Justin Snaith believes the Gr 3 Byerley Turk looks a little less competitive than the Gr 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes at Greyville on Sunday, but on the other hand he said the filly Gimme Six would be more forward than the colt Copper Force.

Justin Snaith (Nkosi Hlophe)

Snaith said, “I had Jo’s Bond ready last Sunday, as it was her target (she won the Listed Kwazulu Natal Stakes). This is Gimme Six’s main target and she is properly ready. She has taken very well to KZN and has really been doing well at home. She has been at Summerveld for two weeks and put up a very impressive gallop here.

I am happy with Copper Force, but I have left a little in the tank, so he may need it a little, he is at about 90%, but he is ready enough to run a nice race. There is a long season to go with him, but I expect a good run from a good draw. Gimme Six will need a bit of luck from the draw. If my horses don’t run into the money here they are in trouble for the season. None of my horses have seen Greyville, which is going to make it harder. I don’t know whether they will take to the track or not.”

He also runs Sir Frenchie in a Juvenile Plate over 1200m and Captain Splendid in a MR 93 Handicap over 1800m.

He said, “Sir Frenchie is very well at home, we will see how he handles Greyville. Captain Splendid has taken well to Durban and is very well and looks amazing, but I think he might just be one run short.”

Gavin Lerena rides Captain Splendid and Anthony Delpech, who formed a lethal classic race combination with Snaith last SA Champions Season, rides the other three.

By David Thiselton

The Dennis Drier yard are expecting a big run from Sail in the Gr 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes over 1400m at Greyville on Sunday.

However, the noises from the Paul Gadsby yard are not as bullish for their Gr 1 winner Gunner, who runs in the Gr 3 Byerley Turk Stakes over the same course and distance.

Sail (Nkosi Hlophe)

Stuart Ferrie, assistant to Drier reckoned the 1400m trip was just about Sail’s optimum and said, “There are just limited opportunities over this trip. She is fit and well and will be ready.”

Drier also runs the classy The High Life.

However, Ferrie said, “It is a bit sharp for her, but we have to get her going somewhere.”

Ferrie concluded, “Sail is the right one.”

The last time Sail went this trip she beat the Gr 1 winner The Secret Is Out by two lengths at Kenilworth, although she was receiving 3kg. The classy Philanthropist filly subsequently finished a fine fourth from a wide draw in the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and she was far from disgraced in both the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes and Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1800m and 1600m respectively. On Sunday she jumps from a plum draw of two and should go close.

The High Life has won her last two starts over 1800m and 2000m respectively at Kenilworth.and shouldn’t be ignored on Sunday running fresh as she has a fine turn of foot.

Paul Gadsby said the Gimmethegrenlight gelding Gunner had had a “few little problems” which the yard were now on top of. However, he added he would not be “100% wound up”. He said the going had been a bit hard for Gunner down in Cape Town. He also pointed out his form had not stood up too well. Furthermore, from his wide draw he would have to be ridden “from off them” on Sunday.

However, Gadsby concluded, “He is not the biggest, but he is a genuine horse with a big heart and we have always thought a lot of him. Sunday’s run will show us where we are at with him.”

Gunner showed a terrific turn of foot when winning the Gr 1 Premiers Champion Stakes over 1600m last season.

Gadsby expected a big run from On Your Life in the third race on Sunday and said his last run had been “all wrong”.

By David Thiselton

Nickel Coin won the Grand National. Silver Coin will never be asked to do that but he could well run in some of the top races in South Africa and Joey Ramsden is already thinking in terms of the Langerman.

R6 million is a hell of a lot to pay for a horse but you could see why when this one strode impressively round the Kenilworth parade ring shortly after noon yesterday with his powerful bay, almost black, frame marked only by a broad white blaze stretching down his face to his nostrils.

Punters had seized on him during the morning, backing him from 33-10 to evens before he eased to 5-4. “There was money for him alright but not a fortune,” said on-course bookmaker Bertie Dobbie. “But there wasn’t much for anything else bar the second favourite, Victorius Captain.”

Silver Coin (Wayne Marks)

The Silvano colt certainly moved like a dream going to post but he wasn’t as quick out of the gates as Victorious Captain on whom MJ Byleveld set out to gallop the opposition into the ground – and he was soon six lengths clear.

“MJ certainly got a good lead and for a minute I didn’t think any of us were going to get to him,” said Silver Coin’s by now anxious rider Donovan Dillon. “I had to ask my horse a bit sooner than I wanted and he just lengthened.”

He certainly turned it on in the closing stages, making up three lengths in the final 300m to get up almost on the line to score by just under half a length from What A Winner who pipped the tiring Victorious Captain on the post.

“He was a beautiful horse at the sales but price tags never bother me,” said Joey Ramsden wearing a rather more relaxed expression than he had done ten minutes earlier.

“I wasn’t expecting fireworks but this is a smashing horse and it was a good effort. It would have been easy for him to throw in the towel first time but he didn’t and I loved the way he pegged them back. I thought this was a run full of merit.”

But when asked about plans the often-outspoken Milnerton trainer wanted to know why the authorities scratched the two winners’ races this coming Saturday and replaced them with maidens – and he was in no mood to be appeased by any not-enough-runners explanation.

“It’s pathetic,” he declared. “We put the effort in and there is nowhere for our horses to go. We can’t get manipulated like this. They should run the races and teach them (those that scratched or didn’t enter) a lesson. They would put them in next time.”

But, brought back to Silver Coin, Ramsden mentioned his love of dominating the Langerman – and the June 24 feature looks like being on the shopping list.

by Michael Clower

Former national champion trainer Charles Laird has been in top form at present and fittingly his four-year-old Kahal gelding Top Form emphasised the point at Greyville last Friday night.

Top Form is one of a few horses who gives the Laird yard SA Champions Season hopes.

Charles Laird (Nkosi Hlophe)

The speedster dominated a strong 1200m Pinnacle Stakes race, overcoming a draw of eight and leading from start to finish under Anton Marcus to complete a course and distance hattrick. Once in front Top Form stretched out nicely and was enjoying himself, but he still had a lot in hand and quickened away to win by two lengths. He had some useful types like Rodney, Captain Chaos, Angel’s Power, Cutting Edge, Captain Swarovski and Highway Explorer well beaten. Among those the favourite and topweight Captain Swarovski deserves a special mention as he broke well but began fighting for his head and will come on from the run, while Rodney ran on well from behind and Angel’s Power was doing some eyecatching late work.

Laird said he was unlikely to enter Top Form in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville, which could be tempting as he would come in with a low weight off his current 101 merit rating. He will instead be aiming him at the Post Merchants over his favourite Greyville 1200m. This event is on the turf, but Top Form did win last season’s KZN Winter Challenge 1200 on the Greyville grass.

Laird’s best chance of landing a Champions Season Gr 1 must be with the Var colt Varallo, who is unbeaten in two starts over 1000m and 1200m respectively, both at Scottsville. In the latter start he was very green, but still won comfortably. He is superbly bred, being out of the Western Winter mare Covenant, who was bred in the purple and won a Gr 1 over a mile and three Gr 2s over sprints. On the combination of pedigree and style of racing Varallo should comfortably stay further than sprints. However, his first big Champions Season target will likely be the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion on May 27 at Scottsville.

Top Form (Nkosi Hlophe)

Laird will run the Warm White Night gelding Buffalo Soldier in the Gr 3 Byerley Turk over 1400m at Greyville this Sunday. He has no doubt this horse will stay even as far as a mile. In last season’s Gr 2 Golden Horseshoe, Buffalo Soldier set the pace and stayed on well for a 3,75 length fourth to the subsequent Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby runner up Zodiac Ruler. From draw three and with the blinkers on it would be no surprise to see Marcus taking him to the front again in the Byerley Turk. However, Laird had not yet looked at the field and said this would not necessarily be the tactic.

Laird recently sent out the three-year-old Dynasty filly Hot Toddy to win on debut by 6,5 lengths over 1600m at Scottsville. However, she was restless in the stalls that day and had to be removed and reloaded and she also needs ground. Therefore, he is taking it slowly with her and she is not entered in Sunday’s Gr 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes over 1400m.

The yard’s Listed winner over 1400m Palladium has been gelded and is one to watch during the Champions Season.

Laird will continue to take “baby steps” with Captain Of Rock. This Seventh Rock three-year-old colt is out of a five-times winning Captain Al mare. He took five runs to win his maiden, but followed up with a nice win on the Greyville poly when stepped down to 1000m for the first time and looks to have potential.

Four-year-old Trippi gelding Monte Christo is another speedster who could do well for the Summerveld-based yard up to 1400m.

Friday night’s Gr 3 King’s Cup third-placed Secret Warning is a consistent miler and will also held his own in handicaps during the winter.

Meanwhile, Laird’s useful older horse Stormy Eclipse had been sent to Tara Laing’s Port Elizabeth yard in order to take part in races like the Algoa Cup.

By David Thiselton

A remarkable set of circumstances will bring evergreen jockey Jeff Lloyd to the Sunshine Coast track in Caloundra tomorrow, as he aims to break Chris Munce’s Brisbane jockeys’ premiership record of 103 winners in a season.

Jeff Lloyd salute (Nicola Lloyd Twitter)

Lloyd, 55, will take five rides on the eight-race metropolitan program at the same track where he suffered a life-threatening stroke in 2013.

It will also be on the same track where he rode seven winners in one day on November 29, last year.

In another incredible twist, it was also at Caloundra in 2012 when Munce became the first Brisbane-based hoop to ride 100 metropolitan winners in a season, after he guided Belltone to win the listed Glasshouse Hcp.

Sunshine Coast Turf Club (SCTC) chief Mick Sullivan remembers the day well, and never thought the record would be broken so soon. “And (Lloyd’s) still got four months to go. To break the record in eight months is unbelievable,” he said.

Lloyd drew level with Munce’s record on March 25, and after a stint on the sidelines through suspension, will start the meeting aboard the Desleigh Forster-trained Sun Deck in Race 2 (1.10pm).

One of his best chances looks to be aboard the Jeffrey Chan-trained Fast Choice (Race 7), a lightly- raced 6yo stallion by Redoute’s Choice, which saluted as an odds-on favourite at Corbould Park on March 12.

He’ll also ride She Goes Pop (Race 3) and Prontezza (Race 8) for the trainer he’s become synonymous with in recent seasons, Toby Edmonds.

Asked why Lloyd was so popular among trainers in Queensland, Sullivan said it was simple. “His record speaks for itself,” he said, referring to Lloyd’s hoards of premierships in Mauritius and South Africa and stints in Hong Kong.

“He has ridden winners all over the world.”

–        https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/

Catch live coverage this morning of the Sunshine Coast racemeeting on Tellytrack [DSTV 239]