With an avalanche of racing over the weekend, a few early winners can fill the wallet for what will be a lengthy session. Today’s Greyville card is littered with weak maidens and difficult handicaps but Prince Ponti could finally get things right for the soon to retire veteran Charles Laird.

Runner-up in his last three starts, Laird has stepped Prince Ponti up to a mile again and the gelding will never get a better chance of shedding his maiden. He has almost everything in his favour, draw, form and an affinity for the poly track, all except maybe the improving Fire Song.

Charles Laird

Duncan Howells and owner Dave MacLean, fresh from a trifecta last Sunday, has seen Fire Song improving with every race and finished up a beaten favourite behind Hit And Run last time out when making his poly debut.

Sherman Brown takes over from Met-bound Anton Marcus and the lightly raced Fire Song looks the most likely threat to Prince Ponti.

Laird could strike earlier when he sends out Vine Street Star in the second. The daughter of Trippi has not been out since July last year but has some excellent form on the poly. As mentioned before, with Laird handing in his brief next month, he will be aiming to go out with a bang and Vine Street Star is likely to be fully tuned over her preferred course and distance.

Queen Of Alamo has taken to the poly and has been against some useful opposition since arriving in KZN. With claiming apprentice Craig Bantam up, she looks a likely threat along with the consistent Miss Varlicious who appears to have dropped to a more competitive merit rating.

With Kenilworth and the Sun Met meeting running into the twilight, tomorrow’s Greyville meeting has been given further impetus with Sun Sibya coming on board to support their Cape Town sibling and there are a host of lucky draw prizes to be won apart from some smart racing action.

The Sun Met forms part of the Pick 6 and other exotics and all the Met action will be shown on the two big screens at Greyville.

The meeting gets under way five minutes after 4pm and Camphoratus, narrowly beaten over course and distance last time out, could oblige although Rocking Ruby, Stunning Seed and Eternal Words are others to consider.

The regally bred River Of January may well prefer a touch further but given that he returns from a rest the 1200m of the Sibaya iZulu Theatre Maiden could well suit at this time of his career with Bravo Zulu, from the very much in form Louise Goosen stable, a must inclusion in all bets.

Daniel Muscutt, soon headed back to the UK where snow rather than sunshine has been the order of the day, has still to land a winner before he heads back north but Miss Carrera could see him on his way. Brett Crawford’s runner has come good in two starts on the poly and should be right there.

By Andrew Harrison

Marinaresco can join the illustrious group who have won both the Durban July and the Sun Met by taking the great race at Kenilworth tomorrow. Legal Eagle and Oh Susanna look his biggest threats.

But it won’t be easy, not least because he is a difficult ride – he tends to drop himself out and get there too late. However his Queen’s Plate performance was a good one for a horse who needs at least this ten furlongs, his trainer and jockey are in tremendous form and this is his third run after a rest. He is reasonably priced at 9-2.

Marinaresco

Legal Eagle (33-10) seems sure to run every bit as well as he did when second in the two previous years, particularly now that the traditional 2kg Grade I penalty has been scrapped. He has proved that he gets this trip but, unlike over a mile, he has shown himself to be vulnerable at it. The stats are also against him as seven of the last eight Met favourites have been beaten.

Fillies or mares have won three of the last eight and Oh Susanna is a big runner at 5-1. She has been totally overshadowed  by stable companion Snowdance but she gave away almost as much ground  as she was beaten at the start of the Cape Fillies Guineas and she accounted for the older horses in the Paddock Stakes with considerable authority.

Mike de Kock’s shock withdrawal of Cascapedia and Heavenly Blue (both horses “under veterinary treatment”) yesterday morning leaves Anthony Delpech watching on TV and will have caused some head-scratching in the Last Winter camp. But can you really jock off a rider of the calibre of the legendary Piere Strydom?

Probably not unless there was a “if Delpech becomes available” proviso to the booking. The Kannemeyer runner’s appalling draw is now 18 instead of 20 but it still lessens the chance of a 9-1 contender who is untested in Grade 1 company no matter how high class he looks. And the field is still as big as it has ever been in the last 20 years.

Four is the best age group – it has been responsible for seven of the last 12 winners – and Gold Standard (14-1) is the highest-rated of the six representatives of this generation. But Copper Force’s Queen’s Plate run was nearly three lengths better – and he is on 10-1.

Winter Series winner African Night Sky is the shortest priced four-year-old at 7-1, it’s his third run after a rest and Bernard Fayd’Herbe has won more Mets (three) than any other jockey in the field.

De Kock and Brett Crawford with three winners apiece are the most successful Met trainers represented here –indeed Sean Tarry is the only other to have won the race – but it will be a big surprise if a new name is not added to the list.

African Night Sky (Liesl King)

Captain America (13-1) ran a tremendous race in the Queen’s Plate but it is hard to see him stepping up on his two previous thirds over a trip that is not his best.

If you fancy any of the others don’t let anyone put you off. Half of the last eight winners started at 15-1 or more and nobody gave them much of a chance either.

Much the same applies to the Klawervlei Majorca in which favourites have the most appalling record – all except one of the last nine has bitten the dust – and in which Snowdance looks unbeatable. But anyone who takes odds of 1-6 in anything as unpredictable as a horse race needs their head examining and, with six of the others odds-on just for a place, this is a race to watch rather than bet on.

The Investec Cape Derby, though, is a different matter. Tap O’Noth seems to be one of those that just does enough and he may confirm Guineas running with White River although Peninsula Handicap winner Eyes Wide Open also appeals at 33-10.

Magical Wonderland stands out in the CTS 1200 and Cot Campbell may thwart Talk Of The Town’s hat-trick bid in the other $500 000 star prize.

By Michael Clower

Turffontein stages an eleven race card on Sun Met day and the big Cape Town race constitutes the last leg of the Pick 6.

Oh Susanna is tipped to win it as the older horses who have been at the top of the tree for a while might be vulnerable to a classy up-and-coming sort. She is by the phenomenal sire Street Cry and won the Paddock Stakes easily despite over racing early. Justin Snaith has fitted a new bit to prevent a repeat of the over-racing antic. Marinaresco was unlucky in the Queen’s Plate and is in a good space at present. He will relish the step up in trip. Legal Eagle has earned his high merit rating and stays the trip so can go close under the weight for age conditions.

Go Direct

Others to consider are the unexposed Last Winter, who has enjoyed a perfect preparation and will come in fresher than the rest, Sail South, who is capable of a strong finish and has won a Grade 1 over 1800m, Copper Force, who was an unlucky runner up in the Queen’s Plate and milers can win this race, Captain America, who has finished third in the last two renewals, and Gold Standard, last year’s fourth-placed horse who is expected to be back to his best on Saturday.

At Turffontein the highest rated race is a MR 99 Handicap over 1800m and Go Direct could make it two from two over the course and distance. He is drawn in pole and is off the same mark as his last win, which was over this course and distance last April. He showed a fine turn of foot that day and beat Master Switch in the final stride. Amsterdam is in good from and will be dangerous from a handy position and the talented Bankable Teddy is interesting with the blinkers removed off a mark only two points higher than his last win. Master Switch is a bit in and out these days but was fancied for the Summer Cup and can never be ignored. Hidden Agenda over raced last time so is interesting with the blinkers off and running off a competitive merit rating. Top Shot is capable and is distance suited.

The best bet and Pick 6 banker could be Saragon in race 4 over 1160m. She is a typically well built and progressive daughter of Ideal World and was well clear of the rest when chasing home two promising sorts last time.

In the second race Generous Notion caught the eye last time running on after a slow start over 1200m at the Vaal and if breaking on terms could be the one to beat.

In the sixth race over 2400m Odd Rob had nowhere to go last time over this trip when the jockey still looked to have a double handful. He is now dawn in pole and is four points lower in the merit ratings, so should make a bold bid, although he is a bit of a quirky sort who can’t be relied on.

By David Thiselton

The National Horseracing Authority (NHA) confirms its empathy with all those who lost investments due to the Steinhoff-Markus Jooste scenario.

The NHA has met and discussed this matter with representatives of the Public Servants Association (PSA) and other interested parties.

It therefore wishes to inform all interested parties that no horse owned by Markus Jooste will be racing on Sun Met day.

Markus Jooste has sold the horses that he owned, returned his colours and terminated his membership of the NHA.

Furthermore, Markus Jooste resigned as a director of Mayfair Speculators (“Speculators”) on 7 December 2017.

On 15 December 2017 ABSA brought an application for the liquidation of Speculators and obtained a further injunction to interdict Speculators from disposing of its assets, subject to certain conditions.  Commercial arrangements have subsequently been concluded between Speculators and its creditors which includes permitting Speculators to continue its horse racing activities. Any prize monies won will, after payment of the Jockeys, Trainers and Grooms, be used to reduce Speculators’ debt.  Similarly the proceeds of the sale of Speculators’ debt will be used to reduce Speculators’ debt.  It is therefore not in the interests of Jockeys, Trainers, Grooms and creditors to prevent Speculators from competing in races until it has sold all of its horses.

We wish to point out that the NHA has no legal basis within which it could prevent Speculators from competing.

The NHA with the PSA and its allies agreed to stage a Solidarity parade to empathise with all those who lost some or all of their investments in the Steinhoff-Markus Jooste saga. 

The Sun Met will continue undisturbed as normal. 

As agreed between the parties, the horses running under the Mayfair Speculators banner will relinquish their official colours and will be allocated colours by the NHA (called Club Colours).

The NHA is still engaging with COSATU.

Captain America, third in each of the last two Mets at 8-1 and 22-1, is a 16-1 chance this time after that valiant attempt to gallop Legal Eagle into submission in the Queen’s Plate.

“We purposely did what we did to try and make the race very hard for the favourite,” said Brett Carwford. “It didn’t quite work but it nearly did and he can equally as well be ridden given a chance. He came out of the race in good shape and since then we have just kept him ticking over.”

Crawford, bidding for his third Met in four seasons and his fourth in all, also runs 28-1 shot Sail South who ran a cracker in the Queen’s Plate and was actually in front two strides after the post. But this time he has to overcome a 17 draw. “That’s going to make things difficult,” admits his trainer. “But he is a horse who likes to come from off them and we will probably be forced to ride him that way.”

White River, 7-2 for the Investec Cape Derby, has only half a length to find with Tap O’Noth on Guineas form. “He looks a horse who will go a trip and he will definitely be suited by the extra two furlongs.”

Asked if there are any of his other runners in the big races that he particularly likes Crawford picked out Search Party and Bold Respect in the Betting World Cape Flying and Undercover Agent in the CTS 1600.

He added: “I am putting blinkers on Search Party and I think this is going to make a big difference. Undercover Agent has a great draw, I have always said that he is a good horse and, if he brings his Cape Classic form to the race, he has to be a runner.”

By Michael Clower