One of racing’s true characters Lenny Taylor passed away suddenly on Tuesday reportedly from a heart attack.

Taylor was born into the racing game as his father was a breeder who also trained a bit. His first experience of the sport was at the Darling Gymkhana where, incredibly enough, he was riding in races when he was about five or six years old. He was unable to control a racehorse at that age so they used to lead him to the start and at the finish people would wave plastic bags at the horse to stop it.

Taylor started training in the Cape in 1971 and had some good horses like Horatius, who was a Grade 2 winner and finished second in the Cape Guineas to Bold Tropic and second in the Met to Foveros, Supreme Sovereign, who won the Grade 2 Clairwood Gold Vase, Bless My Soul, who finished second in the Queen’s Plate to Foveros, Free Enterprise, who did the Grade 2 Merchants and Grade I Cape Flying Championships double, Bold Messenger who won the EP Derby and Condorman who won the Winter Challenge at Kenilworth.

Taylor bought a number of value horses back then and Supreme Sovereign cost only R300 while Horatius cost just R1000.

Taylor left for Australia in 1994 and had about 40 winners out there.

He had a country-training license in Geelong.

One of his highlights was sending out a horse called Pride Of Pyrmont to run second in a Listed event on Melbourne Cup day. He also won a race at Moonee Valley with a horse called Regal Ruler from the very outside draw.

Taylor also trained standard-bred trotters in his time there.

He also spent a short time in New Zealand before returning to South Africa in 2003.

He renewed his training license in 2006 and trained from a Private Establishment in Mooi River that was formally used by Nick Robb.

He later managed a stud farm across the road, and helped in the preparation, breaking in and pretraining of another stud farm’s racing stock and helped transport horses to the races.

Taylor was a horseman through and through and his presence at the races in his cowboy hat will be missed by all in the racing fraternity.

By David Thiselton

Featured Image: Lenny, Marie, Nicole (SportingPost)

The weather forecast is good for tomorrow’s meeting on the Turffontein Inside track and there are some interesting horses turning out.

The first of them is Varsity Bourbon, a De Kock-trained Var colt who is bred in the purple and runs in race one over 1200m. He is out of Off To Dance, a National Emblem half-sister to the top racehorse and champion sire Captain Al. Off To Dance is also a half-sister to the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas and Grade 1 Majorca winner Shadow Dancing (Fort Wood), who is in turn the dam of the dual Grade 1 winner Thunder Dance. On the other hand Varsity Bourbon was not very expensively purchased at R400,000. The yard said, “He will have an each-way chance if he does not need the experience.” He has a tough draw of ten to overcome.

Shogun

The tip to win the race is Game Theory, a Byword colt who has had two decent starts to date. He is not the most imposing sort so it is open to question how much improvement he has in him and he also has a tough draw of 12 to overcome. However, trainer Alec Laird usually brings them on slowly but surely and he does not have a lot to beat. Enter The Dragon does have some scope but would likely prefer a touch further. However, he should be staying on well from draw three with the same 4kg claimer who rode him to a staying on second place finish over 1450m last time.

In the second race over 1200m there are two interesting first-timers. Summer Afternoon is by Trippi out of a Pivotal one-time winning daughter of the great Ipi Tombe. She is tipped to win as she should have speed and is drawn in pole and Sean Tarry has a good record with first-timers. The Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Veritas is a R3 million filly by Captain Al out of an unraced Galileo mare who is a half-sister to dual Listed winner Ezima, the dam of European Champion filly Taghrooda. She has a tough draw of seven out of ten to overcome, but does have Gavin Lerena up so should be right there. This pair do not have a lot to beat and the best of the raced runners could be the battling maiden Tidal Tussle, who is having her 17^th start.

In the third race Mighty And Magic enjoyed his first attempt at 2600m and Lyle Hewitson will know a bit more about how to tackle the trip with him this time so from pole position he is made the best bet on the card.

In the first leg of the Pick 6, also over 2600m, Kiss And Angel should relish the step up in trip being by Await The Dawn out of a Galileo mare and she has a plum draw. Ration My Passion is by Cape Blanco, who won five Group 1s from a mile-and-a-quarter to a mile-and-a-half, and is out of a half-sister to an Australian Derby winner so he should relish the step up in trip on pedigree too. They should get punters through the PA and for the Pick 6 Building Bridges can be included as he stayed on well over 2400m in his penultimate start and Strydom rides from a good draw.

The next leg of the Pick 6 is tricky and any one of the eight runners could win. However, Gottalottaluv has always struck as one with some class and he should be fit and ready and jumps from pole position under Strydom. Noceur is coming into his own so is the other one to include and Chariot Of Gold is a decent filly who will relish the step up in trip having run unplaced over 1600m on Saturday.

In the sixth race over 1600m Helios has always struck as a decent sort and sneaks into the handicap with the minimum weight so could give Hewitson another winner. The Rising Legend has a fine turn of foot and will be staying on strongly from his usual last position. Orpheus can go close if repeating his fine last start over course and distance when a close second to Summer Cup favourite Noble Legend.

In the seventh race over 1450m Bockscar finished like a train the last time he tried this trip so has to be included, although Darkest Hour is tipped as he has been unlucky lately. King Of The Delta has improved and is interesting stepped up in trip as he has been staying on in his races over 1200m.

In the eighth over 1000m Wrecking Ball is the choice a she is talented but often just does not get home over the minimum trip. Her last three runs over further might have helped build her stamina and she could last home this time. Green Plains and Covered In Snow look to be the chief dangers.

In the last leg over 1200m the promising but temperamental filly Sally Called is taken to beat the Grade 1 winner Van Halen, who will likely need it. Green Haze, Xplosive Kiss and My Boy Caloi also warrant consideration.

By David Thiselton

Savea, a costly failure recently when sent out a short-priced favourite, can make amends when he runs in the second at Greyville today. Supported in to even money, Savea played up behind the gate and once loaded, showed pace before fading tamely behind outsider Big King.

Post-race he was reported to be hanging out and making a respiratory noise but even given the excuses, Savea can recoup some of his supporter’s losses.

Lightly raced, his form has been much improved since being gelded and from another good draw he should at least be concerned in the finish.

The danger could be Edge Of The Sun who was way out of his depth in a six-horse Progress Plate, where he finished a dozen lengths off winner Red Chestnut Road and stable companion Dawn Calling. Back in more suitable company he looks a likely threat to Savea.

Gunner

In the fifth, Gunner has come well since a reduction in his merit rating, winning his last two. He got a five-point raise for his most recent victory but Paul Gadsby has replaced non-claiming apprentice Eric Ngwane with 2.5kg claimer Khanya Sakayi so in theory Gunner races off the same mark as his recent victory. Gadsby has also dropped the gelding in class and although at the top of the handicap he looks decidedly well weighted and can go in again.

Apprentice Jabu Jacobs is battling for his first win and came within an ace of a maiden victory when Winter’s Coming was touched off by stable companion Q The Music over course and distance. That was a smart effort by Andre Nel’s runner and from a plum draw, Jacobs and Winter’s Coming can give Gunner a tough race.

Dean Kannemeyer’s stable is starting to turn the corner and The Sultan’s Bazaar is unbeaten in two starts on the poly. He does take a big jump in class here but with only 53kg to shoulder he is in line to keep his poly record intact.

Duncan Howells will have been way better than 10^th on the current National trainer’s log had he been able to convert all his second places – 21 so far for the current season – to go with his 12 wins. Queen’s Plain, who runs in the first leg of the Pick 6, was another statistic when she finished runner-up, beaten the width of a piece of paper in open company last time out, and Howells will be hoping she can break a frustrating run of form.

It won’t be easy in a competitive field where Sheik’s Storm and Mitra Music look pick of the balance. Sheik’s Storm has been knocking at the door for some time now and with a 2.5kg claimer aboard this time around, that relief from the saddle could be enough to see her home.

Mitra Music was a touch disappointing last outing but the stable has hit form and one can expect a better showing.

Frank Robinson has a knack of keeping older horses on the boil and his patience can pay off when nine-year-old Great Rumpus lines up in the first leg of the jackpot. He takes a five-point drop in the ratings and also a drop in class. Older horses also seem to find their best form on the poly track so Great Rumpus who steps out for the 64^th time in his career, looks to have a lot going for him.

Biggest threat could come from Mark Dixon’s runner Two Stroke who has not been too far back in some useful company of late. He has yet to run a bad race and should feature in a field of this calibre.

The sixth is a wide open fillies handicap where there are plenty of runners in with chances. However, when in doubt, go for the top weight and Karatage and Miziara could fit the bill. Anton Marcus stays with Karatage which is generally a good sign while 4kg claimer Xola Jacobs will be hunting his first win on the Howells-trained Miziara.

The final leg of the Pick 6 could rest between Sigismund and Paddingtons Luck. In his first run back after gelding, Sigismund found one too good for him in a sprint. Alistair Gordon’s runner should do better over this trip and is likely to start favourite again. Paddingtons Luck also found one too good for him last time out but obviously more was expected of him as he drops back to a mile and first-time blinkers. The pair are drawn alongside each other so it could be a case of cat and mouse from the jump.

By Andrew Harrison

Those that’ve made the annual pilgrimage will know that the Ready To Run gallops at Summerhill had evolved into a national institution over the first three decades of their existence. The dictates of a lower market have called for a more modest approach, now in the form of what one might term “private” gallops, where the object is to get them filmed for public consumption on television, websites and on social media. The popularity of the gallops among hard core racing people however, meant that there was still a nucleus of professional observers, leading trainers, champion jockeys and dyed-in-the-wool owners and racing fans at Summerhill on Thursday, notwithstanding the sudden change of date on account of a nasty weather alert.

And the horses. Especially the horses, more so as the word leaking from the assembly of various consignors was that this draft, if not the best ever, would at least rival the one that gave racing three Group One-winning sophomores just this past season, Takingthepeace, Hero’s Honour and Brave Mary, not to mention Chesneys van Zyl’s highly regarded Group One runner-up, Railtrip.

While it’s easy to forget just how good the 2016 vintage was, there was a solid body of opinion among the top horsemen in the camp that this was the draft of all drafts, and while predictions can sometimes stray in the world of the racehorse, knowing those gathered and the sheer weight of their experience, as a player you’d want to be paying attention.

Several of them were interviewed after the gallops, and were fairly unanimous in their praise. We won’t spoil the viewing on television for those of you whose curiosity has been aroused, other than to say that once the gallops are live in the public domain on Wednesday, it will be your turn to judge them.

The biggest penalty ever given to a Herbert Power winner all but guarantees Yucatan a run in the race that stops a nation after Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter administered a 2.5kg rise for Saturday’s dominant performance.

The new Lexus Melbourne Cup co-favourite, who now has a weight of 54.5kg, moves up to 24 on the order of entry from 55. And with 24 spots up for grabs it would take another runner leapfrogging him on the list, and then every single runner to stand their ground, for him to now miss out.

Carpenter said: “Generally if you’re in the low 30s you get into the field and he’s now number 24. He’s not absolutely guaranteed a start but I would be even more surprised than I was when he won the race on Saturday if he didn’t get into the Melbourne Cup.”

Yucatan had been scheduled to run Saturday’s Stella Artois Caulfield Cup, for which he escapes a penalty, but owner Lloyd Williams has decided to miss the race in order to give the four-year-old more time to recover from the Herbert Power.

Yucatan (racingpost.com)

Speaking before Yucatan’s absence in the Caulfield Cup was revealed, Carpenter said: “The prize for the Herbert Power winner is you get into the Caulfield Cup and you cannot be penalised, so if Yucatan runs he will carry 52kg. What I can do as the handicapper is deliver a penalty to him for the Lexus Melbourne Cup.

“Previous benchmarks at the high end for a penalty for a Herbert Power winner have been 2kg. The way James McDonald put the sword to the horses on Saturday and went well clear in the straight, the margin of a length and a quarter is not really for me. The telling factor was the extraordinarily dominant victory from Yucatan.

“So his penalty will be 2.5 kilos. It is a bigger penalty than has been given to the Herbert Power winner in the last 40 years but I haven’t seen a more impressive winner of the race. The official margin may have been a length and a quarter, but he was six lengths clear at the 100 metre mark until James throttled him down.

“I was surprised as it was a significant step up on his European form in 2018. You have to be realistic, he beat Brimham Rocks and Prince Of Arran, the horses he will have to take on in the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup are significantly better.”

Emotionless out

Charlie Appleby’s Emotionless has been ruled out of the entire Spring Carnival after a scintigraphy scan revealed he has sustained a pelvic stress fracture.

The five-year-old was found lame in his right hind leg after trackwork at Werribee last Saturday and has been on box rest until his Monday scan.

The news is another blow to Appleby, who tragically lost Hamada in a freak accident at Werribee on Saturday and had his other Melbourne Cup hope Cross Counter pick up a cut to his leg on Sunday.

Appleby took the decision to withdraw Emotionless from all races he was nominated for, including this Saturday’s Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup after a scan at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre at Werribee.

He will remain in his stable at Werribee, where Godolphin stable staff and vets will assess his suitability to fly back to Britain over the coming weeks.

– racingpost.com