Head Honcho served notice that he is again going to be a force to reckon with in the Cape summer season by smashing the 1 800m course record on his reappearance in the Tab Telebet Pinnacle at Durbanville yesterday – and Andre Nel promptly raised the intriguing possibility that Aldo Domeyer could fly back from Hong Kong to ride him in the Sun Met.

Sabine Plattner’s homebred, third in last season’s Met, looked a bit big and burly – understandably so as this was his first run since it all went pear-shaped in the Vodacom Durban July – but his keenness going to post looked decidedly ominous.

Richard Fourie, though, had no problem anchoring him in front and, when S’Manga Khumalo on stable companion Capoeira joined him in the straight, the 14-10 favourite stretched like a good’un to win by a length and a quarter in a time of 1 min 47.34 sec.

Fourie was impressed, saying: “He ran a good race. He has the most amazing high cruising speed and he was in such a comfortable place. When Capoeira joined him he really wanted to fight.”

Nel added: “This was what I had hoped for. I know he got get tired towards the end but this is the way he likes to race. We are aiming for the Met again and I will now try to find another pinnacle. Then it will be either the Premier or the Peninsula Handicap, more than likely the Premier which he won last season.

“As regards a jockey I would like it to be Richard but obviously that can’t be – but it might be Aldo.”

The runner-up more than fulfilled his trainer’s prediction in this column yesterday that this is a horse worth watching and Nel added that the clearly improving four-year-old has Met potential. So too does Tap O’Noth who, running for the first time since last season’s race, ran on strongly up the straight to take third. “This was a good run. He is a different horse since being gelded,” enthused rider M.J. Byleveld.

Candice Bass-Robinson ended a nightmare 77-runner losing streak when 17-4 shot Mr Cobbs came away under Anthony Andrews in the final furlong of the Play Soccer Maiden – and she was given a relieved cheer by those connected with her stable when she mounted the steps to be interviewed by Grant Knowles on Tellytrack.

It was her first winner since Three Two Charlie landed the Sophomore Sprint here on September 7 and she had had a second at each of the intervening seven meetings.

“It has been a bit frustrating,” she said with masterly understatement. “But quite a few of the horses had the stack leg virus and a lot were having comeback runs. Hopefully it will all be fine again when we get back to Kenilworth.”

Paul Reeves, on the mark with Skidoo in the Tabonline.co.za Handicap, admits to a feeling of frustration with his plan to run his    Sweet Chestnut and Stormsvlei Mile winner Helen’s Ideal in the Victress Stakes in December. “I need a prep run but there isn’t anything suitable,” he said. “There is a meeting of the committee next week and hopefully they will see fit to put on a fillies conditions race.”

Glen Kotzen scored with the first horse he has trained for Ridgemont when Morne Winnaar got 22-1 shot My Winning Ways home in the first. So far the Querari filly is the only one he has to race in the celebrated dark green and blue but he is certainly going about the right way to secure more.

The Woodhill trainer and Winnaar went on to complete a treble with Hexatonic and Dynastic Light.

By Michael Clower

Royal Kitty should provide punters with a solid exotic bet banker in the seventh on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly today. Alyson Wright’s filly takes on a modest maiden field and given the exposed form of her nine rivals, defeat would come as a shock.

Bookmakers concur with Track & Ball offering 4-10 about the favourite in the ante-post market.

A possible upset could come in the form of Queen Of Beauty. Dean Kannemeyer’s stable has come good after all the compulsory vaccinations and although the Argentinian-import made no show on her sprint debut, she was not far behind in her barrier trial. She is certain to be more effective over today’s 1600m trip and could give the short-priced favourite a run for her money.

Escape Club has been a touch disappointing since returning from a lengthy break. She had smart form before the lay-off but is now showing signs of a return to her best although Dennis Drier has resorted to blinkers and a tongue-tie when she lines up in a competitive handicap, sixth on the card. Form guide Computaform have marked all nine runners with a cross in the Greyville Convention Centre Handicap which is an indication of what punters are up against but from a good draw and having her third run after the break, Escape Club may be worth one more chance.

Philae has had to play second fiddle to both Connect Me and Komeshans Flight at her last two starts, both in opposition again today, and looks an obvious threat.

Garth Puller is currently the leading trainer in KZN at present and he saddles Noemi in the fifth. The Durban View Restaurant Handicap is another tricky affair where Noemi takes a jump in class. This has been compensated by apprentice Yuzae Ramzan’s 4kg claim and Noemi will only shoulder 49kg over this five-furlong dash.

But there are a few other serious contenders in the race. Top weight Candy Galore put in one of her best performances when switched to the poly at her penultimate start, running the promising Travelling Light to within a length. She has drawn poly and apprentice Khanya Sakayi takes 1.5kg off of her back.

Coyote Girl, a winner last Sunday, got a 2kg penalty for that effort which will make Keagan de Melo’s life a little easier as he was carded to put up 0.5kg overweight. Coyote Girl will now shoulder 56kg but she has still found some early market support.

Sakayi and Ramzan’s academy colleague Gabriel Pieterse is still hunting his first winner but has gone close aboard Glen Kotzen’s mare Queen Of Alamo, touched off by Wildly In Love two runs back.

Queen Of Alamo has some fair form in stronger company of late and Pieterse may be able to celebrate come 2.30pm this afternoon.

Drunken Sailor and Williams Land will have their supporters in the opening leg of the PA in spite of both going the extra furlong for the first time. Drunken Sailor has the more exposed form but Williams Land took to the poly in his KZN debut and romped home in his maiden. With only 52.5kg on his back he will be a big runner.

Kingston Rock fell victim to William Land last time out and can go one better in the first leg of the Pick 6 although Duke Of York, a beaten favourite at his last two starts, and Tuscan Kiss, back in blinkers and having his third run after a break, should be competitive.

The Gold Circle Podcast Handicap looks wide open by Starlight has been consistent and goes well on the poly while Lady Sharon has her third run after a lay-off and did show some improvement last start. These two could fight it out.

Finally, Uncle Frank has not been far back to stronger since coming out of the maidens and his only win has been over course and distance. He could round off the day for Gavin van Zyl and log-leading rider Warren Kennedy.

By Andrew Harrison

The Sun Met is the biggest casualty in Phumelela’s stakes reductions programme with the value of the Cape Town showpiece dropping from R5 million to R3 million.   It used to be run for R2.5 million but the stake was doubled in 2017.

The other main features on February 1 are unchanged – with the two CTS sales races worth R5m each and the Majorca and Cape Flying both remaining on R1 million – but the Western Cape Stayers and the Politician both drop R50 000 to R350 000 and R200 000 respectively in line with the reductions already known for Grade 2 and Grade 3 races.

The L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate on January 11 stays at R1.5 million and the Paddock Stakes on R1 million but the Peninsula Handicap and the Chairman’s Cup that day take R50 000 drops to R350 000 and R200 000.

The revamped Cape Derby meeting on February 22 – intended as a showpiece for the Asian Racing Conference – sees the Diadem and Prix Du Cap both taking R50 000 drops but the R1 Derby is untouched as is the Cape Nursey (R200 000) and the R150 000 Jet Master.

For many owners and trainers, though, it is the reductions across a broad sweep of maidens and handicaps that will be felt most. An ordinary maiden, for instance, will drop from R80 000 to R 70 000 at Kenilworth and Durbanville.

There are also cuts at the other Phumelela-administered courses – Turffontein, the Vaal, Fairview and Flamingo Park – with falling betting turnover to blame as well as the loss of the Gauteng Provincial Government levy on wining bets.

Interestingly there are no cuts planned – for the time being anyway – at the two Hollywoodbets-sponsored KZN courses Greyville and Scottsville even though many of their bread-and-butter races offer higher stakes than those in Cape Town.

BLOB Kenilworth Racing has reintroduced its Queen’s Plate loyalty programme. Racegoers who attend 12 meetings before January 10 will qualify for a free ticket at the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate fixture worth R350.

Events officer Clinton Theys said: “They must register first – signing up is free – and collect a stamp each time they go racing. If they have 12 stamps they get a Lifestyle Village ticket for the two-day meeting, a free souvenir racecard and access to the after-party.”

By Michael Clower 

Phumelela advises that due principally to a decline in TAB tote revenue in the 2018-19 racing season and the withholding of the Gauteng provincial levy, prize money at its racecourses will be reduced by around 13% from next month.

More than half of the prize money at Phumelela tracks is derived from a set percentage of TAB tote turnover, which is governed by a stakes agreement between the company and the Racing Association, which represents racehorse owners in Phumelela regions.

In terms of the agreed stakes formula, set percentages of other Phumelela revenue streams also flow directly into the prize-money pool. Total stakes for each racing season (1 August to 31 July) are mostly determined by the monies generated by this prize-money formula in the previous season.

The amount allocated for stakes in the first five months of each season is based on an estimate of the amount likely to be generated by the prize-money formula in the previous season. Once the figures have been finalised and audited, any adjustments needed to balance the estimated total to the actual total are applied to prize money in the last seven months of the season (January to July).

Prize money in the Western Cape is governed by an arrangement in terms of which total stakes are set at 26% of the combined net stakes pool in Phumelela regions.

After engaging with the Racing Association, Phumelela and Kenilworth Racing wish to advise stakeholders that prize money will be reduced with effect from 1 November 2019 in order to spread the impact across nine months of the season, rather than waiting for the audited total and only applying the reduction from January. Should the various audits, however, reveal a higher-than-expected total, stakes would be adjusted accordingly from January to July next year.

The stakes pool has been impacted by various factors, including declining TAB tote turnover and a negative return from fixed-odds operator Betting World. Added to that is the loss of the Gauteng Provincial Government levy on winning bets with fixed-odds operators, 30% of which used to flow to the stakes pool.

It should be noted that Phumelela is currently negotiating with the Gauteng Provincial Government and the Gauteng Gambling Board in an attempt to have its share of the levy reinstated. Simultaneously, Phumelela is in discussions with the Gauteng Gambling Board and fixed-odds operators to resolve the long-standing commercial dispute around the provision of Tellytrack.

The other major impact on prize money is that the stakes pool will not benefit from share dividends this year. Normally 80% of the share dividends accruing to the Thoroughbred Horseracing Trust from its 26.7% shareholding in Phumelela are added to the stakes pool. This amounted to some R19 million for the 2017-18 financial years. But as a consequence of the collective negative factors impacting Phumelela’s profitability, no dividend will be paid for 2018-19.

The Racing Association, through its Stakes Committee members, have engaged with Phumelela and Kenilworth Racing and innovative ways of addressing the reduction in stakes have been agreed. Details are as follows:

* Reducing the number of races at midweek meetings to eight.

* Reducing stakes of selected major Grade 1 races, as well as the majority of Grade 2 and Grade 3 race so as to lessen the burden on minor-race stakes.

* Introducing different minor-race stakes levels in and out of season on the Highveld and in the Western Cape (the Highveld feature season runs from 1 October to the first Saturday in May, whilst the Western Cape feature season runs from 1 November to the end of February)

* Introducing a lower stakes level for minor races restricted to fillies and mares (with the exception of Maiden, Maiden Juvenile and Juvenile Plates) across all regions

Full details of the new stakes levels can be viewed on http://www.sahorseracing.co.za.

The Racing Association has also taken a decision to change the distribution of stakes in all races run in Phumelela regions (Highveld, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape). With effect from 1 November, the winning portion of the race stake will be reduced from 62.5% to 58% and redistributed to pay down to 10th place as follows:

1st 58%

2nd 20%

3rd 10%

4th 5%

5th 2%

6th to 10th 1% each

In the event of less than 10 starters, any stakes not allocated will be stockpiled for future distribution.

It is worth noting that as things stand the current stakes pot receives zero revenue from TAB tote (open) bets taken with fixed-odds operators. As an example, for every R1 million wagered on Pick 6s in the form of open bets, R75,000 is lost to the stakes’ pot. The magnitude of the lost revenue to prize money is highlighted by the National Gambling Board statistics for 2018. They show that R3.9 billion was wagered on horseracing on the tote versus R7.68 billion with fixed-odds operators, of which a substantial portion can be attributed to open bets.

Declining tote betting turnovers on horseracing are a trend facing many racing jurisdictions around the world and are by no means unique to South Africa. That said, Phumelela is totally committed to engaging with regulators and fixed-odds operators to find solutions for the issues that have impacted so negatively on its business and the sport of horseracing.

Phumelela

Garth Puller leads the KZN trainer’s championship at this early stage of the season.

He said whilst he was always striving to improve and build his clientele he was realistic enough to admit he did not have the firepower yet to hang on to this lead.

He said, “We usually have a good run at the beginning of the season but I know how these things change and we don’t have the top horses to compete with the big yards in the Champions Season.”

The former jockey great has 68 horses at present although a lot of them are youngsters.

He has had 15 winners this season from 100 runners, so his strike rate is 15%.

Among the promising ones is the three-year-old Gimmethegreenlight filly Travelling Light, who won by 4,80 lengths on debut last season before finishing unplaced in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship. She has had two starts since in a handicap over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Greyville for a narrow second and a win in a Graduation Plate over that same course and distance. Her merit rating is 99. She is currently resting on the farm after being given her African Horse Sickness vaccinations. 

Puller said, “She is very fast and will be back in training in three weeks’ time.”

Puller’s long-striding four-year-old Jackson gelding Jack Of Hearts has won his last two starts over 1950m and 2200m respectively. The Jacksons are starting to shine throughout the country and Puller rates Jack Of Hearts “an improving stayer.”

His promising three-year-old colts Bay Tibbs (Bold Silvano) and Brass Bell (Pathfork) are both owned by Hong Kong residents and Puller expected them to soon be on their way overseas to David Ferraris’s yard.

Puller is hard working and arrives at Summerveld at 20 to four every morning and only leaves at half-past six in the evening.

He was known as a fine horseman during his riding years so it is not surprising he has become a good trainer.

Meanwhile, the nine times KZN champion trainer Dennis Drier is currently lacking in big race firepower and will only be sending a “low key” string down for the Cape Summer Of Champions season this year.

Drier is sure to make a bold bid for a tenth KZN championship, although he is currently only in fourth place with nine winners gained at a strike rate of 10,59%.

Dennis Bosch and Gavin Van Zyl are in joint second place on eleven winners apiece, achieved at a strike rate of 18,97% and 17,19% respectively.

Johan Janse van Vuuren is in joint-fourth place with Drier on nine winners.

Former KZN champion trainer Duncan Howells is in a rebuilding phase following the departure of his chief owner Dave McLean, but he has still managed to send out seven winners this season to put him in joint sixth place on the KZN log together with Alyson Wright.

Next on the log with six winners each are Tony Rivalland, Kumaran Naidoo, Dean Kannemeyer and Brett Crawford. 

Drier and Howells have dominated the KZN championship over the last few years.

However, this season it looks to be more open, although Drier is still the overwhelming favourite to win it.

By David Thiselton