Greyville has two meetings this weekend, poly on Friday night and turf on Sunday.

On Sunday the Grade 3 Byerley Turk and Grade 3 Umzimkhuku Stakes, both over 1400m, are pointers to the classic races in the SA Champions Season.

In the Byerley, Undercover Agent showed his class in the CTS Mile when finding extra to score cosily. Earlier, he had gone close to beating subsequent Cape Guineas winner Tap O’ Noth in the Cape Classic over this 1400m trip. From a draw of three he is the one to beat.

Sand And Sea

Justin Snaith has been waiting a long time to run Kasimir over his correct trip of 1400-1600m so this CTS 1200 runner up should make a bold bid, although his draw of nine will make it tough.

Sand And Sea, who finished fourth in the CTS 1200, is also likely looking for this sort of trip and from a good draw this long-striding sort should also be in the shake up.

White River would prefer further but having finished strongly for second in the Cape Guineas his class should pull him through after he has likely been dropped out from a wide draw.

Woljayrine has won well over this trip before and should give a good account of himself.

Varallo has always struck as a classy sort and having won his second start after gelding over this trip on the poly he might now begin fulfilling his potential.

Sniper Shot won going away over this trip last time and could be on the up but will need luck from his high draw.

Steel Rose would prefer further but could make a bold bid if able to get to the front.

The Umzimkhulu is an intriguing contest and Lady In Black should go close from a fair draw of six. This Dynasty filly proved her class when finishing within 1,5 lengths of Oh Susanna in the Grade 1 Paddock Stakes over 1800m. This trip should be ideal for her running fresh. Elusive Heart romped home in the Grade 3 Prix du Cap over this trip at Kenilworth last time against some good horses and she will go close, although her wide draw makes it tough. Dynamic Diana will enjoy this trip on form evidence. She is a classy sort and as a daughter of Dynasty will be improving all the time and will enjoy the tight Greyville track, although she does have a tricky draw. Fish River has plenty of class and will be dangerous if Delpech is able to find the front or a handy position as she has a good kick.

Desert Rhythm won the Grade 2 Gold Slipper over course and distance and can bounce back from a below par campaign in Cape Town, where she didn’t appear to be herself. She’s A Dream has plenty of zip and looked well in a recent barrier trial. She should stay this trip on pedigree and has a chance.

By David Thiselton

The Classic meeting at Turffontein tomorrow features three Grade 1s, four Grade 3s and a Listed race and is a meeting not to be missed.

Surcharge’s shocking luck with draws has continued into the R2 million Grade 1 SA Classic over 1800m, but he can be easily switched on and off so Piere Strydom will have a chance of finding a good position and in the straight the horse can then use his big action to reel the others in.

Fiorella (Candiese Marewick)

Roy’s Had Enough is coming off two strong-finishing wins over 1600m on the Greyville turf and like Surcharge is relaxed in the running and has a big action. His grandam won the Australian Oaks so he should stay the trip.

Noble Secret is a big, rangy sort who will be improving all the time and from a good draw will be dangerous,

Another big runner is the Paul Peter-trained Majestic Mambo, who can afford to be dropped out as he has an exceptional turn of foot. He is unbeaten in three starts over this trip and appeared to hate the fast ground in the Gauteng Guineas, so can bounce back on probable more forgiving ground.

Royal Crusade will enjoy the trip and being by Silvano will be improving.

Those are the five most fancied runners.

Mike de Kock holds the aces in the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m.

Silver Thursday is crying out for this trip and further. This Silvano filly has drawn ten and Anthony Delpech will be looking to find a position from which she can use her sustained run in. Takingthepeace is a long-striding sort who produced a strong finish from well back in the GFG. On running style she looks likely to get the trip, although on pedigree there is a slight doubt.

The KZN raider Roy’s Riviera stays on well and this well-bred sort has strengthened, so she is the dark horse.

Folk Dance has a fine action but as her tendency to race a bit strongly has cost her from wide draws over 1600m, she will need luck from draw nine over this step up in trip.

Secret Potion is a long-striding sort who takes a while to unwind in the straight. However, when she finds her feet she finishes strongly and is still improving, so she could be the best value outsider from a plum draw of three as she will likely relish the faster pace of a Grade 1 event.

Fiorella’s last run can be ignored as a virus had laid her yard low at the time. The KZN Captain Al filly has shown good speed over 1400m and has stayed on well twice over 1600m behind the top class Hashtagyolo. Her dam won the Caradoc Gold Cup, so she is an interesting contender.

Flichity By Farr usually starts slowly and finishes strongly but overcoming a high draw here will be tough, although the Alyson Wright yard are positive based on her homework at caretaker Geoff Woodruff’s yard.

Those are the preferred choices, but Sean Tarry’s runners should also be considered considering the yard has hit a purple patch.

Legal Eagle should clinch his sixth career weight for age Grade 1 in the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes from a plum draw of three. The two fillies Orchid Island and Nother Russia have class and should give some cheek.

By David Thiselton

Mike de Kock holds the aces in the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m on Saturday, a race he is bidding to win for the fifth time, but it won’t be all plain sailing.

He runs Takingthepeace and Silver Thursday, who finished first and second respectively in the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas (GFG).

Mike de Kock

Takingthepeace is a long-striding sort who produced a strong finish from well back in the GFG. On running style she looks likely to get the trip, but on pedigree there is some doubt. Her sire Visionaire won from 1300-1700m and his best progeny have been sprinters, milers or sprint-milers. His daughter Heaps Of Fun also won the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and later finished a decent fourth in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville, but was found wanting in the final stages. Takingthepeace’s dam by Rambo Dancer, Lisa Anne, won three times from 1200-1450m, but did finish third in two separate Grade 3s over 1800m, albeit well beaten thirds

Takingthepeace will likely have to overtake many in the straight again from a wide draw of 14.

Silver Thursday, on the other hand, is crying out for this trip and further. This Silvano filly has drawn ten and Anthony Delpech will be looking to find a position from which she can use her sustained run in.

Betting World have them at 9/2 joint favourites together with Folk Dance.

Folk Dance has a fine action but as her tendency to race a bit strongly has cost her from wide draws over 1600m, she will need luck from draw nine over this step up in trip.

Fiorella’s last run can be ignored as a virus had laid her yard low at the time. The KZN Captain Al filly has shown good speed over 1400m and has stayed on well twice over 1600m behind the top class Hashtagyolo. Her dam won the Caradoc Gold Cup, so she is an interesting contender.

The KZN raider Roy’s Riviera also stays on well and this well-bred sort has strengthened, so she is the dark horse.

Flichity By Farr usually starts slowly and finishes strongly but overcoming a high draw here will be tough, although the Alyson Wright yard are positive based on her homework at caretaker Geoff Woodruff’s yard.

Wodruff horses can never be ignored at this time of the year and his own charge Secret Potion is a long-striding sort who takes a while to unwind in the straight. However, when she finds her feet she finishes strongly and is still improving, so she could be the best value outsider from a plum draw of three as she will likely relish the faster pace of a Grade 1 event.

Cashel Palace is another with scope for improvement although she finished severely distressed in the GFG, which is a concern.

Aurelia Cotta has been a touch disappointing after the good start to her career but with the Tarry yard in fine form she can’t be ignored. Her stablemates Rockin’ Russian, Forest Express and London Secret must also be considered.

Radiant Splendour has a big reputation and Piere Strydom is an eye catching booking. Inexperienced stablemate Saragon looks the part too, being by Ideal World, despite her current low merit rating.

Green Top stayed on for a surprise third in the GFG and Mar Del Seur is improving but has a tough draw.

It looks as wide open as the betting suggests.

By David Thiselton

Eyes Wide Open, 6-1 favourite for the Vodacom Durban July with those firms already betting on the country’s most famous race, is no longer under consideration for the Greyville showpiece.

After the colt won the Investec Cape Derby Glen Kotzen immediately started thinking in terms of the July, so following in the footsteps of Big City Life with whom he completed the double in 2009, but further reflection has caused him to change plans.

Eyes Wide Open (Candiese Marnewick)

Kotzen explained: “He won’t now be running in the July because of the weights – he is almost the top-weighted three-year-old in the country. He leaves for Durban in about two weeks but I am not sure yet when he will start. I will see how he goes and then decide.”

Talented stable companion Gold Standard – second in last season’s Cape Guineas and fourth in the Met – is already in Durban.

Kotzen said: “He was just not completely firing so we sent him back to Drakenstein for a nice break. He will probably go straight for the Rising Sun Gold Challenge on June 9.”

Kasimir, beaten only by Dutch Philip in the CTS 1200 after three wins off the reel, steps up to 1 400m for the first time in the Byerley Turk at Greyville on Sunday and connections expect him to appreciate the extra.

Jonathan Snaith said: “We kept him to 1 000m and 1 200m because we always had the CTS race in mind for him but his correct trip is 1 400m to a mile.”

By Michael Clower

Summerveld trainer Frank Robinson’s two stable stars, Roy Had Enough and Roy’s Riviera, have enjoyed a fine preparation.

“I have left no stone unturned,” he said.

They will travel up in a big float on Friday night and Roy Had Enough’s next door neighbour, the unraced two-year-old gelding World Cruise, will go with them and make his debut in a Maiden.

Robinson said, “He gets on well with World Cruise and it will be good also to have a gelding between the colt and the filly. The race is only at 16:35 on Saturday and being a colt Roy Had Enough can play up at the course while waiting, so it is nice they provide you with a stable at Turffontein, so he should be fine.”

The Australian-bred son of Piero is the joint-highest rated horse in the race on 110 having turned the corner since the blinkers were removed and Betting World quote him as 6^th favourite at 8/1.

Roy Had Enough (Candiese Marnewick)

Robinson has no doubt he will stay the 1800m trip of the Grade 1 R2 million SA Classic and pointed out his grandam had won the Australian Oaks. He has a plum draw of five and considering how well he has been relaxing in the running coupled with his resolute finish, he will relish the galloping nature of Turffontein and its long straight.

Robinson is bullish about the chances of Roy’s Riviera, an Australian-bred daughter of All Too Hard, in the Grade 1 R1 million Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic also over 1800m. He pointed out how well she had run on in the Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m from a wide draw and said she had strengthened into a “tank” of a filly. She is drawn eight in a race which can’t be called a vintage renewal and is quoted at12/1 with Betting World.

Warren Kennedy rides both of Robinson’s horses.

The three other KZN fillies in the SA Fillies Classic, the Duncan Howells-trained Fiorella, the Alyson Wright-trained Flichity By Farr and the Gavin van Zyl-trained Mar Del Seur, are quoted at 9/1, 12/1 and 40/1 respectively.

Howells said Fiorella had not run too her rating in her last start over 1600m at Scottsville in February due to the virus which had struck the yard at the time. Ideally she would have run in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas before Saturday’s race, but was forced to miss it. However, he added, “She is very well and I am optimistic she will give a good account of herself as I have given her the best possible preparation I have been able to. Her mother won the Caradoc Gold Cup so I can’t see a problem with the 1800m trip and she has been showing extremely good work, although the altitude is against us. She is a typical Captain Al in that she has a mind of her own and can play up at the races so I have taken her up today (Wednesday) so she can get used to the surrounds.” Anton Marcus rides from draw eleven.

Wright said Flichity By Farr had originally been aimed only at the SA Oaks, but after her good win last time over Saturday’s course and distance they had decided to take their chances in the Fillies Classic. “She has been in Johannesburg for a while with Geoff Woordruff and they are very positive. She has been working very well.”

Wright said the filly had been getting better and better as one would expect from a daughter of Go Deputy. However, her wide draw of 15 was a problem and considering her lack of gatespeed dropping her out would be the only option for Marco van Rensburg. She does pack a strong finish though, so is not without a chance.

Van Zyl also lamented the wide draw of 16 for What A Winter filly Mar Del Seur. However, he added, “She is fit and well and is on the up. She has a lot of stamina on her damside, her mother Pacific Dynasty was a decent stayer.”

Van Zyl’s unbeaten two-year-old colt Bold Eagle will be using the Grade 3 Protea Stakes as a springboard into the Grade 1 Nursery. “He has improved since his last run. His is a super horse.” Anthony Delpech remains aboard and significantly takes the ride on the Van Zyl-trained Cloud Break in the Grade 3 Pretty Polly Stakes too. Van Zyl said, “She was against colts last time and back with fillies has an outside winning chance.”

Delpech also rides the well-bred and improved Van Zyl-trained Just Cruised in later in the meeting.

Stable jockey Warren Kennedy rides Vicomte, who has a tough task at the weights in the Man O’ War Stakes, and the decent filly Always A Lady in the last, a fillies and mares 1400m handicap.

By David Thiselton