“The last of the great owners,” said Chris Snaith yesterday as he paid tribute to Jack Mitchell who finally lost his long battle with leukaemia on Sunday night. He was 72.

The flags at Kenilworth flew at half mast, the jockeys wore black armbands and at the racecourse on Friday there will be a celebration of his life at 3.30pm.

Mitchell was the owner, or part-owner, of a string of stars that included Horse of the Years Legislate and Futura as well as last year’s Durban July winner Do It Again, Snowdance, Jackson and Ivory Trail.

But his contribution to the South African turf went way beyond that. In the days when the National Horseracing Authority was the Jockey Club he served as a steward for some 21 years. “There were stipes but we on the local executive would make the decisions,” he later recalled. “I did it for nothing and I felt very privileged to do so.”

Educated at Bishops, William Jack Campbell Mitchell was a stockbroker before joining the Old Mutual and for two decades he was an investment manager with Allan Grey. He inherited his passion for racing from his father Wally and his uncle Jack Winshaw who between them owned the 1968 Met winner William Penn.

He was extremely successful in picking the right horses at the sales and this was the result of careful planning. “I tried to buy horses that had the potential to win big races and I tended to pay quite a lot of money for them.”

Asked what excited him about racing, he replied: “When it’s a big race you are always on edge and that is half the fun of it but, that apart, it’s the unknown that appeals – and that it is an extremely competitive game. “

But breeding held relatively little appeal: “I found it too difficult and it is not one of my missions in life. Also you put yourself in a horrible situation – nobody wants the bad ones so you can only sell the good ones that you would like to race yourself. You have to sell them otherwise breeding is meaningless. I would much rather go to the sales and buy one.”

Betting was not for him either: “I might have R20 on if I am bored but I never bet on my own horses. I can’t really see the point. If I have R100 on what difference is it going to make?”

Most of his horses he bought after taking the advice of John Freeman (“a confidant and a good friend”) and the bloodstock agent has returned the compliment with a lengthy tribute emailed to clients and friends speaking of Mitchell’s “straight talk, good manners, generosity and friendliness.”

It was these characteristics that impressed everyone he had anything to do with on the racecourse and it was typical of him that he made a point of shaking hands with owners of rival horses when he was beaten into second. The fact that he had only one arm – the result of a motor accident – fazed him not one iota.

Mitchell and wife Helga had two children, commercial property developer Jerome and Nancy who followed her father into investment management and racehorse ownership. She owned many horses in partnership with her father including their latest star General Franco who runs on Saturday. There won’t be a dry eye in the house if, as expected, he wins.

By Michael Clower

Handicaps are difficult for punters at the best of times and they face another tricky card and race in the sixth at Scottsville this afternoon, a MR 90 Handicap.

The field is loaded with potential winners so the list is long one, but it may prove prudent to stick with the still improving three-year-olds headed by Rip It Up.

Justin Snaith’s gelding is on top of the handicap as far as his young rivals are concerned and comes into the race with some useful Cape Town form to back his claims.

He made his local debut in the Byerley Turk where he was never in contention but that outing should have done him the world of good and given his past record and first time blnkers he should prove a better proposition this afternoon.

The Paul Lafferty-trained Buckleberry has not been out of the money in his eight stats and finished a close-up third in a tough Pinnacle Stakes behind the smart Wynkelder. He was getting a massive 9.5kg from the winner but it was still a creditable effort considering the opposition and should be a contender.

Duncan Howells had a double at the same venue on Sunday and bottom weight Ruby Spirit must have an undeniable chance. He made nearly all the running before being caught late by the useful Cabo Da Cruz last time out and with useful apprentice Jason Gates claiming 2.5kg he could be difficult to peg back.

The Snaith-trained Pinkerton looked to be one of the better bets on the card in the second but was coughing in work and will be on the side-lines. His defection could possibly leave the way clear for Knight Warrior although current ante-post odds of 2-1 about Dennis Bosch’s runner don’t inspire too much confidence with Deer Park and Al Jazeera close-up in the market.

Brett Crawford is a master trainer in his own right and together with assistant Peter Muscutt running his KZN satellite yard, they are a lethal combination.

From a dozen or so horses after leaving the employ of Plattner Racing some years back, Crawford has built up one of the most powerful strings in the country in a relatively short time.

Crawford’s results speak for themselves and the stable has enjoyed a cracking run of late and can add to that run with GG’S Dynasty in the opening leg of the Pick 6.

Beaten favourite on his KZN debut, GG’s Dynasty is sure to have come on from that effort and with a good draw and a handy galloping weight may be the right one in a tricky field.

Joint top weight Collabro is at the top of the boards. Seldom out of the money and in good form of late, he will give Dennis Bosch hope of a fifth win for his charge but a better option could be Mr Greenlight, a 25-1 chance yesterday.

It is seldom that a Howells-trained winner starts at 55-1, but that was the case on Sunday when all were blind to favourite Sovereign Spirit. Howells has admitted that all went pear-shaped in his trip to Cape Town for Met day and Mr Greenlight’s two subsequent outings after his no-show in the CTS 1600 do not inspire much confidence.

However, he was drawn in Woodhouse Road over a course and distance last time out and with a better draw and two outings under his girth after his disastrous trip to the Cape, Mr Greenlight could prove full value with Bernard Fady’herbe aboard.

Maiden races over 2400m are often more difficult to call than MR60 Handicaps and the fourth is such a race.

Every stat points to a different possible winner so the advice is to load up in this leg of the exotics.

Cassius Colt and World Cruise have been in good form on the poly track while Keelan Dynasty, Sun On Sand and the front-running Excessive Grace are all in with a shout.

By Andrew Harrison

Head Honcho will have his first race since his third to Rainbow Bridge and Do It Again in the Sun Met in the mile pinnacle at Greyville on Saturday.

Andre Nel said yesterday: “He has been at Summerveld for the past two months and he is doing pretty well. He is not quite at full race sharpness but he is going to run a good race. I am hoping he will be able to go straight into the July after this but we will see how Saturday goes and then decide.”

Keagan de Melo, who has a good record on the five-year-old, again has the mount. Head Honcho, winner of six of his last eight starts, is a 20-1 chance for the Vodacom Durban July.

Joey Ramsden returned from a week’s prospecting in Singapore yesterday but without having made a final decision on whether his future lies there.

He said: “We met with everyone and we got to see everything and we now have an idea of the enormity of the task that lies ahead should we go. But we haven’t made up our minds yet and I have many things to think about including the children.”

However he was taken aback to find that the two-year-old fillies race at Kenilworth on Saturday had failed to fill and that the colts’ race has attracted a field of only six – “Two of them are mine and I only have 30 horses in training in Cape Town at the moment. I thought it a sad greeting.”

Clouds Unfold has met with a setback and will miss the rest of the Natal season. Candice Bass-Robinson reported yesterday that the Sceptre and Majorca winner has injured herself, adding: “We will give her the time she needs – her wellbeing is paramount – and I am sure she will be back for the summer season.”

Stable companion Dutch Philip, who returned to form to take second to Clouds Unfold in the 1 000m pinnacle at Kenilworth nine days ago, goes for the Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville on May 25.

In other Bass-Robinson news Drama Queen is being aimed at the Irridescence on June 29 after she was caught on the line by the talented Amy Johnson in the Perfect Promise, with her trainer saying: “It was only the penalty that beat her but she wants a lot further.”

Sailing Ship started favourite but dropped away in the final furlong – “We couldn’t find anything wrong but she over-raced early.”  

Brett Crawford has decided against sending recent Somerset 1200 winner Armando to Scottsville for the Gold Medallion after discussing plans with the colt’s future trainer Tony Millard. Instead the dual winner will run in the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery on June 8.

Anthony Andrews has the unenviable distinction of being the first jockey in Cape Town to be penalised under the new guideline forbidding hitting a horse more than 12 times in the course of a race. Andrews is rarely a whip offender but he was fined R750 for the offence on Photocopy at Durbanville on Sunday.

The stipes report for that day contains the new guideline and specifically states that the 12-strike limit excludes slaps down the shoulder. This is the opposite of what I was told by the Kenilworth stipes when I was preparing last Wednesday’s whip article.

Hopefully racing control executive Arnold Hyde will do what he suggested in the Alistair Cohen Tellytrack interview and lower the limit during the course of this year. The very idea of hitting a horse 12 times in a race will have the animal rights people up in arms and does little for racing’s image in the eyes of the general public.

By Michael Clower

Too Cute may reverse debut placings with Dark Crystal and Richard Fourie in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden Plate at Kenilworth today and the pair dominate the betting.

Dark Crystal opened 28-10 favourite and World Sports Betting had Too Cute on 33-10 yesterday with Sweet Karma (15-2) the only other in single figures. Dark Crystal came out a length and a quarter the better 17 days ago despite losing ground at the start. Anton Marcus’s mount, on the other hand, raced prominently only to weaken in the final furlong. Crucially she had to switch approaching the 300m mark.

There is no shortage of confidence in either camp. “She just needed that first run and I think she has improved a hell of a lot since,” says Brett Crawford of Too Cute while Jono Snaith reports that the favourite has also come on, adding: “She has a lot of ability and I think she will take some beating.”

Sweet Karma, the mount of champion Lyle Hewitson, also has solid form and was fourth to the smart Mirage with subsequent Perfect Promise winner Amy Johnson third. But she has less obvious scope for improvement.

Donovan Dillon makes a welcome but overdue return on 10-1 shot Caribbean Sunset after the knee damage he suffered in the pens on Met day took longer than expected to heal. His best hope of a winner is probably the Joey Ramsden-trained Lip Service in race seven.

Two-year-olds have won only three times against older horses in Cape Town this season but they mount a strong challenge in the first as well as in race three. The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Sir Michael was only three-quarters of a length behind the more experienced Pick Eight Captain on debut at Durbanville and so it is reasonable to suppose that he will reverse the placings with his fellow 9-2 joint favourite.

But the vote goes to the older Fergie’s Rock (5-1) who went close on this course three weeks ago. “That was his first run since being gelded and he has done well since,” says Brett Crawford.

Man About Town has the benefit of the in-form Bernard Fayd’Herbe in the Play Soccer Handicap, his recent form is good and he has won over the trip. His price (12-10) is nothing to write home about but he is hard to oppose.

Kursk, on the other hand, carries a red warning light as he is drawn on the wide outside in the 16-runner Betting World Maiden. He finished third from a similar draw last time (Crawford: “It cost him that day and it is going to be tough for him again”) but his jockey’s famed ability at the gate may just be enough. Stable companion High Key and 15-1 longshot Sark (slight interference last time) look the dangers.

By Michael Clower

Top Cape jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe has made a significant statement ahead of Saturday’s Grade 2 WSB 1900 by opting to ride the Andre Nel-trained Kampala Campari in preference to either of the Justin Snaith-trained pair Magnificent Seven and Made To Conquer.

Snaith said, “Bernard decided not to ride either of them, so maybe that’s a sign that Kampala Campari is a big runner.”

Fayd’Herbe won this race last year on the Snaith-trained Elusive Silva.

The Nel yard have made a deliberate decision to go into the race fresh with Kampala Campari and the five-year-old Querari gelding was looking in fine shape at Summerveld yesterday. 

He has the same draw as last year, pole position, but a better run can be expected than his 6,30 length tenth. He went to the front in that race but was doing a touch too much. He still had the lead at the 200m mark before being swamped.

Assistant trainer Byron Foster said, “Corne (Orffer) didn’t really know the horse last year. Kamapala Campari was also more aggressive in his racing back then and has now learnt how to race.”

Fayd’Herbe has only race-ridden Kampala Campari once before, a victory over 2000m at Durbanville last October. The big bay led at a comfortable gallop that day and stayed on well.

He carries topweight of 60kg on Saturday off a 107 merit rating, which puts him 3kg under sufferance with the best weighted Fresnaye. This is as opposed to carrying 58kg last year off a 100 merit rating (which put him 4,5kg under sufferance with best weighted Fort Ember). 

Foster concluded, “His work has been good.”

Kampala Campari is the only runner in the twelve horse field who is not entered in the Vodacom Durban July.

Meanwhile, Sun Met third-placed Head Honcho has been doing well since arriving at Summerveld in March. 

He runs in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1600m on Saturday and Nel is hoping that will bring him on enough to go straight into the July.

He said, “He seems to run better when his races are spaced widely apart.”

Nel said Foster had reported the long-striding five-year-old Querari gelding to be “ring rusty” at present. However, he won his first start this season following a virtually identical layoff of three months and three weeks and that race was over this same 1600m distance on the equally tight Kenilworth Old Course.

By David Thselton