Sir David Baird ran out a commanding winner of the Listed Guineas Trial at Greyville on Saturday and in doing so booked his place in the Gr1 Cape Guineas to be run at Kenilworth next month.

“He’s found his trip,” said a well satisfied Mike de Kock who has a plethora of smart sophomores in his care this season. “1400m is a nothing race,” he said, commenting on Sir David Baird’s two recent defeats over the distance. “It’s not a sprint and it’s not a mile but this horse shows a lot of speed and if he had got beat today I would have put him back over a sprint. I also liked the way he saddled up. Usually he kicks and plays up but today he stood like a professional.”

But Sir David Baird will not be going back to a sprint as Gavin Lerena swept to the front from the start, winning unchallenged.

Sir David Baird (Candiese Marnewick)

“We didn’t go very fast but I knew that Puller’s horse (Ryker) pulled very hard so I was not going to play into his hands. This was his right trip,” said Lerena.

“He’s so fast at home but I liked the way he quickened today,” added De Kock as Sir David Baird, a half-brother to Gr1 winning sire Argonaut, put four lengths between him and second-placed Ryker. “It’s just a pity that Mr Rattray was not here to watch, he’s only back Tuesday,” De Kock concluded. “He’s put so much into the game, he deserves this.”

Summerveld-based, Mark Dixon had an afternoon to remember as he sent out three winners. His run started in the third when Asian Star finally got his act together in a competitive maiden and veteran Celtic Captain upsetting a strong field in the fourth where the filly Dawn Calling went off favourite. A disappointed Duncan Howells commented later after Neptune’s Rain had broken the stable duck, that Dawn Calling had pulled up distressed after the race and may have been affected by the heat.

Dixon’s well fancied Fantasy Lady found one too good for her in the fifth as Parabola gave Brett Crawford his first winner from his recently established stallelite yard overseen by salted veteran and top trainer in his own right, Peter Muscutt.

Dixon was not done and rounded off his afternoon as apprentice Ashton Aries scored his second win of the day aboard Admiral’s Guest who had a more than useful field over three lengths behind at the line.

De Kock bolted from the winning interview just in time to see Kinaan score comfortably in the Lanzerac Le General Kenilworth Cup but it was a day of upsets down south.

Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion winner Sand And Sea fluffed his lines on his seasonal debut behind 20-1 shot Power Grid while the filly Miss Katalin upstaged a few Cape Guineas hopefuls in the R2.5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes, getting up close home to edge out a tremendously game Bold Respect who jumped from the worst of the draw.

The upsets didn’t stop there as Rocket Countdown blasted into the Cape Guineas picture in the Gr2 Selangor Cup, beating home another outsider White River with Do It Again and favourite Broadway Trip both losing their unbeaten records finishing third and fourth respectively.

By Andrew Harrison

The annual Air Mauritius International Jockeys Challenge is always an exciting meeting and South Africa will be looking to extend their record to eight wins in the tenth renewal of the contest.

The official eleventh race on the card allows Tote players to bet on the jockeys themselves. R12,000 has been added to both the win and place pools for this race and R6,000 to the quartet pool.

The jockeys are awarded 30 points for a win and 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5 and 4 from second down to ninth respectively. Eleventh and twelfth earn 0 points and a jockey without a ride earns 7.

The six Jockeys International races comprise the six legs of the Pick 6.

Costa Da Sol

The first international race is an uninspiring maiden for fillies and mares over 1600m. First-timer Flaming Hot is a four-year-old Australian-bred by Flying Spur out of a half-sister to Summer Cup winner Delta Form and Irishman Seamie Heffernan is aboard from pole position. First-timer All Abuzz is a four-year-old by Bezrin and is a half-sister to eleven-time winning Listed winner Formation. Gavin Lerena is aboard from a tricky draw of ten. Secret Potion by Elusive Fort stayed on nicely on debut over 1160m and has a good draw of five under high-flying Irishman PJ McDonald. The concern will be how the filly handles her first start around the turn, considering she was slow away and green on debut. Tigerlace has been knocking on the door and ran on in her penultimate over this course and distance. Craig Zackey rides from draw nine. Truth Of Beauty could earn under Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Corey Brown.

The second international is a Maiden over 1800m. Finding Troy should be improving all the time being by Go Deputy and having gone close over 1700m last time should be right there from pole position under SA captain Anthony Delpech. Hard-kocking Flexible Fugitive’s sire Wanted is a Grade 1-winning sprinter, but her dam is by middle distance sort Giant’s Causeway and is a half-sister to a USA champion filly who won up to 2000m. However, Gavin Lerena has a tough draw of ten to overcome. Soldat has a tough draw under McDonald, but has the form to earn.

In the third International event, a MR73 handicap over 3000m, Ali Bon Dubai lost three lengths at the start last time but on his going away wins over 2000m before that makes appeal. England’s Martin Dwyer rides from draw three. Stunned finished strongly over 2400m in his penultimate and has Lyle Hewitson up. Out-and-out stayer Fortune Fella enjoys this course and has pole position under Lerena.

In the next, a MR 86 for fillies and mares over 1600m, Sabina’s Dynasty could be on a capped merit rating having won easily last time over this trip. Delpech rides from a fair draw of six. Noceur is promising and can be forgiven her last run, but Heffernan has to overcome a wide draw. Costa Da Sol should enjoy the trip and is drawn two under S’Manga Khumalo.

In the fifth of the internationals, a MR 65 for fillies and mares, Wrap It Up was due to run on Thursday but if she takes her place has a shout from a good draw under Dwyer. Monarch Air won well last time but has a six-point merit rated raise to overcome. McDonald rides. Flowing Gown can do better than her last run and has Delpech up.

In the finale over 1450m Captain Chips (Dwyer) is distance suited and jumps from pole position. Sabre Dance (Heffernan) and Private Ruler (Khumalo) make most appeal of the rest.

By David Thiselton

Out-of-Province success in this most important of Cape Guineas trials is rare but the Alec Laird colt has the form to win.

On his most recent start, in a 1 450m Progress Plate at Turffontein, he came up against a string of previous winners and had to give weight to all but two of the 12 runners. He beat Golden Horseshoe fourth Flying Free only narrowly but he was conceding 3kg. Three lengths further back third was Hakeem who was only beaten a length and a half when sixth in the Golden Horseshoe.

Broadway Trip (Candiese Marnewick)

This line of form puts the Jo’burg horse in front of Ancestry and Captain And Master and – by extension – suggests that he should also beat Eyes Wide Open.

“It was that form which gave us the confidence to have a crack at the Cape Guineas,” says Laird, already looking ahead to the big one in four weeks’ time. “My horse came down here last week, he travelled well and had a gallop on the course last Saturday. He handled the left-hand turn and I was happy with the way he was working.”

Randall Simons’ mount opened 7-2 favourite with World Sports Betting yesterday but that is a doubtful benefit in the Selangor. Five of the last seven favourites have been beaten.

Captain And Master (9-2) didn’t help his chance in the Golden Horseshoe by over-racing early on. He did it again in the Premiers Champion when he also met with interference. If S’Manga Khumalo can settle him he will be a major threat.

Eyes Wide Open (a big price at 6-1) has to give 2kg all round and, as such, there must be a suspicion that he will find at least one too good for him. But he is the highest rated and he ran above his mark in a mile Pinnacle three weeks ago.

“He has already achieved a higher rating than Gold Standard was given after his win in last year’s Selangor,” points out Glen Kotzen. “He has had a good prep and he is ready for this.”

Joey Ramsden has won four of the last six runnings, with Anton Marcus on two of them, and 11-2 shot Ancestry’s Durban form suggests he should turn the tables on the Kotzen hope.

Eyes Wide Open (Candiese Marnewick)

Undercover Agent’s second to Tap O’Noth in the Cape Classic represents a more recent guide and he is second favourite at 4-1. “The extra 200m will be in his favour,” says in-form Brett Crawford who adds: “I also give White River (12-1) a chance. He is a very progressive horse.”

The draw should, theoretically at least, be crucial in the R2.5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run with the turn starting so soon after the start and the run-in so much shorter than on the summer course. But a quick start can overcome the worst of draws and Crawford’s 11-2 chance Bold Respect is taken to prove the point.

“He is a fast starter, he is a very good horse and I’m confident,” enthuses his trainer. If he and I are wrong then Sean Tarry should win for the second successive year with 28-10 favourite Wonderwall, almost certainly the pick of the stable’s quartet.

Attempting to overcome a bad draw by dropping the horse in looks suicidal in such a big field but that is what Justin Snaith intends doing with Sir Frenchie (5-1) and with unbeaten Selangor runner Do It Again. “That is the way they run,” he argues. “What I need is a strong headwind – and I might just get it.”

By Michael Clower 

Inclement weather seems to be the order of the day this summer and tomorrow’s meeting on the Greyville turf is in danger of being transferred to the poly track – but there is still hope.

By early yesterday morning Greyville had recorded 58 mm. Gold Circle Racing Executive Raf Sheik said that a pen reading would be taken late yesterday afternoon (too late for this column) and with the weather forecast taken into consideration, a decision would be made on whether to switch to the poly track sometime this morning.

“It’s a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t,” said Sheik adding that during the last storm, over 100 mm of rain fell in a couple of hours but two days later – if there had been racing on the turf – it would have gone ahead. The rain is due to have cleared by yesterday afternoon so we live in hope!

Ryker

“I had the Guineas Trial in mind but now I’m not so sure,” puzzled Puller after Ryker had blown away a useful field of older sprinters on the first day of this month.

“I freshened him up for this race,” confirmed Garth Puller after his 1000m triumph. “He’s a big-striding horse and I was a bit surprised.”

“But he’s a horse that will go a mile,” he added and Ryker gets to prove that assessment when he lines up in the said Guineas Trial tomorrow.

“The five (furlongs) was a little bit sharp for him,” confirmed rider Antony Delpech, who has stuck with his mount. “He’s a smart horse and going to win races.”

Mike de Kock has his sophomore contingent wound up as taut as a violin string. Sir David Baird may not be up with his stable companions who have swept most before them so far this Highveld spring so the trip to Durban may have been an easier option. Callan Murray was roundly criticised for his ride when runner-up to Darkest Hour second time out but the gelding could only manage fourth at his next outing which may have been some vindication for Murray. That could all change tomorrow.

The cleverly named Hard To Pay steps up to a mile for the first time for Wendy Whitehead after winning his first two and finishing runner-up to the speedy Di Mazzio last time out. Pedigree suggest that he should see out the trip.

The Dazzler lived up to his name when thumping a field of winners on debut in what was a thoroughly impressive performance. He has been surprisingly winless since be seldom far back.

He races in a tongue-tie tomorrow and can give James Goodman a rousing send-off as the veteran trainer hands in his brief at the end of the month.

By Andrew Harrison

The Air Mauritius International Jockeys’ Challenge starts on Friday when most of the jockeys will be making public appearances at Betting World The Buzz, Fourways.

Three of the local riders will not be there because they are riding in Port Elizabeth – Craig Zackey, Greg Cheyne and Lyle Hewitson. However, the other jockeys – Anthony Delpech (SA Captain), S’manga Khumalo and Gavin Lerena – and six visiting riders – Australian Corey Brown (who won the Melbourne Cup last week), Englishman Martin Dwyer, Frenchman Thierry Thulliez and Irish trio Seamie Heffernan, PJ Mcdonald and Pat Smullen (International Captain) – are scheduled to be at the shopping centre from 11am.

Teams from the 2012 IJC

Betting World will hold competitions for their customers throughout the afternoon with prizes of betting vouchers and airtime and Tellytrack presenters Dominic Zackey and Neil Andrews will be at the shop, conducting interviews with the jockeys and adding to the excitement of the occasion.

This is the 10th year the International Jockeys’ Challenge, which is organised by Racing Association chief executive Larry Wainstein, will be staged. Home team advantage has played a huge role in the outcome most years, although the international team has won on two occasions, in 2011 and 2012.

There was a ballot for mounts in each of the Challenge races and runners were seeded beforehand in an attempt to ensure both teams have roughly the same calibre of rides overall.

Points are awarded as follows: first – 30; second – 15; third – 12; fourth – 10; fifth – 8; sixth – 7; seventh – 6; eighth – 5; ninth – 4; 10th – 3; 11th – 0; 12th – 0. If a jockey does not ride in a race, he gets seven points. The team that scores the most points wins the Challenge.

TAB and Betting World will offer betting on the actual riders in the challenge and a preliminary glance at the fields shows there will not be much separating the teams at prize giving – Delpech and Dwyer might fight it out for the Bronze saddle.

TAB will not only operate Win and Place pools on the jockeys. Punters can also take Swinger, Exacta, Trifecta and Quartet bets. – TABonline