Roy Had Enough’s easy win in the Listed Christmas Handicap over 1600m at Greyville on Tuesday did not surprise trainer Frank Robinson and he pointed out that few were aware of how well bred this Australian import was.

Robinson’s best filly, Roy’s Riviera, is also Australian-bred and has an interesting link to Roy Had Enough. She will be a big runner in Sunday’s Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m at Greyville.

Both horses are the property of KZN’s leading owner Roy Moodley.

Roy Had Enough is by Lonhro stallion Pierro, who in 2012 won the two-year-old Triple Crown in Australia, consisting of the Group 1 Golden Slipper over 1200m, the Group 1 Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400m and the Group 1 Champagne Stakes over 1600m.

Pierro won his first two races as a three-year-old and started at cramped odds of 11/50 for the prestigious Group 1 Caulfield Guineas. However, he was beaten half-a-length by All Too Hard, who happens to be the sire of Roy’s Riviera.

Pierro went on to win two more Group 1s over 1300m and 1500m respectively.

All Too Hard went on to win three more Group 1s, all over 1400m, so also ended his career as a four-time Group 1 winner.

Pierro’s triple crown achievement meant Coolmore had to go to US$27 million to buy him for stud purposes.

Fittingly, Pierro finished top of the Australian first-season Sires list in the 2016-2017 season and All Too Hard was runner-up.

Robinson explained that in his second racecourse appearance Roy Had Enough refused to load. Consequently, the blinkers had to be applied as this was the only way he would go into the stalls. However, the blinkers led to him over-racing.

He won a Juvenile Maiden over 1900m on his fifth start in eye-catching style. In his next start in a Juvenile Plate over 1900m on Gold Cup day, he over-raced continuously but still won.

Robinson said Anthony Delpech had said after that race he did not know how the horse had won and had reckoned he must be a top horse.

Robinson had this in mind when sending Roy Had Enough to run in the Grade 2 Dingaans over 1600m at Turffontein, despite him having been beaten in his first three starts as a three-year-old. Importantly, Robinson decided, due to his high opinion of the Johannesburg starting stall handlers, to take a chance and remove the blinkers.

Robinson continued, “Unfortunately the soft ground in the Dingaans did not suit him as he has a smooth action, but he ran on beautifully without the blinkers and beat some good horses like Pietro Mascagni and Alshibaa and finished close to the like of Big Bear and Like A Panther. He was only beaten 3,75 lengths. So I told Lyle (Hewitson) on Tuesday to do the same thing and drop him out from another wide draw. He loaded perfectly and quickened smartly.”

The three-year-old colt relaxed beautifully throughout on the rail at the back and his big action carried him past the field down the inside in the straight. He won by a cozy 2,75 lengths.

Robinson is now thinking of targeting him at the Triple Crown series of races in Johannesburg and thinks the Grade 1 SA Classic over 1800m will be the most suitable of them.

Roy’s Riviera finished a decent 4,75 length fourth in the Grade 3 Fillies Mile on the same day as The Dingaans. She then proved her class last week at Greyville by winning a MR 83 Handicap over 1600m on the poly by 4,5 lengths, beating some fair sorts.

Robinson rates Hashtagyolo the one to beat in the Flamboyant Stakes on Sunday. However, he pointed out when the pair had met in the KZN Guineas Trial that Hashtagyolo had the run of the race from a good draw and had set slow fractions, but the wider drawn Roy’s Riviera had been flying when crossing the line a 2,25 length third.

He said she would have come on from her run last week too and concluded, “It will be a good race on Sunday.”

Roy’s Riviera unfortunately has another wide draw of 13 in the race. In form Warren Kennedy replaces Keagan de Melo.

By David Thiselton

Dennis Bosch’s promising Silvano colt Billy Silver is back at Summerveld after nothing went right for him in Cape Town and it looks unlikely he will return to Cape Town to run in the US$500,000 CTS 1200.

Bosch said the colt had run a nice race when fifth in his Cape Town pipe-opener in the Grade 3 Cape Classic over 1400m, but had returned blowing.

However, his next run over 1200m had been disappointing and Bosch said, “He was thick winded down there, so seemed to have picked up allergies and he also bruised the sole of his foot. It was not a good preparation at all for the CTS 1200. So we brought him back here and he has arrived in good condition. I am going to start again from scratch and will have to bring him back slowly, but there are only about three weeks until the CTS 1200 so, sadly, I don’t think it’s going to happen. I must put his interest before money. It is also a big expense to travel him down and it’s not really about the money with him, it’s more about we want to see how good he is, because I believe he is good. He has not lost any of his ability, everything just went wrong for him in Cape Town.”

Billy Silver won his first two starts in KZN, both over 1200m, in impressive style.

Bosch’s yard was bolstered recently when prolific KZN owner Brian Burnard sent him 22 horses.

He has also received some good horses from other quarters and is looking forward to the careers of promising horses like Varallo, who has been gelded, Graduate, Iron Wolf, Shadow Catcher and Sunday’s easy winner Kazaar.

However, Bosch is wary of putting horses on pedestals.

He added the merit rating system meant placing horses was all important these days, but confirmed it was not easy to do so.

Bosch has a stable of 56 at present.

This season he has had 18 winners in KZN at a strike rate of 14.06, which puts him in joint fourth place on the KZN log together with Mark Dixon and Louis Goosen.

Reigning KZN champion trainer Duncan Howells leads the log on 29 wins. Dennis Drier on 23 wins and Dean Kannemeyer on 21 wins are in second and third place respectively.

By David Thiselton

The Vaal Classic track stages a nine race meeting on Thursday and there look to be a few opportunities for punters.

Resolute Captain in race 6 over 1700m looks to be a Pick 6 banker. This big, galloping sort only just failed to catch the winner last week over course and distance when drawn four. However, the lack of pace appeared to be his undoing. This time Captain Coyote could set a better pace or otherwise Resolute Captain could go to the front  himself from a plum draw of two. Trainer Alec Laird is in the middle of a purple patch and Gunther Wrogemann is an accomplished jockey. Resolute Captain was raised one point for last week’s effort, but it will not affect his weight here, so he is effectively half-a-kilogram well in.

Copper Pot is due to improve in this race having been given another five point merit rating drop and he could be worth including in a swinger with Resolute Captain. Off an 18 point lower merit rating than his highest mark, he could bounce back to form if repeating the promising form of his penultimate run, which was over 1400m at the Vaal. In his three-year-old year he showed a good turn of foot on occasion so was probably ridden too handily last time over 1600m in a night race at Turffontein. That was a poor run, which is a concern, but Piere Strydom takes the ride again and he is once again drawn in pole position.

The first leg of the PA sees another galloping sort, Circle Of Latitude, having her first run out of the maidens. She looks to have talent and can rise above a merit rating of 77. She will relish the step up to 1700m as she was not stopping at the line in her maiden win over 1500m. The one drawback is her draw of seven in a nine horse field. Costa Da Sol is in good form and Gavin Lerena has jumped ship from Snowdonia to ride her. Snowdonia beat Costa Da Sol last time by 0,25 lengths, but is now 1,5kg worse off.

In the next race over 1500m the highly regarded Pietro Mascagni reappears. He jumped off at 11/2 in the prestigious Grade 2 Investec Dingaans last time and now runs in his first handicap off a mere 79 merit rating. The Dingaans was a postponed meeting, which can be the undoing of horses prepared to the minute for a big race, especially one who had to travel to the racecourse. The Silvano colt does have a wide draw of ten and still has a lot to prove. However, champion jockey Delpech is aboard again and if anything like as good as he is said to be Pietro Mascagni is the one to beat. Greek Fire is equally promising, but has to give Pietro Mascagni 5,5kg and is returning from a layoff. The consistent Tommy Waterdevil could be the main threat from the older horses over a likely ideal trip.

In race seven over 1700m Volcanic Sunset has his first run out of the maidens. However, he had some fine form against some good sorts before getting off the mark and appears to be improving with gelding too. He is the one to beat off an attractive opening handicap mark of 75 from a plum draw of two.

In the next race some were surprised last time to see Vicomte running in blinkers as he has run on well from off the pace over sprints. His finishing speed was duly blunted in that race after being handy throughout and he faded. The blinkers are now off, so he should be running on strongly in this MR 80 Handicap off an 82 merit rating. However, Marmook looks progressive and was undone by a tardy start last time. There are a number of other talented runners in this race, including Rebel’s Champ, Borya, Pillaroftheearth, Sir Spencer and the inconsistent Le Tigre.

In the last race over 1000m Jazalaah should be too good, although Melinda’s Garden is a striking looking horse and her breathing issue didn’t bother her last time so she could be dangerous over an ideal trip with first-time blinkers on.

By David Thiselton

The five-year-old finished down the field in last season’s race but has won his last two starts.

Snaith, successful with Gimmethegreenlight in 2012, has so far declared African Night Sky (Bernard Fayd’Herbe), Copper Force (Lyle Hewitson) and It Is Written (Brandon May) for Saturday week’s star feature.

Billy Prestage has supplemented his 22-1 Premier Trophy winner Milton for the Peninsula Handicap on the same card. Horizon, only seventh in the Premier, is 3-1 favourite with World Sports Betting who have shortened Legal Eagle to 7-10 for the Queen’s Plate. Nother Russia heads the Cartier Paddock Stakes market at 28-10 while Like A Panther is 4-1 favourite for the Politician and Strathdon 15-10 to make the Chairman’s Cup his fifth consecutive win.

Sergeant Hardy, who made all under Bernard Fayd’Herbe in last Saturday’s Southeaster Sprint, will take in the Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes on 13 January en route to a possible challenge for the Cape Flying Championship.

Snaith said: “The Diadem will be tougher at the weights but Sergeant Hardy is such a game horse. He has quite a lot of races on top of each other so I didn’t gallop him before the Merchants. I knew he had a few lengths to come on that run and he was perfect on Saturday.”

Cape Thoroughbred Sales will sell three mares by multiple champion sire Galileo at its breeding stock sale at the conclusion of the Premier Yearling Sale in the Convention Centre on 21 January. The Galileo trio have been scanned in foal to Silvano, Rafeef and Gimmethegreenlight.

By Michael Clower

Rockin Russian, most disappointing on her two previous Cape Town starts, can take advantage of a significant drop in class to bounce back in the Betting World Progress Plate at Kenilworth today.

The Sean Tarry filly was considered good enough to be ridden by Piere Strydom in the Fillies Guineas but she raced wide on the bend, suffered interference and finished stone last. Prior to that she was second last when the only filly in the Cape Classic.

Her previous Durban form is good and, although that now has more holes in it than a piece of Swiss cheese, she is well in at the weights and appeals at 28-10. World Sports Betting has Elusive Heart favourite on 22-10. The Glen Kotzen filly was seventh in the Fillies Guineas, is ridden by on-fire Richard Fourie (five winners here on Saturday) but has to concede 3kg to the selection.

Tarry’s other runner Desert Rhythm (9-2) has not raced since finishing fourth in the Thekwini, a length and a half behind Rockin Russian who is a whopping 6kg better. Freedom Charter (28-10) has been upped 2kg for winning a handicap over this trip last time, Salimah (5-1) finished last of seven when favourite for her last race and 16-1 shot Kenna looks out of it.

Vice Versa was my original choice for the TAB Telebet Handicap despite carrying a first-time-out-of-the-maidens red warning flag as she was so impressive when winning an admittedly modest maiden that she looked as if she could prove the exception to the golden rule. However she has gone lame on her near fore.

Via Sacra, put up 2kg for winning over the trip after leading nearly 400m out, is now favourite at 16-10 and gets the vote. Also fancied at 2-1 is Best Kept Secret who was only raised a kilo for last time’s win and for whom Mike de Kock has snapped up Fourie.

Pata Pata has losses to recover in the opening ItsARush Maiden after being beaten at 1-2 last time when she went to the front before halfway and was run out of it in the last 100m. Her previous run was good but it is a little disconcerting that Brett Crawford’s stable jockey Corne Orffer is now on newcomer Pacific Trader. The latter opened at 2-1 while Pata-Pata (ridden for the first time by Greg Cheyne) is again odds-on at 7-10.

In race three Pearl Jam (22-10 favourite) only has half a length in hand over 11-1 chance Eternal Night on last time’s running while 7-2 shot Spam Alert is badly drawn. The once-raced Prairie Sky is suggested each way at 14-1.

By Michael Clower