Our Mate Art can finally start realising his potential by winning the Highlands Stud Winter Guineas at Kenilworth tomorrow.

The highly regarded Australian-bred missed the rest of the Cape season after chipping a splint bone in the Selangor but returned after a 19 week lay-off to take second in a Pinnacle at the beginning of the month only to be seemingly stymied by a bad draw here.

But that all changed on Wednesday afternoon when Bernard Fayd’Herbe, as so often in the past, was first to spot that the ground on the stands side had become faster and he came home alone on the winner. In the next race they all swung wide at the turn.

If – as seems probable – conditions are much the same tomorrow Aldo Domeyer, successful on Marinaresco 12 months ago, won’t need a Marcus-type flying start to get into a decent position.

He could have most to fear from Elevated who is going to be a good price. He comes from one of the smaller yards and his recent form is positively discouraging. But he was a sick horse after the Derby and patently not ready last time. Nothing else here can match his fourth in the Cape Guineas.

“He is the best horse in the race,” says Riaan van Reenen, “and, while he is not 100%, he is very close to it – maybe 95 or 96% – and that could be enough.”

Newlands is best on ratings and Joey Ramsden is bidding for his third Winter Guineas in six seasons. The gelding has some useful form but not useful enough to jump out at you as the likely winner and the owner’s retained rider Anton Marcus is on Turbulent Air instead.

Marcus has won three of the last five Winter Guineas and his strike rate at Kenilworth this season is a barely credible 37%. In other words he has almost two winners from every five rides. Dare I say it, though, Turbulent Air looks more like one of the statistical three losers.

True, he was running for the first time for four months when only just behind Our Mate Art (who was giving 1.5kg) in the April 1 Pinnacle but he had been well beaten in races like the Langerman and the Cape Classic.

Stable companion African Night Sky has always looked a good horse in the making and, if that Pinnacle form is correct, he could get into the shake-up.

Piere Strydom is a high-profile booking for I Travel Light who finished a length in front of African Night Sky in the CTS Mile but was well beaten in the Cape Guineas. Victory for any of the other eight – Loadshedder included – would be a shock of seismic proportions.

Who will head the market is as difficult to predict as the winner but it’s important because the favourite has won five of the last six runnings. As regards the rest of the card, Fresnaye and Silver Mountain are stand-outs.

By Michael Clower

South Africa’s Champions Season in KwaZulu-Natal will kick off in fine style at Greyville on Sunday, May 7, when some of the top horses in the country meet in the R500 000, Grade 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes over 1 400m.

The final field for the race and those for the R600 000, Grade 2 Daisy Guineas and the R500 000, Grade 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas have been announced and all three events include exciting runners from around the country.

The super stars Marinaresco, Captain America and Sail South, head the 14-horse field under weight-for-age conditions in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes that traditionally opens the season and while they could well need the outing, they have the class to play major roles in the outcome.

The three followed the champion Legal Eagle home in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate at the beginning of the year and being from the top Cape stables, they are sure to be in very competitive form for this race.

Among the opposition are the likes of Champagne Haze, New Predator and Bulleting Home from Gauteng and the Cape four-year-old Black Arthur that was one of the country’s leading three-year-olds last season.

The Gauteng Guineas winner Janoobi heads the 12-horse field in the Daisy Guineas and meets the Investec Cape Derby runner-up Zodiac Ruler for the first time along with the exciting East Cape Guineas winner Gimme The Stars and the first two past the post in the Byerley Turk, Africa Rising and Copper Force.

Gimme Six, Final Judgement, Sail and Dawn Calling filled the first four places in the Umzimkhulu over 1 400m at Greyville a month ago and will renew their battle in the Daisy Fillies Guineas with the extra 200m adding a new dimension to their clash.

The three races promise very competitive and exciting battles to set the standard for a thrilling winter season.

The announcement of the first 58 entries for Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event, the R4.25-million Vodacom Durban July, heralds the start of South Africa’s Champion Season, one of the most comprehensive thoroughbred racing festivals in the world.

The action-packed three-month feast of top-class racing at Greyville and Scottsville will officially get underway with the Independent On Saturday Raceday at the Theatre Of Champions on Sunday, May 7, and carry through to the end of July with about R30-million in feature race stakes on offer for the 54 races that include 31 graded events including 13 at the highest internationally compliant Grade 1 level.

The announcement of the first big-race entries has also triggered the early outbreak of the annual phenomenon known as a July Fever, the affliction that quickly spreads around the country as enthusiasts begin searching for the potential winner and the fashion-minded seek out their designers to create their eye-catching outfits for the day.

The pundits will be hoping for early signs of potential among the three-year-olds that compete in the Daisy Guineas and Daisy Fillies Guineas, the Grade 2 events that kick off the season on May 7, and will follow their progress with others of their age that take to the stage in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.

Emerging from these races could be the stars of the future that, together with top performers from the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and Cup Trial, could take on the best in the country in the blue ribbon event on the first Saturday in July.

In between, at the end of May, the thunder of hooves will be heard at Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg when the sprinters go to battle in the four Grade 1 races over 1 200m headed by the R1-million Tsogo Sun Sprint.

Then it is the big one and some 50 000 people will flood the Greyville Racecourse for another “July Day extravaganza” and the country’s totes will be in perpetual motion as the bets on the 12-race meeting rocket up to massive levels in the region of R125-million. This will be a day of anticipation, excitement, entertainment and fashion unmatched in South Africa.

The Grade 1 Mercury Sprint will provide the excitement during the breath-catching period in mid-July before the season closes out with the recently announced Gold Cup Festival of Racing over the final weekend of July. The Champions Cup (Grade 1) will headline the 9-race programme on Saturday 29 July and the eLan Gold Cup will be featured on a 10-race programme on Sunday 30 July. The Festival will also incorporate a Gala Dinner on Thursday evening 27 July and golf-day at Royal Durban on Friday 28 July, while music and entertainment will feature prominently over the two days of quality racing.

From start to finish, it will be a rollercoaster ride of thrilling action – a festival of racing like no other in Africa. Don’t miss it!

By Richard McMillan

Craig Bantam, rattling up the winners with his 4kg claim, could find things more difficult now that he is down to 2.5kg but the way his talent has been shining through suggests he will have few problems bridging the gap and he can strike on Varifast in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap at Kenilworth today.

Bantam won on this filly and over this trip in February and, although the three-year-old now races off a mark five points higher, she would have gone very close indeed last time had she not lost valuable ground at the start.

She was 7-2 second favourite with World Sports Betting yesterday although it is perhaps worth noting that it is the other Marshall runner Secretariat’s Girl that has been attracting the money. She opened at 10-1 on Monday but little more than 24 hours later 4-1 was the best available. She ran better over this trip last time than she had done in her two previous races over a furlong further.

Darryl Hodgson’s bold bid to go for a quick follow-up with last Tuesday’s maiden winner Emerald Gal came to nought when she had to be scratched yesterday after going lame. Hodgson now relies on 9-2 shot Frosted Honey who faces a stiff task with a five point rise in her rating for her win three weeks ago.

It could be significant that Grant van Niekerk, who rode Emerald Gal, had already committed himself to Elusive Empress who is 3-1 favourite, has been dropped a point and reverts to 1 200m after three runs over a furlong further.

The three Joey Ramsden two-year-olds failed to collect on Saturday but Apollo Star can resume normal service in the first. Donovan Dillon’s mount was second against older horses when he suffered slight interference over 1 400m last time but the stable reckons that he is just as effective over this shorter trip. Indeed he was fourth in the Kuda Sprint on Met day. He has already been backed from 5-2 to 18-10.

Supreme Orator (3-1) and What A Summer (33-10) both made the frame first time and are obvious dangers while there has been money for the Snaith newcomer Oratio.

Oh Susanna, ponied to the start when second favourite on debut, lost significant ground coming out of the pens but recovered to beat all except surprise fellow newcomer Raya Baya and could prove hard to beat at 15-10 in race two.

She should confirm the placings with 5-1 chance Evie’s Light (1 ¼ lengths back third) as well as with Daring Jayne, Easy Virtue and Dubai Queen who were all long shots and ran accordingly. Mainland’s debut fourth has been franked by the subsequent win of second-placed Lily Theresa and Aldo Domeyer’s mount is second favourite at 9-2.

By Michael Clower

Mike Miller’s decision to let Call Me Winter take her chances in the Morris Vee Handicap at Greyville on Friday has been to the benefit of most of the opposition.

Many will argue that being a handicap, Call Me Winter’s burden of 65kg is deserved but the fact remains that it is unusual for a trainer to accept given her weight.

That said, Call Me Winter is back over what is seemingly her preferred surface and the fact that Miller has not even taken advantage of a claiming apprentice one would assume that he has the race sussed.

In opposition to Call Me Winter are two smart older horses in Icy Spirit and Cosmic Burst while the visiting Miss Malbec will also have her supported.

Icy Spirit has come into her own over the past few weeks as Alyson’s Wrights filly has notched a couple of wins over Friday’s course and distance and a close-up second when stretched to seven furlongs from the worst of the draw last time out.

She is obviously progressive and the fact that Anthony Delpech has stuck with the mount adds to her appeal.

Cosmic Burst is seldom too far off the pace and Dennis Drier’s yard is slowly turning the corner after a relatively quiet season so far.

Last time out in the KZN Stakes you could have written your own ticket about her chances but those bookies taking your bet will have sweated a little as Cosmic Burst ran up a close fourth behind the speedy Jo’s Bond and the smart Elusivenchantment.

Both those outings were on the turf which is of some concern as Cosmic Burst’s poly form is nothing to write home about, but that does not take away from her ability and from a gate next door to Icy Spirit she should be a contender.

Call Me Winter has it tough as a three-year-old with 65kg to shoulder, 10kg more than her older rivals, but she has cracking form on the poly. She was three lengths behind Cosmic Burst in the race won by Jo’s Bond at Scottsville and prior to that was a close-up second to Elusivenchantment, also on the turf.

The stable is showing signs of coming to hand and it wold be unwise to write her off lightly.

Although Glen Kotzen has a satellite yard in KZN, his Cape raiders have come good early and Miss Malbec will have her supporters come Friday evening.

She made a smart local debut on the poly under 62kg from the worst of the draw and although she takes on stronger here, she should have benefited from the outing and the experience on the poly and she is draw in pole position with Icy Spirit and Cosmic Burst directly on her outside.

Mogostar and Royal Kaitrina have outstanding chances in the Jayces Projects Handicap but Sean Tarry’s charge De Nimes made a smart poly debut under Anthony Delpech and although taking a significant rise in class, the lightly raced five-year-old could well show further improvement on the synthetic surface.

Joshua’s Answer and Just Cruised In can do much better than their latest efforts in the Laboratory Supply Handicap although veteran Jamal has plummeted down the handicap and Frank Robinson has kept the gelding on the go for six seasons and 63 outings for three wins, a current rating of 40 and bottom weight.

He could prove to be the surprise package.

The balance of the card consists of Maidens and lowly handicaps and past experience suggests that market moves often prove more significant than form.

Friday also marks the end of the regular Friday night racemeetings at Greyville as the South African Champions Season moves into full swing on the following weekend with the running of the Gr2 Daisy Guineas and the Gr2 Daisy Fillies Guineas.

By Andrew Harrison