Horse of the Year Oh Susanna is 15-10 favourite for the HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday but Snaith Racing is concerned that punters, seeing Richard Fourie’s mount rated 4.5kg clear of the next best (Fresnaye), will rush in blindly without taking sufficient notice of the negatives.

Jono Snaith said on Saturday: “Oh Susanna may not need to run to her best form as she is weighted to win but punters need to be cautious and tread lightly. The factors against her are the altitude, that she is coming off a rest and that the mile is short of her best.”

The stable, which won this Grade 1 with Dancer’ Daughter ten years ago, sent last year’s Met winner to Summerveld a month ago and she will travel to Turffontein on Friday evening in a bid to minimise the effects of the  course’s near 1 800m altitude.

Fresnaye is an 11-1 chance with World Sports Betting which sees the Mike de Kock-trained Cascapedia (9-2) and Nafaayes (13-2) as the biggest dangers to the favourite. De Kock has won three of the last four runnings and seven of the last 13. The Sean Tarry-trained Celtic Sea (15-2) is the only other in single figures.

By Michael Clower

Some top horses have raced in the colours of Mary Liley, one the springs to mind being Queen’s Plate and Champion Stakes winner Bold Monarch back in 1979. She has had some good horses since but none as good, until maybe yesterday.

The lightly raced gelding Tristful gave notice that he will be a horse to be reckoned with over the last few months of the season but as Tony Rivalland, caution, “the pressure’s on now,” after the gelding scored an eye-catching win in the Gr3 Byerley Turk at Greyville yesterday.

Sean Veale rode a faultless race as he tracked a slow early pace set by Solid Gold, but when he asked for an effort, Tristful responded with a smart turn of foot.

“You haven’t seen the best of him yet,” said Veale. “Wait until he goes 2000m, that’s his game.”

Given those words, Tristful will probably go the traditional route for three-year-old males, the KZN Guineas, Daily News 2000, and all going well, a possible tilt at the Vodacom Durban July.

The July is still 88 days away and a lot can happen in the interim, but Liley and Rivalland got proof yesterday that they are in with a shout at least.

Temple Grafin, winless since The Debutante at the end of last season, opened her seasonal account in the Gr3 Umzimkulu Stakes under another tremendous ride from Anton Marcus. Inching his way into a challenging position from his outside draw, Marcus had Temple Grafin within striking distance coming off the false rail and the filly came forward gallantly to outgun Santa Clara and Silvano’s Pride.

Richard Fourie had no hesitation taking favourite Silvano’s Pride to the lead and she set a strong pace, tracked by Santa Clara who had the run of the race. These two hooked up at the top of the straight with Santa Clara slowly wearing down her rival, but neither had an answer to the late challenge from Temple Grafin, Glen Kotzen’s filly getting up close home.

Champion jockey Lyle Hewitson is making a bold attempt in defence of his title and took the lead ahead of Muzi Yeni and Anton Marcus for the first time this season with a double at Fairview on Friday. He added to his lead by winning the first on Elnora for Wayne Badenhorst but not before having to survive an objection.

In the lead, Hewitson pulled his stick through to his right and Elnora took exception, shifting sharply onto the well-fancied Rose Dance.

Sean Veale objected on the grounds of interference in the latter stages, but although he was well within his rights, the stipendiary board ruled that Rose Dancer would not have got past the winner and the result stood.

Ishnana, bred and owned by Robert Smith, finally snapped a string of second places with a superb victory in the fourth where he took on a really smart field.

Drawn wide, apprentice Luke Ferraris was hard pressed to get the gelding to settle early on, but once in behind runners he dropped the bit nicely as Calvary set off at a blistering gallop.

Not for nothing was Garth Puller nicknamed “The Headwaiter” when he was a jockey, often pouncing late when all looked lost, and he would have been proud of Ferraris. Last into the straight, he shot through a big gap and Ishnana pulled him through to win smartly.

By Andrew Harrison

The nine race meeting at Turffontein Standside tomorrow features the Grade 2 Colorado King Stakes over 2000m in which a few horses will be putting up their hands for a berth in the Vodacom Durban July.

The race is run under weight for age conditions plus a 2kg penalty for a Grade 1 win and a 1kg penalty for a Grade 2.

Fort Ember is an effective front-runner who lacks early pace so a good draw is vital and she has landed one here. Last year in this race she carried a Grade 2 penalty to second place behind Coral Fever from draw nine of nine and now has no penalty, so will be a big runner. She is the third best in at the weights. 

Sylvan On Fire won well in her last start over course and distance. She has a good turn of foot so can be dropped out from a wide draw. She is 2,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted Secret Potion but is in better form than the latter. 

Cash Time is 7kg under sufferance with Secret Potion but caught the eye last time when rallying late with first time blinkers on in the Listed Drum Star Handicap over 1800m. He should relish the course and distance and is drawn well in two. Furthermore, Piere Strydom keeps the ride.

The second best weighted horse is Dawn Assault and he is ideally course and distance suited having finished second in the G-Bets Summer Cup. He has had some tough races this season and ran a lacklustre race last time in the Drum Star. However, he is courageous and had an even worse draw than this one in the Summer Cup, so is tough to ignore.

Divine Odyssey is better than his overall form suggests and proved it last time when winning the Drum Star despite having been under sufferance. He is 7,5kg under sufferance with Secret Potion here but if having another on day it would be no surprise to see him going close.

The Dazzler is well regarded but does have a tough draw over this ideal course and distance. He is 1,5kg better off with Drum Star winner Divine Odyssey for a two length beating but does have a tough draw. 

Secret Potion won last season’s Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic and is a classy, long-striding sort who is ideally course and distance suited. She likely needed her last start when downfield in the London News over 1800m on January 6, beaten eight lengths by Dawn Assault, but she might need this run too.

Liege and Social Order have shown their capabilities over this course and distance before. Liege won the Summer Cup last season and Social Order was a close third in this race last year. 

However, they both have clouds hanging over them. Liege is off form and Social Order was reported making a breathing noise when finishing last in the Drum Star.

It is a tough race to assess but the selection is Fort Ember to beat Sylvan On Fire with Cash Time, Dawn Assault and Divine Odyssey next best. 

The second feature is the Grade 3 Sycamore Sprint, a handicap for fillies and mares over 1160m.

Schippers is the one to beat. She has won three times and finished second twice over course and distance and comes off a fine fourth to Mardi Gras in the Grade 2 Senor Santa over course and distance. 

Pretty Penny is coming into her own and has a favourable high draw by trends. 

Desert Rhythm is 1kg better off with Pretty Penny for a quarter of a length beating and is interesting with blinkers on. 

Dancing Queen has turned the corner and represents the flying Roy Magner yard. 

See You Tyger won well over 1000m last time and was going away at the line. She sneaks into the handicap with the minimum weight so must have a shout. 

San Fermin has always been held in high regard and having won well last time she might now be coming into her own and can’t be ignored. 

In an open race Mary O’Reilly and Covered In Snow are hard to leave out.

By David Thiselton

Lasata, beaten only a neck by the potentially useful Finding Camelot four weeks ago, may just be good enough to get punters off to a winning start in the opening Juvenile Plate at Durbanville tomorrow.

The form was given a slight boost when third-placed Capkuta occupied the same placing behind Mister Vargus in a winners’ race last Saturday but not enough of one to indicate any real confidence in the selection who is 2-1 favourite with World Sports Betting.

Justin Snaith has 40% of the ten horse field and all his four are newcomers – he has won four Cape Town two-year-old races so far this season and two of his winners were making their debuts. Riding arrangements point to Savvy who is an 11-2 chance but the betting would suggest that the Eric Sands newcomer Broadside (3-1) is likely to prove a bigger threat.

Candice Bass-Robinson has won five Cape Town juvenile races (three with first-timers) and she introduces 6-1 shot Snow Report – “A lovely horse and a beautiful mover but I am not sure how he will go first time out. He is a long-striding horse and not an out-and-out speedster.”

Snaith runs another four in race two and Querari newcomer Lead Singer is already as short as 15-20 which suggests that he is hard to oppose. Tree of Wisdom (11-2) was slightly hampered on debut and would have been the selection had he not been drawn nine out of ten.

Race three, also a juvenile maiden but for fillies, has attracted the maximum 14-strong field and is wide open. The form horse is 22-10 favourite Hidden Strings who was beaten little more than half a length when third to Capacity Crowd five weeks ago but Victoria Tower went into the notebook when moving up like a future winner after losing a lot of ground at the start on debut. Admittedly she only finished fourth of six but at 4-1 she is the one that appeals most.

The Bass-Robinson newcomer Elusive Rain (by Elusive Fort out of a Spectrum mare) is a 15-1  shot  and has the advantage of both an inside draw and Aldo Domeyer. “She works quite nicely at home,” says her trainer. “She is bred to go quite a bit further but I think she will need the experience.”

Sleeping Single showed improved form last time and is 5-2 favourite for race four. She is taken to win but don’t ignore Dancing For Rain (15-2) who returned from six months off to run way below previous form three weeks ago. “I was very disappointed and I suggest you ignore that run, “says Vaughan Marshall.

By Michael Clower

If the weather forecast is to be believed, it will be wild and windy at Greyville this evening. However, the poly track has drained well in recent down-pours and the synthetic surface appears to be at its optimum with the added water.

Be that as it may, punters face a difficult card, none more so than in the sixth, a competitive fillies and mares handicap where one can make a case for almost every runner.

Louis Goosen has high hopes for his runner Yaas although he admits that she is up against it. “Look, she is out at the weights but the apprentice does take 2.5kg off her back. Also, her 400m to finish time last time out made my hair stand on end.”

Yaas came from last that day after being dropped out from a wide draw and a repeat could see her home.

Goosen believes that top weight Making Waves is the filly to beat. She had a few problems last time out behind Miss Frankel but Goosen is confident that Dennis Bosch will have sorted out any issues. “He’s a professional,” he complimented.

Tweed Valley comes of a lengthy break but put in some good work for Kom Naidoo at Ashburton on Tuesday morning and 12-1 looks fair value.

Banjo On My Knee is one of the few horses left racing in the silks of the late Chris Gerber and can add to his tally when he runs in the fifth. Dean Kannemeyer’s runner has a big weight but did well against much stronger last time out and should go close in this company. Danger could be the consistent Sea Sponge who gets all of 10kg from his rival and showed good improvement when racing in blinkers for the first time. Both are on offer at 9-2 and look better value than the 22-10 about ante-post favourite Before Noon who got a five-pound shunt up the handicap for his last win beating the luckless, The Money Man.

Anton Marcus went one behind Muzi Yeni in the race for the jockey championship last Tuesday but has some plum rides this evening including Secret Dynasty in the Pick 6 opener. All the cards appear to have fallen the way of Dennis Bosch’s runner, this being his third run after a break, over what looks to be his optimum trip from a pole position draw.

Paul Gadsby’s gelding Techno Captain has been something of a surprise package since being dropped in trip. He is not the easiest but the stable is in form and he should be right there. A possible upset could come in the form of Gibraltar Green. He improved first time up for Garth Puller and his merit rating has been dropping steadily from a recent high of 77 to his current mark of 53. At 11-1 in the market he makes some appeal.

Moon In June will have many supporters in the first leg of the jackpot after Robbie and Shannon Hill’s filly bolted home in her maiden. She does however, face some hard-knockers in the form of seven-time winner Expresso Martini and Colours Your Dreams from in in-form Dennis Drier yard.

By Andrew Harrison