The World Sports Betting Grand Heritage scheduled to be run at the Vaal on Saturday will be replaced by the World Sports Betting Grand Series at Turffontein – effectively splitting the field in two with both races offering stakes of R500,000.

Following a track inspection late afternoon on Monday, the decision was made that the track will not be race ready come Saturday.

The track inspection was organised by Clyde Basel, Racing Executive for Phumelela, who invited stakeholders to join him at the 2000m mark and to walk all the way to the winning post in order to ascertain first-hand the current condition of the track.

After the long walk, the stakeholders involved met for close on two hours after which it was decided to move the Heritage to Turffontein and to run it as two separate races.

“The decision has been taken to move the Grand Heritage and all the other races carded for the Vaal on Saturday, to the Turffontein Inside Track,” Basel said on Monday night. “All the nominations for Saturday’s races have been reopened, but the original declared Heritage runners will get preferential treatment when it comes to elimination stage.”

According to Basel the two races will now be called the World Sports Betting Grand Series Leg 1 and 2, both being run over 1475m.

The winners of the two races will qualify for a match race early in December at the Vaal to determine who carries the title of Series Champion. “It will give new meaning to the phrase two-horse race,” Basel said on Monday night. The stakes for that race will be announced in due course.

According to Basel prize monies will be paid up to 10 places in both the Grand Series races.

The Heritage was originally scheduled to be run on 29 September, but was postponed to this coming Saturday due to the track not being race ready.

Basel said the stakeholders who joined in the walkabout on the Vaal track on Monday were in agreement that although a marked improvement in the racing surface is evident, the track needs to improve further.

“Our estimate is that the track will need another couple of weeks to return to racing standard.

“Our main concern is for the safety of the horses and the jockeys and therefore a unanimous decision was taken to move the Heritage.

“Our sponsors, World Sports Betting, support the decision and are excited about the match race to come.

“We tried our best to accommodate the Heritage, but we are not prepared to take unnecessary risks and we don’t want to delay the Heritage any further.”

National track Manager Dean Diedericks said: “It’s been a very trying winter for Vaal racecourses but we are slowly but surely overcoming the issues.”

Earlier on Monday, Phumelela issued a media release in which the JSE-listed company announced that Andy O’Connor, former chairman of the NHA, will lead a commission mandated to review the track management systems for Phumelela.

Phumelela Group CEO John Stuart last week announced the review in light of various race meetings at the Vaal having been moved to Turffontein while last Thursday’s meeting was abandoned after only three races had been run owing to an “uneven and inconsistent track”.

According to Stuart, O’Connor’s independence and integrity is above reproach, making him the perfect candidate to lead a team tasked with making recommendations to Phumelela.

Part of O’Connor’s mandate will be to investigate current track management processes and the ways in which they could and should be improved, to draw up Standard Operational Procedures regarding the implementation of improved track management processes, and to ensure the alignment of the maintenance of training and racing tracks, with the feature race calendar at the various racing courses.

Apart from serving as chairman of the NHA, O’Connor also has a five-year stint as director on the Racing Association on his CV.

– TAB news

Winter Five looks the business in the TAB Telebet Maiden Plate at Durbanville today when Bernard Fayd’Herbe rides her for the first time.

Forget her last start. It was in a work riders’ race when the form is usually about as reliable as last year’s rainfall. Look at her previous two runs and the fact that Paul Reeves is taking off the blinkers is hugely significant.

“She gets a bit uptight and I am hoping that she will be more relaxed without them, enabling her to save more for the finish,” says her trainer. “In any case she doesn’t need them and she has good gate speed.”

She was an 18-10 chance yesterday with World Sports Betting which makes Mumtaz favourite at 9-10. Richard Fourie’s mount is rated 1.5kg behind the selection although it is worth noting that she got stirred up in the pens when a warm favourite here last time and that may well have had something to do with her managing only a four-length fifth. The Joey Ramsden newcomer Skidaddle (by Do It Again’s sire Twice Over) at 4-1 is the only other priced at less than 10-1.

Ramsden and Donovan Dillon may win the first with Apollo Ace who was reported to be making an abnormal respiratory noise after finishing only fourth when favourite here last time. Dillon said that the horse was choking during the race. The colt’s form in his previous Kenilworth start was good, he is reasonably drawn at six and he has already been backed from 33-10 to dispute favouritism at 28-10.

Augustina (another by Twice Over) is the other joint favourite but few Justin Snaith newcomers win first time and Rob Roy (9-2) is probably the main danger after two good runs here – despite his double figure draw.

Trippi’s Express first caught the eye when second to Pleasedtomeetyou in that celebrated August 11 maiden when the third and fourth were also newcomers and both went on to win. He was almost unbackable at 2-10 here a fortnight ago when he led a furlong out and came away under hands and heels to score comfortably from Rob Roy. The Betting World Handicap (race four) will be a much tougher proposition but the Brett Crawford runner looks a bit special.

He shouldn’t really be odds-on – particularly with Captainofthesea and Photocopy in opposition – and he has eased from 17-20 to evens.

Harold Crawford is really striking while the iron is hot and his Spectra Force appeals at 11-2 in the Interbet Handicap.

By Michael Clower

Andy O’Connor, former chairman of the NHA, will lead a commission mandated to review the track management systems for Phumelela.

This follows after Phumelela Group CEO John Stuart last week announced the review in light of the meeting held on Thursday, October 4 on the Vaal Classic track being called off owing to an “uneven and inconsistent track” as well as other recent track inconsistencies.

According to Stuart, O’Connor’s independence and integrity is above reproach, making him the perfect candidate to lead a team tasked with making recommendations to Phumelela.

Part of O’Connor’s mandate will be to investigate current track management processes and the ways in which they could and should be improved, to draw up Standard Operational Procedures regarding the implementation of improved track management processes, and to ensure the alignment of the maintenance of training and racing tracks, with the feature race calendar at the various racing courses.

Apart from serving as chairman of the NHA, O’Connor also has a five-year stint as director on the Racing Association on his CV.

As far as the Vaal course is concerned, Clyde Basel, Racing Executive for Phumelela, yesterday invited stakeholders to inspect the course ahead of this weekend’s Grand Heritage.

The inspection was to be held late afternoon.

“We will walk the course from around the 2000m mark to the winning post to ensure that it is track ready,” said Basel.

“We will give feedback after completion of the track inspection.”

– TAB news

Cascapedia has shot to the top of the WSB Summer Cup betting boards after her impressive win in the Grade 2 Jo’burg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over 1450m at Turffontein Inside on Saturday. She is currently 5-1 with sponsors World Sports Betting. It’s My Turn is 6-1 second favourite in the ante-post market.

The Irish-bred daughter of High Chaparral is six months younger than her five-year-old contemporaries, being Northern Hemisphere-bred, so will be coming into her own now.

On Saturday she jumped to the right at the start and ended up near the back of the field as Wrecking Ball set a strong pace in front.

She had many lengths to make up in the straight but once in top gear her long stride ate up the ground and she got up to beat Al Danza by 0,3 lengths.

It was her first run since the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and she improved her career record to six wins from eight starts.

She will relish the step up to 2000m and the patience the yard have shown, which saw her missing a few engagements including the Vodacom Durban July, looks to have paid dividends.

Her stablemate Ghaala by Var was in third place in the running and stayed on to be beaten just 0,6 lengths into third but it remains to be seen whether she will see out a mile.

Sixth-placed Candice Dawson-trained Sylvan On Fire ran on in eyecatching style to beaten just 2,6 lengths. She has a lot still to do to get into the Summer Cup, as she is only merit rated 91, but being by Silvano she will improve further and will appreciate a step up in trip. She is as long as 66-1 for the Summer Cup.

The De Kock-trained Takingthepeace, winner of the Grade 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas and the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic, needed the run and was beaten 4,3 lengths. She is 16-1 fourth favourite for the Summer Cup with the sponsors.

Later, the De Kock-trained Noble Secret ran on well from last in the Grade 2 Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m for a good fifth and this big, rangy type is the deserved third favourite for the Summer Cup on 7-1.

De Kock’s three-year-olds Alyaasaat and Soqrat were second and third respectively to St. John Gray’s 1400m specialist Captain Aldo in the Spring Challenge. They put up their hands for the Investec Dingaans over 1600m, which is to be run this year on November 24, a week earlier than the Summer Cup. Soqrat’s run was especially eyecatching as he was carrying a 2kg Grade 1 penalty and was doing his best work late.

By David Thiselton

Dean Kannemeyer’s Equus Champion Stayer It’s My Turn has the Grade 1 WSB Summer Cup “on the table” although his participation will depend on how well his barrier trial next Sunday and a subsequent preparation outing go as well as on discussions with owner Fred Crabbia.

Meanwhile, Kannemeyer’s promising filly Hashtagyolo will arrive in Cape Town for the Summer Season tomorrow (Wednesday) and his Sun Met runner up Last Winter has arrived in Dubai.

The six-year-old Dynasty gelding It’s My Turn had a break on Jane Thomas’s spelling farm after his magnificent feat of winning three Grade 3 staying races in the space of five weeks at the end of last season, the Track And Ball Derby over 2400m at Scottsville, the Gold Vase over 3000m at Greyville and the Gold Cup over 3200m at Greyville.

The question is whether the Summer Cup trip of 2000m will be too sharp for him, although he did win the Grade 1 Cape Derby over that trip at Kenilworth as a three-year-old having won on debut over 1300m a few races earlier. Furthermore, Turffontein Standside has the toughest 2000m in the country which will be in his favour.

Kannemeyer said, “Obviously he’s a brilliant stayer, that’s his real game. We will see how the preparation goes and I will discuss it with Fred, but the Summer Cup is definitely on the table.”

He is currently the Summer Cup 6/1 second favourite with the sponsors having been usurped at the top of the boards by Cascapedia, who won the Jo’burg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over 1450m at Turffontein in fine style on Saturday.

Kannemeyer reckoned the barrier trial would “bring him on tremendously” and was happy he would need just one more subsequent run.

He said, “He is a tall, light-framed horse and comes back to himself quickly. He is doing well and moving well and we will take it day by day.”

The four-year-old Dynasty filly Hashtagyolo is unbeaten in three career starts which included impressive wins in the KZN Fillies Guineas Trial and the Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes, both over 1600m at Greyville. She was ante-post favourite for the Gauteng Fillies Guineas in March before picking up a nasty virus and which saw her having two spells in a Johannesburg equine hospital. She recuperated on part-owner Bruce Le Roux’s Spring Valley Stud farm in Mooi River and showed her well-being three weeks ago when winning a Barrier Trial effortlessly over 1000m at Scottsville.

Kannemeyer is not yet sure what route she will take in Cape Town but said she was a 1600m to 2000m horse and pointed to her exceptional collateral form, in which she has met Fiorella twice and beaten her both times unextended by 1,75 lengths and 4,25 lengths respectively. The latter did improve subsequently and went on to be named KZN Champion three-year-old filly.

Kannemeyer said, “Hashtagyolo has a wonderful pedigree and is an exciting prospect.”

Hashtagyolo is out of placed Jallad mare My Guiding Star, who is a half-sister to the top class racehorse and now promising sire, Master Of My Fate.

Last Winter, a now five-year-old entire by Western Winter, finished a flying second in the Sun Met in just his sixth career start.

He stayed at Mary Slack’s Abington Place in Newmarket during his journey long journey to Dubai and is now in a box in Mike de Kock’s yard.  However, Kannemeyer remains the trainer and will probably fly out to see the Khaya Stables-owned horse next month.

By David Thiselton