Monte Christo has been something of an under achiever after making a winning debut for Alistair Gordon some four season’s back and two stables later he could finally add a fourth victory to his CV when he lines up in the fifth at Scottsville on Sunday.

Monte Christo started his career with a debut win for Gordon before being moved to Charles Laird where he subsequently collected back-to-back victories but has since been winless for close on two years although continuing to threaten the judges.

Anton Marcus knows the gelding well, having partnered him to his last win and in many subsequent races and it could be significant that he will be aboard in the gelding’s first outing for Brett Crawford. Monte Christo has warmed up in two barrier trials and with a handy galloping weight could prove too strong for the two at the top of the handicap, Macduff and Tribal Fusion.

Shane Humby may well have been reading Damon Runyan, commenting yesterday on two narrow defeats on Wednesday; “That’s racing. Nothing I can do about it now”.

Tribal Fusion boasts some useful form, including a recent victory over subsequent winner and eThekweni Sprint runner-up Woljayrine. However, he does have the small matter of 62.5kg to shoulder.

Macduff is carded with a similar weight but gets 2.5kg relief in the form of apprentice Luke Ferraris. Macduff regained his best form over course and distance with the blinkers removed and will be a threat.

Punters are faced with mainly small fields as many stables locked down for compulsory African Horse Sickness vaccinations after the end of the season but that does not make finding winners any easier.

New Fort and Impact Zone will have their supporters in the White Horse Function Room Handicap but both may have to take a back seat to Louis Goosen’s charge Haddington. With apprentice Ferraris’s claim, the giant Ideal World gelding will feel that he’s running loose and the step up to the 2400m of this race should be right up his street.

White Lightning came within an ace of scoring a major upset on debut as he came from the clouds to go down a piece of paper. On that showing the mile should be well within his compass and with Marcus aboard he can get the Pick 6 off to a favourable start in the third.

In a similar vein, Dunzie came from off the pace when beaten a length at her last start and Duncan Howells has declared blinkers on his charge this time around. If they have the desired effect she could prove difficult to beat in the fourth.

The seventh is a tricky affair in spite of the small field but top weight Warfarer is over his favourite course and distance and Lezeanne Forbes’s gelding can follow up on his recent win. However, with no speed in the race this could turn into a sprint for home unless Forbes is prepared to sacrifice recent maiden winner Truly Wicked as a pacemaker.

Grecian Laurel can round of the meeting for Howells. She was allowed to start at any price on debut, consensus being that the 1200m would be on the sharp side, but she kept on resolutely to win as she liked.

It was not the greatest field in opposition but given the extra 200m and the ease of her victory, she could have the measure of Cause And Effect and Marsala.

By Andrew Harrison

The Justin Snaith-Richard Fourie combination has won ten races at the first four Cape Town meetings of the season and the pair can take three of the first four at Kenilworth tomorrow.

Clouded Hill made a big impression when romping home over three lengths clear on his second start. He led over a furlong out in a field of 15 and drew right away to win easily with Grant van Niekerk singing his praises. He opened favourite at 11-10 and looks the one they all have to beat.

The two negatives are that the ground that day was soft – softer than it will be tomorrow despite last night’s rain – and that those behind have not advertised the form.

Snaith fields the second and third favourites Clipper Captain (3-1) and Seventh Sea (7-2) who have both finished in front of 11-2 chance Mr Crumford on their most recent starts. The Brett Crawford runner looked as if he might be something special when scoring impressively on his second start but he has not, so far at any rate, quite lived up to that promise.

Juniper Spring, a Captain Al full sister to Snowdance, also has a reputation to justify but she may do so in the TAB Telebet Maiden even though the form of her third to Durty Nelly took a knock when second-placed Vomandla could manage only fifth when favourite six days ago. The selection is 19-10 favourite but the interesting ones in the World Sports Betting market are the Crawford newcomers Almost Captured and Front And Centre who are quoted at 28-10 and 5-1.

Corne Orffer rides the former, a Captain Al filly, while Front And Centre is ridden by Anton Marcus as she carries the Ridgemont colours. Much like Water Spirit who went close last Saturday, this daughter of Dynasty came under the hammer from Highlands (as Hillary’s Wish) at the Cape Premier Sale not long after the stud was sold to Ridgemont, was knocked down to Crawford (for R300 000) and the new owners then changed her name. She is a half-sister to Potala Palace.

Angel’s Trumpet caused a surprise in last Saturday’s Pinnacle but the form reads well and the handicappers have been lenient with her, only raising her by a kilo. Snaith goes for a quick follow-up in the Betting World Handicap and Fourie’s mount should collect.

Run To Denmark was nominated as a Winning Ways horse to follow after running on strongly on debut at Durbanville and may prove best in the Tabonline Maiden. The Andre Nel runner is 19-10 favourite although he is no certainty – Durbanville maiden form is not on a par with that at Kenilworth. Note 33-10 shot Carlas Mambo and Marcus’s mount Northern Spy even though he is as big as 15-2.

By Michael Clower

Turffontein Standside stages a low key nine race card tomorrow which is headlined by a MR104 Handicap over 1400m.

King’s Archer loves this course and distance and should have come on from his last run in which he was running on for third behind Infamous Fox over this course and distance. He was drawn seven of seven that day and is now drawn three. The mare Emily Jay proved her class last season as well as her suitability to this distance. She has a tough draw but has the determined Muzi Yeni up and she will be fit considering she has had a run in each of the last seven months. Shukamisa was only half-a-length behind King’s Archer last time over course and distance and they face each other on the same terms. The good 2,5kg claimer Luke Ferraris remains aboard and he should be involved in the finish. Brazuca is a class act and after losing his form he now returns from a rest and a gelding. He is drawn in pole and if at his best will be right there.

However, he will likely need it and would prefer further. His stablemate Doosra is ideally distance suited but returns from a five month layoff and has a tough draw. Splendid Garden has done quite well since stepped up to this trip and faces King’s Archer on the same terms despite beating him by 0,6 lengths last time. He will be fit but he has a tough draw. Irish Pride is a decent miler who has not run for five months and he will likely need the outing. New Predator is top class on his day and ideally distance suited but he went off form and has to carry 65kg on his comeback from a six month layoff.  Unagi has some class but reserves his best for the Turffontein Inside track. Wrecking Ball runs out of steam over 1000m so there is a doubt she will stay this trip.

The R4 million Frankel filly Frankly is rated the best bet on the card in the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1400m. She has joined the Ormond Ferraris yard after disappointing in the Ruffian Stakes and Pretty Polly Stakes. However, on debut over 1000m she finished just half-a-length behind the useful Mazari so has ability to match her good looks. She has a tough draw to overcome but should relish this step up in trip and has her easiest task to date plus the advantage of the good 2,5kg claimer Luke Ferraris aboard. She is made a banker in an otherwise tough Pick 6.

In the third leg of the Pick 6 Querari Viking gets a good draw for a change and is the selection with Ferraris up but a few others will have to be included.

Nordic rebel flew under the radar last time when winning well but from a good draw this time in race seven over the same 1600m trip will be a much more popular proposition and is selected to follow up off a four point higher mark. However, it is another one to go wide in for the Pick 6.

Jamra is taken to be a PA banker in the eighth over 1600m as she has always truck as one with class and looks to be coming into her own. However, the same can be said about Noceur and Lady Negra and they should be included in the Pick 6.

Donny G has dropped to a competitive mark in the ninth over 1160m but this is another tough race for the exotics.

By David Thiselton

Lammerskraal Stud landed the Broodmare of the Year accolade at the Equus Awards on Tuesday night with the Jallad mare Strawberry Lane, dam of this year’s Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes winner Redberry Lane.

Strawberry Lane is out of the Australian-bred Centaine mare Taineberry. She won one race over 1600m and was placed twice in just six starts. She is a full-sister to Jalberry, whose four wins included a Grade 3 and a Listed event and whose multiple Graded places included a third in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint. Jalberry has also produced three stakes winners at stud including Grade 2 winner Purple Diamond.

Redberry Lane is Strawberry Lane’s second Grade 1 winner and third stakes performer. She also produced the Grade 1 Cape Guineas winner Solo Traveller, who also won the Grade 2 KRA Guineas and the Grade 3 Cape Classic as well as the Listed Duchess Of York Cup in Mauritius.

The four-year-old Sean Tarry-trained Redberry Lane is by the late great Lammerskraal stallion Western Winter. She also won the Listed Syringa Handicap over 1600m in May this year and her five successive second place finishes which preceded that included finishing just half-a-length back in the Grade 3 Acacia Handicap. She was merit rated only 100 when lining up in the Garden Province, 19 points below the favourite Snowdance, so her short-head victory over the latter under a fine ride by newly crowned national champion jockey Lyle Hewitson was against all the odds.

Strawberry Lane’s other Graded performer was Strawberry Ice, who finished second in the Grade 2 KRA Fillies Guineas and at stud produced the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet winner Flying Ice.

It was the second time this decade Lammerskraal had won the Equus Broodmare award and the fourth time this century. The others to do it were Turf Blazer (Dancing Champ), dam of the Grade 2 winners Citius and Weston Blaze, Fashing (Dancing Champ), dam of the great Yard Arm, and Akinfeet (Fort Wood), dam of the like of three-time Grade 1-winner Capetown Noir.

Strawberry Lane also won the Cape Breeders broodmare of the year award.

She is currently in foal to Visionaire and will be sent to him again this season.

“It is a very good mating,” said Lammerskraal Stud manager Sally Bruss.

Meanwhile, Akinfeet’s daughter, In The Dance by Gimmethegreenlight, made a sensational debut over 1160m at Turffontein on Saturday. The Tarry-trained three-year-old was taken out at the start so lost a couple of lengths and was then green in the running. However, she then showed an exceptional turn of foot and won easing up by 3,5 lengths against a fairly decent field.

Bruss said, ”It was particularly exciting because she is from the first racing crop of Lammerskraal’s new owner Peter Graaff.”

Bruss selects the horses to be kept for racing and has an uncanny knack of choosing good performers.

Lammerskraal have seven lots on the National Two-Year-Old Sales, which start today (Thursday).

They have a colt and filly by their own stallion Go Deputy, a Wylie Hall filly who is out of Enchantress, a Duke Of Marmalade colt, a Gimmethegreenlight filly, a Soft Falling Rain filly and a Marchfield colt.

By David Thiselton

Oh Susanna was a shoo-in for this year’s Equus Horse Of The Year award and her trainer Justin Snaith spoke about his first recollections of this superbly bred daughter of Street Cry.

Gaynor Rupert of Drakenstein Stud bought her USA-bred dam Sharp Susan (Touch Gold (USA)) in Australia and Oh Susanna was foaled down in Australia before being flown to South Africa.

Snaith recalled, “Gaynor sent her to our yard as one of a batch of five young horses and nobody told me anything about her being a foal of Sharp Susan. Two months into training I phoned Kevin Sommerville (the racing manager of Drakenstein) and asked him ‘where did this one come from, because there is something here.’ I also sent a whatsapp to Gaynor telling her I had a feeling about this horse and she replied saying, yes, she had been hoping she would be something special. I then asked Kevin to send me the full pedigree and upon viewing it I could see what the possibilities were. One thing I know about Street Cry fillies is that when they are good they are world class and I had a feeling she would be one of those.”

Sharp Susan won both a Group 2 and a Group 3 over nine furlongs on turf as a three-year-old in the USA and Oh Susanna is her third foal.

Snaith’s hopes soared again after Oh Susanna’s debut at Kenilworth over 1200m. He recalled, “Corne Orffer gave her a beautiful educational ride and she was only just beaten.”

In her next start she was backed into 8/10 and cruised in by 5,5 lengths under Bernard Fayd’Herbe.

Snaith believed she would win her next start in the Listed Kenilworth Fillies Nursery over 1200m and recalled, “There was a big meeting in Durban that day so there weren’t any jockeys available and she was given one of the top three worst rides I’ve had to put up with in my career. She was caught in no man’s land and it was just all bad.”

She still managed to finish a 0,85 length third to the top class speedster Magical Wonderland.

She finished fifth in her reappearance over 1200m in the October of her three-year-old year. However, she then had bad draws in both the Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship and Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas respectively, which were both won by her stable companion Snowdance. Snaith was unimpressed by the ride she was given in the former event too, where she finished fifth running on in eyecatching fashion. In the Cape Guineas she was dropped out from a wide draw and ate up the ground in the straight from an impossible position to finish a 3,25 length second.

Snaith said, “The good thing about those bad draws and some bad rides was she was learning all the time, the potential was always there.”

From then on in she showed her true class. She first won the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m in cosy fashion. She then became the first three-year-old filly in more than 100 years to win the Grade 1 Sun Met and did it easing up. It was five months before she ran again but that did not stop her winning KZN’s leading fillies classic, the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000. Consequently, she not only won the Equus Horse Of The Year award on Tuesday night but also the Champion three-year-old filly and Champion Middle distance horse awards.

She only had that one run in KZN and is the first of the yard’s Durban string to be back in training at her home training track, Phillippi.

Snaith said, “She didn’t like the light tracks in Durban. She enjoys the heavier tracks and has been more relaxed back here in Cape Town. There were about 1000 horses at Summerveld and there are only 300 here at Phillippi, it’s a lot quieter and calmer environment.”

He said Oh Susanna had grown two inches in height since leaving Durban. Thoroughbreds can continue to grow until the age of five but this is an unusually pronounced growth spurt at this age. Snaith admitted, “I could not believe it, but she has definitely grown two inches.”

Snaith will soon be sitting down with Gaynor Rupert and Kevin Somerville to discuss the filly’s plans for the season.

Meanwhile, Oh Susanna’s half-brother by Exceed And Excel, Signore Fox, won his first start as a three-year-old in Australia by 3,3 lengths two weeks ago.

Sharp Susan is currently in the U.K and is in foal to the world’s leading stallion Galileo.

Snaith’s disappointment of the season was Snowdance’s succession of three runner up finishes in KZN. On top of her Cape Fillies Guineas she had also won the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m on Met day, so her KZN campaign cost her any chance of being a serious competitor to Legal Eagle for the Equus Champion Miler award.

One of Snaith’s chief aims this season is to gain revenge on those horses who beat Snowdance in Durban and the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate is thus high on his agenda. Whether Oh Susanna also lines up for that race remains to be seen.

Snaith concluded, “A lot of negative things are being said about racing at present but I think we are heading for exciting times. Gold Circle have taken the lead in marketing racing and I hope the others follow suit.”

Snaith also collected the national champion trainer award on Tuesday night. Oh Susanna is the third Horse Of The Year he has had in his career, the others being Legislate (2013/2014) and Futura (2014/2015).

By David Thiselton