Sand And Sea, 10-1 for Saturday week’s Cape Guineas, was yesterday reported doubtful by Dennis Drier. The Gold Medallion winner was found to be making an abnormal respiratory noise when he managed only seventh of nine when odds-on for his reappearance last month.

The handicappers have raised last Saturday’s runaway WSB Fillies Guineas winner Snowdance by five points to a new rating of 108 but there is some surprise that she has not been given a higher mark. Just Sensual has a rating one point higher yet she only just got up when she won last year’s Cape Fillies Guineas. “Any time they want a match race I’m on,” quipped Justin Snaith yesterday

Runner-up Oh Susanna has been put up seven points to 98 and Fresnaye, a short head away third, has been raised eight points to the same mark while Green Point runner-up Edict Of Nantes (reported by Brett Crawford to have come out of the race in great shape) has gone up five points to 118. But the four-year-old is still five points below his half-length conqueror Legal Eagle.

Dean Kannemeyer has already declared unbeaten 3-1 favourite Last Winter (Anthony Delpech) for the Premier Trophy on Saturday week. The early decision was prompted by a convincing workout at Kenilworth last Saturday.

Kannemeyer said: “Cape Speed, ridden by my head work-rider, led him in the 1 400m spin and MJ Byleveld rode Last Winter. He is not a horse who normally exerts himself in his work and I was very pleased with the way he went.”

By Michael Clower

Punters didn’t have things easy at Scottsville on Sunday and it doesn’t look to get any better at the same venue this afternoon. The return to turf, especially turf that has hardly seen a horse for two months, has resulted in big, competitive fields which makes for interesting racing but those punters who do their homework should be well rewarded.

The mare Lala has always had a touch of class and now that she has find form again after a spell in the wilderness, she rates the horse to beat in the Pinnacle Stakes that heads the card. She is well in at the weights, made even more favourable with 2.5kg claimer Denis Schwarz in the saddle, and she ran a cracking second to the well thought-off Neptune’s Rain at Greyville last time out.

She steps up in trip here but the addition of blinkers at her last two outings appear to have give her a new lease on her racing life and she should go close to adding a seventh victory to her CV.

It is unlikely to be straight forward however, as she faces some useful opponents of which Onesie looks to be the chief protagonist.

Onesie has had one outing for Mark Dixon and is was a smart return from a break on the Greyville poly when second to Osprey. Given that she is seldom far back and over what looks to be her optimum trip, she will be a serious threat to Doug Campbell’s mare.

The Grey Crusader has been fighting a losing battle to date, threatening but not quite able to close the deal. That could all change in the first leg of the Pick 6 where Campbell has a chance of getting one on the board ahead of Lala. Unplaced only once in six outing, The Grey Crusader sports blinkers today which may be what he needs to keep his mind on the job at hand.

One to keep an eye on is Minaloushe Venture who has his first outing for Dennis Bosch. He was eight lengths back to the Bosch ‘hottie’ Billy Silver last time out but is sure to have come on from that effort.

Barrier trials have yet to yield a winner, although Special Force ran the hot favourite Vertical Decent close at Scottsville on Sunday, but that could change in the fifth where Robbie Hill sends out the imported filly Everlasting Love for owner/breeder Bernard Kantor. She didn’t break any records in her trial but gave the impression that she could be fairly useful.

Veteran trainer James Goodman hands in his trainer’s brief mid-way through this month and will surely be looking to have a winner before he leaves Summerveld. Anton Marcus will no doubt have been the oracle after he partnered Gimme Hope Johanna into third behind the strongly fancied Meet The Logans last time out and he stays aboard as Gimme Hope Johanna stretches to seven furlongs.

But there are plenty of others in with chances including Victorious Diva from the currently in-form Michael Roberts yard, Kinglassie and Silver Raisin all fitting the bill.

Brett Crawford has had one runner and one winner out of his new Summerveld satellite yard and it could be two-from-two as assistant Peter Muscutt saddles Miss Carrera in the seventh where Girl In Gold and Minnie The Moocher strike as the most likely threats.

By Andrew Harrison

Justin Snaith will not be tempted to run Snowdance in the Grade 1 Cape Guineas on December 16, saying it would come too soon after her easy win in Saturday’s WSB Cape Fillies Guineas.

The last horse to win both races was the Geoff Woodruff-trained Star Effort, who did it in 1991 on January 5 and February 2 respectively.

However, Snaith rates Snowdance up with the best fillies of the past and added, ”One of the best thing about her is she is so versatile, I could put her against the best over 1000m and she would win too. But the most incredible thing about her is she is so immature, so although she still has to prove herself against colts, she still has her whole career ahead of her.”

Snaith revealed when jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe had learnt that some were saying Snowdance had been flattered by her 4,25 length victory in the Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400m, he had retorted, “Don’t worry, she will win the Guineas by further.” He was proven correct as he eased her down some way before the line and she still won by 3,25 lengths.

Snaith, comparing Snowdance to the best fillies he had trained, which includes Vodacom Durban July winner Dancer’s Daughter and a few other Grade 1 winners, said, “Ebony Flyer was a freak and if she had not had a wind problem would have been the best filly this country has ever seen. We gave her two wind ops and she still won a Group 1 after that.”

However, he was not discounting Snowdance becoming the best filly he had trained, pointing out her immaturity again. He also pointed out she was to date free of issues and was typical of a “tough daughter of Captain Al bred at home in South Africa.”

Snowdance has come out of the race well and the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes on Sun Met day will likely be her next start.

Snaith ran one-two in Saturday’s race as Street Cry filly Oh Susanna came from last with a storming finish to just get up for second, despite having to be switched from the inside to the outside.

Snaith would not be drawn into rating how good this long-striding Australian-bred was yet and said, “She has a long way to go and takes her races hard.” However, he believed she would be one of the horses to beat in the Grade 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over 1800m on January 6 if she came through her preparation well. She also has the Majorca on her program.

Snaith had five winners on Saturday and one of them, the Captain Al colt Kasimir, clinched a hattrick when winning a Graduation Plate over 1000m in which he was the highest merit rated horse on 99. Snaith said Kasimir had improved since the winter, when shin-soreness had bothered him. He is being targeted at the US$500,000 CTS 1200 on Met Day.

Snaith has a chance of doing the Guineas double as he will likely have three runners in the Cape Guineas, Do It Again, Cot Campbell and Sir Frenchie, who have all been in good form and are all doing well at home. However, he singled out Twice Over gelding Do It Again as being “very progressive”. He added, “With the long run in he will give the best in the country a go, although Tap O’ Noth is the one to beat.”

Fayd’Herbe has already chosen Do It Again as his Cape Guineas ride.

Meanwhile, it looks increasingly likely Snaith’s Winter series Triple Crown hero African Night Sky will have to go in to the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate with just one run under his belt, his 1,75 length fifth to Edict Of Nantes in a Pinnacle Stakes race on November 11 over 1400m. However, he will be given a public racecourse gallop on Cape Guineas day.

Justin Snaith has revealed that he has been adopting a different approach to getting his horses ready for their races this season.

He explains: “We now go into each race a gallop short because we want the horses to last longer into the season. We will know at the end of it whether or not it has worked.”

He runs a quarter of the 16-strong field for the SW Security Solutions Southern Cross Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday. Last year’s winner Jo’s Bond  (Bernard FaydHerbe) is the shortest price of the Snaith Racing four at 7-1, Corne Orffer has been booked for 12-1 chance Casual Diamond while Robert Khathi rides Nordic Breeze (20-1) and Grant van Niekerk is on 25-1 shot Angel’s Trumpet.

World Sports Betting makes the Dennis Drier-trained Laisserfaire winner Sommerlied (Sean Veale) 33-10 favourite to extend her remarkable record to six wins from seven starts. Sean Tarry’s Green Plains (MJ Byleveld) is second favourite at 4-1.

WSB stood for the first time at Kenilworth last Saturday and the firm says it will continue to do so for all Cape Town meetings.

It has opened its Cape Guineas book with Cape Classic winner Tap O’Noth sharing 8-1 favouritism with runner-up Undercover Agent, Selangor third Do It Again and Bold Respect. Surprise Selangor winner Rocket Countdown is next on 9-1. In the Premier Trophy the unbeaten Last Winter heads the market on 3-1.

The Mike de Kock-trained Mujaafy, only third when starting 11-10 favourite to maintain his unbeaten record in Saturday’s graduation plate, was reported by Brandon Lerena to be hanging throughout and the vets found that the colt was not striding out behind.

Kasimir, who won the race, goes for the $500 000 CTS 1200 on Sun Met day.

By Michael Clower

Prominent KZN trainer Gavin van Zyl and passionate owner Michael Leaf will be targeting both of the US$500 races on Sun Met day together, the CTS Mile and the CTS 1200, with Flying Free and So Var respectively.

Van Zyl has at least five feature race horses to look forward to for the rest of the season, while his son Gareth, also based at Summerveld, has quickly built up his string after parting company with big KZN owner Brian Burnard.

Flying Free could have a shout in the CTS Mile, having been a touch unlucky in the Grade 2 Investec Dingaans over 1600m on Turffontein Standside last time out, where he finished a 1,4 length fourth. He was dropped out to last in the Dingaans from a draw of 14 out of 15 and was moving up strongly when his path was blocked. He was forced to switch inward a couple of times and was finishing well on the inside rail. In his previous races he had shown plenty of speed, particularly when only just failing to hold on over 1450m from the highly regarded Broadway Trip, although he was receiving 3kg from the latter. The relatively easy 1600m of Kenilworth should suit Flying Free down to the ground.

So Var and Flying Free were both precocious enough to start their careers in January of their two-year-old seasons.

So Var later won three on the trot from 1000-1160m, and included among these was a two length victory over the classy Alfolk over 1000m despite having to give the latter 2kg. So Var ended his two-year-old season running a decent 2,75 length second to the classy Al Mariachi, to whom he gave 2kg, in the Grade 3 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m at Greyville. However, he will have to bounce back from a poor run last time out in his second run of the season, where he faded tamely and finished last over 1200m.

Van Zyl will find one more run for each of the pair before they head for Cape Town.

Van Zyl travelled Budapest down to Cape Town four days before he won the R2,5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m in 2015, and he will use the same travelling strategy with Flying Free and So Var.

On Saturday the Van Zyl-trained Harlan County gave cheek to the classy Surcharge in the Listed Secretariat Stakes over 1400m before going down by 0,6 lengths. The Pathfork gelding was receiving 8kg from the winner, but it was his first run out of the maidens, He is out of Al Mufti mare Al Nibari, who produced Grade 1 winner Little Miss Magic and Grade 3 winner Without Malice. He will go for next year’s Gauteng Triple Crown races.

Van Zyl-trained Black Minnaloushe gelding Blackball carried 59kg in The Secretariat and finished a 6,45 length seventh. However, Van Zyl was upbeat about his future  as he is a half-brother to Rocketball, who ran a close second in the SA Derby for the yard two years ago.

Van Zyl also has a promising three-year-old in Await The Dawn filly Pilgrim’s Progress, who has won three on the trot from 1800-2000m.

“She is very decent,” he said. She showed a fine turn of foot last time when winning a three-year-old handicap over 1800m off an 83 merit rating. She will continue to improve and looks tailor-made for the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic and the SA Oaks.

Meanwhile, the yard are hoping their classy four-year-old Bella Sonata will eventually land a good draw. She proved she is Grade 1 class over a mile last season, running second to Nother Russia in the weight for age Empress Club Stakes from draw 14 of 15 and third to Bela-Bela in the Garden Province Stakes from draw 8 of 14. This season she has won the Grade 3 Jo’Burg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over 1450m when drawn well and has been undone by wide draws in two Grade 2s over a mile, the Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile and the Ipi Tombe Challenge, although she was only 1,3 lengths behind Nother Russia in fifth place in the latter race when receiving only 1kg.

The journey to the CTS Million dollar day started when Leaf pointed out two Maine Chance Farms-bred sons of Var he liked on pedigree at the CTS Premier Yearling Sale of 2016 and asked Van Zyl to look at them.

Flying Free is out of Frequent Flyer, who won the Listed Stormsvlei Mile and was twice placed second in the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes over 1600m. Frequent Flyer is the daughter of Grade 1 November Handicap winner Fov’s Fancy.

Van Zyl said, “Frequent Flyer was a very good racehorse and Flying Free was a well put together yearling.”

So Var is out of the seven time-winning Wolfhound sprinter, Surabi, who won the Grade 2 Camellia Stakes and the Listed Gardenia Handicap. Furthermore, Surabi is a half-sister to the top class dual Grade 1-winner Gypsy’s Warning, who held her own in the USA.

Van Zyl said, “Surabi had been threatening to throw a nice horse. This one was by Var and was also a nicely put together horse”.

He added, “I managed to buy both of them within the budget.”

Flying Free was the first foal of Frequent Flyer and Van Zyl clinched her for R450,000 on behalf of Leaf. He had earlier secured So Var for R500,000.

Meanwhile, Gareth has been well supported by some top owners and already has a string of 34. Among them are three Silvano’s, two Var’s, a Captain Al, a Judpot from a top mare and an Oratorio.

By David Thiselton