Last season’s spectacular Arc heroine Enable returned in style from an 11-month absence on Saturday to leave King George runner-up Crystal Ocean in her wake and earn a quote of 9-4 to defend her crown at Longchamp on October 7.

Enable, a five-time Group 1 winner last year, looked well up for it in the preliminaries and was full of it on the way to post, but that did not put off punters who backed her in to 8-15 minutes before the off.

After the morning absence of pacemaker and stablemate Weekender, Frankie Dettori took the initiative on the Khalid Abdullah-owned four-year-old, who showed the way at a decent clip to Crystal Ocean in the early stages.

Turning for home, he pushed the button at the two-furlong pole and surged clear of Sir Michael Stoute’s colt to score cosily by three and a half lengths without resorting to the whip.

Trainer John Gosden said: “I was confident Enable would do that today as she’s high class. That was a nice race for both horses if you’re having a prep for an Arc and it was good to see Enable back, as it’s been a long wait.

“She’ll come on for that as she was only 80 per cent fit – 85 at a stretch – but she’s in a good place mentally and she’s enjoyed it. It’s been very frustrating for her, as it has for us, especially when she’s seen the other horses going out on the Heath ”

Dettori was also impressed: “That was awesome. I wasn’t sure how fit she was as she’s only being going a mile at home, but then she’s trained by a master trainer. She got the job done and felt as good as ever. Bring on the Arc!”

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to the winning owner, said: “We came here wanting a good comeback and we got one.

“If it had turned into a ding dong battle with Crystal Ocean and she lost she would still have gone to the Arc, but to see her return like that was very pleasing. It’s great that after 11 months out she came here and still knows what it’s all about.”

– Racingpost.com

The highly regarded Pleasedtomeetyou will face only five rivals in the Sophomore Sprint at Durbanville on Saturday.

The Justin Snaith-trained dual winner Clouded Hill (Richard Fourie) is the highest-rated in the field, 1.5kg above the Andre Nel runner, but he has to give 2kg to Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount.

Glen Kotzen’s Lanza (Ryan Munger) and the Greg Ennion-trained Elusive Trader (Corne Orffer) also have to concede 2kg as they have won more than once.

Vaughan Marshall has elected to run Top Of The Class (M.J. Byleveld), who ran creditably in the Gold Medallion at Scottsville, in preference to Allan Robertson fourth Canukeepitsecret. Ennion, as expected, makes up the field with his second runner Sailor Sam (Donovan Dillon).

The three-year-old Listed race has been won by horses of the calibre of What A Winter and Tevez in the past but three seasons ago it was switched to January because of the small fields. The numbers increased only marginally and the race tended to be swamped by other features at the height of the Cape season, hence presumably the move back to nearer the traditional date.

By Michael Clower

Sean Tarry’s three-year-old colt Chimichuri Run, who has twice fetched over a million at public auctions, waltzed home in the Grade 3 Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m at Turffontein on Saturday but only time will tell whether he is the classic horse that his pedigree suggests he is as he possesses plenty of speed.

Tarry’s three-year-old strength in fact lies among the fillies this season and he will be able to afford the luxury of splitting them up and targeting all the big fillies classics around the country.

The yard is in fine fettle and the only bad news is that one of his GBets Summer Cup hopefuls, Lord Silverio, was injured in training on Saturday and will have to miss the latter race, although Tarry is as usual not dwelling on the setback and is already eyeing the Vodacom Durban July for this classy grey.

On Saturday Chimichuri Run jumped from draw three in the twelve horse field and did not get the best of breaks. However, this enabled S’Manga Khumalo to find the rail in behind horses. The even money shot did show signs of over racing in stages, which is why the jury is out on whether he will stay the classic trips. When they reached the false rail with about 500m to go he still had about six lengths to make up, but quickened nicely down the inside. He had hit the front by the 200m mark and won hands and heels by 4,25 lengths. It was not a vintage renewal of this race but it takes a top class colt to win a Graded handicap against older horses at this stage of the season, especially one who is merit rated 108.

Tarry selected the colt at the 2017 CTS Premier Yearling Sale as he was “an excellent mover and well made.”

The Drakenstein stud-bred colt is by Trippi out of the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic winner Spiced Gold (Kahal) and the connections had to go to R1,1 million to secure him.

He was a comfortable winner of his second start over 1000m and then finished third in both the Grade 1 SA Nursery and Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion.

However, he then appeared on the draft of the Super Sale at Greyville on June 25 and one of the reasons was to dissolve a partnership.

Tarry had to go to R1,6 million to keep him for one of the original part-owners Chris van Niekerk.

However, he divulged, “We were not too happy to go to that amount as he had a slight breathing issue. Fortunately this issue has improved since.”

The decision to buy him back paid immediate dividends as he was a 4,75 length winner of the Grade 3 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m on the Greyville turf on eLan Gold Cup day.

Tarry is now eyeing the Grade 2 Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m on October 6 for Chimichuri Run and that race will tell the connections a bit about how far he will stay. Spiced Gold’s first foal was Bombs Away who won on debut over 1000m but didn’t win again and he was well beaten in all three of his attempts at distances beyond 1200m.

Tarry’s good three-year-old fillies include Return Flight (Pomodoro), Celtic Sea (Captain Al), In The Dance (Gimmethegreenlight), Second Request (Twice Over), Sweet Mary Lou (Await The Dawn), Saints Alive (Elusive Fort) and Crimson Royale (Ashaawes).

The best performed of these fillies to date have been Return Flight, who won the Grade 1 Thekwini among other races and was made the Equus Champion Filly, and Celtic Sea, who finished second in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson and won both the Grade 3 Pretty Polly Stakes and the Grade 2 Golden Slipper.

Return Flight’s first big target will be the Grade 3 Fillies Mile on Summer Cup day. Tarry is keeping her in Johanesburg because she will be suited to the galloping Turffontein Standside track and he believes she will mature into a Triple Tiara type.

Celtic Sea, on the other hand, has plenty of natural speed and he will be aiming her at the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas.

Meanwhile, Lord Silverio is unfortunately on the sidelines. He was beaten in his last start when going for hattrick and it was in a handicap off just an 86 merit rating, so on paper that does not augur well for his July chances. However, the four-year-old grey colt is typical of Silvano’s progeny in that he gets better and better with age and Tarry also confirmed that last race, in which an objection placed on his behalf was overruled, just did not pan out well for him.

Tarry relinquished his SA Trainers Championship crown, which he had held for the previous three seasons, to Justin Snaith last term but he has started this season well with 15 winners at a strike rate of 17,05% and looks to have the firepower  to usurp the title.

By David Thiselton

Shadowing, something of a punter’s nightmare so far, can finally get it right in today’s Tabonline Maiden in his first race at Durbanville.

The Vaughan Marshall gelding has finished second or third in the last six of his seven outings and he has started either favourite or second favourite in the last five. Just think of the money you would have saved if you hadn’t backed him.

Yet he has a fair bit of ability, certainly enough to win this race, and Durbanville may bring out the best in him. He won’t be faced with a long, staring straight but instead will go almost immediately into a turn with only a short run-in when the race begins in earnest.

Furthermore Marthinus Johannes Byleveld is no mean jockey – he numbers three Cape Guineas on his Grade 1 list – and you can rest assured that he will be going into action with a carefully prepared plan aimed at getting this enigmatic customer home in front.

The price, though, is uncomfortably short. World Sports Betting yesterday tightened the three-year-old from 9-10 to 8-10 and a horse with his record should never be odds-on.

Tintagel’s form is not as good but the 22-10 chance is the obvious danger. “He is a fair horse and I think he should probably win,” is the considered view of Mike Stewart who adds: “Don’t rule out Beethoven. He was drawn 11 out of 13 on his first run and the appie couldn’t get in.”

Another to consider is 15-2 chance Head Of The Pack who led the field a merry dance in Trip To The Sky’s race at Kenilworth ten days ago before weakening a furlong out. Significantly this race is over a furlong less.

Richard Fourie opted for the well drawn and superbly bred R1.3 million newcomer Peter Paul Rubens in the first in preference to the four other Snaith runners. The Duke Of Marmalade colt is a half-brother to Kasimir and Golden Horseshoe winner Afrikaburn. He was 11-10 favourite and might just have been good enough to collect at the first time of asking.

But Justin Snaith was worried about sore shins and scratched him yesterday afternoon. Few of those that have raced make much appeal but The Suit, although disappointing in his last two runs, gets a tentative vote at a good price.

Bellingham Bay sprang a 50-1 shock on debut here early last month and, despite the usual first time out of the maidens caution, he may go in again in the Betting World Handicap while Angel’s Trumpet appeals in race five.

By Michael Clower

There has apparently been a proposal to remove the weight for age (wfa) factor from the merit rated handicapping system in South Africa and thus accord horses nett merit ratings only.

This is an interesting idea and would make it easier for younger horses.

One of the biggest gripes of the merit rating system is that it robs young horses who are good but not top class of two or three wins which they would have earned under the old race figure system.

For argument’s sake, a two-year-old colt called Charger enters a maiden over 1400m in late July and only receives 4kg from older horses. However, the weight for age differential at that stage between him and a three-year-old is 8,5kg and between him and an older horse is 9,5kg. Charger is a talented horses and beats the field by one-and-a-half lengths. The line horse is deemed to be the runner up, a 69 merit rated three-year-old. The 1,5 lengths plus an extra 4,5kg have to be taken into account so Charger is accorded a merit rating of 81, which is a nett merit rating of 62.

Supposing hIs next race was six weeks later in race number five run at Greyville yesterday, a MR 64 Handicap over 1400m. The weight for age differential between him and a four-year-old at this time of the year over that trip is 7,5kg and is 8kg between him and a five-year-old. Charger would therefore have had to give 2kg to What A Scorcher, who is a three-time winner, he would have had to give 3kg to Roys Rolls Royce, a four-time winner, 3,5kg to Brave And Bold, a five-time winner, 5.5kg to Royal Katrina, a three-time winner, and 8,5kg to Gold Chalice, who like himself is a one-time winner. His trainer is of the old school and immediately perceives his young horse to have been hard done by because under the old race figure system, where weight was basically accorded on the number of wins, Charger would have been receiving weight from all of those multiple winners.

However, the counter argument for those in favour of the merit rated system is that all of those older multiple winners mentioned above would not still be racing as they would have done their dash after winning one or two races. This would be a discouragement to the smaller owner, who can only afford a quality of horse whose dream scenario, according to the law of probability, would be to be able to compete in low grade handicaps until a ripe old age.

However, introducing the new proposal of ignoring wfa would at least make it easier for the young three-year-old. In the above example, Charger would have come into yesterday’s race with his accorded nett merit rating of 62 as opposed to his gross merit rating of 81 minus the wfa allowance, which would have put him on a nett merit rating of 65. Thus, he would have been 1,5kg better off under the new proposed system compared to the current system.

However, there will be plenty of implications if the new proposal is introduced.

Supposing Charger did run in yesterday’s race and for argument’s sake finished in a dead-heat for second with a five-year-old, to whom he was giving 3,5kg. Both horses do not run again until December and then face each other again over the same distance. The young colt should have improved in this time by 2,5kg according to the wfa scale. He would therefore have to give the five-year-old 6kg under the current system. However, under the new proposed system he would still give the horse only 3,5kg, as they will simply be running off the nett merit ratings that they had last been accorded. The young colt in an ideal world should thus beat the five-year-old by two-and-a-half lengths.

Karel Miedema, owner of the Sporting Post racing newspaper and a doyen of handicapping, pointed out that the above scenario would be in contravention of the NHA racing rule 47.3.2, which states: “a handicap, which shall be a RACE in which the weights to be carried by the HORSES are allocated by the handicapper for the purpose of equalising their chances of winning.”

Others would argue that the majority of horses do not improve according to the wfa scale, meaning the above scenario would be acceptable. However, there are no statistics to back this up and, furthermore, most would argue that a specified three-year-old who is good but not top class would find it harder to win a handicap merit rated 85 in August than it would merit rated 85 in February.

The weight for age scale has also stood the test of time, although from time to time it undergoes adjustments in places like Europe. Ironically, the most recent adjustments made by the BHA (British Horseracing Authority) in 2017 were designed to remove a clear advantage which the data showed the existing Scale was conferring on three-year-old horses over middle and longer distances in the second half of the season. A sample of over 89,000 runners in handicaps and 5,000 runners in wfa races over a six-year-period was used in the research.

Whichever handicapping system is used there will be one party which is happy and others who are not. The current merit rating system prolongs the careers of moderate horses but can be punishing to horses who find themselves in the gap between average and top class.

Dedicated punters enjoy the merit rated system as it allows them to do their own handicapping and find horses who have been underrated. Some other punters would prefer the race figure system, in which many races had one or two horses who were clearly superior at the weights and it thus cut the amount of form study required.

It will be interesting to see whether the new proposal is ever implemented and if so it is sure to stimulate plenty of debate.

By David Thiselton