David Thiselton
THE VAAL straight course today stages an interesting eight race meeting which should see punters coming out on top.

The meeting starts with a workriders’ maiden over 1400m and Mr Livingston will be hard to beat. He finished a 6,75 length fourth last time out over 1200m but the three in front of him, William Robertson, Dyce and Angel Of War are all talented. He has plenty of scope and should relish the step up in trip on pedigree being by Global View, whose two Graded wins were over 1600m and 1700m, out of a Labeeb mare who placed over 2600m. He is only a two-year-old but looks to have plenty of scope and likely has a bright future ahead of him. Phenesile Mongqawa is aboard and is an ultra consistent rider. The Sean Tarry-trained first-timer Willtowin is a three-year-old gelding by Willow Magic and is a half-brother to the seven-time winning Listed runner up Euphoria, a Kahal filly who won from 1200m up to 1600m. Champion workrider Joe Gwingwizha is aboard. Fort Commander’s best form has been over 1200m so the step up to this trip could be a concern but Tshepiso Matsoele is aboard and he has won five of his last six races.

The second is a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m and Sicilian Tiger is the one to beat after making a good debut over 1200m where he showed pace and hung on for third although he did not receive any betting support so the even money quoted at present might be a touch skinny. An interesting first-timer appears called Ice And Fire. He is a gelding by What A Winter and is a half-brother to the Dingaans winner Shango. He is also a half-brother to Captain And Master who looked like he would go to the top after running on for third in the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horsehoe for two-year-olds over 1400m but was ultimately a disappointment although he has won a few races. Chief Rafeef has run some fair races and might enjoy the step back down in trip so is not out of it either.

The third race is a Miaden Juvenile Plate over 1200m in which only three of the 13 runners have raced before. Quest From Afar was only 1.15 lengths behind the smart Desert Miracle over 1160m in her penultimate start so is the one to beat. Meteoric has shown some ability and could still improve. First-timer Code Zero is by Master Of My Fate and is a half-sister to twice Listed winner in PE Sammy Jo whose six career wins ranged from 1000m to 2000m. First-timer Perfect Witness is by Flower Alley and is a half-sister to four-time winner in KZN from 1200m to 2000m Diamonds And Pearls (Jackson). Alabama Anna is by the exciting new sire The United States out of an unraced Hawk Wing mare and this first-timer is a half-sister to three-time winner Radiant Love.  

In the fourth race over 1000m Brief Crusade strikes as being a scopey sort who can improve and his run last time out, a 4,75 length third to the promising Alesian Chief, looks to be the best form. Maraca Ginger and Night King look to be moderate but could be the main dangers.

In the fifth race over 1000m What A Miracle jumped outward last time over 1000m and was run out of it late so can make amends here in a moderate field. She is by What A Winter and is a full sister to four-time winner Tripod. Two first-timers could be the chief dangers. Vuitton is by Vercingetorix and is a full-sister to the one-time winner over 1750m Parallax. Moonshiningthrough is by Rafeef and is a half-sister to the twice winner in KZN Purple Moon’s Up (What A Winter).

In the sixth race, a MR 80 Handicap over 1000m, Alesian Chief won comfortably last time out over this trip and off a reasonable opening merit rating of 88 this two-year-old could be the one to side with. Successful Secret is 3.5 kg better off with Country Squire for a 3.05 length beating so might be the chief threat in this relatively open race. Country Squire is in fine form and won going away last time so it would not be a great surprise to see him overcome a seven point raise. Godswood was disappointing in that race and is better than that and he is also now 4kg better off with Country Squire for a 6,25 length beating. Look To The Sky speedy can never be ignored as he has plummeted down the merit ratings and might one day blitz a field over the minimum trip, although he is officially 1kg under sufferance here. 

In the seventh race, a Graduation Plate over 1100m Captain Morisco is the choice as he holds Portico on a line through Vaseem. However, the two-year-old Dockofthebay could well be a big danger despite not having run since his winning debut in early January. He is a big, long-striding sort and might well have benefited from the layoff. Portico did compete with the best as a two-year-old and finished a narrow second in the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m. He showed signs of returning to his best last time and is also a contender to win.

In the last race, a Maiden over 1400m, McKenna Sky is by Act Of War and is a half-sister to MK’s Pride so she should improve on her fifth place effort on debut over 1200m. She did show quite a lot of speed there but on pedigree will enjoy this step up in trip and can reverse a 1,65 length beating by the hard-knocking maiden Lady Of The Flame, who is having her twelfth start.

The KZN based bookmaker has signed a four-year naming rights sponsorship deal for the Gold Cup and the Festival of Racing. Representing Marshalls World of Sport, Taffy Mukeredzi, said that this was a way for MWOS to contribute to the horseracing industry especially during these difficult times. The four-year sponsorship will also cover the 60th year celebration for Marshalls World of Sport after the late John Marshall opened his first betting operation in 1963.

This year the Marshalls World of Sport Festival of Racing will take place on Saturday, 31 July, and fittingly will bring the 2020/2021 South African Racing Season to a close, featuring the MWOS Gold Cup and four Grade 1 races, all of which will have a significant effect on the outcome of the Equus Awards for this season.

David Thiselton

VODACOM DURBAN JULY hero Kommetdieding heads back to Cape Town today and trainer Michelle Rix said reality might finally sink in when she got home.  

She said, “It is surreal,” 

She described her father and training partner Harold Crawford’s reaction, “He was very emotional, he never thought he would even have a July runner and I loved it that I could share this win with him.”

The Crawford/Rix yard became the first small yard to win the big race since Mauritian-born KZN trainer Pat Antelme’s win with Gondolier in 1985.

To underline how massive an achievement it is, only five trainers who could be considered to be “small yard” had previously gained a place in the July this century, St. John Gray, Colin Lee, Stan Elley, Tyrone Zackey and Weiho Marwing. 

Michelle said jockey Gavin Lerena had planned as long as eight days before the race to slot in behind Do It Again from their draw of 18 out of 18.

He duly found cover behind him in the back straight.

However, he was then shuffled outward rounding the Drill Hall and found himself without cover.

Michelle said, “You would think I would have then have been worried but I wasn’t because Gavin had taken a lot of time to know the horse and we had also made sure the horse had gone into the race fit enough to handle it.”

Lerena travelled down to KZN four times to ride Kommetdieding including in the official July gallops.

Michelle continued, “Billy Jacobson was riding him work regularly too and when you have confidence coming from two jockeys it is definitely an asset.”

She continued, “Kommetdieding has an incredible turn of foot and it is instantaneous and Gavin knew he had to use it at exactly the right time. This horse also loves to be around horses too because he loves a challenge so I knew he was better than his runs in the WSB Guineas and Daily News 2000 where he ran on his own on the outside and then on the inside.”

Kommetdieding was allowed to make up the ground steadily while racing wide from the Drill Hall onward.

Lerena’s astutely drew alongside Do It Again as they approached the straight and this led to this dangerous contestant being stuck in a pocket for much of the straight. 

Lerena then got onto the back of Sovereign Spirit and got the sling shot effect as he spun off the latter’s heels.

He only produced the whip at the 200m mark, by which stage his twice conqueror Linebacker had ranged alongside him on the inside and the favourite Got The Greenlight was moving up on his outside.

As Rix had foreseen the response was instantaneous and he stole a narrow but important advantage on Linebacker. With two challengers on either side of him he was never going to be beaten from then onward due to the size of his heart and having been produced to his absolute peak. Lerena also produced a text book, lightning quick change of whip hand at the 100m mark to prompt a change of leg thus ensuring there would be no fatigue effecting his mount. The three-year-old Elusive Fort colt won full of running.

Harold Crawford took out his license in 1976 and this was his yard’s first ever Grade 1 winner.

Michelle worked for four years with trainer Andre Heyns before becoming an assistant to her father and they became an official partnership in August 2019.

They were both at the Klawervlei farm sale of 2019 but it was Harold who spotted Kommetdieding.

Michelle said, “He saw something he liked.”

Harold is also a fan of Elusive Fort having had success before with the like of three-time winner Fort Agopian. 

Kommetdieding’s Captain Al dam Adorable was a Listed runner up and although she had not produced much to date she is out of Russian Fox mare who was a half-sister to the dam of the Captain Al three-time Grade 1 winner Captain America.

Michelle in fact advised John Koster of Klawervlei not to sell Adorable after Kommetdieding had begun displaying promise but he unfortunately did not heed the advice. Koster must be rueing this decision especially as Kommetdieding’s Querari half-brother won easily second time out at Turffontein Inside yesterday, fittingly under Lerena.

Kommetdieding was not a flashy purchase coming off a farm sale but is soon became quickly apparent he was something special. 

Owner Ashwin Reynolds took an immediate liking to “Oom Harold” when first meeting him and has thus thrown a lot of support into the yard.

Crawford and Rix’s hard work paid off this SA Champions Season and they are likely to gain further support after converting a nice story into a rags-to-riches fairytale.      

David Thiselton

THE VODACOM DURBAN JULY result proved that the gap between the merit ratings of the top weights and the ultimate chief protagonists is too wide and the handicapper is going to have a problem narrowing it.

The Cape Town Met first three Rainbow Bridge, Belgarion and Sovereign Spirit ran close to the relative form of that 2000m weight for age (wfa) event. Rainbow Bridge and Belgarion also ran quite close to their relative form in last year’s July.

However, they were beaten more than five lengths by Kommetdieding, who on wfa terms beat Linebacker by half-a-length and Got The Greenlight by 0,70 lengths.

This suggests that unless the Met can be considered a weak race the first three in the July were too lowly rated.

What adds to this reading of the race is the performance of Do It Again.

Despite being very unlucky he was beaten only 1,75 lengths carrying 57,5kg off a merit rating of 129.

Considering the bad luck he proved himself every inch up to 129 and perhaps better. 

Therefore the handicappers appear to have two options; 

1) to rate the race highly.

2) to rate it lowly while giving the top weights significant decreases in merit rating.

Handicapping guru Jay August summed it up, “The problem is that Rainbow Bridge has become detached from a proper handicap rating, and any horse who runs against him at wfa becomes similarly detached – this year’s July proved this adequately. While Rainbow Bridge remains in form at wfa level his rating is unlikely to reduce and any horse that races close up against him at wfa is then attracted into that higher level relative to those horses who bypass  such challenge.”

David Thiselton

KEAGAN DE MELO will have to be nicknamed the “knockout kid” after scoring the third Grade 1 of his career on the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained 75/1 shot Zarina in the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes on Saturday, the same race in which he scored his first Grade 1 win last year on the 40-1 shot Temple Grafin.

Respective meeting bankers War Of Athena and Celtic Sea were among the vanquished in those two races and both results caused massive Pick 6 knockouts.

However, the new darling of the South African turf War Of Athena was gallant in defeat and her close third would have clinched her the Equus Champion Three-year-old filly award as she had fellow twice Grade 1 winner, Captain’s Ransom, beaten by three lengths. Furthermore, she was just a short-head behind the perennial brides-maid Princess Calla, whom she had beaten by 2,10 lengths over her probable best trip of 2000m in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.

War Of Athena showed in defeat just how huge her heart is and has to be considered unlucky as she was blocked off from her trusty pacemaker Only The Brave by Captain’s Ransom in front of her and Princess Calla outside of her. 

Captain’s Ransom did he opposite of what the connections’ pre-race comments had suggested by rushing forward from the off.

Perhaps they had predicted a slow pace but as it happened War Of Athena from pole position did not hang around and, furthermore, Caya Coco made a bee-line for the front from draw eight with Princess Calla from draw nine on her quarters.

Captain’s Ransom thus had to do a lot of work to get around the field. 

Meanwhile, Only The Brave’s intention was clear from the off and from her wide draw of 14 she galloped to the front and set fast fractions.    

Caya Coco was behind her and Captain’s Ransom then managed to slot in behind Caya Coco and in front of War Of Athena. 

Richard Fourie then gave Captain’s Ransom a breather and a gap of about three or four lengths opened between Caya Coco in second and Captain’s Ransom in third.

Muzi Yeni on War Of Athena could not shift outward as Princess Calla was sitting alongside his mount.

Princess Calla was thus able to enter the straight with plenty of momentum while War Of Athena continued to be blocked by Captain’s Ransom.

By the time War Of Athena got going down the inside she had a couple of lengths to make up on Princess Calla who was galloping strongly down the centre.

Captain’s Ransom was a spent force by the 200m mark.

Meanwhile, Keagan de Melo had settled Zarina perfectly from the off, finding a one wide position with cover in the back half of the field from draw five. 

One race earlier in the Vodacom Durban July on the Bass-Robinson-trained Supreme Sovereign De Melo lost his position rounding the Drill Hall when appearing to be forced outward by an incident and he was trapped wide thereafter.   

It was a different story in the Garden Province and De Melo entered the straight with plenty of horse beneath him.

Zarina crept forward and, after ducking outward to avoid a shifting Zimbaba, she began to make telling inroads.

The final 100 metres were thrilling.

Princess Calla was out in front and looked the winner.

War Of Athena was closing but not quickly enough.

However.  Zarina then joined her and the courageous little filly responded by finding hidden reserves.

Meanwhile, a desperate Lyle Hewitson was attempting to throw Princess Calla across the line.

They went across the line as one and the photo finish showed the Zarina to have got there by a hair’s breadth. 

Zarina’s groom Zanekhaya Mahesi received a R5,000 reward from Jonsson Workwear and Bass-Robinson and De Melo both received the same reward.    

The famous Bass yard had once again left a big racemeeting with a Grade 1 trophy. 

Zarina, a three-year-old filly by Master Of My Fate, was bred by Oldlands Stud and is owned by Marsh Shirtliff, Ian Longmore and Bryn Ressell.

She has won five of her ten starts and was generous odds considering the Bass yard’s reputation for bringing young horses on slowly but surely. 

Candice said one could hardly have expected Zarina to beat the two chief protagonists War Of Athena and Capain’s Ransom, considering their form, but her becoming a Grade 1 winner had not surprised her.