Pleasedtomeetyou can prove to be just that so far as punters are concerned by defying assessment logic in the TAB Telebet Progress Plate at Kenilworth tomorrow.

The Andre Nel runner should finish with only one behind him on adjusted merit ratings but he has race fitness on his side and his running in last month’s Cape Classic points to his chance over this furlong shorter test.

He finished third in that race after racing prominently and failing to last home – “He had every chance but he didn’t finish the race. He ran out of steam,” said Nel afterwards. “But we now know where we are going – sprinting.”

Sand And Sea

Bernard Fayd’Herbe, who won the Sophomore on the colt at Durbanville two months ago, regains the ride and the three-year-old was 19-10 joint favourite with Sand And Sea in the books of World Sports Betting yesterday.

Sand And Sea has a big theoretical advantage over the selection because Anton Marcus’s mount only concedes a kilo whereas the official weight-for-age scale says he should be giving away five. However he has not raced since April and that is a major disadvantage.

Speedpoint, the other four-year-old in the field, is a 33-10 chance. He is officially the best horse in the race but has not been seen since finishing a creditable two-length fifth in the Mercury Sprint three and a half months ago. If race-fit he would be well-nigh impossible to oppose even if the Nel horse is as good as this scribe thinks he is.

Of the others Lanza (9-2) was a length behind Pleasedtomeetyou in the Cape Classic and looks held as does Clipper Captain (15-2) who was a further four lengths back after getting himself in a state in the pens. Run To Denmark, stable companion of the selection, is the outsider of the party at 15-1.

In the fillies Progress Plate (race five) Temple Grafin stands out after running a cracker in the Western Cape Fillies Championship, her first run since winning the Debutante at the end of last season. She started favourite and beat all except Clouds Unfold. She is also favourite here (at 11-10) and Anton Marcus again has the mount.

Diana Stakes runner-up Miss Katalin (5-2) is the highest rated but watch out for Nous Voila at 17-2. She has been beaten at odds-on in two of her last four but she failed to act round the turn in her last two races and this is why she is being put back up the straight.

In the first Kingston Rock can confirm placings with Dragon Power and possibly get the better of Fayd’Herbe’s mount Empire Glory who ran well last time.

By Michael Clower

The KZN Champion two-year-old male of last season Cue The Music has been sold to race in Hong Kong and will not run in South Africa again.

The Dennis Bosch-trained Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm-bred Oratorio gelding won his first three starts including the Grade 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville and he then only just failed to hold on when runner up in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1200m at Scottsville.

He then disappointed over further when fifth in the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.

His last run was in the Grade 3 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m on the Greyville turf and he once again disappointed but was clearly not himself and is better than that.

He is a half-brother to the brilliant Champion Sprinter Val De Ra and is as laid back as she was so should take the arduous journey well and is sure to make his presence felt on the racing mad island.

By David Thiselton

Coral Fever is out on his own according to the official merit ratings for the GBets Summer Cup but trainer Robbie Sage still expects him to line up for the big race on December 1 despite him having to give the field 5,5kg.

Sage said, “We will wait until closer to the time but he took his Charity Mile run well and we will take our chances.”

Coral Fever’s win in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge sent his merit rating up eight points to 118 but that did not stop him winning the Peermont Emperor’s Charity Mile in his last start.

Coral Fever (JC Photographics)

He received a further two points for that win.

The joint second highest merit rated horses are five-year-old Cascapedia and four-year-old Roy’s Had Enough on 109 meaning they will receive 5,5kg and 6kg respectively from Coral Fever.

Only 15 of the entries still standing are in the handicap at present as the minimum weight will as usual be 52kg.

In other Summer Cup news Sean Tarry said he would keep Warrior’s Rest in the Summer Cup but felt that off his 91 merit rating his chances of getting in were “nil”. He scratched the big horse from the Victory Moon Stakes and said, “He was well beaten in his last start. You can only go forward so much and if you do not see the evidence before your eyes you have to accept it.”

There are 43 entries still standing of the original 58 and 32 of them are higher merit rated than Warrior’s Rest so he will need a lot of scratchings to get in.

The panellists do not have to stick to merit ratings when selecting the final field and one of the horses who is under sufferance, Buffalo Bill Cody, is surely a certainty to get in considering he was given the maximum eight point raise for his last two handicap wins when demolishing the field. The Irish-bred four-year-old Redoute’s Choice colt is officially only 1,5kg under sufferance and is in fact the ruling favourite with the sponsor at 6/1, who have obviously recognised that without handicapping restrictions his merit rating would be a lot higher.

The Alec Laird-trained Green Top has drawn in pole in one of the supporting features on the day, the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge for fillies and mares over 1600m. Laird was frustrated by the slow pace in the filly’s last start on the Inside track over 1600m which turned it into a sprint for home and she had little chance of catching the decent Mike de Kock-trained Storm Destiny. A line can probably be drawn trough her run there, although she will face Storm Destiny on 5kg worse terms in the Ipi Tombe and also has to face the like of the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province winner Redberry Lane as well as last season’s KZN three-year-old champion filly Fiorella and last season’s Equus Two-year-old champion filly Return Flight.

By David Thiselton

The Grade 3 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m is the headliner tonight at Turffontein Standside and all of the trainers commented on their runners.

Sean Tarry said, “Liege is doing well but is obviously not well weighted. This is part of his prep and it will bring him to his peak for the Summer Cup. Bulleting Home is trying the distance again, I would have been confident about him getting it at Greyville but this is a more testing track. He is doing well but also has a hard task against the two fillies at the weights. French Navy needed his first run back and I’m hoping to qualify him for the Summer Cup. He has always acquitted himself well in features but had three ordinary runs in Grade 1’s last season so has plummeted down the merit ratings. I will be hard pressed to win this race but would like to see a nice run from Liege and hope French Navy can run in the first five to qualify.”

French Navy (Nkosi Hlophe)

Matthew de Kock said, “Takingthepeace is extremely well and is the best weighted horse so has a big shout. Like A Panther will still be using this run as a prep for the Summer Cup.”

St. John Gray said, “Dawn Assault is coming off a seven week break and his chief mission is the Summer Cup, but he is working well and if he gets a good position I expect a good run. However, he has to overcome a poor draw in what looks likely to be a moderately paced race.”

Adam Azzie said, “Full Mast and Arctica have both come out of the Charity Mike well and are fit. Full Mast had a wide draw last time and we had to jump and ride him for luck and it didn’t pan out. But now he has a decent draw so we will be able to place him and this race will be the best indication of whether he sees out the trip.”

Geoff Woodruff said, “Zouaves is well but we are not quite sure whether he will get the trip so he will be ridden quietly. Deo Juvente is also fit and well. He became very sick in Cape Town and his Champions Challenge win last year sent his merit rating through the roof to an unrealistic figure, but he is now off a manageable mark. His last race was a very good run as he carried a big weight and came from the back. He is on an upward trend and although he is now a seven-year-old he looks like a four-year-old.”

Gokhan Terzi said about Tandava, “This is the best I have had him, so he has every chance if he stays the distance. He has two or three lengths to find on Arctica on their last meeting over course and distance but he has improved and he will have the blinkers on this time which I think he runs best with so I have fingers crossed.”

Paul Peter said, “Sabina’s Dynasty has come through her prep very well, she is jumping out of her skin and if there is a decent pace she won’t be out of the first three.”

Ashley Fortune said, “Cash time is much fitter than he was for his last couple of runs.”

David Nieuwenhuizen said, “Bankable Teddy is up against a very strong field so is up against it but he has been working nicely and we have sorted out a few issues he had. We will see how he goes and if he comes out of the race well he will go for the Summer Cup.”

The Alec Laird-trained Gambado has been scratched.

By David Thiselton

Patrons of the Track & Ball outlet, diagonally opposite the ‘Boshoff Street Country Club’ (Thistle Hotel) in Pietermaritzburg, have a standing joke. “Will Shine Up ever win a race?”

Butt of the joke is long-time Shine Up supporter Ray Martinaglia.

Biker Babe (Candiese Marnewick)

He gets it from all sides from his mates when Shine Up runs, and he doesn’t even have a share, but many an owner would give their eye-teeth to own a horse who earns a cheque almost every time he runs.

22 place cheques in 36 runs is not a bad record, add to that R275 000 in stake money, and the seven-year-old Shine Up has more than paid for his keep.

Doug Campbell’s runner was on the receiving end again yesterday as Secret Dynasty put six lengths of daylight and some change over him, but another R21k in the bank will have been more than welcome for his connections.

It was not the greatest of fields, but Secret Dynasty made no secret of his ability as Dennis Bosch led him in after a facile victory under Anton Marcus.

After a stuttering start to his career, Edge Of The Sun appears to have got the hang of things and reeled off his third win in four starts when getting home ahead of Real Vision in the eighth for Duncan Howells. This win should score Edge Of The Sun enough points to head the log in the KZN Summer Series, ahead of Ronnie Rocket and Roy’s Magic, the latter running at Scottsville on Sunday where he will be up against the Howells-trained Good To Give in the tussle for top spot and a bonus cheque.

Dennis Drier is in his customary Western Cape escape where he got his summer campaign off to a winning start last Sunday. For stable rider Sean Veale it’s a case of up and down and plenty of air miles but it was well worth it yesterday as Escape Club did the business in the card opener. It was a hard-fought win as poly track specialist O’Keeffe gave plenty of cheek but Escape Club kept up her exemplary record, this her fourth win from just six outings.

By Andrew Harrison