Met heroine Oh Susanna could run next in the Victress Stakes at Kenilworth on December 15 en route to the Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes three weeks later. But Lady In Black, her conqueror in last week’s pinnacle stakes, is set to go straight for the Grade 1.

Justin Snaith said he was satisfied with Oh Susanna’s three-quarter length second after a five-month break and added: “She was stuck in quarantine for a month after the Durban season and she had only had one gallop. Also she always gets beaten on the short run-in – remember last year’s Western Cape Fillies Championship? I will have a look at the Victress Stakes.”

Oh Susanna (Liesl King)

After the Pinnacle Dennis Drier alluded to Lady In Black being “a different filly this year.” He explained later: “She has matured and has put on 40lb since this time 12 months ago. I don’t think she will run in the Victress, though. She will probably go for the Paddock next.”

However Brave Move, beaten just over two lengths into fourth, will be in the Victress line-up. “I was very happy with her performance,” said Adam Marcus. “The way the race was run, with a five-metre spur, everyone came middle to the outside which was not what we planned. But she ran to the line and she has come out of it exceptionally well. She goes for the Paddock and the Majorca after running in the Victress.”

Hashtagyolo, last of the seven but beaten less than four lengths in her first race for over ten months, will also be nominated for the Victress. “She is rated 105 so where else could I run her?” said Dean Kannemeyer. “We all thought we would go for an easy pinnacle last Thursday and it turned into a mini Paddock Stakes.”

Eric Sands confirms that Rainbow Bridge has come out of his Cape Mile win in good shape and that the gelding will attempt to extend his unbeaten run to six in the WSB Green Point Stakes on December 8 when the opposition may include the mighty Legal Eagle. The latter looked as good as ever when winning a sprint on his reappearance at Turffontein last Thursday.

Captainofthesea (Richard Fourie) is now 5-1 clear favourite to give Snaith his second successive win in the R2.5m CTS Ready To Run Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday. World Sports Betting yesterday pushed the badly-drawn Cirillo out half a point to 11-2 even though the Sean Tarry runner appeared to move nicely when ridden by Marcus in a gallop with a stable companion over 1 100m on the course on Saturday.

Cape Classic winner Twist Of Fate (Bernard Fayd’Herbe) pleased connections in a solo spin over 1 000m but was also eased yesterday, in his case from 6-1 to 7-1 for the Concorde Cup. The unbeaten Vaughan Marshall-trained One World (Marcus) is a warm favourite at 11-10 with Sean Tarry’s Chimichuri Run (S’Manga Khumalo) next on 11-2. Dutch Philip, second in last year’s Cape Merchants, is 4-1 favourite to go one better this time.

By Michael Clower

The R500 000 Gr2 Dingaans was moved forward a week from its conventional Summer Cup Day slot with purpose and forethought.

Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

With Summer Cup day being run on 1 December, the traditional 3yo pointer to better things will now be run at Turffontein on Saturday 24 November, alongside the Gr3 Fillies Mile.

“We moved the Cape Guineas forward a week as there was some concern expressed that it was being run too close to Christmas Day. That will now be run alongside the Cape Fillies Guineas on 15 December. Coupled with the decision to run the Summer Cup on 1 December, rather than a week earlier in November, we are hoping that the repositioning of the Dingaans and the Fillies Mile will give the better Gauteng 3yo’s the opportunity to consider going for the Cape classics too,” said Phumelela’s Vee Moodley.

Moodley went on to point out that the Gr2 Green Point Stakes would now take pride of place on Saturday 8 December at Kenilworth. Last year the traditional Queen’s Plate prep feature was run on the same day as the Cape Fillies Guineas.

“The emergence of some serious star milers over the past few months to take on the champion Legal Eagle has fortuitously meant that the Green Point now deserves star billing – and in hindsight the move of the Cape Fillies Guineas forward has panned out well,” added Moodley.

– Phumelela

Grade 1-winning Sand And Sea made a fine comeback from a wind operation on Saturday but kicked the float on the way home and is now a doubtful starter for Saturday’s Grade 2 Cape Merchants.

KZN Trainer Dennis Drier, a perennial thorn in the flesh of the big Cape yards, looks likely to put his last couple of disappointing Summer Seasons behind him as all of Sand And Sea, Lady In Black, Mastagambit and Anime have won in the first fortnight of his current campaign.

Twice Over gelding Sand And Sea won the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion in his second career start as a two-year-old but after four successive disappointing starts as a three-year-old, by which stage he had “completely gone in the wind”, a tie back operation became necessary.

The operation was obviously a success as he waltzed in by 2,25 lengths in a competitive Progress Plate over 1200m on Saturday under his loyal pilot Anton Marcus, despite it being his first appearance for seven months.

Lady In Black (Candiese Marnewick)

“The joys of training racehorses,” lamented Drier after revealing the setback.

The gelding will require stitches but it is hoped he will not be out for long. His main summer target is the Grade 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship.

Drier had defended his crown in the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes the previous Saturday. He won it last year with subsequent Grade 1-winner Sommerlied but does not believe this year’s winner Anime is as good. He said, “It was the right race for her at the weights and she was as well as could be. She has never been far off them and is hard knocking but I don’t know how competitive she will be at level weights against the best.”

He does not have the same doubts about Lady In Black. She is by Dynasty so pundits will always be comparing her to the great Drier-trained Beach Beauty. He said, “Like Beach Beauty she has improved tremendously as a four-year-old, she is a different filly, and keeps on improving. She is very good and is carrying between 20 to 40kg more than she was so I have a little bit to work on.”

Last Thursday Lady In Black downed the reigning Equus Horse Of The Year Oh Susanna by three-quarters of a length at level weights over 1600m at Kenilworth.  Drier said she would not run often and her chief target would be the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m in which she was runner up last year to Oh Susanna.

Mastagambit, a three-year-old gelding by Master Of My Fate, won from pillar to post in impressive style on the same day over 1200m. Drier thinks highly of him and the US$500,000 CTS 1200 on Sun Met day is his main aim.

Drier brings out the promising three-year-old Captain Al filly Outlandos D’Amour tomorrow in a MR80 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1000m at Kenilworth. After a good debut win she disappointed in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson but at the time many of the Drier horses had been plagued by a blood disorder.

“I have her back where I want her and expect a decent run,” he said.

Earlier he runs the promising Go Deputy colt Northern Route. He said, “He is interesting going over 1800m, I think that is what he is looking for.”

He describes Hard Core as a nice little horse and runs him in a MR 80 Handicap over 1200m. He said, “He may just need it but could get away with it.”

He runs Driven Force in the same race and said it would be a pipe opener and he would need it.

Anton Marcus rides Hard Core and the other three will be ridden by stable jockey Sean Veale.

By David Thiselton

Corne Orffer has a lot to look forward to this Cape Summer season as stable jockey to Brett Crawford and the yard’s stalwart sprinter Bold Respect makes his seasonal reappearance on Saturday in the Cape Merchants over 1200m at Kenilworth.

He said, “He has had one gallop but his main mission is the Cape Flying Championship so this is a preparation run and we will want him to come on from it.”

Undercover Agent is another of the big Crawford-trained horses Orffer is looking forward to and he is well on track after winning over 1200m on his seasonal reappearance on October 27.

The Green Point Stakes on December 8 is likely to be his next race before he takes part in what is going to be a star studded Grade 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate on January 5.

Orffer mentioned Charles and Hudoo Magic as yard three-year-olds who have a lot still to come.

By David Thiselton

Featured Image: Bold Respect (Candiese Marnewick)

Candice Bass-Robinson said Dutch Philip was ready for the Cape Merchants to be run over 1200m at Kenilworth on Saturday but believed under handicap conditions it would be a difficult race.

Dutch Philip (Liesl King)

She said, “He has only had the one run but I think he has come on from it and won’t need it on Saturday. However, he has to give 2,5kg to a horse like Kasimir who has always finished close to him, so it is not going to be easy. It is a very open race.” Dutch Philip has the Diadem over 1200m and the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship over 1000m on his program and will have a shout in both although 1000m is on the quick side for this classy son of What A Winter.

Bass-Robinson also has Tevez, Our Mate Art and Bernie in the Cape Merchants and she said, “Our Mate Art is doing very well. He has no proper distance as he doesn’t quite get a mile and is not an out and out sprinter but I am going to stick to sprints with him this season. Tevez is now a nine-year-old so you take what you get and he always runs well in the Merchants, but you can’t rely on him at this age. Bernie is under sufferance but I believe he is a fair sprinter. I think he will run well with bottom weight but whether he is good enough I’m not sure.”

Bass-Robinson would have given Majestic Mozart a big chance in the CTS Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m if it were not for his wide draw on the old course which has a short run in. “He is in good shape and is a decent horse.”

She said her Grade 2 Concorde Cup (1600m) contestant More Magic was “very well”, but feared he might be outclassed in a strong line up.

By David Thiselton