Dorrie Sham will nominate Grade 1 Computaform Sprint runner up Pinnacle Peak for the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville on May 26 but said his participation is all “in his hooves”.

She said the three-year-old Querari gelding had come out of Saturday’s race at Turffontein well.

She believed he would appreciate the step up to 1200m and pointed to his win in the Grade 3 Man O’ War Sprint over 1100m in which he led throughout yet was doing his best work late.

Joey Ramsden

Sham did not expect to have a horse for the SA Champions Season and would regard participation in the Tsogo Sun Sprint as a bonus.

Pinnacle Peak was bred by John Everett’s Narrow Creek Stud and has become a testament to the fine eye of owner John Finlayson.

Everett recently related, “John came to visit me on the farm. He loves taking a walk early in the morning and fell in love with this colt out in the field and offered to buy him off the farm. I said ‘No John, you’re here to visit, not to buy horses’, but at the end of his visit, John left a note with his offer. Over the next month he kept calling and asking about him and eventually the deal was done.”

Pinnacle Peak was only a weanling at the time.

He has been raised nine points by the handicapper to 112.

Joey Ramsden had the first and third in the Computaform Sprint, Attenborough and Speedpoint.

Attenborough is a quirky four-year-old gelding by Western Winter. When things go his way he can produce a powerful finish like he did on Saturday. He started favourite for last year’s Tsogo Sun Sprint running off a 106 merit rating but could only manage a 5,9 length 12^th. He has been raised four points to 114 after Saturday’s win, which, considering the recent across the board six point raise to all major centre merit ratings, means he is only two points higher than he was at this time last year. Speedpoint was raised eleven points to 109 for his 2,2 length third. Considering he finished a 4,4 length third in the Langerman over 1500m as a juvenile, he should enjoy the tough Scottsville 1200m if that is his target.

The speedy Queen Laurie got a relatively good break on Saturday for a change and showed she is effective from off the pace with a charging 3,1 length fourth. She put up her hand for a tilt at the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint as she beat her female four-year-old contemporary Exquisite Touch by 0,35 lengths.

By David Thiselton

Al Miqdaam is one of those stallions that floats around in obscurity for much of their careers. Ignored by mainstream studs for one reason or another and as a result not commercially viable, Al Miqdaam’s support base is mainly owner/breeders who do not have the numbers or quality of mare to make him popular.

Given a chance with a decent mare, Al Miqdaam does have some potential as Al Ciberano and Ishnana have shown, the two lining up in the sixth at Greyville tonight.

Al Ciberano

Both bred by Robert Smith, a long-time supporter of the sport and Al Miqdaam, Al Ciberano, now rising eight, was the first of the stallion’s progeny to feature prominently and to date has won four of his 34 starts, placed 19 times, and earned close to half-a-million rand.

Al Ciberano is over his favourite course and distance this evening but could find his younger rival too hot to handle although Tony Rivalland will have an idea on what to expect. Rivalland sends out Al Ciberano and also saddled La Ferrari, who fell victim to Ishnana last time out.

The Garth Puller-trained Ishnana has never been far back in his seven starts, twice successful, and blinkers appear to have brought out the best in him. La Ferrari had not finished out of the first three in his first five starts before taking on feature company in the In Full Flight Handicap last time out and did well enough to finish five lengths off Bold Respect. Tonight’s field is a lot weaker and on a line through La Ferrari, Ishnana could prove the one to beat in a difficult race.

After a virus scare, Duncan Howells is getting his string on track again and Ninjinsky’s Son can get his evening off on a winning note. After no-shows in his first three outings, Ninjinsky’s Son came good last time out, finishing like a train behind the talented but difficult Don Piero. The extra furlong should be right up his alley. Prince Ardent, in the money at his last five starts, and Lord Of Glencoe are possible dangers.

Sunny Bill Du-Toy came to hand with a bang when stretched to 1800m on the poly last time out and although that was a lowly maiden win, he appears to have some scope. Franco looks his biggest danger. He gets 4kg from Sunny Bill and has done well since being switched to the poly and sporting blinkers. He stays the trip and weight could be a deciding factor.

Howells sends out Crystal Ball and Roy’s Zara in the fourth, both in with chances in a tricky handicap. According to Howells, Crystal Ball is coming back to her best form and with a four-claimer up in Luke Ferraris, she may prove the pick of the two although Roy’s Zara trialled well and “has a say,” according to Howells.

Others with obvious chances are Vilette and Irish Marsh.

By Andrew Harrison

Star Cape filly Oh Susanna, impressive winner of the region’s premier event, the Grade 1 Sun Met, tops the first Vodacom Durban July Log released yesterday and heads an exciting and very strong top end to Africa’s greatest racing event.

It is no surprise that the Justin Snaith-trained Australian import is the leading contender in the opinion of the official July Selection Committee and after outside Coral Fever from the Robbie Sage stable ran out a surprise winner of the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Challenge at Turffontein on Saturday, the five-year-old Judpot gelding staked his claim to what is likely to be a guaranteed position in the 2 200m spectacle.

The Sean Tarry stable is the country’s leading yard but at this stage has just one of its entries in the top 20 and that is the winner of the Summer Cup, Liege, that occupies third spot ahead of the three-year-old Gimmethegreenlight colt Surcharge that will represent trainer Stuart Pettigrew. The colt was just beaten into second place in the Derby at Turffontein on Saturday but it was a top-class effort and follows up on second placings in the Gauteng Guineas and SA Classic.

The four-year-old Russian Sage gelding Perovskia from the stable of veteran Cape trainer Harold Crawford elbowed his way onto the log with his unexpected victory in the Grade 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes at Greyville on Friday evening. Before that win he had run consistently well and only missed the placing four times in 13 starts and this was the sixth win of his career.

Snaith has four of his nominees in the top 18 with the filly being supported by Investec Cape Derby runner-up Do It Again, African Night Sky and Star Express.

The Irish import Cascapedia is the sole representative of the Mike de Kock stable in the top 18 having won the London News but his three-year-old Captain Al colt Like A Panther is just on the outside looking in and could make his way into the final field as the season progresses.

The Dean Kannemeyer stable that has an excellent record in the country’s big race, finds two of its entries, It’s My Turn that was strongly fancied for the Vodacom Durban July last year and the runner up in the Peninsula Handicap, The Slade, among those just outside the top 18 on the log.

By Richard McMillan

Featured Image: Oh Susanna (Liesl King)

The Gary Alexander stable yesterday ruled out suggestions of supplementing last Saturday’s shock SA Derby winner Hero’s Honour for the Vodacom Durban July.

Dean Alexander, the trainer’s brother, said: “He is still a bit immature for a race like that and he still has some growing to do so he will now have a break before bringing him back for the new season. At the moment we are not looking at anything with him – he has done what we wanted him to.”

However rider Mark Khan apparently has next year’s Sun Met in mind as Alexander said: “Mark mentioned the Met so it is a possibility. We will see how we go.”

Hero’s Honour (JC Photographics)

The handicappers were mightily impressed by the 55-1 shot’s win and they have raised the gelding a whopping 21 points to 109 for his length and half win. Coral Fever has been raised ten points to a new mark of 120 for his success in the Premier’s Champions Challenge while runner-up Abashiri has gone up eight to 117.

Interestingly Legal Eagle, who faded badly inside the final furlong after trying to make all, has been dropped two points to a new mark of 123. July entries Silvan Star (third) and Nother Russia (fourth) have been left unchanged on 108 and 112.

Harold Crawford’s hopes of having his first runner in the great race have been given a boost by the decision to put up Perovskia by ten to 109 for his hard-fought success in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall.

Eric Sands has decided to run his exciting Winter Guineas winner Rainbow Bridge in the Winter Classic at Kenilworth on May 26. He had been in two minds about this previously but yesterday confirmed him a runner, adding: “He is a very special horse and he pulled up well after the Guineas.”

Justin Snaith has set many records in his time but leaving it until the second week of May to have a two-year-old winner ranks as a personal best (or worst, depending on how you look at it). He had run 23 two-year-olds in 48 races before Perfect Symmetry finally won at Kenilworth yesterday.

Some observers have openly wondered whether the lack of success indicates that the latest crop of Snaith juveniles are not that good but the boss was dismissive of any such suggestion.

He said: “Not at all. What has happened has been the plan all along. The handicapping and merit rating systems in this country mean that winning races early on in a horse’s career is not viable for the horse long-term. We have been saying this and keeping on saying it until eventually we reached the point where we decided to do something.”

By Michael Clower