New Predator did not have much luck during Champions Season although he did turn in some smart performances including a close-up fourth in the Drill Hall Stakes behind Marinaresco and third in the Mercury Sprint to Bull Valley.

He has not been out since early July and no doubt Johan Janse van Vuuren will be warming him up for the Highveld spring when he makes his debut this term in the Gr3 Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m at Turffontein tomorrow where the Spring Challenge and Spring F&M Challenge herald the start of the Highveld season.

New Predator

New Predator is back over what is arguably his best trip and is no doubt warming up for bigger things but so are most of the opposition with only Will Pays and Finchtatton of the nine runners having raced recently.

With the spring rains having finally arrived on the Highveld – the Vaal was abandoned on Thursday – the going is more than likely going to be on the soft side but two of New Predator’s best recent efforts have come in the soft with a win followed by a close-up second in the Hawaii Stakes to Rafeef. Regular pilot Gavin Lerena stays aboard.

Runners from the Sean Tarry yard are at their most dangerous come feature race days and he saddles a trio of which Matador Man could prove the pick. S’Manga Khumalo’s mount is usually a tardy starter that often costs him dearly but he is top class when he puts it together.

He rounded off last season with third behind Sail South in the Gr1 Champions Cup over 1800m but the majority of his racing has been over shorter. He turned in a cracking performance in the KZN Breeders beating the smart filly Dawn Calling and a repeat of that showing will see him in the firing line.

The three-year-olds Wonder Wall and Mujallad look lively prospects for the Highveld classics and just how they go here will be watched with keen interest. Wonderwall has not been out since finishing third behind Mustaaqeem in the SA Nursery but has yet to finish out of the money in four outings. He looks mighty promising as does Mike de Kock’s runner Mujallad.

Will Pays

He has not been out since July when a close-up eighth behind Eyes Wide Open in the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes after threatening until the final 100m. Although not well in at the weights he does only have 51kg to shoulder so he cannot be written off lightly.

Janse van Vuuren and Lerena have a chance of a feature double with She’s A giver in the F&M Challenge. The grey only had a single outing during Champions Season where she found fellow grey Bela-Bela too strong in the Gr1 Garden Province.

But it will not be easy tomorrow. Secret Star is in cracking good form for Stuart Pettigrew, a filly that Piere Strydom knows well having ridden her in all but one of her recent starts. She does step up in trip tomorrow but finishes her races off well so the extra furlong and a tricky draw are unlikely to be a factor.

Shatoosh and She’s A Dragon look pick of the older runners while Rockin Russian was up with the best of last season’s juvenile crop and how she fares here could give some indication as to where they stand in the current pecking order.

By Andrew Harrison

She bloomed in technicolour at Chantilly and John Gosden believes racing would be the winner if Enable gets the chance to wow racegoers all over again in 2018.

A decision on whether the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine will return to training at four is expected to be made by owner Khalid Abdullah within the next ten days.

But Enable would be welcomed back with open arms by Gosden, who would love to help write another chapter in the story of the wonderfilly, which began in earnest with her racecourse debut just ten months ago.

Enable (Liesl King)

The trainer was at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Tuesday trying to find stars of the future to add to the superstar he has at home in Enable, who on Sunday made it five Group 1 wins in a row with her sublime performance at Chantilly.

Boasting a CV bulging with big-race wins, the daughter of Nathaniel will be a hot commodity when she does make it to the breeding sheds, but when exactly that will happen is still open to discussion.

“She’s done everything we could have dreamed of,” Gosden said. “We’ll see how she is over the next ten days and talk to Prince Khalid, who will make a decision.

“She’s only really had ten months of racing and it would be wonderful if she could run next season as she would be bit of a crowd-puller.”

Gosden watched the race in splendid isolation from what was already his favourite grandstand at Chantilly and, reflecting on the afternoon, he said: “It was very moving. There was an awful lot of pressure and a lot was expected.”

That pressure melted away as Dettori helped deliver the seventh victory of Enable’s eight-race career and the trainer now has the pleasant problem of whether she, like 2015 Arc winner Golden Horn, will have a statue on the lawn at the yard to commemorate her achievement.

He added: “She’s a very kind filly with a lovely, sweet nature, but when she gets her tack on she’s very assertive. She was expressing herself and it was great for her and for Prince Khalid.”

Having been visited on Monday by big-race partner Frankie Dettori, Enable has settled back into life at Clarehaven Stables in Newmarket, and Gosden said: “She’s in great form. She got back in very good order and had a trot and pick of grass this morning. She’s got a little cut on a hind leg from the race but is fine.”

Gosden secured several lots for Godolphin at the sales on Tuesday, with Sheikh Mohammed’s operation ending their self-imposed ban on purchasing progeny from fellow superpower Coolmore earlier in the sales season.

That pattern continued with Godolphin purchasing another son of Galileo and, commenting on the thawing of relations between the two giants of the sport, Gosden said: “The past is the past.”

– racingpost.com

The Racing Association has announced the South African Jockeys team for this year’s Air Mauritius International Jockeys’ Challenge on Sunday, November 19, and a change in the format of the contest.

The honour of captaining the team goes to reigning champion jockey Anthony Delpech, who will lead Gavin Lerena, Greg Cheyne, Anton Marcus, S’manga Khumalo and Craig Zackey.

Anthony Delpech

Unlike the last few years, this time the Challenge will comprise just the one meeting but will take place over six races, rather than four as has been the case previously. “Gavin Lerena came up with the suggestion that instead of spending the weekend running around the country, we have just one meeting but up the number of races,” explained Racing Association Chief Executive Larry Wainstein.

At this stage the international team has not yet been finalised but discussions are well on their way with UK Champion jockey Jim Crowley, Frenchman Gérald Mossé, Irishman Pat Smullen and Australian Corey Brown.

“A lot will depend on whether they will be riding at the Breeders’ Cup meeting in the US. Once we know what is happening with them we will be able to finalise the arrangements and the team,” said Wainstein.

The international team will gather in Mauritius from the Monday prior to the event and will then be flown to Jo’burg on Thursday 16 November by Air Mauritius. The next day they will be available for interviews for both print and television media. The jockeys will have a day off on Saturday when they can relax and acclimatise and on Sunday they will be fired up to do battle.

– Turf Talk

Whisky Baron will run in the Challenge Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket on Friday week and, if all goes well in that, the Sun Met winner will go in pursuit of the huge money on offer at the Longines International meeting at Sha Tin in Hong Kong on 10 December.

Brett Crawford said yesterday: “The nominations for Hong Kong close on the 23rd of this month. We will nominate Whisky Baron and see what happens but as of now it is more about making sure that he is ready for the race.”

Whisky Baron gallop – Liesl King

The two possible races at Sha Tin are the 2 000m Longines Hong Kong Cup worth HK$ 25 million (R43 million) and the Hong Kong Mile which is almost as valuable.

Crawford continued: “Greg Cheyne flies over again for the Challenge Stakes. We very happy with the horse’s run in the Shadwell Joel Stakes. The ground was very soft [by South African standards] which was unfortunate but he was still the last horse to come off the bit and then he got squeezed.”

Cheyne added: “Being beaten 14 lengths might not sound too good but anyone watching the race would have seen it was a fine run. The track was against him and 500m out, which is where things start to happen at Newmarket, he took me into the race.

“Just under a furlong out the pacemaker rolled on top of me. My horse then got a second bump. He was leg-weary by this stage and it took him clean out of the race. He would never have beaten the winner who is something special– when I was still travelling well he quickened away from me – but all things being equal he could have run fourth.”

Gold Challenge winner Captain America, who started last season by winning the Matchem, will begin much later this term. “He will have his first run in the Green Point unless I can find a suitable prep beforehand,” said Crawford.

The popular Jockeys Chase will have a new look on Saturday with the participants paired off into teams of two, each member running 100m before handing over a baton to his partner for the second 100m. The jockeys make no secret about the new formula being introduced to thwart Aldo Domeyer who has been a runaway winner in each of the last four years. The weighing room’s answer to Usain Bolt has been paired with Corne Orffer who admits to being one of the slowest things on two legs.

Organiser MJ Byleveld said: “We thought it would be more fun if we turned the Chase it into a handicap and so we have teamed up the fastest jockeys with the slowest – Aldo is not happy!”

By Michael Clower

The Australian-bred Hard Ball is long overdue a victory and that could change at the Vaal tomorrow when he lines up in the card opener over 1400m. Johan Janse van Vuuren’s gelding has finished runner-up at his last two and blinkers do appear to have improved his focus, having only been run out of it late in those races. Gavin Lerena has stuck with the ride he can get punters off to a winning start.

Gavin Lerena

However, after giving many of his runners a break at the end of last season, Sean Tarry is starting to roll them out again and if Hard Ball runs into a straight bat it could be in the form of the Tarry-trained Cyrus. He raced green in his debut sprint and will surely prefer this trip with Lyle Hewitson booked for the ride.

Hewitson partners the Mike and Adam Azzie runner Vanuatu in the second who will hopefully make marked improvement on his disappointing second start. He was a promising second on debut but pulled up lame when down the field behind Boatswain. The Azzie’s will fit blinkers and a tongue-tie tomorrow which will hopefully see him run an improved race. Also behind Boatswain was Sweet Trail who is definitely better than that last effort after a close-up second at his penultimate start. Lerena rides for the third time which is always a good sign.

Candice Dawson is fast making a name for herself in her own right as a trainer and saddles Western Shamrock in the opening leg of the Pick 6. The daughter of Philanthropist was well fancied on debut but was possibly just short of a run, fading late behind Sweet Juliet. She is sure to improve on that run and most of the opposition are well exposed.

Although taking a big rise in trip, Mutawaary is likely to start among the fancied runners for the Supabets Maiden. Mike de Kock kept the Aussie bred to sprints where he showed signs of getting off the mark before a well below par effort in a handicap sprint last time out. His pedigree suggests that the step up in trip will be well within his compass.

The Azzie’s send out fellow Australian-bred Sess who disappointed badly when favourite last time out after a smart showing at his previous start. It was obviously a performance well below what was expected and he does have the benefit of having been tried over ground.

The Interbet.co.za Handicap heads the card and it looks a bit of an open affair. Banner Hill, who acquitted himself well during Champions Season, has his first outing for Geoff Woodruff, no doubt in preparation for the Highveld spring season where there are some lucrative opportunities for staying horses. He has a big weight but could race fresh over this trip and Piere Strydom will get the best out of him.

Kilrain has come back well since a break and starting for his new stable, winning well over the Turffontein 1600m. With fitness on his side he could prove the better option as opposed to Banner Hill.

Stonehenge and Bankable Teddy met last time out with Bankable Teddy coming out on top. He is now 2kg worse off with the runner-up so there is not likely to be much between the two.

By Andrew Harrison