The Sansui Summer Cup meeting is hopefully a good memory for those tackling the low key eight race card at the Vaal tomorrow.

Noble Secret (JC Photographics)

The highest rated race is a MR 82 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1200m and just about the whole of the seven horse field will have to be included because a number of them are returning from layoffs. Only To Win almost beat the useful Neptune’s Rain as a youngster when setting the pace over this trip. She looks likely to appreciate the step back to this trip. Movie Show caused a shock two runs ago in a Progress Plate over 1000m when beating the like of Wrecking Ball, despite being way under sufferance. She was plugging on in that run and in her third run after a layoff will be one of the fittest horses, so could possibly see it out.

Frederico’s Dream had fine form over this trip as a two-year-old. This her seasonal reappearance and she could get away with it over a sprint. Top weight Magicality makes her seasonal reappearance and can earn on best form. Fish River has a comfortable win over subsequent Grade 2 1400m winner Desert Rhythm over 1000m to her name so she can make her presence felt if bouncing back from her SA Fillies Nursery run, where she had an unfavourable low draw. This is her first run for 206 days. Star Profile was five lengths ahead of Fish River in the SA Fillies Nursery, albeit from a favourable high draw. She had a busy juvenile campaign and returns from a long layoff.  Melinda’s Garden is a nice looking sort but has made respiratory noises and has poor form since her maiden win.

The best bet of the day comes in the seventh, a MR 79 Handicap over 1600m. Noble Secret has his second run of the season and on pedigree this Dynasty colt, out of an Al Mufti mare whose two wins were over 1450m and 1600m, will very much appreciate the step up to this trip. His maiden win showed him to be possible classic class and he will be out to prove it here. Raydaveric is starting to fulfil his potential since gelding and could be the chief threat. Copper Pot has his third run after gelding over a suitable trip and has shown a fine turn of foot before so can go close off a reduced merit rating.

By David Thiselton

National champion trainer Sean Tarry bounced back to form when it counted as his charge Liege stormed to victory in yesterday’s R2 million Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein under the top class big race rider Raymond Danielson.

In his last start in the Victory Moon Stakes Liege ran below par for a yard who have been going through a flat spell.

Liege

Yesterday, the soft conditions suited the five-year-old Maine Chance Farms-bred Dynasty gelding and that last start proved to just be a flat run. He broke well and after being up with the pace early was able drop into a good position in midfield on the rail behind a pace, expectedly set by Crowd Pleaser, which always enabled him to stride out nicely. Danielson was patient in the straight and he then burst through down the inside at the 400m mark. He never looked like being caught. The Paul Peter-trained filly Fort Ember stayed on bravely from a handy position to be beaten 2,25 lengths. Coral Fever produced his usual strong finish for third. Geoff Woodruff’s hopes of becoming the first trainer in South Africa to win one of the country’s three major races five times in succession were dashed, but his fancied Pagoda stayed on well for fourth. The fillies Girl On The Run and Orchid Island finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Danielson had never ridden Liege in a race before but felt confident on the way down as the horse felt in great shape.

Liege’s talented full-brother Lance is at stud and this win will add to his pedigree page.

Earlier, in the prestigious Grade 2 Dingaans over 1600m the Alistair Gordon-trained KZN raider Monk’s Hood just held on to win from a pair of outsiders Seerite and Vacquero. Monk’s Hood had tongues wagging around the country when winning his debut over 1200m by 7,5 lengths. Later, he came from a wide draw to run a fine close up fourth in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m. However, the two concerns were the form of the latter race had not worked out well and he also ran a disappointing third in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1200m last time. However, he proved yesterday turf was his preferred surface. He came from the back half of the field and burst through going like a winner. Anthony Delpech said the Querari gelding had had enough in the final stages, but he just managed to hold on by a head.

By David Thiselton

Snowdance has hardened from 14-10 to 12-10 as confidence in the horse grows prior to her first Grade 1 test in Saturday’s World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas.

Justin Snaith, bidding for his fifth win in the Kenilworth classic, reported on Saturday that Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount is in good shape, saying: “She is doing very well and her gallop was impressive. We still have a week to go but so far I couldn’t be happier with her.”

Bernard Fayd’Herbe (Liesl King)

Magical Wonderland, who has over four lengths to make up on last month’s Western Cape Fillies Championship form, is second favourite at 11-2 and the sponsor’s other prices are 10-1 Rose In Bloom, 12-1 Lady In Black, Love Supreme, 14-1 Via Seattle, Silver Thursday, 16-1 Too Phat To Fly, 25-1 and upwards others.

Snaith also has the favourite in the WSB Cape Merchants with Sergeant Hardy on 9-2 while last year’s winner Search Party is 5-1 to emulate Tevez by winning the ultra-competitive handicap in successive seasons. Tevez, fifth 12 months ago, is a 28-1 chance this time

In the WSB Green Point last year’s winner Legal Eagle (Anton Marcus) heads the market at 13-10 with the main threat expected to come from Piere Strydom’s mount Edict Of Nantes (28-10).

A notable absentee from the Green Point is Last Winter, unbeaten in four starts and at this stage likely to be a leading contender for both the Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met.

Dean Kannemeyer said: “I wasn’t going to run him against those horses in the Green Point. He is rated 106 and all he has won is three minor races in Durban plus a handicap at Durbanville. Edict Of Nantes was rated only half a kilo higher before that recent progress plate and he won both the Cape Derby and the Daily News!

“But I know I’ve got to put Last Winter to the test one of these days so I will nominate him for the Premier Trophy on 16 December and have a look. He has never been to Kenilworth but I will ask permission to gallop him there on Saturday. He is doing well and I know Anthony Delpech thinks a lot of him.”

Also missing from the Green Point line-up is Horizon, third in the Daily News and beaten little more than half a length when sixth in the July. He will run in the Premier and has the Met as his big objective.

In the meantime last year’s winner Jo’s Bond and the 2016 Cape Fillies Guineas heroine Just Sensual head the 22 nominations for the SW Security Solutions Southern Cross Stakes on Saturday week.

By Michael Clower

There were angry scenes at Kenilworth on Saturday when Tote punters found they could not get paid from race two onwards.

One tackled me saying: “You speak to the Tote people – you might get more sense out of them than I can,” while another had to be restrained from tearing up a winning ticket in a show of public protest.

The problem stemmed from the decision to include the Sansui Summer Cup in the Kenilworth card – not unusual with such big public-interest races – but when Turffontein was postponed for 24 hours the Tote’s main computer blew a fuse and refused to sanction Kenilworth payouts.

Phumelela betting boss Vee Moodley said yesterday: “You can’t hold on to people’s money like that but our IT engineers had to get the software provider to assist and it was not until 7.00pm that things were finalised.”

The situation at Kenilworth would have been much worse but for Tote manager Cheryl Schuler who explained to her irate customers: “I am ringing Phumelela every 15 minutes but they can’t give me a time when we will be able to pay so I am going through the floors explaining the problem to people.”

This was not good enough for one racegoer who demanded: “They should make an announcement to explain all this. Stan Elley should say something over the public address.”

Ms Schuler, surely next in line for Phumelela’s beyond-the-call-of-duty award, promptly went off to organise this but it was commentator Rouvaun Smit, not the Tellytrack presenter, whose voice came over the airwaves ten minutes later to say “The technicians are frantically trying to solve the problem.”

Payouts can now be obtained on presentation of winning tickets at any Tote office, off-course as well as on-course, while Moodley yesterday was full of praise for the uncomplaining (well, mostly) manner in which professionals and public alike put up with the repeated changes to race off-times.

One who definitely wasn’t complaining was Richard Fourie who celebrated his 32^nd birthday by booting home a quick-fire treble on The Sun Also Rises, Franking and The Slade.

– Vase, who flopped when 2-1 second favourite on Wednesday, was found to be lame the following day while 6-10 failure Sand And Sea was diagnosed with a severe upper respiratory infection after running way below form the previous Saturday.

GOLD CIRCLE

“I would rather have had Witchcraft in the race but she didn’t get in,” were some telling words from Champion Trainer Sean Tarry after Liege put one over all of the more fancied runners in yesterday’s Gr1 Sansui Summer Cup, postponed because of rain from Saturday.

“We were disappointed in his Victory Moon run but could find nothing wrong …. so it was possibly just a flat run,” commented Tarry post-race.

Filippo (Candiese Marnewick)

Liege, largely disappointing earlier in his career after promising much and more importantly fluffing his lines in the Victory Moon, put that all behind him yesterday. Raymond Danielson, who has more than once done justice when picking up the Tarry stable crumbs, always had his mount well placed and timed his run to perfection in spite of some doubts. “I thought I had gone a little bit too early but he kept going.”

The win heralded a return to form for Tarry who has been experiencing a rare lean spell of late.

All the big guns failed to fire with the minor placings filled by rank outsiders Fort Ember and Coral Fever with luke-warm favourite Pagoda in fourth, the quartet paying over R247k.

Alistair Gordon, who has trained his far share of champions in his time, has been short of a ‘big horse’ for some years now but Monks Hood broke the drought when putting the Highveld’s best to the sword in the Gr2 Investec Dingaans.

Anthony Delpech gave Monks Hood an impeccable ride, tracking the pace from well back but giving his mount a clear run at the wire. It was close at the end, “he’d had enough,” confirmed Delpech, but it was good enough to hold a hard-charging Seerite.

Monks Hood (Candiese Marnewick)

With the majority of the current racing season still to come it is still early days but Johan Janse van Vuuren’s gelding The Thinker put his name on the board for Equus honours with a smashing victory in the Gr2 World Sports Betting Merchants.

Favourite Naafer always looked to be going well and was the horse to beat approaching the final furlong as the Australian import pulled clear. However, Donovan Mansour produced The Thinker with a smartly timed finish to nail the favourite and win going away.

Run away maiden winner San Fermin and favourite for the Gr3 Fillies Mile was travelling like a winner approaching the final two furlongs but folded like a wet newspaper under pressure as Folk Dance stamped herself as one of the best of her current generation as Gavin Lerena punched her clear to win comfortably from Aurelia Cotta and long-time leader Cashel Palace.

By Andrew Harrison