A few set-backs last term, including a virus that affected many horses in the yard, saw Duncan Howells behind the eight ball for a couple of months at a crucial time in the season.

“The virus set me back and I was way behind with my two-year-olds,” said the Ashburton trainer. That’s all behind him now and his newly turned three-year-olds are starting to show their worth.

Thanksgiving, an impressive winner at Scottsville on Sunday, finished fourth on debut behind lessor fancied stable companion Rocket Fire who arrived on the scene just too late to catch Flying George.

The Poet (Nkosi Hlophe)

Rocket Fire, another purchase out of the Mayfair Speculators dispersal, lines up in the All To Come Maiden plate at Scottsville today. He is likely to start at cramped odds and victory will set him up for a tilt at the lucrative CTS sales races in January.

In opposition is the Paul Peter-trained Copenhagen.  Peter is a rare visitor outside of Champions Season so one needs to sit up and take note of his two runners on the day. He has booked Anton Marcus for Copenhagen and Marcus will know exactly what he is up against having ridden Rocket Fire in work.

Dennis Drier took the wraps off a smart filly in In The Stars on Sunday, the daughter of Master Of My Fate losing valuable ground at the start but finishing off with an emphatic victory. Drier saddles Golden Chance in the card opener and she looks to have been set up nicely for her debut. Rested after her first barrier trial, her next trial was a better effort behind subsequent winner Monte Christo.

The majority of the field come off trials but two who caught the eye were Shock Victory and Song Of The Forest who contested the same trial. Song Of The Forest is a nicely balanced filly with plenty of scope. Wearing ear-muffs, she was always handy and stayed on nicely towards the end without any urging.

Shock Victory caught the eye in the paddock as a filly with plenty of scope but she galloped very green and that may be a concern.

La Duchesse made marked improvement at her second start when starting at long odds but Paul Gadsby’s filly will be way shorter than 36-1 in the third. She finished with a rattle under Sherman Brown, beaten under a length, and Marcus was quickly on the blower after acceptances to jock his rival off.

Brown will be on Carefree for Dennis Bosch who finished down-field on debut but has shown some ability in her three barrier trials. A better proposition could be Wisp Of Glory. Two winners have come out of her trial behind Mela Stregata and she will definitely prefer the extra two furlongs.

Mutawaary makes his debut for Bosch in a tricky handicap in the opening leg of the jackpot and it will be interesting to see just how the gelding has progressed from his trial. For a horse that has shown his better form over a mile and further, he showed excellent pace as he matched the speedy Doing It For Dan in his trial run in 58secs flat with the balance of the triallists some four lengths back.

Peter sends out Defy Gravity in this race who takes a drop in trip and gets 2.5kg relief in the saddle courtesy of apprentice Luke Ferraris. That may not be enough and even if Mutawaary does not run up to expectations the likes of Steam Ahead and The Poet will have their supporters.

Antony Hotspur looked to be going places after a delayed start to his career but was rested when finishing out of the money for the first time when tried over 1700m. He had excuses however, having cast a shoe in the race, and he has not been out since June. But he does show good pace and Alistair Gordon’s charge could prove a little too classy in the fifth where Archilles, Drageda and Rockcliffe look threats.

By Andrew Harrison

Agent Of Fortune, the forgotten man of last season’s two-year-olds, is on the way back and is being targeted at the R2.5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run at Kenilworth on November 18.

The What A Winter colt, then owned by Mayfair Speculators in partnership with Bryn Ressell and Marsh Shirtliff, was considered good enough to make his debut in the valuable Kuda Sprint on Met day and he beat the Sean Tarry-trained Cirillo by a short head. But he has not been seen since.

Vaughan Marshall said: “He chipped a knee when he got to Durban and it will be another six to eight weeks before he runs but he will make the Ready to Run.”

Agent Of Fortune and Cirillo are both rated 102 and jointly top the log for the rich 1 400m race, 2kg clear of the filly Can You Feel It.

Horizon, who had a knee-chip operation following the Sun Met when he was reported not striding out, reappears in the 1 250m Supabets Pinnacle Stakes at Durbanville on Saturday. Aldo Domeyer rides him and Bernard Fayd’Herbe will be back on stable companion Tevez. Fayd’Herbe won a Pinnacle on the veteran at Kenilworth in June.

The MR 96 mile handicap attracted only four runners and has been scrapped but the 1 400m maiden, which saw 27 declared, has been divided.

By Michael Clower

The postponed Grade 3 Spring Spree Stakes has been moved in its entirety to the Turffontein meeting to be held this Saturday and the Non-Black Type Ladies Stakes, which was reopened for entries yesterday, will also be run on Saturday so Highveld racegoers can look forward to more races than usual this weekend.

Meanwhile, the first entries for the G-Bets Summer Cup will take place on September 25.

Both the Spring Spree Stakes and the Ladies Stakes fell victim to a leaking water pipe at Saturday’s meeting, which was called off after the running of the fourth race.

Jeterio (JC Photographics)

The main supply pipe which feeds the sprinklers was leaking and a section of ground at the 650m mark became waterlogged.

Such a problem is only known about when the water seeps to the surface.

However, the good news is there is no long-term damage and the Phumelela Racing Executive Clyde Basel said they could have raced the next day. However, a plan to continue the meeting on the Sunday had to be shelved after an attempt to fit it into the existing local and international schedule failed.

The racing could not be moved to the Standside track as the latter is being scarified in preparation for the Summer Cup, which will be run on December 1.

Phumelela recently announced a new sponsor for the Summer Cup in G-Bets. There is sure to be a classy entry list on September 25. The four races run on Saturday still produced some interesting results.

The former Grade 1 J&B Met winner River Jetez, a full-sister to the great Pocket Power, had her second runner and her second debut winner. In Saturday’s first race, a Maiden for fillies over 1600m, her daughter Jetorio by Oratorio came from last with a good rattle to win by half-a-length from the 50/1 outsider Miss Patriot with the favourite Sweet Red third. The R4 million Frankel filly Frankly over raced from another tough draw so did well to finish fourth. She is better than her record suggests and will win soon, especially if landing a draw for a change. Jetorio was bred and is owned by Mr and Mrs CA Amm and Avontuur Stud. The Amms were the part-owners of River Jetez when she was racing.

Jetorio is trained by Sean Tarry and was ridden by S’Manga Khumalo.

Tarry later made it a double when Africa Rising followed up on his recent 1160m win with victory over 1450m under 2,5kg claimer Luke Ferraris. This five-year-old Visionaire gelding has always been talented and looks to have come into his own so it will be interesting to see where Tarry races him next.

By David Thiselton

The Vaal Outside track had a draw bias towards the outside last time they ran here but the early races must be monitored in tomorrow’s eight race meeting as the bias has varied over the last year or so.

The meeting does not look to be a difficult one for punters on paper.

The first leg of the PA is an Assessment Plate over 1200m and Prince Of Kahal is tipped to win despite being 6kg under sufferance with the filly Shufoog on official merit ratings. Prince Of Kahal has always been well regarded and has shown glimpses of class. He was unlucky in the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes against some of the top horses in the country. He has now been gelded and this trip should be ideal. Hakeem looks to be the Mike de Kock stable choice on jockey bookings. This disappointing sort has the plum standside draw in the small field of six and he could have benefitted from his six month layoff, being a son of Redoute’s Choice who is now a four-year-old.

Viking Trail (JC Photographics)

Shufoog has only had four starts but after an easy win on debut went close to the like of Just Sensual and Speedpoint over 1000m. She hasn’t raced since January but should get away with it over this trip. Rule The Night is an imposing sort and won well last week, heralding a return to his best after some disappointing runs. If he can continue progressing the right way he can make his presence felt. Mr Flood was an easy winner on debut but then disappointed in the SA Nursery. He will likely need this run. All About The Bass has impressed on more than one occasion but after a good win on August 16 on the Vaal Classic track he was asked to run at Flamingo Park four days later and after not striding out ran poorly.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1200m punters should only have to include the two form horses, Las Salinas and Parental Control, and the blinkers-strike Landela, who has been supported in all of her starts and now drops back in trip. They can also consider two interesting first-timers. Rudhra’s Eye is a R50,000 filly by the promising sire Pomodoro and is a half-sister to Grade 3 Godolphon Barb runner up Fly At Em. Over The Limit is an R800,000 filly by Twice Over out of a National Emblem Listed winner who has produced a Listed winner.

A first-timer makes most appeal in the next race over 1400m, which is also an uninspiring maiden. Mike de Kock introduces Zaberjad, an Australian-bred gelding by Dawn Approach. He is a half-brother to the Grade 2-winning De Kock-trained Mushreq and would not have to be a star to win this race. Of the raced runners Philos is a typically big and rangy son of Philanthropist and after overcoming the widest draw of all over this trip on the Turffontein Inside course last time out he was not disgraced at all in finishing a 4,2 length eighth as it has turned out to be a strong form race. He has since been gelded so can improve further. Lunico was slow away on debut over 1200m on the Vaal Classic track and after initially being outpaced in the straight was staying on strongly, so will relish the step up in trip. The form of that race is not vintage so It Must Be Fate and Ice Eater can also be considered for the Pick 6 and Jackpot.

In the next race the well regarded Pietro Mascagni is a shoe-in at the weights, being 6kg better off than any other horse on official merit ratings. He should have strengthened during his seven months layoff and as he finished just 1,8 lengths behind Surcharge in the Gauteng Guineas he should be too strong for this field. His three-year-old stablemate Viking Trail won second time out over 1450m and will relish the step up in trip so is the one to side with for those looking for an upset.

In the sixth race Winter’s Forge was well weighted in a 1600m event last time out and held on. She will much prefer this 1200m trip, so can follow up. The best weighted horse is Rings And Things, who finished third in the CTS 1600, thus displaying her class. However, she has been a touch disappointing since then. She is also drawn on the wrong side by trends and would likely prefer further. Free And Easy has to be considered despite being 8.5kg under sufferance with Rings And Things on official merit ratings as she is an eyecatching sort who returned from a five month layoff last time over this trip and beat a good field.

The last leg of the Jackpot is a MR 66 Handicap for fillies and mares and Quebec Queen is tipped to win it from a plum high draw by trends. She ran on well last week over 1450m on the Vaal Classic track for second and before that ran a fair race against the boys. Kissmeinmydreams has improved and went close first time out the maidens against some useful male handicappers over this trip so she will be a lively runner here back against her own gender. Get Your Grove On always looked to have promise and proved it when returning from a layoff to smash a maiden field over this trip last time. Against her is topweight, albeit off a reasonable 68 merit rating, and a low draw. Rock Pigeon has useful sprint form recently and should enjoy this step up in trip on pedigree, so this lightly raced four-year-old can go close from a standside draw. Ponchielli drops back to the trip of her good win at the beginning of the month and also has to be included.

The last race over 1400m should be fought out by Virginia and Seville Orange, both of whom caught the eye on debut and will be distance suited at this stage.

By David Thiselton

Grant van Niekerk made a sensational start to his Hong Kong venture at Sha Tin yesterday, landing a first and last race double.

He won on his first ride, 73-20 chance Triumphant Jewel in the opening Harcourt Handicap. He was then unplaced on four rides before teaming up with the Tony Millard-trained World Record in the concluding Albert Handicap. The gelding drifted out to 162-10 just before the off and seemed to have no chance when sitting in last place for much of the way.

But Van Niekerk had other ideas. He got the horse running into the bit going into the final turn and, as he rounded it, he asked his mount to race in earnest. The gelding fairly ate up the ground to pip the favourite Rattani in the last half stride and win officially by a nose.

Grant Van Niekerk

Hong Kong owners, and therefore trainers, are notoriously fickle with so much depending on whether the jockeys are considered lucky. After this performance Van Niekerk’s name will be top of the popularity charts. He and Callan Murray (who had to be content with a half-length second from five mounts) were well supported by Millard and fellow South African trainer David Ferraris.

At Durbanville on Saturday the unbeaten Rainbow Bridge and Pleasedtomeetyou will both miss the 1 250m Pinnacle.

Eric Sands was unable to get permission to gallop the Winter Guineas and Winter Classic winner at Kenilworth on Saturday so Rainbow Bridge won’t be ready – “He takes quite a lot of sharp work until he is fit.” The Milnerton trainer still has the Matchem on October 7 on the agenda but he wants the horse to first prove that he is ready enough and that he will handle the course.

Andre Nel, who also has La Favourari and Percival in the Pinnacle, said: “Pleasedtomeetyou will either wait for a handicap at Durbanville on September 11 or the Fairview Wine Sophomore Sprint there four days later.

“Everything about him says that he will get further but Querari’s offspring have caught me out before and so I will run him over 1 200 or 1 250m next and see how he goes.”

Nel lost his appeal against the impressive debut winner’s 92 merit rating and both the adjudicators and the handicappers will be patting themselves on the back after the way Trip To The Sky, beaten over seven lengths into third, emphatically franked the form at Kenilworth on Saturday.

No specific plans have yet been made for Whisky Baron after his encouraging  return at Goodwood nine days ago but Ridgemont racing manager Craig Carey expects last year’s Met winner to run quite soon because autumn is approaching in England and Whisky Baron doesn’t act in the soft.

Piet Botha, who had his first runner as a trainer on Saturday – the pace-setting Head Of The Pack who was sixth to Trip To The Sky- broke his right ankle in a fall when riding work and arrived at Kenilworth on crutches.

By Michael Clower