Rock My Soul may lack the class of the top two in the Highlands Stud Winter Derby at Kenilworth tomorrow but he is the only horse in the field to have both won over the trip and in soft ground.

With more rain forecast for this evening the race could well turn into a stamina-sapping slog and the Joey Ramsden gelding proved his ability to handle that only ten days ago when his performance saw his rating upped by nine points.

Hopefully the handicappers have interpreted the result correctly – he wouldn’t have had a prayer in this off his old mark – and, if they have, the 4-1 chance has only Ancestry and Doublemint to beat.

Ancestry, also Ramsden-trained and a possible fourth Winter Derby winner for Bernard Fayd’Herbe, has yet to reproduce his good two-year-old form, and has not won or been placed in the soft. But the 11-2 chance has only had one attempt at it and even then it was only yielding which doesn’t really compare with what it will be tomorrow.

Doublemint, 2-1 favourite, is similarly unproven in this ground. The race is his to lose on Winter Classic form, even with his kilo penalty, but he has not raced beyond 1 800m and there has to be a question mark over the final gruelling furlong.

Spring Man, on the other hand, should be in his element by that stage. He has not been further than 2 000m but his sire won over this trip and his dam is by Fort Wood. He was fourth in the Winter Classic and is rated only a kilo below Rock My Soul. Brett Crawford must be quietly fancying his chances of a first Winter Derby with this 4-1 shot.

Justin Snaith, bidding for his third successive Winter Derby, also runs Love Happens who has been backed from 7-1 to 11-2. Richard Fourie’s mount has to still to prove that he goes in the ground but his sire Silvano is an influence for stamina.

Of the others 25-1 chance Pacific Chestnut has won over the trip but has been unplaced in both runs in softish ground. Power Tower (14-1) beat Rock My Soul half a length over 2000m at Durbanville in April but was receiving 4.5kg plus apprentice allowance.

Fresnaye should get the trip in the Winter Oaks but her 7-10 price is prohibitive. The unbeaten One World has to concede two kilos and more in the Langerman and that’s a stiff task in this ground. Even so, he is hard to oppose.

Helen’s Ideal may not have beaten anything special when she won on debut four weeks ago but she looked a smart sort and at 6-1 she can beat the big guns in the Irridescence.

Brave Move’s ability to handle the ground is unproven – despite what it says in the Tab sheet – but she still appeals at 5-2 in the Ladies Mile.

By Michael Clower

The Turffontein Standside meeting on Sunday is headlined by three good class Pinnacle Stakes events which are full of interest.

In the 1600m Pinnacle Arctica is well in at the weights and this classy type is also perfectly course and distance suited. He is a handy type who keeps on finding extra and is coming off a good third in the Grade 3 Jubilee Handicap over course and distance in which he stayed on strongly and was a touch unlucky as he had to be steadied at the 300m mark. The main dangers could be the honest sort Pilou, who was beaten just half-a-length by subsequent Jubilee winner Yakeen over course and distance in his last start. Infamous Fox is a three-year-old on the up who is drawn in pole and he could also be involved in the finish.

In the 2400m Pinnacle last year’s Gold Cup winner Hermoso Mundo has his second run after an injury forced layoff. He was staying on strongly last time in the Gold Bowl over 3200m when needing the run and is very well weighted in this race according to official merit ratings. Furthermore, he has the good 4kg claimer Luke Ferraris aboard so will be hard to beat. Kitty’s Destiny was 1,5 lengths ahead of Hermoso Mundo when finishing a 1,5 length third in the Gold Bowl and if apprentice claims are included he is now 6kg worse off. However, he has always struck as a staying type and looks the most likely runner up. Just Cruised in finished second in the Gold Bowl but is 2kg worse off with Kitty’s Destiny for a half-a-length beating.

The 1160m Pinnacle will be the most competitive of the three races. Queen Laurie has speed and class and proved it when running fourth in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m. However, she often starts awkwardly so a lot depends on how well she jumps. She showed in the Computaform she is capable of sitting behind horses and running on strongly. Females are given an allowance in these Pinnacle events so she has a fine chance on paper too. Pure Blonde, coming off a fine fourth place in the Post Merchants, enjoys this course and distance and has a high draw which is usually favourable. Rocky Valley comes off a fourth place in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint and was fifth in the Computaform Sprint so also has a chance. Champagne Haze is the best weighted of the male runners but has to put two disappointing runs behind him, including when more than two lengths behind Queen Laurie and Rocky Valley in the Computaform. Romi’s Boy has speed and can stay on so can never be ignored.

In the next race Premier Show is an up and coming three-year-old who drops back to sprints after failing in his first attempt at a mile in the Grade 2 Daisy Guineas.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 Camel Walk is the one to beat as he bounced back to form earlier in the week and does not face a strong field.

By David Thiselton

National champion trainer Sean Tarry, bidding to win a third Vodacom Durban July, is happy with his three charges but said all of them, Liege, Matador Man and Tilbury Fort, had a single question mark hanging over their heads respectively.

Matador Man has been scratched from the KZN Breeder’s Million Mile, where he was to defend his title, as the owners want to give the July “a serious shot.”

In the case of Liege, Tarry had to change his original preparation plan. He had intended to run him in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m and then do the rest of his July conditioning from his Summerveld satellite yard. However, a local KZN racing rule relating to horses returning from rests prevented him from running in that race. In his previous run at the end of November, he had won the Grade 1 Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m. However, in the end he was forced to have his July preparation in a 1400m event at Turffontein, in which he finished a 12,4 length 9th.

Tarry said, “We were mindful of the fact he was drawn poorly and we didn’t want to use him up so we dropped him out and weren’t going to give him a hard time. He is a staying type who can lead over 2000m, so I am not concerned about it. He has put up pleasing gallops since, the reports from the jockeys have been very good and he is looking good.”

Ironically, Liege ran a below par race in the Victory Moon Stakes before winning the Summer Cup and Tarry confirmed, “Yes he can do that, so on paper that last run looks lacklustre but I am not too phased.”

Raymond Danielson won the Summer Cup aboard Liege so has been given the July ride.

There is no concern about Liege staying the trip. The five-year-old gelding is one of three horses in the race who will attempt to give former July winner Dynasty a second July winner as a sire.

Tarry opted to keep Liege at Randjesfontein to prepare him after the Gold Challenge option fell through.

Stamina is the one concern about Matador Man.

However, Tarry said, “He was running on strongly in the 1900 so that gives confidence he can go a bit further. If he does get the trip he will be finishing strongly.”

This four-year-old Toreador gelding loves Greyville and followed his Million Mile win with a strong-finishing third place finish in last season’s Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m.

Tarry is not concerned by the wide draws of Liege (18) and Matador Man (15), but is concerned by Tilbury Fort’s wide draw (20).

He said, “Tilbury Fort has had the best preparation, he hasn’t put a foot wrong. He has certainly been on the up since gelding and I hope he can improve a bit more. But he is the one about whom I’m most worried about the draw. He can come from off them, but not from last. We will see how it pans out, but he is not the sort you can bustle or hunt for a position. You have to let it unfold smoothly with him.”

This four-year-old by Horse Chestnut ran in last year’s July and finished a six length 14th.

S’Manga Khumalo was aboard Matador Man when he won his penultimate start over 1600m at Turffontein so Tarry has put him back on.

National Champion Jockey elect Lyle Hewitson will stay aboard Tilbury Fort.

Tarry concluded by saying it would have been perfect if Social Order had also got in but he was nevertheless happy with his team of three.

By David Thiselton

A bumper crowd turned out on a chilly Durban morning to watch the Vodacom Durban July gallops and the general consensus after the gallops was, “well we’ve seen the winner, but which one was it?”
The majority of the runners did little more than go through the motions but it did give spectators a close-up preview of their fancies.

Jeff Lloyd was given a rousing welcome by the gallery and Made To Conquer will be a sentimental choice.

Rocket Countdown was first out of the blocks with big race jockey Stuart Randolph aboard and did little more than a steady half-pace.

Ruling favourite African Night Sky is a bull of a horse and will have little trouble lumping the 57.5kg he has been set to carry next Saturday. He did little more than a steady canter but looked in superb condition.

By Richard McMillan

The BMW Politician winner Doublemint has been installed 2-1 favourite to give Justin Snaith his third consecutive winner of the Highlands Stud Winter Derby at Kenilworth on Saturday. Leading Vodacom Durban July contenders Elusive Silva and African Night Sky were the other two.

World Sports Betting also goes 4-1 Rock My Soul and Spring Man, 9-2 Ancestry, 7-1 Love Happens, 14-1 Ballad Of The Sea, Power Tower, 20-1 Cape Extreme, 25-1 Pacific Chestnut and Man About Town.

The Joey Ramsden-trained Fresnaye, who side-stepped the race to stick to her own sex in the Winter Oaks, is odds-on at 13-20 while the unbeaten Vaughan Marshall-trained One World heads the Langerman market at 18-10 and Santa Clara is also 18-10 favourite for the Irridiscence.

Punters have been waiting for Brave Move for the last two months because she keeps winning with something in hand and Aldo Domeyer’s mount is 5-2 favourite to make it five in a row in the Ladies Mile.

BLOB Yesterday’s meeting at Durbanville had to be abandoned shortly after 9.00am following 19mm of rain that left parts of the course waterlogged.

By Michael Clower