Candy Galore was backed like there were no seconds in the card opener on the Greyville poly yesterday and she duly obliged for Gareth van Zyl under Warren Kennedy. Apprentice Eric Ngwane, aboard Luneburg, had pinched a healthy lead at the top of the straight but Candy Galore was relentless and reeled her in with something to spare.

Internet Kid had let the side down on a few occasions which was probably the reason why he was relatively easy to back yesterday. He forced replacement rider Mark Khan to extract the best out of both. Gordonstoun set a solid gallop but came under pressure a furlong out as Spume and Internet Kid joined battle. It was a no quarter asked battle but Khan managed to get Internet Kid’s head down when it counted.

Ngwane, who comes out of his time at the end of the year, scored a double at Scottsville on Sunday, and was on the mark again aboard the Glen Kotzen-trained Majestica. Kinglassie looked to have held off all the opposition until Ngwane produced Majestica with a telling late run to win going away.

Apprentice Ashton Arries rode a confident race aboard outsider Roy’s Pony (12-1) for Alyson Wright and had the mare handy throughout. Probably to the horror of her rivals, Roy’s Pony still had a full tank in the run for the wire and scored rather comfortably for her fourth victory. The ever game Just Rap was second best with favourite Just My Style filling the shallow end of the purse.

Socrates was denied his third straight win on the poly when run out of it by Leslie Shadowliner in the fifth in what was a rough finish. After this exhibition there is no doubting the intestinal fortitude of Donovan Dillon and apprentice Serino Moodley as they came out of a scrum unscathed. Dillon, hunting for space on Socrates, committed to a rapidly closing gap but just too late to catch Moodley and Leslie Shadowliner. Meat in the sandwich was Al Ciberano who was unceremoniously shunted out of the back door.

Supporters of High Green will have had their hearts in their mouths as Lance Pagel changed down into first gear some 50m before the line allowing Samsonite to close to within a rapidly reducing neck. In truth Lowan Denysschen’s gelding had the race sewn up a long way out but punters can do without having to reach for blood pressure pills. However, it may not have fazed Denysschen who watched stony-faced last week as High Green did a grand tour of the Ashburton rings after dropping his work rider. The trials and tribulations of racehorse trainers!

Into The Groove and favourite Roman Courtesan fought out a desperate finish to the seventh. Roman Courtesan looked to have the upper hand after taking the lead early in the straight but Stuart Randolph finished strongly on Ivan and Daryl Moore’s mare. Roman Courtesan rallied under the challenge but the line came just too soon and Shane Humby had to settle for another frustrating runner-up berth.

Gareth van Zyl and Warren Kennedy opened the day and closed the day as Path Of Victory rounded off a successful afternoon for the duo. Path Of Victory, owned by KZN leading owner Mario Ferreira, finished strongly to hold rank outsider Thomas Jefferson at bay.

By Andrew Harrison

The Vaal Classic track stages a low key eight race meeting tomorrow and the exotics look to be the way to approach it.

The Pick 6 will not be easy and a banker will have to be found.

In the first leg over 2000m Mantracker has improved and from a good draw this resolute sort could gallop them into the ground over the course and distance of his best career preformance. On formlines Shadow Man has a shout. He is widely drawn but being by Silvano should be improving. The filly Rubix is starting to come into her own and is another one to include.

The second leg over 2000m is a tough race but Highlander has bounced back to form lately and is competitively merit rated over a suitable trip. Kurt’s Approval and Samar have to be included and for wider Ryder, Scotland, Storm Outgoing, King’s Cup and Sucha Charmer warrant consideration.

In the third leg over 1000m All About The Bass is officially the best weighted horse and although he has only run in Kimberley he is an impressive specimen and looks the one to beat. He is taken to be a banker as a banker has to be found somewhere. Miss Khalifa has a big reputation and will likely appreciate the step down to 1000m and also has her third run after a layoff, so is the one the risk averse can consider. The concern is she has disappointed in her last two over 1400m and 1200m when fancied in features at Greyville.

Topmast and Rule The Night have also shown ability.

In the sixth race over 1000m Illegal’s best recent performance was over this course and distance against the girls and back against the girls she has a chance, albeit off a four point higher merit rating. Celestina won well last time and looks to be coming into her own. Distant Call will appreciate the step down in trip. However, it is a tough race and the whole field should be considered.

In the fifth leg over 1000m Dancing Queen returned from a five month layoff to obliterate a maiden field by five lengths. The form is not exceptional but she should come on from the run and is officially the best weighted male horse. The form of Elbi’s maiden win over 1200m was franked on Saturday when The Sash, whom she beat by 6,95 lengths, won over 1600m. Elbi was still green in that race showed good pace so might appreciate the step down to 1000m. The filly Star Flyer is officially the best weighted horse and has a lot of pace so will be a contender. All Of Me was in contention until the last 200m of the Grade 3 Debutante Stakes over 1200m at Greyville despite having had to overcome a wide draw and she will enjoy this trip and is a threat. Cloud Break is held narrowly be Elbi on a line through a horse called Parental Control.

In the last leg over 1600m Elegancia, who had some decent form in Cape Town, has her third run on the Highveld and having been given only three points for her win over this trip she can follow up. Ponchielli has done well in two starts since being stepped up to 1400m with S’Manga Khumalo aboard. She can be strong in the running so needs a good draw and a good pace for this further step up in trip, which on pedigree she should stay being by Tiger Ridge out of a Not For Sale mare. She is drawn in two and could well get a good pace from the widely drawn Silvez. She is four points higher for her win last time, but she won comfortably and has a chance of following up. Silvez won her maiden well when stepped up to this trip but was promptly sold out of the Tarry yard. However, she has a reasonable merit rating and a 2,5kg claimer up, albeit from a tough draw. All I Got was unlucky last time against Ponchielli and can improve.

Angelic disappointed last time but if bouncing back off a lowered merit rating and from a good draw she has a shout. Catch A Thief does not make much appeal at first sight being a nine-year-old mare by Malhub and not only is she 2,5kg under sufferance but she also carries 1,5kg overweight. However, this mare never cracks a draw and she has done so at last, drawing in pole, so is upset material as her penultimate start proves she has ability. Movie Award flew for a close second to Elegancia in her penultimate start and back to this trip she can do well again having failed over 1800m on Saturday. Tortola has a win and a second from two starts over this course and distance and has to be included.  Pin Up Fold is hard to ignore from a good draw with a 4kg claimer up.

David Thiselton

EquineHub, a new trading platform for racehorses developed in Singapore, is set to revolutionise the equine industry as owning a racehorse will become more accessible than it has ever been before with relatively small amounts of money.

EquineHub executive director David Raphael has been touring South Africa presenting the platform to trainers and owners in unison with his South African colleague, James Goodman ahead of the online trading site’s launch date in the fourth.quarter of 2018.

EquineHub leverages on blockchain technology in which a race horses records can be stored immutably. EquineHub’s blockchain Depository safeguards the racehorses’ history and lineage, tracking its journey from conception at the stud farms till the end of life in a transparent, traceable, immutable and secured manner.

Horses traded on the website will have up to 100,000 shares issued at the entry stage. Any member of the public will be able to register and begin buying and selling these shares online. The difference between this system and the stock exchange is that it will be up to the owners to decide what price they put on their shares when they wish to make an offer to sell.

The fractional training fees attached to each share are calculated and collected in advance. Owners of the shares must keep this portion of their purchase up to date and failure to do so will give EquineHub the right to trade the shares.

EquineHub automates the distribution of stake monies and trainer fees. On South African race cards EquineHub will usually appear as the owner of the horses who have been sold to shareholders on their automated online platform.

If there is an extraordinary expense, such as a horse being exported to race in Dubai, shareholders will be asked to pay their portion of the expense. However, as Raphael points out, the demand for such a horse would have increased astronomically and a shareholder not willing to pay the travel expense will almost certainly be able to sell at a profit.

South Africans will be able to buy horses from any country. Raphael said one of the dreams of EquineHub was to own horses who run in each of the world’s biggest races, like the Melbourne Cup and the Kentucky Derby.

Raphael and the other two founding members of EquineHub have been holding workshops for the last twelve months to address problems thrown at them by industry men in order to ensure the automated system runs smoothly.

He said the racing industry was not complicated, but rather just different to other industries, so there had not been a single issue which they had not been able to solve and incorporate into the automated system.

Raphael has no doubt the concept will be a success and cited the accessibility of ordinary members of the public to owning racehorses and the security of the transactions through the site’s blockchain databasing as the key points.

He said, “Our experience is that owners and trainers are striving to improve the perception of our industry. Integrity is vital, and we believe that the blockchain system will ensure integrity in areas that have been questionable in the past.”

Goodman added, “There will be rules and guidelines for buyers and sellers to adhere to and trainers will furnish periodical information on horses offered for sale.”

Raphael said an option to include breeding stock on the trading platform was also being explored.
The EquineHub website lists eight propositions to their platform.

The first is the “Exchange”, as described above, and the others are “Marketplace, Blockchain Depository, Social Proof Scoring, Auction, Gamification, Expert Network and Adopt-A-Horse.

The definition provided for the Marketplace is, “A global B2B (business to business) marketplace for service providers such as logistic providers, vets, agents and trainers to connect and conduct commerce.”

Raphael said, as an example of the Blockchain Depositary, EquineHub would have the ability to update the medical history of a horse. The integrity and security of the data would also be as close to perfect as possible due to blockchain databasing.

Social Proof Scoring will allow users to rate and rank Equine service providers. The Auction facility allows owners or horse syndicates to list their horse on a secondary market. Gamification is a plan to run fantasy leagues etc for horseracing. The Expert Network allows Equine experts to share their views as a restricted paid service. Adopt-a-Horse is a platform for adopting a horse after its horseracing career is over.

This certainly looks to be a most exciting development for racing fans. For those who have dreamed of being in a position to trade and own racehorses, as they have had the relevant knowledge but have just never had enough funds, this is a particularly inspiring innovation.

EquineHub will also provide the ideal opportunity for racing folk to introduce outsiders to the joys of racehorse ownership.

By David Thiselton

The Equus Awards took place last night at the Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg and the only three-time Grade 1 winner of the season, Oh Susanna, was named Horse Of The Year as expected.

The Australian-bred by Street Cry became the first three-year-old filly to win the Sun Met for over 100 years and her owners and breeders Drakenstein Stud have a valuable asset in hand.

Her trainer, Justin Snaith, received the National Champion Trainer’s trophy for the second time in his career.

Snaith’s charges received three other awards. Oh Susanna also won the Champion Three-year-old filly award and the Champion Middle Distance horse award as her Grade 1 wins in the Cartier Paddock Stakes, Met and Woolavington 2000 were all over middle distances. The Snaith-trained Do It Again won the most keenly contested award, the Champion Three-year-old male. A number of qualifiers had each won one Grade 1 apiece. However, Do It Again’s victory in the Vodacom Durban July was regarded as the Grade 1 three-year-old performance of the season as he had the field stretched out like the washing and it was in open company. He also won the Grade 2 Daisy Guineas and finished a flying second in the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby.

The Champion Sprinter was also competitive with each of the contenders having also won only one Grade 1 each. The Mike Azzie-trained Will Pays got the nod as he won the weight for age (WFA) Grade 1 Mercury Sprint and in so doing beat the Grade 1 weight for age Computaform Sprint winner Attenborough. He also won the Grade 3 Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m.

The Sean Tarry-trained Legal Eagle lost his Horse Of The Year title, which he had won for the previous two years running, but he retained his Champion Miler award. He is unbeaten over this distance and defended his crowns in the WFA Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the WFA Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes. Legal Eagle also retained his Champion Older Male award.

The Tarry-trained Return Flight won the Champion Two-year-old Filly award due to her commanding performance in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes which was adjudged more meritorious than the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Mighty High’s impressive win in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship.

Mike de Kock-trained horses won two awards. Soqrat was narrowly beaten by his stablemate Barahin in the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m but next time out in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m he won impressively and was given the nod for the Champion Two-year-old Male award. De Kock’s Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes winner and narrow Horse Chestnut Stakes runner up Nother Russia won the Champion Older Female award.

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained It’s My Turn was named Champion Stayer for his feat of winning the Track and Ball Derby, the Gold Vase and the eLan Gold Cup in the space of five weeks.

Lyle Hewitson received the National Champion Jockey trophy. He became the first apprentice to win the championships since Michael Roberts won it in the 1972/73 season, although Roberts became a fully fledged jockey in June 1973 so Hewitson was the first to receive the trophy while still an apprentice since Gerald Turner did so in the 1960s.

Drakenstein Stud were the deserved champion owners as they do a lot for the sport. The perennial champion owners Mayfair Speculators were forced to begin dispersing their stock under a cloud halfway through the season.

Klawervlei Stud retained their national Breeders Championships, although they were just over a R1 million clear of their perennial rivals Summerhill Stud.

Silvano retained his champion stallion trophy. It was the third time he had won the title.

By David Thiselton

Pleasedtomeetyou, who looked so good when winning effortlessly on debut at Kenilworth last Saturday, has made a big impression on the handicappers. They have introduced him into the merit ratings at 92, a far higher figure than trainer Andre Nel envisaged.

After winning with Hello Summer at Durbanville yesterday, Nel said: “I think they have punished him unbelievably and I am considering whether to appeal.

“I know that the time was almost half a second faster than the Pinnacle on the same day but they should rate him on what he beat and four of those were unraced.”

The Querari colt appeared a really smart sort in the making at the time but, when viewed again in the cold light of Monday evening’s Winning Ways programme, he seemed considerably better than that – possibly even a Guineas horse. The James Goodman/Paul Lafferty combination had no hesitation in nominating him as one to follow. Punters may not have all that long to wait because Nel has already been looking through the programme.

He said: “Pleasedtomeetyou came out of his race very well, and as if he had hardly raced. We will pick his next race carefully but there could be something for him around September 11.”

Certainly punters could do with something to latch onto after being knocked for six in the first race yesterday as surely as if they had been taking on A.B. de Villiers.

Rock Trip, a horse with about as much form as a blank sheet of paper, led inside the final furlong under Ryan Munger to score by a neck at 55-1 with barely a rand on her. To add insult to financial injury odds-on favourite Happy Girl, who could manage no better than fourth, came from the same stable – that of Candice Bass-Robinson.

She was in Johannesburg to inspect the near 450-horses in the National Two Year Old Sale. Her brother Mark said: “This was a big surprise to us but Rock Trip ran in the wet last time, she didn’t enjoy it at all and finished 16 lengths back seventh of nine. Today the leaders went a hell of a pace and all the fancied horses fell in a hole.”

By Michael Clower