Sir David Baird recently won the Listed KZN Guineas Trial in effortless fashion and comes into the Guineas very fit and very well. Trainer Mike de Kock told Turf Talk yesterday morning: “Sir David Baird and Like A Panther have been in Cape Town for a few weeks and we’ve had a chance to gallop them at the track. We’re expecting good runs from both.”

Sir David Baird (Candiese Marnewick)

He said about Sir David Baird: “He has something about him, there is something there. He was beaten against expectations over 1400m twice, once by the smart Surcharge, but all he needed was the bend and a mile and he showed what he was capable of.

“Sir David Baird beat a weak field in the Guineas Trial, but he wasn’t near extended so should handle the step up. He’s well drawn and has a good jockey, two factors we don’t have to worry about.”

De Kock added: “If I look at Saturday’s Guineas I see no obvious stars, they haven’t revealed themselves yet. Vaughan Marshall’s Tap O’Noth is probably the best of the opposition, he may come out of it victorious as the champion among them, but it could be us too, it could be Sir David Baird. We’re keen to see how he goes.”

Like A Panther, De Kock opined, will be better over 2000m and further. “He’s a good Derby prospect for us. He will be hard pressed to win a mile at this level. But he’ll be staying on, he has a place chance.”

Ante-post betting for the Gr1 Forus Cape Guineas

9-2 Tap O’ Noth
13-2 White River, Do It Again
7-1 Rocket Countdown
8-1 Undercover Agent, Bold Respect
9-1 Captain And Master
10-1 Sir David Baird
12-1 Like A Panther, Sir Frenchie (Aus)
14-1 Wonderwall
16-1 Pack Leader
20-1 Purple Diamond, Cot Campbell

Ante-post betting for the Gr3 Premier Trophy

2-1 Last Winter
9-2 Nebula
11-2 Deo Juvente
6-1 Back Arthur, Horizon
8-1 Crambambuli
10-1 Milton
14-1 and upwards others.

– Turf Talk

For a jockey, no matter a champion or a lesser light, the battle against the scale is often more intense that a close finish and for those riders at the top end, life can be a living hell. So those with a disciplined mindset regarding their diet deserve the utmost admiration.

Brandon Lerena is a rider who fights a constant battle with the flashing digits registered by the Clerk of Scales but given the ride he gave the Mark Dixon-trained Diamante in the eighth at Greyville yesterday, the lack of a square meal would have been well worth it for both Lerena and Dixon.

The clique, ‘only fire when you see the whites of their eyes’ is appropriate here. In front early, Lerena let all challenge in the straight and for a brief second looked as if he was headed for the backdoor as all threatened to swamp him.

Diamente (Candiese Marnewick)

But it takes a talent with a steely nerve to know just how much is left under him. Lerena let them all challenge but then squeezed extra out of his mount to come back from a seemingly desperate position.

It was an exhibition of riding out of the top drawer, seldom appreciated by those that care only for the numbers in the frame.

Savuti is one of the most scenic and popular destinations in Botswana but that will have been far from the minds of those punters who took on the favourite Brighteyebushytail.

Sean Veale turned up the wick on Brett Crawford’s charge passing behind the Drill Hall in the sixth, and on a course that was racing quick, he was always in control and going to the line unchallenged.

Having only his second local start, Savuti had obviously come on from this debut effort and won with authority.

The danger light flickered red from the jump for the favourite. Sluggish out of the gate, he was bustled for position but was never travelling well. He raced like he had never seen a racecourse and only in the straight got going when the contest was over – although not soon enough for the majority of PA punters. But on the evidence of yesterday’s performance, you write him off at your peril.

It was a good day for prolific owner Fred Crabbia who recorded a double. Muzi Yeni, who now plies his trade on the Highveld, paid for his airfare as Hidden Thought built on her recent improvement to run out an easy winner of the opening leg of the Pick 6. Yeni took the initiative early and Hidden Thought kept rolling to win comfortably.

Crabbia’s second win was in complete contrast. Miss Milanna, jumping from a wide draw, was well handled by Anthony Delpech and looked to be headed for a fairly comfortable win in the seventh.

However, Sorceress, ridden with a lot of patience by Sherman Brown from a box one outside of Miss Milanna, finished like a rocket but the line came a jump too soon, going down a nostril.

Dean Kannemeyer’s local yard is in top form after a spell in the doldrums and his KZN satellite operation is in the capable hands of Barbara Badenhorst.

Sean Veale’s early forward move on Savuti may well have come as a result of Storm Ruler’s victory in the opening leg of the Jackpot. Champion KZN apprentice for the past two years, Eric Ngwane, made an even earlier move on the Sean Tarry-trained Storm Ruler in the 1800m event, taking over early and making most of the running.

In truth it was something of an armchair ride as Ngwane had little more to do in the dash for home other than punch out for the line as any challenges failed to materialise.

By Andrew Harrison

The Selangor is traditionally the best trial for Saturday’s Forus Cape Guineas – five of the last 12 winners went on to take the classic – but Rocket Countdown’s victory came as a 36-1 shock. Even his trainer was surprised but he has now won three off the bounce, rising steadily up the ratings.

“He needs to take his chance after that  – he won the race fair and square,” says Candice Bass-Robinson of Aldo Domeyer’s mount, a 7-1 chance. “We will see how he follows up but we are still not 100% sure about his best distance, whether it’s going to prove to be 2 000m or a mile.”

Tap O’ Noth (Liesl King)

White River, at 13-2 second only to Tap O’Noth in the betting, has half a length to make up on Selangor running but Greg Cheyne’s mount might well have found it had he not been so intent on taking a bite out of the winner.

“He is a playful horse and he does do a few strange things,” laughs Brett Crawford. “But I am confident he will be fine this time. We have done a lot of work on him since and we’ve tried to teach him a few manners. He is a horse who keeps improving and, while I think he is looking for a bit further, the long run-in will suit him.”

Stable companions Bold Respect (Corne Orffer) and Undercover Agent (Donovan Dillon) are both 8-1 chances but the former has never been further than 1 400m. Will he get the trip?

“Obviously there is a question mark but he can settle and switch off, and he does quicken up well so I think he will be alright,” answers his trainer who reckons he knows why Undercover Agent managed only fifth in the Selangor after going so close in the Cape Classic.

“We found a few little niggles which we have sorted out. He works exceptionally well at home and he is classy horse. I wouldn’t write him off and indeed it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the shake-up.”

Eyes Wide Open is coughing and was scratched yesterday. Richard Fourie has switched to 16-1 stable companion Pack Leader who has just over a length to find with Bold Respect on Ready To Run form. “That race was too short for him but I still thought it a cracking run,” says Glen Kotzen. “He hasn’t got the greatest of draws – 14 out of 15 – but the favourite is on the outside of him so it’s going to be interesting.”

There were no nominations at yesterday’s Sun Met first supplementary entry stage. Legal Eagle and Edict Of Nantes remain joint favourites at 3-1.

By Michael Clower

Justin Snaith will gallop African Night Sky at 11.30am – an hour before racing -at Kenilworth on Saturday in order to put the Winter Series winner on track for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met. The stable’s carefully mapped-out plans were thwarted when the Jet Master Stakes was postponed until February.

African Night Sky (Michael Price)

Snaith said yesterday: “He will work over 1 400m with Elusive Silva (Grant van Niekerk) and the relative weights of the two jockeys works out well because I am looking for a bit of gut-buster for African Night Sky.”

In the meantime Snaith is hoping that his recent rich vein of form holds for Saturday’s Forus Cape Guineas in which he has 7-1 shot Do It Again as well as 12-1 chance Sir Frenchie and 25-1 outsider Cot Campbell.

He said: “We are in a good place with the horses at the moment and Do It Again (Fayd’Herbe) did a good gallop last week. We have been waiting for the longer run-in with him because he always comes from too far back and he found trouble in the straight in the Selangor. Had it not been for that I think he would have won.

“Having Callan Murray will help Sir Frenchie’s chances. The horse is well and enjoying his racing but I just wonder if he is good enough to win the Guineas. Only the race will tell.

“Cot Campbell (Van Niekerk)  has twice found trouble on the inside fence. He had to switch out and he wasn’t beaten far in the Cape Classic or the Ready To Run. He galloped particularly well last week – actually it surprised me how well he did work – and it was certainly good enough for him to be a contender.”

By Michael Clower

Brighteyebushytail is a name more fitting of a tree squirrel than a racehorse but the racehorse of that name would hardly care what his name is. Duncan Howells, who saddled a double at Greyville on Sunday, appears to have a decent sophomore on his hands and the son of Dynasty looks destine for far better things than the Excel Tax & Accounting MR 66 Handicap that he contests at Greyville tomorrow.

Duncan Howells

The colt finished well down the field in his sprint debut but is unbeaten in two over ground. He shed his maiden beating the well fancied Kapen Pride who has since franked that form and then got up to beat the giant Haddington at his last outing. Louis Goosen’s gelding has paid tribute to that form, winning three times since.

If there is a chink in Brighteyedbushytail’s armour it is that he has not been out since late August but even if he steps onto the track a little ring-rusty he should still have too much class for the opposition.

Anton Marcus has been conspicuous by his presence at Ashburton on some mornings and is picking the plums in the Howells string. Byline has the worst of the draw in the Say NO to Violence Maiden Plate, always a major disadvantage over 1400m on the Greyville turf, but Graham Elliot’s home-bred is a winner without a penalty. She should never have been beaten by stable companion Roy’s Kaitrina last time out and with Marcus aboard there are unlikely to be any mistakes tomorrow.

Kinsky’s Crusade can open proceedings in spite of her disappointing last effort over 1600m. Corine Bestel’s filly may have found the trip too far as her sprint form was promising. She drops back to the minimum trip here and with blinkers on for the first time the balance of the field are likely to be doing the chasing come the final furlong.

Mighty Mercury looks the part in the second where he is rated a couple of kilos better than his opposition. Charles Laird’s runner contested an apprentice handicap last time out that turned into a race of pot luck, but prior to that got to wining a neck of Winter Blues with Marcus in the irons. This will be his third run after a break and he makes a lot of appeal. Captain Cobalt seems to prefer the poly after a below par performance on the turf last time out and along with Fives Wild is the pick of the balance.

Wendy Whitehead appears to have a smart filly in the making in Twice As Smart who stepped out of the maidens into a tough handicap and finish second to Accidental Tourist who was recording her third win on the bounce. That win earned her a further two-point rise in the handicap but that should not be enough to stop her here although she does faces some seasoned older horses.

By Andrew Harrison