The South African juvenile racing programme is set to come to an exciting close at Greyville in Durban on Sunday, July 30, when the country’s top two-year-old thoroughbreds compete for victory and Equus glory in the final Grade 1 races of the season.

The young horses will compete over 1 600m with the colts and geldings doing battle in the R750 000 Premiers Champion Stakes and the fillies fighting it out in the R750 000 Thekwini Stakes.

Desert Rythym (Nkosi Hlophe)

Exciting entries have been received for both races and South Africa’s champion trainer Sean Tarry will be hoping to follow up on his juvenile success on Vodacom Durban July Day when he saddled the winners of both two-year-old events, Desert Rhythm in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper and Purple Diamond in the Durban Golden Horseshoe.
Desert Rhythm, that had won the Nursery at Turffontein before her Greyville success will be strongly fancied to take the honours over the mile on eLAN Gold Cup day and Purple Diamond, that won the Durban Golden Horseshoe as a 20-1 outside, will command a lot more respect in the Premiers Champion Stakes.

Tarry has also nominated the Seventh Rock filly Rockin Russian, fourth in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper for the Thekwini Stakes and, as back-up to Purple Diamond in the Premiers Champion Stakes, the Captain Al colt Captain And Master that finished third in the Durban Golden Horseshoe. With a team like that Tarry is likely to approach the day with a lot of confidence.

Sand And Sea (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, the stable will be wary of the Twice Over colt Sand And Sea that was a comfortable winner of the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1 200m at Scottsville, Sea And Sand is from the Dennis Drier yard. The Twice Over colt had previously beaten the Great Britain colt Al Mariachi on debut and Brett Crawford’s charge had come out to win the KZN Yearling Sale Million at Greyville on Vodacom Durban July day.
But the challenge to the Tarry stable in the Premier’s Champion Stakes does not stop there. Trainer Joey Ramsden has entered his Oratorio colt Ancestry that was just touched off by Purple Diamond in the Durban Golden Horseshoe. This colt will have a better draw than those mentioned and will be a big runner.

In the Thekwini Stakes, Desert Rhythm will again face the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Let It Flow and Tsessebe from the Drier stable that finished second and third respectively to her in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper. In this case, however, Desert Rhythm will have a major draw advantage.

Neptune’s Rain from the Duncan Howells stable, third to Brave Mary in the Allan Robertson Fillies Championship at Scottsville, will be out to prove she is a lot better than her disappointing run in the Gold Circle Golden Slipper and the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Tiger Ridge filly Meryl , winner of the Devon Air Stakes, could step up to the plate and show that performance was no fluke.

These are two great races and could determine the winners of the juvenile categories at the Equus Awards in the months ahead.

By Richard McMillan

Recent Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint winner Bull Valley, winner of five of his nine starts to date, will be looking to end his season on a high when the takes on a top field of sprinters in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint to be run over 1200m at Greyville next Saturday.

Bull Valley (Nkosi Hlophe)

Tarry holds a strong hand with Merchants winner Trip To Heaven also in the line-up. Trip To Heaven loves Greyville having twice finished second in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge, the first time after being relegated, but he also shows top sprint form having won the Grade 2 Merchants beating Bull Valley and finishing second to star stable companion Carry On Alice in the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship.

At time of writing Tarry had yet to declare riders.

Talktothestars, once the highest rated horse in the country, has found form again and after being unlucky in the Tsogo Sun Sprint where he was a fast-finishing runner up to Search Party in the Grade 2 Post Merchants. Search Party will be in opposition again but faces his rival on 2kg worse terms.

Gavin Lerena has stayed in the country to partner New Predator for Johan Janse van Vuuren before heading back to the UK for a month to finish his contract.

By Andrew Harrison

Gold Standard, the forgotten man of this season’s three-year-old crop, is now back in training with next January’s Queen’s Plate and Sun Met obvious targets.

Glen Kotzen had the Vodacom Durban July on his shopping list after the colt finished a half-length second to William Longsword in the Cape Guineas and fourth to Whisky Baron in the Met, but he was forced to reconsider.

He said yesterday: “We found Gold Standard had a small segment on each fetlock and, while he was never unsound, we decided to clean them up and set him up for next season rather than take him to Durban. He is now back in work and doing great.”

Gold Standard is rated a long way in front of the three-year-olds who went close in the July. The handicappers have him on a mark of 115 compared with the 107 of Al Sahem and Edict Of Nantes.

Kotzen, though, reckons to give South Side only one more run even though the Pathfork three-year-old made it four wins from her last five starts when running the opposition ragged in the 1 000m conditions plate at Kenilworth last Saturday.

He explained: “She is not the soundest of fillies and she doesn’t take her runs that well so it’s more than likely that she will be retired to stud at the end of the season.”

He bought her for only R10 000 at the Bloodstock SA Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale -”She was a beautiful filly and very athletic but she had bad legs and bad knees.”

By Michael Clower

Punters face a tough card at the Vaal tomorrow and many will be banking on Mike de Kock and Anthony Delpech to help them along.

Delpech, former stable jockey to De Kock, has two rides for his former boss and both look to have outstanding chances.

The first comes in the opening leg of the PA where B Twenty One will be a popular choice. She stays well and her last two wins have been over course and distance. In fact she is unbeaten in three outings over the trip and does come up against slightly weaker here.

Anthony Delpech (Liesl King)

However, Brian Wiid sends out Lee’s Pick, who although not featuring in the Gr1 SA Derby, was runner up in the Derby Trial to Vodacom Durban July runner Pagoda who finished second in the SA Derby. That’s useful form and the gelding looks to be in with a strong chance.

Delpech and De Kock team up again in the Racing Association Handicap where High Seas Beauty looks primed for her second win.

The daughter of Epsom Derby winner High Chapparal has been restricted to sprints at recent outings and her pedigree suggests that this seven-furlong trip would be more within her compass.

De Kock has a second strong to his bow here in Biblical Susan who, if ignoring her last effort when fading badly late, has some useful form. She has Gavin Lerena aboard, fresh from a double at Scottsville on Sunday where he captained the Highveld Hawks to victory in the New Turf Carriers Rider Cup.

Delpech has picked up another strong ride in Khaleesi for Lucky Houdalakis in the eighth.  The filly has been in good form to stronger and although she does have a fair weight to shoulder she could prove a touch too good for this field. St John Gray saddles his home-bred Burundi Bush who has been in top form. She has a handy weight and looks capable of giving Khaleesi a run for her money. Also in the scrum is Ponchielli who was not disgraced when taking on stronger last time out but will need to repeat to have a chance.

Sean Tarry is in the form of his life and Goodytwoshoes can add to his already bulging stakes tally. The daughter of Mambo In Seattle has come good of late and looks to have more to come and a hat-trick is on the cards. A threat could be Beckoning who was much improved with the addition of blinkers and can follow up on her last win for St John Gray. Also a danger may be Pearl Valley who was only caught late by Goodytwoshoes last time out. She has a light weight and can go one better.

By Andrew Harrison

Krambambuli, who ran one of the best races of his life when beaten only a third of a length into fourth in the Vodacom Durban July, will return to Greyville on July 29 to run in the eLan Gold Cup.

Jonathan Snaith said: “Bernard Fayd’Herbe will ride Krambambuli and we will also run Captain Splendid (Greg Cheyne) in the race.”

Neither Justin Snaith nor Fayd’Herbe has yet won the Gold Cup but Cheyne was successful in the 2008 running on the Basil Marcus-trained Desert Links. Captain Splendid finished first in the SABC Gold Vase but was relegated to second for interference.

Snaith Racing is also planning an assault on the Champions Cup which it won with Futura two years ago and Jonathan said: “Bela-Bela will be nominated and owners Varsfontein will make a decision on whether she runs after seeing the draw. If she does run Anthony Delpech will again have the mount.

“Black Arthur and It’s My Turn (seventh and eighth in the July) will both run and Piere Strydom will again ride It’s My Turn while this Saturday Richard Fourie partners Sergeant Hardy in the Mercury Sprint and we think the horse has a decent chance.”

Fayd’Herbe, bidding for his fourth Mercury Sprint after Honour The Guest (2004), August Rush (2011) and What A Winter 12 months later, rides Talkothestars for Coenie de Beer. He finished second under top weight on the five-year-old in last month’s Post Merchants.

By Michael Clower