The Mark Dixon-trained London Call was an impressive winner of a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1100m at Scottsville on Sunday under Marco van Rensburg and will by all accounts be a big runner in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at the Festival Of Speed meeting on May 27 at Scottsville.

Another KZN Gr 1 hopeful for the Festival Of Speed might well be the filly Great Aim, who is trained out of the small yard of Ivan Moore, who has proved before he can get the best out of a good horse.

London Call (Nkosi Hlophe)

Van Rensburg was impressed with the big stride of London Call on Sunday and said he would be “hard to beat” if carrying the right weight in the Tsogo Sun. He was thankful for the advice he received from London Call’s regular pilot Brandon Lerena from Mauritius and hoped he would keep the ride. He reckoned there would be a lot of jockeys trying to get aboard the six-year-old Kahal gelding.

London Call has only had 13 career starts, winning eight of them. Dixon has learnt how to peak him for a race by using the Summerveld sand tracks, as he takes a long time to recover from his races and his issues mean he is unable to work on the grass. The connections were bitterly disappointed, if not angry, when London Call was eliminated from the Tsogo Sun field last year. However, he has made sure of his place this year as he is unbeaten in four starts from 1100m to 1400m this season and ran off a 108 merit rating on Sunday. In fact Dixon said he is only getting better, so missing last year’s race might have turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

On Sunday, he beat a good field by 1,75 lengths, despite carrying topweight of 61,5kg.

There were good Tsogo Sun trials for a number of other horses in the race. The Justin Snaith-trained Sergeant Hardy finished an excellent second considering he is only a three-year-old and carried joint topweight. Furthermore, he likely needed the run, his first since outing since his disappointing unplaced run on Sun Met day when starting at 15/10. When at his best Sergeant Hardy is capable of blitzing a field, but on this occasion he sat just off the pace but had to be pushed along from a long way out, so will likely come on a lot from the run.

Barbosa (Nkosi Hlophe)

Dennis Drier’s Gr 1 winners Guinness and Seventh Plain ran good trials in third and fourth, although they were both receiving 3kg from the winner. The former was returning from a long break, while the latter, who ran on in eye-catching style, was having his first outing since the Betting World Cape Flying Championship on Sun Met day.

Drier’s evergreen Barbosa was also not disgraced in seventh, considering he was carrying joint topweight and had a small traffic problem late on.  The Brett Crawford-trained Search Party ran a good sixth with joint topweight, considering he likely needed the run, his first since the Cape Flying.

There were also excellent big race trials from the Duncan Howells pair Saratoga Dancer and Ten Gun Salute. Both are entered in the Vodacom Durban July and they stayed on for fifth and eighth respectively.

Earlier on the powerfully built Drier-trained Var filly Vanity Fair led a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m from pillar to post under Anthony Delpech to win easing up by 2,5 lengths. This franked the form of the Ivan Moore-trained Great Aim, who is by Main Aim. On debut over 1000m at Scottsville Great Aim showed fine cruising speed before quickening to win by 1,5 lengths, beating Vanity Fair by 1,75 lengths. The yard said she had “woken up” from that run and would now be aimed at the Strelitzia Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville on April 30. That race will tell whether the Allan Robertson is a realistic target. Moore won a juvenile Gr 1 with the Australian-bred Fighting Warrior in 2011 on one of the few occasions he was given the chance to train a top horse.

By David Thiselton

Samsara appeals at 2-1 for the Andrews family in the Racing Association Maiden at Kenilworth today after running so well on debut.

Bred and part-owned by Terry and Annabel Andrews and ridden by their son Anthony, she was a totally unfancied 35-1 over this trip three weeks ago but kept on take third, only a neck behind second-placed Emerald Gal who re-opposes and is 17-10 favourite with World Sports Betting.

“I hadn’t expected that and it was her first time on grass,” recalls Greg Ennion who has a share in the filly and adds significantly: “She has improved since then.”

Irish import Emerald Gal started favourite last time but ran as if she needs further –indeed as her pedigree suggested she would – but apparently it is not as straightforward as that.

“She gives you that impression but we tried her over further and she didn’t get it,” says Darryl Hodgson. “Her problem is that she wants some give in the ground and at the moment the going is on top. She will be OK when there is a bit of rain.”

However it would be unwise to dismiss her chance – Kenilworth maidens are littered with horses with a string of placed runs to their name finally coming good against better fancied lightly-raced opposition – and Grant van Niekerk now knows her like the back of his hand.  She certainly rates the danger.

Interestingly Joey Ramsden introduces the Western Winter two-year-old Fresnaye and this one opened at 28-10. She could well go close but it is worth noting that she meets the three-year-olds on terms 5.5kg (more than four lengths) worse than weight-for-age.

Rings And Things, at R380 000 the highest-priced of the five sold at auction, has been backed for the first and is now even money. She looks hard to oppose. She had stable companion Hopeful (5-1 here and drawn on the outside) nearly two lengths behind when second to Favola despite racing green on the bend. She had had two good runs up the straight previously.

Richard Fourie gets off Ostinato (supported from 8-1 to 11-2) to ride 25-1 newcomer Gold Kind but explains this is because of owner-retainer obligations. However he adds that he thinks the 1 400m could be a bit far for his former mount.

Varside, backed from 5-2 to 16-10 for race two, has slightly better form than Captain Ram (6-1) and is preferred although it’s worth bearing in mind that the Brett Crawford runner lost valuable ground at the start on debut.  But watch out for Querari’s Secret as he was well backed yesterday morning.

Michael Clower

The build up to the 2017 Vodacom Durban July has begun and among the 58 entries, who will either be preparing for battle or fighting for a place in the field on July 1, are no fewer than 14 individual Gr 1 winners.

There is unlikely to be a repeat of last year’s weights anomaly, which saw all but five of the eventual 18 runners competing under sufferance.

The Joey Ramsden-trained The Conglomerate will thus have an outstanding chance of defending his crown. If the race was run tomorrow he would carry the same weight as last year, 55,5kg.

The nominations are  headed by the Brett Crawford-trained Sun Met third-placed Captain America, who has developed into a highly effective front runner. Captain America’s 116 merit rating is one higher than the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Marinaresco’s. The latter finished a flying second last year before winning the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m at Greyville.

National champion trainer Sean Tarry has the most entries, 16, and among them is last year’s topweight French Navy. This five-year-old is now merit rated 113 and can match it with the best when at his absolute peak. Tarry has nine three-year-olds among his entries and the best candidate could well be Al Sahem, an inexperienced Silvano colt who was runner up in both the Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas and Gr 1 SA Classic.

Bela-Bela with Anthony Delpech up (Nkosi Hlophe)

Justin Snaith’s nine entries include the dual Gr 1-winning champion filly Bela-Bela as well as last year’s July fourth-placed It’s My Turn and also the talented Black Arthur. His four-year-old Dynasty gelding Prince Of Wales has been especially laid out for this KZN campaign and is one who could emerge from the blue.

Bass-Robinson has two Gr 1-winning fillies among her four entries, Nightingale and Silver Mountain, and the former makes more appeal over this trip. Her expensively bought three-year-old Horizon could also develop into a July horse.

Brett Crawford’s three entries include the Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby winner Edict Of Nantes.

Mike de Kock has five entrants and it would be no surprise to see him win his fifth July with the progressive Gr 1 SA Classic winner, Heavenly Blue. His Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic winner Orchid Island could also make her presence felt.

Geoff Woodruff has a strong entry of five. They include the twice Gr 1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup winner Master Sabina and the promising three-year-old gelding Pagoda. His other three entries Deo Juvente, Master Switch and Bi Pot have all been Gr 1 placed.

Former KZN champion trainer Duncan Howells’ four entries include last year’s fifth-placed Saratoga Dancer as well as Ten Gun Salute, who is a dark horse as he has reportedly been a different horse since gelding.

There are only two other KZN horses, the talented Gareth van Zyl-trained Celtic Captain, and the Gavin van Zyl-trained Gr 1 SA Derby runner up Rocketball, who continues to disappoint considering his massive stride.

Johan Janse van Vuuren has entered Brazuca, who was an impressive winner of the Gr 2 Colorado King Stakes over 2000m at Turffontein last time out.

Stanley Ferreira has entered the classy Gr 1-winning filly Juxtapose, who won two legs of last season’s SA Triple Tiara.

Weiho Marwing has entered last year’s July third-placed Mac De Lago. However, this Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner has had a disappointing season.

The first supplementary stage is on May 9.

It was also announced on Thursday that Gold Circle have joined forces with Prosport International to stage a “festival of racing” on the last weekend of the SA Champions Season. This extravaganza will have nine races on the Saturday, including the Gr 1 Champions Cup, and ten races on the Sunday, including the e Lan Gold Cup.

David Thiselton

Made In Hollywood can show that last time’s six-length romp was no fluke by winning the Place Your Bets Juvenile Plate at Kenilworth on Saturday,

The Joey Ramsden filly led two furlongs out on Prix du Cap day and came right away to win in a common canter with Anton Marcus declaring: “She gave me a very smart feel.” True, the form has only been franked by fourth-placed Favola while the runner-up, fifth and seventh have all been well beaten since.

Joey Ramsden (Nkosi Hlophe)

But this R450 000 buy gave the impression of serious potential and she should be able to beat the other four previous winners in Saturday’s field. The Somerset-bound Dutch Philip would have run last week had the race not been scrapped and he was good enough to take third in the Met-day Listed race when starting a hot favourite.

Only two subsequent winners have come out of that 14-strong field but this is a smart colt. So too is Zodiac Jack who has a five-length win to his credit and should be forgiven last time’s odds-on defeat as he was found to be incubating an infection.

This race would have been scuppered for the second week running had not Ramsden put three in it. His juveniles are strong this season and it’s worth bearing in mind that Speedpoint had a bit in hand when springing an 11-1 surprise in a field of 16 that had subsequent winner Pen-Chan three lengths back third.

The stable’s third string Rose In Bloom is more difficult to fancy. She started odds-on last month but had to stretch to hold off Casual Diamond and has more on her plate here.

Ramsden introduces the R650 000 Var filly Ice Queen, whose dam is a sister to Mother Russia, in the first but riding arrangements point to stable companion Fours A Crowd who led on debut but weakened in the final 200m to take fourth to surprise winner Raya Baya.

However the debut form of Angel’s Trumpet suggests that the Snaith filly may prove the stronger. She had Merysagos, Delia’s Delight, Dragonair and Heart Of Legend well behind on her debut third to Regal Ruby and last Saturday’s winner Lily Theresa in a field of 18. But it’s worth noting that Heart Of Legend lost a fair bit of ground at the start that day.

BLOB All three of Michael Clower’s selections won last Saturday including Pen-Chan at 4-1.

By Michael Clower

Nicklaus has cost himself victory in the boardroom on more than one occasion and Duncan Howells will be looking for a change of fortune for his runner in the sixth at Greyville on Friday evening.

Nicklaus (Nkosi Hlophe)

Thirtytwo Squadron was the steward’s beneficiary four runs back and then it was the turn of Last Tiger who took the slightest of nudges but enough to convince the stewards that Nicklaus was at fault.

Keagan de Melo made sure that Nicklaus stayed away from trouble at his next start but Just Ask Me got first run and he was unable to haul him in before the line.

1400m on the Greyville poly is the gelding’s optimum trip and although he takes on a useful field he is due a change of fortune.

The Slade is no stranger to the poly track having shed his maiden on the course before being shipped off to Cape Town for the summer where he contested the Selangor Cup and the Politician Stakes. He was well beaten in both events but was not far off the winners. He strikes as a progressive gelding and Dean Kannemeyer’s runners have an enviable record on the poly track.

Ashton Arries is full value for his 4kg claim and can break a string of runners-up places for We’re Watching You for Michael Roberts and confirm the form behind Icy Spirit. At time of writing, Arries was four winners away from 20 and having his claim reduced to 2.5kg.

By Andrew Harrison