KRA Guineas winner Twist Of Fate, placed in the Vodacom Durban July and earner of more than R3 million, could start this season’s campaign in the Matchem Stakes at Durbanville on October 5.

Joey Ramsden, who won the Matchem with Variety Club and Act Of War, said: “Twist Of Fate is enjoying a holiday at the moment after having a great season but he could well start off in the Matchem.”

The opposition may include Head Honcho, winner of the Premier Trophy and third in the Sun Met, as Andre Nel reports: “The Matchem would be tempting. Otherwise the plan is a copy and paste of what he did last season. He has been wintering in Natal as the weather is so much warmer there but I may move him back to Cape Town in another week or so.”

The Matchem’s sister race, the Diana Stakes, is expected to be the starting point for last season’s Sweet Chestnut and Stormsvlei Mile winner Helen’s Ideal. “She has gone to Mike Stewart’s place at Noordhoek for a holiday on the beach,” says Paul Reeves. “But it’s more than likely that the Diana will be her first race of the season.”

Winter Derby winner Dharma will be back in action as early as Saturday week. “The Kenilworth race will be his prep for the Setttlers Trophy at Durbanville on September 28,” reports Geoff Woodruff’s daughter and Cape Town assistant Lucinda. “He will then go for the stayers’ races at Kenilworth right through to the end of February.”

By Michael Clower

Mark Khan pretty much summed it up after Final Assembly scored in the second at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday. “Buying horses on a horses in training sale is a bit of a lucky packet – but it won, that’s all that counts.”

Final Assembly arrived in Lezeanne Forbes’s yard a four-year-old maiden and although he did not meet the strongest of maiden fields in his first outing for the stable, he justified his purchase by finishing hard up the inside with Khan throwing everything but the kitchen sink at his mount.

Rob Haswell is having the run of his life with his colours prominent in the winner’s enclosure in recent weeks and Master Keys obliged with back-to-back victories in the seventh for Nathan Kotzen. Most of Haswell’s runners have been bred by good friend Anton Procter who is also an advisor to Nothemba Mlonzi who has a fledgling stud outside of Howick in the KZN Midlands and who bred Master Keys.

Starting favourite, she looked in trouble a furlong out, but she responded gamely to Muzi Yeni’s urgings to get the better of Spam Alert and Mitra Music.

Path To Glory has not been the easiest horse to follow but Mike Miller’s charge, once as high as 80 in the handicap, took full advantage of a further three-point relief to upset in the sixth.

Earlier, Alyson Wright, who had success with Matterhorn, cautioned that favourite Scarlet Chill may be short of peak fitness after coming off a virus, and so it proved as Serino Moodley motored home on the 10-1 shot, Scarlet Chill some three lengths adrift in second.

Matterhorn, who made a smart debut against winners, started a short price for the second but gave all supporters a heart attack, scrapping home by the narrowest of margins from pacemaker Frankie Two Shoes.

Raymond Danielson, who booted home a double for the Wright stable, was magnanimous in victory giving credit for a good ride by Ant Mgudlwa on the runner up.

In spite of the tight winning margin, Matterhorn does look to have scope. “He needs to mature and when he goes a distance, he’ll be a nice horse,” said Wright. Danielson concurred. “He took time to get going today. A course like Scottsville will suit him.”

Techno Captain was once one of the leading lights in Paul Gadsby’s Ashburton yard three season’s back but he was a tricky customer in his early days and not the easiest to train.

However, Gadsby has persisted and although not reaching the heights originally expected, Techno Captain has paid his way and was rewarded with his fifth win yesterday. He looked to be the ‘right’ horse in the race in spite of top weight but Sherman Brown had to work hard. Brown is one of the most powerful riders in a finish and tough to get past. Al Jackman would not go away like an irritating fly on your fruit salad, but Brown was always ready with the fly-spray.

Wright rounded off a fine afternoon with Danielson doing the honours aboard Someone Exciting in the last.

By Andrew Harrison

The fields may be on the small side but the form is mostly thin so punters will need to tread warily at the Vaal tomorrow where racing is on the Classic track.

One of the shorter priced runners and a possible exotic bet banker could come in the form of Wordyness in the eighth. Since being tried over a bit of ground and shedding her maiden, Wordyness has been a model of consistency for Lucky Houdalakis and she looks set to snap a sequence of runner-up berths.

Although reported to be over-racing in her last start, she was still running at the eventual winner, finishing just under two lengths back to Nimcha. A repeat of that showing from a good draw should see her right there.

Wordyness was on offer at 12-10 in early market exchanges with Berry Flambeau at 5-1 for Weiho Marwing. Like Wordyness, she has started to show form since being tried over ground and the extra furlong here could see her as the principal threat to the selection.

A recent raid by Paul Peter on Scottsville was rescued by Corrido scoring in the last race of the day but earlier there were high hopes for Big Blue Marble in a handicap sprint. After showing pace, Big Blue Marble blew up over the final furlong, trailing in mid-field some 10 lengths off the winner Ultra Magnus.

It was a warm afternoon and Big Blue Marble had to be hosed down after the race.

Prior to that his Highveld form had been solid, his last win an end-to-end effort over tomorrow’s course and distance.

He does have a big weight to shoulder so you may need insurance in your exotic bet perms. Culture Trip is the ante-post favourite at around 28-10 with Sean Tarry’s gelding yet to finish out of the money in four outings. A lightly raced four-year-old, he finished with a rattle to get up on the line to win his latest start and he gets 1.5kg relief courtesy of apprentice Kabela Matsunyane.

Captain’s Alpha is at the bottom of the handicap and only got off the mark as a late four-year-old. He followed up on that maiden win and was not disgraced when fading late behind the talented but largely disappointing Purple Diamond last time out. He is in receipt of 8kg from Big Blue Marble which should make him competitive.

In the opening leg of the Pick 6, Mazavaroo showed signs of life when staying on for fourth behind Gallic Princess and given her good draw, Muzi Yeni on board and a pedigree that suggests that 1500m should be right up her street, she has a lot in her favour.

In a difficult first leg, Miss Cap Mala and Wiley Kim could be worthy additions to any perms.

The second leg is no easier. Rocky Path got his new season off to a promising start when making marked improvement behind Lighthearted last time out. The handicappers were not impressed with St John Gray’s runner and dropped him a further three points which could be enough to see him home ahead of the eight-year-old Sleepinseattle. Erico Verdonese’s veteran has notched eight victories in 64 starts, six more than any of the other runners barring Kimberley specialist Bishop Of Bombay who is way off form.

Peter will be hoping for a quick double after Big Blue Marble when he saddles Dread The Dragon and Way Of The World in the seventh but it is not a leg to go light in. Dread The Dragon gave the starter a difficult time when breaking through the stalls before his last run and that effort may have taken its toll as he faded late after showing early pace.

Young apprentice Jeff Syster will be aboard with his 4kg claim which may be enough for him to get the better of stable companion and top weight Way Of The World while Fictitious, touched off at his last start, is a must inclusion in all calculations.

In the last race of the day, Miss Tycoon has finally come to hand in blinkers but she also stays well and can follow up on her maiden win. Magic’s First is the only runner for Diane Stenger on the day and she is the early ante-post favourite at 22-10. The filly goes well for Muzi Yeni who has ridden her in all of her recent starts and they were end-to-end victors over the Turffontein 2400m last time out. However, she does have to give Miss Tycoon 6.5kg which may be beyond her capabilities.

By Andrew Harrison

NOMINEES & WINNERS in bold type

CHAMPION TWO YEAR FILLY (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)
Gabor ; Miss Florida

CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLD COLT (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)
Eden Roc ; Got The Greenlight

CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLD FILLY (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)
Celtic Sea ; Clouds Unfold ; Front and Centre ; Return Flight ; Silvano’s Pride

CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLD COLT (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)
Chimichuri Run ; Hawwaam ; Soqrat (AUS)

CHAMPION OLDER FILLY/MARE (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)
Camphoratus ; Oh Susanna (AUS)

CHAMPION OLDER MALE (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)
Do It Again ; Kasimir ; Pacific Trader ; Rainbow Bridge

CHAMPION SPRINTER (1000-1200 METRES ; AGE/GENDER IMMATERIAL)
Celtic Sea ; Chimichuri Run ; Kasimir ; Pacific Trader

CHAMPION MILER (1400-1600METRES; AGE/GENDER IMMATERIAL)
Celtic Sea; Do It Again ; Soqrat (AUS)

CHAMPION MIDDLE DISTANCE HORSE (1800-2200 METRES;AGE/GENDER IMMATERIAL)
Do It Again ; Hawwaam ; Rainbow Bridge

CHAMPION STAYER (2400 METRES UPWARDS; AGE/GENDER IMMATERIAL)
Dynasty’s Blossom ; Magnificent Seven ; Return Flight ; Samurai Warrior ; Walter Smoothie

CHAMPION BROODMARE
Halfway To Heaven

OUTSTANDING BREEDER
Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs GA Rupert)

CHAMPION STALLION
Silvano

CHAMPION BREEDER
Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
Luke Ferraris

CHAMPION JOCKEY
Lyle Hewitson

CHAMPION TRAINER
Sean Tarry

OWNER OF THE YEAR
Chris van Niekerk

HORSE OF THE YEAR
Do It Again

Glen Kotzen is keeping an open mind about this season’s campaign for his 2018 Cape Derby winner Eyes Wide Open, winner of the WSB 1900 and fourth in the Vodacom Durban July.

The Woodhill trainer said: “I’m not yet sure what he will do but we are giving him a nice long break and then we will see how we go.”

The Dynasty five-year-old managed only seventh of nine on his final start in the WSB Champions Cup but Kotzen doesn’t believe that this should be written off as just the effects of a tough campaign, reasoning: “He was out at the weights whereas in the July he was handicapped to win but again they went too damn slow. Ideally I would love to have sent him to stud but there are too many horses doing that this time round so we are racing him for a further year.”

Stud is no longer an option for R6 million buy Charles, second in both the Cape Derby and the Track And Ball Derby, because he was gelded on Monday. “We will see how he takes this and then work out a programme for him,” said Brett Crawford who confirmed that the unbeaten Somerset and Cape Nursery winner Armando is in quarantine for Hong Kong. Interestingly he is rated only 102, the same mark as controversially given to maiden winner General Franco.

Ricardo Sobotker, Joey Ramsden’s long-serving assistant, was noticeable by his absence in July and he disclosed why after Howl came good under Ossie Noach in the fillies maiden at Kenilworth yesterday. “I had a bacterial infection and I felt terrible but they said it was a viral infection, not bacterial. I had it for four weeks and then my wife insisted on my going to hospital. I was there for a week and had a further week under homecare. I feel fine again now.”

Howl was reported to have tied up in her shoulder when she was beaten over six lengths on her previous start. “That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” said Sobotker. “She was beaten by a better horse (Honey Pie) that day but she is still a bit weak and the mile found her out. That said, she has potential.”

By Michael Clower