The Listed East Coast Cup over 2000m is the supporting feature at Greyville’s WSB 1900 meeting on Saturday.

Leaves Of Grass is an Australian-bred daughter of Poet’s Voice and could be well handicapped. She was 2kg under sufferance when winning the Listed Jamaica Handicap over this trip at Kenilworth in January and her new eight point higher merit rating of 84 falls at exactly the top of one of the merit rated bands in this race. She was flying at the finish of the Scarlet Lady having come from last. She will enjoy the step up in trip, but on the downside she does have a tough draw of eleven out of eleven.

Hidden Thought (Candiese Marnewick)

Franking is a big, galloping daughter of King Of Kings who has cracked a good draw of three. It should be noted that she has been carded with the wrong weight of 57kg and will actually be carrying 55,5kg. Last time out in the Scarlet Lady she was caught one wide just off the lead and was then cramped in the straight just when she had unwound into her big stride. She will relish this step up in trip, being by King Of Kings out of Jet Master mare Bennie And The Jets, who finished third in the Oaks Trial over 2200m. She would likely prefer a galloping track but will be dangerous if getting into a nice handy position, or leading, from this good draw.

Parabola quickened superbly when winning the Scarlet Lady. Her merit rating was raised four points to 91 and that falls near the bottom of her band so it will be tougher this time, but as a four-year-old daughter of Silvano she will be coming into her own.

Ngaga was caught wide throughout in the Scarlet Lady so can be forgiven the unplaced run and she now has a plum draw of two and has also been lowered three points by the handicapper. Her new 99 merit rating falls exactly at the top of the highest band in this race, so she is the best weighted horse in the race according to official merit ratings together with Epona. She should enjoy this trip.

Epona won this race last year, but comes in with worse form this year and will need to bounce back.

Fantasy Lady quickened well from the box seat in the Scarlet Lady to hit the front and she was staying on well when hampered late so is better than the bare result suggests and could be a player here from pole position over a trip she stays.

Kahula was cramped for room in the Scarlet Lady but was staying on well, so is another with a fine chance as her merit rating of 89 is at the top of one of the bands and she should enjoy the trip. However, she does have a tricky draw of eight.

Royal Utopia is a galloping type who could lead. In her penultimate start over 1800m at Turffontein she finished 4,4 lengths behind the Grade 1 winner Orchid Island at Turffontein when receiving 4,5kg, which was not a bad effort. She stays this trip and will be coming into her own being a four-year-old by Ideal World. However, she makes breathing noises which is a concern.

Hidden Thought is a progressive three-year-old and being by Lateral will relish this step up in trip. However, she has to face her stablemate Franking at level weights, as opposed to the 2kg she would receive in a normal handicap, so this is a tough ask in her first attempt at earning black type.

Onesie ran well in her penultimate start at Scottsville but has a tough task on the form of the Scarlet Lady. However, she is better drawn this time and is another four-year-old by Ideal World, so will be coming into her own.

Being Fabulous is a talented filly who is better than her form suggests. This is her third run with blinkers and she might give more effort with Mark Khan aboard who makes a horse know it’s in a race.

By David Thiselton

Paul Peter has freshened up Fort Ember and expects her to have a big shout in the Grade 2 WSB 1900 on a course she loves.

Peter said, “She loves the climate down in Durban and grows an extra leg at Greyville. I feel she will gel with Strydom and punters must put her in.”

Fort Ember

Peter said the pace was too hot for her last time out in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m at Turffontein and she was unable to overcome her wide draw.

That race was just two Saturdays ago so there would be a concern for some that this race has come too soon.

However, Peter has freshened her up and she did “extremely well” in her last bit of work yesterday (Wednesday) when not asked to do too much as he wants to keep her fresh to prevent her from going “flat”.

He said, “She came out of the Challenge sound. She is looking better than she did before that race.”

Fort Ember has at last cracked a good draw of three.

She has a fine record at Greyville, having won both the Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m and the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m.

Furthermore, she is the best weighted horse in the 1900, being 2,5kg better off than any other horse according to official merit ratings.

She proved she can mix it with the boys in this season’s Sansui Summer Cup, where she finished second.

If she does well in the 1900, the Vodacom Durban July will be her next target.

By David Thiselton

Glen Kotzen is bullish about his Vodacom Durban July hope Pack Leader’s chances in the Grade 2 WSB 1900 on Saturday and will be disappointed if he does not book his place in the big race. He is also excited about his chances in the Listed East Coast Cup, where he has two runners.

Glen Kotzen

Kotzen said about the three-year-old Philanthropist colt Pack Leader, “He has had a great preparation. He ran on Met day and only had one 1000m grass gallop after that before going into the Sledgehammer. He was way off and ran much better than expected (short-head second). He was blowing hard afterwards, but the jockey was not hard on him. Since then he has come on a helluva lot and has been working twice as well. If he wins on Saturday and is raised just a couple of pounds his weight will be spot on for the July. I will be disappointed if he is not in the first three and if we are happy the run has qualified him he will not have another race before the July.”

Kotzen earmarked this horse’s program before arriving in Durban, while his top three-year-old colt Eyes Wide Open avoids the July and goes the Daily News route.

Kotzen runs two three-year-old fillies, Franking and Hidden Thought, in the East Coast Cup over 2000m and it should be noted that the former carries 1,5kg less than carded.

Kotzen said, “I was disappointed my jockey (Richard Fourie) bailed on Franking.”

This big galloping type was unlucky in the Scarlet Lady over 1800m at Greyville when hampered just as she had unwound into her big stride.

He continued, “She is a seriously nice filly and I am excited about her weight. She will be a big runner.”

She is drawn three and will relish the trip being by King Of Kings out of Jet Master mare Bennie And The Jets who placed third in the Oaks Trial over 2200m.

He said about the Lateral filly Hidden Thought, “She hasn’t put a foot wrong and I’ve been dying to put her over more ground. She hung last time and it cost her and she was a bit jarred up but we have sorted that out. She will have a good finish over this 2000m trip and is also a big runner.”

Hidden Thought’s merit rating falls at the bottom of one of the merit-rating bands so she has to carry level weights with Franking as opposed to the 2kg she would receive from her in a normal handicap, but she also has a good draw of four.

Kotzen runs Sylvester The Cat in the seventh, a Pinnacle event over 1600m which will be contested by some top horses. This enigmatic Black Minnaloushe gelding has been knocking on the door lately in handicaps, albeit off a lowly 83 merit rating, and Kotzen said, “He has been running on top of them, is drawn well and stays the trip and is fit and really doing well.” Therefore, he hopes he can do well with a light weight against big horses who will likely be needing their respective runs.

By David Thiselton

It didn’t quite happen, the dream alive until the final stride, as Autumn Rain was touched off in a driving finish to the third at Scottsville yesterday. Owned by Hong Kong-based trainer David Ferraris, ridden by son Luke and trained by Grandfather Ormond, who was on course to saddle, Autumn Rain went down in the last jump to Washington Square ridden by Gareth Wright.

Autumn Rain was always travelling well under Ferraris from his outside draw and looked to have the race in the bag until Washington Square came out of the pack to challenge and give Andre Nel the first of two winners.

However, Nel was quick to give credit to his KZN satellite team of Byron Forster and Thomas Simpkins. “I didn’t train them,” he confessed modestly. While Washington Square scraped home, Silver Rose was far more convincing as the gelding sat handy under apprentice Serino Moodley and pulled away in the straight to win as he liked.

Washington Square (Candiese Marnewick)

“I tried to keep him for Cape Town,” said Nel. “But I just couldn’t get him right so sent him up to KZN.”

Much was made of former Vodacom Durban July winners Legislates return to the race track in a barrier trial after a spell at stud. “He was getting one in three in foal,” said Snaith of the entire’s stud career. “That’s just not good enough for a commercial stallion but I am really glad that he is back in training.”

Legislate did little more than a solid grass gallop and finished off nicely ahead of affairs as was expected. “He’s still heavy,” comment Snaith. “I’m not sure where to from here. That was his first real piece of work since he’s been back and I don’t know whether I will have him ready in time for any of the big races.”

“The (Rising Sun) Challenge looks the right race but Snowdance will probably go that route. I’m not sure. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Apprentice Lyle Hewitson keeps batting them in at the top of the log and he added another victory to his growing list on Majestic Glory. Hewitson produced Paul Lafferty’s Australian-bred with a telling late run and burst clear of the chasing pack with short-heads separating the next six runners home.

“He’s good this kid. He doesn’t panic,” said Lafferty’s assistant Roy Waugh. This was Majestic Glory’s first crack at 1200m and he stayed it well in soft underfoot conditions.

Moodley was back for a second bite at the cherry as Arizona Sunset gave Kom Naidoo his first winner since moving to Ashburton earlier this money.

His Ashburton colleagues were to the fore in the second as they saddled the first four past the post. The Duncan Howells-trained favourite Beat It won well ahead of Fleek for Louis Goosen, Innocently Naughty for Naidoo and Pina Colada for Gary Rich.

Pure Bliss may have booked her place in the Gr1 Allan Robertson in a fortnight’s time after a smart victory in the card opener. “She’s a smart filly,” according to Glen Kotzen. “She may go for the Gr1 at the end of the month but it’s not set in stone.”

By Andrew Harrison

Snaith Racing plan to boost their already considerable Vodacom Durban July hand by supplementing the much improved Made To Conquer early next month.

Made To Conquer (Candiese Marnewick)

The four-year-old has won five of his last six starts, most recently giving weight all round when beating Silva’s Bullet by three and a quarter lengths in a 1950m handicap at Scottsville at the beginning of the month.

Jono Snaith said yesterday: “We are going to take the easy route into the July with him and try to get in at or near bottom weight. He runs next in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup on June 2 and, if all goes according to plan in that, we will supplement him.”

Joey Ramsden continues to set the two-year-old pace in Cape Town and 10-3 shot Montego Bay’s success under Donovan Dillon in the first at Kenilworth yesterday was his 14th juvenile victory of the season. Candice Bass-Robinson (11) is the only other within sight. The Var colt’s win was – a relatively rare occurrence these days – gained in the famous Mayfair Speculators colours.

Ramsden said: “I have made it my policy to try to get a run into all the two-year-olds before they turn three as it gives us an idea where we stand with them for next season. We have fired with them like this for the last three years.

“We could struggle next season by not having many maidens but I am hoping that someone out there will replace them.”

Ramsden reckons there is more to come from Montego Bay, explaining: “Although he looks physically mature I think that is fooling us at the moment. When he turns those muscles into real muscles he will look like Anthony Joshua!”

By Michael Clower