There were a lot of locals miffed at Mike de Kock referring to Greyville as a ‘go-cart’ track after Soqrat finished up fourth in the KRA Guineas but it was a performance way below what the Australian import is capable off and he did have excuses. A wide draw over the Greyville 1600m is always a concern but Santa Clara had shown in the KRA Fillies Guineas, a half-hour before, that it is not an unsurmountable obstacle.

However, one does need the cards to fall in your favour in a competitive race and Randal Simons’ decision to slot in behind and ending up way out of his ground instead of pushing forward from the draw may have cost him.

Whatever; you commit early and take your medicine.

Soqrat has a plum draw of four in the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over the same course and distance tomorrow and victory will almost certainly see him garner an Equus award come season’s end.

Soqrat showed tremendous courage when fighting off the challenge of Cirillo in the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes and the Gr1 Cape Guineas winner was less than a length back to Do It Again in the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queens Plate, both races against older opposition.

He faces a similar task tomorrow in the face of what has stacked up into the strongest Rising Sun Gold Challenge field seen in the past decade.

Do It Again is again in opposition but this will be his first outing back since finishing second in the Sun Met at the end of January and although Justin Snaith has expressed confidence that his charge is close to his best, he will need to be sharp to win a race of this nature off a break.

Rainbow Bridge had to bend his knee to Do It Again in the Queens Plate but the favour was returned in the Sun Met, although Richard Fourie copped a fair amount of criticism for his handling of Do It Again.

This time around Rainbow Bridge has had a superb blow-out in the Drill Hall Stakes when under a length back to class act Undercover Agent and over the extra furlong, Eric Sands will be looking to turn the tables, or at least a sharp showing in the gelding’s build-up to the Vodacom Durban July.

Anton Marcus will be in the saddle for Rainbow Bridge and he was also aboard the gelding’s half-brother, and ruling VDJ ante-post favourite, Hawwaam, in the Gr1 Daily News 2000 last week.

Quizzed on who is likely to ride Hawwaam in the July, Mike de Kock was non-committal. “Speak to the king,” he shrugged. “He has a few balls in the air.”

The picture might be clearer come tomorrow evening.

But of the eight runners, New Caledonia can be regarded as the least likely winner with Cirillo, Lady In Black and course and distance specialist Matador Man all in the mix.

It should be a cracking race, possibly more a tactical battle than an out-and-out slog.

What could develop into a slog is the Gr3 Cup Trial, the traditional ‘last chance saloon’ for those hoping to make the July field. The last Vodacom Durban July log has pretty much cemented places for Eyes Wide Open (10) and  Made To Conquer (11) on the list but Doublemint (17) is marginal and will be up against Roy Had Enough, Dark Moon Rising and Run Red, all still in the hunt for a place in the big race.

So, taking desperation into account, Doublemint may prove to be the safest bet but the trio of VDJ outsiders will be pressing hard.

Also, on the outside and looking in is Camphoratus, who takes on Oh Susanna in the Gr3 Tibouchina Stakes a half-hour later. First reserve on the VDJ log, she beat Oh Susanna in the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes in what was a major upset, but she followed up with a smart effort in the WSB 1900, finishing a length back to Eyes Wide Open. The seven-furlong Tibouchina is arguably on the short side but the 2200m of the VDJ may also prove beyond her compass which could sway the VDJ selection panel.

So it boils down to victory or bust for Robbie and Shannon Hill’s filly where Oh Susanna is rated some 6.5kg superior.

The three KZN Winter Series races, all long handicaps, will keep punters on their toes and with a number of exotic bet carryovers in the offing, there will be some tempting odds available.

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

By Andrew Harrison

Brett Crawford’s Somerset winner is quoted at 9-10 with the early layers and Bernard Fayd’Herbe takes over from the Gold Challenge-required Corne Orffer. Captain Tatters, who has a length to find but whose trainer Justin Snaith has a good record in the race, is second favourite at 4-1.

Vaughan Marshall, like Snaith bidding for his fourth Cape Nursery success in 15 seasons, is doubly represented with 11-2 chance Fearless Warrior (M.J. Byleveld) and 7-1 shot Ground Control for whom Greg Cheyne has been booked.

The  Marshall-trained Mirage, a well-backed winner of her only start, is 5-2 favourite for the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery with Cousin Liz next at 3-1 despite not having raced since her debut win four months ago.

By Michael Clower

Mike de Kock said Soqrat had been doing very well up at Randjesfontein and would arrive at Summerveld today (Thursday) ahead of his engagement in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

De Kock said, “He was very unlucky in that last race from the wide draw and on how the race panned out, if you see how the horse next to him pushed him outward from the start.”

Randall Simons will be aboard Soqrat, who jumps from a good draw of four in the eight horse field. 

De Kock recognised the strength of the field but still gave Soqrat, a three-time Grade 1-winning miler, a good chance of winning.

He has two runners in the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m, Ehsaan and Alramz.

Both have decent form and he gave both of them a chance of winning too.

Anton Marcus is aboard Alramz from draw three and Simons rides Ehsaan from pole position.

By David Thiselton

Sean Tarry runs Cirillo and Matador Man in one of the strongest ever renewals of the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and he said he would not be stunned if either of them won.

Cirillo comes off a 0,35 length third in the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m behind Undercover Agent and Rainbow Bridge.

Tarry believed it was not his slight missing of the break which had cost him there, but rather the decision to take on the known fighter Undercover Agent at the 300m mark which gave the latter time to fight back.

He was 3kg better off than weight for age (wfa) in the Drill Hall, as the first two both carried a Grade 1 penalty, so he will have his work cut underweight for age conditions on Saturday.

However, in his previous start he finished just 0,80 lengths behind his fellow three-year-old Soqrat in the Grade 1 wfa Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein Standside. That race proved he will stay Saturday’s trip, as the Greyville mile is less testing than the Turffontein one, and it puts him in with a form chance as Soqrat had previously beaten both Undercover Agent and Rainbow Bridge in the Grade 1 wfa L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate over 1600m at Kenilworth.

Cirillo has been prepared at Randjesfontein and will travel down to Summerveld on Friday.

Tarry said about Matador Man, who has been prepared at Summerveld, “He raises his game over this course and distance so it would be silly not to try him here. His last win was exceptional. It was in a very good time and he was carrying 62kg.”

Tarry said the pace should not have much of an impact on Matador Man’s performance. This horse always loses a bit of ground at the start and Tarry said, “If they go fast, the front ones will be stopping, and if they go slow it will give him a chance to make up the ground.”

He concluded, “They are both in good order and are course and distance suited. I have respect for the opposition but if either of them won it would not stun me.”

Tarry runs Social Order and Silver God in the Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1800m.

Neither of them are among the Vodacom Durban July entries still standing their ground.

He said, “Social Order seems to be enjoying going over shorter these days but couldn’t crack a draw in the Post Merchants and he was eliminated from the Tsogo Sun Sprint. But he is versatile.”

This five-year-old Count Dubois gelding finished third in the Colorado King Stakes over 2000m at Turffontein last year and won the Kings Cup over 1600m on the Greyville turf, so Tarry felt it worthwhile to take a chance in Saturday’s handicap where he will run from draw five under Julius Mariba and carry 56kg.

Silver God was originally a July entry but has been scratched as the improvement after gelding was not coming as quickly as hoped for.

This Silvano gelding is a half-brother to both William Longsword and Real Princess and was highly rated as a young horse but did not deliver. After gelding in May last year he came back strongly but then soundness issues arose and he had to be rested again.

Tarry is still hoping his pedigree will kick in and he can’t be written off on Saturday, despite being 4kg under sufferance as he was even worse off at the weights in the Grade 2 WSB 1900 and was only beaten 1,25 lengths into eighth.

He is drawn seven and Lyle Hewitson rides.

In the Grade 2 Tibouchina over 1400m Tarry runs three-year-old In The Dance and four-year-old Desert Rhythm.

He said, “In The Dance is a very classy half-sister to Capetown Noir and Across The Ice. She had a few interruptions and we were considering Scottsville but she wasn’t ready in time. So it would have been nice to have given her a prep but she is in good order and should give a good account of herself. I think she is top class and whether the run is coming too soon is the only question.”

He continued, “Desert Rhythm was holding form nicely before her last run. She is course and distance suited (she won the Grade 2 Golden Slipper here as a two-year-old) and has a good draw so she is not out of it, on her day she is more than capable.”

He runs Apple Magic in the first and felt she should be competitive although he said she would probably prefer further than this 1700m trip and there was a question mark whether she would enjoy the turf as her good form was all on the polytrack.

He runs Sweet Mary Lou in the Chapter Challenge 1600m final and he said, “Her last start over 1400m might have been too sharp. I thought she was better on the poly but her previous run at Scottsville was quite good, so I hope for a decent run but can’t be confident.”

In the last he runs Celestina and admitted she would have a tough task being 3,5kg under sufferance and jumping from a wide draw.

Tarry also has some important runners at Turffontein on Sunday.

His Vodacom Durban July candidates Legal Eagle and Tilbury Fort have their final preparation runs before the July in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1400m. He expected the race to put them spot on. 

He also runs Redberry Lane and Wonderwall in that race and in the Grade 3 Jubilee he runs Captain And Master, Royal Italian and Shenanigans.

By David Thiselton

Move over Andrew Fortune – you have competition when it comes to post race television interviews. Aron Xabendlini, riding What A Captain in the work riders’ race at Scottsville yesterday, played to the crowd, and for whatever reason it was jam-packed for a mid-week meeting in the Capital.

Egged on by presenter Dees Dyanand and clearly not short of a word or three, Xabendlini had onlookers cheering.

“That’s what makes racing so much fun,” said one grizzled veteran. “I wish the whole world could see this.”

The paddock held more supporters than before the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint and although the race was run without incident barring a slight scrimmage out of the gates, there were a few out-of-breath riders on their return.

Mike de Kock, who saddled the winner, was quietly amused. “The only thing I told him was not to go to the front,” he commented halfway through the race as What A Captain, Great Stohvanen and Be Happy cut out the pace.  He need not have worried, Xabendlini had it all under control and he got home with nearly two lengths to spare.

Anton Marcus, still in the hunt for the championship behind Yeni and Hewitson, booted home a quick double for Glen Kotzen, Prince Of Persia taking it up early and running hard to the line chased by Quant Master with the filly Talia Al Ghul being run out of it late after showing early toe.

First season sire Wylie Hall has got off to a fair start from limited opportunities, Poinciana his fourth winner from 17 runners to date. It was the Kotzen / Marcus show again as Poinciana took up the running a long way out to comfortably hold the first timer Baby Shooz, who raced in ear muffs, and Krishnies Jet.

Dean Kannemeyer shows little emotion when watching his runners and he hardly twitched a muscle as Silva’s Fling finally landed the odds in the Natal Property Consultants Maiden. With the blinkers removed, he kept rolling relentlessly to out-gun the year younger Knight Warrior and Brilliant Disguise.

Kotzen was looking for his third of the afternoon as Luna Child and favourite Golden Chance fought a desperate finish to the fifth, a short head in it at the line.

The stipendiary stewards called a race review that was upgraded to an objection after Hewitson had a cursory glance at the patrol film, objecting on the grounds of intimidation in the latter stages.

If anything, he was the chief culprit in the coming together so it came as no surprised when the protest was over ruled.

Donovan Dillon is a welcome addition to the KZN jockey ranks after deciding to re-locate from Cape Town. He was side-lined for two months after suffering a knee injury in a starting stalls incident but is now back to full fitness. He scored a double for Shane Humby at Greyville last week but most punters will not have been too enamoured with his win aboard Wendy Whiteheads Rocking Ruby in the sixth, a 55-1 chance on the books and paying R63.80 on the ‘nanny’.

Expedite was a top division sprinter in the Cape who won 12 races back in the late seventies, but the filly of the same name is no sprinter and came up short of giving Glen Kotzen and Marcus a treble for the afternoon in the seventh over 2000m. Marcus looked to have timed his run on the top weight to perfection as Expedite took the lead a furlong out, but Ella’s World under Gavin Lerena for Dennis Bosch, kept grinding away to out-run her rival when it counted.

Kannemeyer was back in the winner’s box for the last as Seattle Kid scored a narrow victory over rank outsider Sherman. Stand By Me had the call through the 400m marker and fighting hard, but his condition gave out in the battle for the line as Sherman took it up, only to be out-gunned late by the faster finishing Seattle Kid.

By Andrew Harrison

Image: Golden Chance (yellow) Lunar Child (black) – Candiese Marnewick