. He has run once over this trip and appeared to not stay. However, he is now having his third run after a layoff and gelding so he should be given another chance, especially being by miler Gimmethegreenlight out of a Western Winter mare who won twice over this trip. Popsicle Toes looks to be an ever improving sort and he will also be right there over a suitable trip if able to overcome a tough draw.

In the seventh race, a MR 92 handicap for fillies and mares, Ouro is the narrow first choice. She has some class and has bounced back to form this season after ending last season on a disappointing note. Double ‘O’ Eight has a tough draw and a welter 61,5kg to carry but has a fine turn of foot, so if finding a good position in the running she will go close. Three Stars improved last time with second time blinkers on when running second, finishing three-quarters of a length in front of Ouro. She has a good draw, but is half-a-kilogram worse off with Ouro, who likely needed that run. Blonde Vision is a small but zippy sort and with first-time blinkers on she can’t be ignored. Twelve Oaks is capable of popping up and is effective over this trip so will be dangerous from a plum draw with a 4kg claimer aboard.  

It should be an enjoyable meeting but many will be keenly anticipating the arrival of the summer rains. 

By David Thiselton

The teams for this year’s World Sports Betting International Jockey Challenge supported by Sun International and Air Mauritius, have been finalised.

Muzi Yeni will captain the South African team while Gavin Lerena, Warren Kennedy, Greg Cheyne, Callan Murray and S’manga Khumalo are the other riders to wear the green and gold silks.

The International Team will be captained by Rab Havlin (Scotland), with Paul Hanagan, Martin Dwyer, Hayley Turner (England), Andrea Atzeni (Italy) and Nooresh Juglall (Mauritius) his wingmen and -woman.

TEAM SA

Muzi Yeni is a regular on the South African team competing in international jockey challenges. He is undoubtedly the most hard-working jockey in the country having saddled up 476 times since the start of the season in 1 August.

Gavin Lerena is no stranger to team racing, having represented SA in five International Jockey Challenges on home soil, winning the Longines International Jockey Challenge in 2015 in Hong Kong, and representing the Rest Of The World team at the Shergar Cup a few years back. He was SA champion jockey in the 2014-15 season.

Warren Kennedy currently leads the champion jockey log. Last season he broke through the 100 barrier mark, riding 139 winners at a strike rate of 12,2% and finished 7th on the log. Furthermore, he scored his first Grade 1 win, riding the Gavin van Zyl-trained Gabor to victory in the Thekwini Stakes over 1600m at Greyville on eLan Gold Cup day.

Greg Cheyne is well-travelled, having raced in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Korea and Macau. He boasts more than 100 international victories.

Callan Murray has proven that he has BMT – that’s big match temperament. Four months after being crowned Champion Apprentice for the 2015-16 season, he bagged a Grade 1 treble on Champions Day in 2018. He has also made his mark in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.

S’manga Khumalo was crowned South African champion jockey for the 2013-14 season. He repeated that feat in 2015-2016. He wrote his name in the history books in 2013 when becoming the first black jockey to win the prestigious Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July.

INTERNATIONAL TEAM

Rab Havlin was a member of Team UK at last year’s International Jockey Challenge in Singapore. He has ridden around 900 domestic winners, partnering more than 1000 winners worldwide – in countries like the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Singapore and South Africa.

Paul Hanagan has twice been crowned champion jockey on the Flat in Britain, riding 165 winners in 2011 to defend his title, having won his first title with 191 winners in 2010. Among his major wins are the British Champions Sprint Stakes Grade 1 with Muhaarar in 2015, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Grade 1 with Taghrooda in 2014, the Grade 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in France with Wootton Bassett in 2010 and the Grade 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen aboard Muarrab in 2016.

Martin Dwyer has recorded major wins worldwide, most notably aboard Phoenix Reach. They teamed up to win the Canadian International Stakes in 2003, the Hong Kong Vase in 2004 and the Dubai Sheema Classic in 2005. He has twice been the recipient of the Flat Ride of the Year award, in 2003 for winning the Jockey Club Cup with Persian Punch and in 2006 for his Vodafone Derby win upon Sir Percy.

Hayley Turner became the first woman to ride 100 United Kingdom Flat race winners during a calendar year in 2008. In fact, that year she was only one of five jockeys to ride in over 900 races in the UK. She currently has over 780 career wins. In 2011 Turner became the first female jockey to ride an outright Group 1 race winner in Britain, when partnering Dream Ahead in the Darley July Cup.

Andrea Atzeni won the St. Leger and Moyglare Stud Stakes in the same weekend in 2014, followed by the Dewhurst Stakes and his second successive Racing Post Trophy the following month. In 2015 he won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on the Luca Cumani-trained Postponed and the St. Leger for a second successive year on Qatar Racing’s filly Simple Verse. He has won major races in France, Italy, Germany, UK, Republic of Ireland, UAE and Canada.

Nooresh Juglall honed his craft here in SA and won two champion apprentice jockey titles before spreading his wings to Singapore in 2014. He made an immediate impact, booting home his first winner, Majestic Moments, in his very first Kranji ride. The friendly Mauritian went on to ride a total of 217 winners in the city-state. Juglall enjoyed his best season in 2017 when he racked up 50 winners. He rode Twist Of Fate for trainer Joey Ramsden in this year’s Vodacom Durban July, finishing third, a mere 1.70 lengths behind Horse-of-the-Year Do It Again.

The World Sports Betting International Jockey Challenge supported by Sun International and Air Mauritius takes place at Turffontein on Saturday 16 November.

Anton Marcus made his long awaited comeback to the racetrack in a barrier trial at Greyville yesterday and hoped to be back race riding within ten days.

Marcus underwent an operation on his wrist and elbow respectively.

Unfortunately, infection set in to two of the incisions after six weeks.’

Therefore, he had to go for a second operation to have it cleaned out.

He said, “I am hoping to be back race riding within ten days.”

He quipped, “But it all depends on how I pull up from all of these barrier trials.”

He said there had been “an improvement” in the mechanics of both his wrist and elbow and admitted fitness was the main obstacle he was facing.

He concluded, “It is nice to be back.”

By David Thiselton

KZN trainers Gavin van Zyl, Frank Robinson, Robbie Hill, Paul Lafferty and Tony Rivalland are gearing up for big races around the country. 

Van Zyl has the most big race firepower in KZN at present. 

He is bullish about the chances of Blackball in Sunday’s Listed Michaelmas Handicap over 1900m.  

This Black Minnaloushe gelding last ran on June 8 in the KZN Winter Challenge 2000 at Greyville and was most unlucky.

He had to be snatched up when squeezed out on the rail just before the 300m mark and then after rallying back he had nowhere to go in the closing stages so had to be eased. Even then Blackball finished only 1,25 lengths behind the winner, The Sultan’s Bazaar, in sixth place. 

The 105 merit rated five-year-old is potentially well handicapped on Sunday, as he might well have won that race, and he jumps from pole under national log leading-jockey Warren Kennedy.

Van Zyl’s four-year-old Pathfork gelding Marchingontogether will be raiding for the Grade 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile on November 2. He will then being staying at Joe Soma’s yard ahead of his main target, the Gauteng Summer Cup.

Van Zyl said this four-year-old by Marchfield, who finished third in the Grade 1 SA Derby last year, had improved with gelding. 

He said, “He is much calmer and more manageable now. He won his last start (over the too sharp 1400m at Scottsville) well.”

Van Zyl’s crack filly Gabor, who was named Equus Champion two-year-old filly last season, is down in Cape Town being taken care of by Dean Kannemeyer. Her chief target is the Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas on December 14. Van Zyl’s carefully laid out program will have her making her seasonal reappearance just 17 days before the Guineas in a Conditions Plate for fillies and mares on November 27 over 1400m at Kenilworth. 

After the Guineas she might be targeted at the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes on Sun Met day. 

Van Zyl’s promising Duke Of Marmalade filly Dancing Feather, who has won both of her last two starts by over four lengths, will be aimed at next year’s Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic and the SA Oaks, both at Turffontein.

Frank Robinson was happy with the comeback run of Roy Had Enough in a strong Pinnacle Stakes event over 1600m at Turffontein on Saturday which was won by Soqrat. Roy Had Enough, an Australian-bred five-year-old entire by Pierro, stayed on from a handy position for a five length fourth. 

Robinson said, “He needed it, he was very flat.”

He is staying up in Johannesburg and will now go for either the Charity Mile or the Victory Moon Stakes.

Robinson expected either one of those races to put him “spot on” for the Summer Cup.

His filly Roy’s Riviera might also go for the Charity Mile. However, she will more likely go for the Grade 3 Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m on the same day. He said she did not need as much racing as Roy Had Enough to reach her peak. He thought she would be a big runner if managing to get into the Summer Cup with a light weight. However, she would otherwise go for the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m on the same day.

Robbie Hill said his five-year-old filly Camphoratus, who was named KZN Champion older filly/mare and KZN Champion Middle Distance horse last season, would raid for the Charity Mile, where she would not be at her peak, and then stay in Johannesburg for her chief target, the Summer Cup. He said she had badly needed her recent comeback run in KZN. She will be taken care of by Geoff Woodruff in the lead up to the Summer Cup.

Paul Lafferty is targeting Dark Moon Rising at the Summer Cup and believed he would definitely get in to the race. 

He is excited about his three-year-old Australian-bred Zoffany colt Share Holder. He attained a hoof injury lasts season and was still feeling it in his last start when second over 1200m at Greyville. He will be back to his best once the hoof has fully gown out. Lafferty said Piere Strydom had got off after that last run and said, “This is a top horse,” so wherever he goes this season winning big races will be his aim.

Tony Rivalland would like to run recent winner Tristful in the Charity Mile but was not sure the talented four-year-old Trippi gelding would make the cut. He also has the six-year-old Kahal gelding Wynkelder entered and pointed out that although he was last season’s KZN Champion Sprinter he ran an excellent close up third in the KZN Breeders Million Mile. 

By David Thiselton

Horses that have a history of being reluctant to leave the starting gate are not likely to attract much in the way of attention, let alone monetary support, but when they do manage to get it together the exotic bet bomb explodes.

Towards the end of last year, the highly-strung Miss J, who had previously shown in leading up to her maiden win that she did have ability, had become a reluctant starter and Paul and Beth Gadsby were left with the puzzle of breaking the habit.

Ten months down the line all efforts looked to have come to naught as Missy Jay missed the jump on her first run back, finishing a distant last of the nine runners.

It was a different story at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday. Sherman Brown, who rode Missy J at her previous start, got her out on terms and although last into the straight she was always travelling in her recently equipped earmuffs as Starlight set a respectable gallop. At the business end, Starlight had done her dash as veteran Ginger Biscuit took over but Missy J came from last to fetch her and get up close home. Paying R40 on the tote, she did plenty of damage in the exotics.

More was to follow as the Pick 6 ship, already holed below the waterline for many hopefuls, took another torpedo with Stuart Randolph taking the shortest way home on Karen and Greg Anthony’s mare Zadora paying R13 on the ‘nanny’. Another outsider, Touch Of Magic, looked to have the race in the bag before Zadora loomed up on her inside for the seventh win of her career.

Silent Crusade gave Mark Dixon a welcome winner last Sunday and She’s A Dream will have added to his satisfaction after an extended period in the doldrums with a virus affecting his yard.

She’s A Dream has always been there and thereabouts but the 0.5kg overweight in the Durban Convention Handicap proved no handicap as she finished too strongly for the consistent Gary Rich-trained Connect Me.

Royal Kitty, 4-10 favourite, pushed out a life-boat for the 61 ticket holders left in the Pick 6 with a bloodless victory in the seventh. Alyson Wright’s filly always looked a cut above some modest opposition and duly obliged under replacement rider who travelled into the straight under a double handful. Giving out an inch of rein, Royal Kitty simply lengthened her stride and put the race to bed a long way out.

Donovan Dillon, successful on Kingston Rock for Brett Crawford in the third, rounded off the day on Sovereign Soldier for Wendy Whitehead. Sitting patiently in midfield, Dillon had to work hard to get his mount’s nose in front as apprentice Gates took full advantage of his 1.5kg claim.

By Andrew Harrison