Tellytrack television presenter Deez Dayanand was a popular choice as Personality of the Year at the recent KZN Racing awards. He is also an astute reader of form, chief beneficiary being champion jockey Antony Delpech for whom Dayanand acts as agent.

It helps that Delpech is at the top of the tree as far as jockeys go so when Dayanand telephones for the ride there is hardly an argument on the trainer’s part. But first he has to pick the right mount and he looks to have done that in the opener at Scottsville today where Delpech partners Paul Lafferty’s charge Coys.

Anthony Delpech

The Australian-bred has improved with every outing and caught the eye with a terrific finish over the Greyville mile from a coffin draw last time out. He hasn’t drawn much better today with only one on his outside, but it is a lot easier at Scottsville and draw aside, Coys ticks all the right boxes.

Gary Rich saddled his first winner of the new season at Scottsville on Sunday with Connect Me shedding her maiden at her second attempt. Naked Truth is at the other end of the scale, having his 18^th start without much luck. He lines up in the second but has shown improved form at recent starts, running on nicely behind the highly rated Brighteyebushytail last time out.

Naked Truth was given a good workout last Friday to Rich’s satisfaction. “That was good work. I think he has a big chance. My only concern is that this may be a bit sharp for him.”

Ashburton-based trainers won four of the eight races on Sunday and Paul Gadsby’s runner Majestic Moon could prove a threat although his recent improvement has come on the Greyville poly.

With big fields and open handicaps the order of the day punters will need to knuckle down to some serious homework. Fashion Quest has been confined to sprints at recent starts but Michael Miller stretches her back to a mile in the Qualified Maiden and booked Anton Marcus for the mount. She has shown consistent pace in all of her starts and now a year older looks to be crying out for the extra ground. African Honey has her third outing after a break and could prove better than her form suggests and looks a threat along with French Toast and Kailua Beach.

In Clover is an Australian-bred daughter of the re-patriated Delago Deluxe who was trained by Charles Laird and also raced in the Mayfair Speculator silks. In Clover was well supported on debut, winning comfortably on the Greyville poly but she takes on stronger in the Soccer 13 Handicap where top weight Leisure Trip can record his first win in KZN. He has been confined to the poly track but takes a hefty drop in class and Serino Moodley, currently lying joint second on the leading apprentice log, gives 2.5kg relief.

Ku Du Tu

Duncan Howells and Dave MacLean are a formidable combination, recording a double at Scottsville on Sunday, and Girl In Gold could add another in the Track & Ball Gaming Handicap. She only shed her maiden last time out but takes on a weak handicap field and looks good enough to defy joint top weight. Two that could threaten, although a little compromised by tricky draws, are Light House Lady and Captains Moll, the latter dropping in the ratings and with Delpech aboard.

Doug Campbell is another who had a winner on Sunday and is always a stable to keep tabs on at this time of the year. He saddles Eden Garden Blitz in the White Horse Function Room Handicap. She makes her seasonal debut after showing good form in useful company over Champions Season. With Marcus aboard she can snap a two-race winning streak by Magic Memory who got a six-point handicap rise after her last win.

The lightly raced Ku Du Tu won well at second time of asking and Garth Puller’s gelding should have more to come in the Jackpot Quickmix Handicap. Selvan’s Jet has been racing over further and confined to the poly track at recent starts but has won five races and was a close-up second from a tricky draw last time out. He will be a threat along with Valcar who has yet to finish out of the money but has been off for close on three months.

The last is something of a minefield but the adage, “when in doubt, back the top weight’ could hold true here with Roy’s Taxi in consistent form and has Delpech to help him along.

By Andrew Harrison

Despite a week of mixed weather including torrential downpours, the final day of Baden Racing’s Grosse Woche Festival dawned bright and sunny with the going surprisingly reported as good.

While the highlight on the final day is the Group 1 Longines Grosser Preis von Baden, the card also features a Listed race and a Group 3 sponsored by Steinhoff International N.V.

The €55,000 Group 3 Steinhoff Zukunftsrennen (1 400m) for two-year olds drew a field of nine, including the British raider Starlight Mystery trained by Mark Johnston.

Guignol (Liesl King)

Julio, a son of Exceed and Excel, who recently won a Sales race in Cologne, started as clear favourite.

Gestüt Röttgen however, has been on a roll since Windstoss won the 2017 Group 1 Germany Derby and hence it came as no surprise to see their colours carried to victory by Narella, a homebred filly by Reliable Man, who stormed to an emphatic victory under Adrie de Vries.

Auenperle, with Nicholas Guilbert in the saddle, finished in second two lengths back with Julio, under a driving ride by Stephen Hellyn, having to settle for third a further four lengths back.

Klug was understandably delighted with the victory.

“She is the best two–year-old in my stable. I will now aim her at the  (Group 3) Winterkonigin.

“Adrie (de Vries) left her alone in the beginning until she found her rhythm and then in the home straight she just flew.”

De Vries was equally impressed with the young filly.

“When I pressed the button, she really kicked.

“She went so fast I thought I might have gone too soon, but she kept going and finished off strongly.”

The feature race, the €250,000 G1 Longines Grosser Preis von Baden over 2 400m also went the way of a homebred, when Stall Ullman’s five-year-old entire Guignol, trained by Jean-Pierre Carvalho, led from start to finish under Filip Minarik to win by 2.5 lengths.

Last year’s winner Iquitos chased hard, but could make no inroads into Guignol’s commanding lead and the newly crowned Horse of the Year had to settle for second with Colomano (GB) a short head back in third.

By Liesl King

MJ Byleveld will resume at Kenilworth on Saturday little more than seven weeks after his horror fall on the Greyville polytrack.

He said yesterday: “They had to operate and put a plate in my broken thumb but I am now 100% again. I am just taking the one ride (Red Eight in the Tabonline Maiden) to begin with.”

MJ Byleveld

Byleveld, riding Fonteyn for Yogas Govender in a 2 000m fillies maiden on 19 July, was involved in a three horse pile-up. When Honeymoon Cove clipped heels 700m out, she fell like a stone and Byleveld’s mount galloped straight into her, firing her rider into the ground with the force of a pile-driver – “and, believe me, the poly is not soft,” said the jockey.

Anton Marcus flies in for six good rides: Rommel, Eastern Front, Ice Queen and True Words for Joey Ramsden, Leadman (Brett Crawford) and Querari’s Secret (Vaughan Marshall).

Fake News, formerly President Trump, makes his long-awaited debut for Justin Snaith in the first, a 1 200m maiden. Bernard Fayd’Herbe rides but apparently the stable is not expecting fireworks.

However Snaith Racing is expecting a lot from Winter Series winner African Night Sky and reports that the four-year-old will have his first race of the season in the Matchem Stakes at Durbanville on 7 October. The L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and Sun Met are the targets.

Racecourse general manager Dean Diedricks yesterday confirmed that the Durbanville seven meeting campaign will go ahead as planned, starting on 23 September. There were rumours floating around at Kenilworth last Saturday that there had been second thoughts. Not so, said Diedricks.

Bookmaker Bertie Dobbie and his brother Melvyn, due to cease on-course operations after last Wednesday’s meeting, have been granted a reprieve and were happy to accept an invitation to carry on for a limited period.

By Michael Clower

Glen Kotzen’s top class colt Gold Standard is in full work and will be a leading contender for the two Principal Grade 1 events of the Cape Summer Of Champions Season, the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met.

Kotzen will also have a strong team for the three-year-old classics led by his Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes winner Eyes Wide Open.

Gold Standard (Liesl King)

Gold Standard “went wrong” after his excellent fourth place finish in an ultra strong Sun Met at the end of January and a decision was made to avoid the SA Champions Season in KZN.

Kotzen said the couple of months holiday had done the strapping Trippi colt a “world of good”.

He will now take the traditional Cape Summer route for a top older horse of the WSB Green Point Stakes, the Queen’s Plate and the Met.

However, he might have a preparation outing before the Green Point.

Kotzen said, “He is in a good place, he’s cruising, and is twice the horse he was as a three-year-old.”

It was a surprise to many when last season’s Grand Parade Cape Guineas winner William Longsword was not named the Equus Champion Three-year-old Male and he and Gold Standard looked to be a class apart in the latter race both in looks and performance. Gold Standard had earlier beaten William Longsword when winning the Grade 2 Selangor Cup and his record against the Equus Three-Year-Old Male Champion, Edict Of Nantes, was two-nil. He then proved his class in the Met, finishing 1,25 lengths ahead of Marinaresco on 2kg better terms than weight for age, whereas Marinaresco beat Edict Of Nantes in the Vodacom Durban July, despite the latter being 4kg better off than weight for age with him. The Equus Awards now appear to be based chiefly on Grade 1 victories, presumably to avoid controversy, but this measure has arguably made it more controversial as Gold Standard was not even among the nominees in the Three-year-old Male category.

Eyes Wide Open, a Dynasty colt, runs in the same colours as Gold Standard, being owned outright by Hugo and Suzanne Hattingh’s Chrigor Stud, who part-own Gold Standard together with Drakenstein Stud.

Eyes Wide Open won the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes in impressive style on Gold Cup day. He was subsequently given a three week break and given his African Horse Sickness vaccinations.

Kotzen said, “He is out of the top drawer and is a serious contender for the three-year-old classics.” His chief targets are the Cape Guineas and the Investec Cape Derby. He will also likely defend the yard’s crown in the Selangor Cup before those two races.

Eyes Wide Open (Candiese Marnewick)

Kotzen also views two of his other colts as classic contenders, Opera Royal and Pack Leader.

Opera Royal by Oratorio won his maiden in his third start by 3,5 lengths over 1400m on the Greyville poly. He followed up by finishing a narrow second to the promising Roy Had Enough in a Juvenile Plate over 1900m on the Greyville turf. The form of the latter race has not worked out too well to date, but Opera Royal looks to have plenty of scope for improvement. Kotzen said, “He is a really smart colt and I think once he matures we will hear a lot about him.” The connections believe he might have got going too late in that 1900m event because with the blinkers on he had not seen the other horse on the inside rail. The blinkers were put on for the previous 1400m race, as it was considered too sharp for him, and they were kept on after he had won that race easily. However, they might now be removed. Kotzen views Opera Royal as a Cape Derby horse.

Pack Leader, a Philanthropist colt, was unlucky in the Premier’s Champion Stakes, where he finished a 1,45 length seventh. Kotzen said, “Craig Zackey had to check him and he reckoned he would otherwise have won the race. The Philanthropists get better as they get older and I believe he will mature into a beautiful three-year-old. He is a Guineas and Derby contender.”

Kotzen’s leading three-year-old filly is the Grade 3 The Debutante winner Princess Peach, by Captain Al. He said on paper she should stay a mile, but she had enjoyed reverting to 1200m in the Debutante, so the Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas might not be part of her program.

However, he has another filly, Too Phat Too Fly by Bezrin, whom he rates as a Guineas contender. She finished second in two Listed events in Cape Town, over 1200m and 1500m respectively, before travelling to Durban to run in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m at Greyville on Gold Cup day. She finished a 3,85 length sixth, but Kotzen said, “I thought it was an incredible run. It was her first time going clockwise, and she came from stone last and made up a lot of ground. Richard (Fourie) was impressed and said she would be his preferred Fillies Guineas horse.”

By David Thiselton

Turffontein Standside is one of fairest tracks in the country and punters will be looking forward to the eight race meeting tomorrow.

The Pick 6, Jackpot and PA look attainable.

In the first leg of the PA, a MR 89 handicap over 1600m, Shukamisa looks to be a banker. He stayed on well over 1400m last time and being by Silvano should be coming into his own and should relish the step up in trip. If Elevated lines up he could be a threat. It would have taken a good horse to finish fourth in this year’s Grade 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas, as he did, as the form of that race has proved strong. He proved his class on Saturday in his first run for the Mike de Kock yard when winning hands and heels over this trip on the Inside track. Some will say the second run after a layoff theory means little unless it comes too soon after a hard comeback effort. On the one hand this run does come just three days after the comeback, but on the other he was not hard ridden to win.

Hunting Owl

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1600m, two up and coming sorts, Walter Smoothie and Stay With Me should relish the course and distance. The former has a nice big stride and this rangy sort caught the eye running on over 1400m on debut. Stay With Me is also a scopey sort and he ran out of straight over 1400m last time, despite having been caught wide in the running.  He will be a big runner here, especially if getting better luck in the running from another tricky draw. The more experienced Dancing Rebel can be included for the risk averse. He over raced a touch last time over this trip on the Inside track but still stayed on well for third. If he settles better from a similar draw he will be right there, although this is his 38^th run in the maidens.

The next race is an uninspiring maiden for fillies over 1600m and looks to be a two horse race between Serendipity and Candy Kisses, although Sussex is a lurker who could upset. The form of both Serendipity and Candy Kisses speaks for itself. Sussex would likely prefer further, but his improved run over 1800m last time makes him a danger over just 200m shorter on the same galloping track.

Race five, a fillies and mares handicap over 1160m, is a potential stumbling block. Melinda’s Garden might be all the rage, but history will show that young three-year-olds merit rated above 80 are often outgunned in their first meeting with older horses, even if they later prove to be better than that rating. Her 82 merit rating is thus a concern, especially as her easy maiden win over 1000m was not run in a great time. Therefore a bold decision to leave her out has been made and Open Road (dropped to an attractive merit rating), Madam Secretary (under achiever who should be coming into her own), Burundi Bush, Secret Vision and Last Girl Standing (all in good form) are selected to get punters through.

The next is an equally tough 1000m handicap, although Unchained Melody still looks reasonably merit rated on 70 considering his easy start to finish maiden win over this trip. He cast a shoe in his only subsequent start and if reproducing his maiden win could defy topweight. Rebel Renegade, Hunting Owl, Western Warrior and Chief Sioux are the ones who make most appeal of the rest and this is on the grounds of them being reasonably handicapped on their best form over what should be a suitable trip.

In the fifth leg of the Pick 6 over 1400m, the progressive Starret City is the choice from a good draw over a suitable trip, although one slight concern is this is his first run since the end of June and it might be being seen as a run to get him going for the season. Dan The Lad’s only win was over course and distance. His resolute finish makes him suited to this long-straighted course and a wide draw should not be of too much bother. Yankee Captain keeps on improving and is ideally course and distance suited. He is also capable of running on too, so a wide draw is not insurmountable. Holy Joe is interesting dropped in trip from a good draw on this galloping track as he is capable of turning it on. Rambo can never be ignored despite being a nine-year-old.

There should be a lot of pace in the last leg with both Time To Be Great and Just A Gigolo involved and this should set it up for the closers Rand Club, Pachucho and Tommy Waterdevil. Crazy Vision can also be included for the risk averse.

By David Thiselton