National champion trainer Sean Tarry will be looking at Before Noon at the Vaal Classic track tomorrow to break a rare drought for the yard which has seen them send out close to 50 runners without a winner since Big Bear won the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup.

Fittingly, Before Noon, who runs in a Workrider’s Maiden Plate over 2400m in tomorrow’s first race, is like Big Bear a son of Await The Dawn, who is proving to be a big loss to local breeding after his untimely passing in 2014. Before Noon is in the usual mold of his sire as a big galloping horse and last time out when stepped up to 2000m in his just his third career start he simply ran out of track when chasing Orson as he certainly wasn’t stopping at the line. His sire won over this 2400m trip and his dam was a four-time winner from 1800m to 2000m, so everything points to him being hard to beat in the day’s opener. Pocohontas Girl and Michael are both moderate sorts but have at least proved they stay this trip so could be the biggest dangers.

In the second the flying Mike de Kock yard can kick off where they left off on the weekend, having sent out four winners at the Vaal on Saturday. In this Graduation Plate over 1200m for three-year-old fillies they have the superbly bred speedster Shufoog, who made a winning debut over 1160m on Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile day. The handicappers credited her with an 87 merit rating for that impressive win and she is easily the best weighted horse in tomorrow’s race on official ratings. De Kock could score the trifecta in this race as he also has Only To Win, who drops back to the trip of her best win, and Awaafy, who flew up for third in an 1160m sprint on Thursday night at Turffontein.

The third is tricky due to the number of first-timers, none of whom make particular appeal, but the hard knocking Amajory should lead home those to have raced. The back-ups could be Forgimme and Delphine.

The fourth over 1800m sees the hard-knocking Angelic stepping up another 100m in trip, which she should handle and she can beat Whiteout. However, Let’s Twist and Rendezvous have shown ability and return from rests and One Dollar Massage is improving.

The fifth over 1800m pits battle hardened handicappers against promising youngsters returning from layoffs. The former are favoured and Shogun is chosen to get it right ahead of Hieronymus, although the youngsters Royal Crusade, Wheel Of Time and Bush Pilot can’t be ignored.

Excalibur’s Return can win first time out the maidens in the sixth over 2000m as he has been given a reasonable merit rating. Sultry could make it a De Kock one-two as he has dropped to an attractive merit rating.

In the seventh over 1000m Manx Park is rated the day’s value bet, having dropped to an attractive merit rating ad still retaining his ability.

In race eight over 1000m Brigtnumberten might prove hard to beat having run way above his merit rating in a Graduation Plate last time.

By David Thiselton

Picture Credit: Candiese Marnewick

Miss Frankel will have her off-fore x-rayed and scanned today after managing only fifth of seven when odds-on for her handicap debut at Kenilworth last Thursday.

Dennis Drier said: “She was very lame after the race and there is something not right.”

The filly appeared to be travelling strongly up with the pace only to suddenly weaken in a matter of strides.

Captain And Master, Sean Tarry’s runner in the Selangor Cup at Kenilworth on Saturday, impressed in a gallop at the Cape Town course before racing last Saturday. No jockey has yet been declared but Lyle Hewitson rode the horse in the gallop.

Cape Classic winner and leading Guineas candidate Tap O’Noth was not entered for the Selangor and Vaughan Marshall (in double form with stable jockey MJ Byleveld on Saturday) confirmed that the colt goes straight for the Guineas on 16 December.

So too does Cape Classic third Cot Campbell with Justin Snaith saying: “He needs to improve a little bit but he will be a better horse on the longer straight on Guineas day.”

By Michael Clower

The Grade 2 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein last Thursday night and other races have caused a shake up in the Sansui Summer Cup betting over the last few days.

However, the Equus champion stayer Hermoso Mundo, who last ran in the Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile nine days ago, has now found himself at the top of the ant-post board, replacing triple crown hero Abashiri.

The Victory Moon’s narrow victor, the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Girl On The Run, stayed on resolutely from a handy position and only just denied Coral Fever, who ran on well from way back. Girl On The Run was carrying only 50kg and escaped without a merit rated raise. She remains on 98 and has shortened into 20/1 for the Summer Cup with Betting World.

The Robbie Sage-trained Coral Fever proved his win in last June’s Jubilee Handicap over course and distance was no fluke and only lost on the head-bob on Thursday night. His Jubilee win did not earn him a place in the Vodacom Durban July, but it will be surprising if he is now left out of the Summer Cup. His merit rating has been increased from 93 to 97 and he has shortened to 25/1.

Abashiri ran an excellent preparation race in the Victory Moon. The most impressive part about it was that his beautiful, long-striding action was back in evidence. Mike Azzie’s charge was carrying a welter 62kg, so his staying on four length sixth was not a bad effort at all. He should be cherry ripe by November 25, where he will run off an attractive 109 merit rating, considering he was once a 117.

However, an even more ominous run in the Victory Moon came from last year’s Summer Cup third-placed Master Switch. He ran on powerfully for a 1,15 length third on Thursday night, carrying 54kg, and has been raised two points to 101. This is the identical mark he ran off in last year’s Summer Cup. Of course the most noticeable Summer Cup credential he has is that he is trained by Geoff Woodruff, who will attempt to make South African racing history by winning the Summer Cup for the fifth year in succession. This will be a record trot in any one of SA’s three major races, which are the July, The Sun Met and the Summer Cup. Master Switch has shortened into 25/1.

The most fancied Woodruff runner is Pagoda, on 10/1. His last run was a four length defeat to Girl On The Run over 1950m in a Pinnacle Event on October 21. He was giving her 3kg and needed that run. Off his 99 merit rating four-year-old Pagoda will receive 1,5kg from stablemate Master Switch in the Summer Cup and has an outstanding chance. Woodruff also fancies a big run from his ante-post 16/1 shot Banner Hill.

Victory Moon winning trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren is a former assistant of Woodruff and will also have a strong hand in the Summer Cup. His charges Crowd Pleaser and Brazuca are at 11/1 and 16/1 respectively and New Predator and Irish Pride are at 40/1.

Mike de Kock is in devastating form at present and his filly Orchid Island ran an eye-catching fourth in the Victory Moon. Another of De Kock’s star fillies, Nother Russia, won her seasonal reappearance on the same card and is Betting World’s Summer Cup. Either filly could give De Kock his tenth Summer Cup and are quoted at 14/1 and 17/2 second favourite respectively.

National Champion trainer Sean Tarry’s Summer Cup hopeful Liege ran a bit of a flat race in the Victory Moon in his second run after a layoff and was unable to catch the leaders from a position way back in the field. He finished a 5,3 length tenth. Stablemate Matador Man ran a fair race considering he was asked to come from last with 60kg on his back and managing a 4,25 length seventh. Tarry’s filly Witchcraft finished 8^th and Samurai Blade was a disappointing 11^th.

Charity Mile third-placed French Navy and Liege are now the highest Tarry entries on the Summer Cup ante-post board at 16/1 apiece, Charity Mile runner up Social Order is 18/1, Matador Man is 33/1, Tilbury Fort is 35/1, Witchcraft is 40/1 and Samurai Blade has drifted out to 66/1.

Another eyecatching Summer Cup preparation was put in last week by the Joe Soma-trained SA Oaks winner Wind Chill, who slammed a Progress Plate field by over five lengths and is now 20/1 with Betting World.

Hermoso Mundo made his seasonal reappearance in the Charity Mile and although he had to overcome a wide draw over a distance too sharp, his 9,25 length 14^th hardly justifies Summer Cup 8/1 favouritism. The bookmakers might just be running scared of the “Woer Woer Masjien” having no doubt being punished when the Weiho Marwing-trained horse became the first to achieve the stayer’s “Gold” triple crown last season (Gold Bowl, Gold Vase and Gold Cup).

By David Thiselton

Brett Crawford goes into battle with one of the best hands in the country this season but he left the opposition shell-shocked when he trumped them with four aces in Saturday’s Kenilworth Pinnacle.

For Piere Strydom, too, it was an immensely satisfying outcome because he has managed to put himself on standby in the event of Anton Marcus picking the wrong one.

The six-time champion said: “Derek Brugman rang me and asked if I was looking for a horse for the Cape season. After Saturday’s race, I am hoping to stay with Edict Of Nantes but that depends on Anton – whether he sticks with Legal Eagle who ran very well on Thursday or decides to jump  ship and ride this one. If he does that then I would hope to get on Legal Eagle.”

Edict Of Nantes, despite winning the Cape Derby and Daily News and going under in the July by little more than a metre, was a revelation in Saturday’s race. Far from finding the 1 400m too quick for him, he was always travelling strongly and all it took for him to find another gear was one wave of his rider’s whip.

Strydom said: “At the weights he couldn’t win and I was caught three wide yet it was always only a matter of when I was going to get there.”

That was 30m out and the Mayfair Speculators 7-1 chance beat his three stable companions by half a length, a neck and a fifth.

Their understandably pleased trainer said: “I thought seven furlongs would be a bit short for Edict Of Nantes but he has been working exceptionally well and he is improving. All four go the route everybody is going – Green Point, Queen’s Plate, Met – and I felt Black Cat Black (fourth at 22-1 after making the pace) ran out of his skin.”

Greg Cheyne, who has already been booked for runner-up Sail South in all three big races, added: “The Queen’s Plate is the one I would like to win – but I’d be happy to take any of them!”

Corne Orffer stays with Captain America who started 2-1 favourite and ran on again close home after appearing to be outpaced when the tap was turned on.

He said: “It was a good run. The horse is a year older and the others now turn it on a bit quicker than he does but he may get a bit further this season.”

African Night Sky, squeezed early on, finished fifth but the vets reported that stable companion Black Arthur was striding short after finishing stone last. Justin Snaith was not happy.

He said: “There is something not right with Black Arthur and I’ve got to find out what it is. Both horses need to be at their best in January and they are further back than I thought they would be. I’ve got work to do.”

Second favourite Table Bay, beaten two and a half lengths into sixth, lost more than that coming out of the pens and seventh-placed Horizon also took a slow-starting approach to what was his first appearance since the July.

The Maine Chance team has Cape Flying Championship ambitions for Sommerlied who made it five out of six in the Laisserfaire Stakes and racing manager Glenn Hatt said: “We are going to take it step by step but we do have high hopes for her.”

This was Dennis Drier’s first Cape Town winner of the campaign and he commented, “It’s taken a while but I haven’t really been under pressure.” However a run of 13 consecutive losers was seemingly beginning to jangle a few nerves because a grinning Sean Veale added: “I know he can now sleep tonight!”

Anthony Delpech’s visit for just one ride had punters plunging on Meryl in the 2 000m handicap but the Dean Kannemeyer filly, backed from 9-2 to 16-10 favourite, could manage only an expensive third behind Robert Khathi’s mount Fresnaye who apparently had no luck at all when eighth to Snowdance in the Western Cape Fillies Championship.

Joey Ramsden said: “She got splattered all over the show by her stable companion (Rose In Bloom) in that and I am just grateful that she was able to come here and get her confidence back.”

By Michael Clower

What does one read into a barrier trial? That’s what many will be asking after the first trial took place at Greyville yesterday.

The answer may be quite a lot although opinion is divided as to what value these trials will add to the overall scheme of things.

The over-riding idea behind the trials being that punters are given some idea as to the inherent ability of first time runners and some indication of the fitness of horses that have been off the track for 120 days or more. The nay-sayers believe it will be a wasted exercise in time and money.

Those in favour, and Paul Gadsby is one, feel that they should at least be given a chance and in agreement with trainers who of the opinion that the trials will provide valuable experience for first-time runners. Time will tell but Ashburton-based Gadsby was happy with the performance of his trialist, Sheik’s Storm. She was all over the course for much of the trial but when the penny dropped she run on nicely.

All runners need a 60-day pass at the starting stalls, first timers or not, and the trials are perfect as Gadsby pointed out. “I will use them as a 60-day pass and what better way. My filly had not seen the track, you now we don’t have a poly track at Ashburton, but what better way with a few horses around her. I don’t say she’s a good thing next time out but it helps that she’s seen the track.”

The Gadsby runner Diamonds Forever had seen the poly track on more than one occasion but the addition of blinkers to her racing equipment seemed to do the trick as Billy Jacobson produced his only ride on the card with a perfectly timed run to see off a late-closing Rani.

Monks Hood may not have landed the odds when he started in the Itsarush.co.za Pinnacles Stakes but showed enough to suggest that he will be cherry-ripe for the Gr2 Investec Dingaans to be run at Turffontein at the end of the month. His is a smart horse and Alistair Gordon will make the trip to the Highveld not without hope.

Over a distance way short of his best. He did not get the best of passages as Anthony Depech hunted for daylight, but he was doing his best work late as Cutting Edge scythed through the opposition to win rather comfortably.

Kingston Boy, a soldier for Doug Campbell and his owners and over his best course and distance, earned another cheque for his owners, his 29^th in 52 starts.

By Andrew Harrison