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

Vaughan Marshall is keen on the chances of Cape Guineas winner Tap O’Noth in the Daily News at Greyville on Saturday even though the colt has over two lengths to find with Do It Again on Daisy Guineas running and is as big as 17-2 in the betting.

Marshall said: “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 Daisy Guineas M.J. Byleveld’s mount seemed uncharacteristically sluggish in the early stages and had to be pushed along. Some observers put this down to unfamiliarity with the lights.

But Marshall said: “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.”

Do It Again is 5-2 favourite with World Sports Betting which goes 15-4 Surcharge, 13-2 Pack Leader, 7-1 Majestic Mambo, 15-2 White River, 17-2 Tap O’Noth, 14-1 Like A Panther, 20-1 and upwards others.

Bold Respect has been raised seven points to a new merit rating of 118 for his win in last Saturday’s Tsogo Sun Sprint. This puts him above everything else that ran in the race even though he was receiving weight from five of them.

Brett Crawford said: “He could possibly go for the Mercury Sprint on July 28 but there is nothing for him in the meantime.”

Magical Wonderland, put up a point to 111 for finishing second to Sommerlied (up six to 114) in the South African Fillies Sprint, is to stay on in KZN for the time being but may not race.

Candice Bass-Robinson explained: “I can’t bring her back to Cape Town at the moment because of the quarantine regulations. I will play it by ear but the Mercury Sprint would be a big ask for a three-year-old filly.”

By Michael Clower

The Grade 1 Daily News 2000 is the main drawcard at Greyville on Saturday and should be spectacular to watch.

The strapping Twice Over gelding Do It Again showed a fine turn of foot to go from last to first in a matter of strides when winning the Grade 2 Daisy Guineas and he is now drawn in pole over a trip which is even more suitable, considering he stayed on strongly when runner up in the Grade 1 Cape Derby.

The Grade 1 Cape Guineas winner Tap O’ Noth stayed on in the Daisy Guineas for a 2,25 length third. The yard said a line could be drawn through his Cape Derby run when he was clearly not himself. He is by Captain Al but is a half-brother to the Graded-winning stayer Strathdon and they are adamant that this lanky colt will get the trip. Having the rail in the Daisy Guineas did not really suit him, being a rangy type. MJ Byleveld will have options from a draw of three.

Highveld raider Majestic Mambo has a magnificent turn of foot and would have gone close to winning the Grade 1 SA Classic if he had not been badly hampered, as he looked set to scythe through the field. The shocking accident led to leading jockey Anthony Delpech being sidelined. Callan Murray now takes over. Majestic Mambo quickened well from the back in the SA Derby last time under Keagan de Melo but did not see much daylight and was unplaced behind the front-running winner Hero’s Honour. If he gets a better pace and some luck when running on this time he will be a definite contender.

Surcharge, who is full of class, has had shocking luck with draws this season and now has his best draw for a while of five. If his efforts to overcome draws when second in all three legs of the Triple Crown have not taken their toll he will also be a big runner as he relaxes beautifully in the running and stays on powerfully. His regular pilot Piere Strydom is unfortunately sidelined and Gunther Wrogemann takes over.

Pack Leader was considered “unstoppable” going into the Grade 2 WSB 1900 but had to be scratched after showing signs of a slight colic attack on course. This Cape Derby third-placed horse has come on a lot from his runner up spot in the Sledgehammer and the yard have made this race his season’s mission. He is another one who could get into the mix, considering how well he plugged on in the Cape Derby, although Do It Again did fly past him in the closing stages that day, and Pack Leader might prefer a more galloping track or further.

Roy Had Enough loves Greyville and ran a flat race when a decent fifth in the SA Classic, so he is the dark horse of the race as on pedigree he should enjoy the trip and he has a fine turn of foot. He will likely be dropped out from a wide draw.

White River looked like a middle distance type when staying on strongly for a half-a-length second in the Cape Guineas but he has been a touch disappointing since so is interesting having his first run as a gelding.

Like A Panther always looked to be a Derby sort so was disappointing in the SA Derby and he has a bit to find with Do It Again and Pack Leader on Cape Derby form too.

Steel Rose made a bold bid to steal the Cape Derby and should have come on from his last run when slowing dramatically in the WSB 1900, so he could have an outside chance of stealing a place from the front.

Warrior’s Rest is a giant son of champion sprinter What A Winter but he is out of a Badger Land mare who won a Listed race over 2000m. He finished a narrow third in the Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m at Greyville as a two-year-old but has had an interrupted season and comes in having also missed one of his intended preparation races. The yard reckoned he was fit enough and with his big action he runs as if he would stay the trip.

Sunny Bull Du-Toy is officially the lowest rated horse but this big rangy son of former Daily News winner Irish Flame has caught the eye recently, especially in his last start over this trip on the poly when caught wide and still powering away from them. It’s a giant leap in class but he could sneak into the money.

Alssakhra has the same connections as Majestic Mambo Mambo and it will be interesting to see whether he is there to set a decent pace as he is otherwise a hopeful entry.

Toltec is a big, rangy son of Jay Peg and has no chance on paper, but the good pace a Grade 1 usually offers might bring out the best in him over a likely suitable trip.

By David Thiselton