The number of trainers affected by the caffeine-contaminated feedstuffs investigation is described by the NHA’s racing control boss Arnold Hyde as “multiple.”

But a date for the hearing has still to be agreed. However a widespread belief that the trainers concerned will be charged with a breach of the rules could yet prove to be premature.

Hyde said: “No charges have been preferred yet. I am not saying that they won’t be or that they will be. That’s for the Inquiry Board to decide. My job is to put everything before the Board.”

However a number of the trainers affected are taking no chances and have already engaged ace defence lawyer Robert Bloomberg to act for them.

There have been suggestions – from certain trainers, not from the NHA – that the levels of caffeine are higher than the threshold levels by quite a significant amount. One trainer is understood to have been unhappy about the feedstuffs and so privately sent samples for analysis. The tests showed traces of caffeine and so presumably he is in the clear.

The whole matter has now been dragging on for some months and Hyde said: “Hopefully we will progress soon.”

An added complication is that the positives are expected to have included winners – unless, and this seems unlikely, they all came from non-racecourse tests – and under the rules these will have to be disqualified.

Justin Snaith, fresh from all his Met day triumphs, will train both the R4 million Frankel colt that topped the CTS Premier Yearling Sale and the R3 million Captain Al who was the joint highest priced filly. Both were bought by John Freeman for Jack Mitchell and his daughter Nancy.

Andreas Jacobs’ Maine Chance Farms has gone into a 50:50 partnership with Highlands Stud for the R3 million Silvano filly bought by Amanda Skiffington. No trainer has yet been decided on.

Sun Met winner Oh Susanna has been raised seven points by the handicappers to a new mark of 115 but Majorca-winning stable companion Snowdance remains seven points below her on 108 despite proving over three lengths the better in the Cape Fillies Guineas.

Met runner-up Last Winter has gone up 12 points to 119 and third-placed Marinaresco stays on 118 but Legal Eagle (fourth) has been dropped a kilo to 121.

Sergeant Hardy has been upped five points to 117 for his Cape Flying victory but second-placed Trip To Heaven has come down four to a new mark of 114.

Anthony Delpech is now as short as 1-5 to win his fourth jockeys’ championship. He went into yesterday’s Scottsville meeting just two off his century, with a strike rate of over 25% and a 21-winner lead over his nearest pursuer, the busy Lyle Hewitson who is 6-1 second favourite.

World Sports Betting also goes 7-1 Gavin Lerna (54 winners), 14-1 Callan Murray (61), 16-1 four-time champion Anton Marcus (63), 20-1 Aldo Domeyer (67), 40-1 and upwards others.

By Michael Clower

Perusing the various tipping guides for today’s Scottsville meeting, one must come to the conclusion that you either follow your favourite guide or tipster or go with what you fancy. The tips rarely coincide so it looks to be a day of lucrative payouts if you find the correct combinations.

Coys has been a little like the Tottenham Hotspur soccer team, promising but not always delivering, but the penny appears to have finally dropped with Paul Lafferty’s colt and he can make amends for his narrow defeat to Pure Logic last time out.

Shedding his maiden, Coys proved too smart for Bear Hug, who has since been touched off again, but was decidedly unlucky behind Pure Logic after finding traffic at a crucial stage of the race.

Back over course and distance he could have the measure of hat-trick seeking Hero Quest while Calabash has his second outing for a new yard and can threaten while Wealthy is showing signs of returning to form and cannot be written off lightly.

To sum up, Coys is progressive and was unlucky last run but Hero Quest, Calabash and Wealthy can all make it hot.

Louis Goosen has an impressive winning strike-rate since relocating to KZN, Ashburton in particular. He saddled a double over the weekend and Shwanky can add to his record when she goes up against her own sex in the Racing. It’s A Rush Handicap.

Her race comes soon after finishing a smart second to top class course and distance specialist London Call in the Marula Sprint last week and although she was getting lumps of weight from Mark Dixon’s charge, it was still a more than creditable effort.

She has an extra 10kg to shoulder today but a repeat of any of her last three showings will see her in the firing line.

Dixon saddles Poster Girl, narrowly beaten on this course last run and little more than a length back to Shwanky at her penultimate start while Royal Agree is 1.5kg better off for under a length beating by Shwanky two runs back so must also be in contention. Love Theme is on the up and can do better over this trip so punters are faced with a tricky leg in the exotics.

Seattle Silva was a touch disappointing behind City Of Stars last time out after chasing hard when second to pacemaking Imbali before that. Blinkers and a tongue-tie have been added to her equipment along with Anthony Delpech and that could make for a winning combination in the ‘get-out stakes’, the Track & Ball Qualified Maiden that rounds off the afternoon.

In the opening leg of the Pick 6, First Mate has shown some improvement and does appear better than his recent effort when a distant fourth to the easy winner Kinsky’s Crusade. That said, this is not a race to go light in. Hondo came within an ace of causing a major upset when beaten by War-King and it has been many moons since Lenny Taylor saddled a winner. Stuart Randolph made the trip to Ashburton yesterday to give Vision Of Trust a warm-up for Paul Gadsby and is a must inclusion in all bets.

Gotoluvher could get Goosen’s ball rolling early in the Soccer 13 Handicap. His filly has had two outings since moving from the Highveld and should strip close to her peak but there are a few others for the shortlist. Miesque’s Magic is back on turf with a paper-weight on her back while Dunzie impressed when shedding her maiden and that form has been franked. Shizam beat a weak field in open company last time out although both of her recent wins have come on the poly.

The White Horse Function Room Handicap will keep all guessing but Timetoperfection has her first run for Brett Crawford and brings some useful Highveld form into the race even though her best recent effort was in Kimberley. She is obviously a tough filly, this being her 41^st start in just two seasons of racing, and blinkers could bring out the best in her.

By Andrew Harrison

Justin Snaith realised a long-held family ambition on Saturday by winning Cape Town’s premier race, the Sun Met, and he made racing history in the process.

He regards it as the best day of his racing career as he also won two other Grade 1’s on the card and has opened up a big lead in his bid for second National Trainer’s championship.

Australian-bred Street Cry filly Oh Susanna became the first ever three-year-old filly to win the Met over its current distance of 2000m and historians have to go back to Chair Lady in 1902 to find the last three-year-old filly to win the great race.

Earlier he won the Grade 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships with Captain Al gelding Sergeant Hardy and the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes with the brilliant Captain Al filly filly Snowdance and also won two other races on the card.

Snaith became concerned when Oh Susanna seemed to not be kicking on in the straight. He added, “But all of a sudden she kicked properly.”

In the end Grant van Niekerk could afford to begin celebrating 50 metres from the line, which caused a few heart stopping moments for her supporters as Last Winter flew in the final stages.

Snaith reckoned Oh Susanna had extra and would have seen off Last Winter if he had challenged earlier.

Regarding Van Niekerk’s early celebration he said, “He was very confident, he looked after the horse a little.”

Snaith said nothing had yet been discussed about Oh Susanna’s future. However, he said if she were given a “ridiculous” merit rating she would likely avoid the Vodacom Durban July. She is currently headed for a break on the farm of her owners, Drakenstein Stud.

Snowdance’s win was equally impressive and Snaith reminded, “Nothing went her way, they went flat out and she then had to sit one wide on her own for a while. She was then green in front and ducked, Grant (Van Niekerk) thought it might have been a bird.”

The commentator was deceived by this movement and said, “She’s getting weary”. Snaith commented, “The only body running out of breath was the commentator! She has plenty of gears.”

Snaith said, “It is rare to have an exceptional pedigree coupled with exceptional performance and that is the best part about Oh Susanna and Snowdance (the latter is also part-owned by Drakenstein Stud). You can’t put a value on them.”

Snaith admitted Sergeant Hardy was done a favour by the false start and particularly so because he was dawn alongside the horse which broke through, Tevez, so Bernard Fayd’Herbe was able to see what had happened and consequently pulled him up immediately. However, nothing should be taken away from him as he is unbeaten in three starts over course and distance and deserved a Grade 1.

Snowdance’s and Sergeant Hardy’s future has not yet been discussed yet either.

Snaith said the latter did not like the turn and he lamented the fact that the only race for him in the SA Champions Season would be the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint at Greyville.

He said if the export protocols did open soon, as is being anticipated by some, all three of these horses would likely head overseas.

By David Thiselton

Glen Kotzen’s Investec Cape Derby winner Eyes Wide Open will likely follow the same route as his 2009 Cape Derby winner Big City Life in his forthcoming SA Champions Season campaign.

Big City Life finished second in the Grade 3 Byerley Turk before reeling off the big race hattrick of the Grade 2 KRA Guineas, the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and the big one, the Vodacom Durban July.

Kotzen said about the Dynasty colt Eyes Wide Open, “He’s a seriously good horse and the key to him is he can be switched on and switched off so easily and then can turn it on so well in the straight.”

Yesterday was a perfect day in Cape Town and Kotzen took the Derby hero from his private Woodhill Racing Estate down to the beach at Melkbosstrand.

His big race rider Richard Fourie rode him out and Kotzen said, “He was fresh and full of himself and has taken the run well. Richard said he could race again tomorrow.”

He is owned by Hugo and Suzanne Hattingh’s Chrigor Stud, who also own Saturday’s Derby third-placed Pack Leader.

Eyes Wide Open was given an exceptional ride by Fourie. He was drawn three but looked in danger of being trapped outside of stablemate Pack Leader as they ran towards the first turn. However, Fourie asked him for a little extra to go ahead of the latter and he then switched him off after he had slotted in behind Kimberley Star. The pace was then slowed right down and rank outsider Steel Rose took it up. At one stage it looked like Steel Rose might steal it. However, Kotzen said, “It suited us to have an unfancied horse in front as I knew he would always fetch him despite the slow pace, it was just a matter of whether anything would come from behind.”

Like A Panther came around the field before the final turn as Anton Marcus realised the pace was too slow. Anthony Delpech on Pack Leader switched off the heels of Eyes Wide open to follow Like A Panther. He headed Eyes Wide Open briefly, but ended up quite wide in the straight. He then hung all the way to the inside and did well to pip Steel Rose for third. Do It Again ran on strongly for second after Eyes Wide Open had already wrapped it up.

Kotzen said about the Philanthropist colt Pack Leader, “We were confident of him going close because of the way he had been working. He was a touch unlucky so it was a nice run to finish in the first three. Anthony said he maybe didn’t quite stay the 2000m.”

Pack Leader has also taken the run well. The Gauteng classics might be an option for him, but Kotzen cautioned, “Horses can’t do all three seasons, Cape , Johannesburg and Durban, it is too hard for them, so if you do go to Johannesburg you have to give Durban a miss completely.”

A decision has not been made on him yet, but it does look likely another Kotzen-trained star, the Silvano filly Silvan Star, will head for Johannesburg to run in the Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes on April 21 at Turffontein. She flew up for fourth from a wide draw in the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes on Saturday and Kotzen confirmed, “She doesn’t do well in Durban.”

Kotzen had a fine few days as he saddled a treble on Saturday at Kenilworth and his satellite yard at Summerveld also scored a treble over the weekend.

He said, “What was particularly gratifying about our other two winners at Kenilworth on Saturday (Quickfire and Ostinato) was that they are owned by racing syndicates (The L’Ormarin’s Racing Syndicate and Green Street Bloodstock). Seeing so many owners leading a horse in is priceless, it is the way of the future as it is affordable and the owners get just as much fun and satisfaction out of it.”

Kotzen recalled entering the bidding war late for lot 33 (Eyes Wide Open) at the Bloodstock South Africa Sibaya KZN Yearling Sale of 2016, “When it reached R800,000 we went in with just one bid of R850,000 and secured him. I liked everything about him. He looked like Dynasty, he had real class, a big bright eye and walked like a cat.”

The Highlands Farm Stud-bred colt was a late November 21 foal so would not have been mature enough for the earlier bigger sales. Eyes Wide Open’s Jallad dam Live Your Dreams was placed four times from nine starts and is a half-sister to National Flame, an eleven-time winning sprinter who won the Grade 3 Lebelo Sprint twice as well as the Listed Umgeni Handicap. Eyes Wide Open is a half-brother to Spectrum gelding Living With Heart, who has won three times and finished second in the Byerley Turk. All five of Living Your Dream’s foals have won.

Eyes Wide Open provided the Hattinghs with their first Grade 1 winner last year when he won the Premier’s Champion Stakes for two-year-olds over 1600m at Greyville.

A few racing purists began punching holes in the form of that race as it didn’t appear to be standing up in the early part of this season.

Then when Eyes Wide Open finished only ninth in the Selangor Cup and his Premier’s Champions Stakes runner up Ancestry finished eighth they believed they had confirmation.

However, Eyes Wide Open was found to have a respiratory infection, which caused him to miss the Cape Guineas.

Then the Premier’s Champions Stakes fourth-placed Monks Hood came out and won the Investec Dingaans.

Eyes Wide Open followed by winning the Grade 2 Peninsula Handicap and the Cape Derby, while Premier’s Champions Stakes eleventh-placed Captain And Master finished runner up in Saturday US$500,000 CTS Mile. There has had to be a re-asessment of the Premier’s Champions Stakes form.

By David Thiselton

Talk Of The Town, ante-post favourite for the CTS 1600 until his surprise scratching two days before the $500 000 race, will be out of action for between six and 12 months.

Joey Ramsden explained: “He put a hole in his tendon sheath just above his near-fore fetlock joint.”

The injury is tough on the Truters and Avontuur who bought the Var colt from Mayfair Speculators shortly before he won his third race off the reel on the eve of the Queen’s Plate.

Let It Rain, who gave Dan Katz his first Graded winner when getting the better of a final furlong battle with Master’s Eye in last Saturday’s Heineken Cape Stayers, now goes to Johannesburg to rejoin Weiho Marwing.

Katz said: “The horse was sent to me for the Cape season and winning a Grade 2 for Hassen Adams on Met day was mission accomplished so far as I was concerned. Weiho will aim him at the Gold Cup.”

Traces, the Australian-bred who sprang a 16-1 surprise in the Tattersalls Summer Juvenile Stakes, started favourite but managed only fifth on debut three weeks earlier. The explanation is unusual to say the least.

Brett Crawford said: “We fancied him that day but he is blind in one eye and he was drawn on the outside. As a result he couldn’t see the others and he didn’t know what was going on!”

Agent Of Fortune, who made a winning debut at 11-1 in the valuable Kuda Sprint, was one of those mildly affected by that respiratory virus that hit some of the Vaughan Marshall stable earlier in the month.

Marshall said: “We backed off him when we were taking all those precautions but his work since was very good.”

By Michael Clower