Keagan de Melo is relatively well after a nasty fall at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday and this news will bring relief to many round the country who had cause to be anxious after viewing the incident live on Tellytrack. .

He said, “I am very sore but nothing is broken or fractured. However, I still have pain in my right shoulder so am going to get a second opinion.”

He is also undergoing concussion tests.

After the initial diagnosis he expected to be back after two weeks but this now depends on the outcome of further tests.

His Mount Silent Crusade appeared to falter and jump for no apparent reason, throwing the talented young rider out the side door.

De Melo fell heavily on his right shoulder and back and was then run over by another horse, although fortunately he was not trodden on.

He remained conscious throughout the incident and afterwards.

He had been in good form and his ten winners for the season have come at a strike rate of 11,76%.

Keagan’s ride on African Warrior in the Umkhomazi Stakes on Gold Cup day was voted the ride of the Champions Season by the racing public. 

By David Thiselton

Turffontein-based Paul Peter puts his climb to the top of the national trainers log chiefly down to a new member of his team, the legendary Ormond Ferraris, whom he hero worshipped as a racing-mad youngster.

He also heaped praise on his first call rider Warren Kennedy. 

On his chances of staying at the top he reckoned he would be able to match the “big guns” in the three-year-old division.

He also has high hopes for his four-year-old filly Vistula.

He said, “Moving to Turffontein put me closer to home and I have also been given a lot of input from Mr Ormonde Ferraris. He has become part of the team and his knowledge is priceless. He has taught me how to get horses supremely fit. His horses were always known for their fitness and I can now see why. I have latched on to his work patterns and his work ethic. He used to run his yard like a military base. I got all of his grooms too. We also have a treadmill and a walker and everyone’s happy. It’s a very happy team and we have a lovely bunch of owners.”

Peter scored a five-timer at Turffontein Standside on Saturday, three of them ridden by Kennedy and two by 4kg claimer Cole Dicken.

He said, “I have a top jockey in Warren Kennedy. He has such good hands and settles a horse so well and is a good judge of pace. I don’t give him instructions. He analyses the horses and studies the form and a horse he has ridden just once he will know backwards. He is a major, major asset,”

He continued, “Cole Dicken has a future, he has a good head, has good balance and punches them out nicely. He is definitely worth his 4kg claim.”

He added, “Matthew Thackeray rides a lot of work for me and is my second choice rider most of the time. He is a good, underrated jockey with a lovely attitude and deserves more chances so I am going to give him more rides.”

Peter finished sixth on the national log last season on earnings in unrestricted races of R11,227,938.

This season he tops the log on earnings of R1,912,875,  213,737.50 clear of second-placed Alan Greeff. 

Justin Snaith is in third place, R300,475 off the lead, and the reigning national champion trainer Sean Tarry is next best, R616,100 behind Peter.

Peter said, “The big guns have powerful strings but I have a very good crop of three-year-olds.”

Peter was most impressed with his older filly Vistula’s seasonal reappearance in which she easily won a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1400m on the Turffontein Standside course by 2,25 lengths. 

He said, “She was only about 70% fit. I threw her out for a whole month after the Garden Province. They don’t like to give us grass at Turffontein, I don’t blame them because there’s so much racing, so she had just done a little bit of half pace work after her rest.”

The four-year-old Ideal World filly is being targeted at the Grade 2 Jo’Burg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over 1450m on October 5 on the Turffontein Inside track. Peter said if she landed a good draw she would be a “massive” runner.

Peter has 160 horses at present and among them are many promising unraced three-year-olds.

Of those three-year-olds to have raced he named Summer Pudding, Pax Romana (“a good stayer”), Astrix, Arapaho, Atomic Blonde, Riverstown, Sarah, Lighthearted and Heartstwings as his best.

The latter pair are running today on the Turffontein Inside track. 

He said, “Lighthearted’s participation depends on a pending sale to Mauritius but if he does run he is my best on the day and will have a big, big winning chance.”

He rates the progressive Heartstwings too, although he added she wouldn’t quite be 100%.

He has lost a few of his older horses to Mauritius but mentioned Rebel’s Champ, Winter Storm and Operetta as among those he had high hopes for. He said Winter Storm had run a bit below par in his last two races last season as he had needed a bit of a break and he regarded Operetta as unlucky on Saturday as she had been badly interfered with.

Peter grew up three kilometres from Turffontein racetrack and was from a family who were crazy about the game through all generations. He himself loved the horses more than the punting side. He was regularly kicked off the course as a youngster in an era when under eighteens weren’t allowed, but would always be back for the next meeting. Fortunately, he looked eighteen as a fifteen-year-old. He recalls, ironically, being a particular fan of the Ormond Ferraris yard horses.

Peter learned the training ropes from James Maree, whom he was with for many years.

He said, “He is a proper horseman and many of my workriders today come from his school.” 

Peter recently admitted he did not run a punting stable. He is consequently one of the most transparent trainers in the country and this is much appreciated by the racing public. 

His twenty winners this season have come at a strike rate of 16,26% and his place strike rate of 54,47% is the highest among the top twenty on the log.

By David Thiselton

The eight race meeting on the Turffontein Inside course should provide plenty of interest as there are some decent prospects turning out.

In the first race Date Palm was dropped out from the widest draw of all on debut over course and distance and ran on well for fifth, 4,25 lengths behind the promising Port Key. He is the only one of the first six in that race to have not run since and every one of the other five won next time out, so the form has been franked over and over again. Warren Kennedy is up and the horse should have improved so if he manages to drop him out again he should run on again and go close. 

Arnica Montana looks to have ability having gone close from a wide draw over 1450m on debut. S’Manga Khumalo is one of the best jockeys in the country and keeps the ride from a slightly better draw, nine out of 14 instead of nine out of ten. This three-year-old gelding’s sire Flower Alley fathered a Kentucky Derby winner so he should enjoy the step up in trip and will be staying on strongly again. Those two can get punters through the Bipot.

In the second race over 2600m Il Mondo is officially 2,5kg under sufferance but carries a featherweight and caught the eye as a stayer with some ability when staying on strongly to win her penultimate start over 2400m. She now has the accomplished Marco van Rensburg up and has a shout. Factor Fifth has topweight but has shown good form over staying trips and should come into her own this season being a daughter of Marchfield, so she looks to be the other one to include in the PA and Bipot.

The third over 1200m sees an intriguing clash between Wisteria Walk and Balletto. The former won over this trip by ten lengths and the latter by a cosy three lengths on their respective debuts. Looking at collateral form, Wisteria Walk beat a horse called Kisimu by eleven lengths and Balleto beat that same horse by six, so even with Wisteria Walk having to give Balletto 1,5kg she comes out ahead. However, Balletto is drawn in pole and as a smaller, athletic sort should be suited to this tight track, while the bigger, more scopey Wisteria Walk might have to rely on a strong finish to overhaul Balletto after jumping from a draw of four. Balletto gets the vote albeit narrowly. 

In the next race the Paul Peter and Warren Kennedy combination are in fine form at present and the progressive Lighthearted looks capable of overcoming a four point raise for his last win over this suitable 1450m trip. African Rock has gone close over this 1450m course and distance before and from pole position can use his front-running style to full advantage. Lazarus Tree has always struck as one with plenty of ability but his record of three wins and only one place is reflective of his inconsistency. He has to be included in case he has an on day.

In the fifth race Heartstwings has struck as one with plenty of scope from day one so he should continually improve this season. She looks to be off a reasonable handicap mark and it depends whether Kennedy can overcome a draw of eleven, because if he is able to she should stay on strongly. Viscountess Vivien won well over this trip last time and this Duke Of Marmalade filly’s breeding suggests she will now start coming into her own so she can progress from here. The Sash is unbeaten in two starts over this trip so has a chance from a fair draw, although she does have to bounce back from two below par runs over shorter and has been given zero relief by the handicapper for those efforts. 

In the sixth race over 2600m American Indian is developing into a useful sort and in his previous attempt at a staying trip he ran on well and just failed to beat the smart stayer Horace despite giving the latter 2kg. That form should be too good for this field. The back up could be Indy Ice as he has always struck as promising and a good win over 2400m last time when running on strongly suggests he could be coming into his own and  will also enjoy the step up in trip. Fact can’t be ignored either as a progressive stayer from the yard of Weiho Marwing, renowned for his expertise with stayers. 

In the seventh race over 2000m Jagesa Jagesa is drawn in pole and after losing two lengths at the start and running on for third over 1800m last time he looks cherry ripe to succeed over this trip as long as he jumps on terms. Prince Of Promise had not had much luck before his last start and proved it by winning that 1800m contest at healthy odds of 15/2. S’Manga Khumalo stays aboard from a middle draw and he could earn again off a four point higher mark. Flattley shouldn’t be far behind Prince Of Promise on paper and is now off a competitive mark.

In the last race over 1800m Matloob came out of a strong maiden race over 1600m to win going away over that same 1600m trip and off an attractive merit rating can follow up from a plum draw over a step up in trip which should suit him down to the ground being by Silvano out of a Giant’s Causeway mare. He is made the best bet on the card as he should be able to find the box seat behind what looks to be a good paced race. 

By David Thiselton

The Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting yesterday was highlighted by a fine win over 1400m for the Gavin van Zyl-trained Gauteng Summer Cup bound Marchingontogether under high-flying Warren Kennedy. Although the race was marred by Keagan de Melo’s nasty fall off Silent Crusade, who was challenging the eventual winner at the time.

De Melo, who was stable in the on course medical facility, was taken to hospital for x-rays. The official reason for the incident was that the horse jumped for no apparent reason.

All of Marchingontogether’s previous three wins had come at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and he had always struck as one who would come into his own this season. The four-year-old was fitted with blinkers over a trip too sharp in the Pinnacle Stakes events and he did race quite keenly from pole position. However, the tall Jagessar Limited-bred bay stayed on strongly to justify his status as the KZN Champion three-year-old male of last season, winning by a comfortable 1,30 lengths from the mare Regal Graduation and Sniper Shot.

Earlier, after the third race over 1200m, punters held their breaths as the winner by a whisker, the fancied Paul Lafferty-trained Celebration Rock, had appeared to lean on to the runner up Woodstock Festival before carrying him outward. There was not much contact or hindrance to Woodstock Festival’s stride and the stipendiary stewards overruled. The four-year-old Australian-bred Celebration Rock, by Excelebration, has now won three out of seven starts.

The meeting started with a one two for Garth Puller’s hard-knocking pair Double Espresso and Brass Bell. The winner, a three-year-old Clifton Stud-bred Crusade gelding, was ridden by Sherman Brown.

Puller then made it a 1200m double as the Bruce Le Roux-bred three-year-old Just As Well filly Georgina Rose ran on to just get up under Luke Ferraris.

The fourth over 2600m saw an upset as the Kumaran Naidoo-trained Rosedene Stud-bred three-year-old Greys Inn gelding Nitzram enjoyed the trip as much as his breeding suggested he would and held on by a whisker from Jer after turning it on well at the top of the straight under Sereno Moodley.

Puller grabbed a treble in the fifth and Ferraris a double when three-year-old Bold Silvano colt Bay Tibbs, bred by Riyo Stud, ran on to win first time out the maidens.

In the seventh over 1600m the talented Northern Route, a five-year-old Lammerskraal-bred Go Deputy gelding, won well in his third start for the Alyson Wright yard under Raymond Danielson.

The last over 1600m saw an easy win for the Gareth van Zyl-trained three-year-old filly Zernia under Eric Ngwane. This win brought a double for Rosedene-bred progeny of Greys Inn.

By David Thiselton

When you have done six years cutting your teeth as an assistant with the Kwa-Zulu Natal veteran and legendary trainer Dennis Drier and decide to take out your own licence, you know that a better grounding you could not have asked for and the consistent results speak for themselves. The man I am talking about is Phillipi-based trainer Michael Robinson.

Robinson will not forget his first hat-trick which he achieved at Durbanville yesterday. All three of his winners were steered to victory by title-chasing Warren Kennedy who also had the distinction of riding all four legs of the jackpot. Kennedy said in his post-race interview that he was delighted to have given Mike and Louellla their first treble, they absolutely adore their horses he said. Kennedy has recently become a father and he has made it clear that he is going for this season’s jockey championship.

Robinson, 47, must have thought whilst driving to the races yesterday that he had a bright chance of having a winner or two! He had a strong card of runners and his day kicked off in the third race with Cross Court. This lightly raced filly finished fourth and one can only feel that she might still have some more improvement to come.

The floodgates opened in the fourth where Lunar Tunes got the better of the Brett Crawford-trained Maningi Indaba in a nail-biting finish. This was strike one for Kennedy and Robinson.

Forty minutes later the jockey / trainer combination were in the winner’s enclosure with Lady Abigail. This Crusade filly was supposed to go to Robinson some time ago but Mike De Haast from the International Racing Club said that they battled to get her to Cape Town due to the restrictions at the time. They then sent her to Mike’s father-in-law, Doug Campbell, and he too, won a race with her at Hollywoodbets Greyville on the polytrack in July.

Robinson said her local debut was good enough and she came out well from that race and he thought that this was the right race for her. It would have been a dead giveaway for anyone who was on course yesterday to see De Haast there all the way from his Bloemfontein home base. This racing club deserve all the success they can get.

Next into the winner’s box was the daughter of Elusive Fort, Secret Depths. The in-form trainer said in his post-race interview that she had been such an unlucky filly and he was really chuffed that she has finally won again. He rates her as one of the nicest fillies he has trained. Part-owner and breeder Peter De Beyer was on course to lead her in.

Eric Sands made two visits to the winner’s box first with Broadside in the first race and then with Bellingham Bay in the seventh. Racegoer followers would have noticed that there was a large picture of Lady Abigail in the papers on Tuesday night as well as Broadside in the headlines. All in all, a very good day out at the country course.

By Warren Lenferna