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!

“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.

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

The outstanding three-year-old filly Enable was named the Cartier Horse of the Year at the 27th annual Cartier Racing Awards, European horseracing’s equivalent of the Oscars on Tuesday night.

The 2017 Cartier Racing Awards are presented at a glittering ceremony before an invited audience of 300 at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

From the first crop of Nathaniel, Enable recorded five consecutive Gr1 victories in 2017. Owned by Khalid Abdullah, trained by John Gosden in Newmarket and ridden by Frankie Dettori, Enable was impressive against her own sex in two Classics, the Investec Oaks at Epsom Downs and the Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh, winning by five lengths each time, before easily defeating all-aged, all-sex opposition in Ascot’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

After capturing a third Oaks at York in August, the Gr1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks, Enable created history by becoming the first British-trained filly to win Europe’s most valuable race, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly. Her comfortable two and a half-length victory against a high-class field was an outstanding performance and the prospect of Enable staying in training in 2018 whets the appetite of all racing enthusiasts. The three other Cartier Horse of the Year nominees were Cracksman, Ribchester and Ulysses.

Enable also easily took the honours in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly Award from Winter, Lady Aurelia and Roly Poly, while her stable companion Cracksman, owned by Anthony Oppenheimer, was the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt following his impressive seven-length success in the Gr1 QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot in October. Cracksman saw off challenges from Harry Angel, Churchill and Barney Roy.

Even by his own incredibly high standards, Ireland’s champion trainer Aidan O’Brien enjoyed an outstanding 2017 as he sent out a worldwide record of 27 Gr1 winners. O’Brien is responsible for both the 2017 Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt, U S Navy Flag, and the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly, Happily, while Order Of St George scoops the Cartier Stayer Award for the second year in succession.

Thrilling Harry Angel was the winner of the 2017 Cartier Sprinter Award. The Godolphin-owned three-year-old colt, trained by Clive Cox, showed tremendous versatility with victories over six furlongs on good to firm ground in Newmarket’s G1 Darley July Cup and on heavy ground in the G1 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock Park. He finished on top from Marsha, Battaash and Lady Aurelia.

Ulysses is the Cartier Older Horse for 2017, after registering a Gr1 10-furlong double in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park and the Juddmonte International at York, though it was a close-run affair with star miler Ribchester. Highland Reel and Talismanic were the other two nominees.

– racenews@racenewsonline.com

After many months of try-outs, analyses and reviews, Brandon Bailey has earned the right to join Nico Kritsiotis and Alistair Cohen in South African commentary boxes as a junior commentator.

More than 100 people entered the competition from all over the country which was cut to a top nine from Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. There were further eliminations and that came down to just three in Johannesburg. Each was then given the opportunity to commentate on live racing action.

Bailey, 24, admits that while he had thought about commentating it had not been a serious consideration until the competition was announced.  “Commentating was something I always wanted to try. It did appeal to me and I admire Alistair and Sheldon (Peters), so when the competition came out and the carrot was dangled, I decided to give it a go.”

The competition has been long and exhausting but Bailey says it has been “an enjoyable experience”. “It’s been a bit long and overwhelming. But it’s been different. I’ve been standing in the shower and going through the motions, I’ve also been learning from the other guys.”

The most important trait one needs to be successful as a commentator, believes Bailey, is passion. “Every race is different so you need to be knowledgeable about the runners and be able to keep your head. But you have to have passion for what you are doing.”

Clyde Basel, Executive – Horse Racing, Events & Hospitality for Phumelela, and a top commentator himself, added: “We welcome Brandon to the commentary box. We believe he has natural talent and wish him only the very best. May he call home many winners in favour of our patrons!”

He added, “A lot will depend on the draws. A good draw is a good draw in any man’s language.”

Woodruff will be attempting to create South African training history on November 25 at Turffontein Standside by winning one of the country’s three major races for the fifth time in succession. The three “majors” are considered to be the Vodacom Durban July, the Sun Met and the Sansui Summer Cup. Woodruff’s four Summer Cups in a row equalled the feat of trainer Fred Murray’s four successive Julys from 1910-1913 and trainer Mike Bass’s four successive Mets from 2007 to 2010.

Woodruff has not only dominated the Summer Cup’s winner’s box in the last four years, but also the placings. He sent out the first, second, third and fifth in 2013, the first and second in 2014, the first and second in 2015 and the first and third last year.

Woodruff was disappointed the filly Bi Pot didn’t make it into the final field on Tuesday, considering her good recent Graded race form.

However, he was not going to dwell on it and added, “It’s a competitive, open race and I think we have a good team.”

He continued, “All three of our runners ran good thirds in their preparation races. Master Switch’s was the most eye catching of the runs and it is nice to have Piere Strydom on him again. Pagoda is course and distance suited and has a light weight. I really liked Banner Hill’s last run. He got so close to Abashiri and will now be better off in the handicap. He has also been putting up super work at home. Of the three his work has been the best. However, Pagoda and Master Switch have never been great work horses, but they do bring it to the races.”

Woodruff knew Pagoda would come in with a light weight (52,5kg) so spoke to JP van der Merwe a “long time ago”. The lightweight rider “confirmed well ahead of time” and will be hoping to add a Summer Cup to his Met win on Smart Call last year.

Woodruff said, “JP can go in confidently as he now knows how Pagoda behaves. You have to niggle away at him in the early stages, but he produces a good finish. If he can come from midfield with that light weight he must have a shout. This is the course and distance of his best career performance, which came in the Derby Trial. He thrashed them that day. But a good draw is important for him. He might battle if he doesn’t get a good draw.”

Woodruff was also hoping for good draws for Master Switch and Banner Hill, but said it would not be as important as they both possessed good gate speed.

He said, “Master Switch came from draw 17 of 19 last year, but some use of him had to be made early and he was only caught late by Master Sabina and The Conglomerate. From a better draw …”

Master Switch races off exactly the same merit rating as last year of 101 and carries 54kg as opposed to 53,5kg. Woodruff said this horse’s poor form at Greyville could be ignored as he did not like the course and the slow pace of the races he had encountered there had not suited him. He added, “There is normally a decent pace in the Summer Cup.”

The six-year-old Jet Master gelding has finished third in all three of his starts on Turffontein Standside. Last time out he was running on powerfully in the Grade 3 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m.

Woodruff is also happy with Banner Hill’s jockey booking. He regards Grant van Niekerk as “a good rider in big races”.

Pagoda, a four-year-old gelding by Mogok, was the Grade 1 SA Derby runner up and races off a 99 merit rating, while five-year-old Tiger Hill gelding Banner Hill is also off a 99 and carries 53kg.

Betting World quote Pagoda at 10/1 and have both Master Switch and Banner Hill on 14/1.  

Woodruff has not spared any thought for records and said, “The odds are against us numerically.”

However, he did not feel his runners this year would be any weaker than in previous years.

“The Guv’nor” could well be rewriting the history books in two Saturdays time.

The barrier draw for the Summer Cup was screened live on Tellytrack on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, Woodruff had little luck, although Pagoda did at least fare best. Pagoda drew eleven, Banner Hill 13 and Master Switch 16. 

by David Thiselton