The Highveld Hawks snatched a short-head decision as they landed the New Turf Carriers Rider Cup at Scottsville yesterday. At the end of the four-legged contest, the Hawks scraped home by five points ahead of the KZN Falcons with the Cape Eagles a rather distant third.

The Falcons were seemingly cruising going into the third leg but Gavin Lerena pulled one out of the bag on outsider Sonar Active for Mike Miller and Marco van Rensburg and Lyle Hewitson, a late replacement for S’Manga Khumalo, also collecting a bag-full of points for the Hawks.

Diamond In The Sky was the only runner in the final leg not to have a cross behind her name denoting a chance in the Computaform but Kom Naidoo had her spot on in her first outing for the yard and Falcons rider Warren Kennedy drove her hard for an upset win with less than two lengths covering the first seven home.

It was too little too late for the Falcons as Lerena and Hewitson, along with Van Rensburg and Zackey earning enough points to scrape in by five.

Some consolation for the Falcons was that Anton Marcus finished Victor Ludorum, eight points clear of second-placed Hawks rider Gavin Lerena who had a lucrative afternoon, booting home a double.

Lerena is headed back to the UK shortly where he still has a month of his contract to run.

The race for title of Champion KZN Trainer is going down to the wire with the two perennial contenders Dennis Drier and Duncan Howells in a neck-and-neck tussle.

Drier is the ruling champ but after yesterday’s meeting finds himself four behind Howells who won the opener on the card with Mind Your Business and shut the door in the last with the Antonius Pius filly, Sorceress. The money came for Mind Your Business as if the result was already known and from an opening call of 10-1, started second favourite at 3-1, but the false start resulted in some frayed nerves. “Unfortunately, it was a false start,” said winning rider Gavin Lerena. “But she handled it well. We didn’t go very far.”

“She’s had a few niggly problems,” said Howells. “But she’s quite a smart filly and has improved a lot since her first run.”

Paul Lafferty has had some horses with startling names in his yard, Goat and Another Goat, to name but two and Freddie Flint, who triumphant in the second, was not named after Fred of the Flintstones, but rather British bloodstock agent John Kilbride. “He’s a dead ringer for Freddie Flintoff (famous English cricketer) so we had to name a horse after him.”

Freddie Flint had the most exposed form in the race and had been up against some useful runners in his short career, so his win was not entirely unexpected although he started easy to back at 16-1.

The starter had a tough afternoon after having called a false start in the first race of the day and later The Slade playing up in the gate and going to the line sans rider Anthony Delpech. Post-race he was declared a non-runner after it was judged that the starter’s assistant did not release the gelding’s head before the gates opened. The Slade is never the easiest horse at the start and one can hardly lay the blame on the starter’s assistant.

Similarly, the starter was caught between a rock and a hard place at the start of the first. Innocently Naughty played up just as the gates were sprung and the runners were called back.

There were a number of unhappy trainers but as chief stipendiary steward Shaun Parker pointed out it was a case of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t”.

“If you don’t call a false start and the favourite gets beaten, then there are calls for the race to be declared null and void. If the offender happens to run into a place then it cannot be declared a non-runner and it could quite possibly beat the favourite. Basically, the starter does not know what is going to happen at the end of the race. He has to make a split-second decision.”

By Andrew Harrison

 

There have been questions asked surrounding how the various jockeys were chosen for the teams to participate in The New Turf Carriers Inter-Provincial Jockey’s challenge that will take place at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday with what appear to be some glaring omissions.

The teams were initially chosen from the top riders on the National Jockey’s log with the cut-off the end of May. The first three on the log from each province were deemed automatic choices with the fourth rider being ‘captain’s choice’ – this in order for top riders, who for some reason such as injury, were not within the select band.

However, the Vodacom Durban July and other unrelated circumstances led to a revision of the selected teams. Aldo Domeyer (Cape Eagles) and Keagan de Melo (KZN Falcons) both copped suspensions on July day. Piere Strydom (Highveld Hawks) injured a knee on the same day and has opted to rest his injury. Muzi Yeni (Highveld Hawks) landed in hot water in Mauritius and is unable to make the trip home.

With these jockeys missing it was up to the captains to choose replacement riders. MJ Byleveld was Cape captain Greg Cheyne’s captain’s choice with Corne Orffer as Domeyer’s replacement. Anthony Delpech chose Alec Forbes to replace De Melo. Strydom was Lerena’s captain’s choice but when he fell away, he opted for Yeni. Yeni too could not make the team and Lerena’s final choice fell to Marco van Rensburg. All are popular and top-class replacements.

By Andrew Harrison

Miranda Frost looks good for the Racing.It’s A Rush Conditions Plate at Kenilworth tomorrow and the Joey Ramsden-trained filly should notch up the third success of her career.

She was giving weight all round when second over the trip last time, her Cape Town stable is on song with three winners here on Tuesday and only Felicity Flyer comes out better at the weights.

Felicity Flyer ran below her best when starting third favourite for the Olympic Duel last time but the Bass-Robinson stable is in the sort of form that makes anything possible. Never mind the July, it even had a winner at 25-1 on Tuesday.

South Side is the TAB sheet forecast favourite after winning a conditions plate over the trip at the end of April but Richard Fourie’s mount is 3kg wrong with Miranda Frost and 4kg wrong with Felicity Flyer.

Greg Cheyne, who rides the last-named, may start off on a winning note with Bendy Bullet who can be expected to step up on her first-time second to Lanark in the Juvenile Fillies Maiden. She probably has most to fear from stable companion Pumeza even though the Bass-Robinson Mainland would appear to be on the upgrade.

“Pumeza and Bendy Bullet both worked well this morning and their jockeys each fancy their chances,” said Eric Sands yesterday. “My newcomer Ladysmith is not bad either.”

Heart Of A Legend is expected to head the market in the 1 400m Racing Association Maiden Juvenile Fillies as she took third against older maidens over the trip and is well drawn. Fourie’s mount looks the one they all have to beat even though Wine Festival runs here on the strength of a good first run and Above Eleven also has form claims.

In the 1 400m maiden Cossack Guard carries a health warning both to punters and to his rivals. He is the sort of horse bookmakers dream about – he has finished second on each of his last seven starts, going off either favourite or second favourite each time. Two races back he threw in the towel when he appeared to have things at his mercy and last time most of his effort went into trying to take a piece out of the horse he was challenging.

If Corne Orffer can succeed where the likes of Bernard Fayd’Herbe, Anthony Delpech and Piere Strydom failed he will deserve a medal even though the grey is rated 1.5kg and more better than the rest. The Justin Snaith-trained Mister Colin, whose encouraging last run was his first since February, could be the answer.

By Michael Clower

Vaal Trainer Louis Goosen has built up a reputation as a fine trainer of sprinters and the filly Effortless Reward is the latest of them to build up a sequence of victories.

This speedy Australian-bred has revelled in the current fast going conditions in the Highveld winter and will be hard to peg back in Saturday’s headliner at Turffontein, the Cullam’s Pinnacle Stakes over 1000m. However, she won’t have it all her own way as she faces an equally talented sprinting filly in Wrecking Ball. The latter is the best in at the weights, although just 0,5kg better off than Effortless Reward, and she is coming off an outstanding fifth place in the Grade 1 weight for age Computaform Sprint. The pair looks to be a ready-made exacta, as both are progressive three-year-olds and they are 2,5kg and 2kg better off respectively with the next best weighted horse Greasepaint, who is a six-year-old gelding. Roquebrune looks held by Effortless Reward on their previous meeting. Golden Man is close to Roquebrune on their last meeting, but the 1000m might be a touch sharp for him. The speedy Isphan has a chance if reproducing his penultimate start, but he is held by Effortless Reward on their last meeting and has become a touch inconsistent.

Punters should get off to a good start with Battle Front in the first over 1600m. On debut over 1400m when running a decent second from an unfavourable draw down the Vaal straight, this rangy sort was green and looked to be crying out for further. He has a good draw over this step up in trip. However, he will not have it all his own way as Wheel Of Time is proven over the trip already in his two good efforts to date and is also well drawn. Gambado, a big horse with plenty of scope, could also make his presence felt having run on over a sprint trip on debut. He should relish the step up in trip. Vacquero should improve over the trip too. Hello is another to consider for quartets as he has always bumped good horses and has never been far off them.

Zerodarkthirty wears second time blinkers and in the second race over the fast 1160m course and distance he could lead from start to finish as he has plenty of pace. However, Manitoba will be running at him late and Riding Shotgun should improve and should be right there too. Greenwood Drive is well bred and betting support must be respected, while a debutant by Var can never be ignored, so the betting on Cape Wildcat must be also be watched.’

The third is fascinating as it features the promising Flying Fable up against the well-bred Mike de Kock-trained first-timer Awaafy.

The next race also features a well-bred De Kock-trained first-timer in Mujaafy, while the promising Lobo’s Legend is the best representative of the raced horses.

In the fifth Skiminac is tipped as his form was boosted by Purple Diamond’s victory in the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe on Saturday.

The speed horses will be favoured in the current fast going conditions in the seventh over 1000m, so Captain’s Girl and Levi Lady look to have fine respective chances. However, Jameson Girl is tipped to mow them down.

Daffiq has always struck as a classy sort and attempts to prove he stays further than 1400m in the eighth over 1800m. If he fails to stay Amsterdam and Stonehenge are tipped to pick up the pieces.

The last is the most difficult leg of the Pick 6, being a MR 67 handicap for fillies and mares over 1800m. Dawn Flight makes most appeal, although all of Juba, Miss Bulsara, Bright Bronte, Cape Infanta, Emerald Bay and Burning Rock have to be considered.

By David Thiselton

The next Ryder Cup will take place in France next year, the South African Rider Cup will be staged at Scottsville on Sunday where three teams of four of the country’s top jockeys will compete against each other, each team represented by the leading jockeys in the three main racing jurisdictions.

Given the number of single crosses marked in each of the four competition races in the Computaform, the competition is wide open and indeed, every race on the card is a potential minefield.

The Global Logistics Handicap is the card headliner and does not form part of the competition but Anton Marcus, who rode a treble at Scottsville on Wednesday, teams up with Brett Crawford and The Great One who will be looking to defy top weight. In spite of some criticism, the handicappers got it spot on in last Saturday’s Vodacom Durban July with eight horses finishing within a length of the winner Marinaresco, so one is a little hesitant to take them on here.

To my superstitious mind it is tempting fate to give horses names that most will be hard-pressed to live up to and The Great One may be a misnomer. However, the Australian import is still a relatively young horse that has been lightly raced and he may still live up to his name.

The Great One had not been out since January when making his local debut at Scottsville back in May where he was denied in the last jump by Last Winter after making all the running.

He was not far off Safe Harbour and Horizon in previous outings and with a run under his girth he does rate the horse to beat in spite of his burden.

The opposition will not go down without a fight and The Great One will need to be as good as his name suggest. The Slade has a similar profile to The Great One, having been rested since finishing a head back to The Great One in the Gr3 Politician Stakes won by Horizon.

Dean Kannemeyer has since gelded his charge and he made a winning debut when ‘two stones’ lighter beating Ever Dear on Sunday’s course.

He is 2kg worse off with The Great One when judged on their Politician Stakes run but the gelding could make up for the difference in weights.

The two are drawn alongside one another which could lead to another Marcus / Anthony Delpech tactical battle.

Adam Marcus saddles the consistent Gyre who has had two outings in KZN this winter. He has not been quite at his best but with no rain forecast and the going likely to be on top come Sunday he could up his game.

Duncan Howells saddles to tough competitors in Chicago Beat and Baltic Amber, both capable on their day. With stable rider Keagan de Melo suspended, Gavin Lerena will be aboard Chicago Beat who narrowly got the better of stable companion Wild Wicket last time out. Baltic Amber is an honest from runner. Apprentice Ashton Arries is quickly making a name for himself and is full value for his 2.5kg allowance.

Also in the scrum is Copper Pot. One leaves a Sean Tarry runner out of exotics at your peril and although Copper Pot’s recent form is not all that inspiring, it could prove deceptive.

He was tossed in at the deep end in the Gr2 Greyville 1900 in an effort to make the Vodacom July field but the soft going and a wide draw saw him run no sort of a race.

He races in blinkers and a tongue-tie for the first time and the improvement could prove spectacular.

The Great One and The Slade are taken to fight this one out with Copper Pot the dark horse.

By Andrew Harrison