The Vaal Classic meeting tomorrow starts with an interesting Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m and the Call To Combat filly White Book could beat the boys here.

In her last start over this trip she showed good pace and stayed all the way to the line. She now has pole position so can use her pace to get to the front and then use her resolve to stay in front under top jockey Marco van Rensburg. Pieces of Gold could be the main danger as he has been in the frame three times in six starts and has faced some fair sorts. He quickened well in the straight over 1000m last time on the Turffontein Inside track but his effort then petered out. Sherman Brown will likely be holding him up for as long as possible here from a wide draw.

Barahin is a R2,8 million purchase by Gimmethegreenlight out of a Silvano mare who won once and is a full-sister to a Grade 2-winning sprinter. He opened on debut at 5/4 and started 16/10 favourite but was not overly impressive, as he looked immature and was outpaced. However, he did stay on well and will be improving. The two first-timers Whitehaven and White Moon do not make huge appeal. The former is a R275,000 Var colt but his full-brother Vanuatu has not shone in three runs to date. White Moon is by Black Minnaloushe out of an Australian-bred Royal Academy one-time winner and is a half-brother to seven-time winner from 1400-1800m Stone Reeves. He will likely prefer further although he should be staying on.

The second race over 1200m could lie between Abelie and Anneka. The former showed pace over 1000m and stayed on. She is drawn well and it will be a question of whether she can keep Anneka at bay. A clue to Anneka’s chances will be in how White Book does in the first as the latter beat her last time. However, Anneka has quite a nice stride and has scope for improvement, so should be running on with expected improvement. Sweet Red is an interesting first-timer being by top Australian sire Snitzel out of a Listed winner who has won three times from 1200-1400m. Those three are the suggestions for the first leg of the Place Accumulator.

The first leg of the Pick 6 over 1450m could be fought out by the moderate sorts Mr Tinsel and Tommy The Builder, who are knocking on the door in this sort of ordinary maiden.

In the second leg, also over 1450m, Banana Republic ran a fair race in handicap company last time over 1400m and from another fair draw should stay on into the money and is the tip to win it too. The two-year-old Jailhouse Jazz was supported on debut over 1200m and ran a fair race. She is drawn well over a step up in trip she should enjoy. The first-timer Big Myth by Big Brown out is out of a one-time winning Elusive Quality daughter of SA champion three-year-old classic filly Mythical Play and wouldn’t have to be a star to feature here.

In the fifth race Pearl Of Bahrain has struck as one with some class and as she wears blinkers and is by Western Winter the step down to this mile trip should be ideal and she has a fair draw. Purdey and Glamarous Scandal are fancied to be the main dangers.

In the sixth over 1200m Fragrant Miss is chosen to be the meeting banker. She has always struck as having talent but the yard got her trip wrong, not surprisingly, a she struck as one who would need further than sprints. However, she has proved best at sprints and duly won shortly after being dropped back in trip. Off a mere 64 merit rating she can follow up first time out the maidens, although her wide draw of nine is a concern.

The seventh is a MR 96 Handicap over 1000m and Barrack Street looks to have it all in his favour over his favourite 1000m trip off a merit rating which has been lowered three points and jumping from a fair draw. However, these sprint handicaps are always wide open and the suggestion is to go as wide as possible.

The Pick 6 and PA are rounded off by another sprint handicap over 1000m, a MR 72, and Dragoon could get it right if jumping on terms as he is off a competitive mark and Callan Murray knows him well. The hard-knocking Supanova looks the main threat. The pair who are having their first runs out of the maidens and return from layoffs, Keyboogie and Sir Spencer, can’t be ignored. He’s Great warrants consideration too, although he need to bounce back to his best.

By David Thiselton

It seldom happens that a barrier trial attracts more attention than the racing its self but the presence of former Vodacom Durban July winner Legislate in today’s barrier trial at Scottsville should have pundits lining the paddock fence.

Unfortunately, former Daily News 2000 winner Rabada, who was also due to make an appearance after a nearly two-year absence, has been scratched after pulling up lame at home.

Legislate proved infertile at stud hence his reappearance on the race track and there is plenty of big racing and lucrative stakes to be had ahead this Champions Season. While a barrier trial is hardly a definitive indication of a horse’s fitness, they are still public gallops and watchers can make of them what they will.

Another first on the day, and possibly a world first, will see a horse trained by Ormond Ferraris, owned by his son David and ridden by grandson Luke line up in the third. Autumn Rain comes off some fairly useful Highveld form and, after a slow start where he took 26 rides to get off the mark, young Luke has been in good form, winning six races in the past month, his first two winners coming courtesy of grandfather Ormond.

The Scottsville turf has been hallowed ground over the past couple of months, a combination of weather and programming, leaving the surface relatively unscathed and trainers have lined their horses up in droves to take advantage with the majority of the eight races attracting maximum fields that should keep punters honest.

Autumn Rain is around 11-2 for the opening leg of the Pick 6 but he will need to get past ruling favourite Bronzed. Glen Kotzen’s colt make marked improvement at his second outing in a Juvenile Plate, coming from way back in heavy going to finish a length off the winner Immortelle.

Bronzed is on offer around 18-10 by Track And Ball and could spoil the Ferraris party.

Pau Lafferty sends out Majestic Glory in the opening leg of the Pick 6 and his Australian-bred finished out of the money for the first time when tried on the Greyville poly track last time out where he was up with the pace throughout but caught for a finish to run just over a length back to Fillipo. He steps up in trip and down in class and should have a big say.

Top weight, On That Boulevard, has his first outing for Tony Rivalland but had shown plenty of promise under Charles Laird before he retired and handed in his trainer’s licence. On That Boulevard jumped from a maiden win to winning in a tough handicap at just his third outing and with Ferraris taking 4kg off his back he could prove the biggest threat to Majestic Glory although this is a wide-open affair.

Gary Rich has done an outstanding job getting the quirky Don Pierro to the race course, let alone win as he did last time out. The form of that race has not worked out that well, but Don Pierro is lightly raced and has ability so could come up trumps at decent odds in the fifth, another difficult handicap where the dangers are many.

Top weight Cat’s Legacy has dropped five pounds in the ratings and is also down a division so in spite of lumping top weight he looks a serious threat to the selection. Grandfather and grandson team up with Querari Falcon that has been something of a disappointment after promising much in his early career. That said, although he only has two wins to his credit, he has consistent form and is never far back. He is a must inclusion in all exotic bets.

By Andrew Harrison

A massive entry of 106 sprinting thoroughbreds, including the first three past the post in the recent Grade 1 Computaform Sprint at Turffontein, have been entered for the country’s biggest and most prestigious meeting for speed horses that features four Grade 1 events over 1 200m.

It will all happen at the Tsogo Sun Sprint Racemeeting at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, May 26, where R3,25-million in stakes will be up for grabs for the four races that form the official Jackpot at the meeting.

Headed by the R1-million Tsogo Sun Sprint, the programme includes the R750 000 South African Fillies Sprint for fillies and mares at weight-for-age and the two R750 000 juvenile events at level weights, the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion which is open to all two-year-olds and the Allan Roberston Championship which is restricted to the young fillies.

In the Tsogo Sun Sprint three fillies are among 33 entries where the Joey Ramsden-trained Western Winter gelding Attenborough will likely top the early betting after his impressive victory in the Computaform Sprint where he came on late under Richard Fourie to win by a length at an easy-to-back price of 16-1. The runner up in that race, Pinnacle Peak from the Dorrie Sham stable and Attenborough’s stable mate Speedpoint that finished third are also among the entries along with In Full Flight Handicap winner Bold Respect, the unlucky and often slow away Trip To Heaven, and others such as Sir Frenchie, Naafer, Sunset Eyes, Myfunnyvalentine, Always In Charge, Black Cat Back and Bishops Bounty.

Myfunnyvalentine has also been entered for the SA Fillies Sprint along with Sommerlied, Live Life that finished third in the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship as well as Neptune’s Rain and Made In Hollywood that filled the first two places in the Strelitzia Stakes. Green Plains won the Camelot beating Myfunnyvalentine and Magical Wonderland is one of the many three-year-olds in the entries that won the Sceptre Stakes at Kenilworth in January.

Trainer Dennis Drier, who has an outstanding record in the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, has nominated three horses for the juvenile race – Immortelle, Crown And Country and Goliath Heron – in a bid to continue his domination of the race but faces some top-performing juveniles like SA Nursery winner William The Silent and runners-up Cirillo and Chimichuri Run. Cue The Music, Van Halen and Traces, first three past the post in the Godolphin Barb, are also among the entries.

The Allan Robertson Championship is not to be outdone in terms of a quality entry with the 22 fillies including the SA Fillies Nursery winner Ronnie’s Candy and runner-up Ghaalla along with top Strelitzia Stakes performers Inverroche, Canukeepitsecret, Petra and Star Flyer.

The Tsogo Sun Sprint meeting is the biggest held in the KwaZulu-Natal Capital and with the best sprinters in the country in thundering action it is a meeting that must not be missed.

By Richard McMillan.

SCOTTSVILLE – Saturday 26 May 2018

R 750,000    1200m    

SOUTH AFRICAN FILLIES SPRINT (Grade 1)

For Fillies and Mares at Weight-For-Age

WFA: 2yrs-9.5kgs 3yrs-1.5kgs

11 LIVE LIFE          (4F) 60.0 115   Candice Bass-Robin

12 THE SECRET IS OUT  (4F) 60.0 112 B Vaughan Marshall

15 EXQUISITE TOUCH    (4F) 60.0 109   Sean Tarry

4 SOMMERLIED         (4F) 60.0 108   Dennis Drier

2 GREEN PEPPER       (4F) 60.0 107   J A Janse van Vuur

6 JO’S BOND          (5M) 60.0 107   Justin Snaith

3 GIMME SIX          (4F) 60.0 106   Justin Snaith

14 MYFUNNYVALENTINE   (4F) 60.0  97   Sean Tarry

18 ANIME              (4F) 60.0  91   Dennis Drier

20 HOIST THE MAST     (5M) 60.0  90   Andre Nel

21 MAGICAL WONDERLAND (3F) 58.5 110   Candice Bass-Robin

7 NEPTUNE’S RAIN     (3F) 58.5 110   Duncan Howells

19 GREEN PLAINS       (3F) 58.5 108   Sean Tarry

8 ROSE IN BLOOM      (3F) 58.5 106   Joey Ramsden

5 TOO PHAT TO FLY    (3F) 58.5 105   Glen Kotzen

1 CASUAL DIAMOND     (3F) 58.5 102   Justin Snaith

16 PRINCESS PEACH     (3F) 58.5 101   Glen Kotzen

10 STATUTE            (3F) 58.5  98   Michael Roberts

17 MADE IN HOLLYWOOD  (3F) 58.5  97   Joey Ramsden

9 CALL TO ACCOUNT    (3F) 58.5  96   Joey Ramsden

13 WINTER’S FORGE     (3F) 58.5  96   Stanley Ferreira

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Dean Kannemeyer has a strong hand in the World Sports Betting 1900 with two talented horses, It’s My Turn and The Slade, neither of whom will have any problem seeing out the trip.

The five-year-old Dynasty gelding It’s My Turn won the Investec Cape Derby for Justin Snaith as a three-year-old and joined the Kannemeyer yard this season after being farm rested following joint chip surgery.

Kannemeyer said, “The surgery was very successful and he is very sound. I put him in a Scottsville race over 1400m to sharpen him up and he then ran a very good third in the King’s Cup. That was very encouraging. He will now be at peak racing fitness. It is a tough race but will be a good test for him. I think he is a 2000-2400m horse. He is a borderline for the Vodacom Durban July and is ready for the race and doing well. He galloped nicely recently at Summerveld, so is fit and Keagan de Melo knows him well.”

It’s My Turn does have quite a tricky draw of seven.

However, Kannemeyer said it could have been worse and he hoped for some luck in running.

Kannemeyer has now taken on De Melo as his first choice rider for the SA Champions Season following the unfortunate injury to Anthony Delpech.

He said, “He rides my first and second strings. He is a top man and is a light weight. He is beautifully balanced and has great potential.”

He said about the progressive four-year-old Philanthropist gelding The Slade, “He is looking exceptionally well. We had expected a better performance last time (1,8 length fourth in The Sledgehammer) but Anton Marcus said afterwards the slow pace had not suited him. It was also his first run since January and after he was switched out he kept on rolling all the way to the line. I have always thought him to be a 2000-2400m horse. I have kept him in the July because he has continued to improve. This will be a good test for him and will show whether he is good enough for the July. If not another route will be planned for him, like the Lonsdale etc, as I have always wanted to put him in staying races.”

Warren Kennedy rides from a tricky draw of nine.

The front-runner Crowd Pleaser could be the key horse in the field and Kannemeyer’s pair would both appreciate a good pace.

By David Thiselton

Paul Lafferty was bullish about the chances of his charge Dark Moon Rising in the Grade 2 World Sports Betting 1900 to be run on the Greyville turf on Saturday.

He said about the progressive four-year-old Ideal World gelding, “He only got going late in the Sledgehammer (0,8 length third) and now it is 100m further. His best trip will be 2400m. He is doing well at home and is improving all the time.”

This rangy sort is officially the worst weighted horse in the race, which is run under merit rated band conditions. He is 5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse Fort Ember and 2,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted male horse, It’s My Turn. However, the merit ratings can be misleading due to the number of sub-rules which bind the handicappers. Furthermore, typical of the progeny of Ideal World, he is improving all the time and has cracked another plum draw of two. His Sledgehammer pilot Craig Zackey keeps the ride.

By David Thiselton

Featured Image: Dark Moon Rising (Candiese Marnewick)