The KZN Breeders Club are always looking for innovative ways to encourage the purchase of KZN-bred horses and have come up with a new concept labelled “Levelling the playing fields”.

‘Levelling the playing fields’ is a R1 million incentive scheme for horses bred in the province and who have a gross merit rating of 78 or less, giving horses at the lower end of the handicap scale a chance of earning good money for their connections.

In a unique concept, trainers are invited to nominate ONE horse in their yard that meets all the criteria for participation.

General rules are that the horse nominated is KZN bred in terms of the rules of the KZN Breeders’ Club rules.

It must have a gross merit rating of 78 or less at the time of entry and has had a minimum of five runs at time of entry so their form is well exposed.

Races will be run over 1200m, 1400m, and 1600m with the final run over 1400m. All races will be on the turf and to win the series the horse will need to be versatile and sound.

A maximum of 30 horses will compete in each of rounds 1,2 and 3 with each round split into two groups of 15 horses – this will be done by ballot.

Riders will also be drawn by ballot and apprentice allowances may be claimed, including in the final.

Weights range between 63kg and 57kgs. MR’s 78 to 76 to carry 63kgs with 1kg off for every three merit rating points to bottom weight of 57kg for horses with ratings 60 and below.

Round 1 will see two races run over 1200m at Scottsville, followed by two races over 1400m at the same venue and two races over 1600m also at Scottsville. Each of these races will carry a R100 000 stake. The final over 1400m will be run at Greyville for a stake of R200 000.

Entry is free but will be restricted to 30 horses and eliminations will be from the lowest meriting rating upwards.

If a horse’s MR is raised above 78 after the series has begun, that horse will continue to be eligible for the entire series but will carry top weight of 63kgs.

An added incentive is that each of the owner, trainer and breeder will be eligible for a R50 000 bonus along with the jockey who accumulates the most points over the series.

Entries close at noon this Friday, March 17.

By Andrew Harrison

The Vaal has a nine race meeting tomorrow on the Classic Track and there look to be some fair opportunities for punters.

Muntahaa is selected as the best bet on the card. He runs in the third over 1700m and this good looking horse should relish the step up in trip from a good draw. In his last race over 1600m he had to be used up early to go handy from a wide draw and was then left flat footed at the business end. However, he was staying on nicely at the line. He now has a good draw in an uninspiring field and should outclass them.

Piere Strydom

The value bet of the day is Fish River Canyon in the last over 1500m. She over raced slightly when sent to the front from a wide draw over 1800m last time. However, she was soon in the box seat after others had gone around her. She then found a nice turn of foot to hit the front 400m out. However, she was run out of it late. By all accounts she should enjoy the step down in trip from a good draw off her competitive current merit rating.

In the first over 1000m De Nimes has generally had long gaps between runs, so has her issues, but she has talent. Last time she met a firecracker in Gratuity, but ran on well after a slow start. The lightly raced five-year-old by Fort Beluga should have come on from the run, so should confirm form with the main danger, Gotoluvher.

In the next over 1000m Twinkle Town is a nice looking type, who ran on well last time after a slow start over this trip. The only two concerns are her returning from a three month layoff and whether she can beat Street Life. The latter’s form on paper looks weaker, but she was not given a good ride last time over 1200m and could improve.

In the fourth race over 1700m, Half A Bar will be hard to beat if he settles. The zip he showed with first-time pacifiers on over 1400m last time is a slight concern over this further trip, because the headgear stays on. On the other hand he has pole position, which will give him every chance of finding cover. If settling he should mow them down as he has been thereabouts over 1600m and 1800m before, albeit without pacifiers.

In the fifth over 2000m, Arlington over raced over 1800m in his penultimate start with blinkers on. However, he still still finished quite close up, so considering his good turn of foot he is interesting here over 2000m with the blinkers now off and jumping from pole position.

My Treasure also makes some appeal from a good draw in the eighth over 1500m as he has turned the corner since blinkers were fitted. He can be excused his disappointing third last time as the saddle slipped. Piere Strydom has remained aboard, which is significant.

By David Thiselton

Former Vodacom Durban July-winning trainer Glen Kotzen’s string of 21 has arrived at Summerveld from Cape Town, but the disappointing news is crack three-year-old Gold Standard is not among them.

Kotzen said, “Gold Standard had a slight setback after the Met, so has stayed behind, but we might send him later in the season.”

Glen Kotzen

Kotzen said he would be monitored to see how he went, but reckoned at this stage it was likely he would only arrive in Durban in time for the Champions Cup. He would in that case miss the three-year-old classics and the July.

Among the horses in the string which have arrived at Summerveld are Banner Hill, Final Judgement, Party Crasher, Our Destiny, Bon Bon, Gold Image and Princess Peach as well as some promising unraced two-year-olds.

Banner Hill was the winner of the Gr 3 BMW Chairman’s Cup over 3200m in her last start, despite being 3kg under sufferance off her 81 merit rating, and she will be aimed at the eLan Gold Cup, which has been downgraded to a Gr 3 but will keep its R1,25 million prize money. The four-year-old Tiger Hill gelding has won five times, including three wins over staying trips. She will be one of the stayers to follow in the Champions Season as she is still quite lightly raced.

Final Judgement won the Gr 2 Gold Circle Golden Slipper over 1400m at Greyville last season, when given an enterprising front-running ride. The long-striding daughter of Judpot did not have much going her way in the Cape Summer Of Champions Season, yet still managed a one length third in the Gr 2 Choice Carriers Championship over 1400m and a 1,95 length fourth in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m, as well as two close up finishes in the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over 1800m. She will be a big runner in the Gr 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas on May 7.

Party Crasher, a lightly raced daughter of Philanthropist who has won two of her five starts, will also run in the Fillies Guineas but her main aim will be races over further such as the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000.

Our Destiny finished second in the Cape Fillies Guineas last season, but has shown excellent promise since being kept to sprints. Unfortunately, she has issues with the starting stalls and these will need to be sorted out in order for her to be competitive at the highest level.

Bon Bon, who is described as a “decent” filly by Kotzen, is by Bold Silvano and looks likely to improve on her 75 merit rating, so is one to follow in her first few races in KZN.

Gold Image broke the Kenilworth course record over 800m on debut. This daughter of Horse Chestnut then finished a fine 3,6 length third in the R1 million Kuda Sprint, despite being one of only five horses carrying a 2kg penalty for a win. She was the first filly home and beat the colt Barrack Street by 1,55 lengths. The latter won the Listed Storm Bird Stakes over 1000m at Turffontein on Saturday by a facile 3,5 lengths in his only subsequent outing.

Princess Peach, by Captain Al, won very well on debut over 1000m at Kenilworth and the second and third horses have both won since. She was fancied in a Listed race over 1000m on Sun Met day but was undone by an unfavourable high draw and finished unplaced.

Both Gold Image and Princess Peach are both likely to be aimed at the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m on May 27 at Scottsville.

Kotzen will be hoping some of the “nice” unraced two-year-olds in the string will be joining those two in Gr 1 features during the Champions Season.

By David Thiselton

The Cape Town jockeys are supporting Alistair Cohen in his battle against cancer almost to a man with most of them sporting shaven heads at Kenilworth on Saturday.

“The biggest thing in this is to stay positive and we want to let Alistair know that our prayers are with him,” said Richard Fourie who appeared in the winner’s box without his helmet to underline his point.

Donovan Dillon (Supplied)

He won the last on the Glen Kotzen-trained Sylvanite but it was after his victory on Dawn Rising for his sponsor Drakenstein that he relayed the message. Justin Snaith also spoke of his support for the star commentator who would have been fascinated by how the Trippi filly has tested the trainer’s abilities to the limit.

“Her muscle-enzymes were too high and her blood showed bruising of the muscles,” he explained. “! decided to take a chance and cut out all the excess energy by changing her onto a low-energy diet. I felt I had to get her out of the maidens or I would have been obliged to suggest another trainer! But it worked and we put her down as a Pick Six banker on our website.”

Grant van Niekerk dominated much of the rest of the card with a double for his old boss plus the first in his new Plattner Racing stable jockey role. He was uncharacteristically short of breath after scoring on Sister Soozie, even though he was able to stop riding before the line.

“Jesus,” he exclaimed. “I’ve been in the gym and I thought I was fit but when you’ve been off for six weeks this is not an easy game. We jocks should get paid more!”

He led throughout on Come On Sonny and repeated the performance on the second Candice Bass-Robinson winner Oh Behave. “His first day back in Cape Town and he’s out like a bullet,” said the trainer, seemingly not at all convinced that the tactics were right. “I was a bit worried that he had gone too hard but the track is riding fast.”

Corne Orffer & Son (Supplied)

In truth the Oh Behave ride was vintage Van Niekerk, throwing convention to the winds and riding on instinct. From a furlong out, though, his advantage was dwindling all the way to the line with his pursuers bearing down on him with all the agonising inevitability of a man drowning in quicksand. But the jockey refused to admit defeat, kept asking for more and his mount dug into reserves that even he cannot have known he had and scraped home.

Smokey Affair, many people’s idea of the bet of the day (including the writer’s), totally failed to fire in the 1 400m handicap and was afterwards found to be coughing. Fourth was as closest as she could get to the one-eyed 18-1 shock Hanabi on whom Lucien Africa made all to reward Eric Sands’ Grooms Racing Trust (“They work very hard and they deserve it”).

The stipes inquired into the improved form after Fire Walker – backed from 35-1 to 13-1 – ploughed a lone path up the inside rails under Craig Bantam in the 1 000m maiden. Glen Puller explained that his horses had a virus when this one last ran on New Year’s Eve but first time blinkers were obviously a significant factor.

Joey Ramsden seemed to have as high an opinion of fourth-placed newcomer Dynasty’s Blossom as the winner Rose In Bloom in the two-year-old race although Donovan Dillon reckoned he had a fair bit more up his sleeve – “She won easier than the half-length margin would suggest. I had a lot in the tank.”

By Michael Clower

Dean Kannemeyer is an astute trainer of horses that stay a trip and he looks to have a bright prospect for the big staying races come Champions Season as top weight Mr Winsome blew away his rivals in the Racing.Itsarush.co.za Pinnacle Stakes over 2 400m at Scottsville yesterday.

Mr Winsome (Nkosi Hlophe)

Not only did the gelding keep his clean sheet at the course where he has recorded three wins from as many starts, but he won in facile fashion, putting plenty of daylight between himself and second-placed pacemaker Serissa with the filly Forbidden Duel plugging on from the back of the field to take third.

Roy Moodley must have close on thirty horses racing named Roy’s something-or-other but they have a good track record. Roy’s Air Force and Roy’s Marciano filled the first two placings in the Blinkers Bar Middle Stakes over 1 200m and just for good measure, the Moodley-owned Royalsecuritypower, named after his business Royal Security, filled third spot.

On Friday evening Roy’s Taxi was also on the mark.

Roy’s Air Force also rounded off a red-letter day for young apprentice Ashton Arries and Summerveld-based Paul Lafferty. Arries, who has come on leaps and bounds over the past month, was aboard all three of Lafferty’s winners and was particularly good on Roy’s Air Force as he punched his mount through a tight gap to get up close home. Earlier he had triumphed on Double Clutch and kicked off his afternoon on Simply Scrumptious in the All To Come Juvenile Plate.

It was a tough day for the backers of favourites, compounded by odds-on favourite Indian Tractor only managing to plough his way into third in the final race of the afternoon as Admiral’s Guest gave Brandon Lerena a double for the day and Mark Dixon a double for the weekend with the diminutive Courageous King winning at Greyville on Friday.

By Andrew Harrison