After a promising start to his career where he reeled off three wins from just four starts, Natal – the horse not the province, although some may argue a case for both – has been in the doldrums. But a drop in the handicap ratings and a gentle build-up to tomorrow evening’s race could herald a return to form.

Natal (Nkosi Hlophe)

If the forecast betting in Computaform is any guide (33-1), Natal has little or no chance in the Morris Vee MR 86 Handicap that heads the Greyville card, but if one delves back into the gelding’s form he is more than capable in this company should he find his best form that came at about this time last season.

Racing off a rating high of 101, garnered after three victories in his first four starts and at the top of most handicap races that he contested, Natal subsequently showed that the handicappers may have over-rated Michael Roberts’s charge as he showed good pace before folding late when stepped up into stronger company.

His rating has dropped rapidly since his unplaced effort in the Gr3 Umgeni Handicap and he now runs off a mark of 88.

Taking his early form into account, his drop in the ratings and a much improved last run, Natal could prove good value.

Georgina is likely to be a firm favourite in the card opener after three runner-up berths in just four starts and Alyson Wright has declared blinkers on her charge that suggests that the filly is still not giving her all.

But there are a couple of potential hurdles to overcome. The oddly-named Show Me Your Rosie made marked improvement in blinkers and a repeat could pose a threat as could Cats Baloo and Dream De Ra. Cats Baloo was backed at long odds in her poly debut and can surprise while Dream De Ra was friendless in the market on debut and ran accordingly. However, she has a tongue-tie here and she can show good improvement for a stable that is bang in form.

Kept Secret (Nkosi Hlophe)

If Georgina obliges in the first, Honest Prince could provide the stable with a quick double come the Cupboard King Maiden Plate. The gelding made significant improvement on his debut when close-up next time out. The opposition is mostly well exposed with the exception of Grey Ice. Sean Tarry’s runner made a modest Turffontein debut but it always pays to take note of runners from this stable making their poly debut and any market support could prove significant although he has been pencilled in again for next Wednesday.

Ashburton-based Belinda Impey can provide a possible exotic bet banker in the form of Kept Secret in the SAFA Chatsworth 66 Handicap although she too holds an entry next Wednesday.

Kept Secret ran well below her best last outing after running up a string of places. Tonight she is back in female company and rates a strong chance given her previous showings.

For the rest the card looks more than just a little tricky. The Hotel Savera Maiden Plate is just one of the stumbling blocks for those trying to cut down on their exotic bet spend. Enticer, having her third run after a break and catching the eye at her last start, will have her supporters but so too will the likes of Rae’s Dyna Jet, Roy’s Kaitrina, Lungi, Stola and Justajewel.

The DPG Logistics FM 62 Handicap is equally tricky with Roy Is Second living up to her name, finishing runner-up at her last two. However, she has a good draw and can finally go one better.

The Pavilion Hotel MR 62 Handicap is another wide open affair but Selvan’s Jet tried further last run but prior to that had fair form to stronger and Delpech has jumped ship from Heptagon to ride here.

By Andrew Harrison

Muzi Yeni was the face of South African racing at Markopoulo Racecourse in Athens on Sunday and did not let his supporters down.

The meeting in Greece was sponsored by Phumelela and it appears to have been an extremely successful day. Even early rain failed to put a dampener on an outstanding event.

The party representing Phumelela was headed up by International Executive Director John Stuart.

Since January Greek punters have already had the opportunity to bet into South African pools in the over 1,000 OPAP (who run betting in Greece) agencies that offer horseracing betting.

Yeni has become a favourite with Greek bettors and the likeable South African jockey did not let his supporters down. He was hailed as a “grand ambassador for South African racing”. There were six races on the card and Yeni rode in five of them, fittingly winning the main race of the day which was named The South African Races Cup.

The organisers at Markopoulo Racecourse are in the process of setting up a winners’ lounge adjacent to the foyer area and the framed Phumelela saddle cloth and photos will be the first “winners’ photo” to be hung up in that lounge.

TABNews

Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival was a history maker as legendary trainer Nicky Henderson recorded his sixth victory in the great race, while equally famous o

wner, and punter, JP McManus reached the 50 Festival winner mark.

The six-year-old Buveur D’Air was supposed to be at the Festival as a novice chaser this year, but the ever shrewd Henderson changed his mind in January and his decision-making proved spot on once again as the bay stormed to a 4,5 length victory at odds of 5/1 to give jockey Noel Fehily his second Champion Hurdle victory.

Henderson is now the most successful trainer in the history of the Champion Hurdle, as well as being the Festival’s most successful trainer overall. McManus’s six victories in Britain’s most prestigious hurdle event is also a record.

Nicky Henderson (jpfestival.com)

McManus owned the horse regarded by many as the greatest hurdler of all time, the Aiden O’Brien-trained Istabraq, who won the Champion Hurdle three times in succession from 1998-2000.

McManus, who has a range of business interests, has always been a keen gambler too. He was a bookmaker at one stage, but gave up his license to concentrate on punting in 1982. Things didn’t initially go to plan and he needed his Edward O’Grady-trained Mister Donovan to win the Festival’s Sun Alliance Hurdle of that year.

McManus made a reported 250,000 pounds when the horse won at odds of 9-2 to give him his first Festival victory.

McManus admitted after Buveur D’Air’s victory on Tuesday he had lumped so much on Mister Donovan 35 years ago there might not have been a second Festival winner had the horse lost. McManus hired the most successful jockey in jumps history, Tony McCoy, for a reported one million pounds a year retainer in 2004. McCoy’s first Festival success in McManus’ famous green-and-gold hooped colours was on Reveillez in the Jewson’s Novice’s Handicap Chase in 2006.

The horse had opened at 6-1 and was backed into 9-2, including a bet of 100,000 pounds. “I couldn’t let him run loose at 6-1,” whispered McManus. Henderson has now trained 57 Cheltenham Festival winners. He surpassed Fulke Walwyn’s previous record of 40 five years ago.

His first Cheltenham winner was See You Then in the Champion Hurdle in 1985. This horse went on to win the Champion Hurdle three years in succession.

Henderson saddled seven winners at the Festival in 2012, a record which was surpassed by top Irish trainer Willie Mullins, who sent out 8 winners in 2015.

Henderson has won the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice, with Long Run in 2011 and with Bobs Worth in 2013, while McManus has won the meeting’s flagship race only once, with the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Synchronised in 2012.

Henderson has no Gold Cup runners tomorrow, while McManus has two, the O’Neill-trained pair More Of That and Minella Rocco.

By David Thiselton

The entry cut off time for the R2 million Gr 1 SA Classic over 1800m to be run on April 1 at Turffontein was extended to 9am on Tuesday after only eight horses had initially been entered by 11am on Monday.

However, Western Cape-based Andre Nel was the only trainer to take advantage of the situation and entered two horses, Loadshedder and Kampala Campari, to increase the entry list to ten.

Andre Nel (Supplied)

The initial eight entries were from only four yards. Mike de Kock entered Gr 2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas winner Janoobi alongside Heavenly Blue and Alaadel.

National Champion trainer Sean Tarry had three entries, Al Sahem, Furiosa and Tilbury Fort. Johan Janse van Vuuren entered Crowd Please and Gary Alexander entered Unagi.

Nel has reportedly said Loadshedder would be unlikely to make the journey due to preferred targets in either Cape Town or Port Elizabeth.

He added about Querari colt Kampala Campari, who has only raced three times for two wins from 1200-1600m, ““He is a very nice horse. We’ve been planning this raid for a while and have brought horses up to Joburg twice in preparation for this trip north. Both were successful, with three of the five horses we floated up placing and two of the fillies just not acting in the soft going. I’m not scared, but it is daunting.”

Al Sahem and Heavenly Blue could be the pair to beat in the Classic.

Heavenly Blue finished third in the Gauteng Guineas, but will have come on from the run and will relish the step up in trip.

He has 1,5 lengths to make up on Janoobi, but the latter was at his peak for the Guineas and the 1800m trip will likely be at the upper end of his stamina range.

Al Sahem was unbeaten in two runs before finishing a 0,2 length second in the Gauteng Guineas. He is by Silvano out of Gr 2 winner Alderry, who won up to 1800m, so will enjoy the step up trip. Furthermore, he had an interrupted preparation into the Guineas due to the weather and is likely to have benefited from the run.

By David Thiselton

The Turffontein card tomorrow looks to be quite a tricky one, but the Pick 6 race in which punters can go thin looks to be the eighth, a MR 80 Handicap over 1160m.

Piere Strydom

Fieldmarshal Fenix and Refuge should dominate this race, although Spring Steel can’t be ignored either. Fieldmarshall Fenix, a four-year-old gelding by Brave Tin Soldier, wore blinkers last time out and he ran well below par. The blinkers are duly off again. Before that he finished second twice in succession to the progressive Just As I Said. The latter followed up with a fine run in a strong Pinnacle Stakes event before winning yet again. Fieldmarshal Fenix is in fact 3kg better off with the talented Spring Steel, despite having beaten the latter by 1,5 lengths the last time they met, which was in a race over tomorrow’s course and distance. He and Spring Steel were well clear of the rest in that aforementioned race, which is always the sign of good form.

The pair should be right up there in the finish again, but at the weights Fieldmarshal Fenix gets the vote. However, he can’t be confidently backed to win due to the presence of Refuge. Refuge met Fieldmarshal Fenix last July on the same terms as tomorrow, if apprentice claims are included, and lost by only a length. However, he was only a two-year-old then, so if weight for age is taken into account he is now effectively 5kg better off. On paper he should romp home, according to that piece of form. However, on the downside he is returning from a layoff of just over three months. Piere Strydom has duly taken the ride. Fieldmarshall Fenix and Refuge should be enough to get punters through the Pick 6, although Spring Steel could perhaps be included in lower cost Jackpots. Fieldmarshall Fenix appeals as a PA banker.

The best bet of the day comes in the first race, a Juvenile Maiden over 1400m for fillies. The R1,9 million purchase Rumbavar has caught the eye in two starts over 1000m at Kenilworth. She is a long-striding daughter of Var who will relish the step up in distance and she looks to possess considerable class, so is going to be hard to oppose. There are a few first-timers here and Aurelia Cotta and Think Twice make most appeal of them, but they would have to be smart to trouble Rumbavar, who looks likely to go off at cramped odds.

Hot Curry, who runs in the third race, is a Mike de Kock-trained stablemate of Rumbavar’s and has been chosen as the value bet on the day. It is seldom a horse who finished last in her previous start can be fancied next time out, but he ran in a strong maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m at Kenilworth and was not at all disgraced. He will relish the step up in trip here and should be involved in the finish of a race where there are no stand out horses.

By David Thiselton