Justin Snaith will have a strong hand in the Grade 1 eLan Gold Cup with the ruling ante-post favourite Strathdon as well as Doublemint and Made To Conquer.

Snaith quipped, “Strathdon is going for world record of days without a win (588)!”

He continued, “This was the best my horses have pulled up out of the Vodacom Durban July day for years and they are well, although I wasn’t happy with all of their runs.”

Made To Conquer was one of the horses he was unhappy with and felt his July preparation had been affected by a couple of hiccups at the July gallops.

He said, “Things didn’t go his way in his July gallop.”

Snaith said there was a delay caused by the trainers not galloping in the specified order and Made To Conquer began sweating in the parade ring while ringing around waiting.

He said, “By the time he had finished he was dripping sweat and was not the same after that in my opinion. I thought I had him right but he wasn’t. So I thought the gallops affected him but when I saw it happening there was nothing much I could do.”

He was also disappointed with Doublemint’s July run and said, “Unfortunately he got caught three wide without cover. You can run three wide in the July but you must have something in front of you. He never settled, so a little bit of a wide draw, bad luck and that was his chances all gone.”

Snaith said about Doublemint staying the Gold Cup trip of 3200m, “To be honest in South Africa staying races are not strong, so he does not need to stay, if he is a 2400m horse that’s good enough for the Gold Cup. You don’t have to be any stronger than that. What does always worry me is the Jo’burg horses carrying 52kg and being full of oxygen from the high altitude training. That is more my worry. It has been a disappointing season for Doublemint and Made To Conquer so why not give them a chance in the Gold Cup and see how they go and then decide their futures from there. Doublemint will be gelded after the Gold Cup.”

Snaith has the favourite in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m, Kasimir, and said he had been doing very well. He also has Snowdance entered in the Mercury.

He said, “Kasimir just needed his last run. They denied him a gallop at Greyville so we had to use that last race as a prep. He will have come on a lot from that. Snowdance might also take her place. We are going to decide also whether she will still race again next year.”

Snaith will not be contesting any of the two-year-old events on Gold Cup day but will have a strong hand in the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m with July fifth-placed Miyabi Gold, Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 winner Silvano’s Pride and Listed East Cape Oaks winner Madonna.

By David Thiselton

Rainbow Bridge, 16-10 favourite with the sponsors for Saturday week’s World Sports Betting Champions Cup, has yet to be confirmed a runner and punters might want to hold their fire until a final decision is made.

Eric Sands said on Saturday: “He was off his manger for a couple of days after the Vodacom Durban July and, although he was trotting sound, he had a little bit of warmth in one joint.

“He is fine now but I am only going to run him in the Champions Cup if everything is 100%. He is only turning five, he is not an over-raced horse and we want to keep him going as long as possible. But by the same token it is a Grade 1 and we are not going to run away from it if we can go.”

If he does line up, Gavin Lerena will be first call – “I thought he rode a good race in the July and he settled the horse well but he may have other commitments.”

Sands, who sent out Jungle Warrior to win what was then known as the Champion Stakes at Greyville back in 1988, believes that Rainbow Bridge was adversely affected by the delay at the start in the July.

He is not claiming that his horse would have beaten Do It Again – “We were beaten fair and square but the second loading was a killer. He was sweating up before the first loading but he was bouncing and ready to go. I know that the reloading played against a lot of horses but Rainbow Bridge is not the type of horse to whom you can say ‘Come back and go in again.’”

There is also a Champions Cup question mark about 15-1 shot Head Honcho who was picked out along with Rainbow Bridge by commentator Craig Peters as sweating up badly at the delayed start.

Andre Nel said: “Head Honcho is not a highly strung horse but Keagan de Melo said the first time he was ready to go and the second time he was flat. We were all in the same boat so I am not making excuses and setting the horse alight 200m before turning for home was never part of the plan.”

Head Honcho, who was in the first two much of the way, dropped right out in the final furlong to finish with only four behind him casting doubts about whether he really got the trip. “He did win the Betting World 2200 the previous year but it is not his proper distance and it was a much weaker race,” Nel pointed out. “It seems as though he can gallop 1 800m almost flat out and then he tires.”

The Champions Cup trip would therefore seem ideal but Nel said: “We are debating whether to run. He was slightly jarred up after the July but nothing catastrophic. Possibly he could run but he is better in Cape Town and we might decide to wait for the Cape season.”

There has been relatively little movement in the Champions Cup market so far with the most noticeable being last year’s runner-up Undercover Agent (14-1 to 9-1) and second favourite Buffalo Bill Cody who has been cut from 3-1 to 22-10.

Lyle Hewitson, now almost unbackable to retain his championship – some bookmakers are quoting odds as short as 1-11 – gives Durbanville a miss tomorrow but Muzi Yeni is refusing to concede defeat and has taken five rides – two each for Joey Ramsden and Glen Kotzen and one for Glen Puller. However none of the quintet has a particularly obvious chance.

Run Fox Run, winner of all her four starts including most recently the Olympic Duel Stakes, is the highest rated of the 14 entries for the Champagne Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday and is the only representative for Brett Crawford who won this 1 200m Grade 3 with Beach Goddess three years ago.

By Michael Clower

The price paid for a yearling at auction goes more to conformation and pedigree in the hope that it has some ability. As Dean Kannemeyer pointed out before his R4.5 million yearling buy, Seventh Gear, won the second at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday, “there are plenty of million-rand duds around. I think that it’s a bit unfair to put pressure on the trainer just because the horse was bought for a lot of money.”

But Seventh Gear is no dud although he has some way to go before he recoups his purchase price on the track – but the signs are good. A magnificent physical specimen, the colt still looked a little underdone in the paddock but finished off his race smartly as he and the luckless High Voltage fought out the finish with the balance of the field in another race.

Seventh Gear is unlikely to be seen out again this term, Kannemeyer intimating that the colt would be put away and prepped for the Cape summer with the Gr1 Cape Guineas and Gr1 Cape Derby on the radar.

Tobie Spies is a wizard with juveniles and the money arrived in spades for the grey filly Snow Palace in the third and it was money on the mark.

Craig Zackey sat patiently in the pack until two furlongs out with the fuse burning. Once the flame hit the powder, Snow Palace sped clear to win as she liked.

Pace, or a lack of it, can upset even the best laid plans and Shane Humby was chewing on his hat as the field dawdled around the back stretch in the fourth setting up the race for a sprint home. Donovan Dillon was wise to the pace and sent favourite Winter Retreat about her business at the top of the straight, poaching a break on the opposition. It proved a timely move as Winter Retreat held on just long enough to hold the late challenge from Miss Jagger. “I was a bit worried as they crawled down the back straight. Filly is an out-and-out stayer and a sprint home did not suit her.”

Muzi Yeni is not going down without a fight in the national title race although his chances of catching log leader Lyle Hewitson look remote, Yeni 12 behind with a little over two weeks to the end of the season. Nathan Kotzen ensured that there was hanging around for his more fancied runner Paybackthemoney in the fifth as apprentice Gabriel Pieterse stretched the field from the jump on stable companion Kheelan Dynasty. Paybackthemoney returned the compliment with a comfortable win.

Kotzen and Dillon were back to collect the cheque in the sixth as Master Keys put in a storming run up the inside to get the better of Karatage and Bon Bon with favourite Perfect Air under pressure a long way out.

By Andrew Harrison

King Of The Corn and Sister Soozie can both take advantage of significant drops in rating accompanied by a drop in class when they line up for the fifth at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday. The staying ranks generally populated by moderate horses but King Of The Corn has five wins to his credit so is obviously capable.

His form since moving to join Garth Puller in KZN is hardly inspiring, finishing closer to last than first, but all three runs have been on the poly, the last two in MR90 Handicaps. On Sunday he is down two divisions and five pounds in the handicap.

Prior to his move north he had been showing consistent Cape Town form. Being an older horse, first time blinkers could sharpen him up and if he can run to anywhere near his best he will at least be competitive.

Sister Soozie’s two starts in KZN for Andre Nel have been better efforts but similarly she is down a division and four pounds in the handicap. She is further complimented by apprentice Jason Gates claiming another 1.5kg.

Although she has only win two races, Sister Soozie was good enough to finish third in the Settlers Trophy behind Magnificent Seven so is proven over Sunday’s 2400m trip.

Of the balance, Impact Zone was close-up in a hugely competitive Winter Challenge handicap behind the progressive The Sultans Bazaar while the lightly raced Spring Fling made a useful handicap debut behind Don Pierro and seems to be getting better the further he goes.

The first is the second of the workriders races and only for the needy and the greedy. However, Mac ‘N Scar, with accomplished rider Aron Xabendlini in the irons, has his third run after a break and has been up against useful fields of late. Petra is a smart filly and showed good improvement in blinkers last run and rider Callum Dixon finished runner-up in the first of the workrider races. Drunken Sailor and La Ferrari could also feature in an open race.

Marco van Rensburg was spitting mad after bearing the brunt of some careless riding in the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, High Voltage being ‘cleaned up’ at a crucial stage of the race. Prior to that Duncan Howells’s runner had pressed Saturdays KZN Million winner African Warrior to within a length in the Godolphin Barb Stakes. A repeat of that performance could see him hard to beat in the second although there look to be a number of improvers in the race.

Shane Humby has a couple of promising runners on the day, first up being Diamonds And Pearls in the opening leg of the Pick 6. The filly is lightly raced but has improved with each outing. She came from a long way back when runner-up to Tango Time and judged on that the extra furlong should well suit.

An obvious danger is Saucy Broad who has shown up well in her last two starts. Now fitted with a tongue-tie she can do even better. A further threat could be Snow Palace. The Tobie Spies yard has been in deadly form, especially with juveniles, and the grey filly was touched off over the distance at Turffontein last time out.

The second of Humby’s chances could come in the very next race with Winter Retreat. She found good market support last start and failed narrowly and should have no trouble with the extra ground. Isikhwami Sami and La Duchesse could be the biggest dangers.

On a difficult card, a likely banker could come in the form of Perfect Air. Dennis Drier’s filly ran a cracker in a feature last time out. She is in good form and rates the one to beat. Dangers are Pumpkin Queen in spite of her big weight and a wide draw as was in need of her last start and is very capable in this company. Of the balance, Master Keys was a beaten favourite last outing and has the best of the draw while Connect Me is as game as they come. She got up narrowly at her last two and could do even better over this trip.

The seventh is another tricky handicap but Gimme Peace makes her local debut off some fair Cape form while Letaba showed up well first time out of the maidens and is lightly raced.

Finally, Cosmic Cutter is better than his last effort. He has shown some promise and is in a weak field. Forest Jump improved nicely at his second outing after a promising debut and should be at his peak while stable companion Alma Mater showed up smartly in his barrier trial so obviously has some ability.

By Andrew Harrison

The Turffontein Inside track stages a nine race meeting tomorrow and the exotics look the way to play it.

In the first leg of the PA over 1450m Readysetglo was staying on well over 1500m last time for an improved performance and she has another plum draw. She is by the under rated sire Traffic Guard whose progeny improve over time so she should be coming into her own. Gallic Princess stayed on well over 1400m on the standside course last time when jumping from a tricky draw and is now well drawn in her third career start. She can improve further and those two should get punters through.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 2000m Maroon Bells is knocking on the door and just failed when charging late over 1800m last time. He does have a wide draw to overcome now and hasn’t raced for 93 days, but he should relish this trip and can run on again. Dry Your Eyes looks to be ideally distance suited and is well drawn so has a chance and Gold Griffin can go close if reproducing his last run over this trip, although he has a tough draw. Vetri Vel was beaten three lengths by Maroon Bells the last time they met over 1800m but he comes off a good race over 2400m and looks to be improving. Byron Bay is well drawn and enjoys this trip.

In the first leg of the Jackpot over 1200m Starlighttemptress can be just as effective over this trip as she was last time when winning over 1450m as long as she can get to the front from her good draw. Walnut Dash comes out strongly on formlines and Hartleyfive is interesting over this step up in trip, which could stretch her, as she has pole position and Gavin Lerena has stayed aboard.

In the sixth over 1200m Captain’s Alpha goes for a course and distance hattrick and can do it from a good draw as she has turned the corner with blinkers, is well drawn and is only two points higher in the merit ratings. Purple Diamond won a Grade2 over this trip as a two-year-old and off just a 73 merit rating can go close from a good draw. Brigtnumberten might lead from his wide draw and has a form chance.

In the seventh over 1800m, The Makwakkers stayed on well over 1450m last time and will relish this trip on pedigree. March To Glory is doing well for his new yard and should enjoy this trip. Chevron looks progressive, Electromagnetic should be involved from a plum draw and Theravada has a shout in a weaker field than last time.

In the eighth over 2000m, Vijeta has ability but usually loses ground at the start. If jumping on terms she is the one to beat but Pomander, Extravert and Await The Sunset can also be included. Long-time maiden Favourite Model also has a shout from a good draw.          

The last race over 2000m can be fought out by Elusive Butterfly, Hareer, Angelic Appeal, Rabia The Rebel, Pilgrim’s Progress and Illuminate as all have form to recommend them.

By David Thiselton