Punters have another competitive eight race meeting to look forward to at Turffontein Standside tomorrow.

They could get off to a good start with Annie The Great, who caught the eye over 1000m on the Inside track when running on powerfully. Lucky Houdalakis-trained horses improve with a run and she stands out among the raced horses in this 1160m event. Flying Falcon showed good gate speed over 1000m last time and was staying on at the finish. However, the form of that race has proved suspect. Therfore, the Sean Tarry-trained first-timer New Zealand could be the biggest threat. She is by former champion sire Trippi out of the Elliodor mare Zeigler, who has produced the Listed winner Red Disa and the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas runner up Tick Tock. Another well-bred first-timer here is the Mike de Kock-trained Rasheeka. She is by Vodacom Durban July winner Bold Silvano out of the classy Al Mufti mare Gilded Minaret, who won the Grade 1 Golden Slipper, was runner up in both the Cape Fillies Guineas and the Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes and she also won the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet. However, Gilded Minaret’s only runner to date, by Kahal, did not manage a place in a few starts. Furthermore, De Kock’s normal first call rider Callan Murray will be aboard Satin Rock, who made a poor debut and now has his first run for the Brian Wiid yard.

Lucky Houdalakis (Nkosi Hlophe)

The second race, a MR 92 three-year-old Handicap over 1400m, Sir David Baird is by Dynasty and went from last to first on debut over 1200m on the Inside track to win impressively by 2,25 lengths. He is given the vote as he will be receiving 4,5kg from Surcharge and also has a better draw. Surhcarge overcame a tricky low draw on the Vaal Outside track last time over 1400m, but drew away with big strides in the closing stages to win the Novice Handicap off a merit rating of 88. Snow Boarding’s 1400m form has worked out well and he showed his class by winning a good race over 1160m yesterday, so he has to be included too. Christofle was transformed by blinkers last time and Darkest Hour won a weak maiden effortlessly when stepped up to 1400m last time, so this pair are upset material.

The third race, the first leg of the Pick6, sees The Puma stepping up to 1400m and this long-striding son of Mogok looks hard to beat, despite it being his second run after a layoff and gelding. He had traffic problems last time over 1160m, but when seeing daylight finished like a train. The first-timer Visigoth by Visionaire is a full-brother to the Grade 1 Allan Robertson third-placed Visuality and comimg from the Sean Tarry yard, who have an incredible strike rate with first-timers, will be dangerous, although he has a tough draw of eight.

The fourth race is a MR 67 Handicap over 2000m for fillies and mares. Noceur is a good looking sort, but this is her first run out the maidens and her first try at 2000m, so could well be an exploratory run. She could still be in the first three, but the preferences to fight out the win are September Bloom and Gold Medal Girl. The former is a progressive sort who goes for middle distance hattrick and is only three points higher than her last win and the latter loved blinkers last time and won easily over this trip.

The fifth is a tricky fillies and mares handicap over 1160m. An outsider who could surprise is Elusive Strike as the form of her last attempt at a sprint, when beaten 7,55 lengths over 1000m by Effortless Reward, has worked out very well and she has dropped a whopping 16 points in the merit ratings since then. Last Girl Standing is holding form and comfortably holds Melinda’s Garden and Burundi Bush on last week’s race over course and distance. Tamany Hall won a workrider’s maiden impressively over 1200m second time out and could be anything, but an 85 merit rating and topweight is never easy for a young horse first time out the maidens. The Port Elizabeth raider Kungfoofighting goes for a hattrick and can’t be ignored.

The sixth could be won by the topweight Shivering Sea who has a fine record over course and distance. Mohalela and Twelve Oaks both have ability and can improve further. Mrs O might well enjoy the step down in trip and has a featherweight, while Outlander has ability but has had a busy campaign.

The seventh over 1000m is the highest rated race and on Grade 1 Computaform Sprint form there is little between Wrecking Ball and Talktothestars with Rivarine not far behind. However, Wrecking Ball did not campaign in KZN, unlike the other pair, and is given the vote.

The last race is a tricky fillies and mares handicap over 1400m and the ones who make most appeal are Shine Bright, Open Road, Nkolo, Ntoma and Wrap It Up.

By David Thiselton

Kingston Passage, so impressive in three straight sprinting wins earlier in the year, is now back in training.

Brett Crawford (Liesl King

Brett Crawford said: “He has had a long break but is now in work once more although I don’t think he will start before November.”

The Western Winter four-year-old showed so much speed that he was able to burn off the opposition until his last outing in June when, starting hot favourite, he missed the kick and came in only fifth of eight behind 14-1 shot Prince Alfred. A subsequent veterinary examination showed him to be short on his left hind.

Crawford said: “He was OK afterwards and it wasn’t the reason why we decided he should have a rest.”

By Michael Clower

NIKLAAS “Ivan” van Wyk saddled his first winner as a licensed trainer when Ashley de Klerk’s six-year-old gelding Putchini won a MR68 Handicap over 1200m at Scottsville on Sunday in the capable hands of Billy Jacobson.

More than 11 years ago Van Wyk (51), who grew up loving horses, found himself a job as a groom with veteran trainer Chris Erasmus at Turrffontein. He handled top filly Ice Lily and handicappers Bo West and Shakeitupbaby and says: “I learnt most of what I know from Mr Erasmus, who still advises me today and is only a phone call away.”

Putchini (Candiese Marnewick)

Van Wyk, who’d worked himself up to the rank of assistant trainer, moved from Johannesburg to Durban in 2011 when Erasmus was put in charge of a string owned by Koos and Lorraine de Klerk of Yellow Star Stud. With a further six years under his belt, Van Wyk was ready to take over when Erasmus departed recently. Van Wyk commented: “I am thankful and privileged to have this opportunity. I’ve had support from the De Klerk family, fellow trainers and the stipes. I am keen to have more winners and things are improving.

I’ve had a frustrating time with places, but having the first winner under the belt changes everything, it brings confidence.”

Yellow Star Stud was formerly owned by Craig Ramsey, who immigrated to New Zealand in the mid-2000s. “We have excellent tracks here, a sand track of about 1400m with an 800m run-in, and two grass tracks, one has an uphill,” Van Wyk noted. Putchini is probably the best older horse in the stable, but Van Wyk has a few two-year-olds that will run in due course. “We have three nice youngsters by Kildonan, they should come to hand soon and will race as two-year-olds,” he said.

Van Wyk only see his Cape Town family a few times a year, but they are in full support of a man who has given heart and soul to the game and is now in a position to go from strength to strength.

– Turf Talk

Bernard Fayd’Herbe can celebrate his 36^th birthday a day early by winning the first two races at Kenilworth tomorrow.

Both Henry Tudor and Bid Before Sunset have losses to recover after starting favourite and finding one too good for them earlier in the month. Indeed it’s a little surprising to see Justin Snaith turning them out again so quickly.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe (Liesl King)

“Fitness,” he replies when quizzed about this. “I want them both to win a maiden and then I can rest them. They are fit and I think they will both be hard to beat.”

Henry Tudor has finished second in all his last three starts but he looked genuine enough ten days ago when the form – dividing Victorious Captain and Photocopy – looked solid. The gelding was yesterday installed 2-1 favourite by World Sports Betting which has Southern Sun the danger at 3-1 after his cracking debut in June.

Ridden by an apprentice, he started at 100-1 and beat all except White River in a big field that included (an admittedly unlucky) Cot Campbell. “He surprised me that day,” recalls Dean Kannemeyer who adds that some of his runners may need the outing after their vaccinations.

Bid Before Sunset was a little disappointing last time considering how promisingly she had run on debut and, although ridden to lead just over 50m from home, she hadn’t shown the pace that many punters expected.

But she is a warm favourite at 12-10 and the early market suggests that Capaill (6-1) is the main threat. However Kannemeyer’s Royal Frost (9-1) is expected to run well – “She ran a nice race last time and she will continue to improve,” says her trainer.

One word of warning, though. Neither of the Snaith hotpots is well drawn – Henry Tudor is eight out of ten and the filly ten out of 15. The penetrometer readings last Saturday showed that those racing on the inside (ie drawn low) had a 5% advantage over those in the middle and a 6% advantage had any jockey been foolish enough to try to come up the stands side.

Fayd’Herbe has a few other good rides and just possibly the draw may swing it for him in race three. Courtisan is favourite at 33-10 after a better first run that Spam Alert but Richard Fourie’s mount will start from pen 15 whereas Spam Alert (9-2) is drawn two.

Whatever his fortunes here, though, Fourie can win the Betting World Maiden on Counting Stars who looks value at 5-1. He was only just behind last Saturday’s easy winner Rommel in a big field last month and has a reasonable draw. Orakal is 18-10 favourite and is the obvious danger.

Our old friend Power Grid is drawn ten out of 14 in race seven but last week’s rain will help and he looks worth a few rand each way at 7-1.

By Michael Clower

Direct exports from South Africa to the European Union could well be back on track as early as December next year or January 2019, according to Adrian Todd, a spokesman from our horseracing industry’s Import-Export Task Team.

Todd was speaking at a recent workshop attended by the most important decision-makers in the South African horseracing industry and was upbeat about the recent progress made by the team chaired by prominent owner and businessman Chris van Niekerk.

“We have been working diligently to fix the issues raised in a 2013 audit by the EU, getting expert advice domestically and internationally, and have verified we are on the right path,” said Todd. “There remains work to be done before the official EU audit in the middle of next year, but we know we’ve made real strides in our record keeping, communication and movement control. We are on path to meet or exceed our commitments to upgrade where necessary.”

Exports of South African horses have historically taken months because of a equine disease endemic to Africa called African Horse Sickness (AHS). Just like malaria is transferred through a mosquito bite, AHS is transferred by a bite from the Culicoides Midge.

All horses north of Cape Town have to be inoculated against AHS but cases have occurred in the AHS-control zones in the Western Cape. It has now been proven that the cases in the controlled areas were vaccine related and new controls regarding the timing of vaccinations are believed to have solved this risk.

There was an enormous breakthrough last year, though, when Prof Alan Guthrie and his colleagues at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Veterinary Science’s Equine Research Centre announced they had developed a diagnostic test, known as a RT-PCR Test (polymerase chain reaction used in molecular biology to amplify a single copy or a few copies of a segment of DNA). The test can determine with absolute certainty a horse’s AHS status within four hours. It previously took a minimum of two weeks to obtain a diagnosis.

The test was officially validated by the OIE last year and since then Van Niekerk, Todd and his team have been working diligently to get the protocols governing exports from South Africa changed.

“The progress we have made shows how far we can go if we work together towards a clear and concise target,” said Todd. “It became evident when the task team was first formed that there were no clear roles and responsibilities assigned. We did not present a united front to the rest of the world. So we put a national plan together with clear actions and responsibilities and we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Horses will still have to stand in a vector-protected (insect-free) quarantine facility, and work is in progress to ultimately reduce the number of days.

In the past SA horses going overseas have had to spend a certain amount of time in quarantine in South Africa, Mauritius and a European country, a journey that took nearly five months.

“Obviously getting exports right will not be a silver bullet for the SA horseracing industry, but our science is solid and has been accepted. We are confident about our position and we’ve got a path to follow. We know exactly where we need to go.

“We working towards a resumption of trade after the official audit next year and expect to be allowed to send horses directly abroad by December 2018-January 2019.”

– tabnews.co.za