Being parochial can prove a costly exercise when it comes to horse racing. On the other hand, it could also prove profitable and Ashburton-based Duncan Howells has seen fit to send a raiding party to the Vaal for tomorrow’s Grand Heritage raceday, including last season’s Gr2 Daisy Guineas runner-up Secret Captain.

Howells has long had this race in mind for the grey who wrapped up his preparation with a good piece of work on Tuesday morning. “It may be that he’s not good enough,” commented Howells, “but he will definitely be fit.”

Secret Captain

The gelding has been something of an enigma, having flattered to deceive on many an occasion, leaving Howells in a quandary as to his optimum trip. He was a surprise winner on debut in a performance that stamped him as a horse with a future but he has since been up and down the scale without further success although he has turned in some smart performances, including runner-up in the Daisy Guineas.

After a particularly lack lustre effort in the Thukela Handicap towards the back end of last season, the vet was called in and Secret Captain made his seasonal debut as a gelding. It was a smart effort behind top sprinter London Call and with a handy galloping weight and a run under his girth, Secret Captain does look good enough to make his mark tomorrow.

One can never under estimate runners from the Mike de Kock and Sean Tarry yards on occasions such as this and both are likely to fancy their chances.

Elevated had some excellent early Cape form for the trainer combination of Carl Burger and Riaan van Reenen before being found out a little when up against the best of his generation during the Cape summer into the Winter Series. Sent to the Highveld, Elevated made a winning debut for his new stable and looks ideally suited to tomorrow’s event.

Tarry inevitably has a host of runners but of his five runners, Count Tassilo with S’Manga Khumalo aboard, could be the stable elect. The five-year-old has hardly missed a beat in his career, having earned in 16 of his 18 starts including victories over course and distance. He caught the eye at his seasonal debut when jumping from the widest draw in a Pinnacle Stakes event on the Turffontein inside track in one of his rare misses. He should be all the better for that outing an is sure to be among the fancied runners.

Geoff Woodruff saddles a trio of runners, all three of which are in with a shout. Zouaves is lightly raced but has yet to miss out in five career starts and looks ideally course and distance suited with a light weight to boot. Also among the bottom weights is Starrett City who has his third run after a break and was not far back to Tommy Waterdevill over the Turffontein mile last time out. He has done most of his racing over further but also looks primed for a crack at the lucrative first prize.

With 28 runners in the line-up it will be every man for himself come the final 200m but Secret Captain gets a tentative vote ahead of Elevated and Count Tassilo.

By Andrew Harrison

Dutch Philip produced an explosive burst of speed to go from last to third inside the final 200m of his reappearance in the Supabets Handicap at Durbanville yesterday. The Choice Carriers Cape Classic on 28 October now beckons.

But Candice Bass-Robinson went home convinced that Aldo Domeyer’s mount should have won and explained: “He got taken out at the start. He would have won on the line otherwise.”

Aldo Domeyer (Liesl King)

Whichever way you look at it, though, this was a good performance considering he had been off for four months, the handicapper had taken no chances with his 102 merit rating and the distance was well short of his best. Percival, who made all under Bernard Fayd’Herbe, gave Andre Nel his third winner of the afternoon.

Anton Marcus is a surprise booking for Goodtime Gal in the WSB Diana Stakes at Durbanville on Saturday week.

Mike Robinson, who had expected the four-time champion to be on Cape Fillies Guineas winner Just Sensual, said yesterday: “Bernard Fayd’Herbe couldn’t ride mine because he is riding for the Snaiths. Anton rang me for the mount and he confirmed it with me on Tuesday. Naturally, I am delighted.”

Joey Ramsden reported that Just Sensual will miss the race although not because of her wide draw. Marcus will ride the stable’s Cape Classic winner Table Bay in the Matchem on the same card.

Goodtime Gal is a 10-1 chance with the sponsors but that price is not going to last long now. Indeed there is likely to be a wholesale shake-up in the market this morning. The sponsors have had Just Sensual on 5-2 with Gimme Six favourite at 18-10. Justin Snaith says she “is doing well.”

World Sports Betting have installed Sun Met fourth Gold Standard as 12-10 favourite for the Matchem and go 3-1 Table Bay, 6-1 Copper Force, 8-1 Nebula, 16-1 Always In Charge, 20-1 and upwards others.

Gavin Lerena, despite being given a seven-day suspension on Tuesday (for failing to ride fourth-placed Ilha Da Var to the line at Turffontein on the 19th)   is 12-10 favourite to regain his title.

Prior to yesterday’s racing he had a lead of four over 9-1 chance Callan Murray and Domeyer (28-1). The last-named is in blistering form in the Western Cape – he won three of the first five yesterday – but WSB reckons the dangers are going to come from dual champion S’Manga Khumalo and three-time title holder Anthony Delpech. Both are 9-2 chances.

The expansionist firm has also opened a book on the Sansui Summer Cup and the Sean Tarry-trained KZN Breeders Million Mile winner Matador Man heads the market for the November 25 Turffontein Grade 1 at 10-1. Second favourite at 12-1 is the Empress Club winner Nother Russia trained by Mike de Kock who also has charge of 16-1 chance Elevated.

Geoff Woodruff has farmed this big handicap, winning it in each of the last four years and six times in all. His Pagoda is 15-1 third favourite and stable companion Master Switch is a 16-1 chance. Master Sabina is quoted at 18-1 to win the race for an unprecedented third time but is now registered with Joey Soma who was successful with Wagner five years ago. Triple Crown winner Abashiri is a 16-1 chance.

Eight have been left in against Whisky Baron in tomorrow’s Shadwell Joel Stakes at Newmarket. The Andrew Balding-trained Beat The Bank is 5-2 favourite but the British bookmakers, mindful of the Sun Met winner’s 244-day absence, have pushed out the Brett Crawford-trained gelding from 12-1 to 14-1. The going remains good-to-firm.

By Michael Clower

Whisky Baron is a 12-1 chance with most British bookmakers for his UK debut in the Shadwell Joel Stakes at Newmarket on Friday. Favourite for the mile Group Two at 5-2 is the Andrew Balding-trained three-year-old Beat The Bank (Oisin Murphy) who has won four of his last five.

Whisky Baron (Liesl King)

The all-conquering Aidan O’Brien has six of the 15 still in the race but the situation will become clearer, and smaller, after this morning’s declaration stage.

The Sun Met winner has no official British rating but he is on a mark of 122 with the Racing Post and this puts him 4lb below the best in the race – Beat The Bank and Zonderland who is trained by Clive Cox and will be ridden by Adam Kirby.

Whisky Baron will have to contend with the famous dip as well as a daunting straight mile for the first time but a bigger imponderable could be the going. When Greg Cheyne rode Whisky Baron in a gallop at Newmarket nine days ago he reported that the horse could not quicken in the soft ground.

However there was good news on that front yesterday as the official going description was changed from good to good-to-firm although there are showers forecast. British good to firm is roughly the equivalent of good ground here.

By Michael Clower

The imminent introduction of barrier trials in KwaZulu-Natal is a welcome move towards greater transparency in South African racing which for some time has not enjoyed the full trust of the racing public and, together with the dissatisfaction with the merit rated handicap system, left all but the die-hards of the sport disheartened to the extent of calling it quits.

Top marks to Paul Lafferty in spearheading the drive to introduce barrier trials which will be introduced by Gold Circle early in November under the supervision of the National Horseracing Authority and will be applicable to all unraced horses and horses that have been off the track for an extended period.

It is a good step in the right direction. However, a lot is going to depend on how the information from the trials will be disseminated relevant to a horse’s appearance in a race thereafter in a way that it can be equated to that race and the opposition it faces.

For the first-timers it will be an important factor and could do away with the ridiculous on-course trainer comments such as “he’s a nice sort” which tells one nothing and “he’ll need the run” which, according to my “oldish” rule book, is tantamount to admitting that he or she is breaking the rules.

Rule 62.1 reads: “Every horse shall be run and shall be allowed to run to the best of its ability and on its merits.” To me that means it should be presented to race in a racing fit condition and be given every chance to perform to the best of its ability.

It is comments such as these that upset racing supporters and it is no consolation to punters on other occasions, when a trainer steps up after winning a race and quite brazenly states “he needed the run last time” – an admission that he or she had presented the horse in an unfit condition for punters to bet on believing that, on its form and exposed ability, it had a winning chance when in fact it was effectively not even trying.

The barrier trials will only be worth the time and effort put into running them if the “fitness” factor is enforced. They will be of little value if treated merely as “educational” runs and while pushing a runner out with hands and heels or even with the encouragement of a tap on the rear end may be impressive, it will not enable the animal to do better than its current fitness level will allow.

It requires more stringent implementation of the racing rules and they should encompass all levels of racing. That would eliminate the situation where an odds on favourite with the ability and form to win as it likes, struggles home out of the money and the trainer comments that it needed the run and that everyone knew it was a prep run for another race.

Punters have got to have the confidence that the horse they are backing will give them an honest run for their money and if beaten, it was a better horse that beat them. The industry cannot afford to turn the people that keep the sport alive against it, particularly as there are many avenues these days for the gamblers to satisfy their craving.

The National Horseracing Authority is currently undergoing a re-organisational programme if reports I have seen are correct and one can only hope that the policing side of their duties can be more vigorously addressed in a way that will give everyone in the sport, and most importantly the punter, greater trust and confidence in the sport and the beautiful creatures so many of us love.

By Richard McMillan

African Night Sky is a surprise omission from the 16 nominations for the historic Matchem Stakes at Durbanville on Saturday week.

Snaith Racing, successful with Changingoftheguard five years ago, said earlier in the month that the Winter Series winner would begin his four-year-old campaign in the 1 400m Grade 3 but they have had second thoughts.

African Night Sky (Liesl King)

Justin Snaith explained: “The horse is fine but the Matchem comes too soon and I have been caught out year after year by running my good horses in it.”

Snaith, whose only entry is the wide-drawn Copper Force, has the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met as the targets for African Night Sky but he has yet to decide where the horse will start off.

Joey Ramsden has won two of the last six runnings with the high class Variety Club and Act Of War and his two entries include last year’s Cape Classic scorer Table Bay. The highest-rated entry is Cape Guineas runner-up and Met fourth Gold Standard.

Cape Fillies Guineas winner and Equus champion Just Sensual heads the 17 entries for the Diana Stakes on the same card but Andre Nel is undecided about last year’s winner Captain’s Flame, explaining: “She has had a bit of a setback and she wasn’t that well a week ago.”

By Michael Clower