The Glen Kotzen-trained Banner Hill has become a Vodacom Durban July dark horse since winning his SA Champions Season pipe opener over 1800m on the Greyville turf in impressive style on April 9.

The four-year-old Maine Chance Farms-bred Tiger Hill gelding will attempt to qualify for the big race on Friday night at Greyville, where he runs in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900.

Kotzen said, “He had always been our Gold Cup horse. But, when he won that 1800m race we opted for the July route. He now just has to run a cracker from a wide draw on Friday night. He is absolutely flying at home. He likes to run fresh, so we have given him a breather since that last win.”

The latter point might give him an edge, because the big rains over the last week have prevented any KZN horses from doing full work. Furthermore, the likely soft conditions tomorrow night will make the race more testing, which will play into his hands as he is a versatile type who has won from 1600m up to 3200m. Lastly, that 1800m win at Greyville was in “very soft” going, so he will enjoy the going conditions.

Banner Hill’s win on April 9 was his first outing since winning the Gr 3 Chairmans Cup over 3200m at Kenilworth. He raced off a 93 merit rating in the MR 93 1800m-handicap, meaning he had to carry topweight of 60kg. The long-striding bay went handy from draw five and was suited by a good pace. This allowed him to turn it on impressively at the top of the straight and from there on in he stayed on resolutely to win by 2,75 lengths.

Banner Hill has been raised to a 99 merit rating and faces a considerably stronger field tomorrow night. He did not feature in the first July log, so will need a big run. He jumps from draw 15 of 15, but a big plus point is that the world class Richard Fourie remains aboard. He will need a strong pace and could be vulnerable to horses which quicken well. However, he will be staying all the way to the line.

Banner Hill’s sire Tiger Hill stands in Germany at Gestüt Fährhof, owned by Andreas Jacobs, who owns Maine Chance Farms in South Africa. This Danehill stallion won three Grade 1s between one mile two furlongs (2000m) and one mile four furlongs (2400m) in the late 1990s. In 1998 he finished a one length third in the Prix de l’Arc de  Triomphe and the following year finished fifth in that elite event. As a sire Tiger Hill has produced the like of Rewilding, whose two Gr 1 wins include the Dubai Sheema Classic over a mile and four furlongs and Royal Ascot’s Prince Of Wales Stakes over a mile and two furlongs. Rewilding also finished third in the Investec Epsom Derby.

Kotzen secured Banner Hill for R200,000 at the CTS Premier Yearling Sale in 2014.

Banner Hill was an August 1 foal but started his career late, in the December of his three-year-old year, for two reasons. He injured himself one day after breaking loose and he is also a late maturing type. Kotzen confirmed Banner Hill was currently improving “month by month.”

Betting World are taking little chance with Banner Hill and have priced him up at 8/1 for the 1900 and 55/1 for the July.

David Thiselton

The Vaal Inside Track meeting tomorrow look to be competitive at first sight but on closer inspection there could be one or two good opportunities for punters.

The highest rated race on the card is a MR 92 handicap over 1200 metres. Romi’s boy is a progressive son of Querari who has come to hand since being gelded at the beginning of the year. In his last start over this trip on the Turffontein Inside Track he showed good gate speed and pace and beat a decent field hands and heels by 5,75 lengths. He is well drawn again tomorrow and can follow up off a likely capped merit rating, as he was given the maximum six for that last plate race win. Angel’s Power won going away over 1000 metres in her last start and over this suitable trip could be a threat from a good draw with Anthony Delpech up.

Anthony Delpech (Liesl King)

The first leg of the PA is a Middle Stakes event over 2400 metres and B Twenty One will be hard to peg back. She is a decent up and coming stayer going for a hattrick and is the best in at the weights. She has a tricky draw, so for Pick 6 purposes Fortune Fella and Consequentially could be considered. Fortune Fella is an honest stayer with a fair turn of foot and he could use the latter to the maximum from a good draw over a suitable trip. Consequentially is a well-bred sort who is only 0,5kg under sufferance with B Twenty One and is drawn in pole. She will be out to prove she stays this trip, having won well over 2000m before, but having failed in her only attempt at this trip.

In the first leg of the Pick 6, a maiden over 2400m, Town Flyer overcame a wide draw over 1600m last time and only just failed to win. He looks to be a staying type. Barbados Cruise went close over 2000m last time and his relaxed style of running should allow him to see out this trip, so he is the other one to put in the exotics.

The first leg of the Jackpot is a MR 80 handicap over 1700m. Misty Roller showed his class last time when blinkers were applied for the first time and cruised to victory over 1600m. A maximum eight point raise might not be enough to stop him. However, Raydaveric should be included in the exotics. This good looker has slowly come into his own since being gelded at the beginning of the year and looks to have scope for further improvement. He is well drawn over a suitable trip too.

The sixth is a MR 72 handicap over 1400 metres and Dragons Breath could be the one to side with as he finished like a train over this trip last time and has been lowered one point in the merit ratings. Analyse This improved last time over 1600m when a slow start forced hold up tactics to be applied. If the same tactics are employed over this probably more suitable trip he should go close. Sideshow just failed over this trip last time and now has the favourable number one draw. Vulcan was narrowly ahead of Side Show last time and also has a good draw. El Bombero ran on well over 1600 metres last time, but his last win was over this trip so he is another with a shout.

The eighth race, a MR 73 Handicap over 1200m, is the toughest race on the card for punters. Dreamuponadream has good pace and has dropped to a reasonable merit rating so could stay all the way to the line. William Nicol is ideally course and distance suited and has the plum number one draw. Tokyo Drift is an interesting runner as he has been shown to have pace when blinkers have been fitted and the headgear is duly back on for this drop in trip. However, the risk averse should consider adding a number of other horses to their Pick 6 perms.

The last is also a MR 73 handicap over 1200 metres and looks open at first sight. However, Thewaywemakem is an improving horse who goes for a hattrick and is only two points higher in the merit ratings for his last win. That win was over the too sharp 1000m and in his previous start he showed that a high draw over this course and distance does not phase him. The dangers could be Don Christo, who could use his excellent pace to overcome a high draw, and Pistolero, who also has a tricky draw but usually starts slowly before running on strongly, although he might be a touch high in the merit ratings at present.

By David Thiselton

There was a distinct international flavour to the action at Bath yesterday evening with leading South African jockey Gavin Lerena riding for Charlie Hills, with whom he will be based for the summer.

Lerena’s only previous visit to Britain came last year when the three-time champion apprentice in South Africa notched a 285-1 double at the Shergar Cup at Ascot – an experience which left the rider wanting more.

Lerena is to be sponsored by Chelsea Thoroughbreds, with the owners set to give the rider opportunities on their 27 horses spread between nine trainers in Britain.

Lerena said: “Racing over here is just so historical and everyone is so passionate about it. The racing gains worldwide coverage, so hopefully I can find one or two nice horses for the big days.”

Lerena was a key member of the Rest of the World team that landed the Shergar Cup in August, with notable victories coming aboard the Amanda Perrett-trained 25-1 shot Arch Villain and Richard Hannon’s Danehill Kodiac .

Despite being pipped to the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle Trophy by French rider Thierry Jarnet, Lerena describes the day as “one of the best of his career”.

He said: “Never mind riding a double, just to be at Ascot was truly amazing. The surface was beautiful and the track was testing. The winners just put the cherry on the top.”

If all goes to plan this campaign, Lerena may become a more familiar figure in Britain in the future.

He said: “If it all goes well I’d love to spend every summer in Britain. I don’t think I’d winter particularly well over here but summer racing is magnificent and something everyone wants to be a part of. It’s the place you want to be.”

– Racingpost.com

Newly licensed Summerveld trainer Nathan Kotzen attributes his passion for horseracing to his father, also named Nathan, and will attempt to get his career rolling on Friday night at Greyville where his classy filly Persian Rug runs in the Listed KRA East Coast Cup over 2000m.

The Ideal World filly infamously stopped in front of the grandstand shadow when looking to have the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes in the bag as a two-year-old.  She became disappointing thereafter on the Highveld but her career took off again soon after she was sent back to Greyville. Her form points to 2000m being her best trip, but she does have a wide draw to overcome and has also had an interrupted preparation.

Kotzen said, “She injured a near hind stifle after her last start and had a hematoma so was out of work for a bit. Therefore, I would have liked to have had one more race going into this one. The recent rain also ruled out the one more gallop I would have liked. But she has had two gallops and has done well in her work. She is fit and should run well.”

Persian Rug is a massive filly and should be suited to soft ground. She won a 2000m fillies and mares handicap on the polytrack in January, but her most eye-catching performance this season was when running the decent gelding Celtic Captain to half-a-length over 2000m on the Greyville turf in February.

Kotzen is the younger brother of Vodacom Durban July-winning trainer Glen. The brothers were taught the ropes by their father, who was both a jockey and a trainer.

Nathan has vast experience as a trainer of thoroughbreds and his new career ended a 16-year stint as assistant trainer to the legendary Mike de Kock. He obviously learnt a lot from De Kock but also attributed his overall knowledge to other trainers such as David Payne, Robbie Sivewright, Mike Azzie, Pat Shaw, Paddy Lunn, the late Michael Roberts and to his brother Glen.

Nathan helped De Kock win the KZN trainers title nine times between 2002 and 2012 and the Vodacom Durban July four times courtesy of Ipi Tombe, Greys Inn, Bold Silvano and Igugu. He was closely associated with other top horses such as Victory Moon, Flight Alert, Kildonan, Irish Flame, Vercingetorix and many others.

Nathan once dreamed of being a jockey, but was just too big to ever become one, although he did win plenty of races in the amateur ranks.

Nathan is already looking to move yards as his string has expanded to 22 and he has another four on the farm. Among the owners supporting him are Mary and Jessica Slack, long time breeding and owning stalwarts of South African racing and loyal supporters of the De Kock yard.

The long-time KZN colours of the Armstrong family will also be seen on one of his runners. These black, white and red colours are owned today by former Gold Circle director Bruce Armstrong.

Nathan picked up a Master Of My Fate filly at the National Yearling Sales, and also picked up three at recent CTS sales and one at a dispersal sale. There were a couple of well-bred sorts among those.

Kotzen said experiencing the other side of the coin, where he was now master of the yard, had not really “hit him” yet but he did confirm there was added pressure.

He spoke of the help brother Glen had given him at the sales. The skills in this area is the most important asset needed to convert from a successful assistant to a successful trainer.

His father is helping him at the yard and eldest daughter Natasha will be doing the books.

The affable Nathan has always been an asset to South African racing and it would be no surprise to see him reach the heights brother Glen has. Persian Rug, whom he has always had a share in, will be the second runner of his licensed career. 

David Thiselton

African Night Sky faces only six rivals in his bid to become the fourth horse in five seasons to complete the Winter Guineas-Winter Classic double at Kenilworth on Sunday.

African Night Sky (Liesl King)

But Our Mate Art (second), Loadshedder (third) and Turbulent Air (fifth) take on Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount again in the Highlands Stud-sponsored feature as does the Cape Guineas fourth Elevated who flopped in last month’s Grade 3.

Riaan van Reenen, who won this 1 800m test with Sweet Virginia 12 years ago, said: “Nothing showed up after the Winter Guineas but I had issues with Elevated beforehand, time got hold of me and he had to go into it needing a run.

“He also got bumped at the start and then ran a flat race. But he has come on since and has been doing well at home. This will be his third run after a lay-off and he should go well.”

Ngaga, unbeaten in three starts and half-sister to Vodacom Durban July and Met winner Igugu, has her first race since straining a suspensory on New Year’s Eve in the Stormsvlei Mile.

The in-form Grant van Niekerk rides her for the first time and Andre Nel said: “She is working well and doing well.”

By Michael Clower