The Roy Magner-trained three-year-old filly Anna Pavlova has become the latest South African-bred horse to be bought by renowned American bloodstock agent, owner and breeder, Barry Irwin.

She will be seen in the familiar red and green colours of Team Valor International on Saturday at Turffontein in the Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas.

Barry Irwin

The original owners, Courtney and Megan Soal, have retained a share in the Summerhill-bred daughter of St Petersburg.  Magner remains the trainer, at least for the time being, as there are also overseas aspirations for her.

Anna Pavlova was originally brought for just R45,000 at the Summerhill Farm Sale, despite a classy pedigree. St Petersburg is an unfashionable sire, but Anna Pavlova’s British-bred dam Shatrang is by Royal Applause out of a full-sister to the successful KZN-based sire Kahal.

Irwin said about the well-named filly, “My main reason for the purchase is that filly’s incredible turn of foot. She also has a very powerful body.”

Irwin continued, “The filly was bought to race a few more times in South Africa, with the Gauteng Fillies Guineas first and probably the Gr1 Empress Club on April 15 next. The Gr1 SA Fillies Classic is possible, but I think she is a miler and will have to show us she wants to run further. We plan to send her to Europe by way of Mauritius. We will decide in the fall if we want to give her to Mike de Kock to go to Dubai, or leave her in France to be trained by Andre Fabre.”

Anna Pavlova burst into the classic picture when winning the Gr3 Three Troikas Stakes over 1450m at Turffontein Inside track under JP van der Merwe in her last start on February 11. The slow pace did not suit her that day and she also had to be eased at one stage in the straight.

However, she then displayed an effortless turn of foot and beat the Gr 1-placed Visuality by a head, despite giving her 2kg.

Magner said yesterday (Monday) that she had come out of the Three Troikas fine and had been “doing well” at home. He believed she would get the mile as long as she was “ridden cold”, which is her normal strategy and from her wide draw she would have little other option anyway.

Anna Pavlova (JC Photographics)

Magner was also confident they would go “a proper gallop” on Saturday owing to the prestige of the event which constitutes the joint first leg of the SA Triple Tiara.

In Anna Pavlova’s only meeting with Saturday’s likely favourite, Ektifaa, last October, she received 3,5kg and was beaten two lengths over 1450m.  She has improved since then, but reversing the form is going to be a tough ask. Ektifaa does have a wide draw at least.

The Three Troikas was Anna Pavlova’s third win in succession and her fourth overall in ten career starts. She started at healthy odds of 9/1 and this was probably due to her having taken five starts to win her maiden.

However, Magner knew from day one she would go places. “She was very green in her early starts and used to duck around a lot, otherwise would have won her maiden earlier. It is really her turn of foot near the finish which makes her special,” he said.

She won on the first occasion she was stepped up beyond 1200m. Her wins have all been between 1400m and 1450m and she is yet to attempt further.

JP van der Merwe retains the ride on Saturday.

By David Thiselton

Greg Cheyne has cancelled his four booked rides at Kenilworth today following his crashing fall on Nebula at the Cape Town course last Saturday.

He said yesterday: “I am taking a few days off for treatment but I have accepted rides for Friday and Saturday. Luckily there were no breaks, just a few aches and pains to sort out.”

By Michael Clower

Starflash can defy top weight in the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap at Kenilworth today because he has around 2kg in hand judged on his running in last month’s CTS Sprint.

He was a 100-1 supposed no-hoper that day but he finished a creditable sixth of 20 behind Live Life and he races off the same mark. He was 5-2 favourite with World Sports Betting yesterday with Ovar and Caballo Blanco next best at 33-10 and Le Harve a 7-2 shot.

Aldo Domeyer (Nkosi Hlophe)

Aldo Domeyer reported that he felt something wrong with Ovar when he disappointed last time and, although nothing showed up when the racecourse vet examined him, it did at home. “He had knocked at sesamoid. He tends to do that but on this occasion he knocked it open and he was sore,” says Andre Nel who, however, cautions: “I think the ground is too firm for him at the moment.”

Zodiac Jack looks the one in the opener after destroying the opposition 17 days ago and Greg Ennion is understandably bullish, saying: “He has woken up now and I think he has improved.”

Richard Fourie’s mount is 14-10 favourite with Sir Frenchie, also shouldering a 3kg penalty for his win in December, on 2-1. “I give him only a small chance because Greg Ennion’s looks hard to beat,” says Justin Snaith who expects the speedily-bred R400 000 newcomer Mochavar (5-1) to need the outing. Vaughan Marshall says much the same about fellow first-timer Nutcracker Prince (7-2) and adds that the colt will need further.

The market for the 1 200m maiden (race two) is dominated by Junta and Shrewdy who were separated by only half a length when sixth and seventh behind Dance At Dawn over the trip a fortnight ago. As that was Shrewdy’s first outing and Junta’s third, the Nel runner should reverse the placings. He is favourite at 15-10.

But don’t ignore 5-1 shot Oakley Court just because she disappointed last time. Her previous run puts her in with a chance and Ennion says: “The race proved to be too soon after the previous one (only 15 days) and she ran a bit flat as a result.”

It’s hard to choose between 11-10 favourite Pop The Question and Birds Eye View at 22-10 in the Summer Of Champions Maiden, particularly as Paul Reeves has struck a rich vein of form with four winners at the last three meetings. The handicappers make Corne Orffer’s mount just half a kilo better although the sahorseracing computer has him winning by two lengths. He gets only marginal preference.

By Michael Clower

Greg Cheyne took a crashing fall on Nebula when going for a gap between the pace-setting Milton and the rails about 130m out in the Calulo Shipping Cape Mile at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Slow motion pictures of the incident seem to suggest that the gap narrowed just as he went for it. The horse lost his balance, his hind legs went and he hit the rail while the jockey was fired out of the saddle. The stipes reported that they will open an inquiry into the incident.

The ambulance team took several careful minutes with Cheyne before loading him and it was later announced over the public address that he was conscious, sitting up and being taken to hospital for observation. He could not be contacted yesterday.

The race was won by Aldo Domeyer on the Vaughan Marshall-trained 7-1 chance Victorious Jay.

By Michael Clower

There is more to come from Just Sensual than Saturday’s narrow, but heavily backed, win in the Vasco Taverna Prix Du Cap might suggest.

At least that was the impression of the man in the best position to tell. “Last time was disappointing – you can make excuses and say she shouldn’t have led,” said Anton Marcus. “But this is a good filly and I think she is better than she ran to here.”

Just Sensual (Liesl King)

The CTS Mile he was referring to was the Dynasty filly’s only defeat in her last five outings and this was Joey Ramsden’s fifth Prix Du Cap in 13 seasons. JR and Mayfair Speculators manager Derek Brugman can be expected to finalise plans when they return from this week’s big yearling sale in Melbourne but Durban and an eventual Garden Province target look odds-on.

Captain’s Flame returned to her best to hold on to second after making most of the running but her antics in the pens cost the filly her stalls certificate.

Silver Mountain ran a similar race to her performance in the Majorca, looking threatening approaching the furlong marker but then finding no more, while putting blinkers on Goodtime Gal apparently proved more of a hindrance than a help.

“It back-fired because she hesitated coming out of the pens,” said the badly-drawn Richard Fourie. “She did make up six or seven lengths in the straight but the 1 400m was too short for her.”

Marcus’s three winners from four rides made it a profitable afternoon for the former champion’s legion of supporters but it was Made In Hollywood who went into the notebook. This once-raced Querari filly came right away in the final furlong of the juvenile fillies to win, totally unextended, by more than six lengths with her rider’s only discernible movement being three glances left at the non-existent opposition.

Silver Mountain (Kenilworth Racing)

“She gave me a very smart feel,” he reported with marked understatement while part-owner Brian Finch recalled: “We bought her (for R450 000) at the CTS Select in Jo’burg when Joey was besotted with her. She has shown a lot right from the beginning and now we live in hope.”

Brutal Force gave the Milnerton stable rather different satisfaction, almost all of it emotional, when answering Marcus’s every call to peg back Captain Alfredo in the Vasco Food Trucks Pinnacle after looking a lost cause two furlongs out.

“Don’t forget what he has been through – we nearly lost him,” pointed out the rider, “and the way he won this was a testament to his courage.” Marcus was referring to the operation the gelding had to save his life last April when he suffered a severe attack of colic. He has also had an operation on his wind in the meantime.

Ramsden also struck with the Robert Khathi-ridden Professor Brian in the Castle Lager Handicap but for once Justin Snaith seemed happy to go home with only two winners.

Goodtime Gal (Liesl King)

“We had a very quiet Cape season by our standards – only three winners on Met Day and just one on the day of the Queen’s Plate – but hopefully things are now beginning to turn,” he reasoned.

His decision to promote Sipho Booi to gallop-riding paid off when the 38-year-old came away on Tweak The Wind in the final furlong of the work riders maiden to record his first success and give part-owner Eddie Powell a memorable 70^th birthday present. Snaith was also full of praise for Fourie’s handling of Platinum Prince two races later.

Rod Mattheyse, lead owner of the Shane Humby-trained Big Ed, could hardly believe the price when he went to back Fourie’s mount in the Breco Seafoods Handicap. “Professional punters were telling me that I wouldn’t get better than 7-10,” he said. “When I got to the course I found he was 15-10 so I backed him. He then went out to 2-1 so I backed him again. I’m not sure just how much I had on altogether but I can tell you it was a solid bet.”

BLOB The Prawn Festival crowd was down on last year but things might well have been different had not Gambling Board regulations barred the racecourse from advertising that the R30 entrance fee included a R20 betting voucher. However those that did attend commented favourably on the much improved and extended facilities that eliminated the long queues of previous years.

By Michael Clower