Sun Met-winning trainer Brett Crawford is still waiting to hear how many boxes he will be granted for the South African Champions Season, but has a good idea of which of his best horses will be on the float from Cape Town. They will include the Sun Met winner and third-placed horses respectively, Whisky Baron and Captain America.

Captain America did not travel to Durban last year and his unsuitability to Greyville was cited as the reason. The big six-year-old Captain Al gelding does not have that instant turn of foot normally associated with Vodacom Durban July winners. However, he is these days a thorough professional and there is no longer any sign of the headstrong antics which once affected his performance. He has since become an effective front runner.

Considering last year’s July was won from a handy position by The Conglomerate, who hardly ever looked in danger of defeat in the straight, Captain America is likely to have a shout in this year’s race if he is able to reproduce his front-running performance in the Met. He stayed on resolutely in the Met to finish third, despite it being the strongest field seen in this race for some time. The Conglomerate himself could not live with Captain America in the charge for home in the Met and faded out to finish 13,35 lengths behind the big horse, although he did admittedly have a tough task at the weights.

Captain America was used as the line horse in the Met, quite an accolade as it underlines his consistency. He remains on a 116 merit rating. However, with Legal Eagle now still in the country and merit rated 123, there is a good chance many of the runners in the July will end up under sufferance, like they were last year. This will further enhance the July credentials of Captain America.

Crawford said Whisky Baron, due to his new merit rating of 120, is not a certainty to line up in the July and might well go the weight-for-age route instead. If that is the case, the Gr 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes, the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m and the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m will likely be on his agenda.

Crawford’s Investec Cape Derby winner Edict Of Nantes will “definitely be nominated” for the July, although it is a long way to go before a decision is made whether he will run. The options are to keep him in Cape Town for the winter series, with a possible raid of the July, or bring him to KZN for the SA Champions Season classic races like the Gr 2 Daisy Guineas and the Gr 1 Daily News 2000. Crawford said about the Count Du Bois colt, “Off just a 102 merit rating, he still has a few pounds on the other three-year-olds.”

Another big three-year-old in the yard, Craven, will not be coming to Durban as he might be off to Hong Kong soon.

One interesting horse on the float to Durban will be Bold Respect, a big an impressive two-year-old colt by Bold Silvano who won the R1 million Kuda Sprint over 1200m on Met day despite being one of only five horses carrying a 2kg penalty. The Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1200m at Scottsville will be his initial target. An assessment will then be made on his stamina before participation in the Gr 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m and the Gr 1 Premiers Champions Stakes over 1600m is decided. His full-brother Boldly Respectable, also trained by Crawford, has already won over 1400m.

The five-year-old mare Alexis will have been one of the first names on the Durban list as she absolutely loves Greyville. She will likely defend her crown in the Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m and will thereafter hopefully have more luck than she did in last year’s Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m.

Gr 1-winning sprinter Gulf Storm will also be coming to Durban. Off a 108 merit rating, the conditions of the Gr 2 Post Merchants will suit him. The Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, in which he was runner up two seasons ago, and the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint are other options.

Chevauchee will also be on the float and the yard have now decided to keep this talented Australian-bred daughter of High Chaparral to sprints. The Gr 1 South African Fillies Sprint will be her chief target.

The four-year-old Silvano gelding Nebula, winner of Port Elizabeth’s biggest race, the Gr 3 Algoa Cup over 2000m, will also be coming to Durban.

Crawford said there would likely be a couple of relatively unexposed three-year-olds on the float too.

Crawford cited Met day as likely the pinnacle of his career. He not only won both of Cape Town’s two probable biggest races, the Met and the Derby, but also won two other races. Crawford did the Gold Cup/ Champions Cup double three seasons ago with Wavin’ Flag and Futura and he said that was probably his previous best day.

He added about his new highlight, “It was great as a Capetonian to win the Met for the third time.”

Wayne and Belinda Kieswetter’s Ridgemont Stud, a family racing operation, are now big supporters of the Crawford yard. Wayne and Belinda’s sons, Ross and Craig, who are official owners of Whisky Baron, are now passionately involved in the Sport Of Kings and this is a particularly exciting reality for both Crawford and for SA racing.

David Thiselton
Picture: Whisky Baron (Liesl King)

Met hero Greg Cheyne is on the crest of a wave and, after a four-timer at Fairview on Tuesday, he goes into today’s meeting there with a six-winner lead in the national log and just one short of his century.

With six of his eight rides in the first two in the betting he should increase his lead still further and at Kenilworth tomorrow he has an outstanding chance on Sabina’s Dynasty in the Rocking Red Maiden.

Greg Cheyne (Liesl King)

This filly was most unlucky when starting odds-on last time. She had the worst of the draw and was last of all until the straight. With two furlongs to run she still had eight lengths to make up but she then took off and was only three-quarters of a length off the winner at the line.

There are, however, two negatives. Firstly she is again not drawn well – eighth of 11 – and the distance is 200m less. These factors should help Richard Fourie’s mount Quippi and, to a lesser extent Miss Stake, but Cheyne is riding so well that the Justin Snaith filly is a confident choice.

Snaith introduces the R275 000 Var newcomer Hithimagainchuck in the opening Celebration Life Maiden Juvenile but this one will need to be smart to cope with Victorious Captain who showed plenty of promise when fifth of 15 to Bold Respect who went on to win the R1 million Kuda Sprint.

However a newcomer to note is Ancestry. The Joey Ramsden-trained Oratorio colt cost R850 000 and his dam, A Daughter’s Legacy, won the Final Fling twice as well as the Victress Stakes.

Twilight Trip looks good in the Kinney’s Maiden 35 minutes later. This well bred gelding (by Trippi out of the 2010 Majorca dead-heater Love Is In The Air) was a most encouraging fourth to useful fellow newcomer Kampala Campari on New Year’s Eve despite losing ground at the start.

Candice Bass-Robinson’s three-year-old should have come on enough to account for Pop The Question and Tweak The Wind.

Dorset Noble may follow up for the Milnerton trainer in the All The Single Ladies Maiden. Hernando’s Promise is the form horse, is officially the best horse in the race and has gone close in his last three. He has an unfortunate habit of losing ground at the start, although neither that nor his outside draw should matter so much over this longer trip.

However Dorset Noble has a fair bit of stamina in his pedigree (his dam is by dual Derby winner Generous) and the decision to step up from his good debut over a mile can pay dividends.

By Michael Clower

Three feature races head the nine race meeting at Turffontein Inside track tomorrow and possibly the most intriguing runner of the day will be Matador Man in the Gr 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes over 1450m.

The Toreador gelding relaxed beautifully in the running and then showed a fine turn of foot when winning the Listed Secretariat Stakes over 1400m in early December. He now faces some of the best three-year-olds in Gauteng but looks up to it. His high draw is not a real concern as he always starts slowly and can slot in behind the field.

Maleficent (Nkosi Hlophe)

The best weighted horse is the progressive Australian-bred More Than Ready filly Ektifaa and she will attempt to remain unbeaten for the season. Last time out in the Gr 2 Choice Carriers over 1400m at Kenilworth she beat the classy Sail at level weights by 0,75 lengths despite jumping from a high draw. This trip looks to be down her alley and she has a plum draw of three with regular pilot Callan Murray aboard. However, it might be trough giving 1,5kg to the unexposed Matador Man.

Chili Con Carne has come into his own since blinkers have been fitted and Piere Strydom has remained aboard after their good win together over 1400m last time. From a draw of two this classy and progressive gelding by Just As Well should be in the shake up.

Al Fahad finished a decent fifth in the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas, when finding no extra after being right up there with 400m to go. He moved up well again last time over 1800m, before fading. On the evidence of those runs he will relish the step back down to 1450m and will be a dangerous runner.

Doosra won the Gr 2 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m and looked to be a long-striding sort who was heading places. However, he has to bounce back from a flat run last time when beaten five lengths by Chili Con Carne, although he is now 2kg better off. The dark horse is Maximizer, a big and impressive specimen who has won his last two starts, both over 1400m, in eyecatching style. The Querari colt is drawn in pole and can prove himself here. He has made breathing noises but no tongue tie is fitted, suggesting his breathing is not being affected.

In the Gr 3 Three Troikas over 1450m the classy Maleficent is hard to beat at the weights. However, a horse who might give some cheek over an ideal trip is Anna Pavlova, who has an impressively powerful set of hindquarters which generate superb acceleration. She is on the way up. Babbling Brooke looks to have been brought on magnificently by Ormond Ferraris for her classic campaign, but will likely find this too sharp. Al Hawraa is coming into her own and could be a threat having won well over thus sort of trip last time. Comme-Ci-Comme-Ca looks to be improving and could make a bid for a quartet position at likely long odds.

The Listed Wolf Power 1600 gives the lightly raced Australian-bred Redoute’s Choice colt Rafeef a chance to prove his considerable class. He has another tough draw, but should have learnt from his first start around the turn and can mow them down in the straight. Irish Pride is 1,5kg better off for a one length beating by Rafeef over 1400m and is well drawn again. He should be more forward and will likely be a big threat. Romany Prince will also be a threat, having quickened well to beat the useful Deo Juvente on correct handicap terms over 1800m last time. Bulleting Home is a strapping sort and the best has likely not been seen of him yet, so he could surprise. Champagne Haze can’t be ignored as a runner up in the Gauteng Guineas to Abashiri last year, but he carries topweight and is likely better over 1400m.

By David Thiselton

Punters face a tricky evening at Greyville where they are confronted with a card of generally weak maidens and lower division handicaps. For a variety of reasons, horses at the lower end of the merit rating scale cannot always be relied upon to hold form and often one or other with little obvious ability but feeling good on the day has punters scratching their heads at the improved form.

Anton Marcus

That said, Paul Lafferty’s runner Cupking looks one of the better bets on the card when he lines up in the second, opening leg of the PA. With a merit rating far superior to anything else in the field and runner-up in his last two, he will never get a better chance to shed his maiden. Possible threat could come in the form of Mighty Mississippi from the Doug Campbell yard but the four-year-old has already had 13 stabs at winning and although seldom far back he tends to lack extra when it counts.

With a winning strike rate in the region of 27% it is little wonder that Anton Marcus is aboard more than his fair share of favourites but there is a double edge to his sword as often his mere presence in the saddle is enough to convince backers that he’s on the right one.

Marcus does however, sleep with the form book under his pillow, and he may have picked the right one in Enchanted Drawing for James Goodman in the third. The gelding has shown the poly track to be his preferred surface and the addition of blinkers last time out saw him improve behind winner Roy’s Past. Marcus and the extended trip could finally see him in the winner’s enclosure.

But he is by no means home-and-hosed. There are six “Roy’s” carded this evening, two of them taking on Enchanted Drawing. Yogas Govender saddles the oddly named Roy Is Slow but who looked quite speedy when making marked and obviously unexpected improvement at his second outing finishing a close-up second to favourite Media Circus at odds of 55-1. A repeat effort will give Marcus something to think about. Alyson Wright has booked Anthony Delpech for Eastern Echo after his improved showing while Roy’s Flyer and the now blinkered Fire Bolt could surprise.

Byron Foster does a sterling job for Andre Nel at Sabine Plattner’s Summerveld satellite yard and the lightly raced At Long Last can live up to his name and notch his second win in the fourth. Although rested and having only his second run out of the maidens, the gelding has improved all the while but still comes into the race off a five-point lower rating than his last start. He is also course and distance suited which adds to his appeal.

For some bizarre reason, the death of a stallion often heralds a spate of winners, and the passing of AP Answer this week could herald back-to-back wins for his daughter Fashion Talk. She backed up two seconds with an easy victory last time out and although she takes on males her form is good. However, this is not a race to go light in the exotics with upset written all over it. The Ashburton-based trio of Enlightenment from the Duncan Howells yard and the Lowan Denysschen pair of For Ever and Principate are others to consider.

The ‘Donkey’ takes on the ‘Taxi’ but ‘Harry’ could have ‘Da Wheels’ in the sixth. Roy’s Taxi has been too quick for Harry da Wheels in their last two meetings but Candice Bass-Robinson’s runner is 3kg better off at the weights this time around which should be enough to reverse the placings.

A runner to keep an eye on is Delamere. Gavin van Zyl’s charge has had two outings on the poly since arriving from the Highveld and caught the eye behind another ‘Roy’, Roy’s Rolls Royce, and looks primed for a big showing.

By Andrew Harrison