Dean Kannemeyer is a man for the big event, his horses have won South Africa’s premier race on three occasions, Dynasty, Eyeofthetiger and Power King who races in the silks of Lady Christine Laidlaw’s Kaya Stables silks.

The talent in his stable has been a little thin on the ground in recent season’s but Kannemeyer will have some indication on what his chances are for this year’s Vodacom Durban July when Silva’s Bullet lines up in The Sledgehammer on the Greyville poly on Sunday.

The race was abandoned last Sunday at Scottsville after persistent rain rendered the track around the turn un-raceable. It was re-scheduled for Greyville on Sunday but the switch to the poly has seen the defection of the two Snaith runners, Made To Conquer and Platinum Prince.

Entries were re-opened and Frank Robinson took advantage entering Roy Had Enough and Top Classman, as did Johan Janse van Vuuren who will saddle Doosra.

 However, the Snaith defections have left the way clear for Silva’s Bullet who gets an opportunity to enhance his prospects of a place in the VDJ. Silva’s Bullet has some smart recent Cape form and has not been out of the money in seven starts. He is an improving gelding and just how far he has come and his prospects for Champions Season should be revealed come Sunday.

Cape Derby winner Eyes Wide Open is the proven class in the field but he has been winless since beating Do It Again in that Grade 1 event

In his defence, he was up against the cream during the Cape summer and was only five lengths back to Rainbow Bridge and Do It Again in the Sun Met at his last outing.

He is not the greatest traveller and this his first outing in three months carrying top weight could be a bridge too far at this stage of his prep for the VDJ.

Shenanigans is a lightly raced five-year-old having his third outing after a break and was close-up last start and along with Orpheus who won his last two against weaker can finish in the money.

After a stuttering start to his training career where he switched from Summerveld, to Richmond and back, Wayne Badenhorst appears to have settled in at Summerveld and one needs to take all his runners into account.

That said, picking winners out of barrier trials is fraught with danger but Badenhorst’s filly Mai Tai

caught the eye in a smart trial at Scottsville. In a quality trial field, she struck is a big solid filly with plenty of scope, a fine example of the progeny of first season sire Vercingetorix who has tongues wagging. She finished off her gallop smartly and could be good enough to get punters off to a winning start.

Glen Kotzen’s colt Master Jay can follow up in the second. He started favourite in both starts and although fluffing his lines on debut there were no mistakes next time out as he ran out an easy winner. A son of Jay Peg, he should enjoy the extra 300m and may be the one to beat in a competitive field.

Spring Fling looked a winner at Scottsville last outing at Scottsville when starting favourite but was run out of it of late as Tripple Z arrived on the scene late. He can do better in the opening leg of the PA but in Al Jazeera, he faces a two-year-old who showed up well from a poor draw on debut. This field is not filled with stars and Gavin van Zyl’s colt could prove too good for most of this line-up. 

By Andrew Harrison

The Andre Nel-trained Head Honcho began his transformation from average handicapper into a true Grade 1 class horse last season and the turning point was some advice given by Anton “Superman” Marcus.

Nel’s Summerveld assistant trainer Byron Foster said, “He always showed a lot of speed at home but Anton Marcus got off him after a 1600m event at Scottsville and said this horse needs ground. He hasn’t put a foot wrong since we have followed that advice.”

Marcus made that suggestion on Christmas Eve 2017 and since then the rangy Querari gelding has won six times in eight starts over distances from 1800m to 2200m. His stakes wins include the Listed Sledgehammer over 1800m, the Grade 3 Betting World 2200 and a highly impressive win in the Grade 2 WSB Premier Trophy over 1800m at Kenilworth.

Then he stepped up again when running a magnificent 0,95 length third from the front in the Sun Met, thus proving himself one of the best horses in the country.

The 122 merit rated five-year-old enjoyed a “nice break” after the Met and has been at Summerveld for about a month.

His chief SA Champions Season target will be the Vodacom Durban July and his build up into it will be via a Pinnacle Stakes race and the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge. 

Foster said, “He has improved beyond what we thought and must be some sort of runner in the July. If the same front-running tactics are adopted Greyville will suit him with its short run in.”

He has certainly proved his liking for Greyville before as both the Sledgehammer and the BW 2200 were on the Greyville turf.

Foster said Head Honcho was a sound and tough horse. He looks set for a good campaign. The yard are a bit thin on SA Champions Season horses besides Head Honcho.

Kampala Kampari will be aimed at the WSB 1900 and it will be taken from there.

They have some regard for three-year-old Vikram and Red Shift has been doing well. This pair may be aimed at the Listed Thukela on July day.

He mentioned Q The Music as a tough handicapper who would be targeted at a poly feature.

Silver Rose was deliberately targeted at the Highland Night Cup, which he won over 2400m at Scottsville on Sunday, as the yard realised some of the other Champions Season stayers would not be at their best for the race. However, it is now going to be harder for him with the others having come on and his merit rating having risen.

The four-year-old Var filly Evelina has been bought to KZN but Foster admitted this sprinter to 1400m sort would need to make a big step up.  The Poinsettia will be her starting point.

Foster said training at Summerveld had not been possible on Tuesday due to the rains but they had been able to use the poly yesterday (Wednesday).

By David Thiselton

Brett Crawford has had magnificent returns in the last two SA Champions Seasons, landing four Grade 1 wins in 2017 and three in 2018.

This season he has a small but powerful team at Summerveld and has a chance of adding to that record.

Undercover Agent was one of his stars last year and this year will be starting off in the Grade 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m, then running in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m and completing his campaign in the Grade 1 WSB Champions Cup over 1800m. He ran in the same three races last year and finished second, first and second respectively. He will have come into his own this season but the opposition is going to be stronger. 

Bold Respect landed the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint for Crawford last year but had to be scratched from the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint. He started last year in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes, which he won, but will avoid that race this year and go straight into the Tsogo Sun. Brett Crawford’s assistant trainer Peter Muscutt confirmed Bold Respect thrived in KZN. He said this horse did not quite see out the “stiff Kenilworth 1200m”, so he could do better than his fourth place finish in the Diadem last time out. He ran off a 111 merit rating when winning the Tsogo Sun by a cosy 1,75 lengths last year and is currently off a 113, so has every chance of defending his crown.

Sunset Eyes finished second in the I Full Flight last year and then third in the Tsogo Sun and fourth in the Mercury. This year he starts in the In Full Flight and then goes for the Tsogo Sun and the Grade 2 Post Merchants.

The yard have had one Grade 1 winner this season, the filly Front And Centre, who won the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas. Her Champions Season targets are the Grade 2 KRA Fillies Guineas, the Grade 2 Tibouchina over 1400m and the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m.

Princess Irene is also a useful three-year-old filly and won the Listed Ardmore Jamaica Handicap over 2000m in her last start in early January. Her first two Champions Season targets are the KRA Fillies Guineas and the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000. 

The yard’s talented Trippi colt Charles, who finished a narrow second in the Grade 1 GBETS Cape Derby last time out, will run in the Grade 2 KRA Guineas, the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and possibly the Vodacom Durban July.

The five-year-old Dynasty mare Sabina’s Dynasty made a fine debut for the yard on Sunday at Scottsville when running on strongly for second in the Listed Scarlet Lady over 1750m. She will be going for the Listed East Coast Cup over 2000m next and it will be taken from there. The connections were disappointed the former Paul Peter-trained mare didn’t get into the July last year as the winner of the Grade 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes and as those partners remain in the syndicate, along with new partners Ridgemont Stud, the July is still a possibility, although she was not among the first entries.

Gimme One Night runs in the Listed Sledgehammer on Sunday and will then be aimed at the staying features. He finished fifth in the Grade 2 New Turf Carriers Stayers over 2800m on Sun Met day having previously landed a hattrick of wins from 2400m to 3200m, including the Grade 3 Cape Summer Stayers over 2500m and the Grade 3 Heineken Chairman’s Cup over 3200m.

The Eric Sands-trained Sun Met winner Rainbow Bridge is also staying in the Crawford yard for the Champions Season.

Muscutt believed his targets would be the Drill Hall, the Gold Challenge and the July.

Muscutt concluded by saying he was happy with all of the horses.

By David Thiselton