Elusivenchantment and Call Me Winter will be warming up for Champions Season when they clash in the Racing.It’s A Rush Pinnacle Stakes over 1000m at Scottsville this afternoon.

Duncan Howells has high hopes for the Elusive Fort half-sister to the exceptional sprinter Via Africa and has another crack at the Gr1 City of Pietermaritzburg Sprint in mind. In that feature last year she was in contention until the final 50 m before being swamped and finishing sixth, beaten two lengths by Real Princess.

Elusivenchantment (Nkosi Hlophe)

Elusivenchantment subsequently followed up with two comfortable victories, the last over course and distance, but that was back in October last year with Howells giving the filly an extended break. She has enough talent to more than match this field even though the lengthy lay-off may not see her at her best.

After making a cracking start to her career, Call Me Winter went off the boil towards the latter part of last season but after a break, returned looking like a stakes race contender for Mike Miller.

She won two on the bounce in lesser company, the last shouldering the welter burden of 64.5kg. The handicappers were impressed and gave her an eight-point shunt up the handicap for that win and as a result she shouldered a big weight against males at her next outing where she finished a game third giving the winner, Highway Explorer, 4kg.

That was back in early January but she should strip close to her peak this afternoon, the one doubt being the switch from poly to turf, so just how she shapes against Elusivenchantment will give Miller and owner-breeders Steve Sturlese and Peter de Marigny an inkling as to their filly’s Champion Season possibilities.

Miss Varlicious and Littleblacknumber are always game but look comfortably held in this company.

Paul Lafferty, away in Australia for the Magic Millions Sale, had a treble at Scottsville on Sunday and Moon Shadow can make it a more profitable week in the Itsarush.co.za Maiden Plate where the gelded son of Breeders Cup Juvenile winner Pluck should prove difficult to beat after two runners-up berths at recent starts.

Littleblacknumber (Nkosi Hlophe)

Danger is Kildonan Lad from Paul Gadsby’s yard who has finally come to hand. He gave notice when fading late at his penultimate start and was only caught in the last few jumps last time out, that being on the Greyville poly over 1200m. The drop in trip should see him close again.

The balance of the card looks tricky. Very Vary has his third run after a break in the Track & Ball Gaming Handicap and caught the eye with a late burst behind Hot Chilli.

Puchini is another iron horse from the Chris Erasmus yard who lines up nearly every second week. He takes a drop in class and with the blinkers back on could have his efforts rewarded in the Rockafellas Restaurant Handicap in a race that is decidedly open while Accidental Tourist could give Howells and stable rider Keagan de Melo a double on the day in The White Horse Function Room Handicap.

Rounding off the day is another difficult handicap but Cape Town-based Hester Kuhn, Gold Circle’s Owner of the Month for April, will be on course to receive her prize and a possible bonus with Seattle Spell one of the fancied runners to round off the meeting although Coral Lights and Notacademicatal could upset the party.

By Andrew Harrison

Captain America is to be campaigned in Durban this term after going to Johannesburg in the last two years and giving the KZN season a miss.

Brett Crawford said: “Captain America didn’t enjoy Durban as a three-year-old but he is a different horse now. Mind you, for a horse who didn’t enjoy it he didn’t do badly – he was third in the KRA Guineas, fourth in the Daily News and beaten less than six lengths in the July despite getting squeezed coming out of the gates.

“He may run in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall (May 6) and the Rising Sun Gold Challenge (June 10) and then the Vodacom Durban July. If he doesn’t run in the July he could go for the Champions Cup instead.”

The six-year-old won the 2015 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut and beat all except Legal Eagle in last year’s race. More recently he was second in the Queen’s Plate and third in the Met for the second year running.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Callie-Jo Bouman and Chante Holloway, two semifinalists in this year’s Miss SA, pose with Captain America on the beach. (Liesl King)

Featured Image: Captain America (Liesl King)

Former National Champion Trainer Justin Snaith will be arriving at Summerveld in about a week’s time with an SA Champions Season string of 22, which he said would be one of the strongest teams he had ever sent to KZN.

Snaith said a decision had been taken halfway through the Cape Summer to rest some of the yard’s top horses and save them for the Champions Season, because little had been going right for the yard at the time. There is nowhere to gallop horses on the grass in Cape Town at present, so the string will arrive in KZN earlier than usual in order to make use of the Summerveld grass. Snaith will have a strong hand in the Vodacom Durban July.

Justin Snaith(Left) Bela-Bela(Right) – Tracy Robertson

The like of It’s My Turn, Black Arthur, Elusive Silva, Zodiac Ruler, Prince Of Wales and Star Express will likely be among the yard’s entries. It’s My Turn, a Dynasty gelding who won last season’s Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby and finished fourth in the July, had a fair Cape Summer Of Champions Season. He finished a 2,4 length third to subsequent Sun Met winner Whisky Baron in the Gr 2 Peninsula Handicap over 1800m, despite giving the latter 1kg. He then finished a 5,6 length eighth in the Met, where he carried a 2kg Gr 1 penalty. He had few excuses in the Met, although could have got closer if not having to be switched inward. His connections will be glad to hear Whisky Baron is off overseas and that Met fourth-placed Gold Standard is unlikely to make it to KZN in time for the July.

Snaith said the Silvano four-year-old Black Arthur, who came from last to win the Gr 2 Canon Guineas last year before finishing seventh in the July, had done “very well” with a recent rest and gelding. It’s My Turn and Black Arthur are merit rated 106 and 104 respectively, a nice base from which to work.

Elusive Silva, a Silvano colt who has been rested since winning the Gr 3 Winter Derby over 2400m at Kenilworth last June, is merit rated only 93. However, he is described as a “very nice horse” by Snaith. He certainly showed a fantastic turn of foot in his Winter Derby win, coming from near last in a slow run race. He beat none other than Whisky Baron by 3,15 lengths, although that was the latter’s final run before career-transforming gelding.

Zodiac Ruler is an Australian-bred by Zoffany who showed his liking for Greyville last year by winning the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m. He finished runner up in this year’s Cape Derby. He set the pace and fought back after being overtaken in the straight, so will get the July trip.

Prince Of Wales is a four-year-old gelding by Dynasty who has been rested since running an eye-catching one length fourth in the Gr 2 Premier Trophy over 1800m. He looks to be a horse to follow.

Zodiac Ruler (Nkosi Hlophe)

Star Express, a four-year-old Silvano mare, finished strongly for a narrow second in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m on Met day. She has won easily over 2000m before, so can go for either the July or the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes.

Meanwhile, the yard’s champion filly Bela-Bela’s inclusion in the string is still to be finalised. It is likely she will be going to KZN and it will be no surprise to see her avoiding the July this year in favour of the Garden Province. The yard will be well represented in the sprint division by Sergeant Hardy and Bishop’s Bounty, as well as the filly Jo’s Bond. The admirable pair Krambambuli and Ovidio, first and third in the Gr 2 Cape Stayers over 2800m on Met day, head the staying team along with Listed Settler’s Trophy-winning filly Francia.

Copper Force, a Royal Air Force gelding who finished second in the US$500,000 CTS Mile, is described by Snaith as a “very nice horse and one to watch.” He will take part in the three-year-old classics. Gimmethegreenlight filly Gimme Six, third in the Prix du Cap, will go for the Fillies classics. Dynasty filly Qing disappointed the yard during the summer, but will be tried in fillies staying features during the Champions Season.

Snaith only brings two two-year-olds. Sir Frenchie is an Australian-bred speedster by Choisir, who has won two out of three starts. Captain Al filly Esteemal is described by Snaith as “the right type of horse for Durban.” The Snaiths will be using their facebook to provide the public with information per runner before every meeting.

By David Thiselton

One of the most famous traditional moments in sport is the roar which greets the off of the opening race of the annual Cheltenham Festival, the Gr 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle.

Ruby Walsh (www.honestbettingreviews.com)

It will be heard today (Tuesday) at 15h30 South African time live on Tellytrack. The Festival is anticipated for months each season and there can be no other race meeting in the world which generates such excitement and emotion. The opening roar is like a pressure valve release to acknowledge the end of the talking and the beginning of four days of spectacular action.

The Supreme Novice’s Hurdle is one of the meetings most analysed races due to its position on the program. Ruby Walsh and his guv’nor Willie Mullins have each won this race a record six-times. Walsh has won five of the last seven renewals, four of them for Mullins.

This year Mullins has four of the fourteen entries in the two mile and half-a-furlong event. Walsh was yet to have committed to a ride by the time of going to press. However, Mullins expected him to choose Melon, a French-bred five-year-old gelding by Medicean.

Melon won one race on the flat over a mile-and-a-half and won his only hurdles race over two miles at Leopardstown by ten lengths and did it easily.

Tipster Lewis Jones said about Melon, “Mullins has been unusually bullish, going on record stating that he’s well ahead of stablemate Bunk Off Early in terms of homework, which backs up the Autumn vibes that this horse blitzes the gallops at Closutton.”

By David Thiselton

Brutal Force, who returned to winning form in the Vasco Food Trucks Pinnacle at Kenilworth 17 days ago, has been sent to Johannesburg to campaign in sprints there.

Joey Ramsden (Nkosi Hlophe)

Joey Ramsden said: “He won a nice race that day considering he had had a wind-op as well as a life-saving operation for colic, and I thought it was a good effort for a horse who can get up to 600kg.

“With him it’s just a question of freshening him up once he is fit but there are some good sprinters around this year whereas last year I thought that, with the exception of Red Ray, they were mostly moderate.”

The Milnerton trainer has also sent the well bred three-year-old Pillar Of Hercules, third the Sophomore Sprint two months ago, with Brutal Force as well as the filly Captain Gambler who took on the colts in the Investec Cape Derby and beat all except Edict Of Nantes and Zodiac Ruler.

Ramsden said: “She is going to have a crack at the (Wilgerbosdrift) SA Oaks. The Gauteng Fillies Guineas would have been too short for her and the Fillies Classic will probably be so too but the Oaks is her target.”

By Michael Clower