It was only a four-horse contest but Winter Blues put in a tremendous gallop to warm up for Greyville, Saturday, July 7, with an emphatic victory in the Fresh Eyes Communication Handicap at Scottsville yesterday.

“The yard is starting to tick up,” said Louis Goosen whose stable was one of those hard-hit by the now notorious Ashburton virus.

Apprentice-ridden Swakopmund looked the only real danger but he was on the receiving end of a race-riding lesson from the wily Bernard Fayd’Herbe.

As former champion jockey Michael Roberts told his riders, “you are up against one of the best. Let’s see how good you are.” Unfortunately, neither of Kingsmead or Flamboyant could keep up the pace.

There was no malice or anything sinister in Fayd’Herbe letting Winter Blues range up alongside Swakopmund, but it did pressurise young Luke Ferraris to go early, leaving the door open for Winter Blues.

There is not much of Winter Blues in height, but he has filled out into a solid galloper and this was his fifth win from nine outings.

Ferraris was quick to make amends as he made full use of his 4kg claim to steer Miss Calypso to a convincing win in the fourth for Gavin van Zyl with the Duncan Howells-trained Beat It ridden out for second.

Howells has had an extraordinary run of runner-up berths in recent weeks and finally broke his run with Fire Song who was in the last chance saloon after a string of disappointing runs. Always travelling well under Muzi Yeni, the colt looked set for a romp in the park but when the taps were turned on, the water was slow to flow. “I was going so easy, I thought I would win by five or six (lengths), I think he needs gelding,” said Yeni bluntly.

Garth Puller is in a rich vein of form and Roman Dancer showed a fine turn of foot to land the card opener. “We fancied him last time,” said the seasoned horseman, “but he got hit over the head, not the best for a two-year-old.”

“He shows a lot of speed, that’s why I kept him to a sprint but I think he will go further.”

Third-placed Pickawinner was well fancied but found the 1000m dash too short. “Muzi said he only pulled him up at the 1400m mark,” said Howells. That’s nearly a full loop of the track.

Gary Rich finally appears to have got to the bottom of Pina Colada who obliged under a vigorous ride from Sherman Brown. Always there or thereabouts, Rich was uncertain as to what the filly’s optimum trip was. “I tried her over sprints and the jockeys told me to go further. I put her over 1400m and they said go back to a sprint. I really didn’t know where I was so just stuck her over a mile. She won well today and I think she will go even further. She has the action of a stayer.”

By Andrew Harrison

The Vaal Standside track meeting tomorrow has some highlights despite falling in the Highveld off season.

Star Of Joburg moved up well over 1600m last time before finding no extra and should enjoy the step down to 1400 in the seventh race, a MR 80 over 1400m. He is an up and coming three-year-old gelding and is the selection. However, the others to include in the PA are Unrehearsed and Sail For Joy. The former has not been disgraced in his last three from 1200m to 1400m and now has his third run after a layoff off a two point lowered merit rating. He won over this trip in December but did over race that day so will need to settle better. Sail For Joy has won four times over this course and distance and won comfortably over this trip on the Inside track last time so can handle a two point merit rated raise. Shortstop and Captain Chips can be included in the Pick 6. Shortstop is an ultra consistent sort and has won twice over course and distance. Captain Chips is ideally suited to 1400m and the only possible concern is his low draw, although this season the high draws have not always been favourable as they were in the past on this track.

The Ashley Fortune-trained Rebel’s Idol in race six is chosen as the best bet although she is not a confident choice. Cape Town racing is the strongest in the country and handicappers from there often arrive in other centres with merit ratings which have been unrealistically suppressed. She is a case in point as she won comfortably on her Highveld debut over 1000m off a 50 merit rating. She has been raised five points and a further concern is the trip of 1200m as she has plenty of pace and has been kept to 1000m for most of her career. However, the Kenilworth 1000m is a tough one and if she can win there she should be able to handle 1200m on the fast Vaal track. For the Pick 6 Virginia Moon and Announcing Rain can be included.

The Fortunes could have a double as Winter Storm, who runs in the last race over 1600m, caught the eye on debut. This What A Winter gelding has a lovely big action and his dam by National Emblem won over 2000m so he should stay the trip. He showed good early pace on debut so the only slight concern is whether he will settle over this step up in trip.

By David Thiselton

The weights for the Vodacom Durban July were released yesterday and the handicappers published them strictly according to the official merit ratings and with compulsory regard for the conditions of the race.

The race has the potential to be a true handicap because there are 19 horses in the handicap (i.e not under sufferance according to official merit ratings).

The older horse Coral Fever  is topweight off a 118 merit rating and the first horse under sufferance is the 107 merit-rated three-year-old Roy Had Enough, who has been the allotted the minimum weight for a three-year-old male of 53kg but in a true handicap would be carrying 52,5kg.

However, the race is unlikely to end up as a true handicap considering the 12-1 fourth favourite with Betting World, Made To Conquer, is 3kg under sufferance off his 102 merit rating and it would be a shock if he were to be excluded from the final field.

Furthermore, a prominent horse on the last July log, the SA Oaks winner Secret Potion, is 2kg under sufferance carrying 52kg off her 102 merit rating.

The 20-1 chance older pair Tilbury Fort and Dark Moon Rising are half-a-kilogram and 1,5kg under sufferance respectively carrying 53kg off their 103 and 101 merit ratings.

Unofficially the best weighted horse has to be the favourite African Night Sky, considering he escaped any merit rating raise when running a close sixth in the Sun Met. He arguably ran to about 122 that day and appeared to escape lightly in his recent easy win in the Cup Trial, where he was raised four points to 112. He has been set to carry 57kg.

Coral Fever will be attempting to emulate Marinaresco, who won with top weight last year.

The three-year-olds look to have an easier task than they have had in recent years with the top-weighted pair being Do It Again and Majestic Mambo, who both carry 54kg. Legislate carried 56kg to victory in 2014, the highest weight a three-year-old has ever carried to victory in the July.

The most prominent three-year-old filly in the race is Fiorella, who is 45-1 in the betting and she has a tough task carrying 53kg, just 1kg less than the best sophomore males.

It should be taken into account there was a six point merit rating raise across the board for all horses in major centres in South Africa in March, so the overall higher merit rating average of this year’s race compared to last year’s does not necessarily mean an increase in class. However, a classy field will nevertheless be lining up and July fever is now rising as rapidly as usual.

By David Thiselton

Featured Image: Coral Fever (JC Photographics)

Charles might have repaid only R50 000 of his staggering R6 million purchase price at Kenilworth yesterday but the way he won – and the acceleration he produced – suggested that he may yet fulfil the dreams that propelled him to the top of the lists at the 2017 Cape Thoroughbred Yearling Sales.

The big bay certainly attracted plenty of money with the bookmakers and the newcomer was backed from 4-1 to 16-10 favourite. Corne Orffer had him smartly away but, when he fell back to third as the tap was turned on in earnest, those who had put the money down were preparing to tear up their betting slips.

Orffer also thought he was beaten. “I said to myself ‘This is a first-timer and he’s had enough now.’ But I could feel that I still had a horse underneath me. I gave him a crack, he changed legs and took off.”

The crack was more like a tap, and the favourite received a couple more just as gentle, as he made up two lengths with apparent ease to beat All The Sevens by rather more than the length and a quarter margin would suggest. “This is a very smart horse – a real stunner,” was the jockey’s verdict.

The Drakenstein-bred Trippi colt is owned in partnership between Sue Magnier and Mayfair Speculators so, with the latter’s creditors taking a keen interest, it was important to establish that he is still a valuable commodity.

As a result there was some pressure on Brett Crawford who said: “This is a lovely horse with a lovely nature but six furlongs in the mud was a tough test and I didn’t expect him to win like that. It was certainly a very good way to start. There is no rush with him now– and the Langeman comes too soon – so I could think of putting him away for a while.”

Talking of equine values, Dan Katz promptly got out his calculator and worked out that the runner-up had cost only eight per cent of the VAT paid on Charles’s sale price!

Crawford (who won the first three) and his stable jockey were more concerned with the Supabets Maiden Juvenile Fillies 35 minutes later and 3-4 favourite Shamrock Wind not only made all the running but drew further and further away to score by 11 ¼ lengths.

The Captain Al filly’s trainer said: “I thought she would win but not by that far. She was very impressive. She is a light-framed filly and she needs to strengthen up but that will happen in the spring.”

By Michael Clower

Shane Humby scored a double at Scottsville on Sunday and can add to his tally at the same venue today when he runs Moon Bird in the Natal Property Consultants Handicap. The lightly raced gelding has had two runs since a lengthy break and both were on the poly track with blinkers.

Moon Bird reverts to turf this afternoon, the blinker come off and he also steps up in trip in a race that looks tailor-made.

He will however, face strong opposition from The Poet who fell victi

m to Humby’s runner Waywood over course and distance last time out and who franked that form with another success last Sunday.

The Poet has been a touch unfortunate in his last two outings, his first in blinkers. He was decidedly unlucky behind Haylor and last time out, coming from too far back in a slow run race when third behind Waywood and stable companion Burra Boy, who is also in today’s line-up

MJ Byleveld jumps from Burra Boy to The Poet with Kegan de Melo tied to the Dean Kannemeyer yard for the season and he partners marginal favourite Benfontein for his retained yard.

Track & Ball have The Poet at around 33-10 in the market with The Poet around 4-1.

Benfontein put up a smart barrier trial behind stable companion Meryl and was probably in need of the outing behind The King Of Random over 1000on the poly. He is likely to prefer this trip.

At longer odds is Tommy Grand who caught the eye in a recent barrier trial and although this trip may be a touch in the short side, Nathan Kotzen has declared blinkers and he could be the joker in the pack.

With top weight Neala and Valedictorian scratched from the opening leg of the PA the field has been trimmed to four runners that could turn into a match race between Winter Blues and Swakopmund. Louis Goosen could have the inside edge here as Swakopmund finished nearly five lengths behind Goosen’s speedy filly Hashtag Strat who has since come out and won again.

Swakopmund has 4kg-claiming Luke Ferraris aboard and earmuffs but that may not be enough to peg back Winter Blues. He is a little horse with a lot of heart and Bernard Fayd’Herbe could be tactically too canny for his younger rival.

To Woo is the only winner in the opening leg of the Pick 6 but Vaughan Marshall’s filly Charge D’Affaires, runner-up in both starts and a beaten 6-10 favourite last time out, can make amends for that defeat. She is currently odds-on with Track & Ball.

Beat It faded out badly in the Allan Robertson but judged on her earlier form, that was a showing way below ability. She stretches to a ‘mile’ this afternoon with current ante-post favourite Mitra Music the filly to beat.

By Andrew Harrison