Grant van Niekerk takes over from Aldo Domeyer as the jockey to display his Hong Kong talents at Kenilworth on Saturday and he rides in all but one of the eight races.

He has two mounts apiece for Justin Snaith and Candice Bass-Robinson and one each for Eric Sands, Piet Steyn and Mike Stewart. But his hand is nothing like as strong as Aldo Domeyer’s last Saturday, let alone the veritable bonanza that last season’s Cape champion appeared to have at yesterday’s abandoned meeting.

Van Niekerk did well in his first Hong Kong season, riding 31 winners from 422 rides, finishing ninth on the log and building a reputation with many of the local trainers.

Kenilworth was hit with 17mm of rain during Monday night and, although the course was passed fit after horses were galloped on it, further downpours saw racing called off following an 11.00am track inspection. No more than three millimetres is forecast between now and Saturday’s meeting so that should go ahead.

Justin Snaith is a runaway winner of the Western Cape trainers’ championship with 132 winners and stakes of R15.4 million, nearly R7 million in front of Mrs Bass-Robinson (73 winners) and Brett Crawford (82). Sabine Plattner is the leading owner. 

Snaith’s first jockey Richard Fourie heads the Western Cape log with 106 winners and Domeyer, despite spending so long in Hong Kong, is second with 60, six in front of Bernard Fayd’Herbe. Greg Cheyne is the highest Western Cape-based jockey on the national log in fifth with a personal best of 160 boosted by a fabulous five-timer at Fairview on Monday.

By Michael Clower 

Gary Alexander brings a string of five runners down to KwaZulu-Natal today for an eight-race program at Hollywoodbets Greyville on the poly and has a strong chance of bagging a few winners.

See Me Run jumps from gate two in the sixth race with Denis Schwarz up and is currently trading at 5-1 with Track & Ball. The 3 year old Visionaire filly ran a creditable 4.5 lengths behind Running Brave who won the Gold Bracelet last Saturday. The yard is expecting a good run as Alexander said ‘’she must have a decent shout from a good draw’’.

The second race sees them saddle up Amandla who put in a solid debut finishing 2.25 lengths behind Var And Away over 1160m at Turffontein, “He is working well and should have a good each way chance in this line-up” commented Alexander.

In race three, Marula is joint favourite with the Dennis Drier trained Ninotto currently trading at 19-10 on the books. ‘’His last two runs have been decent and this is not the strongest of fields with all due respect so he should be in the firing line” said Alexander. Eighties Rock ran a useful barrier trial and could be one to watch at decent odds. Magnificus is another who wasn’t far back in a barrier trial which makes the opening leg of the place accumulator very tricky.

Ideal Cut in race five doesn’t have the best draw but should be in with each way chance if taking to the poly. The last to be saddled up from the Alexander yard is Liberado in the eighth. ‘’He is looking for a mile plus but we’ll take our chances from a good draw and he will be doing his best work late’’. Alexander concluded that many of his runners haven’t been on the poly so if they do take to it good runs are expected overall.

The seventh sees an interesting contest where Myrrh and Luxemburg should fight it out. Myrrh from the Wayne Badenhorst yard gets an eye-catching jockey booking Lyle Hewitson from gate four and was running on well very late in the day. If he has a decent position this time around he will be right in the thick of things as he will be receiving all the assistance from the saddle. Luxemburg comes off a second on paper, however he lost his race in the boardroom. He took well to the poly at Fairview and if repeating that performance has a decent winning chance.

By Devonne Govender

KZN Breeding’s newest acquisition, New Predator, has a chance of following in the footsteps of other non-Group 1-winning KZN-based stallions Kahal, Mogok and Muhtafal, due to his magnificent pedigree.

New Predator was in fine condition and full of zest when paraded at the Bush Hill Stud stallion day last Friday and so were his colleagues Flying The Flag and Redoute’s Promise.

New Predator’s pedigree is particularly exciting as it contains the Galileo-Fastnet Rock nick 2X2. It is not surprising this nick is proving full of potency, because the mix of their respective fathers Sadler’s Wells and Danehill delivered some of the world’s best racehorses including Frankel and Minding.

Galileo needs no introduction, being a ten-times champion stallion and producer of 80 individual Group 1 winners.

Fastnet Rock is also held in high esteem and has been rated among the world’s top five stallions.

The world’s leading stud operation, Coolmore, once had a saying among their connections, “There are only three certainties in life, death, taxes and Fastnet Rock.”

Fastnet Rock won two Group 1 sprints over 1000m and 1100m respectively in Australia but then suffered from travel sickness when sent to race in Britain and was retired to stud. 

He has produced 37 individual Group 1 winners.

The Galileo-Fastnet Rock nick has already produced seven Group 1 winners.

New Predator is the first son of stallion sensation New Approach to stand in South Africa and is out of a winning Fastnet Rock mare.

New Approach was trained by ireland’s Jim Bolger and this brilliant son of Galileo won all five of his starts as a two-year-old, all over seven furlongs, including the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh and the Group 1 Dewhurst at Newmarket.

As a three-year-old he was narrowly beaten by Henrythenavigator in both the 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas.  

Just two weeks after the Irish 2000 Guineas he showed just how tough he was by winning the Epsom Derby, despite having pulled in the early stages. 

He ran three times as a four-year-old, all over a mile and two furlongs, starting off with a third place to the supreme Duke Of Marmalade in the Juddmonte International. 

In his second start he beat Traffic Guard, who is now an underrated stallion at Summerhill Stud, by half-a-length in the Irish Champion Stakes. He then beat Twice Over, sire of South Africa’s best current racehorse Do It Again, by an incredible six lengths in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket in record time. Third in the latter race was Linngari, who now stands in the KZN Midlands at Rathmor Stud.

New Approach produced two classic winners in his first crop, the brilliant 2000 Guineas winner Dawn Approach and the Epsom Oaks winner Talent. 

He has produced over 40 stakes winners including seven Group 1 winners, and among the latter is Epsom Derby winner Masar.

He became the first stallion to ever sire three Royal Ascot Group stakes-winning juveniles in the same season.

Warwick Render, owner of Bush Hill Stud, said another advantage of New predator’s pedigree is it allows him to be matched with any mare.

As a racehorse, New Predator was all about speed and class and possessed a fine turn of foot.

Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren described him as a tremendously athletic individual. However, he admitted to wrapping him in cotton wool to a certain extent. He said given the luxury of more of his class he would no doubt have targeted more Grade 1’s and reckoned the strongly built bay would have picked one up on the way. 

New Predator won the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m as a three-year-old, beating former Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate in the process as well as Grade 1 winners of the like of The Conglomerate and Gold Onyx. In his previous start he had finished third to twice Equus Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle in the Grade 1 weight for age HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m. Later, he finished fourth in the Grade 1 wfa Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m just two weeks after not staying the distance in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000.

As a four-year-old New Predator won the Grade 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile and once again had a number of Grade 1 winners behind him, including the Grade 1 wfa-winning miler Mac De Lago.

He later finished third in the Horse Chestnut Stakes again.

Janse van Vuuren was supremely confident before New Predator’s participation in the Mercury Sprint over 1200m but unfortunately his powerful finishing run came just too late and he had to be content with third place. Janse van Vuuren was in fact gobsmacked he had lost such was his bullishness that day.

New Predator is already receiving fine support and has about 60 mares booked. A number of them will be sent by his racing owner Laurence Wernars, who has syndicated him and retains shares. 

The chestnut Flying The Flag impressed all of Friday’s patrons with his magnificent looks.

Mike de Kock rated him a Group 1 performer and has consequently sent some of his own mares to him.

This son of Galileo is out of a Pivotal mare. He won a Group 3 over a mile and two furlongs at The Curragh as well as a race over the same trip at Meydan in Dubai.

Render believes breeders have not taken enough advantage of Redoute’s Promise, an magnificently-bred unraced horse. He is the first son of Danehill’s sensational son Redoute’s Choice to stand in South Africa and is out of Perfect Promise. The latter was the first SA-bred horse to win a Group 1 in Australia and is a full-sister to another Group 1 winner Irridescence. Redoute’s Choice is a twice Australian Champion sire. 

By David Thiselton

Alan Greef had six winners at Fairview yesterday, five of them ridden by Greg Cheyne, and in the exciting race for the national jockeys championship Muzi Yeni reduced the lead of Lyle Hewitson to two.

Greef repeated the recent feat of Paul Peter, who had six winners at the Vaal in one meeting, all ridden by Warren Kennedy.

Yeni rode the Duncan McKenzie-trained Bushy Park to victory in the last race.

Hewitson’s dry spell continued and he had another blank.

The lead which was ten winners at the beginning of last week is now down to two.

The two protagonists now head for Kenilworth tomorrow and there could be a thrilling conclusion at Greyville on Wednesday.

If they finish on an equal number of winners the title will be shared.

By David Thiselton

Aldo Domeyer, having delighted his growing army of followers with a heavily supported double at Kenilworth on Saturday, returns there tomorrow but sadly that is all we are going to see of him for another year.

“I’m only back here for a fortnight – really just to say hello – and then I must resume riding work in Hong Kong,” he explains.

Such is the Cape champion’s reputation after doing so well in his new base that all but one of his six mounts on Saturday started either favourite or joint favourite. “He has come back twice the jockey,” said an impressed Chris Snaith who has legged up more world class riders over the years than most of us have had holidays.

The most immediately noticeable difference in the new Domeyer is that he is now race-riding from the off. No more just slotting into a position where he and his horse feel comfortable and leaving the tactics until the straight. He now works out beforehand where his mount should be and, without unnecessarily using up the horse’s energy, makes sure he is there.

Sacred Arrow in the Pinnacle was a case in point. “He went down to the start really well but I felt it was imperative to switch him off – he probably wouldn’t find a kick if I allowed him to run free.”

The relentless driving of old is still there, and still with all the inevitability of a metronome, and Sacred Arrow duly got up to justify Candice Bass-Robinson’s selection – “Aldo asked me to give him one decent ride and I thought this was my best runner of the day.”

Honey Pie, Domeyer’s other winner, was for Justin Snaith and won by a staggering six lengths. Go Jewel, ridden by Robert Khathi, initiated a stable double half an hour earlier.

Getting the better of Domeyer in a close finish has never been easy, doubly so now, yet Anthony Andrews managed to do so on the Mike Stewart-trained top weight Icon Princess in the 1 200m handicap despite dropping his rein. “I didn’t have time to pick it up. If I’d taken a stride or two to gather up the rein I would have lost the race.”

Andrews also won the Tabonline.co.za Maiden Juvenile on Call Me Al, the first winner Mike Robinson has trained for nuclear physicist Steph Steyn and his family.

It was red-letter day for Tyrell Maharaj,19, who rode his first winner when making all on the Paul Reeves-trained Moon Rock in the 1 200m handicap. Remarkably the four-year-old won despite drifting across to the outside in the last two furlongs. Penetrometer readings indicate that the ground was significantly slower here than on the inside.

Binoche, named by owner-breeders Craig and Michelle Davis after the French actress Juliette Binoche of The English Patient fame, did them all proud by scoring at the first attempt for Vaughan Marshall and Ossie Noach in the last.

Mncedi Sigenu, universally known as Godfrey, is not a name that springs to mind in work riders’ races but perhaps it should be. He has only had three rides this season but he has won on two of them and seven-length scorer Outoftheordinary was his second success for the Bass-Robinson stable.

By Michael Clower