The L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate meeting taking place on Friday and Saturday this week will be the first of the big events which make January one of South Africa’s most exciting racing months.

On Friday the headliners are the Grade 2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes over 1200m and the Listed Ardmore Jamaica Handicap over 2000m.

The fillies and mares sprint division is strong at present and the Sceptre, a weight for age plus penalties event, is one for the purists to look forward too.

Just Sensual (Liesl King)

The brilliant Just Sensual carried a 2kg Grade 1 penalty last time out in the SW Security Solutions Southern Cross Stakes and she just got up to win over what appeared to be a too sharp 1000m. Blinkers helped her get within striking distance in the running and she then produced her normal strong finish to pip the big outsider Hoist The Mast. The latter was a revelation off a mere 78 merit rating and a slow start might have been the key to her run. This rangy sort was relaxed at the back before slicing through the field and she looked the winner before Just Sensual snared her on the line. Just Sensual will appreciate the step up to 1200m and is the one to beat. However, with similar tactics to last time Hoist The Mast can defy her new merit rating of only 83 and be involved again. Last year’s Sceptre winner Live Life bounced back to form with a strong finish in the Southern Cross to be beaten just 0,8 lengths into third.

The stable fitted a new type of bit for that race after she had choked up in her previous start and it did the trick. She is a definite contender. Her top class three-year-old stablemate Magical Wonderland will appreciate the step down to 1200m and also has a shout. Another three-year-old, Princess Peach, winner of the Grade 2 Debutante at Greyville last season will also appreciate the step down in trip. She has a tough task with Magical WonderIand on paper considering their last meeting over this trip as she is 3kg worse off despite being beaten 2,25 lengths, but she was unlucky that day. Rose In Bloom was beaten just 0,75 lengths by Magical Wonderland in the aforementioned race, which was at Durbanville, but she is now 3kg worse off. She came from a wide draw in the latter race, but so did Magical Wonderland. Shufoog is an interesting three-year-old as she has had only three starts and on the second of them was beaten just 2,65 lengths in the Sceptre. She showed a good turn of foot last time over 1000m when touched off. She might have been sent for home too soon in that race, so will likely be waited with for longer in her first attempt at 1200m.

Green Plains is the SA Fillies Nursery winner and has her third run after a layoff. Desert Rhythm is the Grade 2 Golden Slipper winner and needed her last start over 1400m. This is a sharper trip than ideal, but it’s a tough straight course which will suit her. Sommerlied is the Scottsville 1000m record holder and has her third run after a layoff. She was beaten only 1,75 lengths in the Southern Cross after kicking into the lead from a handy position. She is full of ability but two concerns are the 1200m trip on this tough course and the below par form of the Dennis Drier yard in Cape Town this season.

Jo’s Bond

The speedy Jo’s Bond showed she was effective over this trip when fourth in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint last season and she likely needed her reappearance in the Southern Cross. Anneline stayed on for a 2,5 length seventh in the Southern Cross so could earn over this more suitable trip. Nordic Breeze was a short-head further back, so has a place chance at best too. Felicity Flyer is a dark horse for a place as she will love the fast ground and is capable of a strong finish. Weston is in form but this is a big step up in class. The talented Angel’s Trumpet looks held on her three-year-old form to date, but she now wears blinkers so can’t be written off.

This is an ultra competitive renewal of the Sceptre and if there is any draw bias on the day that might play a part too. The current forecast predicts a strong wind of between 17 and 19 knots, which will play into the hands of the horses who will stay the trip. However, it is predicted to be a Southerly wind so there should be no draw bias as this is roughly a direct headwind.

It all points to a repeat of the Southern Cross finish with Just Sensual winning and Hoist The Mast and Live Life fighting out the second place. Magical Wonderland and Shufoog are the unknown quantities who could upset the applecart. Sommerlied can’t be ignored due to her class and Green Plains is another one who is tough to ignore.

In the Jamaica Handicap earlier, Silver Willow makes most appeal as a still improving four-year-old daughter of Silvano. She was unlucky when finishing strongly over course and distance last time, so will be well weighted sneaking into the handicap with the minimum 52kg. Furthermore, she has landed a plum draw and will be ridden by the top class Richard Fourie.

By David Thiselton

The Braam van Huyssten money will go on in earnest – no matter how short the price – when Legal Eagle attempts to win the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate for the third successive year at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Never mind the old adage that you shouldn’t buy money by betting at odds-on, the superstar’s new owner believes it would be an act of craven disloyalty not to support him with hard cash and plenty of it. “Absolutely,” he insisted. “I have to back my horse. I know my mate Billy will back him and I have to as well.”

Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

My mate Billy is the Brisbane-based William Henderson whose advice the Bentley-driving Tekkie Town boss sought when he realised he was in with a chance of buying an equine legend.

“When all the bad news hit out there last month, I started to inquire – tongue in cheek really – about Edict Of Nantes and Legal Eagle,” Van Huyssteen recalled. “I was told by Derek Brugman that all the horses would be up for sale.

“Listen,” I said. “I would like to put my name in the hat for both of them. I didn’t know what offers would be made but I knew there would be a lot of interest. Billy is a guy who knows about these things as well as being a good mate.

“He told me: ‘Braam, here is an opportunity to buy a proven Group 1 horse. Let’s go for it.’ I also spoke to another mate of mine, Hedley McGrath in Port Elizabeth. He won a Group 1 with Copper Parade and he said much the same.”

By this time Van Huyssteen had decided to whittle his purchasing ambitions down to just one of the two Markus Jooste stars. “It was my pocket that decided me – I’d lost a few bob of late and Edict Of Nantes was out of my reach. Even then I had to up my offer.”

The price quoted on many websites was R3.2 million. Van Huysteen laughed. “Plus VAT,” he corrected.

Seemingly, though, he gave no thought about the possibility of the horse recovering his purchase price in this month alone. “Not at all,” he insisted. “It’s not what you spend, it’s that on a big day I will have the opportunity to win a Group 1. I have bought some 400 horses already in my life, hoping and dreaming, and maybe God will shine the light on me this time.”

And the Met?  Does he believe that Legal Eagle will make it third time lucky after finishing second in the last two years?  Van Huysteen smiled as he acknowledged the question. “I have to be honest, I’m not a racing connoisseur like you guys. For me it’s all about the Queen’s Plate at the moment. Let’s see how we go in that. After Saturday we can consider what comes next.”

By Michael Clower

Yesterday’s Durbanville meeting might have come under fire – and in some quarters ignored altogether – but it proved to be manna from heaven for Louis Mxothwa who won on his first ride on the course when Essenceoflife came home at 7-2 for new boss Glen Kotzen in the TAB Telebet Handicap.

Mxothwa, 24, said: “Six weeks ago I moved from Port Elizabeth to ride as second jockey for Mr Kotzen. I’ve ridden over 200 winners so far but no big-race ones and that’s really why I am here. Cape Town has bigger yards, better horses and bigger prizes – and I want a chance of winning some of them.”

Glen Kotzen

It was also a Happy New Year for Andre Nel who has had to contend with a sickness in his yard for the past two months and, after a mortifying first race when his pair where beaten by not much more than the length of their teeth, Dalibhunga came good under Anthony Andrews in the Tabonline Handicap to show some light at the end of a nightmare tunnel.

A relieved Nel said: “I was desperate for a winner. Every morning something has a swollen leg or a snotty nose and it has been the worst spell of its kind since I’ve been on the farm.”

The controversial decision to pay R1 000 to trainers for each runner – there were only 49 of them – caused a furore, notably on the comments page of the Sporting Post with some contributors claiming that the payments were actually banned under Rule 11.2.7 which states that a trainer shall not accept payment of any charges in respect of his or her horses other than from the registered owner.

However an NHA representative said the operative word is charges, ie training fees, and that the rule is to prevent unregistered owners running horses in someone else’s name. The NHA man also said the R1 000 payment had a precedent. When the main section of the Kenilworth pens broke just over a year ago, horses had to be scratched to reduce field sizes and those who lost out were paid R3 500 a horse.

Maybe it would have been better to make the payments to the owners. After all they have to foot the bill for the jockeys’ fees (and just about everything else). Seemingly they may just get the money because Phumelela boss Clyde Basel said: “The payments come from Kenilworth Racing, not from the stakes fund, and we will leave it to the trainers as to what they want to do with them. We just want to support those who have supported us, and we have been rewarded with a good crowd.”

– Trip To Heaven looks set to attempt to join the illustrious group who have won the Diadem Stakes in successive years. Last season’s winner heads the 19 entries for Saturday week’s Khaya Stables-sponsored Grade 2 at Kenilworth.

The Sean Tarry-trained six-year-old has to give weight to all except Search Party but dual winners of the race include Flaming Rock and What A Winter while Flobayou and Nhlavini won it three times.

By Michael Clower

Quizzed earlier in the afternoon on the chances of Hashtagyolo in the Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes, Anthony Delpech hedged his bets. “She has a hard task and want’s further so if she wins today she is really something special.”

Those words of caution may have lead to Hashtagyolo being easy to back, going through the gates at 5-2 as the money arrived for facile maiden winner Statute, but it proved not race. Hashtagyolo roared down the Greyville straight sounding an ominous Champions Season warning, the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 an obvious target even this early in the season.

Hashtagyolo

Barbara Bardenhorst does a fine job at Dean Kannemeyer’s Summerveld satellite yard and was understandably happy with the result. “There were a lot of questions going into today, the step up in class, the distance, because she’s looking for further.

“Jeez, by the way she won today I think we have something special here.”

Delpech confirmed.

“She really gave me a feel today. She’s something special. She’s a star!” he concluded.

“The last time I rode her I felt she did too much even though she won. Today I found cover but they kept pulling slower and slower and I said if I stay here I’m going to get beat.”

Sail set a desperately slow early gallop tracked by top weight She’s A Giver and kept finding in the straight for a game second. She’s A Giver surrendered tamely as Roy’s Riviera finished well for third.

Dawn Calling tracked Hashtagyolo into the straight but the red light on the dashboard was flashing early.

The afternoon yielded a double for Dennis Drier as the well-supported Crown And Country made a winning debut in the opening Juvenile Maiden and followed up in the fourth where Rani, switched to the turf, got home under a hard ride from apprentice Diego de Gouveia.

Also rounding off the Old Year with a double was Duncan Howells as The North Face finally got his act together and Byline gave rookie stallion Byword a double after Crown And Country.

By Andrew Harrison

The ten race Turffontein Standside meeting tomorrow is headed by the Grade 3 Lebelo Sprint over 1000m and the progressive Alfolk could be the one to beat, although there are a number of horses in with chances.

Alfolk has improved as a three-year-old and has a lot of early speed coupled with the ability to stay on so it will take a good one to catch him on this easy track, despite him having to overcome a five point merit rated raise. The Thinker could be the one to do it as he has come into his own this season and has been especially effective since hold up tactics have been employed. He finished powerfully last time to win the Grade 2 Merchants over 1160m and was consequently given a seven point merit rated raise. Angel’s Power has good cruising speed and packs a strong finish so can be involved here from a nice high draw.

Rivarine

Whorly Whorly is officially 1kg under sufferance here but has always show plenty of talent. He proved it last time when flying up to win over this trip and is now having his third run after a layoff. If Ravarine returned to his best over this ideal course and distance he would probably win it, having dropped to a merit rating of only 98. He was not striding out last time in his third run after a layoff and gelding, so has to prove he is still the same horse he once was. Talktothestars is a former champion sprinter and is a real soldier. However, for a six-year-old he has had a busy program and was running at Scottsville less than a week ago. Movie Show has to defy being 2kg under sufferance, but she did win recently when under sufferance so can’t be ignored. Donny G went close over 1160m last Saturday proving he is off a competitive mark at present.

The last leg of the Pick 6 is a Pinnacle Stakes race over 2400m and could be fought out by two fillies, Witchcraft and Fortissima, who are well in at the weights and distance suited. Witchcraft should be cherry ripe and looks to have enjoyed a good build up into this race. She has a wide draw but will likely be taken to the front and can gallop on to the line. Go Direct could be the main danger two the two fillies as a five-year-old son of Go Deputy, which means he will be coming into his own and should love this trip.

The first leg of the Pick 6 looks open at first sight but on closer inspection the two horses which stand out are Ration My Passion and Get Your Grove On. The former had an unfavourable low draw on debut over 1160m and after a slow start was outpaced. He finished on the outside and was flying through at the line and would have got closer than a 3,05 length fifth if he had not encountered traffic problems. Get Your Grove On was in that same race and caught the eye with his lovely action. He stayed on for a 2,25 length third. Both of these two horses will relish the step up to 1400m.

In the first leg of the Jackpot two horses who are suited to 1400m are likely to fight it out, Redberry Lane and Zouaves. This distance is not a sprint and not a mile, so it is worth following horses who specialise over it and these two are taken to be enough to get punters through.

The next race sees the classy sprinter Spring Wonder and Alileo set to do battle again. They finished on top of each other last time but there is now a reversal of draw fortunes in Alileo’s favour. The dark horse is Dame Eleanor as she has class and returns from a ten month layoff over a trip short of her best.

In the penultimate leg of the Pick 6 Emerald Bay has shown a good turn of foot before and has a plum draw over a suitable course and distance, so is the one to beat, although a safer Pick 6 would have to include Il Mondo, Cold Cash, Hatfield Square and Faraway Island.

By David Thiselton