Races being used as warm-ups for bigger events can often prove tricky and as the SA Champions Season approaches the three features at Greyville tomorrow are no different. Given the weights the Highland Night Cup would be at the mercy of stable companions and top weights Ovidio and Krambambuli but the spectre of a false pace and the fact that there are more lucrative races on offer over the coming months, conjures some doubt.

Top heavy-weight rider Bernard Fayd-Herbe has recently signed on as stable jockey to the powerful Justin Snaith yard and although Ovidio has cracking staying form in the Cape, Krambambuli looks to have more speed and this 2400m trip should be right up his street.

Dean Kannemeyer’s runners appear to be over their summer hiccup where many were the victim of a low-grade virus and the stable came within an ace of a treble at Scottsville mid-week. He saddles last season’s Track & Ball Derby winner Cape Speed that has been lightly raced since finishing down the field in the Gold Cup where he cast a shoe.

Krambambuli (Nkosi Hlophe)

He has only had three outings since, the last being in the Sun Met where he was fitted with blinkers in an effort to sharpen him up over what in hindsight now looks to be a trip on the sharp side.

The Gold Cup is an obvious winter season target with the Gold Vase in the offing on July Day.

All will be hoping that the front-running Serissa sets a reasonable gallop but one runner that will be suited to a slow pace is the filly Forbidden Jewel. She has a smart turn of foot, stays the trip well along with a light weight. But in the final analysis the Snaith pair are the two to beat.

The Listed Sledgehammer Handicap is another warm-up event and with some betting shops having already priced up on the Vodacom Durban July, races such as this will be closely monitored. Snaith has two early July entries in the line-up in Prince Of Wales, last year’s Betting World 1900 winner, and Elusive Silva, both coming off breaks. Snaith was quoted earlier in the week as saying both were in good order. Greg Cheyne is up from Cape Town to partner some of the Snaith runners but Anthony Delpech could be on the pick of the pair. Although not having been out since winning the Winter Derby last term, he is lightly raced, stays the trip and has the benefit of the inside gate.

Epona will be one of the leading candidates for the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 and the half-sister to champion galloper and leading sire Jay Peg has the form to back her claims in the Listed The Scarlet Lady.

The lure of $500 000 US for the CTS 1600 at Kenilworth on Met day was a carrot for all that were eligible but they ran into the now retired William Longsword with Epona some seven lengths back. However, prior to that Epona had opened her feature race account with a fluent victory in the Jamaica Handicap. Regular pilot Donovan Dillon is back aboard and he is no stranger to Greyville.

Trophy Wife (Nkosi Hlophe)

Snaith is three-handed in the race with Francia, Qing and Nima, all with smart form but with the Qing possibly the pick of the trio. She looks held by Epona on the Jamaica Handicap form but the drop to 1800m could see her more competitive. Nima finished just over two lengths back to Epona in the Jamaica and was then touched off by The High Life over the Kenilworth 2000m, so also comes into the reckoning.

Even trainers at the top of an already difficult profession admit that they learn something new almost every day and Justin Snaith has taken a leaf out of the Mike Bass book as he saddles Star Express for the Gr1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes to be run at Turffontein this afternoon.

Bass sent up Inara from her Summerveld base to triumph last year and although Star Craft lacks the Grade 1 pedigree that Inara took into the race, she comes off some solid Western Cape form which often proves superior to that on the Highveld.

Star Express has been given plenty of time to acclimatise to her Summerveld surroundings and those with long memories will remember that the likes of David Payne and Herman Brown Snr often raided the Highveld with impunity from their Summerveld base.

Narrowly beaten in the Gr1 Majorca Stakes and running the smart filly Bela-Bela to a neck at level weights puts Star Express up there with the best.

Sean Tarry has a knack of getting his runners spot-on for the big events and sends out five fillies all in with chances. Safe Harbour has proven Cape form having run Bela-Bela to less than a length in the Gr1 Paddock Stakes and more recently failed narrowly in the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic behind Orchid Island. That was her first run in a tongue-tie and she is the narrow choice ahead of stable companion Trophy Wife. Beaten two lengths by Inara last year, Trophy Wife is often a tardy starter but ran an excellent race behind crack sprinter Carry On Alice last time out. She will much prefer this trip. Of the others, Fort Ember, Juxtapose and Nother Russia could all feature in what stacks up as a tough call.

By Andrew Harrison

Those looking for ante-post Vodacom Durban July value should think about getting on the Justin Snaith-trained Prince Of Wales and Elusive Silva before the running of Sunday’s Listed Sledgehammer Handicap over 1800m at Greyville on Sunday.

Elusive Silva (Liesl King)

Prince Of Wales, a four-year-old gelding by the top stallion Dynasty, will relish the 2200m of the July on pedigree. He appeared to take a while to reach top gear in his hard knocking Summer campaign in three 1800m races at Kenilworth. However, Snaith pointed out that horses are given a lot more speed work when being trained at Summerveld for the SA Champions Season. Going back in time to 2013, the Snaith-trained Jet Explorer arrived in Durban with a similar profile to Prince Of Wales and a similar racing style, yet he suddenly showed a blistering turn of foot when easily winning the Gr 2 Betting World 1900. Prince Of Wales is currently a best price 80/1 for the July and Snaith said, “His biggest asset is his soundness, he has never had an issue and is as hard as nails.”

Snaith appeared even more bullish about the four-year-old Silvano gelding Elusive Silva, who was an ultra-impressive winner of last season’s Gr 3 Winter Derby over 2400m. He turned it on effortlessly that day.  Unfortunately, the tall, athletic horse “tweeked a leg”, while the jockey was celebrating on the line. This will be his first run since, but there has never been a reoccurrence of the injury and “all is good” for his comeback run. The booking of Anthony Delpech says it all and he has pole position draw. He is a best price 28/1 for the July.

Zodiac Ruler (Nkosi Hlophe)

Earlier, Zodiac Ruler has his first run as a gelding in an Allowance Plate for three-year-olds over 1400m. Snaith said, “He is doing very well, I couldn’t be happier, he is back to the form of last season (in which he won the Gr 2 Golden Horseshoe over this course and distance).”

Snaith runs Captain Al filly Esteemal in a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m and said, “She is a very nice filly, although she probably needs further and is up against some promising horses like the Vaughan Marshall-trained, Believethisbeauty. I will be disappointed if she doesn’t finish in the first three.”

He runs Ovidio and Krambambuli in the Highland Night Cup and admitted off their “Gr 1-like merit ratings” they are going to have it tough in the SA Champions Season staying races.

He has three runners in the Listed Scarlet Lady over 1800m and said, “They are all doing well, Nimo has a good draw, I have earmarked Francia as my Gold Cup filly and Qing is my each-way roughie for the day, she’s loving Durban and is flying.”

By David Thiselton

The Gr 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes over 1600m heads the Turffontein Standside meeting on Saturday and the talented Fort Ember looks hard to beat.

Fort Ember (Nkosi Hlophe)

Fort Ember’s run in the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m did not pan out well for her after she was caught wide early, yet she still did excellent work late to finish only a short-head behind the classy Rafeef. She was 7,15 lengths behind the Equus Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle and that was not at all a disgrace. This big Elusive Fort filly is full of class and she is getting better and better too, so from pole position under Anton Marcus she is made the best bet of the day. The main danger could be Safe Harbour, who finished runner up in all of the Gr 1 Cape Fillies Guineas, the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes and the Gr 1 SA Classic. The latter pair of races are both over 1800m, but she will probably be even better suited to this tough 1600m course and distance. She has a plum draw of six and the risk averse should include her in the exotics, as she should be cherry ripe having her third run since returning from Cape Town. Furthermore, she comes from the unstoppable yard of champion trainer Sean Tarry. Nother Russia doesn’t have an easy task on paper, especially in comparison to Bella Sonata with whom she is 4kg worse off for a mere 0,2 length beating. However, this horse looks to be a chip off the old block, her mother being the brilliant and courageous Mother Russia. She has a lovely long-striding action, despite like her mother not being the biggest, and from a good draw she could now make the step up to the top bracket. Star Express is very well regarded by the Justin Snaith yard and is raiding from Summerveld, which is at a third of the altitude of Johannesburg which makes it a better base to train for a Highveld race than Cape Town. She finished second in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes from this identical draw and can make her presence felt under Anthony Delpech. Bella Sonata has to be considered on form, but has a tough draw to overcome. Juxtapose has proven class as the winner of the Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic and Gr 2 SA Oaks last year, but she would prefer further. Tahini seems to take advantage of races, which others are using as preparations. However, she won well last time and this race will prove whether she can do it on the big stage. Anna Pavlova was left with too much to do in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas, However, she has another wide draw to overcome. Heaps Of Fun won the Gauteng Fillies Guineas last year, so is a dark horse from a good draw. Negroamara was runner up in that race, but has not won a race for about a year-and-a-half. Intergalactic was only 1,4 lengths back in a weaker renewal of this race last year. Trophy Wife was further back, but was one of the best performers in a vintage crop so can’t be ignored. Piere Strydom has stuck with the talented Polyphonic and if she settles she could do well.

The value bet of the day is Count Tassilo, who doesn’t quite get 1600m and is now back to her ideal 1400m.

The Listed Spook Express Handicap over 2450m should be fought out by the trio at the top of the weights, but the big horse Zafira is the selection as she is ideally suited to this galloping course. Silver Stripe is the dark horse here as she is 3,5kg better off with Patchit Up Baby for a 1,5 length beating over 2200m, but that was on the Inside track, which does not suit Patchit Up Baby’s style.

By David Thiselton

Tevez is well-nigh impossible to oppose in the Racing. It’s a Rush Pinnacle Stakes at Kenilworth tomorrow and he is a confident selection to overcome both top weight and a 12-week lay-off.

Aldo Domeyer’s mount won a similar race last year, albeit over a furlong less and run three weeks later, and his close-up fifth in the Cape Flying Championship suggests he is as good as ever.

“He has had a break and he will need it a bit,” warns Candice Bass-Robinson who adds “but he is the best horse in the race.”

Tevez (Liesl King)

Indeed he is. The handicappers reckon he has 2.5kg in hand over the next best (Heartland) and he is considered to be better over this trip despite that blistering run in the Cape Flying.

That would have entitled him to have another crack at the best in the Computaform Sprint but he has not been entered as his stable points out that in a few months he will be eight years old.

Heartland has not raced for nearly five months and in any case he is probably better over an extra furlong and La Favourari probably represents a bigger threat. He surprised Andre Nel when winning a 1 000m pinnacle five weeks ago but there were enough hard luck stories behind him to fill a punter’s notebook and the favourite should have his measure.

Line Break, the favourite’s stable companion, has made the frame on his last two starts but he is 5kg (over four lengths) wrong with Tevez on adjusted handicap ratings.

Purple Mountains has not been seen since finishing plumb last in the Diadem 14 weeks ago – he was returned not striding out – and is well-nigh impossible to fancy while The Stone Thrower has the most to do on ratings.

Recent Kenilworth two-year-old races have proved difficult to predict with the last four winners averaging 25-1 and only two outright favourites successful in the nine events so far this month. Just about the only positive is the success rate of the Ramsden horses which have won eight of the last 18.

The stable’s Rommel may have improved enough to reverse placings with Royal Marine in the first where Victorious Captain is an obvious danger.

The second juvenile race is trickier. Donovan Dillon partners Bayeto but stable companion Blow In The Box made up a lot of ground in the closing stages when unfancied on debut and may beat Phelan Lucky.

By Michael Clower

Visiting Western Cape trainers have already started to make their presence felt and while this has not been good news for the locals, the improved quality of the fields has led to an upturn in tote turnovers which is good news for all.

Brett Crawford (Nkosi Hlophe)

Brett Crawford is already off the mark in KZN this winter and his filly Clifton Sunset looks to have a bright chance in the Racing.it’s A Rush Middle Stakes that makes up a well filled card on the Greyville poly this evening.

It is also a late start but with just 20 minutes between races punters will need to do their homework early and be on their toes in the two-and-a-half hours or so that it takes to run the nine races.

Clifton Sunset takes on males and makes her poly debut but she comes off some smart Cape form including a close-up second last time out and as Anton Marcus is a master on the poly, Clifton Sunset looks set to open her KZN account.

Joint top weight Zloty Potok is back in blinkers after trying seven furlongs on the turf. Although well beaten he was taking on much stronger than what he meets this evening. He also goes very well on the poly so looks the obvious danger. Lil Red Rooster and Sister Cosmos are others to consider.

In the card opener, He’s A Keeper could become the first juvenile to win in open company. Alyson Wright’s gelding was a close-up second to subsequent winner Sniper Shot last time out and that form looks good enough in a field that is no great shakes.

A-Rod and Light Indigo are the two obvious choices in the second with the former possibly the pick of the pair having done well over course and distance and having her third start after a break while Light Indigo steps out for her new stable for the first time and although arriving with some useful Highveld form behind her name, it has been over a touch further.

Charles Laird holds the whip-hand in the Kidzone Handicap with Rockefeller and Team Guys with the former the likely ante-post favourite. But Byron Forster, KZN assistant to Andre Nel, could put one over them in the form of Keep On Chooglin. The lightly raced son of Trippi steps up to ten furlongs for the first time and the rise in trip could bring out the best in him. All of his recent form has been over 1400m where he has been caught for finishing speed come the final furlong but the gelding has been in good form over the shorter trip. There is no reason why he should not stay the extra and he will be a major contender.

Anton Marcus has kept faith with the three-year-old Rockefeller but Team Guys appeals more as he was finishing strongly to win his last race and could also enjoy the step up in trip although Marcus’s choice must be respected.

By Andrew Harrison