The Vaal Outside track stages a nine race meeting tomorrow and punters should take note of any draw bias in the early events as it has been unpredictable at this venue recently.

The best bet comes in the second race where the R4 million filly Frankly by Frankel faces an uninspiring field over 1200m. She made a good debut behind the subsequent Grade 2 Golden Slipper runner up Mazari. She then disappointed in two features but now has her first run for the in-form grandfather-grandson combination of Ormond and Luke Ferraris. Vega Vox could be the chief threat. She lost a length on debut over 1000m and was then green but was doing her best work late. Being by Noble Tune she will relish the step up in trip and can reverse form with Seneca Falls, who was just ahead of her in that last race but had a clearer passage and was being caught late.

Luke Ferraris

The first leg of the PA over 1000m is the highest rated race and should be fought out by Winter’s Forge and Queen Laurie, who are the best in at the weights in this fillies and mares Conditions Plate. Winter’s Forge is more reliable so can be made a PA banker. Queen Laurie has more ability but is a quirky sort who costs herself sometimes at the start and needs to settle behind cover to show her best.

Casual Wear is chosen as a banker in the first leg of the Pick 6, but this is only because the Pick 6 has many difficult legs and a banker has to be chosen somewhere. It is always risky to select a filly having her first run out of the maidens in a handicap, especially a young three-year-old merit rated above 80. However, the form of some of her maiden runs, such as a 2,1 length second to subsequent Grade 1 Allan Robertson winner Mighty High, is good and the form of her maiden win has worked out very well indeed. Ideally Ilha Da Var and the first-time blinkered Queen Of War should also be included in the Pick 6 but this will cut the percentages a lot.

Mount Keith is a potential banker in the first leg of the Jackpot considering the ease with which he won last time. However, he was scratched from his last intended start on July 26 with an abnormal temperature and does face a six point merit rated raise so there are a couple of concerns. Beyond him it is wide open and just about the whole field has to be included.

In the sixth race Seventh Rule is a most interesting runner with a 4kg claimer up. He has a lot of pace and kept going recently in his maiden over 1400m to hold on. He now has a 4kg claimer up and will likely attempt to gallop them into the ground, but it is debatable whether he will see out the trip. Darkest Hour will be a big threat as he showed a return to form last week when going close over 1400m and his close up finish in the Dingaans is the stand out bit of form in this race. Punters should consider going wider than those two though.

The seventh is another tough race. Big Myth, an easy winner of a weak maiden last time, has scope for further improvement and is taken to beat Sovereign Reign, who has always been well regarded and is in fine form but he has to prove he stays the trip. Others like Front Rank, Colonel Bogey and Wildlife Safari will have to be considered too,

The eighth over 1600m looks to be a straight fight between two horses who should enjoy the step up in trip, Royal Future and Hot Chocolate.

The last leg of the Pick 6 is tough despite being a maiden. Tripple Z and Peapack should both do well. The one with the best form is Proud Dynasty, who is another Cape Town horse to join the Ashley Fortune yard. However, he has reportedly bled twice and returns from a layoff. Therefore Power Of Place, Ready To Strike and possibly others will also have to be included in the exotics.

By David Thiselton

Sean “Woer-woer Masjien” Singleton” and Neil Patrick Smith have been “living a dream” with their stalwart stayer Hermoso Mundo and are grabbing “a once in a lifetime opportunity” with both hands and sending the gelding to race in Dubai.

The other part-owners of the six-year-old Ideal World gelding are NC Smith, GD Cahn, G Morris and W Volschenk.  

Hermoso Mundo (Candiese Marnewick)

Current trainer Weiho Marwing will hand over the reins to Mike de Kock but the former will be on hand for consultation and will remain very much involved.

Hermoso Mundo’s chief target will be the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup run over 3200m on turf at the World Cup meeting on March 30, 2019, at Meydan racecourse.

The prize money for this race has been raised to US$ 1.5 million for its 2019 renewal.

Hermoso Mundo made history in the 2016/2017 season when landing the unofficial stayer’s triple crown, winning the Gold Bowl, the Gold Vase and the Gold Cup, and he was duly crowned Equus Champion Stayer.

Singleton’s colourful victory war cry, which ends with the words “jou woer-woer-woer masjien!” became a much-looked forward to aside during last year’s SA Champions Season. Furthermore, the story of Smith, his opponent and an umpire huddled together on a tennis court in Germany watching the Gold Vase on a laptop, after the former had requested a break in play in a tennis tournament match, was one of the most heart-warming tales of the season.

Hermoso Mundo was a gallant runner up nine days ago in the defence of his Gold Cup crown.

“It was heartbreaking to come second after he had come from so far back,” reflected Singleton and Smith, “but It’s My Turn was a deserving winner. Based on that run we have decided to send him overseas. He is an out and out stayer and there is nothing really for him here. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we have to do it. We believe he will do very well there and Mike thinks he will do ok. We are very happy to be going with Mike as he is an absolute champion trainer. It’s very exciting. He is by Ideal World so can still run for a few years and can race in other countries. If he does well we can expand and wouldn’t mind going to Australia for the Melbourne Cup. There are lot of other races for him in Australia too. There are some beautiful turf tracks with long straights overseas. Whatever happens we are going to have some fun. It’s a dream.”

Hermoso Mundo was on his way to Cape Town last Thursday. The Kenilworth quarantine station is the first leg of an arduous five month journey to Dubai, which goes via Mauritius and Europe.

By David Thiselton

Aldo Domeyer, forced to give up his rides at Durbanville on Saturday, aims to be back this week after picking up an infection following his hectic 18-winner 11-day Cape championship chase.

Captain America

He said on Saturday: “I think all that travelling caught up with me. I am on antibiotics and I am trying to get some rest.”

Rest is what Champions Cup winners Captain America and Sail South will have from now on. Both have been retired.

Brett Crawford said: “Sail South has gone to his owners (Nigel and Jenny Pott plus Gill Dempsey) in Plettenberg Bay while Captain America will go to the Steenberg Golf Estate.”

There has been surprise in some quarters that Captain America, so clearly at the top of his game, has not been kept in training for a further season.

Crawford said: “He won so well that he could have done but personally I think it is fantastic that he has gone out at the top. He has won three Group 1s and he has had the weight of the stable on his shoulders for four of the last six years.”

Stable companion Lady Of The House, winner of last year’s Woolavington, is apparently destined for a new career as a broodmare. She was due to be sold by Mayfair Speculators at the recent Central Route Trading Sale but was withdrawn beforehand. According to sales boss Grant Knowles, she was purchased by Ridgemont.

By Michael Clower

Richard Fourie intends going for the championship if he is within striking distance of the leaders in the last few months of the season.

He rode a four-timer at Durbanville on Saturday to add to his double at the country course last Wednesday and said: “My target is 200 winners and the championship depends on the support I get. I am riding freelance – I am not retained by the Chrigor Stud (still his sponsor) this season – but, if I need to give it a little bit extra at the end, I will.”

With Grant van Niekerk on his way to Hong Kong, Fourie is much in demand from Snaith Racing which has supplied all his six winners so far and Chris Snaith remarked: “Richard is always worth a length or two.”

Richard Fourie (Liesl King)

The most significant, and certainly the shortest-priced, of Saturday’s four was Frank Lloyd Wright who weakened from a prohibitive 1-5 to 1-3 for the TAB Telebet Maiden. The Captain Al colt made most of the running in the distinctive Qatar Racing colours with his rider doing little more in the final furlong than twice looking back for what proved to be non-existent dangers.

“He has a good future,” said Fourie. “He is a couple of lengths behind the best but he had the experience and he won like it. He gave me a good feel.”

But punters and racegoers alike are apparently going to have to wait a bit. “We have raced him a little more than we would have liked so we will now ease up on him and put him away for the Cape summer season,” said Jonathan Snaith.

“He is a class horse and hopefully the best is still to come. He is possibly a Guineas horse and he qualifies for the R5 million CTS Mile. But his performance here tells you how impressive the Langerman winner One World was. He gave us a galloping lesson and I think he is definitely the Guineas favourite at the moment.”

The Vaughan Marshall colt gave Frank Lloyd Wright 4kg in the Langerman and beat him by more than five lengths. On the other hand Black Indy, beaten seven and a half lengths into fourth, did little for the form when managing only three lengths-plus third to More Magic in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden 40 minutes later.

What is more the Candice Bass-Robinson winner had had five previous attempts, admittedly from a series of wide draws. The colt was ridden by Stuart Randolph who flew in to substitute for the sidelined Aldo Domeyer and recalled that on his only previous visit in the last five years racing had been washed out.

Liam Tarentaal, 20, signalled his arrival in Cape Town by springing a 50-1 shock on the Eric Sands newcomer Bellingham Bay in the first. The 2.5kg claimer has moved from Durban, had four rides here last Wednesday and this was the 21^st success of his career.

Greg Ennion proved, not for the first time, that winners can still be bought cheaply when the Donovan Dillon-ridden Parisian Gold got up inside the last 100m of the 2 400m maiden.

“I bought him with the only bid of ten grand at the Ready To Run,” Ennion related. “He was a huge backward horse and his sire Biarritz was not fashionable but I liked him. He has taken for ever to come to hand but I think he will now go on from this and I have turned down an offer of R130 000 for him.”

By Michael Clower

The folly of backing first timers, especially three-year-olds against older horses this early in the season, was driven home at Scottsville yesterday as hot favourite Mela Stregata came up a nose short in the opening maiden.

A year older and racing in blinkers for the first time, Tuulikki was the first of a quick hat-trick for Garth Puller as Mandla Ntuli kept his mount going just long enough to hold off the favourite.

“She has been disappointing,” said Puller of Tuulikki. Blinkers, declared after the publication of the official form guides, appeared to have done the trick.

Anton Marcus, who got home in the next two races for Puller, was nonplussed. “I got beaten on my best ride,” he said after winning comfortably aboard the first timer, but four-year-old Mashari in the third.

“She was green and hanging in,” said beaten trainer Duncan Howells of Mela Stregata. “She will also need further.”

Marcus was made to work just as hard on the odds-on favourite Dyno Man. The grey looked a beaten horse 50m out as Merlin From Berlin tried for a bit of magic, but Marcus pulled out all the stops and Dyno Man rallied gamely for the win. He’s a horse that looks as if he will go a trip as this was only his second outing and he only got into gear late.

Mashari, coming of two barrier trials, was also send out odds-on for the third but was hard-pressed at the death to hold off the attentions of Wildly In Love, the runner-up a little unlucky as she took a knock out of the pens and then the scenic route home.

It’s been nearly a year between drinks for World Mission but Keagan De Melo got the better of his wayward tendencies in the Sikalele Projects Handicap although he was all over the place in the drive for the wire. “He’s not the easiest,” said De Melo of Dean Kannemeyer’s gelding. “He’s looking for a trip but doesn’t settle.”

“He has ability but hasn’t brought it all to the racecourse yet.”

De Melo eased punters pain when getting favourite Ronnie Rocket home for Pat Lunn in the Just Property Handicap after 25-1 shot Komeshans Flight under apprentice Eric Ngwane for Yogas Govender lead to a boil-over in the exotics.

Warren Kennedy, successful for Kom Naidoo in Kimberley on Saturday, has got his season off to a cracking start, successful on Bangkok in the fifth who Gavin van Zyl feels “still has a lot to learn”, and then riding a driving finish on Just Vogue to get the better of Gratuity in the Wayne’s Scrap Metal Handicap for a stable double.

Mark Khan is becoming a regular visitor in KZN of late and rounded off the day by getting Shadow Hunter home with a late effort for Lezeanne Forbes.

By Andrew Harrison