As a builder of character, racing is up there with war and poverty, wrote Les Carlyon, who added, racing can even cause poverty. But racing also brings out an array of emotions that were on full display at Scottsville yesterday – raucous celebration, relief and the shedding of a quiet tear.

For champion trainer Sean Tarry is was a bit of both. Bull Valley’s clinical performance in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint was celebrated with loud, fist-pumping and back slapping while star mare Carry On Alice bowed out of racing with a quiet tear after signing off her racing career in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint.

Relief was etched on Dennis Drier’s face after boom colt Sand And Sea gave him his sixth Gr1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion in eight years and seventh overall but Les Taylor and his friends gave it the full treatment after Paul Matchett’s outsider Brave Mary romped home in the Gr1 Allan Robertson.

A group hug and dance on the members viewing balcony almost saw them topple over the rail before they bolted to the paddock to the refrain of, “you’ve just seen the next Igugu.”

General consensus before the meeting was that the inside 5m strip of turf that had been protected at the last Scottsville meeting, would provide the best going.

As a result, all dived for the strip of supposedly superior going in the first three sprints and there were the usual hard luck stories. Not so for Anton Marcus who had sussed out the going aboard Attenborough a fortnight back, winning from the extreme outside barrier.

By the running of the Tsogo Sun, attention had switched to the outside strip and S’Manga Khumalo took full advantage of 16 draw on Bull Valley. He catapulted his mount out of the pens and was barely headed with London Call matching strides up the centre.

A furlong out, there were still plenty in contention but Bull Valley kept finding and drew off to win rather comfortably from Search Party and the veteran Barbosa. Top weight and last year’s winner Talktothestars found traffic just as he was unwinding a run and lost all momentum.

A lightly raced son of Toreador, this was Bull Valley’s fifth victory from just nine starts.

Carry On Alice bowed out of racing on a fitting note as she added a fifth Gr1 to her CV and the 11^th success of her career. With celebrations under way, Tarry walked off to one side, alone with his emotions while co-owner Chris van Niekerk was also dabbing away with his handkerchief. “I’m shedding a few tears. This is a bit embarrassing.”

Regular pilot Khumalo always had Carry On Alice up with the pace and she responded as any tough campaigner would, hitting the front when it counted and fighting all the way to the line. Three-year-olds Just Sensual, winner of the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas, and last season’s Gr1 Allan Robertson winner The Secret Is Out chased hard, the former closing late, but they were no match.

Van Niekerk confirmed that the daughter of super sire Captain Al would now be shipped to Australia for a date with a stallion still to be decided on.

“She will miss the season,” said Tarry, “but that’s OK.”

“We won’t be able to buy them,” quipped Tarry to Mike de Kock, referring to Rafeef and Mustaaqeem, both progeny of Tarry’s star mare National Colour who stands Down Under and races in the blue and white silks of Sheikh Hamdan.

The grey Bela-Bela, having her first outing since the Sun Met back in January, finished just off them and Justin Snaith will have been well pleased with her performance.

Giving start in a Gr1 sprint is usually tantamount to disaster but Sand And Sea made light of this seeming mishap turning in a superb performance under Anton Marcus. Sand And Sea is a magnificent specimen of a thoroughbred and strutted the paddock like he owned it.  “You can see that he thinks he’s good,” commented Drier.

“He’s a brute of a horse,” said Marcus. “He takes time to get going but he does it so easily.”

Sire Twice Over was a superb racehorse, numbering the Gr1 Champion Stakes and the Gr1 Juddmonte International Stakes amongst his victories and this victory is a cracking start to his stud career.

Tarry’s day did not get off to the best of starts, Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery winner Green Plans having to play second fiddle to 30-1 outsider Brave Mary. Gunter Wrogemann had his mount travelling well within herself in the early exchanges but when asked the question, the daughter of Brave Tin Soldier responded as if she had jumped in at the two-furlong pole. She simply raced clear to win as she liked much to the delight of her connections. A simple tongue-tie would appear to have been the key to unlocking her potential, winning her maiden by five lengths.

Whether she is another Igugu, only time will tell but Les Taylor and his mates live in hope. Co-owner Dean Bayley missed the party but Dubai would probably have been rocking.

By Andrew Harrison

Dutch Philip is a confident choice for the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery at Kenilworth tomorrow – or at least he would be if the history of the race did not suggest that he is odds-on to get beaten.

The Somerset, which he won with such authority three weeks ago, is a notoriously unreliable guide. In the last 12 seasons only two of its winners have won the Cape Nursery and during that period only twice has the outright favourite for this proved successful. Indeed the starting price of the last two winners has averaged 10-1.

The race tends to be won by a forgettable horse – although subsequent Dubai scorer Diana’s Choice came out on top ten years ago and last year Sergeant Hardy came out on top – but, statistics apart, Dutch Philip has all the right credentials.

If he is to be beaten then Speedpoint looks the most likely to succeed. There was only half a length between them when they met over a furlong less at levels six weeks ago but it was the superior turn of foot of Aldo Domeyer’s mount that proved decisive and he looked as if he would confirm the placings over this trip.

Speedpoint missed the Somerset rematch because of a viral infection as did stable companion Morning Catch who, although well held on a line through Captain Ram, won his only start convincingly and in a manner that suggested he could come on quite considerably.

Virtue, stablemate of the favourite, won his only start and, although the form does not look anything special, it’s worth bearing in mind that the racecourse woke him up and revealed talent for perhaps the first time – Domeyer: “He is a lazy guy but I was absolutely cantering behind horses.”

Dollar Tractor produced a late surge to get up close home when starting favourite three weeks ago but he is going to have to produce further improvement to pose a threat. Badawee is the only non-winner in the field, and Supreme Orator cut him down mercilessly in the last 100m, while third-placed Ben-Hur did the form no favours last Sunday.

Zodiac Jack was beaten over four lengths when third in the Somerset and he is now 2kg worse with Dutch Philip who appears to have only history to beat.

Stable companion Magical Wonderland beat a strong field in the Perfect Promise and can stretch her unbeaten run to three in the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery.

By Michael Clower

A Pinnacle Stakes event over 2450m and a Progress Plate over 1400m head the nine race card at Turffontein on Sunday.

B Twenty One will be going for her fourth victory in succession in the Pinnacle Stakes event. She has a fine turn of foot and is proving to be a progressive stayer. She is officially only 0,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse Storm Warning. On the downside her regular jockey Anthony Delpech can’t make the weight of 51, 5kg. JP van der Merwe is the able replacement and they jump from a good draw. She is selected to win. Delpech rides Save The Rhino, who is 1,5kg under sufferance with Storm Warning and has been in the first three in all three of his starts over staying trips, including a victory over this course and distance. There is not much between him and Let It Rain, who comes from the yard of Weiho Marwing, an expert trainer of stayers. Lions Emblem proved last time that staying races are his game and also has a shout. Smart Mart is a useful stayer on his day and will be a threat if bouncing back to form.

In the Progress Plate Bella Sonata has shown her class by finishing second to Nother Russia in her last two starts over 1600m, including in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes. She would prefer 1600 metres, but enjoys this galloping track and is well drawn and very well weighted. Piere Strydom rides and she is the selection. Zouaves is officially 13kg under sufferance with Bella Sonata, but has not yet had a chance to prove himself and has been impressive in his last two starts over this sort of trip. He has a fine turn of foot and if he learns to relax better in the running he could become a serious horse. Doosra has been a touch disappointing this season after a promising start, but is second best in at the weights, despite being 8,5kg out with Bella Sonata. He is drawn in pole over an ideal course and distance.

Punters could get off to a good start in race one with Let’s Twist, who caught the eye in her debut over 1400 metres. She was cramped for room at the business end, but when she was finally extracted she ran on strongly and will relish the step up to 1600m.

In the second, Effortless didn’t have a clear passage after a slow start on debut over 1200m around the turn and was finishing strongly after being switched so is the one to beat in this 1160m event.

Silver God is a nice looking type and will relish the step up to 1600m of the third after catching the eye over sprint trips, although he was still green in his second start last time when disappointing in the Gr 3 Protea Stakes over 1100m after being backed. Polar Ice should also enjoy the step up in trip and from pole position could be the main danger.

Two-year-old Zerodarkthirty looks the horse to beat in the fourth over 1160m. On debut he started slowly but ran on well to finish second behind a promising sort.

The fifth is a typically competitive sprint handicap over 1000m. Clever, Guy, Hashtag Strat and Effortless Reward all have good pace and will likely be favoured by the current fast going conditions. In the seventh, Inga looks to be a decent sort who can rise above her current merit rating and this is her ideal 1600m trip, although she does have a wide draw to overcome. Trellis has become a useful front-runner so could be dangerous from a nice draw.

In the last race over 1400m, Misty Roller has caught the eye since blinkers have been applied and was just too strong in the running over 1700 metres last time, so will likely relish the step down in trip.

By David Thiselton

Billy Jacobson and Morne Winnaar will be looking to hold onto their advantage in the third round of Levelling The Playing Fields series to be run over 1600m at Scottsville tomorrow, the series supporting the Festival of Speed.

The unique concept allows for trainers to nominate one horse that qualifies as a KwaZulu-Natal-bred, to compete at Scottsville in three qualifying legs over 1200, 1400m and 1600m respectively with the top twelve points earners qualifying for the 1400m final to be run at Greyville on Sunday, June 25.

Jockeys are allotted by ballot and Jacobson and Winnaar are fighting it out with Jacobson leading by three points. Jacobson won the first two legs on Putchini and The Poet respectively while Winnaar finished second in his first leg heat and then won on the mare Brave And Bold in his second leg heat.

Tomorrow, Winnaar will be aboard the well fancied Royal Agree in his heat, Glen Kotzen’s filly being first and fourth in her first two races, while Jacobson has been less fortunate and drawn rank outsider Roy’s Power in his heat.

As far as the horses go, Brave And Bold in tomorrow’s first leg, and Putchini, in tomorrow’s second leg are the current points leaders just ahead of Royal Agree and Reactive, both in the same heat.

The series is aimed at KZN-bred horses that are tough and versatile. The horses are drawn at random for individual heats and the random allocation of jockeys ensures that it is not only the top guns in the jockey’s room that get a chance at the R50 000 bonuses and the elevated stakes on offer.

By Andrew Harrison

Vaal-based Coenie de Beer comes to Scottsville tomorrow with his one good horse as Talktothestars attempts to defend his crown in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint. De Beer is a canny owner-trainer with only a dozen horses in his yard and arrived at Scottsville last year with an unfashionably bred horse carrying top weight and racing ‘barefoot’ – seemingly the only point in his favour being top rider Piere Strydom.

It was the Strydom fans who were standing in the pay-out que post-race as the gelding finished with a wet sail in a performance that earned him a 123-merit rating, elevating him to the lofty heights of best horse in the country.

From there on it has been a bumpy road for Talktothestars with his only subsequent victory being in a Pinnacle Stakes at Flamingo Park where he was hard-pressed to land his short odds. His rating has been dropping steadily since but even though he now races of a mark 10 pounds lower, he still shoulders top weight tomorrow and where some of last year’s opposition, notably third placed Exelero and Gulf Storm, meet him on more favourable weight terms.

That said, those that subscribe to the theory that a horse’s form peaks in yearly cycles, will be having a dip on Talktothestars. He recently rattled home in the Gr1 Computaform Sprint behind Rafeef with hot favourite Carry On Alice treading water in third with Talktothestars effectively turning the tables on the multiple Gr1-winning mare.

It was a smart performance by any standards and although it is not advisable to stakes the month’s salary on Talktothestars he should at least finish with more behind him than in front.

Exelero is another to have been in the doldrums since his third last year, out of the money in four subsequent starts. However, Vaughan Marshall appears to have got to the bottom of the gelding as he turned in a much improved performance behind today’s more fancied runner Attenborough and he faces Talktothestars on 1kg better terms.

An interesting contender is the Mike de Kock runner Janoobi. The dual Guineas winner has plenty of speed but only just sees out a ‘mile’. On any other course the drop to six furlongs would be a concern but the Scottsville 1200m demands some stamina and along with fellow three-year-old Table Bay could be the dark horses.

This is a peculiar event which records show is often a battle between the top weights and those at the bottom of the handicap with no middle market. Talktothestars, Exelero, Janoobi and Table Mountain all fit into that category.

Tomorrow’s jackpot is made up of four Gr1 sprints, the Tsogo Sun Sprint the tricky final leg, and the Gr1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship the opener. Champion trainer Sean Tarry will be looking to SA Fillies Nursery winner Green Plains to add lustre to her bid for Equus Award honours but the local contingent is largely untested against visiting opposition which adds some intrigue. The Pau Lafferty pair of Crymeariver and Touch Of Magic are both highly regarded with the latter possibly the pick. Neptune’s Rain has done all of her racing on this course which is an advantage while Light On Her Toes has had the form of her debut win franked and could be anything.

De Kock saddles Gr1 SA Nursery runner-up Naafer in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion but the Summerveld dogs have been barking the name Sand And Sea as Dennis Drier attempts to win the Gold Medallion for the sixth time in eight years and for the seventh time overall

Finally, Carry On Alice has her final race in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint, a race she won as a three-year-old, and is weighted to bow out on a winning note. However, she has had a tough season and the three-year-olds Live Life, Just Sensual, Vision To Kill and last year’s Allan Robertson winner The Secret Is Out will not make it easy for her.

By Andrew Harrison