It is a tricky time of the year for the top trainers hoping to win Johannesburg’s most prestigious race, the GBets Summer Cup, and three-time SA Champion trainer Sean Tarry said his yard’s final team would depend on who was on track in terms of fitness and who would have had the smoothest preparations.

Trainers also have to be mindful of the horses’ merit ratings with the first aim being to have it high enough to get into the race but low enough to be able to win off.

Tarry’s ten entries are not prominent in the betting and he started off with last year’s winner Liege, who is quoted at 25/1 with the sponsor, “He didn’t go in firing last year so probably needs to be prepared in a certain way, and probably wants two easier runs before the Summer Cup, so we are looking at a similar route to last year. If I can get a run into him early he will then go for the Victory Moon or otherwise it will be the Charity Mile and the Victory Moon. He suffered lung issues between last year’s Summer Cup and the July but is now doing well.” Liege won the Summer Cup last year off a 99 merit rating and is now rated 108, which is competitive considering there was an across the board merit rating raise of six points for all horses in March this year.

Liege

The 103 merit-rated Tilbury Fort is a 20/1 shot and Tarry said, “We will probably go for the Charity Mile and then straight into the Summer Cup. He won a really good race in his first run after gelding so looks to go well fresh.”

The 106 merit-rated Social Order, a 35/1 shot, ran a 4,8 length fourth on Saturday in an Asessment Plate carrying 61kg. Tarry said, “He gave away a lot of weight over a distance too short and ran on well.” The Charity Mile and the Victory Moon are options for Social Order, who ran a disappointing 12^th last season but later ran a close third to Coral Fever in the Grade 2 Colorado King Stakes over the same course and distance. He enjoys the long straight and appears to enjoy some cut in the ground.

Tarry said about the 103 merit rated five-year-old mare Safe Harbour, whose last run was a decent 6,35 length fifth in the Champions Challenge over course and distance, “She had a wind operation and has come back very well so the operation seems to have worked. She is a filly who does very well in Cape Town but if we do go for the Summer Cup before going to Cape Town she will have one preparation run first.” She is quoted at 35/1.

Silver God stayed on well on to win the aforementioned Assessment Plate over 1450m on Saturday carrying 57.5kg. He is bred in the purple being by Silvano and a half-brother to Grade 1 winners William Longsword and Real Princess. Tarry said, “He needed the gelding which wasn’t an easy decision considering the pedigree. If you look at his three-year-old campaign he was always thereabouts regardless of the distance, so we don’t know quite what his distance range is. But he definitely needs at least a mile or 1800m.” On Saturday his run built up gradually and he gave the impression he would stay the 2000m. However, he still has a bit to do to get into the Summer Cup as he ran off a mere 93 merit rating on Saturday. He is 35/1 with GBets.

French Navy, who won both the Grade 1 SA Classic and Grade 1 Daily News 2000 as a three-year-old, is now a seven-year-old gelding and Tarry said, “He is an old soldier and hadn’t really had a break so we decided to give Durban a miss. He has come back well but we will need to be careful where to prep him off his 101 merit rating.” He is 55/1.

Bulleting Home is also a seven-year-old and is merit rated 107 and is quoted at 66/1. Tarry said, ”I had been so happy with him but unfortunately he then ran two ordinary races. In the Champions Cup he pulled so that can be ignored and then last time over 1400m on the poly he missed the break, was run off his feet and then stayed on tamely so that was maybe a bit quick for him. The Charity mile might be a nice race for him.”

Warrior’s Rest looks good value at 80/1, although is currently merit rated only 91 so has a lot to still do to get in. Tarry said this big horse had trimmed down a bit since gelding. He continued, “He has got the earlier form and needed gelding. He needed his first run back desperately so it was important to get that run into him. I will nominate him for the Charity Mile and the Assessment Plates will also be good for him as he is only a one-time winner. It was stop-start with him last season, he needed gelding and never got into a rhythm. He is a big boy so I would rather be sure and have an extra run or two but his next run is going to tell us a lot.”

He said about 100/1 shot Chariot Of Gold, “The mile was too sharp for her on Saturday, I will look to run her in the Yellowwood or an Assessment Plate, she’s a good filly but her rating (87) is some way off the mark.”

He said about the 100/1 shot Tambalang”, “I always rated her and she got away with a feature win but she lost her sparkle, maybe her program was too busy, and we rested her. She has come the right way and she will run in a Pinnacle or the Yellowwood.”

By David Thiselton

The new board of the Western Province Regional Racing Association has its first scheduled meeting this week.

Chairman Jonathan Snaith said yesterday: “We have many positive and interesting points to discuss – the focus being owners in the Western Cape and how to make their racing experience more enjoyable and exciting.

“The mission of the Racing Association is to protect and support the interests of the sport of horseracing in general and the interests of the owners in particular. It is all quite exciting because we are a youthful board with lots of fresh ideas.”

Snaith stressed that stakes, and their increases, are decided through the national board of the Racing Association and the Racing Trust along with the operators. But he added: “As a board we will make every effort to ensure that the Western Province gets its fair share. This is decided on a percentage split nationally. “

His fellow directors are Green Street Bloodstock supremo Justin Vermaak, Avontuur’s Philip Taberer and Craig Kieswetter of the Highlands/Ridgemont powerhouse.

By Michael Clower

The GBets Summer Cup is just seven weeks away and it is time to start looking for value in the ante-post market.

Silver God has shortened from original odds of 75/1 into 33/1 after his running on victory over 1450m on Saturday in an Assessment Plate. He is a half-brother to Grade 1 winners William Longsword and Real Princess, but being by Silvano should stay the 2000m and he will also be coming into his own as a four-year-old this season. He is trained by the reigning Summer Cup-winning trainer Sean Tarry. He still has to a bit to do to get into the race as he was only merit rated 93 before that last start but he could be an interesting contender if getting in with a low weight.

Silver God (JC Photographics)

A 100/1 shot Tarry horse worth noting is Warrior’s Rest. He is by the champion sprinter What A Winter, but this sire is throwing a few who can stay. Furthermore, Warrior’s Rest is a half-brother to the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 winner Viva Maria. He is a massive horse with a big stride so will need a couple of runs to get to his peak. He finished a 0,6 length fourth to Eyes Wide Open in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes as a two-year-old when leading and staying on. Last season he was only 5,75 lengths back in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 which he went in to off a far from ideal preparation having had a layoff between October and April. He has had one run this season and if he is able to get a couple more good runs in he could be a surprise package.

Nine time-winning Summer Cup trainer Mike de Kock’s long-striding Noble Secret is quoted at between 5 and 7/1 a win and roundabout 13/10 for the first four and for the risk averse this is the one who is probably best to load each-way doubles into as he should grow into his big frame this season and start fulfilling his undoubted talent.

De Kock’s much improved Puget Sound is on 33/1 and has proved he stays the 2000m trip. His merit rating is over 100 now and this blossoming horse will be an interesting contender if getting in with a low weight.

Their stablemate Silver Thursday could be of interest at 67/1 odds. It should be remembered she was only beaten a quarter-of-a-length by Takingthepeace in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and the latter is a Summer Cup 20/1 shot. Furthermore, she is by Silvano so should come into her own this season and should stay the 2000m trip. She is not been seen out this season yet and an entry should be seen for any horse before any ante-post commitments are made.

Geoff Woodruff’s incredible run in the Summer Cup this decade came to an end last season but he can never be ignored in this race. His charge The Rising Legend at 50/1 odds is interesting. This horse is already well known for his good turn of foot and the sustained finish which he produces from last place. He should relish the usual good pace of the Summer Cup and the course and distance which should maximize the effect of this finishing effort. However, he still has a lot to do to get into the big race.

Woodruff’s SA Oaks winner Secret Potion is a big, rangy horse who should come into her own this season. She is 33/1 for the Summer Cup, but is another who is yet to be seen this season.

By David Thiselton

Trainers and racegoers will have often wondered what makes one horse faster than another.

Investigations into the equine genome have found some genes that are particularly related to speed. One of these is the myostatin gene, which can have several alleles, or alternative forms.

DNA strand (thehorse.com))

Myostatin is a protein that influences muscle cell growth and differentiation. Horses have different types of muscle fibers, some of which contract rapidly and produce forceful bursts of energy, and others of which contract somewhat more slowly but do not fatigue as rapidly. Depending on the presence and action of myostatin gene alleles, a particular horse might have more fast-twitch or more slow-twitch muscle fibers, though all horses have some fibers of both types. In the former case, the horse will generally exhibit larger muscle masses, be taller and quicker-maturing, and excel at fast paces over a shorter distance. These horses have the C:C allele. In the latter case, horses with the T:T allele will generally reach maturity later, be smaller, show less muscle definition, and be competitive at longer distances.

Horses can also inherit the C allele from one parent and the T allele from another. These C:T horses show characteristics of both types, and may win at both short and long distances…or they may not win at all, which underscores the fact that there is more to racing than pedigree.

A study done at the beginning of this decade using 593 horses from 22 Eurasian and North-American horse populations, museum specimens from 12 historically important Thoroughbred stallions, 330 elite-performing modern Thoroughbreds and 42 samples from three other equid species showed the T-allele was ancestral and there was a single introduction of the C-allele at the foundation stages of the Thoroughbred from a British-native mare. Furthermore, it showed that the C-allele was rare among the celebrated racehorses of the 18th and 19th centuries, but has proliferated recently in the population via the stallion Nearctic (b.1954), the sire of the most influential stallion of modern times, Northern Dancer (b.1961).

Nutrition, training schedule, influence of exercise riders and jockeys, farrier competence, prevention or management of injuries, health status, track surface characteristics, weather, race experience, tack choices, and quality of other entrants are all important factors in how a horse will perform in a race. Genetics can help predict whether a horse is likely to be a sprinter or a stayer, but there are still no guarantees that any horse will succeed in a racing career.

Source www.nature.com and www.ker.com

By David Thiselton

De Kock has nominated Premiers Champion and Joburg Spring Challenge runner-up Alyaasaat for the Cape Classic and Ghaalla (a close-up third in the fillies Jo’bug Spring Challenge) for the Western Cape Fillies Championship – formerly the Choice Carriers and before that the Odessa. De Kock, successful with Ektifaa two years ago and with Phillipa Johnson in 2003, has also entered Nafaayes who has won two out of three.

Sweet Mary Lou, Anneka and Sally Called are the three Tarry entries for the 1 400m Grade 2 and the three-time champion trainer has also entered two for the Cape Classic including top-rated Chimichuri Run who was third in both the SA Nursery and the Gold Medallion.

Sean Tarry

Vaughan Marshall, who used last year’s Cape Classic as Tap O’Noth’s stepping stone to the Cape Guineas, has nominated the Lanzerac Ready To Run-bound Agent Of Fortune but stable companion One World is a notable absentee. Marshall indicated earlier in the month that the Concord Cup (formerly Selangor) on 24 November is the more likely target. Joey Ramsden, successful in three of the last five runnings, has only one entry – Twist Of Fate who was third in the Premiers Champion.

Justin Snaith, who won his fifth WC Fillies Championship last season when Snowdance presaged her Cape Fillies Guineas and Majorca victories, has entered three plus seven for the Cape Classic which he has won only once – with Solo Traveller eight years ago.

The decision to appoint Arnold Hyde as interim chief executive of the NHA until a replacement for the departed Lyndon Barends can be found smacks of commonsense. Hyde knows the racing game inside out and, in the process of working his way up through the stipendiary ranks to the head of Racing Control, he has earned the respect of most of the professionals.

Indeed he has all the qualities needed to take the NHA’s top job on a permanent basis, the most important of these being integrity and the ability to ensure that this is carried all the way through every aspect by every official. It also needs somebody who understands and enjoys racing which is quite different from any other sport or activity.

What the NHA does not need is a businessman. It already has accountants to prepare budgets and ensure that they are adhered to, and making money is not it’s raison d’etre. Hopefully it won’t be tempted into opting for political correctness either. Racing is too important to be swayed by that and it cannot afford for its governing body to make a mistake a second time.

Danny Muscutt, son of Brett Crawford’s Summerveld assistant Peter Muscutt, faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines following a horror fall at Chelmsford in England last Thursday evening. His mount Pico Boulevard, who had to be put down, appeared to clip heels and Muscutt broke a bone in his neck, three vertebrae and a rib.

He has ridden 21 winners since the championship season started on May 5 and last year he finished second on Fanciful Angel in the Arlington Million, his first ride in America. He also won on the horse in Dubai.

By Michael Clower