Paul Lafferty’s Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint contender Sniper Shot had an important gallop on Tuesday and came through it with flying colours.

The three-year-old Judpot gelding was the subject of a sales offer recently, but failed the piroplasmosis test, so has missed some work.

Lafferty said, “He’s doing very well. We lost a bit of time with him, but he’s a real bull of a horse. We decided we were going to go for the Post Merchants because he loves Greyville, but then we had a look at the top sprinters around and decided to take our chances here. In his last 1200m at Scottsville he was a tad unlucky and in his last run at Scottsville he won the Fever Tree over 1400m. He’s a top horse, he’s a sprinter-miler and I think he could get a blow in carrying a light weight of 52,5kg if they come back to him.”

Serino Moodley rides him on Saturday and rode him in the gallop on Tuesday.

Lafferty said, “Serino couldn’t believe he had been that fast on a horse. He was really taken aback by his ability. The horse was barely blowing after the gallop. After the Fever Tree he came second in the Byerley Turk over 1400m from a wide draw and was then second in the Daisy Guneas so he’s a very good horse. The speed races are always very tough, but they do go very quickly which could suit us with our 52,5kg, so fingers crossed, we don’t really know, but we’re hopeful.”

*  Robbie Hill runs the well-bred Petra in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson on Saturday and is quietly confident.

This Oratorio filly is out of the Listed-winning Fort Wood mare Loupe and Hill said, “She was very unlucky last time, she is hopefully a serious runner if she can reproduce that run.”

He said she had been doing “pretty well” and she put up a good gallop on the sand of Summerveld’s bottom turn yesterday under Deigo De Gouveia.

She strode out well but Hill admitted she would probably be coming off the pace on Saturday, so the draw of one might be a problem as she might get “closed in.”

However, Lyle Hewitson rides and is in top form. The high-flying apprentice deserves his currents status as national champion jockey elect and the connections can be assured he will do his homework ahead of this important engagement.

By David Thiselton

Dennis Bosch’s unbeaten Oratorio colt, Cue The Music, was looking his usual laid back self in the ring at Summerveld yesterday but was nice and fresh during his trotting exercise. He will be out to justify favouritism in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion at Scottsville on Saturday.

Bosch also has a lively chance with Billy Silver in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1000m.

He said about Cue The Music, “He’s doing exceptionally well and his last workout (on Monday) was very pleasing. He’s a very calm and relaxed horse, very easy to work with and shows tremendous ability. He wants to go and do his work and is a very smart horse. These big races are always competitive but I am pleased he has won at Scottsville before. I think 1200m will be more up his alley and I think he will give a huge account of himself.”

Diego De Gouveia trotted the strong bay colt yesterday and spoke of what a good feel he always gave. On Saturday he will be ridden by Gunther Wrogemann. Cue The Music is a half-brother to the champion sprinter Val De Ra, who won three Grade 1s including the SA Fillies Sprint at Scottsville, so it not surprisingly took R1,6 million to secure him.

Bosch said about Billy Silver, “He’s been doing quite well. He’s a very speedy horse for a Silvano. He came back from Cape Town, we had a few hiccups with him. He has to start somewhere and we’re starting here.  We had to show him the turn once or twice so if he comes along he’s a nice type of a horse and I’m happy with him.”

By David Thiselton

Brett Crawford runs the fancied Snitzel colt Traces in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion at Scottsville on Saturday and has a strong hand in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sprint too with Bold Respect and Sunset Eyes.

Crawford said about the Australian-bred colt by Snitzel, Traces. “He has done very well. He had a good prep run when he first arrived here and has come on immensely. Scottsville first time out is never an easy track for a horse to handle so I am expecting a big run from him.”

Traces had his African Horse Sickness vaccinations in March, so they had to take it easy with him. Therefore he needed his SA Champions Season pipe opener when beaten 6,75 lengths into third by the Medallion favourite Cue The Music over 1100m at Scottsville. Furthermore, he is blind in his near-side eye so from a draw of one the field were on his bad side that day, but he now has a high draw so will be able to see most of the field this time and Crawford believed this would be a “big plus” factor.

Crawford said about the three-year-old Bold Silvano gelding Bold Respect and the four-year-old Western Winter gelding Sunset Eyes, “They are both coming off great runs in the In Full Flight Stakes (over 1100m at Scottsville first and second). Bold Respect’s really done well subsequently as has Sunset Eyes. Being a handicap, off their respective marks I expect them both to be competitive. Bold Respect is a horse who I think will keep on improving and Sunset Eyes is as honest as they come, so I expect both horses to run big races.”

Crawford said the Cape Summer season had not worked out well for Bold Respect after they had initially tried him over further, so the best should be seen of him now that he is sticking to sprints.

Corné Orffer rides Traces and Bold Respect and Warren Kennedy rides Sunset Eyes.

By David Thiselton

Ordinary mid-week meetings on the Greyville poly are often just more of the same and one goes through the afternoon in a somnambulistic coma.

Then there are other days likes yesterday, that offer much to ponder. Do barrier trials work, is apprentice Lyle Hewitson as good as he is made out to be and does it pay to take notice of runners that take a drop in class?

Hot favourite Charge D‘Affaires put a kink in the form of Outlandos D‘Amour’s chances of winning the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville on Saturday when she was beaten by Noemi in the card opener.

Charge D‘Affaires had no answer to the late challenge from Neomi, patiently ridden by Hewitson, who added another win to his fast-growing tally to squeak home aboard Karen and Greg Anthony’s Zadora in the seventh.

Garth Puller has been around the block more than once in a brilliant riding career. More than that, he was a horseman rather than a high-class ‘panel-beater’ and he has used the barrier trials to his advantage. Noemi was close-up in her trial without being asked for anything close to maximum and the experienced paid dividends yesterday.

Seasoned race watcher David Thiselton gives his expert opinions on the barrier trials on the Gold Circle website and anyone who took the trouble to look up his comments will have been rewarded.

“2^nd 0,5 lengths Noemi (Godden/Puller 2yof 56kg) This athletic Crusade filly took a keen hold from the off and was under a tight hold when sitting behind the eventual winner. When switched out she displayed a nice daisy cutting action and was still under a tight hold at the line. She appears to have plenty of natural speed and some scope.”

There is a meeting of trainers and Gold Circle scheduled for today to discuss the merits of barrier trials and while they are an added frustration and expense to trainers, and there are some valid points that need to be addressed, barrier trials are far from misleading if viewed in the correct light. Australian heroine Winx had to trial before her last umpteenth Gr1 victory where she finished a distant fifth!

There is no doubting that Hewitson has what it takes and in a year where his senior opposition, notably Anthony Delpech, have been sidelined through injury, his quest for the National Jockey’s title has been made a lot easier and now a formality. But he is a class act which ever way you choose to look at it.

Under the current merit rating system of handicapping, one of the ploys by trainers is to run horses against superior opposition, get them tuned up without a penalty – a bonus being a drop in their rating –  and then pitting them against horses of their own calibre. It doesn’t always pan out but it did for the Tony Rivalland-trained Fantasy Art who dropped a division and comfortably won the sixth.

By Andrew Harrison

The Gold Medallion has virtually been owned by Dennis Drier this decade as he has won six of the last eight renewals, but this year he is up against it and the race might fall to another Dennis.

Dennis Bosch runs the exciting Oratorio colt Cue The Music, who first impressed in a barrier trial before coming out and doddling a 1000m event on the Greyville poly. He was not tuned up for that debut race debut but gave a glimpse of how good he was next time out by cruising through to beat a good field over 1100m at Scottsville. He did it effortlessly and is worthy 28/10 favourite with World Sports Betting.

Drier has the scopey Querari colt Immoretlle in the field as well as the strong Master Of My Fate colt Goliath Heron.

Immortelle showed fine cruising speed over the Medallion 1200m course and distance on debut and then showed a good kick and resolve to get up. He has plenty of scope for improvement and could be Drier’s chief hope.

Goliath Heron has 6,8 lengths to make up on Cue The Music. He raced a bit strongly when sitting behind the latter that day and was also carried out a touch so could possibly get closer. It should be remembered that in 2012 Drier’s winner Potent Power reversed previous form with a horse called Twitter by more than ten lengths.

Traces, was reportedly in need of his last start when beaten 6,75 lengths by Cue The Music. This Australian-bred colt by Snitzel had won his previous start, the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1000m at Kenilworth on Sun Met day, in impressive style by 2,25 lengths. He has a fine action and Brett Crawford will be looking to add another Grade 1 victory to the six he won last season.

Grade 1 SA Nursery winner William The Silent could also be a threat. He looks the ideal Scottsville type as he possesses good natural pace together with a kick. On pedigree he should enjoy this tough 1200m too being by Var out of Cape Fillies Guineas runner up Tick Tock.

Cirillo is still a maiden but showed a fluent action when finishing a head second to William The Silent in the SA Nursery. This Pomodoro colt also has good natural speed and a kick.

Van Halen is a good looking Oratorio gelding who will be trying to upset the applecart. The strapping bay appeared to enjoy the tough Scottsville course last time and put a few disappointing efforts behind him by finishing second to Cue The Music but he does have three lengths to find on the latter.

Trippi colt Chimichuri Run was still green when running a 1,6 length third in the SA Nursery and could improve.

Byword colt Crown And Country is of the strong, scopey type who do well at Scottsville and he made it two from two when winning impressively over this course and distance. He was defeated subsequently on the poly and Goliath Heron comes out better on strict formlines.

Oratorio colt Di Me showed good pace and a kick when beating a good field over course and distance on debut at 75/1 odds and could be anything.

Twist Of Fate ran on well over this trip at Kenilworth last time to make it three wins from five starts but he is only 3kg better off with Traces for a 4,3 length beating on Met day.

In Cahoots stayed on for fifth in the SA Nursery but looks held by William The Silent, Cirillo and Chimichuri Run.

Sulka by Gimmethegreenlight is an immature sort who will be improving continuously. He won well second time out over 1000m and was extending, but before that was beaten 4,1 lengths by Chimichuri Run over 1000m.

Top Of The Class is a good looking sort by Var who can improve on his KZN debut when beaten 8,6 lengths by Cue The Music.

Affranchi looks held on SA Nursery form but he probably had the worst of the draw there and could improve.

Topmast is a rangy type by Sail From Seattle who beat Chimichri Run over 1000m but on previous 1200 form he looks held.

Reserve runner Rule The Night will have to bounce back from two poor runs.

By David Thiselton