Scottsville can be a tricky course but Brett Crawford had it all sussed as Bold Respect made all the running to win the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint on Saturday. For good measure he saddled Sunset Eyes for third, his pair split by Dorrie Sham’s Computaform Sprint runner-up Pinnacle Peak.

It was an afternoon that had the stipendiary stewards earning their keep and punters guessing as Van Halen turned the tables on hot favourite Cue The Music in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and Mighty High had them guessing in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship.

The Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint proved fairly predictable as Sommerlied kept her clean sheet at Scottsville and probably bowed out on a high note, destine for the paddocks of Maine Chance Farms.

Crawford’s carefully laid plans came to fruition as Bold Respect built on his win in the In Full Flight Stakes, Crawford magnanimously giving credit to his Summerveld assistant Peter Muscutt. Corne Orffer had him out in a flash and the gelding was never headed. Pinnacle Peak, a game second in the Gr1 Computaform Sprint, tried his best to get on terms but Bold Respect was always in command. Sunset Eyes, second in the In Full Flight Stakes, stayed on well for third.

“He pinged the gate,” said Orffer, “and he’s a happy horse when you leave him alone. At the 400 I let the reins slip through my hands and he took off.”

This was Orffer’s fourth Gr1 for Crawford all in the same colours for Delma and Lance Sherrell.

Sommerlied was back on her favourite track and scored an emphatic victory in the SA Fillies Sprint.

“Nothing went her way in Cape Town,” confessed Sean Veale. “After that there was a little bit of pressure and I thought I would be ‘jocked’ off.”

Veal gave the filly the perfect ride and she responded with a smart turn of foot to hold off the attentions of favourite Magical Wonderland with Neptune’s Rain staying on for third.

“There’s nothing left for her now,” said Maine Chance Farms ambassador and former jockey Glen Hatt. “I think’s she done enough and there are no more races for her unless she takes on open company. She doesn’t like Cape Town so the next races for her would be next season. I don’t know for sure. We will discuss it later.”

Mighty High, racing in the familiar yellow and purple silks of Braam van Huyssteen, scored something of an upset as Mark Khan managed to extricate himself from a blind alley on Johan Janse van Vuuren’s filly to snatch victory ahead of Celtic Sea and Inverroche in the Allan Robertson Championship.

Celtic Sea looked to have the race in the bag approaching the final furlong, but Khan, hunting for a run as the door was shut in his face up the inside, fortunately found the heels of Sean Tarry’s runner as he switched out and followed her through.

“I like this feeling of leading in Gr1’s,” grinned Van Huyssteen in the winner’s box, Legal Eagle’s Cueen’s Plate victory being his first.

Khan has made a spectacular comeback from injury, winning two Gr1’s in a matter of a month and Mighty High was his only ride for the afternoon and the win all the sweeter as it was for his old jockey’s agent who was recording his first Gr1 victory.

Cue The Music was all the rage in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion but few, including seasoned trainer Tobie Spies, predicted victory for Van Halen.

The two had met previously in the Godolphin Barb, Van Halen finishing three lengths behind Dennis Bosch’s runner.

“I didn’t think we could turn the tables,” he said. “He beat us so easy last time and I wasn’t sure if he would see out the trip.”

But things did pan out for the good, although not as expected. “When he starts good he doesn’t finish it off. Today he started bad and finished it off.”

This may be the end of the season for Van Halen as Craig Zackey pleaded that the gelding be given a break.

Sergeant Hardy proved friendless in the market for the fourth in spite of him being very well in at the weights and many punter’s idea of an exotic bet banker. However, he does have his quirks and nothing worked in his favour yesterday.

“I feel sorry for the jockeys on my left,” said Bernard Fayd’Herbe prior to the start. “This horse jumps left and there’s is nothing that you can do about it.”

So Fayd’herbe was deliberately slow away to avoid trouble and as predicted Sergeant Hardy took a left turn out of the gate and kept going left which did his chances no good.

There was no skulduggery as intimated by some with empty pockets.

But it did leave the way clear for the diminutive Hashtag Strat. There is not much to Louis Goosen’s filly but she is quick and with apprentice Khanya Sakayi taking 4kg of her back, there was no catching her yesterday.

It was a fine day for Avontuur Stud as Oratorio was the sire of both Van Halen and Cue The Music while Sommerlied gave the studs stalwart stallion Var another Gr1 winner.

The Allan Robertson was delayed 10 minutes as the stalls were not positioned correctly, and the inexperienced tractor driver struggled to get them re-aligned. Eventually a frustrated MJ Byleveld, who has had experience driving tractors on a farm, took over and move the stalls into position before remounting.

• At Kenilworth, Rainbow Bridge earned himself a possible crack at the Vodacom Durban July after an emphatic victory in the Gr3 Highlands Stud Winter Classic. Eric Sands intimated that should his gelding win well enough he would think of supplementing him for the country’s biggest race.

By Andrew Harrison

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