Former Summerveld-based trainer Chesney van Zyl has landed the position of private trainer to luxury jewellery and watch retailer James Kennedy in Australia and as an accolade to his horsemanship skills he was handpicked by the legendary “horse whisperer” Monty Roberts.

Van Zyl will be based at a new training centre and racecourse called Pakenham Racing Club, which is about an hour outside of Melbourne.

This brand new facility was built by Racing Victoria in response to overcrowding in the city which prevented the expansion of existing training centres and the building of new ones.

Kennedy Racing has spared no expense in an operation whose key characteristic will be Monty Roberts’ influence on the development of the horses.

All of the staff have been handpicked by Roberts, including an understudy who has been with him for eleven years.

After applying for the job Chesney was first interviewed by James Kennedy and then by Monty Roberts.

Chesney’s father Gavin believes it was Chesney’s impressive CV which secured him the position.

Gavin said, “Chesney did a sterling job training our horses in Johannesburg with multiple Group success. He is also an accomplished rider who work rides his own horses and he won a Workrider’s race at Turffontein in 2010 on River Lodge. He is also a qualified farrier, and an accomplished one. He is an all round horseman.”

Kennedy commissioned Roberts to be part of the early schooling and breaking in of all of his horses.

The Roberts methods are new to Chesney but he is being tutored by the legend in the breaking in of horses and the ground work. He will always be working closely with Roberts.

Kennedy has bought “very nice” young horses and will grow the operation year by year.

The facilities Chesney has includes hot and cold water showers for the horses, an industrial vacuum for the stables, rubberised stables and barn, his own starting stalls to school horses in, a horse walker, a lunging arena and cameras in every box.

Gavin said, “The whole operation is based on the well-being and schooling and grounding of the horses being absolutely perfect. Chesney has a team and he is the head trainer. It is a wonderful opportunity to start afresh and he will be able to concentrate on training horses without the stress of having to find new owners and running the yard’s finances.”

Kennedy and Roberts are looking for a stable jockey and at present it seems a suitable one might be sourced from the Laffit Pincay jockey training academy in America.

Chesney will reside in a brand new house with his wife and young son and daughter.

Gavin said, “They are very happy and I am sure they will make a success of it.”

By David Thiselton

Frank Lloyd Wright, who came good in a 1 400m handicap here 17 days ago, looks the best of champion Lyle Hewitson’s seven rides at Kenilworth today and he should be able to collect in the Interbet.co.za Handicap.

Hewitson is beginning to take command of this season’s title race and he went into Fairview yesterday on the 200-winner mark, six in front of Muzi Yeni, with Anton Marcus now looking almost out of it on 182.

Frank Lloyd Wright has been raised five points for that last win but the Justin Snaith-trained gelding had come down a lot in the ratings and the way he won – going to the front after 300m and making the rest to score by two lengths – suggests he can go in again.

True, he is drawn seven out of seven but more to the point is that he has shown that he can handle softish ground and that is a vitally important quality today.

The Computaform Express racecards show every horse’s record on ground softer than good – look for the Wet figures, eg in Frank Lloyd Wright’s case Wet:1-2-4 indicating that he has run four times on it, winning once and being placed twice. You get the same information on the free TAB Sheet racecard on the tabonline.co.za racecard.

What the figures do not tell you is how soft the ground was on those occasions. It may have been just good to soft or it could have been heavy but they are still a most helpful guide because the majority of horses produce a different level of ability in the soft to what they show on good or faster.

Waiting For Rain, who is running for the 75^th time, sometimes lives up to his name and probably represents the main danger while in the preceding Tellytrack.com Pinnacle Stakes Milton looks tempting at 13-2 with Bernard Fayd’Herbe in the irons. This 1 800m is the distance over which he won last season’s Premier Trophy but, although he has won in the soft, his record in it (one win from eight starts) suggests that his usual front-running tactics might not enable him to last home. I prefer Man About Town.

Fayd’Herbe may, however, win both the two-year-old races. Gold Medal is untested in the soft but he ran well enough on debut to suggest he can get the better of Quintay and Hardfallingrain in race two.

Stable companion Sailing Ship started favourite for the Perfect Promise and, while nothing she has done before or since warranted that, she went close last time and makes more appeal than Hewitson’s mount La De Da and Kelpie in race three.

By Michael Clower

Do It Again wrote himself into the record books as he became only the fourth horse in the 126-year history of the Vodacom Durban July to win back-to-back races, emulating El Picha at the turn of this century, Milisia Pride 1949/50 and Campanajo who won the first two running’s back in 1897/98?

It was a superb performance from a super racehorse who stamped himself as head and shoulders above his peers.

Justin Snaith declared his hand early and would not hear of defeat for his champion in the build-up. “He’s the best horse in the country at weight for age and now he’s shown that he’s the best horse in the country which ever way you look at it.”

Earlier in the week he declared, “I think 4/1 is a crazy price (about Do It Again). There is no ways he is a 4/1 shot in any race in South Africa you put him into. You can give him 65kg and he should be 2/1.”

Prophetic words as Richard Fourie gave him the perfect ride, staying out of trouble and giving his mount a clear run to the line to hold off the challenge of Rainbow Bridge with Twist Of Fate third and Eyes Wide Open fourth.

Mike Rattray, one of the doyens of South African racing, will have to wait another year for a win in the race he has most wanted to win. Rainbow Bridge was game in defeat but found one too good. “When a pressed the button I thought I had the race,” said jockey Gavin Lerena. “He ran all the way to the line but we just couldn’t get there.”

The race was not without drama. Favourite Hawwaam’s hot temperament is well documented and all seemed to be on track as he paraded without fuss. The last to be bundled into the starting stalls, he rushed the front gate and was release from his stall.

Anton Marcus was quick to jump ship and Hawwaam was backed out. It was evident to all that Hawwaam was feeling the effects of his antics and the course vet Roehann Sutherland had no choice but to withdraw him from the race. A clearly upset Sutherland said, “We are here to put on a show and entertain, but I had no choice.”

“It was the right decision,” said a sporting Mike de Kock post-race. “The best horse won and I hope this doesn’t make all the headlines.”

It was poignant win for owners Bernard Kantor and Nick Jonsson and Helga Mitchell, whose husband Jack having passed away a month or two back.

With under a month to go, in a relatively tight battle for the trainer’s championship, Sean Tarry extended his slender lead over De Kock and Snaith with victory in the Gr Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes as Celtic Sea gave Tarry back-to-back wins in the race. Redberry Lane gave current champion jockey Lyle Hewitson his first Gr1 victory as she touched off favourite Snowdance last year and yesterday he gave Celtic Sea another tremendous ride, shooting up the inside rail to hold off favourite Oh Susanna and the luckless Snowdance.

Earlier Tobie Spies showed why he is a master at preparing two-year-olds with a one-two in the Gr2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper. Cockney Pride caused something of an upset as t 18/1 shot was given a copybook ride by Craig Zackey. He tracked the early pace, took a split through the middle of the pack and never looked like losing in spite of the attentions of stable companion What You Are.

Not to be outdone, Sean Tarry emulated the feat in the Gr2 Durban Golden Horseshoe as the well fancied Eden Roc got the better of stable sibling Putontheredlight and Invidia.

By Andrew Harrison

The July In Jozi meeting is always fun and well attended so there should be a good atmosphere on course at Turffontein tomorrow.

The Vodacom Durban July will be contested by the best field seen in Durban for a long time and should be a thriller.

Hawwaam still has something to prove as this is the first time he will take on top class older horses, but he strikes as being something special and it speaks volumes that Anton Marcus chose him ahead of Rainbow Bridge. He has quirks and the noise on the day and the hustle and bustle of the race might get a reaction from him but hopefully it will not blunt his chief weapon, his exhilarating turn of foot. If he is within striking distance he can justify favouritism.

Last year’s winner Do It Again has developed into a magnificent specimen who just gets better and better and he will be a tough nut to crack. If he wins again, this time carrying topweight of 60kg, he can justifiably be called world class.

Sun Met winner Rainbow Bridge, who is Hawwaam’s half-brother, also has an electrifying turn of foot and on pedigree will relish this trip. He also has his quirks but trainer Eric Sands said his sometimes nervous demeanour appears to be diminishing.  He should be in the shake up from a good draw.

Twist Of Fate appears to have a lot of class and a big engine and has been prepared by a fine trainer. This R20,000 purchase is 2kg better off with Hawwaam for a 1,60 length beating and should be thereabouts, although he does have a tough draw to overcome.

Eyes Wide Open has come back to himself and has been looking in fine shape. Considering he beat Do It Again as a three-year-old at level weights in the Grade 1 Cape Derby and is now receiving 7kg he has to be a big runner.

It is tough to choose just one more for the all important sixth place as there are so many good horses involved.

However, the vote goes to the big-striding Head Honcho, who has enjoyed a good preparation and is probably continuing to improve.

It was tough to leave out Made To Conquer, Barahin, and Doublemint as well as three rank outsiders Lady In Black, Roy Had Enough and Camphoratus.

The Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m is another away race to look forward to and Snowdance might upset Oh Susanna as she might well be effective running from the front. Front And Centre is also top class but due to her tendency to lug in will likely have to be dropped out from a wide draw before flying down the inside.

At Turffontein punters should get off to a good start in the first race over 1160m with Magic School, an impressive specimen who was unlucky last time. He should be too strong for this field.

Later in the eighth race Running Brave should have too much class over 1400m in an Assessment Plate and can be bankered.   

The Sunday meeting at Turffontein sees some classy racing and particularly interesting is the return of the exciting prospect Buffalo Bill Cody. This horse has won all three of his races over a mile in comfortable fashion and can beat the classy Cirillo, who is not as well drawn. Soldier On is a useful sort whose form has been standing up well and he could fill third place.

By David Thiselton

Mike de Kock pretty well summed up this year’s Vodacom Durban July as probably the toughest he has seen and he’s been around a few years.

The four-time winning trainer said mid-week. “Barring Soqrat, all the best horses in the country are there.” The race will be run over 2200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow.

He also had a little dig at the jockeys who he says will dictate the tempo of the race. Speaking to TABnews he said, “What has happened previously in the race is that many of them are duped into following the leader rather than judging the pace they need for their own mounts.”

“I think whoever sizes it up properly early on, who gets his horse into a good position, will have the advantage. The race can be won and lost over the first 200m.”

Justin Snaith, who saddled the first three past the post last year, saddles last year’s winner Do It Again. Although Do It Again shoulders top weight his form is impeccable and from a good draw he should be right there. His was one of the stand-out gallops last week and is obviously in a good space. He is second favourite in the ante-post betting and Snaith is supremely confident.

De Kock saddles two runners, ruling ante-post favourite Hawwaam and Barahin. The latter is off the minimum mark for a three-year-old colt and is probably still under the radar as far as the handicappers are concerned. He came from a long way back to win the recent Jubilee Handicap and he has won at Greyville. “Barahin is a one-dimensional horse,” De Kock surmised. “He’ll relax near the back of the field and run on late.”

Hawwaam on the other hand is a different kettle of fish. He is all the rage in the market and beaten only once in his career. However, De Kock was sceptical of his short ante-post price. “18-10, you must be joking,” he said on Tuesday. “That’s just hype.”

“Hawwaam is not straightforward. You don’t know what he’s going to do – whether he will jump slowly, or whether he will pull. This is also the first time he is running in an 18-horse field so we don’t know how he will cope.”

There is no doubt that he is a top contender and is well in at the weights with a good draw. But as De Kock alluded, his one concern is his temperament. He can be difficult in the preliminaries and a big crowd could upset him. He also has an inside draw in what is invariably a rough race which could set him off. That said, he was perfectly behaved when winning the Daily News 2000.

Eric Sands has given Rainbow Bridge the perfect preparation and this race has been his target since the day he was bought by Mike Rattray after the winning the Sun Met. He has done everything right for Sands and a win will not be out of turn.

Made To Conquer, another Snaith runner, was second last year and carries the same weight this year. He been catching the eye of late and big race rider Mark Khan is confident of a big showing. “He will be spot on for the July,” Khan told Snaith in the fourth box after the Cup Trial.

Glen Kotzen appears to have got on top of all the problems that he had with Eyes Wide Open and the colt has come to hand of late. He beat Do It Again in the Cape Derby last season at level weights and is now 7kg better off. But a lot of water has passed under the bridge since their meeting in the Derby.

Lady In Black is a smart filly and Dennis Drier is supremely confident that she will run a big race. “I’m not sure if she can beat the boys but she will be right there,” he said at the gallops. “She’s been crying out for this trip.”

Twist Of Fate was runner-up to Hawaamm in the KRA Guineas and is now 2kg better off with the ruling favourite. Joey Ramsden won this race with The Conglomerate from 20 draw so knows what it takes to win this race.

For my money the bulk of the quartet – that will have a total pool in the region of R16 million – will come from the top seven in the betting with longer priced runners Head Honcho, Lady In Black, Legal Eagle, Made To Conquer and Doublemint all horses capable of a first four finish.

To take a bet go to www.tabgold.co.za or www.trackandball.co.za  

By Andrew Harrison