Piet Botha trades in his jockey’s licence for a trainer’s one tomorrow and the man who made a comeback as a rider when all seemed lost is intent on making a big success of his new career.

He said: “I have had training in mind for some time and I have Barn Nine with 33 boxes in the old section of the Milnerton Training Centre where trainers like Dean Kannemeyer, Dan Katz, Billy Prestage and Ronnie Sheehan are also based.”

Botha, 41, was forced to hang up his boots after a bad fall at Summerveld in 2010 caused a broken rib and endless pain that led to his being medically boarded with apparently-permanent nerve damage.

He had a string of Grade 2 and 3 winners to his credit (plus two Grade 1s in Mauritius) including the Green Point and Matchem on Roman Charger, the Peninsula Handicap (Dunford), the Chairman’s Cup, Odessa, Sceptre and two J & B Reserve Stayers.

He began a new career developing a coffee-machine business but the lure of the turf never left him and he returned in April last year to ride for Glen Puller. He has ridden 14 winners since then – Jay Rock being the first and last of them – and has also worked as Puller’s assistant.

He said: “The nerve damage was alright when I resumed race-riding but then it started playing up and it has been causing me problems for quite a while now.”

He passed the trainers’ exam at the first attempt (“although it wasn’t easy, I can tell you!”) and he is keen to build up his string from its present nine horses.

By Michael Clower

Sean Tarry scored the first Grade 1 winner for the promising new sire Pomodoro on Saturday through Thekwini Stakes winner Return Flight and this was fitting as Pomodoro not only won Tarry his first Vodacom Durban July but his dam Golden Apple, bred by Sean’s brother Mark, also provided him with his first Graded winner.

Pomodoro also once recovered from death’s doorstep, so his life has been the stuff of fairytales.

Tarry said, “People forget how well our South African-bred stallions have done. You only have to look at Jet Master (seven times National Champion Sire). Pomodoro was a champion racehorse and is by Jet Master, his dam Golden Apple was a champion broodmare and her sire Northern Guest was a champion broodmare sire, he has every box ticked to be a very successful stallion.”

Furthermore, Pomodoro, like one of history’s greatest stallions, Danzig, is a direct descendant of the 1860 born mare Old Orange Girl, who was a half-sister to the first British Triple Crown winner, West Australian.

Tarry pointed out too that Pomodoro’s progeny were likely to be good three-year-olds and then train on from there, as Pomodoro did himself.

“And here they are doing well at two, which is phenomenal,” he said.

He added, “Pomodoro got good numbers in his first two seasons but received very little quality. Now that he has done what he had to do it would be nice to see him get some quality.”

Pomodoro’s dam Golden Apple was sent to the sales. Sean’s opinion was she was a bit on the small side and should be let go and Mark had agreed. However, in the back of Mark’s mind was her beautiful balance and on the spur of the moment, after she had passed her reserve, he bought her back. It was an inspired decision. She grew into a medium sized filly and provided Sean with his first ever Graded winner less than two years after he had taken out his trainer’s license. She got up by half-a-length under Anthony Delpech to win the Grade 2 Gosforth Park Fillies Guineas at odds of 9/2 in March 1999. She later finished a half-a-length second in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville and Sean felt if had not been so early in his career she would have done even better. The precocity of Pomodoro’s progeny this season might stem from Golden Apple’s influence as she was placed in two stakes races as a two-year-old.

Golden Apple, who is deceased, went on to become an Equus Champion Broodmare. All eight of her runners have been winners and she has produced four stakes horses.

History was to repeat itself as Pomodoro, Golden Apple’s fifth foal, was sent to the sales by her breeder Chris van Niekerk.

“We were in two minds, so put a reserve of R1 million on him at the National Yearling Sales and bought him back for about R650,000,” recalled Tarry.

Pomodoro, which means tomato in Italian, took a while to develop so didn’t run as a two-year-old despite being taken down to Durban. He spent the first part of his three-year-old career in Tarry’s satellite yard at Summerveld and after finishing second on debut over 1200m at Scottsville he won his next two starts over 1600m, including the Listed Guineas Trial at Clairwood. His first Graded win was in the Grade 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes over 1450m at Turffontein.

Tarry said, “People didn’t realise how good he was, he was unlucky not to win the Grade 1 SA Classic as he was interfered with and when he finally got a clear run he took off and only just failed (by a head) to catch Slumdogmillionaire.”

Pomodoro then won the Grade 1 SA Derby in a dead-heat and after a below par comeback in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000, he won the 2012 July.

In his reappearance he put up two devastating displays to win over 1160m and 1600m at Turffontein.

However, he was required to stay in quarantine at Kenilworth due to the African Horse Sickness protocols and his preparation for the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and Met were consequently “a mess”. He did well to finish third and fourth respectively in those two events.

He then went to KZN and ran a fine third in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

He was declared to race in a tongue tie in the defence of his July crown but ran well below par.

He was sent immediately to the Baker and McVeigh clinic at Summerveld to have a minor procedure performed to solve “intermittent entrapment of the epiglottis”, which is not considered a serious breathing problem.

However, on the way there he kicked out in the float and attained a deep gash from the coronet down to the hoof. A life-threatening Infection set in. After some serious scares the “superbug” was eventually killed by an expensive “super-anti-biotoc” and he pulled through.

He made a comeback in March the following year and had a few more races but was not the same horse, although he did finish third in the Grade 1 Champions Challenge.

He received rave reviews at Klawervlei’s Stallion day when being paraded for the 2015 breeding season and started at a fee of R20,000.

His first crop also includes twice Graded runner up Cirillo and multiple stakes placed Royal Italian.

Tarry said about Return Flight, “She is typical of the family as she has a deep girth and is very athletic. Physically she reminds me of Pomodoro’s half-sister Quest For Gold.”

He added, “We were pretty confident on Saturday although I was not confident Greyvile was the right track, I definitely think she will be better at Turffontein.”

Her target for the season will be the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara series of races.

Meanwhile, Pomodor’s service fee is now R12,000 which could prove to be a bargain.

By David Thiselton

Dean Kannemeyer, Anton Marcus and It’s My Turn were the headlines in another day of history-making at Greyville on Saturday and Mike de Kock, Brett Crawford, Sean Tarry and Mike Azzie were a line of stars among the supporting acts.

There were plenty of talking points and the handicappers were criticised by more than a few for their lenient treatment of It’s My Turn.

The Vodacom Durban July and the eLan Gold Cup are traditionally Durban’s two biggest races, despite the latter having been downgraded to a Grade 3, and Marcus became the first rider since Robbie Hill in 1999 to do the July-Gold Cup double in the same year.

Hill’s double was on the Geoff Woodruff-trained 14/1 shot El Picha and the Pat Shaw-trained 8/1 chance Place Of Gold. Marcus did it with the Justin Snaith-trained 9/1 shot Do It Again and the Kannemeyer-trained 26/10 favourite It’s My Turn.

In the year which marked the 100^th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth it was somewhat ironic that Marcus broke a 27 year drought in the Gold Cup, his only other win in the country’s most prestigious staying race having come in 1991 aboard Icona.

Icona was the last topweight to win the race and although It’s My Turn was half-kilogram off topweight on Saturday the 59,5kg on his back is the biggest weight ever carried to victory in the Gold Cup.

It was Kannemeyer’s third Gold Cup victory and probably his most satisfying as his five-year-old Dynasty gelding completed a staying race treble in the space of five weeks, although he appeared to have been given some help by the handicappers.

It’s My Turn, owned by Fred Crabbia, won the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby for Justin Snaith as a three-year-old and his first run for Kannemeyer, at Scottsville on 28 February this year in the Fever Tree Handicap over 1400m, followed a seven month layoff. In his next start he ran an excellent, close-up third in the Kings Cup over 1600m. However, he over-raced in the Betting World 1900 and needed a good win in the Grade 2 Track And Ball Oaks over 2400m at Scottsville to book his place in the July. He duly delivered that requirement but the final field panelists decided the field has been to weak to justify a July berth.

The handicappers were of the same mind as they made the surprise decision to drop him two points for the win to a merit rating of 106. He still had to race off his old 108 merit rating in the Grade 3 Gold Vase over 3000m on July day as the weights had already been set, but he once again won easily. He could have feasibly been raised to a 109 merit rating for the win if runner up Flichity By Farr had been used as the line horse but instead the handicappers decided to keep him unchanged on 106. This was particularly surprising in light of the ease of his two victories and furthermore they were also his first two attempts at staying distances.

Some of the other trainers believed they had now been given a mountain to climb to beat It’s My Turn, especially as the Gold Cup is a compressed handicap, which thereby favours the horses at the top of the weights. They were proven correct, although this should not detract from the fine training feat by Kannemeyer. It’s My Turn had in fact not won a race since the Cape Derby, so the gifted Cape Town trainer has turned his career around in one season.

Last year’winner Hermoso Mundo ran a gallant second and the talented but somewhat frustrating Wild Wicket was a revelation in third. Strathdon proved his staying class by running fourth and Made To Conquer ran on well for fifth despite carrying topweight and having come off a tough runner up finish in the July.

Earlier, De Kock joined Terrance Millard when clinching a South African record-equalling 117^th career Grade 1. His Australian-bred colt Soqrat by Epaulette is owned and bred by Sheik Hamdan and was highly impressive in the Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m under Randall Simons, defeating Australian-bred stable companion Alyaasaat, also owned and bred by Sheik Hamdan, by two lengths.

Tarry had an equally satisfying win earlier in the day when Return Flight won the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m under Anton Marcus as it provided first season sire Pomodoro with his first Grade 1 win. Tarry trained Pomodoro to July victory and the family of this horse was one of the foundations upon which he has built his championship-winning yard.

Later the Crawford-trained stalwart Captain America bowed out with a third career Grade 1 victory in the Champions Cup over 1800m under Corne Orffer. He will now retire to a plot next door to the property of one of the owners Lance Sherrell.

Azzie scored in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint as the six-year-old Imperial Stride gelding Will Pays, who often flies under the radar, galloped home under Craig Zackey, albeit from a good draw. Second and third-placed Attenborough and Trip To Heaven flew from the back of the field to be beaten just a length and 1,25 lengths respectively.

Duke Of Marmalade scored his first Graded success in South Africa when the Glen Kotzen-trained Temple Grafin won the Grade 3 Debutante over 1200m under Richard Fourie and the Tarry-trained Trippi colt Chimichuri Run was impressive when winning the Grade 3 Umkhomazi over 1200m under S’Manga Khumalo.

The practice of using visiting commentators for big races might end after two incorrect calls were made in the Gold Cup and Champions Cup. Greyville is known by callers to be a particularly difficult course to call at in fading light or under floodlights due to its inner city location and the consequent effect of the surrounding lights and when faced with a big field of unfamiliar colours this task becomes particularly onerous.

By David Thiselton

From the highs of four Grade 1 races and the R1.25 million eLan Gold Cup, it’s back to bread-and-butter racing at Greyville this evening where the card is headed by a lowly MR 80 Handicap.

A Monday night meeting for Greyville is out of the ordinary but with Gold Circle part of an international agreement to provide race meetings to fit the international programme, it was at the behest of France that this meeting was scheduled.

No matter, it’s a chance for punters to either capitalise on Saturday’s winnings or make up on losses and the horse to do it for them could be Dynasty’s Boy in the Durban View Restaurant Handicap.

Dean Kannemeyer signed off this term with It’s My Turn winning the eLan Gold Cup on Saturday and Dynasty’s Boy can properly round of his season that ends tomorrow.

Dynasty’s Boy is a lightly raced gelding and has been up against strong company in his two starts since shedding his maiden. His last run came in MR 90 company after a four-month break. With that run under his girth, blinkers on for the first time over what should be a more suitable trip, he could be too much of a handful for the current ante-post favourite Fieldmarshal Fenix.

Apprentice Luke Ferraris is one of the bright stars on the horizon and booted home another treble at Turffontein yesterday, two for his grandfather Ormond who is a notoriously difficult taskmaster.

Fieldmarshal Fenix is long overdue a third win and Sean Tarry’s runner was a neck back in second to Trippi’s Girl over course and distance last time out.

He does get the 2.5kg claim from Ferraris but on the balance of probabilities, Dynasty’s Boy should have more improvement to come than this seasoned campaigner.

The Dennis Drier yard has had a slew of scratchings over the past week, abnormal blood count being the official reason, so it would appear that the yard has a problem of sorts. However, Escape Club is most unlikely to be a runner in the fifth if she was not cleared fit by a highly professional stable.

She bids for a third straight win from a good draw and could have the measure of Dark Chocolate, narrowly beaten by the useful Pearl Glow last time out, recent winner Zinzara and Pink Cadillac, whose form has panned out well, beaten a length by Escape Club in the maidens and then beating Silver Raisin who herself followed up with a six-length romp.

Duncan Howells has booked young Ferraris for top weight Barinois in the Soccer 6 Handicap and she caught the eye with a cracking effort behind Kilmokea at Scottsville last time out. She takes on males here but if anything this is a weaker field.

Internet Kid has been expensive to follow but Garth Puller’s charge is sure to come good at some stage after a string of close-up finishes. However, he could find another too good for him in the last of the evening in the form of Robbie Hill’s gelding Final Assembly. He steps up to a mile for the first time after two warm-up sprints and Donovan Dillon, up from Cape Town, has been pencilled in for the ride.

By Andrew Harrison

Watch out Oh Susanna and Snowdance – here I come. Brave Move served notice that she is going to be a force to reckon with in next season’s top fillies races by making it six off the reel in the Final Fling Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday.

The Armitage-bred Horse Chestnut filly didn’t just win either. She overcame early interference as if it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, swept to the front a furlong out and after one tap with the whip she literally coasted home.

“She deserves a rest now but she will be back to take on the big guns next season,” said a justifiably well-satisfied Adam Marcus. “She will have a couple of prep runs before the obvious races like the Paddock Stakes and the Majorca.

“She has improved since her last win in the Ladies Mile and the way she finished off after being forced wide was sensational. Hats off to Aldo for making the decision to sit up handy and take the race by the scruff of the neck.”

This was the first Final Fling for Domeyer as well as for the evens favourite’s trainer and he reported: “Sometimes horses have a chink in their armour but this one doesn’t seem to. She helps you with everything – she settles after coming out quickly, she has a good turn of foot and I can’t fault her.”

It really wasn’t Joey Ramsden’s day and, while Fresnaye did her best to put up a fight, she was totally outpointed. Like Attenborough in the Mercury Sprint, she had to put up with a gallant second place.

Domeyer has had his best season numerically and he was completing a four-timer to take his tally to 132. He also landed his first Champagne, getting up on the line on Freedom Charter for his boss Candice Bass-Robinson to shade last year’s winner Nordic Breeze.

Goodtime Gal returned to something like her best to take third and will race on as a six-year-old. “She had to check and otherwise she might just have won,” said owner Juan van Heerden.

Domeyer, incidentally, reckons that the first of his quartet, the R3.6 million Var daughter of 2007 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Captain’s Lover, is one to note.

Varsity Lover started 15-10 favourite to make a winning debut in the TAB Telebet Maiden Juvenile and she led inside the final furlong to score with little more pressure than hands and heels.

“I was impressed,” said her jockey. “I had slight reservations beforehand because her gallops were a bit green and this was really too sharp for her. I feel we need to give her one more sprint and then we can go where we want with her.”

Sandile Mbhele, riding for the first time without his 4kg claim, showed he has what it takes to continue his winning streak by making all on the Marcus-trained Prince Alfred in the Supabets Handicap. “If you’ve got the talent and the ability it doesn’t matter about the claim,” said Academy riding master Terrance Welch who should know.

By Michael Clower