The postponed Listed Syringa Handicap over 1600m heads the Turffontein card on Sunday and Redberry Lane can end a run of five seconds on the trot.

This front-running sort was effectively raised three points for the last of those seconds. There is not much pace in the race so Lyle Hewitson should be able to overcome a wide draw without using up too much fuel, although Alileo might not be easy to get around as she is drawn two and has first-time blinkers on. However, if Redberry Lane does find the front comfortably she is the one to beat as she is ultra consistent and as a well-bred daughter of Western Winter should be coming into her own. Insignis is 2kg under sufferance on official merit ratings but is having only her fifth start and as a daughter of Go Deputy will definitely be improving. Furthermore, she is drawn in pole position with the astute pilot Marco van Rensburg aboard.

Oh My Darling has always struck as a classy sort and is ideally distance suited. However, on the downside she has a wide draw to overcome. Costa Da Sol was making good late progress last time from a wide draw on the Inside track and she can make her presence felt off a merit rating which has come down another two points. Kilauea has class and can do better than last time, in the Acacia over course and distance, where she was changing legs. Mar Del Seur also has class and will relish the step down in trip, having faded out in the SA Oaks. She has a tricky draw and races with a tongue tie on for the first time. Brigtnumberfive is on the up but it will be tough from a wide draw. Dame Kelly has shown glimpses of class and has won over the distance before. Those are the ones who make most appeal.

In race two over 1160m, a Maiden Juvenile Plate for fillies, Firdoas will be hard to beat. She only just failed on debut over 1200m and the form was franked when a horse beaten 5,2 lengths, Sally Called, came out and won next time out by 3,5 lengths. Che Bella could be the main danger as she showed pace second time out over 1200m on the Inside track. That was against a weaker field than Firdoas faced, but the runner up Colombina franked the form when winning by 5,5 lengths next time out.

In the first race over 1160m, Mojito Magic is by Captain Al out of the Grade 1 Thekwini winner Nania and made a good debut when staying on for a 2,3 length second on debut over 1000m. He is an immature sort with plenty of scope for improvement. Bien Venue caught the eye winning on debut over 1200m as he did it quite easily. He is by Fort Wood out of an Argentinian-bred mare who also won easily on debut. It would be no surprise to see him follow up but he does have to give Mojito Magic 3kg. The Mike de Kock-trained Sheik Hamdan-owned-and-bred first-timer Soqrat is also interesting being by Epaulette, who won two Group 1s in Australia over 1400m, out of a twice-winning Hussonet mare who is a three-quarters sister to Group 2 winner Colorado Claire, whose five wins were from 1200m to 1500m.

By David Thiselton

After a relatively slow start to his Champions Season campaign, champion trainer elect Justin Snaith has put that hiccup behind him and the stable is back firing on all cylinders.

He has two runners in tomorrow’s Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville and both Kasimir and Sir Frenchie have chances in what is a wide-open handicap over 1200m. Ominously for the opposition, Snaith said his CTS 1200 runner-up Kasimir was “flying” at home.

The progressive three-year-old may just have been in need of his effort in the Byerly Turk and the stable was going through a flat patch. He is back over what looks to be his optimum trip and has a handy galloping weight.

Snaith also saddles Sir Frenchie who was disappointing behind Bold Respect last time out but is 2.5kg better off and can do much better here. Snaith also expects a better performance. “He had no chance” last time out when carrying a big weight but now has a nice galloping weight.

Brett Crawford goes in two-handed with Bold Respect and Sunset Eyes. The latter has good form over course and distance and is 1kg better off with his stable companion on their last meeting. Under normal circumstances, stable jockey Corne Orffer will have had the pick of the rides but he would have been hard-pressed to make 52.5kg so natural light-weight Warren Kennedy has picked up the ride on Sunset Eyes.

Dorrie Sham has made a seamless move from PE to the Vaal and anyone who thought that she would not be competitive after the move were quickly put in their place. Sham saddles Computaform Sprint runner-up Pinnacle Peak who is now 1kg better off with winner Attenborough who he was closing down quickly at the death so should be ideally suited to the Scottsville 1200m.

But Attenborough will not go down without a fight. “He is extremely well, and you have to run horses when they are well,” said Ramsden. “The way he ran on in the Computaform Sprint tells me 1200m will be no problem, and he won a listed race over this trip as a juvenile.”

Ramsden also saddles Computaform third, Speedpoint. “He ran a cracker in the Computaform. He needs cover and didn’t get it that day but still ran a stormer.”

Ramsden blamed an outside draw when Brutal Force was beaten three years back so was understandably cautious about both his horse’s chances. “They could both have the same problem here (no cover) as they are drawn on the extreme outside.”

With Mike de Kock and Sean Tarry in town for the big features one always needs to take note. Trip To Heaven made his usual tardy start in the Computaform so the extra furlong will be in his favour tomorrow while the De Kock-trained Naafer was running at them late in the Computaform and will also prefer this trip.

In all this is a really open handicap sprint but Kasimir at the bottom of the weights makes most appeal.

The three other feature sprints on the afternoon have attracted high class fields and punters who crack the right exotic bet combinations should be in for decent rewards.

The SA Fillies Sprint could fall the way of Neptune’s Rain. Duncan Howells has had this race in mind for many months and has his charge fully primed. “She is working very well. It’s a competitive race but I think she will go close,” said Howells. Neptune’s Rain was closing fast on Sommerlied when the two last met in the Poinsettia Stakes and Dennis Drier’s filly will be a huge threat. Also using that race as a warm-up were The Secret Is Out (third) and Magical Wonderland (sixth) so there is unlikely to be much between them again.

Punters looking for a possible banker could find it in the form of Que The Music in the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion. Dennis Bosch’s charge has been super impressive in his two outings to date but will need to bring his A-game to the races as he faces some stiff opposition.

The Allan Robertson has produced an upset result on more than one occasion in the past and it could pay to go wide in this leg of the exotics. Making most appeal is the unbeaten Inverroshe. Mark Dixon’s filly has done all of her racing at Scottsville which is a big plus and she is taken to get the better of Canukeepasecret who will be attempting to emulate her two full sisters.

By Andrew Harrison

Rainbow Bridge can underline his class and potential by becoming the fifth Winter Guineas winner in six seasons to go on to land the Highlands Stud Winter Classic at Kenilworth tomorrow.

The only unbeaten horse in the field, the Eric Sands-trained gelding produced an impressive turn of foot to come from almost last to first inside two furlongs four weeks ago and earned raved reviews from Richard Fourie who is bidding for his third success in this race.

The favourite (who shortened from 16-10 to 11-10 with World Sports Betting yesterday morning) is again drawn one from the outside but the field is slightly smaller this time and there is an extra furlong to make up the leeway, albeit the straight is significantly shorter.

The handicappers rate six of the field better than him but that is because they have to assess their ratings on factual margins, and under strict rules, rather than on visual impression.

Durban July supplementary entry Rocket Countdown (33-10) is also rated the selection’s superior by the sahorseracing computer (or rather by the people who feed it the information). He has to give weight all round but is a kilo better with Rainbow Bridge for a length and a quarter. Even so it is hard to see him reversing the placings unless the effects of yesterday’s rain should unexpectedly floor the favourite.

Love Happens (8-1) and 11-2 stable companion Doublemint were close behind in the Winter Guineas and should again not be far away, particularly as Justin Snaith is bidding for his fifth Winter Classic and has won three of the last six runnings.

However Ancestry (fifth and a 7-1 chance this time) was reported by Joey Ramsden to be short on fitness that day and is expected to put up much more of a fight tomorrow.

This is not a race for outsiders and you have to go right back to Sweet Virginia 13 years ago for the last real upset. She won at 33-1 and since then the longest priced winner started at 8-1. Indeed the favourite has won four of the last five.

Fresnaye started favourite for the Winter Guineas but she disappointed and was afterwards found to be suffering from an infection. She reverts to her own sex in the Stormsvlei Mile and heads the market at 12-10. She was good enough to take third in both the Fillies Guineas and the Paddock Stakes and she should prove too strong for 28-10 shot Platinum Class and the others.

By Michael Clower

Rainbow Bridge has been installed a generous-looking 16-10 favourite to extend his unbeaten run to three in the Highlands Stud Winter Classic at Kenilworth on Saturday. So impressive was Richard Fourie’s mount in the Winter Guineas that some observers would not have been surprised to see him odds-on for this 1 800m Grade 3.

World Sports Betting has Rocket Countdown, beaten a length and a quarter and now a kilo better, second favourite at 33-10 with fourth-placed Doublemint 11-2 to reverse the placings with 8-1 stable companion Love Happens.

Other prices are 7-1 Ancestry, 9-1 Spring Man, 15-1 Pacific Chestnut, 22-1 Morning Catch, 28-1 Man About Town, 35-1 Ben-hur.

Fourie also rides the favourite in the opening two-year-old race – the Greg Ennion-trained Rock Of Asia (3-1) – and Fresnaye who is hot favourite at 11-10 to take the Stormsvlei Mile for Joey Ramsden.

Ramsden also has the market leader in the Olympic Duel Stakes – Donovan Dillon’s mount Call To Account at 5-2 – while Greg Cheyne rides three  favourites: Brett Crawford’s pair Grand Silvano (22-10) in race two and Due Volte (3-1) 35 minutes later, and Double Black (4-1) for Candice Bass-Robinson in the last.

By Michael Clower

Dennis Drier will have three chances of winning his seventh Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion this decade and his eighth overall as he runs Querari colt Immortelle, Master Of My Fate colt Goliath Heron and Byword colt Crown And Country.

The yard also contest the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint with Sommerlied, who holds the Scottsville 1000m course record and won the Grade 3 Poinsettia Stakes over Saturday’s course and distance last time out, and the Grade 1 Allan Robertson with Outlandos D’Amour.

His assistant trainer Stuart Ferrie said about the Medallion, “It’s quite tough this year, there is no stand out of ours, but Immortelle won a very nice race and the other two have run well enough in small feature company, so we’re going in there hoping.”

Stable jockey Sean Veale is aboard Immortelle, whom Ferry said was the one who was open to the most improvement. Ferrie regarded Cue The Music as likely the horse to beat and said if the Drier yard could not win it they would like to see that one win as he is a half-brother to their former SA Fillies Sprint-winner Val De Ra.

Ferrie said about Sommerlied, who had been disappointing down in Cape Town before her good comeback, “That last run was really good and she may possibly have just needed it so I think she has come on. It looks very competitive but she’s a fit horse and loves it here in KZN.”

Outlandos D’Amour won her first start over 1000m at Greyville in good style, although the form was let down when the runner up Charges D’Affaires was beaten yesterday on the poly.

Ferrie said, “She’s a very good filly and her work here yesterday (Tuesday) was really good, so we’re going in there with a good chance.”

Ferrie described her as not a tall filly but well built and nicely put together. He said although she showed pace on debut, that was more out of necessity due to her wide draw. He added, “1200m will not be an issue and if she can sit behind something that will probably be Plan A.” The Captain Al filly certainly possesses a fine turn of foot.

By David Thiselton