New Turf Carriers have come on board as sponsors of the 2017 Rider Cup Interprovincial jockeys’ challenge which is due to take place at Scottsville Racecourse on Saturday, 9 July 2017.

Based on the National Jockeys and Apprentice logs as at the end of May, invitations will be sent to riders from each of the provinces with the leading jockey in each of the jurisdictions being appointed the Captain of his team. “The top three riders in each province at the end of May (based on National statistics) will qualify for automatic invitations but the fourth member of each team will be a “Captain’s pick”, which represents a change from previous years’ team selection,” said Gold Circle’s Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins. “There are sometimes unforeseen circumstances which could lead to a deserving rider not having ridden enough winners to qualify automatically and the onus will now be on the Captain to extend a personal invitation to the fourth member of each team,” he added.

The Highveld Hawks are the defending champions while the KZN Falcons won the inaugural Rider Cup in 2015. The Cape Eagles have finished second in both previous events and will be looking to set the record straight this year.

What a finish! Marinaresco wins the Gr2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes on Sunday May 7…

 

Marinaresco, written off by many after a modest Cape Summer, burst back onto the scene with a narrow but satisfying victory in the Gr2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes at Greyville yesterday.

“When it comes to short heads the good horses get their heads down,” may prove prophetic words from winning jockey Bernhard Fayd’Herbe come the fat end of Champions Season.

Camped at Summerveld for two months after his Met run, Marinaresco has found his feet. Robert Fayd’Herbe, Candice Bass-Robinson’s KZN assistant said, “It has taken a while to get him right. They found a few things about him and they worked on it and he’s coming good.” Ominous words for the opposition come the build-up to the Vodacom Durban July.

Victorious Jay ran out of his skin to be denied on the line along with Saratoga Dancer in third in a blanket finish that included Captain America and New Predator.

Unlucky in last year’s Vodacom Durban July behind The Conglomerate, all is seemingly on track for Marinaresco for this year’s renewal.

Janoobi wins the Daisy Guineas

Having ridden over 5000 winners, Piere Strydom did not come down with the last shower of rain; but his colleagues obviously did.

Strydom played them all on the break in the Gr1 Gauteng Guineas where he nursed home the stamina-suspect Janoobi for Mike de Kock’s 3000^th South African winner and repeated the dose in the Gr2 Daisy Guineas.

The one draw over the Greyville 1600m on the turf is always an advantage and Strydom made the most of it, jumping smartly, slowing them down, and sprinting for home. It was not all easy. Janoobi was pulling like a dentist on a sore tooth from the jump, but Strydom had enough control to slow the field up to a crawl up the hill.

He pinched a crucial break at the top of the straight and kept Janoobi rolling to the line.

Gimme Six wins the Daisy Fillies Guineas

“She’s a top, top filly. Justin is very lucky to have her,” enthused Anthony Delpech. Snaith rarely arrives for Champions Season thin on the ground when it comes to fillies and he has taken the wraps off another smart individual in Gimme Six who confirmed her form in the Umzimkulu Stakes with an emphatic victory in the Gr2 Daisy Fillies Guineas.

“Her turn of foot is her biggest weapon,” confirmed Snaith as Gimme Six gave them six, quickening away to win as she liked with the luckless Final Judgment second again.

Andrew Harrison

Picture: Marinaresco, with Bernard Fayd’Herbe up, led in by Robert Fayd’Herbe [Nkosi Hlophe]

The jockeys championship has been thrown wide open by Gavin Lerena’s decision to ride in England for much of the remainder of the season.

The 2014/15 champion was eight clear on 129 winners at the start of yesterday’s racing but, with him out of the running, Anthony Delpech (121), Greg Cheyne (118) and Anton Marcus (116) are vying for favouritism.

Cheyne, the only one of the trio not to have been champion before, was many people’s idea of the likely winner before Lerena hit top gear but at the weekend he once again insisted that he is determined not to be sucked into a gruelling fly-everywhere battle, saying: “I am just going to carry on the way I am.”

It’s not just a three-horse war either. Five others went into yesterday with more than 100 winners – Craig Zackey (109), Richard Fourie (104), Muzi Yeni, Andrew Fortune (both on 103) and S’Manga Khumalo (102).

Lerena is to ride for Lambourn trainer Charlie Hills and his trip is being sponsored by the Chelsea Thoroughbreds Syndicate managed by Joey Ramsden’s brother James. Its 27 horses are spread around nine trainers thus increasing Lerena’s possible opportunities.

Mike de Kock is to train Goddess Var, the Var grand-daughter of champion Promisefrommyheart who set a new National Yearling Sale record when sold to Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Shadwell South Africa for R5 million on Friday.

Form Bloodstock’s Jehan Malherbe, who did the bidding, also bought the top-priced lot at the Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale a fortnight earlier. Grab The Light, a full brother to Jackson, will go to Dean Kannemeyer. The purchaser of the R3.8 million colt asked Malherbe not to reveal his or her name although it will be readily accessible once the ownership is registered.

Michael Clower

Dutch Philip looks set to give the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion a miss on Saturday fortnight and stay at home for the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery on the same day despite making it three out of four with a convincing performance in the Somerset 1200 at Kenilworth on Saturday.

“We did talk about Scottsville but I’m not sure that I really want to take him there,” said Candice Bass-Robinson. “He is going in the right direction and he can only improve.”

That right direction is heading tantalising towards the Cape Guineas. True, the colt’s task was made easier by the viral infection sweeping through Joey Ramsden’s horses – Ricardo Sobotker found it in half the 14 he tested including Morning Catch and Speedpoint, but Dutch Philip was conceding weight all round and he won in good style.

There is a certain inevitability when Aldo Domeyer begins to wind up a fancied contender and it was obvious that the 14-10 shot was going to win well before he hit the front 300m from home. Certainly he looked value for a little more than the length he beat the 4kg-receiving Kasimir.

“I knew he would get there when I needed him to but I didn’t want to give them too much start with me giving them all weight,” Domeyer related. “At the 400m mark I felt I couldn’t hold him back any longer – I was interrupting his stride – and he quickened like I thought he would.

“He has quite a bit of class and a really nice turn of foot. He should get a mile in time because he switches off like a lamb.”

Magical Wonderland, who followed up for the same connections in the Perfect Promise Sprint, will also be back in action on May 27 – for the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery – and she is also by What A Winter. Little wonder that Marsh Shirtliff has already bought nine yearlings by the sire he raced with such success.

What A Winter also describes the present climate but nobody follows the weather patterns more closely than Mike Stewart and the Noordhoek trainer is convinced the rain will come – and that, when it does, he will clean up with Al Wahed. Donovan Dillon’s mount took the 1 000m handicap despite the fast ground.

“Al Wahed is going to win plenty – he has such a low rating. At one time he was running off 89 and he will only get three points for this,” Stewart explained before adding, tongue in cheek, “At the end of the winter he can retire and become a trail horse.”

Platinum Prince, who initiated Domeyer’s treble with a comfortable win in the mile handicap, is seemingly also one to put in the notebook.

“At one time Richard Fourie rated him our best two-year-old,” Jonno Snaith recalled. “He is going to be a really nice stayer and I’m just sad we didn’t put him in Saturday’s East Cape Derby. It looks particularly weak this time.”

Michael Clower

History was made when a Var filly was knocked down for R5 million on Friday, the final day of the 2017 National Yearling Sale.

The filly, named Goddess Var, is the most expensive yearling ever sold at BSA auction, surpassing the R4.75 million paid for Savannah Cat in 2015 and she was knocked down to Shadwell South Africa. Consigned by Varsfontein Stud she will be trained by Joey Ramsden.
The sale proved favourable for buyers, with many picking up notable bargains, but a lack of middle market was once again in evidence and reflected in the sales’ overall statistics.

While the aggregate of the 2017 National Sale rose from R106 885 000 to R11 770 000 (a rise of nearly 5%), both the average price and median dropped. The average fell from R320 015 to R304 550 (or 5%), while the median dropped from R200 000 to R180 000.

The number of horses failing to sell increased notably from 58 a year ago to 68 in 2017.

Jehan Malherbe of Form Bloodstock was by far and away the leading buyer his 29 yearlings purchased grossing a total of R20.245 million. Next on the list was Shadwell South Africa, whose five lots grossed R9.2 million and included Goddess Var.

Varsfontein Stud headed the vendors list, with 23 of their 27 lots offered grossing R15.495 million, averaging R673 696. Mauritzfontein, Wilgerbosdrift, Lammerskraal and Drakenstein Stud rounded off the top five vendors.

CEO Michael Holmes said, “In the face of difficult trading conditions, the sale held up well. We are pleased with the aggregate increase, and, while the median is down, the overall result was commendable given the current economic climate the clearance rate is higher than 2016 and we plan on improving it further over the coming years. The market remains very quality conscious and lacks depth, a fact which is reflected in the results.

– Bloodstock SA