Kasimir is a confident selection to follow up his Cape Flying Championship win in the Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes at Kenilworth’s Prawn Festival meeting tomorrow.

The Justin Snaith four-year-old won the Cape Merchants over this course and distance in November but his performance on Met day was an eye-opener. Far from being inconvenienced by the 1 000m – as most people thought he would be –  he was able to hit the front over half a furlong out and stride on strongly to beat Bold Respect by almost two lengths.

He has definitely improved this season and should be able to confirm the form with the runner-up. The latter’s stable companion Search Party should not be faraway and don’t ignore the 2017 winner Trip To Heaven. This slow starter with the brilliant finishing speed has an extra furlong to find his feet following his Cape Flying fifth.

According to the handicappers Chimichuri Run should bounce back to winning form after disappointing in the Cape Guineas and the CTS 1600. They make him best by half a kilo, even before adding in anything for having Anton Marcus on his back. Personally I find this hard to swallow.    

The race is run six weeks later this year and so past results may not be quite as relevant but four-year-olds have won half the last ten runnings and only two favourites and one joint favourite have been successful during this period.

Kasimir opened 2-1 favourite with World Sports Betting on Wednesday and was 22-10 by noon yesterday with Bold Respect on 15-4 and Chimichuri Run a 9-2 chance. Search Party had been backed from 17-2 to 11-2 but nobody seemed to want to know Trip To Heaven who had drifted from 17-2 to 10-1.

Joey Ramsden has by far the best record in the Vasco Prix Du Cap, winning five of the last 14 runnings, and he can collect again with Rose In Bloom who has a theoretical 3kg in hand and is favourite at 33-10. She was a four-length sixth in the Majorca and before that had the speed to finish fourth in the Sceptre- and the last two weeks have shown local punters just what an advantage it is to have S’Manga Khumalo in the irons.

The bookmakers have a high opinion of the Dean Kannemeyer Graduation winner Silva’s Bullet and have her favourite for the Selangor Jet Master at 33-10. But Brave Move is the one with the form in the book and, despite a rather disappointing season so far, she makes strong appeal at 9-2.

Cedar Man (5-2), although under sufferance, may be able to turn the tables on 3-1 shot Dynasty’s Blossom in the Aeolus OTR Kenilworth Cup.

By Michael Clower

Moved from Wednesday to today, racing is on the Greyville poly track this evening where the exotics may be the best way to tackle a tricky card. Check out the change in starting times.

In the opening leg of the Place Accumulator, Class Of Eight has shown signs of coming to hand and has shown up well in her last two. She is down in trip here but looks ready. Elusive Diva will probably start favourite for the umpteenth time and has been expensive to follow. She is obviously limited but could find this shorter trip more to her liking.

The first leg of the Pick 6 looks wide open. So Var has shown up well in his two starts since a break and this is his peak run. Di Mazzio carried bottom weight in the Marula Sprint but beat a strong field. He went up six points in the ratings but should still be competitive in this company. Roy Magner raids from the Highveld with Life Is Good who has come down rapidly in the ratings and showed improved form in blinkers. Another to consider is Royal Amour who goes best on the poly and found some good market support last time out. He may just have needed it and should feature prominently.

Garth Puller and Anton Marcus have an enviable strike rate and top-rated Mana Santana has all the right credentials in the fourth. However, Italian Way was not far off the promising Last Of The Legend and Wednesday’s winner Mr Fitz so could oblige at a decent price.

One always needs to take note of Highveld raiders and Brian Wiid has a knack of sending the right horse for the poly. Petite Aime is a long-time battler but has shown some recent improvement and is up against some equally limited opposition in the fifth. A head separated Ruby Slippers and Summer Day when last they met. Ruby Slippers gets a tongue-tie so could reverse the placings.

Marcus will have had a pick of a few mounts in the sixth and has opted for the lightly raced Mashari for Puller. The gelding is a late starter, and judging by the number of barrier trials, has his problems, but he is winner of two of his three starts and looks progressive. Marcus was aboard Cruz Giovanni and The Master when shedding their maidens. They are both lightly raced geldings so should have more to come while Emperor Niarchos is an old campaigner who has dropped even further in the ratings and could surprise.

The seventh is a minefield although Awayinthewoods has yet to run a bad race and has a light weight. Both of her wins have come on the poly. Adorable Analia nearly caused a major boil-over when narrowly beaten at her last start and appeared to enjoy the extra so may be one to follow. The list of possible winners is a long one so it may prove prudent to load up in this leg.

Although a little disappointing last time out, Toronto has been consistent and the switch to the poly could be in his favour. Roy’s Physco has taken tome to come to hand but has proved of late while Fashionada made some promising improvement at his second outing and can do even better over this trip. He is one to watch.

In the card opener, one can draw a line through Alfonso Spagoni’s last effort when playing up badly at the start. He had some promising form before that and the Mark Dixon stable has hit form. He takes to the poly for the first time. Mokoko and the two Highveld raiders One Of Our Own and Phoenix Sun also come into the picture.

By Andrew Harrison

The Mike de Kock-trained Gin Fizz is probably the best two-year-old filly seen out this season and is living proof her late sire Soft Ralling Rain will be a big loss to the industry.

Soft Falling Rain passed away in September 2018 during his fourth covering season at Wilgerbosdrift Stud.

He had full books and his progeny are sort after.

At the recent Cape Thoroughbred Premier Yearling Sale six of his progeny were sold for a total of R2,15 million with a high of R800,000 and an average of R358,333.

The R800,000 lot was out of a Listed-winning Var mare who is a half-sister to the like of Chesalon, Mardi Gras and Valeta (the dam of She’s A Giver).

Gin Fizz stood out in the parade ring on Sunday as an imposing individual with plenty of substance and presence.

In the running she looked a chip off the old block, displaying a huge stride and winning hands and heels under Gavin Lerena by 7,4 lengths.

Her dam Espumanti, a British-bred by Dansili, won the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge over a mile and the Grade 2 Betting World 1900 and she finished second in the Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes to the great Beach Beauty.

Ginn Fizz is her first foal.

Gin Fizz should follow in the footsteps of her father by running in either the SA Nursery of the SA Fillies Nursery. Soft Falling Rain, who was by the speed influence National Assembly and was trained by De Kock, won all four of his starts in South Africa from 1000-1160m and won his first three starts in Dubai, where he was named Champion three-year-old Miler. He won the Grade 2 Joel Stakes over a mile at Newmarket in his second start in the UK and the following year finished a length second to the great Variey Club in the defence of his Godolphin Mile crown. In his final start he finished a four length sixth in the Group 1 Queen Ann Stakes over a mile at the Royal Ascot meeting.

Gin Fizz should also get a mile in time.

There have been some other eyecatching two-year-old fillies seen this season like the Candice Bass-Robinson trio Cousin Liz (Captain Al), Miss Honey (Pathfork) and Vandah’s Spirit (Trippi), the Alan Greef-trained Brandina (Capetown Noir) and the Yogas Govender-trained Her Royal Majesty (Great Britain), but none of them have been as impressive as Gin Fizz.  

Soft Falling Rain has seven lots on the forthcoming BSA Cape Yearling Sale on March 17 at the Mistico Equestrian Centre between Durbanville and Paarl.

By David Thiselton

Adam Marcus is calling on Uncle Anton in a bid to restore Brave Move to her old form in the Selangor Jet Master Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday.

The mare won six in a row last season, including the Ladies Mile and the Final Fling and went up in the ratings from 74 to 107. Yet in three outings this term she has failed to finish closer than fourth and an abnormal blood count ruled her out of the Majorca.

Her trainer said: “I was expecting bigger things this season – the way she was winning last year I thought she wasn’t going to stop – but she is in good form and I am hoping we can get her back on track. She was drawn off the course in the Prix Du Cap so we are going for the Jet Master with her.”

Brave Move was 9-2 second favourite when World Sports Betting posted up its prices yesterday. The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Silva’s Bullet, odds-on when winning a graduation at the end of last year, heads the market at 7-2.

Cape Flying Championship winner Kasimir is 2-1 favourite to follow up in the Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes and Rose In Bloom is 28-10 favourite to give Joey Ramsden his sixth Vasco Prix Du Cap in 15 seasons.

By Michael Clower

In an interview earlier in the week, Gavin van Zyl was confident that the winner of yesterday’s umThombothi Stakes (Non Black Type) at Scottsville would come from one of his four runners – he included son Chesney’s pair in the mix – but was uncertain of the right one.

Punters were not fazed however, as Marchingontogether was backed as if the result was already known. He duly landed the plunge, although hard-pressed to the line by ‘stable companion’ Blackball.

Marchingontogether had solid credentials before lining up in the Gauteng Guineas earlier this month where he finished with just three behind him.

But with blinkers removed, the son of Pathfork was settled mid-field by Warren Kennedy before moving though in the straight to win smartly. The year-older Blackball made a race of it but came up nearly a length shy with the filly Flichity By Farr running a cracker in her come-back from a break in third.

Anton Marcus seldom goes home without a winner, most often two, and he collected another double yesterday.

The first came for Shane Humby whose Mr Fitz looked the best bet on the card and lived up to his billing. Runner-up on debut behind Last Of The Legend, a winner in good company next time out, Mr Fitz franked that form with a solid performance that bodes well for the colt’s future.

There are few more passionate owners in racing than Rob Haswell, retired Municipal Manager of Msunduzi (Pietermaritzburg), but he was missing in action yesterday – work commitments – as Marcus rode a copybook race on Cumulus in the White Horse Function Room Handicap. Showing early pace, Marcus sat for as long as possible before asking Nathan Kotzen’s gelding for and effort and Cumulus responded smartly, finding another gear to motor to a convincing victory.

Milnerton-based trainer Piet Steyn, after winning a race at Kenilworth on Saturday, made a passionate plea for owners to support the smaller trainers, without them he reasoned, racing would be doomed. However, racing has a habit of ploughing the same furrow regardless of consequences.

The most popular winner on the day, no matter the lengthy odds, was the Gary Rich-trained Connect Me – spectators and fellow trainers alike warm in their congratulations. Rich, son of July winning trainer Dessie (Lightning Shot), operates a small string with the help of his daughter Tessa, and they get the best out of what they have.

Steyn put it bluntly to Racegoer writer Michael Clower. “In a year or two’s time we are going to end up with only four or five trainers in Cape Town, and racing can’t survive on that. They have got to start to support the smaller trainers. I know you can’t tell people where to put their horses but come and look at Milnerton and see how many empty stables there are.

 “It’s a disaster and it comes from agents, breeders and the whole clique. It doesn’t matter how good you are – if you are not in that flow you can forget about it.”

Possibly an early warning for us in KZN!

By Andrew Harrison