Grade 1 SA Classic winner Lobo’s Legend’s chief target is likely to be the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 on June 2 at Greyville.

Trainer Joe Soma said the Trippi colt had come out of his race “very, very nicely.”

The big horse’s formline looked strange going into the Classic over 1800m as he had never run beyond a sprint before.

Lobo’s Legend (JC Photographics)

However, Soma explained that he had missed his intended preparation race three weeks earlier over 1700m as the meeting had been rained out.

He always felt Lobo’s Legend would see out the trip based on his pedigree and conformation and the way he worked.

He did have a few anxious moments when the horse threw his head up in the early stages of the big race.

He said, “He can take hold of the bit, so the key is to settle him.”

Soma spoke about the colt’s tremendous turn of foot and felt having proved himself over the tough Turffontein 1800m he shouldn’t have a problem staying 2000m at Greyville.

He said, “He never stopped. Muzi said he was green at first and was waiting for other horses to join him. But then he went on his own.”

His future as a horse who has only officially raced six times looks bright and Soma said, “It was a win full of merit and hopefully he can improve and learn, so he could be anything.”

Soma will also nominate him for the Vodacom Durban July, but said they would likely see how he went in the Daily News before deciding the next step.

He added, “The biggest headache is the travelling, so it’s a hard decision. He has a long career head of him and we don’t want to be greedy and gulp everything at once.”

Soma is not yet sure whether Lobo’s Legend will take in another race before the Daily News.

Soma will also nominate the Silvano filly Wind Chill for the July. This SA Oaks winner is small but courageous and is coming off a two length fourth in the Grade 2 Colorado King Stakes over 2000m. She was 2kg under sufferance with the winner Coral Fever in that race so it was a good performance.

Soma has cut his string down to 40 horses after one of his chief owners Mayfair Speculators was forced to disperse their horses.

He believes that will be a good number as racing enters a tough period.

By David Thiselton

The remarkable Brave Move bids to make it four in a row in the TAB Telebet Handicap at Durbanville today and she is well-nigh impossible to oppose.

She won very comfortably over this course and distance last time, leading a furlong from home and was far from all out. Indeed Ado Domeyer was patting her down the shoulder as he crossed the line.

The just under two-length margin flattered those behind and the handicappers have been generous in only raising her five points. Early punters have taken advantage, backing her from evens to 9-10.

Aldo-Domeyer

“She is in very good form although the only thing is that she has gone up in the handicap very quickly,” comments Adam Marcus. “It is no secret what we think of her and after this she steps up in class for the Ladies Mile and the Final Fling.”

Domeyer sticks with her even though his own stable runs Intothelimelight who has been raised six points for her narrow win over two furlongs further three months ago. “My filly has had a break but she is doing well,” says Candice Bass-Robinson. “55.5kg is a bit too light for Aldo and she is better over further. I’m not sure that she can beat Brave Move over a mile.”

Intothelimelight will be ridden for the first time by Grant van Niekerk and has been nibbled at from 3-1 to 5-2 second favourite with World Sports Betting.

Philae has eased from 28-10 to 7-2 but it’s worth bearing in mind that many of those Andre Nel horses that ran when the stable was under the weather have probably dropped to a slightly lower rating than their real ability warrants.  This one made the running when just over three lengths third to Brave Move last time, is 3.5kg better and her useful rider claims a further 4kg. She looks the danger.

The probably still improving Samsara (13-2) has been upped five points for her win over 1 400m at Kenilworth and, significantly, Greg Ennion says: “I don’t think the handicappers have caught up with her yet and I’m not worried about the mile.”

Top weight Epona completes the line-up and is the outsider of the party at 8-1. She has been dropped three points for her unplaced run over two furlongs further in January. “We discovered a couple of little things – really just bad habits – that we are working on and she has been at Lammerskraal, the new owners,” says Joey Ramsden.  “Sally has done a great job with her but she needs much further and I think she will also need the run.”

Two-year-old Dancing For Rain has drifted from evens to 21-20 in the first and preference is for 33-10 chance Vase while Giant Flag may beat 5-2 favourite Magnificent Seven in race three. Rhustar Dow (33-10) is a course specialist but the shorter trip is a concern in race six.

The talented Made In Hollywood, not seen since starting favourite and finishing second in the Strelitzia Stakes nearly 12 months ago, will be back in action at Kenilworth on Saturday week.

Joey Ramsden has put her in both the Highlands Stud Winter Guineas and Sweet Chestnut Stakes and said: “She went wrong after running at Scottsville but she is doing exceptionally well at the moment and she could run in either race.”

Candice Bass-Robinson has the biggest hand in the Winter Guineas with a quarter of the 16 entries – Selangor winner Rocket Countdown, Ben-Hur, What A Summer and What A Joker.

She said: “Most of them are drawn in the bush but at this stage they will all probably run.”

By Michael Clower

Turffontein Standside stages a nine race night meeting tomorrow and the highlight is a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1000m in which a number of Grade 1 Compuataform Sprint candidates will be having preparation runs.

Trip To Heaven (JC Photo)

Trip To Heaven has lost his outstanding form lately but has still been thereabouts against the best and as the champion Sean Tarry yard are in good form at the moment he can use his weight and draw advantage to good effect. The standside draws are usually favourable down the straight here and he has drawn eight of nine. Green Pepper has speed and class and is unbeaten in two starts over this course and distance so she should also be involved in the finish. Naafer has a tough low draw but nearly pulled off a win in the Merchants on Summer Cup day from the number one draw over 1160m so he can make his presence felt. He has not raced since then but was joint-favourite for the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championships on Met day when having to be scratched after a calamitous false start so will be fit enough.

Champagne Haze can be expected to be finishing like a train over this trip and is one from one over course and distance. Cathedral County is officially not favoured by the weights but is an up and coming sort who could still develop into a top class sort. He does have a tricky low draw but Piere Strydom is an eye-catching booking. Sir David Baird proved he can mix it with the best sprinters last time in the Senor Santa but he might not be favoured by a further step down in trip and has the tough number one draw. Rocky Valley ran a fair race in the Senor Santa and is the dark horse here as he will probably relish the step down in trip. Attenborough is a quirky sort but very good on his day and having run fifth in the Cape Flying he is 1,5kg better off with Trip To Heaven for a one length beating. Graduation Day is an unsound sort who had a fine strike rate up until his 10^th start but his recent form suggests his problems have caught up with him. They are selected in the order mentioned but it is wide open.

Race seven is an interesting event over 20000m and the quirky Secret Captain could get it right having done well to date on the Highveld for Mike de Kock. However, the chief threat Dawn Assault is proven over the trip so has to be included.

Earlier De Kock sends out Albacore, who is chosen as best bet on the card in race three. He is a well-bred son of Fastnet Rock and looks the part. He is drawn wide in his first start around the turn but can use his big action to mow them down.

Wonderwall is ideally course and distance suited in the eighth over 1400m, but the classy Zouaves will relish the course and distance too and so will Dan The Lad.

The meeting opens with an interesting Maiden Juvenile Plate which looks to be a three-corned contest between Royal Italian and the less experienced but eye-catching pair Absente and Potjie.

By David Thiselton

Candice Bass-Robinson has won more two-year-old races in Cape Town than any other trainer this season and at Kenilworth on Saturday Clouds Unfold produced a truly devastating burst of speed to suggest she could be up there with star stable companion Nous Voila.

The What A Winter filly went past Western Angel as if the Allan Roberton-bound filly was standing still while previous winner Racine was beaten six lengths into third. Furthermore the Drakenstein homebred is out of a mare by the Arc winner Montjeu so she should stay well enough to be a Fillies Guineas candidate.

Her trainer said: “She is not a fast early type but she has always shown that she has a lot of ability. However she is a little bit hot temperament-wise so I will keep her here for the winter and she will go for the Nursery in June.”

Grant Van Niekerk

Western Angel leaves for Durban this week together with Magical Wonderland and Our Mate Art while Live Life and Ollivander were among those who went last week.

Joey Ramsden has won almost as many two-year-old races (seven) and he had the first three in the TAB Telebet Juvenile Plate with evens favourite Twist Of Fate quickening away from Lucky Dancer and Temp The Tiger.

With the possible exception of Charles Laird, Ramsden has suffered more than any other trainer from the collapse of the Jooste racing empire and he has seen most of his stable’s big names depart leaving a string of empty boxes.

However he has the ability and the proven record to bounce back and, almost as important, the sort of larger-than-life character that appeals to so many owners. Fortunately for South African racing he is determined to rebuild to his former strength in this country despite a recent visit to Australia sparking off wildfire-like rumours that he is going to move there (“If you haven’t heard them then you are just about the only person who hasn’t”).

His sometimes unconventional approach very nearly paid off when he elected to run two-year-old Yolta against the older horses in the Betting World Maiden even though she received less than half the official weight-for-age allowance.

The R2 million buy (still part-owned by Mayfair Speculators) started favourite but was squeezed out at the start and had an impossible amount of ground to make up in the straight. Even so she was beaten less than half a length into third behind Kamaishi who made all under Richard Fourie for Mike Robinson.

Ramsden said: “I thought she was good enough despite getting such a pathetic amount of weight and if she had jumped on terms she could have won by ten lengths.”

She was ridden by Grant Van Niekerk who won the first two races and then won two more for Justin Snaith. “He is riding out of his skin,” remarked an understandably full-of-admiration Chris Snaith.

Van Niekerk has been riding like a man inspired all this year but perhaps the most remarkable aspect of his 2018 riding is that it has been interference and .suspension-free. He used to spend almost as much time in the boardroom as the stipes and at one stage last season he was banned three times in a week. “It was costing me too much so I took a step back and worked on it,” he explained.

According to Tabgold the Paddy Kruyer-trained Earth Hour set a new mile class record when clocking 1 min 39.81 sec under M.J. Byleveld in the Interbet.co.za Handicap although it is nearly four seconds slower than Legislate’s course record.

By Michael Clower

The Markus Jooste factor – or rather lack of it – had a devastating effect on last week’s CTS April yearling sale and vendors are now bracing themselves for a difficult time at next week’s 526-lot National Yearling Sale.

The Durbanville sale was billed as a combination of last year’s Emperor’s Palace Select and the Cape Town March which together resulted in 332 sold for an average of R173 328 and a R57.5 million total. Last Thursday and Friday only 208 out of 289 horses on offer were sold and the average slumped by 43% to R97 764 while the aggregate was only just over R20 million.

At last year’s Emperor’s Palace nine yearlings went for R1 million or more (by no means all of them for Jooste partnerships) whereas last week the highest price was R700 000.

Sales company CEO Wehann Smith said: “We are all aware of the effect that Steinhoff and Mayfair Speculators have had but even so the results were a little bit down on what we expected. On the positive side one has to believe that this is an abnormal year and hopefully it is just a blip on the radar. But it is certainly very tough on the breeders.”

Seemingly not all of them were as stunned as the bare results would suggest and Cape Breeders chairman Vaughan Koster said yesterday that he was not all that surprised.

He explained: “For starters we were on a hiding to nothing having two sales within little more than ten days of each.

“Secondly the liquidation of Mayfair Speculators is having a huge effect on the industry. What Markus used to put into it each year is no longer coming in and on top of that all his horses have been up for sale. I don’t want to sound all doom and gloom but we have to be realistic – there just isn’t the same money around.

“I think we have to expect a reduction at Nationals although I believe the sale will still be relatively strong. It’s the regional sales that are going to be difficult. Everybody in the industry is going to have to tighten their belts and cut costs for a couple of years when I believe the market will turn around again.”

Koster expects the anticipated re-opening of the export protocols to act as the catalyst and believes that breeders have a part to play in expediting this, saying: “We need to push hard to ensure that this goes ahead because it will make a big difference.”

By Michael Clower