Seasoned rider Gunter Wrogemann is riding at the peak of his abilities, cracking his century of winners for the season at Greyville on Wednesday, but even he would admit that all the cards fell his way as perennial runner-up Surcharge got it all right in the in the Daily News 2000 at Greyville yesterday.

Runner-up in all three legs of the Highveld Triple Crown when he arrived at the door just after the bell rang for ‘time gentlemen please’, many pundits suggested that the short Greyville straight would find him out. It didn’t and his odds for next month’s Vodacom Durban July will be slashed by the time you read this this morning.

Paul Peter had a plan, and it nearly payed off, but it also played into the hands of Wrogemann and Surcharge as the pair sliced through the field to win smartly.

“We had a bit of luck in running. I got a clear run up the outside,” said Wrogemann.

“He’s been a pressure horse and has not had the best of draws but I feel for Piere (Strydom who missed the ride through injury) he doesn’t help you at all.”

An emotional Stuart Pettigrew labelled him, “the best horse he has ever trained and ever will train and he will be an even better horse as a four-year-old.”

Surcharge is currently fourth place on the provisional Vodacom Durban July log.

Brandon Lerena ensured that there was no repeat of the Woolavington crawl, run earlier and will have given Hong Kong viewers a taste of South Africa racing, and set good fractions aboard Alssakhra for Majestic Mambo to chase.

“I could have been a little closer,” said Callan Murray. A bit of an understatement considering that he turned for home last. “But the pace was a good one, we just couldn’t get there.”

“Every chance,” summed up Bernard Fayde’Herbe who set favourite Do It Again alight before the field even came off the false rail.

Fourth placed Tap O’ Noth saw out the trip but will miss the July. “Champions Cup”, said Vaughan Marshall.

Do It Again loomed dangerous for a few strides but came up empty over the final furlong leading one seasoned race watcher to comment, “It was a flat run. Believe me, you have to take notice of a second run after a lay-off.”

Do It Again may have been something of a disappointment and earlier Justin Snaith and all the connections were made to sweat bullets as Oh Susanna was made to work extraordinarily hard for her victory in the Woolavington 2000, a race she was expected to doddle.

A possible lack of match practice and a clever ride from Muzi Yeni on runner-up Fiorella who turned the race into sprint for home, almost saw the favourite undone.

Yeni slowed the pace to a crawl before turning the stretch run into a sprint and although Grant van Niekerk was quick to challenge, the diminutive Fiorella refused to go away. In a neck and neck duel, Fiorella tried hard to emulate her victory in the Daisy Guineas but Oh Susanna kept finding to ward off the challenge by a half-length – not what most expected.

“She did it the hard way,” commented a relieved Snaith.

“She looked beaten 200m out and probably needed a prep run. It was a tremendous effort on her part.”

Oh Susanna’s participation in the Vodacom Durban July is still up in the air and stable spokesperson Jono Snaith again warned that it was 50/50 whether she would take her chances. “We have been careful to warn the public that she is not certain to run – we don’t want them to ‘do’ their money.

“She doesn’t have anything left to prove and a decision will be taken by Gaynor (Rupert) and Drakenstein.”

An overseas campaign is not an option. “I can’t even get her to Cape Town,” quipped Justin, referring to African Horse Sickness and quarantine.

Lady In Black was a close-up third, at one stage threatening to pass all, but could just not close the deal.

The defeat of Do It Again put a damper on what would have been a memorable day for the Snaith yard after stable companions Made To Conquer and Strathdon fought a titanic struggle in the Gr3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup, the two pulling many lengths clear of the opposition. Van Niekerk on Strathdon appeared to lose his compass as he leaned on Made To Conquer all the way up the straight but Richard Fourie didn’t panic and fended him off to win well in the end.

Made To Conquer will now take his place in the July and Strathdon the Gold Cup.

“He’s done all we have asked of him,” said Jono Snaith of Made To Conquer. “He’s won his last four starts and deserves his place. Strathdon’s our Gold Cup horse.”

By Andrew Harrison

The Turffontein Inside track stages a low key eight race meeting on Sunday and the highest rated race is a fillies and mares 92 Handicap over 1000m in which topweight Frederico’s Dream will benefit from the 4kg claim of up and coming apprentice Luke Ferraris.

This Gimmethegreenlight filly is blessed with a lot of pace and her low draw of two should allow her to be handy or in front, although Ferraris also has the option of sitting behind the pace as he has the speedy Levi Lady on his inside and the speedy Kissable is drawn wide. She has the ability to kick so should be suited to this tight track and is made the best bet of the day on a tricky card. Kissable bounced back to her best last time and her excellent pace will also suit this tight track as long as she does not have to be used up too much to overcome a wide draw. If all of the speedsters fade in the final stages then Opera could pick up the pieces as she has been consistently close up and has a fair draw. Frederico’s Dream has been made a PA banker but those mentioned might have to be included in the Pick 6 along with Levi Lady, Memphis Belle, La Bella Mia and Image Reward.

The other PA banker is Fariha in the first leg. This rangy type has a lot of scope for improvement and found no extra last time over this 1600m course and distance from a wide draw. She has a better draw this time and can make amends.

In the second leg of the PA and first leg of the Pick 6 Imperial Quest has been expensive to follow but in this uninspiring field should go close. First-timer Rescue is the most interesting runner here as this R400,000 Crusade gelding is a half-brother to Gold Cup winner Wild One.

The Jackpot could be the best bet of the day.

In the first leg Nawaasi should improve over this 1400m trip and Milesend and Regal Girl should be enough as back ups if he fluffs his lines.

The next leg is a stayers race. These events can produce bomb results, but Ali Bon Dubai is a progressive sort who might be eyeing feature events so connections will want him to win this to get his merit rating up. Let It Rain is the best weighted horse and relished going to the front last time in his first run for this new yard. However, he likely has bigger fish to fry, so Walter Smoothie, who ran well in the SA Derby can be included. Inn A Million, Cool Chardonnay and Girl On The Run can also be considered.

Helios and The Rising Legend can fight out the next leg as two up-and-coming sorts.

The final leg of the Pick 6 is wide open and players are advised to go as wide as possible.

By David Thiselton

Aldo Domeyer could be in for a bonanza at Kenilworth tomorrow when five of his eight mounts are favourites.

Twice last year he rode six winners at the Cape Town course and, while that would be pushing it, he could win on all five market leaders. He starts off with his best – and shortest-priced – prospect, More Magic, who had the third nearly eight lengths back when running better fancied stable companion Russet Air close a fortnight ago. None of the opposition in the Maiden Juvenile Plate has done anything like that.

The opposition is also short of achievement 35 minutes later but Domeyer is on a newcomer, the Trippi filly Bella Summer.  “She is a nice filly but not very ready. It depends how green she is,” says Candice Bass-Robinson but, with the stable’s two-year-olds so strong this season and no Ramsden or Marshall opposition, the 5-2 chance gets preference over the Justin Snaith 15-10 favourite Valderrama whose form so far is nothing to get excited about it.

After Glow, Domeyer’s mount in race three, is 11-10 favourite with World Sports Betting and that looks too short for what she showed on her Durbanville debut. However Domeyer’s mounts for Adam Marcus often deliver and she may have come on enough.

Some shrewd punters have done well betting against Snaith two-year-olds this season but Domeyer hasn’t ridden many of them and in the 1 400m maiden (race four) 3-1 favourite Black Indy holds obvious danger Black Sail, Red Shift and Giant Flag. Seattle Kid could be a big threat.

What A Summer (9-2) looks a bit unlikely in the next where Spectra Force is taken to come out on top.  Greg Cheyne’s mount has finished second in his last three starts and this is the third consecutive race in which he is running off the same mark.

Two-year-olds take on the older horses in handicaps for the first time in Cape Town this season in the Supabets Handicap and Joey Ramsden aims to strike with 22-10 shot Montego Bay. But, if things are going well for Domeyer by this stage, that relentless – seemingly unstoppable – driving may well be enough to get Dalibhunga home in front.

However Pen-Chan is only a 10-1 shot in the Interbet Handicap and the Ramsden juvenile Tarsus (3-1) may beat 5-2 favourite Bwana.

The last race, though, looks another for the jockey of the hour as 22-10 favourite Elegancia has not been raised for last time’s close second.

By Michael Clower

Do It Again, current ante-post favourite for the Vodacom Durban July (VDJ), can cement his place at the top of the boards with victory in the Daily News 2000 at Greyville tomorrow.

He takes on a high-class field but Justin Snaith is bullish about his charge’s chance in the Grade 1 event over 2000.

Speaking to David Thiselton earlier in the week, Snaith said it would be hard for the horses that Do It Again beat in the Gr 2 Daisy Guineas to reverse form as this was “his trip.” Snaith added, “He is doing well and everything has gone according to plan. He is spot on. It’s very competitive and very good horses are taking part, I will be particularly interested to see how Tap O’ Noth runs as he is a high quality horse.”

However, if Do It Again does fluff his lines, there will be some major changes in the market and this year’s renewal looks particularly strong.

Pack Leader was strongly fancied to win the WSB 1900 but a suspected attack of colic saw him scratched at the 11^th hour. He made a quick recovery however, and Glen Kotzen said he had not suffered any ill effects. Third behind stable companion Eyes Wide Open and Do It Again in the Investec Cape Derby, Pack Leader made a smart local debut when beaten a short head by the older Head Honcho in the Sledgehammer Stakes at Scottsville in what was a slow-run race and that outing should have brought him on nicely.

Snaith was particularly worried about the challenge from Top O’ Noth and Vaughan Marshall is quietly confident of his charge. Earlier in the week Marshall commented; “He is doing exceptionally well at the moment and I think he is a very big runner. You will see a vastly different performance this time.”

“In the Guineas he was drawn towards the inside, came up the worst going and got sand in his face – the next day both his eyes were closed. But I was happy with the way he finished in that race.”

That said, Do It Again came from last to first in a matter of strides and was extending at the line.

Surcharge was the ‘Alydar’ of the Highveld Triple Crown races, finishing second in all three legs, although to different horses. There is no doubting that Stuart Pettigrew’s colt is right up there with the best but he does take an extraordinary long time to wind up and the short Greyville straight could find him out.

White River and Like A Panther are both VDJ entries but do look held on current form.

Do It Again looks the right one and taken to get home ahead of Pack Leader.

Oh Susanna became the first three-year-old filly to win the Met in over a century and will be in warm order for the Woolavington 2000 where she is by far the highest rated filly in the race.

Snaith said the crack in her heel, which forced her to miss the Daisy Guineas, had grown out and he reckoned she would be at her best come Saturday. He concluded, “She is doing well and is fit and ready.”

Fresh in Snaith’s memory will be the defeat of his hot favourite Snowdance in the Daisy Fillies Guineas where Fiorella turned the screws inside the final furlong and went on to a head victory.

Fiorella is in opposition and Duncan Howells will again send out an extremely fit horse. “I don’t know if we can beat Oh Susanna,” said Howells. “But she has not been out since the Met in late January so that may be a chink in her armour.”

Howells supplemented Fiorella for the VDJ after her Fillies Guineas win and in her only previous attempt beyond a mile she finished a 1,55 length fourth in the SA Fillies Classic over 1800m at Turffontein. However, Howells said she had still needed that run as a yard virus had interrupted her preparation and she had consequently been scratched from her intended build-up race. He otherwise reckoned she could have won the race.

Snaith has a strong chance of a feature race treble his two fancied runners, Made To Conquer and Strathdon, doing duty in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup.

By Andrew Harrison

The Duncan Howells-trained Fiorella downed the Justin Snaith-trained big gun Snowdance in the Grade 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas and she will now be attempting a giant-killing double when she takes on the Snaith-trained Sun Met winner Oh Susanna in Saturday’s Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville.

Fiorella galloped under Muzi Yeni this week and Howells said the jockey had returned saying it was an exceptional work out.

Yeni is replacing injured Anton Marcus.

Howells said the Captain Al filly had come on from the Daisy Fillies Guineas and was very well indeed at present.

She will relish the step up in trip, being out of Caesour mare Arcola, who won the SA Oaks as well as the Grade 3 Caradoc Gold Cup over 2850m.

In her only previous attempt at beyond a mile she finished a 1,55 length fourth in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic over 1800m at Turffontein. However, Howells said she had still needed that run as a yard virus had interrupted her preparation and she had consequently been scratched from her intended build up race. He otherwise reckoned she would have won the SA Fillies Classic.

Howells mentioned Australian-bred Big Brown gelding Who Says as the best of his others on the day.  He said this three-year-old would relish the step up in trip to 2000m and he gave him an each-way chance.

By David Thiselton