Smokey Affair stands out at Kenilworth tomorrow because she has the proverbial stone in hand in the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap.

The Mike Robinson-trained filly was a four-length sixth of 15 to Just Sensual in the Cape Fillies Guineas – and there was no fluke about it because she had previously finished a creditable fourth in the Choice Carriers – yet she is still on the same 86 handicap mark. Had she finished half a length closer she would have been fifth and the handicappers would have been free to up her rating to around 99.

Over this trip the 13 points she has in hand represent more than five lengths! Of course, it’s seldom as simple or as foolproof as this and the big negative is that she has not raced in the intervening 14 weeks.

“She had a nasty cough and a snotty nose,” recalls Robinson’s wife Louella. “We also felt that we needed to get a bit more condition on her so we gave her a break. She has come back well and her work is phenomenal.”

The next best on the card could well prove to be Sister Soozie in the Place Your Bets Maiden. The Andre Nel filly started second favourite for a mile maiden last month but had a bad draw and was among the backmarkers until well into the straight. She finished strongly but she had too much to do.

The extra two furlongs here will be much in her favour and should enable Grant van Niekerk to christen his association with Plattner Racing. Janice’s Secret is similarly lightly-raced and rates the main danger.

The opening Juvenile Fillies looks between Believethisbeauty, Rose In Bloom and Casual Diamond assuming that Joey Ramsden adopts his usual patient introduction with R4.5 million newcomer Dynasty’s Blossom. You could argue that Rose In Bloom’s form is marginally the best – and she is the choice of the sahorseracing computer – but Vaughan Marshall spoke highly of his charge last month (“talented, shows a lot of speed”) and there was plenty of money for her. She gets the vote.

The computer goes for Gadget Man 35 minutes later but he disappointed last time as did Come On Sonny whereas Risky Rambo showed significant improvement. He looks the part.

Justin Snaith, who introduces the Dynasty gelding C’Est La Vie here, may win race three with Dawn Rising who finished well to get second last time on her first run for four months and had Waterbaby a length back fourth.

By Michael Clower

Mike de Kock has decided to close his permanent operation at Summerveld.  All the runners in the stable will forthwith be based under one roof at Randjesfontein in Johannesburg like they had been for the first half of De Kock’s training career.

De Kock commented: “This is a business decision. It makes no economic sense for us to keep the Summerveld stable going all year round. We will still be raiding for three or four months in winter with a small, exclusive string during the Champions Season.

“We have been allocated 25 extra stable at Randjesfontein, the total string will be about 160 horses. We may also send a small string to Cape Town for a few months, though travelling with horses within our own country has become almost as difficult as travelling overseas.”

In his spell as a trainer officially based at Summerveld, Mike won the KZN Trainers’ Title nine times between 2002 and 2012.

De Kock also announced that his long-time assistant trainer, Nathan Kotzen, has left the stable to take out his own licence.  He said: “Nathan was with the stable in KZN for 16 years and he worked with some of the best horses in the world, let alone the country.  He’s a top horseman in his own right, he has the credentials and is well placed to make his mark. He won’t start off without support, I have left a few of my own horses with him and so has the Slack family. We wish Natie all the best in his new career.”

– Mikedekockracing.com

Muzi Yeni will be flying the South African flag in Greece on Saturday.

Phumelela are “taking South African horseracing to the world” by sponsoring a race meeting at Markopoulo Racetrack in Athens and Yeni will be the face of SA racing.

There will be six races and Yeni will ride in five of them, his first ride coming up in Race 2. It appears the racing authorities in Greece have been working hard to get good rides for the South African and he has several decent mounts.

The main race of the day has been named The South African Races Cup with all the other names at meeting having South African references.

The party representing Phumelela will be headed up by International Executive Director John Stuart and he and Yeni will have a busy day. After a morning tour of the racing facilities, they will host a press conference where they will face some 50 journalists and an equal number of agents. Yeni is sure to be the main attraction and will be asked to introduce himself and talk about his expectations for the day.

In addition, six of the races from Turffontein and three from Kenilworth will be shown at the Athens meeting.

After racing the visiting party has been invited to a dinner at which two members of the South African Embassy in Greece will also attend.

“It’s a great honour for me to be among the delegation attending this meeting,” said Yeni. “Hopefully we will be able to give them a taste of how good our racing is.”

 

The Mike de Kock stable are keeping their options open with Janoobi, with both the SA Classic and HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes on Saturday 1 April pencilled in as possibilities, according to assistant trainer Mathew de Kock.

Janoobi won the first leg of this year’s SA Triple Crown, R1-million Betting World Gauteng Guineas (Grade 2) over 1600m at Turffontein last Saturday, with the 1800m SA Classic forming the middle leg and the 2450m SA Derby on 6 May the third.

A R2-million bonus is offered to a horse who wins all three legs but De Kock does not believe the Triple Crown bonus will be paid out this year. “In my opinion Heavenly Blue will be the one to beat in the SA Classic, plus I’m not convinced Janoobi will go more than 1800m.”

Janoobi, he said, “took the race very well and is taking it easy this week because he was at a peak and really well on Saturday. We’ll keep him ticking over until next month.”

Heavenly Blue, on the other hand, was “not as well or as ready” as Janoobi for the Gauteng Guineas because his main mission is the SA Classic. “I can’t afford to be too soft on him because I’ve got to help him come on a little bit,” said De Kock. “I’m over the moon with his third placing. He’s going to make a lot of improvement. We’ll finally see the best of him in the Classic over a distance he’s always wanted, 1800m and more.”

Janoobi gave Mike de Kock his 3,000th career winner after wins earlier in the meeting by Rafeef and Nother Russia.

De Kock said: “The obvious next stepping stone for Rafeef is the Horse Chestnut Stakes. The 1600m is his maximum, I think. He also took his race well and is very fresh.”

In terms of Acacia Handicap winner Nother Russia, De Kock said: “I think the older she’s got the better she’s got. A big thanks to Jess Slack (of owner Mauritzfontein Stud) for giving her that time. She was very well going into Saturday’s race and if she’d drawn in single figures I would have been much more confident.

“You can see by that performance she’s definitely better than her rating. It’s gone up the maximum eight points (4kg), but I’m happy to take what the handicappers give her after a win like that.”

Her stable companion Shaama was a weak favourite but finished seventh and De Kock said her performance confirmed she’s best at 1200m and 1400m.

“I think a true-run 1600m would find her out,” he said. “She took the race well and we’ll be bringing her back to 1160m.”

Fillies he saddled finished second, third, fifth and sixth behind easy winner Smiling Blue Eyes in the R500,000 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas.

The race is the first leg of the Triple Tiara, which offers a R1-million bonus and also comprises the SA Fillies Classic on 1 April and the SA Oaks on 6 May.

He had given second-placed Al Hawraa a “money chance” in the preliminaries because “she’d improved in her work”, but even he was impressed with the run.

“She only got going late and will be better in the 1800m Fillies Classic next month. She’s a straightforward filly, easy to work with.”

Was he a bit disappointed with favourite Orchid Island’s third placing? “Not at all. I think 1600m is too short for her, plus she had six weeks between runs and missed work. She’s a small filly, so the going last Saturday was not her best – she prefers it a little bit on top. She’ll also be going for the Fillies Classic.

“I think Belle Rose ran a cracker in fifth. She was stone last at the 400m mark and ran fifth, so made up a lot of ground. On pedigree, she is crying out for more ground so will definitely go for the next leg of the Triple Tiara.”

As for sixth-placed Ektifaa, who came in off a four-run winning sequence which included beating the boys in the Tony Ruffel Stakes, he said: “She wasn’t disgraced. The stamina doubts were there and she just didn’t see out the ‘mile’. We’ll re-programme her to see if she’s good enough for a top-class 1200m race.”

He believes his three Classic fillies are even in the ability stakes, but said when pressed: “If I had to put my head on a block this far ahead of the Fillies Classic, I’d still side with Orchid Island – providing she gets better going – because she’s got more class than the others.”

TABNews

Grant van Niekerk, sidelined by accumulated suspensions since Met day, resumes at Fairview tomorrow when he rides Primrose Lane in the Breeders’ Guineas for Darryl Hodgson as well as Track-King (Justin Snaith) and Ntoma (Alan Greeff).

Just one short of his half century for the season, he rides in all eight races at Kenilworth on Saturday including Sister Soozie for his new boss Andre Nel in the Place Your Bets Maiden. The filly is expected to start favourite and probably represents his best chance on the day.

He has two mounts for his old boss Candice Bass-Robinson – Come On Sonny and Oh Behave – as well as rides for Geoff Woodruff, Hodgson, Piet Steyn, Ronnie Sheehan and Joey Ramsden. The last-named has put him up on newcomer Dynasty’s Blossom in the opening maiden juvenile.

This Dynasty filly is out of the seven-time winner Crimson Blossom and at R4.5 million was the third-highest price horse at last year’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale. She was bought by Mayfair Speculators, Maine Chance and MV Magnier and will carry the world famous all dark blue colours of Magnier’s mother Sue.

By Michael Clower