The ruling Dingaans favourite Soqrat was scratched from the big race yesterday and the new favourite National Park’s participation hangs in the balance as he is the subject of a pending sale to Hong Kong and will not run if it goes through.

National Park, a big and rangy gelding by Gimmethegreenlight, has been staying at Alec Laird’s Randjesfontein yard and is being looked after by assistant trainer Carl Hewitson.

He has been doing well and trainer Yvette Bremner said, “We have always said this horse does not know how good he is. Even in work when he heads a horses he just canters and he often has to be given a slap down his shoulder just to do his work. That is why he surprised us when he won so well in Jo’Burg last time. Yes, he had won his previous race on the Fairview poly by three lengths extending but in Jo’burg we were just expecting a nice run, so we were also blown away. He is very, very good. He should have no problem with the mile. In his only previous run over a mile in August it was against older horses and it was a bit soon for him.”

If the sale does go ahead Bremner expects it to be concluded by Friday.

National Park won the Grade 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m last time out by 5,80 lengths at odds of 22/1, beating the highly regarded Chimichuri Run despite receiving only 1kg.

Bremner has previously had big race success in Johannesburg with Copper Parade, who was also staying at the Alec Laird yard when winning the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint.

The Dingaans is always a well prescribed race and although it provides a pointer to the Grade 1 classics it is an important classic itself.

National Park’s biggest danger looks to be the Mike de Kock-trained Hawwaam and the Mike and Adam Azzie-trained Reach For The Line, although history shows that less heralded horses can upstage the favourites in this race and two of the KZN raiders, Thanksgiving and Perfect Peter, fit into that category while Samurai Warrior is on the up, Gift For The Gap is a scopey sort who will be improving and Bien Venue is better than his recent form suggests.

Hawwaam is a Silvano colt and is a half-brother to the exciting Rainbow Bridge, who remained unbeaten in five starts after slamming a good field in the Cape Mile. Hawwaam made a fine debut over 1400m on the Turffontein Standside track on Charity Mile day. He has similar conformation to Rainbow Bridge, as he is not the tallest but is strongly built, and he showed a fine turn of foot in that race.

Reach The Line is a tall and rangy son of the former Azzie-trained Grade 1-winner Potala Palace and is highly regarded. He hit the front early in the straight in the race against Hawwaam and stayed on well, but it was a hands-and-heels event so he was unable to have the benefit of the whip. The pair finished well clear of the rest.

Reach The Line has landed a plum draw of two, while Hawwaam has a draw of 14 to overcome.

The Duncan Howells-trained Thanksgiving is a progressive son of Dynasty and did well to stay on strongly for second last time as he was rushed around the field from the back mid-race. He has the first fair draw of his career and this rangy type should relish the long straight of Turffontein Standside.

Perfect Peter beat the well regarded De Kock-trained filly Nafaayes last time over 1400 at Greyville with the decent sort Affranchi splitting them. This Judpot gelding is a full-brother to Along Came Polly, who won the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes over the Dingaans course and distance. He has a tricky draw of ten to overcome but trainer Gavin van Zyl won this race from the widest draw of all in 2010 with the hitherto unheralded 40/1 shot The Apache.

The Weiho Marwing-trained Samurai Warrior is a typically improving colt by Ideal World and with first-time cheek pieces on he bolted in by four lengths over course and distance last time in a Maiden. He can continue to improve but he has the widest draw of all to overcome.

The Tyrone Zackey-trained Gift For The Gap is a rangy son of Master Of My Fate who has plenty of scope for improvement but he also has a very wide draw to overcome.

The Sean Tarry-trained Bien Venue, a colt by Fort Wood out of an Argentinian-bred mare, should enjoy the course and distance as he has been seen to stay on over 1400m before and was unlucky in his last start.

Atyaab is quite fancied in the betting but has not been as impressive as his stablemate Hayyaam. He has a rounded action and is one to watch if the going is on the soft side on the day, although that scenario does not look likely at this stage.

The mentioned runners are the ones who make most appeal.

By David Thiselton

Thanksgiving is one of the long shots in Saturday’s Gr2 Dingaans at Turffontein but Duncan Howells is quietly confident of a big run from his colt. “He put in an excellent piece of work on Saturday working with Fiorella.

“It’s seriously tough field but I’ve had this race in mind for some time now and he should be spot on,” said Howells on Tuesday.

Thanksgiving has only won one of his four starts but has shown potential and the Dingaans should show just where he stands in the pecking order.

In his first run out of the maidens he was left with a mountain to climb and only got going late to finish a little over a length back to The Bayou.

He then ran a much better race in the KZN Guineas Trial beaten half-a-length by Stream Ahead. It was a case of win it if you can but there are bigger fish to fry.

Win, lose or draw, Thanksgiving will not be going to Cape Town for the Guineas.

By Andrew Harrison

Tomorrow’s exotics at the nine race Vaal meeting look catchable and look the best way for punters to approach the meeting.

The first leg of the PA is tricky and the consistent Shezahotti can be included alongside Gold Scent and perfect Storm who are two likely improvers over a trip which will suit. Of these three only Gold Scent has a fair draw so it is not cut and dried.

The first leg of the Pick 6 has two standouts, Wonderwall and Mardis Gras. They both have speed and class and are the first and second best in at the weights in this Assessment Plate over 1200m. How Does It Taste is a promising three-year-old but on official merit ratings is 8,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted Wonderwall so it should be safe to go with Wonderwall and Mardi Gras alone for the Pick 6.

The first leg of the Jackpot is a Middle Stakes event over 1200m and there are three standouts in this race. Carbon Atom, Regal Graduation and State Trooper. Carbon Atom is a scopey sort who ran well with first time blinkers last time over this trip and won cosily, despite the narrow 0,3 margin, and champion jockey Lyle Hewitson remains aboard. He was raised three points but that still leaves him 4,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse here, Regal Graduation. However, the latter is the only female in the field and it is never easy to beat the boys. She drops back to the more suitable trip of 1200m. The last time she ran over this trip was in a minor feature and she was narrowly beaten by the useful Schippers with the rest of the field well beaten. State Trooper was highly tried last season after two good wins over 1160m and 1200m respectively. He was not disgraced last time when having to give the Grade 1-winning sprinter Van Halen 1kg and being beaten 5,65 lengths.

In the sixth race over 1200m Rings And Things will enjoy the 200m step up in trip. Her current merit rating of 80 is attractive considering she finished just two lengths behind Undercover Agent in the CTS 1600. The only time she has run over this course and distance she won an Assessment Plate comfortably and her rider for tomorrow Ryan Munger was aboard in that race. The most interesting runner here is Frankly. She might have taken six runs to win her maiden, but she either faced good fields or had poor draws and it is obvious when taking a look at her running that she possesses some class despite being on the small side. She is officially 2,5kg under sufferance but has a 4kg claimer up and this progressive filly should be in the shake up. Ouro finished just a head behind the promising In The Dance last time in an Assessment Plate over 1100m so will make her presence felt despite having to carry a big weight of 62,5kg. The progressive River Rafting made her seasonal reappearance in the latter race. She would have come on from the run and is 1,5kg better off with Ouro for a 2,4 length beating. High Seas Beauty was making late progress last time over 1160m and now has her third run after a long layoff so can’t be ignored. It is tough to ignore any of the others runners either, La Bastide, Pool Party Last Chirp, Distant Call and Boss Babe. There are three ways to play the leg, firstly bankering Rings And Things, secondly going with five horses or thirdly going with the field.

In the seventh race over 1400m Jameson Girl had to overcome a wide draw last time over 1450m and ran out of steam late, so could make amends here down the straight off a two point lower mark. Grade 1-placed Visuality has run well twice with blinkers on so should also be in the shake up. She was raised three points for her last run but is Grade 1 placed so is up to it. Big Bang Theory drops back to a trip she has a good record over so is another one who can’t be ignored. Inyanga would appear to prefer shorter but she has dropped down the merit ratings and has a 4kg claimer up so she has to be considered. Twelve Oaks is worth considering again in another attempt at this trip as she was bumped last time and did not stride out.

In the eighth over 1400m Lake Kinneret is the one to side with as he ran the classy Captain And Master close over 1450m on Saturday and the rest of the field were well beaten. Chepardo is ideally distance suited and off a lowered merit rating has his third run after a layoff. Sail For Joy beat Chepardo comfortably in the Grand Series race over 1475m last time when much better drawn but is 1kg worse off and this is now down the straight. Danza is ideally distance suited and must be considered alongside Changing Seasons who is having his third run after a layoff and should improve.

In the last race over 2400m Ezieza is a half-sister to the Champion Stayer Hermoso Mundo and having won her maiden well last time over 2000m she should relish the step up in trip and is only merit rated 59. Knysna Rose has placed in the top three in all three of her attempts at staying races and is back against her own gender here having gone close against the boys last time. Those two could get punters through.

By David Thiselton

The final field for the GBets Summer Cup was announced yesterday and there were only 19 acceptors so it will not be a full field of 20.

Mike de Kock has a strong hand with five horses, including the top class fillies Cascapedia and Takingthepeace as well as the progressive four-year-olds Noble Secret and Like A Panther, who should both be coming into their own and will relish the course and distance. His other runner is the lowest rated horse in the race, the 90 merit rated Kilrain. De Kock is going for his tenth Summer Cup victory and has fine chance of reaching this milestone.

Sean Tarry will be trying to retain the trophy and has last year’s winner Liege in the field alongside Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity mile runner up Tilbury Fort and Grade 1 Champions Challenge third-placed Social Order. All three have enjoyed fine preparations and should be cherry ripe.

The Champions Challenge and Charity mile winner Coral Fever has to give the whole field at least 5,5kg, although seven of the runners will be under sufferance. This Robbie-Sage trained star loves the course and distance and is capable of carrying the welter burden of 60kg to victory.

Geoff Woodruff, who dominated the race from 2013 to 2016, has two entries, the 2015 runner up Deo Juvente, who won the Champions Challenge over course and distance last year, and the SA Oaks winner Secret Potion.

Paul Peter has two fillies involved, last year’s third-placed Fort Ember and the honest Sabina’s Dynasty.

The dark horse could be the Mike Azzie-trained Arctica especially if he cracks a good draw for a change as he has proved he is up to this class lately.

Ashley Fortune has a runner, Cash Time, in her first full season as a trainer.

St. John Gray has won this race before and has Dawn Assault, who will relish the course and distance and has a nice galloping weight.

The versatile Tandava provides a first Summer Cup runner for Gokhan Terzi, who moved down from Zimbabwe recently.

By David Thiselton

Featured Image: Coral Fever (JC Photographics)

Punters brave enough to bet at odds-on face a difficult decision with Front And Centre in the Betting World Handicap at Kenilworth today. There is not much doubt that she is the best horse in the race, and she is almost certainly better than her handicap mark would suggest, but she is not 100% and this is not her objective. In other words this is a stepping stone rather than an end in itself.

Yet at 7-10 the bookmakers are assuming that she will be able to run somewhere near her best. They are largely neglecting that she was found to have an abnormal blood count when ante-post favourite for last month’s Western Cape Fillies Championship and ended up on the sidelines as a result.

“She has had a couple of hiccups and as a result she is going into this race a little bit underdone,” explains Brett Crawford who, in his own way, is in almost as difficult a position as the punters. “I am happy with her – I galloped her on the course last Thursday and she went well – and I am expecting a very good run. This will bring her to peak fitness but I want to see her finish the race well.”

Anton Marcus’s mount is also up against it to the extent that she is the only three-year-old in a field of four-year-olds. But, looking at the positives, the 3.5kg that the handicappers put her up for last time’s Durbanville win was hardly harsh considering the impressive way she won, making up six lengths to score pulling up.

If she doesn’t win it will be because she is short on fitness, not as a result of anything outstanding amongst the opposition. Stable companions Travel In Style (5-1) and Strawberry Fire at 33-10 are the shortest priced of them. The latter’s most recent four runs were all over a mile and, although she ran below her best at Durbanville six weeks ago, she was only beaten just over a length and a half.

Travel In Style has been dropped a point for last time’s third of seven and has the advantage of a talented 2.5kg claimer. Top weight Kamaishi (who has drifted from 9-1 to 14-1) is also ridden by a good claimer and won three off the reel a few months back. Forget last time’s below-par effort – he pulled hard early and his saddle slipped.

Fours A Crowd  is not without a chance, fellow 14-1 shot Lanark has been dropped 2.5kg but the last five runs of Regal Ruby (18-1) have all been over 400m less than this.

Crawford has a fancied runner in the first in 7-2 chance Louisa May but the Justin Snaith-trained Alsflamingbeauty (28-10) is given slight preference.

Crawford’s Northern Spy, though, can prove just too strong for Snaith’s Gimmetherain in race two while Marcus’s mount Fluttering is preferred to Madonna and Indi Anna 35 minutes later.

By Michael Clower

Image: (by Candiese Marnewick) The Dennis Drier-trained HARD CORE runs in race eight at Kenilworth today.