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

Rain has not only bedevilled racing in KZN but also on the Highveld and some trainers are looking elsewhere for relief. Turffontein-based Paul Peter is in the vanguard with three runners at Scottsville today and some of his Highveld colleagues, notably Chesney van Zyl, have also cottoned on.

Sunday’s rescheduled meeting is headed by the umThombothi Stakes (Non-Black Type) over 1950m where weights are allocated according to number of wins which sees Legend at the top of the handicap.

On official merit ratings, Legend will have his work cut out in this company in spite of two recent forward showings, especially as he is up against a quartet of progressive three-year-olds.

Chesney van Zyl raids with top-rated Marchingontogether and Stream Ahead while his father Gavin also holds a competitive hand in Affranchi and the year older Blackball. Add to this the progressive Duke Of Spin and the smart filly Flichity By Farr and we have the ingredients for a good contest.

Marchingontogether and Stream Ahead both took their chances in the Gauteng Guineas, both finishing down the field. The race was run in yielding going but Van Zyl Snr confirmed that those runs were way below par. Speaking on behalf of his son he said the blinkers come off Marchingontogether and the tongue-tie comes off Stream Ahead and both were in a good space as was Affranchie.

“He’s coming on nicely and I think we have finally got to the bottom of him,” confirmed Van Zyl. Affranchi has not run up to expectations since switching to the Van Zyl yard but he has been showing signs of life at recent outings.

“Blackball raced wide with no cover last start so I’m expecting a better showing from him as well,” said Van Zyl. “I can’t single out any one of our runners but I think the winner will come from one of them.:

Duke Of Spin, the lowest rated of the three-year-olds was palpably in need of his last run and his efforts were not helped by stable companion Legend giving him a rough passage. He looks like a smart colt and a win would not be unexpected.

Best weighted is Alyson Wright’s filly, Flichity By Far. However, she has not been out since October last year where she proved to be more than useful over marathon trips so this race, her first in over three months over a trip short of her best, does look like a warm-up although she will probably race fresh.

The White Horse Function Room Handicap is a competitive sprint but it may be worth following Anton Marcus who stays with the Nathan Kotzen-trained Cumulus. The gelding has shown flashes of ability, having run recent eight-time winner Ronnie Rocket to within a length and his last two efforts have signalled a change in fortune.

A change of tactics could also be in order and Cumulus is likely to be running at them late. Given all the recent thunder storms, his name could be an omen.

Of the balance, Buffalo Soldier is smart on his day while the grey Isca hacked up in a weak four-horse barrier trial but did show his well-being and he loves this course.

Finally, Darryl Moore looks to have a potential star in the making in Woodstock Festival and a win in this company will set him on the road to bigger things.

By Andrew Harrison

Brett Crawford, who won the Daily News two years ago with subsequent July third Edict Of Nantes as well as with Jackson in 2012, is to aim Charles at the R2 million Greyville Grade 1 on June 1 following the colt’s fine run in the G-Bets Cape Derby when he was only beaten a fifth of a length by the Mike de Kock-trained Atyaab.

Crawford said: “Charles ran a great race that day and he goes to Durban. There is a seven furlong race (Byerley Turk on April 7) as a starting point, he then definitely runs in the Daisy Guineas (May 4) and after that he will head for the Daily News.”

The precise value put on the form of the Cape Derby has been lowered by two kilos after Robert Bloomberg – acting for De Kock, Crawford and Justin Snaith, trainer of fourth-placed Bunker Hunt- lodged a successful appeal against the revised ratings of three of the first four.  The Glen Kotzen-trained Herodotus, who was third, was not included in the appeal but his rating was also lowered by 2kg.

The mystery of Mushi Sterek remains. Nothing has shown up – even the blood tests were clear – to account for her poor performance when odds-on for her handicap debut at Kenilworth on January 12. She was in trouble after little more than a furlong and finished a long way last. The only outward sign that all was not as it should be came when she was tossing her head around going down to the start.

Crawford said: “She has now gone for a rest. We will give her a nice break and then start again.”

Much has rightly been made of Sean Tarry’s feat in training his 2 000^th winner with Flash Burn at Turffontein last Saturday. However the corresponding achievement of his great championship rival passed under the radar during the 2015/16 season. Snaith’s total now stands at 2 530. Cape Town’s current winningmost trainer started operations in 2001 when he was 26 while Tarry was 28 when he first took out his licence in May 1997.

By Michael Clower