Three useful runners from the Mike de Kock stable will travel to Durban on Friday for this weekend’s Gold Cup Festival of Racing at Greyville.

Kinaan (AUS), third in the Gr3 eLAN Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m last year, comes into this year’s race off a similarly good preparation and Mathew de Kock commented: “He’s well weighted and nicely drawn, he’s a horse with a chance.”

Mujallad (AUS), is an improving young horse and one his rivals will have to contend with in the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m. “Mujallad is starting to put things together, he has improved more since his most recent win and he also has the benefit of a good draw. I think he will run well.”

Trip To Rio is not the easiest of customers around, but the stable found what looks like an ideal race for him, a MR77 Polytrack Handicap over 1900m. He posted a good win in a stronger race when last taken to the Polytrack a year ago so is in with an obvious chance of fighting out the finish.

Callan Murray will partner the trio, keen to get back among the winners after his spell in Hong Kong.

Mikedekockracing.com

Ten Gun Salute is in fine fettle before Saturday’s Gr 1 World Sports Betting Champions Cup. He put in a good piece of work at Ashburton yesterday morning under regular workrider Kospendule Hlongwe but Duncan Howells is cautious about his chances.

“This is a strong field and one has to be realistic about his chances. Every time he has stepped up to Grade 1 level he’s been found wanting and you can only make so many excuses.”

That said, “He has a good draw which is a bonus and I think he may be better suited to this trip. I think the July may have been a little too far for him although he did run into a lot of trouble in the race.

“I think this race is a lot different to the July.”  Not so cut-throat and if he can reproduce his Gr2 Betting World 1900 performance, “I don’t say he can’t win it but he will be right on top of them at the finish.”

By Andrew Harrison

The Grade 1 Premiers Champions Stakes over 1600m is one of the highlights of the second day of the Gold Cup Festival Of Racing weekend and will form an important part of the Pick 6, which has a guaranteed pool of R5,5 million and an expected pool of R6 million.

The race is full of class, but complicating matters is that a lot of the fancied runners have tough draws.

The best prospect in the race is likely Captain And Master, who has a magnificent stride and is full of class. After the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m, trainer Sean Tarry explained due to his lack of early speed he was strongly rousted from the off and this caused him to over race. After S’Manga Khumalo had eventually restrained the big horse, he was second last. All thing considered, he did exceptionally well to run on for third, beaten 1,3 lengths, using his big stride.  On the downside, he did go down to the start quite strongly that day, so it can’t be taken for granted he will settle on Sunday, especially as he has a tricky draw of nine.

Purple Diamond was the surprise winner of the Golden Horseshoe and will relish the step up in trip. Piere Strydom will help him overcome his draw of 12, which is compared to his two draw in the Golden Horseshoe.

The third of the Tarry runners is Warrior’s Rest, a huge son of What A Winter. His father was a champion sprinter, but he is out of Badger Land mare who has produced the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 winner Viva Maria and he looks to be crying out for this trip. From a good draw this big, long-striding galloper makes appeal as the dark horse in a race which lacks pace as he should stay all the way to the line.

Ancestry was dropped out from draw eight in the Golden Horseshoe before finding a good position on the rail. He overtook Purple Diamond, but the latter rallied and got his nose back in front. The Oratorio colt should handle the step up in trip on pedigree.

Monks Hood was caught outside of Ancestry in the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m and finished only 0,75 lengths behind him. This classy Querari colt, who was highly impressive on debut over 1200m, has another wide draw to overcome, but he should enjoy the step up in trip and Anthony Delpech keeps the ride.

Borya was only a head behind Monks Hood in the Gatecrasher when drawn two and staying on well. He followed up with an easy win over 1400m on the poly and should enjoy this trip but he has a wide draw of 13 to overcome.

Cat’s Legacy over raced a little  in the Gatecrasher behind a slow pace but followed up by running on well for third in the KZN Yearling Sale Million over 1300m, where he gave the impression he could stay this 1600m trip. However, he has a wide draw and looks a sort who would appreciate a good pace.

Eyes Wide Open won his maiden over this trip at Scottsville in eye catching fashion and could be anything. On debut over 1400m at Scottsville, from which the form has worked out well, he was caught wide and was green around the turn and it was also clear in the straight that this galloping type would prefer further. Richard Fourie rides.

Chantyman was slow away and caught wide on debut when third in a weak maiden over 1400m on the poly. He then won from pillar to post by over seven lengths in a moderate 1200m Maiden Juvenile Plate at Scottsville. His dam, who won over a mile, has to date produced sprinters, so there is a stamina doubt despite him being by Oratorio and he also has a tough draw.

Mujallad improved to win comfortably over 1400m last time and the form doesn’t look bad, so he could earn from a fair draw.

Leftrightgoodnight, who was well beaten by Mujallad, will appreciate the trip, but needs plenty of improvement.

Sea King was caught wide in the Gatecrasher when beaten 5,1 lengths and then followed up by winning a Juvenile Plate over 1600m after being dropped out from a wide draw and coming from last. He narrowly beat his more fancied stable companion Pack Leader, who was noticeably green and has scope for improvement. Interestingly they both beat Eye’s Wide Open’s conqueror Cool At Heart, but the latter looked to race too strongly in front over the step up in trip. Sea King and Pack Leader both have good draws.

The impressive looking galloper Leslie Shadowliner’s race was run in the Gatecrasher before the turn as he was caught hopelessly wide. However, he showed a fine turn of foot over 1200m in his easy debut win. On a combination of pedigree and racing style he should handle the trip from a good draw.

The Gatecrasher and Golden Horseshoe both look to be the best pointers, which brings Warrior’s Rest into it too as he was on top of the like of Naafer in the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over a trip short of his best and the latter caught the eye in the Golden Horseshoe.

Captain And Master is selected to beat Monks Hood, Warrior’s Rest and Purple Diamond, but Ancestry, Leslie Shadowliner and Eyes Wide Open are the hardest of the others to ignore in a competitive event.

By David Thiselton

Justin Snaith fully expects Bela-Bela to put it up to Marinaresco and Captain America in the World Sports Betting Champions Cup at Greyville on Saturday although he stops short of predicting outright victory.

Snaith, who won the race with Futura two years ago, said yesterday: “I think this is by far the strongest Champions Cup in years.

“Normally it’s an end-of-season race with one outstanding horse left after the rest have packed their bags and gone home. This time we’ve got the winners of the July, the Gold Challenge and the Garden Province all taking each other on.

“But Bela-Bela is going to give them a go. I had it planned all along that the Champions Cup was going to be part of her programme – that’s why she missed out the odd race – and she has been raced easy during her four months up here.

“If there was ever a time for her to take on the best this is it. She is doing well, she has matured and she is ready.”

Snaith also runs Black Arthur and It’s My Turn, seventh and eighth in the Durban July but less than a length and a half behind Marinaresco– “I couldn’t be happier with either of them than I am at the moment and I think I have them spot on. They will run good races.”

­  – Snaith will run last weekend’s Final Fling runner-up A Time To Dream in the Champagne Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday even though the four-year-year has not raced over as short a distance as 1 200m for more than two years.

By Michael Clower

Dennis Drier has had no luck in the defense of his KZN Trainer’s Championship with his runners seemingly stuck in second place. He had a run of three consecutive runners-up at Scottsville on Sunday but hopefully Champenois can snap that trend in the Track & Ball Gaming Maiden at the same venue today.

The daughter of Visionaire has contributed to Drier’s run of seconds, having finished second best in both outings, but has a strong chance of going one better in spite of facing a competitive line-up.

She was running on strongly in both starts and by now the penny should have dropped. She will also be better suited to the longer Scottsville home straight.

Garth Puller had a winner on Sunday with Saint Marco, lamenting the fact that the handicappers were quick to raise but slow to drop when it came to merit ratings, but he will have no gripes here as Dinner Date lines up in this maiden and who could prove the biggest, but not the only, threat to Champenois.

The daughter of Russian Sage has finished close-up in two recent sprints, the last one when favourite, but her pedigree suggests that a ‘mile’ and further would be more to her liking. She gets to test that theory here but even 1400m may prove a touch on the sharp side.

Professor Brian suffered his first defeat as a gelding in the Gr2 Post Merchants after running up a string of five straight victories. It was a given that his winning streak would come to an end at some stage but he is back in handicap company for the Racing. It’s a Rush Handicap and can be back in business. He has some excellent form over the Kenilworth 1200m and has carried 59 kg to victory so today’s race should hold no fears for Joey Ramsden’s gelding.

Donny G showed pace for Sean Tarry in the Post Merchants before compounding over the last furlong but prior to that was close-up to the speedy Riverine in a Pinnacle Stakes event. It’s been a year since his last win and in that time has only dropped four points in the handicap which gives some substance to Puller’s gripes.

Duncan Howells has the KZN Trainer’s Championship sewn up in all but name being nine winners ahead of second-placed Drier with three meetings to go. He sends out Amazon King who can follow up on his recent victory. The gelding was two lengths back to Professor Brian three runs back and was decidedly unlucky next time out when the jockeys took it upon themselves to stay wide of the running rail which upset many a planned tactic.

That was remedied at his next outing with a sustained finish to beat Kingston Boy. With stable jockey Keagan de Melo having cracked his first century of winners in a season and riding with confidence, Amazon King is not without a chance.

Texas Sky, second to recent Gr2 Golden Horseshoe runner-up Ancestry, can pull one back for Drier in the White Horse Function Room Maiden but the blinkered Toltec is way better than his last showing while Tommy Grand will be out to give Nathan Kotzen, long-time assistant to Mike de Kock, his first winner as a fully-fledged trainer and another second for Drier is not beyond the realms of possibility.

By Andrew Harrison