Nightingale, who gave Candice Bass-Robinson her first Grade 1 success in last year’s Klawervlei Majorca, has been retired after running way below form in both the Paddock Stakes and the Sun Met.

Her trainer said: “She had been doing well at home before the Met but in the race she didn’t want to gallop. Her feet weren’t the greatest and maybe she was feeling the very firm ground.”

The stipes ordered a veterinary examination but nothing showed up and it was the same story after the Paddock Stakes in which she finished with only two behind her. But the Silvano mare won five of her 22 starts and was a close fourth in the Durban July. She should prove a valuable addition to the broodmare ranks for owners Mauritzfontein and Wilgerbosdrift.

By Michael Clower

The rejuvenated poly track gets put to the test at Greyville this afternoon. The entire poly track has undergone a major overhaul so hopefully there won’t be any complaints by jockeys or trainers who were given an opportunity to gallop horses on the track yesterday morning but there were no takers.

Turffontein-based Brian Wiid has in the past been a successful raider on the poly and he saddles a brace with Jackman lining up in the fifth and Soldat next up in the sixth.

Touch Of Magic

Jackman looks the more likely of the pair. He finished three lengths back in MR80 company last time out in his first start in blinkers and today drops to an MR64 handicap. He does have top weight but has drawn well and does not meet a particularly strong field.

Lezeanne Forbes sends out the consistent Toltec who looks the most obvious threat. Toltec has hardly been out of the money in a dozen starts and has finished close-up in both outings since shedding his maiden. He has improved in blinkers and is no stranger to the synthetic surface.

Soldat faces a more difficult task. He took 21 runs to shed his maiden and that in a work riders plate where he kept going to win over the Vaal 1500m. He also does not have the best of draws but one gets the impression that the switch of surfaces may bring out the best in him. But it is a wide-open affair and the luckless Viking Red, down in trip and back on his favourite surface, could finally nail down his second win for Frank Robinson. He over-raced and compounded over 1950m at Scottsville last time out and the shorter trip could work in his favour.

Track & Ball have Dale House up as a weak 11-2 favourite. The Michael Roberts-trained gelding found one too good for him in the front-running Master Sam last time out and can do better here.

For exotic bet punters it’s not a race to go ‘light’ in.

Timetoperfection and Touch Of Magic look the principal contenders in the seventh with the former at the top of the boards although easy to back at around 3-1. The daughter of Judpot has plenty of miles on the clock for her two wins but made a promising local debut for Brett Crawford when third behind Miss Millionaire who was responsible for a major boil-over that day.

Blinkers appear to have sharpened her up a little and the switch of surfaces could also prove a major plus.

Paul Lafferty thought enough of Touch Of Magic for her to take her place in the float for Cape Town for their summer. She only had one start before her return and she was not too far behind Nanna Anna.

Lafferty has booked poly specialist Anton Marcus for the leg up and from a good draw looks a lively contender.

Apprentice Ashton Arries piloted home the 60^th winner of his career when Statute scored at Scottsville on Sunday so Kahula will not get the benefit of his 1.5kg claim in the opening leg of the PA, that’s if she runs after she finished third behind Head Honcho on Sunday. That could leave the way open for Craig Eudey’s game mare Mark My Card. She won first time out for her new stable and has since finished close-up on two further occasions.

She is always game and honest and has the benefit of Marcus in the irons.

Via Con Dios has attracted some early market support in a tricky closing leg of the jackpot and is now a marginal favourite while rank outsider Parasailor, a half-sister to the smart Isingamoya, and with absolutely no form to recommend, has found some long-shot support.

By Andrew Harrison

The Grade 3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap over 1000m at Turffontein Standside on Saturday saw a scintillating performance by the Gary Alexander-trained Champagne Haze, who is now eyeing one or two of the big SA Champions Season sprint events.

Alexander thus achieved the rare feat of winning a race which was named in honour of a horse he trained and remarked it was very rewarding to have done so. Meanwhile, Lyle Hewitson, who rode Champagne Haze, edged closer to breaking the all-time South African record for the number of winners as an apprentice.

Champagne Haze, a five-year-old gelding by Kahal, is a half-brother to “The People’s Horse”, the Alexander-trained Pierre Jourdan. Therefore, he is not surprisingly better from 1200-1400m than 1000m.

Champagne Haze (JC Photographics)

Carrying 61,5kg on Saturday he was duly outpaced. He was near last going through the half-way mark and still had about five lengths to make up. However, as the leaders began running out of steam, he hit top gear and was soon eating up the leeway. He passed the line 1,7 lengths clear, a result which had looked impossible half-a-minute earlier.

Alexander said Champagne Haze would now defend his title in the Grade 2 Senor Santa Stakes over 1160m at Turffontein on March 31 and he would then have a go at the Grade 1 weight for age Computaform Sprint over 1000m at Turffontein on May 5.

The gelding’s SA Champions Season targets would likely be one or both of the two big sprints at Greyville, the Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1200m on June 15 and the Grade 1 weight for age Mercury Sprint over 1000m on July 21. Champagne Haze ran in the Mercury Sprint last year and finished a decent 2,4 length fifth from draw 14 of 14. Alexander won the Merchants two years ago with Kangaroo Jack.

Champagne Haze was bought for R280,000 at the CTS Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale. To date he has won six races, including the R2,5 million Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup, and has earned R2,268,950 in stakes.

However, he is only halfway to the R4,598,173 earned by his half-brother Piere Jourdan. Both horses were bred by Summerhill stud and are out of the four time-winning Qui Danzig speedster Vin Fizz, who finished third in the Grade 2 Sceptre Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth.

Tommy Hotspur was the best sprinter Alexander ever trained. He won his first eight races before being defeated narrowly at odds of 6/10 in the Computaform Sprint by Shoe Shac. However, he exacted revenge in the following year’s Computaform Sprint, winning at odds of 17/10 and finished his career as a ten-time winner. The best female sprinter Alexander trained, Ruby Clipper, was also a ten time winner.

Tommy Hotspur is not the only Alexander-trained horse who has a race named after him. His dual Grade 1 winner Drum Star, who was a 1993-born foal by Hard Up out of the Equus Champion broodmare Star Drums, has a Listed race named after him.

Hewitson is only three victories away from equalling the all-time South African apprentice winners record of 284, currently held by Gavin Lerena.

However, Hewitson is currently serving a suspension from 18 to 24 February.

The now 32-year-old Lerena’s record has stood for 11 years. He ended his apprenticeship in July 2007.

“Perhaps that [the suspension] will give me the chance to break the record on Guineas Day,” said Hewitson, referring to the big race day on March 3.

Hewitson only started his apprenticeship in March 2016, whereas Lerena served the usual five-year apprenticeship. However, Hewitson had plenty of race-riding experience behind him when arriving at The Academy after completing his matric. He rode 23 winners as a workrider. Due to his previous experience, he will serve only three years as an apprentice.

By David Thiselton

Rose In Bloom, second in the Sceptre Stakes and third in the Majorca, is expected to start a warm favourite to win the Vasco Prix Du Cap at Kenilworth’s Prawn Festival meeting on Saturday. The filly’s trainer Joey Ramsden won this with Just Sensual 12 months ago and is bidding for his sixth win in the Grade 3 in 14 seasons.

Robert Khathi has the mount. His only previous ride on the filly was on her debut just over a year ago when she had the misfortune to come up against no lesser horse than Snowdance!

Callan Murray flies down for seven rides for Justin Snaith including Miss Catalin in the Prix Du Cap and Fifty Cents in the Jet Master. Donovan Dillon, out with a broken bone in his right hand, returns to the fray for four mounts including Milton in the Jet Master but, surprisingly, he rides nothing for Andre Nel.

Instead Nel has booked the in-form Keagan De Melo for four of his six runners including Love To Boogie in the Prix Du Cap.

This meeting usually attracts a Kenilworth attendance second only to the Met and this time the live entertainment has been stepped up. The draws include R70 000 worth of giveaways while the seafood now extends to a far wider range than just the prawns that started the whole crowd-pulling idea five years ago.

By Michael Clower

Horizon, who was a narrow 0,65 length sixth in last season’s Vodacom Durban July, is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to remove a knee chip.

Horizon (Liesl King)

The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained four-year-old Dynasty colt set a sales record in South Africa when being knocked down for R5.2 million at the CTS Premier Yearling Sale of 2015, although that record has since been surpassed.

To date he has won three races, including the Grade 3 Politician Stakes over 1800m, and earned R598,525 in stakes.

Bass-Robinson has not yet finalised her team for the SA Champions Season.

Last year’s July winner Marinaresco will not be among them as he went into quarantine yesterday and will be trained by Mike de Kock overseas.

By David Thiselton