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

Top horses, no matter whether they develop into sprinters or stayers, generally show ability early and the Storm Bird Stakes may have thrown up a pair of exceptional two-year-olds. Alfolk and Barrack Street were the only two in the market for the Listed Storm Bird Stakes run at Turffontein yesterday although the betting did not accurately reflect the result.

Mike De Kock (Nkosi Hlophe)

Alfolk was the marginal favourite ahead of Barrack Street but the Sean Tarry yard is almost unstoppable when it comes to feature events of late and the half-brother to champion Jay Peg put one over his Mike de Kock-trained rival to run out a comfortable winner and put a disappointing last run behind him. Alfolk, an Australian-bred son of Lonrho is also bred to get a trip and was on his own in second. This pair, if living up to their pedigrees, should be worth following. Their next meeting may come in the Gr1 SA Nursery come the end of April but the pair should also be contenders for Champions Season.

Both were in contention come the 400m mark but Barrack Street showed a better turn of foot and quickly got the upper hand. Alfolk, unable to match strides, lost his action and gave the impression that he would prefer a sustained build-up rather than a dash for home.

The Listed Ruffian Stakes looked to be at the mercy of the Paul Matchett-trained Kissable, who after two victories and on all lines of form, looked nigh unbeatable. But stranger things have happened in racing and after showing tremendous early pace the light on the petrol gauge suddenly glowed red at the 400m mark and Kissable was quickly out of the door, trailing in last.

Sean Tarry (Nkosi Hlophe)

This left the back door open for the Barend Botes-trained Daring Diva with Andrew Fortune pouncing on his opportunity to sail home on the Gerald Kalil-owned and bred King Of Kings filly.

Fortune, who has been slapped with a 10-day ban and a R25k fine for deliberately waving his whip and striking a rival horse across the face last month, was at his sublime best as he tracked the hot favourite waiting to take advantage of any chink in her armour.

So when Kissable turned her cheek he was there with puckered lips.

A Tarry-trained runner was to the fore again in the next as Exquisite Touch snapped a run of indifferent recent form to get the better of a useful field in the Listed Bauhinia Handicap.

Piere Strydom looked to have timed his finish to perfection on top weight Joan Ranger as he hit the front with 50m to go but had an incredulous look on his face as S’Managa Khumalo bulleted home on his outside to snatch victory.

By Andrew Harrison

Last season’s Champions Cup winner Marinaresco has been sent to Durban early in Candice Bass-Robinson’s bid to make amends for the gelding’s near miss in the Vodacom Durban July and gain rich compensation for his winless Cape Town campaign.

Marinaresco (Liesl King)

Mrs Robinson said: “Marinaresco had a break after the Met – not on a farm but at home – and he went to Durban last week. His possible route could be the Drill Hall (May 6), Rising Sun Gold Challenge (June 10) and the July.”

Some of the stable’s other KZN challengers have also travelled and apparently the trainer’s new private yard at Summerveld has made this possible.

She said: “In previous years sending horses to Durban was all a bit of a rush but now that we have our own place, with Robert Fayd’Herbe there, the horses can go earlier and come into the Durban season more gradually.”

Silver Mountain, runaway winner of last season’s Cape Fillies Guineas but only fifth in the Klawervlei Majorca and the Prix Du Cap, will also be making the great trek but she is to be upped in distance.

Mrs Robinson explained: “The Prix Du Cap wasn’t one of her best runs but I am not sure that she isn’t looking for more ground so we are going to try her over a bit further.”

But a different travel plan is to be adopted for the Sceptre and CTS Sprint winner Live Life – “We will get her fit in Cape Town and then raid for the Poinsettia Stakes (at Scottsville on April 30) before she runs in the City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint.”

By Michael Clower