Featured Image: Roy Had Enough (Candiese Marnewick)

Tsogo Sun raceday at Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg this coming weekend confirmed its status as the sprinting capital of South Africa when full fields of 16 runners plus reserves were carded for the four Grade 1 races over 1 200m that make the meeting unique on the country’s racing calendar.

With total feature race stakes of R3.25-million on offer for the four races, every top sprinting thoroughbred in the country is set to face the starter with the R1-million, Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint field including the first three horses past the post in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint at Turffontein recently.

Attenborough

Joey Ramsden’s speedsters Attenborough and Speedpoint filled first and third places in that 1 000m race with Dorrie Sham’s Pinnacle Peak sandwiched between them and they are set to renew their battle over the testing Scottsville course where they will be joined by, among others, the winner and runner-up in the In Full Flight Handicap Bold Respect and Sunset Eyes from the in-form Brett Crawford stable.

Poinsettia Stakes winner Sommerlied from the Dennis Drier stable along with the first three past the post in the recent Camelot at Turffontein, Green Plains, Myfunnyvalentine and Winter’s Forge, are among the acceptors for the R750 000, Grade 1 South African Fillies Sprint and the two Grade 1 races for juveniles, the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and Allan Robertson Championship, have highly competitive fields featuring the leading two-year-olds from around the country.

Dennis Drier has accepted with his three entries – Crown And Country, Goliath Heron and Immortelle – in his bid to win the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion for the eighth time but will face serious opposition from William The Silent, Cirillo and Chimichuri Run that filled the first three places in the SA Nursery at Turffontein and the trifecta of runners from the Godolphin Barb – Cue The Music, Van Halen and Traces that led his colt Goliath Heron home on the day.

In the Allan Robertson Championship, the outcome of the race is another difficult to predict as the field includes the winner and runner-up in the SA Fillies Nursery at Turffontein, Ronnie’s Candy and Ghalla as well as the first three past the post in the Strelitzia Stakes, Inverroche, Canukepitsecret and Petra.

The four races form the official Jackpot at the meeting and with large exotic bet pools on the day, the competitiveness of the feature events could result in large payouts for successful punters.

By Richard McMillan.

Punters could get off to a good start at the Vaal Outside track meeting tomorrow, which has nine races in all, as the well-bred Saints Alive looks to have a fine chance in the first.

This Elusive Fort filly is a full-sister to the three-times Grade 1 runner up Safe Harbour and caught the eye staying on strongly with long strides on debut over 1200m to finish a narrow second despite having lost two lengths at the start. She should appreciate the step up to 1400m in this Maiden Juvenile Plate for fillies. However, she won’t have it easy as the Trippi filly Railtrip also looks a decent sort. She is a half-sister to SA Derby winner Hero’s Honour so will also appreciate the step up to 1400m. Last time out she was drawn on the wrong side on the Vaal Inside track over 1200m and after showing good pace stayed on strongly to only just fail. Saints Alive is given the vote as she is drawn close to the outside rail, which is usually the right side to be on at this course.

Alex The Great (JC Photographics)

Punters could accumulate more in the next race through Rocky Night. He is by speed influence Seventh Rock but is out of an In The Wings mare and is also a rangy sort, so he will likely appreciate the step up to 1400m in this Maiden Juvenile Plate. Furthermore, looks to have plenty of scope too. He is drawn 16, another point in his favour. It is an interesting race as there are quite a few others who make some appeal, including Drop Kick, Electromagnetic, Forries At Five, My Boy Calois, Tequila Man and the first-timers Tarzan and Latin Opus, but Rocky Night is the selection.

The third race over 1200m won’t take a lot of winning and the first-timer Risingofthenorth is the selection being by the promising sire Pomodoro out of the twice Grade 3 runner up sprinter Mary Stuart, who is by Black Minnaloushe. King Of The Delta has attracted betting support before and having finished strongly over this trip last time he should go close again from a favourable high draw. Her looks to be the main danger.

In the fourth race over 1200m the well-named Sally Called made a decent debut and is chosen to be a Pick 6 banker, but only due to the first-timer rule. Hot Chocolate and Laduree are well-bred first-timers who could upset her. The former is by Oratorio out of the Silvano Grade 2-winning sprinter Mocachino and the latter by Var is a full-sister to 94 merit rated sprinter Vous Et Var.

The handicaps then start so it gets tougher.

In the fifth race over 1200m Alex The Great has always been well regarded but has been disappointing. However, he has now dropped to a competitive merit rating and can make his presence felt from quite a high draw of 12. Cannes is an eight-year-old but still has pace and he is down to a competitive merit rating and drawn well over a course and distance he enjoys. Ashley Fortune is doing well with her horses which have been brought up from the Cape and if Mount Keith reproduces his Cape Town form he will be right there. Silver King can’t be ignored for those wishing to go wider as he beat Cannes last time they met and Snow In Seattle has been in fine form too.

Race six over 1000m sees a clash between two promising sorts in Sirtain and Copper Jay. The former’s only defeat in three starts since blinkers were applied was when he was changing legs last time before being narrowly beaten into second. He can resume winning ways if bouncing back to his best. Copper Jay is 1kg better off with Sirtain for a 0,3 length beating in the aforementioned race and has caught the eye before as one with some potential.

In the next over 1400m Bockscar was a bit outpaced over 1200m last time but flew up to win going away and he can follow up off just a four point higher mark. He could be a banker consideration, but beyond him the race is wide open.

The chief contenders in the eighth over 1400m are Dawn Flight, Inthepurplerain and Pretty Popular. Dawn Flight looks better than her merit rating and proved effective last time over this trip, although her low draw might be tricky. Inthepurplerain has been facing stronger without being disgraced and will go close. Pretty Popular has improved since a tongue tie was applied and is drawn on the right side.

The last race over 1400m Quebec Queen has won three times in her last four starts and if maintaining form can be involved again off a four point higher mark, although not too much can be read into her beating the promising Make Me Happy last time as the latter was drawn on the wrong side. Some Song was unlucky when beginning to move up well in that same race so the bare result can be ignored and she has a big shout here. Snow Path, All I Got and Chartwell make most appeal of the rest.

By David Thiselton

Top Cape trainer Justin Snaith strengthened his stable’s chances of victory in South Africa’s premier event, the Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July, when three of his big-race team put in strong performances at the World Sports Betting 1900 meeting at Greyville on Saturday, including victory in the main feature event.

With his stable already having four runners among the top 18 on the Vodacom Durban July Log, the impressive win by his Silvano gelding Elusive Silva in the R500 000, Grade 2 World Sports Betting 1900 could see this five-year-old joining them to give the exuberant and popular young conditioner what could become an exceptional and unique big race attack.

Elusive Silva (Denzil Govender)

Following up on the win by Elusive Silva, two of his other contenders already in the top 18 on the log, the Silvano mare Star Express and the Dynasty gelding African Night Sky, confirmed they deserved their ratings when they led the field home in the Solid Speed (2016) Pinnacle Stakes over 1 600m to give trainer Snaith and jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe a quick double at the meeting. To emphasise that the stable was in serious top condition, jockey Grant van Niekerk then booted the three-year-old Silvano filly Miyabi Gold home for the stable in the final event of the day giving the yard and the German-bred stallion an impressive treble.

The somewhat disappointing performances by a few of the Vodacom Durban July contenders will have left the “July picture” very open but for Snaith the scenario could improve further if his former July winner Legislate, that won well in a recent barrier trial, impressed the July Selection Committee before they make their final selection.

Also improving his chances of a big race invite is the Ideal World gelding Dark Moon Rising from the Paul Lafferty stable. He came in for strong support in the betting to start tote favourite and, as some saw it, was unlucky not to win coming from off the pace to chase down Elusive Silva and suffer a mere half length defeat. He had not featured on the First July Log but is likely to show in the next along with the Toreador gelding Matador Man from the Sean Tarry yard that found traffic problems in the straight before running on well for third place.

While the Glen Kotzen-trained Pack Leader, well fancied to win Saturday’s WSB 1900, was scratched after showing signs of a colic attack before the race, did not get a chance to prove himself, the three-year-old Philanthropist colt is likely to retain his position on the log with the earlier scratching of Silvan Star and Lady In Black pushing him higher up the log.

After Saturday’s meeting another July nominee could muscle her way onto the July Log and that is the four-year-old Australian-bred filly Ngaga from the Andre Nel stable. She made the running in the Listed East Coast Cup over 2 000m under Richard Fourie then held off a challenge from Royal Utopia. However, while the win was impressive she may need to back that performance up with another strong effort before the final field is selected.

By Richard McMillan

Brett Crawford’s patience with the infamous Cape crawl finally gave out at Kenilworth on Saturday and he gave vent to his feelings after he and Fransie Herholdt decided to take the last by the scruff of the neck and make all on Miss Smarty Pants.

The Philippi trainer said: “I don’t know what we are trying to prove by running races in times four to six seconds outside the average. That doesn’t give horses a fair chance and to me it’s not racing.”

Aldo Domeyer

For Aldo Domeyer, though, it was a significant day. Not only did he break through the 100-winner mark for just the second time in his career but he took his tally to just eight short of his best and he put two more really smart Candice Bass-Robinson two-year-olds into his bank for next season’s top races.

Mixed Signals and Russet Air both started odds-on and won with authority while second-placed stable companion More Magic looked a certain future winner when throwing down the gauntlet to the second of these two. He had the third nearly eight lengths back

Domeyer, who completed a quick-fire treble on Blue Flower for Andre Nel, said: “Mixed Signals doesn’t show a great deal at home and when I asked her for an effort I was surprised at the way she turned it on. The trip was way too short for Russet Air but he had the class to pull it off.”

Ronnie Sheehan,82, and wife Jackie – both in the Panorama Mediclinic – had a badly needed tonic when Watch Me Dad proved too strong for Domeyer’s mount Frozen Tune in the Supabets Maiden Juvenile. The well-backed winner is owned by an enthusiastic group of Mauritians.

Robert Khathi, who rode him, donned the Bryn Ressell colours to get up inside the last 100m of the Play Soccer 6 Handicap on 9-1 shot Metorite who cost just R15 000 at the CTS Two Year Old Sale.

Piet Steyn said: “Some horses cost so much that they don’t even win the VAT back! When you ask a guy to come in at the sort of price this one fetched they sometimes think there is something wrong with the horse but Bryn has been very good to me.”

Jono Snaith celebrated his 41^st birthday by naming Jailhouse Rock as the banker of the day on Under Starter’s Orders and Callan Murray did the rest on the 2-1 favourite in the 1 800m handicap.

Chatuchak, scratched from the Winter Classic, was a reluctant leader early in the Interbet.co.za Handicap but Gareth Wright made all for a half length win. Nel has supplemented Selailai for Saturday’s race.

By Michael Clower