The Vaal Classic track has an eight race meeting tomorrow and there are some opportunities for punters amid generally competitive racing.

Major Return is chosen as the exotics banker in race six over 2000m. He ran on well from a handy position last time in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1800m which was stronger than the field he faces tomorrow. He has a fair draw with S’Manga Khumalo up and will relish stepping back up to the trip of his last win. Top Shot could be the main danger despite having been kept to further lately as he has a good record over this distance and has dropped to a competitive mark.

The meeting starts off with a 1000m maiden and Orchid Express could be the one to beat. She was slow away on debut over this trip but caught the eye running on strongly late. She is by Oratorio, whose progeny tend to improve continuously, and being from the Johan Janse van Vuuren yard she should come on considerably from that debut run. Madame Patrice will likely lead and will make a bold bid to stay in front all the way to the line having been run out if it in her last two starts. Samoa likely needed her last start after a layoff of over a year and could earn.

In the second race over 1000m the first-timer Rock The Kazvar makes appeal. He is a Team Valor homebred by Var out of the decent Western Winter mare My Kazzie, who won a Listed race having finished second in both the Grade 1 Golden Slipper over 1400m and the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m as a two-year-old. The one concern is that this colt’s full-sister failed to place in seven starts, although she was My Kazzie’s first foal. Golden Duke will be improving being by Duke Of Marmalade and can build on his debut when leading over 1200m round the turn before being swamped and finishing about ten lengths back. Live By Night is an improving sort who has been right there in his last three starts and he will make a bold bid from the front. All three will have to be included in the PA in this tricky opening leg.

In the next leg over 1200m In The Dance is easily the best weighted horse and has the class to win in her seasonal reappearance. This Gimmethegreenlight filly is a half-sister to Capetown Noir and possesses a similarly superb turn of foot. She also has natural speed and in the three sprint starts she has contested she has won two and finished a narrow second in the other. Ouro is a decent sprinter who is well drawn and she showed signs of a form return last time when 3,75 lengths behind the useful Sarah. The Fifth Wave has ability and should make her presence felt from pole position. 

The fourth race is a Pinnacle Stakes event over 2400m and Ali Bon Dubai makes plenty of appeal. He showed in his last two starts of last season in the Grade 3 Betting World 2200 and the eLan Gold Cup he had improved into a useful horse capable of mixing it with the best over middle distance and staying distances. He confirmed that with a good comeback run over 1800m. Nathan Klink stays aboard and his 1,5kg claim will alleviate Ali Bon Dubai’s weight disadvantage in which he is officially 3,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horses, Seville Orange and Sunshine Silk. Dawn Assault won well over 2600m after a layoff last time and is the best weighted male in the race, being 2kg under sufferance with the two best in fillies. He is a courageous horse and with Warren Kennedy in the irons should be given every chance, so is rated the chief threat. Sunshine Silk was a revelation when stepped up to staying trips last time and beat her stable companion Ali Bon Dubai over the too sharp 1800m trip last time in her seasonal reappearance. They face each other on the same terms and she should relish this step up in trip, so will not be a surprise winner.

The fifth race over 2400m is wide open. Master And Man is drawn in pole and has Kennedy aboard so should give a good account of himself coming off a third place finish in a decent field over 2600m. Slay The Dragon also has a good draw and the last time he tried this course and distance he failed by a neck despite casting a shoe. In his only subsequent start he was charging late over 2000m and just failed so off a two point higher mark he should be in the shake up again. Dickens has always struck as one with ability and having won easily in the maidens last time when stepped up to 2000m he is interesting stepped up again and running off a reasonable opening handicap mark. However, a case can be made for just about every horse in this race so it is advisable to go as wide as possible in the exotics. 

In the seventh race over 2000m Port Key goes for a hattrick and as it is his third run after a long layoff he should be cherry ripe and can overcome a three point raise for his last win. However, he does have a tough draw to overcome. Nimcha in in fine form and won the only start he had over this course and distance. He also has a tricky draw and as a handy type will need some luck in running. Matloob was a touch disappointing last time when starting hot favourite over 1800m. He was found to be coughing and as a typically progressive son of Silvano can bounce back from a fair draw. Jagesa Jagesa goes for a hattrick over this distance so can’t be ignored. If he is included then Rocky Path also comes into the equation as he is together with the former on a combination of form and weight. Corrido is drawn in pole and is another one to consider.  

The meeting ends with a Maiden for three-year-old fillies over 1450m and Aztec looks the one to beat. She made a decent debut over 1200m considering she was difficult to load and she will appreciate the step up in trip being by What A Winter out of a Jet Master mare who won three on the trot from 1600m to 1800m. Smiley River has run well in two races from 1400m to 1600m and as she runs on well the high draw should not be too much of a concern. Get Set was not disgraced behind some good sorts in her first three starts as a two-year-old from 1000m to 1200m and could provide some value for a place in this race over a likely suitable trip from a wide draw. 

By David Thiselton

Callan Murray, Warren Kennedy, S’Manga Khumalo and Keagan de Melo all fly in this morning to do battle with the Cape Town jockeys at Durbanville and Murray can start the ball rolling on Duchess Of State in the 1.35pm opener.

This is one of five rides he has for Candice Bass-Robinson who asked him to come down and the filly is odds-on to make up for two close seconds at Kenilworth. She has the considerable advantage of being drawn on the inside.

“I’m not sure that Durbanville is the ideal course for Duchess Of State and she would prefer further,” qualifies the Milnerton trainer. “But she will have a good chance and she stands out.”

The fact that last time the filly’s jockey (De Melo) reported that she changed stride continually is a concern but Mrs Bass-Robinson explains: “She is a big long-striding filly and she can get unbalanced. The going that day was heavy and she is still a bit weak.”

At the time of writing none of the others is priced below 10-1 but Over The Way and At Your Request are two to bear in mind.

Track Attack, a R5.2 million Dynasty half-brother to Summer Cup winner Yorker, impressed in a barrier trial in Durban and was fancied to make a winning racecourse debut here last month – only for it all to go pear-shaped when Morne Winnaar on Hubble stole a march on the rest of the field.

The Dean Kannemeyer hope was beaten nine lengths but he should gain compensation in the mile maiden. He opened favourite at 19-10 with Kennedy’s mount Captain Flinders next on 15-4 on the strength of a succession of good runs. Significantly the Captain is the highest rated horse in the field and this time he races without the blinkers he has been wearing.

“He does need blinkers but he also needs 2 000m and he is a bit too keen when he races with the blinds on,” explains Eric Sands and so seemingly the horse could be vulnerable. Captain Turk is a big price at 13-2 and may well get into the shake-up.

As a general rule it pays to bet against four-year-olds in maidens even though they are much better treated than on the weight-for-age scale – the reason is that the younger horses tend to have more improvement in them – and the Snaith-trained Double Crown is taken to confirm last time’s form with the older Khopesh in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden (race three). The pair opened joint favourites at 28-10.

Black Knap ran away with things over a furlong less in that race last month and the rest finished out with the washing but Richard Fourie’s mount makes more appeal than his rival.

However Maningi Indaba may fly the flag for the older generation in the Betting World Maiden. Greg Cheyne’s mount has strong form claims and looks value at 4-1 despite not being well drawn.

By Michael Clower

The twice Equus Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle stays in training this season as an eight-year-old.

Trainer Sean Tarry said it had been a mistake to send the Greys Inn gelding down to Durban for the Vodacom Durban July last season.

It was the first time he had run in the country’s premier race since his three-year-old season and Tarry will adhere to the campaign which he had excelled at in the previous three seasons.

Last year Legal Eagle failed in his attempts to win both the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and Horse Chestnut Stakes for the fourth time in succession.

He lost his unbeaten record over a mile, which had stretched to ten races, in the former event when finishing fourth.

Tarry pointed out that despite having been labeled as “disappointing” by most last season Legal Eagle had still managed to win two out of eight races, including beating the like of Do It Again and Rainbow Bridge in the Green Point Stakes.

He had also finished just 2,25 lengths back when finishing strongly from off the pace in the Sun Met.

Sean Tarry questioned the price of 5/10 the bookmakers were offering about his unbeaten  Silvano colt Al Mutawakel, who makes his seasonal reappearance over 1600m at Turffontein today, and said he was waiting for the  rains before expecting to see the four-year-old at his best this season.

However, Paul Peter, is bullish about the chances of his unbeaten three-year-old colt Riverstown, who races in the next race, a MR 80 handicap over 1600m.

Tarry said Al Mutawakel was not the soundest and as his trainer he had been left between a rock and a hard place due to the lack of rain and the continuing hard ground. He said the four-year-old colt would be more comfortable with softer underfoot conditions and reckoned he would only get to the bottom of him after the rains had arrived.

On the other hand the Silvano colt, who is a full-brother to SA Derby winner Al Sahem, has won twice in fast going to date, running on powerfully on both occasions in the respective 1400m and 1600m events.

Peter said the Byword colt Riverstown had been showing “top class” work at home.

He is clearly excited about his prospects and hoped he would do as well as expected today so he can target him at the Dingaans.

By David Thiselton

Vistula and Front And Centre put their hands up over the weekend as horses to follow in top female mile races this season, although the latter will be just as effective over further.

Waiting in the wings is their contemporary Celtic Sea, last season’s Equus Champion three-year-old, who was given a deserved break after her busy winter campaign and won’t be seen out for a while.

Trainer Paul Peter had Vistula at 100% for Saturdays Grade 2 Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over 1450m on Turffontein Inside. He was confident of her chances knowing she had been at just 70% for her seasonal reappearance in which she routed the opposition in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1400m on Turffontein Standside.

Her draw of eleven was a concern but Warren Kennedy delivered again when managing to slot her in to sixth place with cover as Sidonie, having just her second career run, set good fractions in front.

Vistula’s supporters would have been confident knowing what a fine turn of foot the Ideal World filly has.

However, the talented three-year-old Gin Fizz relished the fast pace and step up in trip and was clearly going to take some catching after sitting in second place in the running and then hitting the front.

But Vistula, making her run down the inside, showed she also has a big heart when fetching Gin Fizz in the last couple of strides to win by a quarter of a length.

Perfect Tigress ran on well for third and is another to follow.

Peter said Vistula’s class had pulled her through and reckoned she would come on from the run, it being her second run after a layoff.

She will now be targeted at the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Stakes over 1600m on Gauteng Summer Cup day.

However, her main aim is to win a Grade 1. Peter said they would avoid the Majorca in Cape Town and instead target the Empress Club Stakes at Turffontein in April.

Gin Fizz is also bred to go further being by miler Soft Falling Rain out of Espumanti, who won the Ipi Tombe and the Grade 2 Betting World 1900.

Gin Fizz inherited some of her mother’s temperamental issues, but horse whisperer Malan Du Toit helped her get to the races last season. On Saturday she pulled momentarily after using her natural speed to get into the leading line. However, Sidonie then did her a favour by taking the lead and going at a brisk gallop, which gave Gin Fizz cover and allowed her to stride out.

Gin Fizz looks to be a lively classic contender in the mile races at least.

Down in Cape Town Front And Centre’s performance to win the Grade 3 Diana Stakes over 1400m at Durbanville was even more impressive than Vistula’s as she carried a Grade 1 penalty. Greg Cheyne had the Brett Crawford-trained Dynasty filly in the box seat but in the straight she appeared to be battling to get on terms with the pacemaker Helen’s Ideal.

However, this was deceptive because when Freedom Charter ranged up dangerously on her outside she took off and won cosily in the end by half-a-length. She showed none of the hanging-to-the-right antics which had cost her the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.

She will likely be targeted at the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m and either the Grade 1 Bidvest Majorca or the Sun Met. Meanwhile, Captain Al filly Celtic Sea, winner of the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint and the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes, might raid for the Majorca on Sun Met day. Tarry reckoned that was the only realistic race for her down in Cape Town.

By David Thiselton

Tap O’Noth, the 2017 Cape Guineas winner who gave last Saturday’s Matchem a miss, will now begin his campaign in the 1 800m Pinnacle at Durbanville a week today.

Vaughan Marshall said: “He was to have gone for the G-bets Algoa Cup at Fairview on October 27 but they gave him 68kg!”

Bernard Fayd’Herbe confirms that he will be back in action next month after sitting on the sidelines so far this season on medical advice, in order to counteract the cumulative effects of past concussions. But he was looking in good shape – and remarkably slim – at Durbanville last Saturday when he said: “Sometimes a break does you good. I have kept my weight in trim and now I want to come back with a bang.”

Alfred Mzondi, the stalls handler who was treated like a human football in the pens at Durbanville ten days ago, is making a good recovery. He was kept in the local Mediclinic for two nights while the doctors monitored his progress. He was released with a nasty cut on his face and plenty of bruises but, miraculously, no broken bones or internal injuries.

The two CTS R5 million sales races will be run for the last time – at least for the moment – on Sun Met day, February 1.

CTS sales manager Kirsty Coertze said: “A lot of the cost was falling on the vendors and, in order to assist them, we have done away with the two races – but that is not to say that we will never host them again.”

They began in 2016 with the CTS Million Dollar which  carried a total stake of R16.6 million, was presented with great razzmatazz and was won by Illuminator, a 16-1 shot  owned by Ian Robinson and Francis Carruthers, trained by Glen Puller and ridden by the apprentice  Heavelon van der Hoven. Whatever happened to him?

Thereafter the races, and the total stakes, were split in two to cater for sprinters and milers but the interest that they generated at the sale was huge and was certainly reflected in the prices. Hopefully the races, and the money, will be back before too long.

According to CTS the country’s most valuable sales race after next February will be next year’s R1.25 million Ready To Run in November.

By Michael Clower