The Vaal Classic track tomorrow sees the return of the good prospect Fired Up, who runs in an Assessment Plate over 1600m and  is made the meeting banker.

This Rock Of Gibraltar gelding is a typically robust progeny of a Galileo mare and will relish this step up in trip in the second leg of the Pick 6 and first leg of the Jackpot. On debut he showed a good turn of foot and then galloped on resolutely to win a maiden over 1400m. That was despite running from the number one draw, which is often unfavourable on the Vaal straight course.

He impressed the handicappers, who gave him a merit rating of 80, and is thus officially the best weighted horse in this Assessment Plate for three-year-olds. On a line through a horse called Lasair he comes out better on formlines than the second choice Flash Burn, who will enjoy the step down in trip after failing over 2000m last time. Flash Burn is an athletic type and won his maiden in fine style over 1600m. He also has the advantage of a plum draw of three, while Fired Up has to contend with a wide draw of nine, so some will consider including him.

In the second leg of the Jackpot over 1600m Royal Italian goes for his fourth win on the trot. He is a versatile type who can win from handy or rely on his fine turn of foot from off the pace. Last time he won going away over 1500m and the son of Pomodoro should relish the step up in trip. Nordic Rebel is a consistent type but does tend to lose ground at the start. If the 4kg claim of his apprentice is included then he is a whopping 8kg better off with Royal Italian for a 2,25 length beating over 1500m so has a fine chance on paper. Ragoon looks to have a touch of class and he wasn’t suited to a front-running role last time. He still beat Nordic Rebel in that race, although the latter did lose three lengths. Ragoon is drawn in pole and the distance should be ideal.

The third leg of the Jackpot is a tricky 1200m handicap. Only To Win looks to be better than her merit rating suggests as she has been consistently thereabouts in decent fields. She might enjoy this trip as she likes to sit behind horses before turning it on and the faster pace of a race over this trip might well suit her. She could be a banker consideration. However, beyond her a few must be included. It Takes Two was only just touched off by a good sort over this trip in her penultimate start and then won next time, so off a reasonable merit rating here has a chance. Florence, Shadow Queen and Illegal have shown signs of ability and also have to be considered.

The last leg of the Pick 6 could also be won by Mike de Kock, who trains both Fired Up and Only To Win. His charge Gimme Hope Johanna is ultra consistent and is drawn in pole over a suitable 1450m trip. Last time over this trip, also from pole, she went close to the decent gelding Orpheus, so has a big shout back against the girls here. Walnut Dash flashed past the line together with Boutique last time over 1400m and the latter looks to be a good prospect, so she must be included despite a four point merit rated raise. Mistressofmyfate caught the eye on debut so was most disappointing last time. She finished distressed in the latter race and can bounce back. Lady Lexington has caught the eye before as one who would enjoy this step up in trip. Kentucky Blue has a form chance so can also be considered.

The first leg of the Pick 6 is an uninspiring maiden over 1600m. Verdi makes the most appeal as one who was staying on well over this trip last time and went close over this distance three runs ago. The Russian Sailor is improving and looks likely to appreciate the step up in trip after staying on when stepped up to 1400m last time. Mighty Rock would likely prefer further but has fair form and could attempt to gallop them into the ground from a fair draw.

The last leg of the Pick 6 is tough but Royal City looks the one to beat as he won his maiden well over 1160m and is bred to go this 1450m trip. He has faced strong assessment plate fields in his last two and has duly been dropped to a reasonable looking merit rating and is also drawn well. However, it looks to be a contest in which punters will have to go as wide as possible in.

By David Thiselton

Trainer Gordon Elliott was overcome with emotion as Tiger Roll, ridden by Davy Russell, returned after winning his second consecutive Randox Health Grand National at Aintree on Saturday.

Tiger Roll, a nine-year-old, became the first horse since Red Rum in 1974 to win two back-to-back Randox Health Grand Nationals. He was sent off the 4-1 favourite, and beat 66-1 chance Magic Of Light.

Elliott, for whom it was a third Randox Health Grand National success – he also trained Silver Birch to win the 2007 renewal of the £1-million race, said: “We work very hard for this the whole time. I’ve got a brilliant team behind me, and all my family at home. Davy Russell’s mother died last year, and this was for her, and my uncle Willie Elliott died this year and this was for him.”

Asked to sum up his brilliant horse, who now has four Cheltenham Festival wins and two Randox Health Grand National victories to his name, Elliott shook his head and just said: “Tiger.”

Tiger Roll is owned by Gigginstown House Stud, the racing and breeding operation of Ryanair supremo Michael O’ Leary.

O’Leary said: “It’s just unbelievable. I thought that he genuinely had no chance today carrying that weight, but it was a beautiful ride and a phenomenal training performance by Gordon. It’s brilliant he keeps bringing this horse back to Cheltenham better than ever and Aintree better than ever. What a ride by Davy – fantastic!

“Tiger Roll has got a stage now where you just want to mind him. You run the risk every time he runs, you think ‘Oh my God, please don’t let anything happen to him’ and it is unbelievable to win two Grand Nationals. It’s incredible. It’s a great result for the punters; it’s fantastic.”

Elliott, in tears, reacted: “Everyone loves him. He is the people’s horse. I cannot believe it.”

O’Leary commented: “They don’t win for a second year in a row – the odds are so heavily against it. I don’t know what Gordon has done this year but Tiger Roll has come back stronger and better than ever.

“I was thinking Davy don’t go too early, so well was he going. It is just incredible – I thought we had absolutely no chance.”

Russell reacted: “What can I say, Tiger Roll is just an unbelievable horse. I was running away for most of the race. It was marvellous – he gave a couple of stumbles and I think the blinkers lit him up.”

– racenews@racenewsonline.com

Sleeping Single, sold twice before she had even seen a racecourse, could yet live up to early expectations. Despite being six months wrong with the opposition, she ran out a convincing winner of the Betting World Maiden at Durbanville on Saturday and Snaith Racing is talking of putting her away for the big prizes of next season.

Jono Snaith said: “She is a classic-type and she could be in the Paddock Stakes next year.”

Bred in Britain by the Nagles, she is by dual Derby winner Australia out of a half-sister to an American Grade 1 scorer and was bought for Markus Jooste for €220 000 (now nearly R3.5 million) at the 2017 Goffs Orby Sale. When she came up again at last July’s Central Route Trading Sale she was purchased for R1.8 million for Nic Johnsson and Jack Mitchell.

Anton Marcus’s response to an SOS to replace the sidelined Greg Cheyne on five rides may not have resulted in any immediate winners but Rigemont’s Pretty Young Thing looks good for next time.  The 13-1 chance made up ground hand over fist in the straight in the Play Soccer 6 Maiden Juvenile and only failed to overhaul all-the-way winner Hidden Strings by a rapidly-disappearing head.

“Thank heavens I’ve got cat gut for my heart,” joked Greg Ennion who had bought the winner for a mere R50 000 at last year’s TBA Mistico Sale and told a complicated story about not knowing who the breeder (W.J. Engelbrecht) was only to later sell a share in the filly to Engelbrecht’s son. The latter recouped his costs in a bet while the pair’s fortunes were further boosted by a R50 000 Bloodstock SA juvenile winner cheque.

The first two winners similarly benefitted (owner R39 500, trainer R5 000, breeder R5 000 and groom R500) and for JP Cuvelier, owner of the Robert Khathi-ridden Captain Tatters in the first, it doubtless helped with the expenses as he was hosting his daughter’s wedding in Hong Kong. Apparently proceedings were interrupted so that they could all watch the race on TV and the result was greeted with a huge cheer.

Brett Crawford’s applause was rather more muffled despite two winners but newcomer Armando, the first leg of a Corne Orffer treble, was the stable’s second juvenile scorer of the season from just four individual runners. He also qualified for the R50 000 bonus and was backed from 6-1 to 19-10 favourite.

The recently gelded Retro Effect showed the benefit of the operation to spearhead a Woodruff one-two in the Tellytrack.com Maiden while Lucky Dancer benefitted from a step-up in trip to give part owner Gisela Burg “the biggest surprise we have had in a very long time.”

Handicap good thing Singfonico – 9.5kg better-in than his rating – duly made all at 13-10 in the Interbet.co.za Handicap but what was interesting was Anthony Andrews’ views on the difference between riding a front-runner in a sprint at Durbanville and one at Kenilworth.

He said: “At Durbanville they like to ride in single file, or one off the rails, and if you are in front they will leave you alone (until well into the straight) so you can hold your horse up and then let him go. But at Kenilworth they spread out and you can be having to fight them off from the 800m mark.”

By Michael Clower

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