A string of disappointing performances by his horses over the summer and particularly Sun Met day, led trainer Dean Kannemeyer to discover that his Milnerton-based string has been infected with a low-grade virus.

Dean Kannemeyer (Nkosi Hlophe)

Kannemeyer issued a public statement yesterday stating; “When all of my Met day runners performed so poorly I realised that something was definitely amiss. The difficulty is that, despite the virus, the horses eat well and work well, but do not display any outward symptoms of illness. But their falling away late in their races and fading to nothing suggested that all was definitely not well”.

Kannemeyer, whose Summerveld satellite base in KwaZulu-Natal has been regularly producing winners, called in leading veterinarian Dr John McVeigh who took the bloods from his runners after the Met and randomly tested 18 horses in his Cape yard.

The results came back positive last Monday, 6 February.

According to McVeigh, this virus is common and widespread throughout the equine population worldwide.

“I am told that the virus will go as quickly as it arrived. We will thus be treating the entire string and ease off them for at least a fortnight,” said Kannemeyer. He added that the virus was not expected to have any impact on his SA Champions Season plans and that it would be business as usual later on this month in the Cape.

By Andrew Harrison

Western Cape Equine Trust chairman Ken Truter has persuaded owners of some of the country’s top stallions to part with a service to raise funds for charity when racing resumes at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Those with stud fees up for auction include Duke Of Marmalade and Oratorio who both stand at R100 000, Twice Over (R50 000) and Ideal World (R40 000).

Ken Truter

The busy Truter, who last month added the chairmanship of the National Horseracing Authority to his duties, said: “The auction of the services will take place in the Peninsula Room, half the money will go to the Equine Trust and half to the Horses For Causes charity.”

The Equine Trust will use its share to help fund its programme for the retraining and rehoming of retired racehorses. The other stallion services to be sold are those for What A Winter, Pathfork, Coup De Grace, Captain Of All, Elusive Fort, Pomodoro, Vercingetorix and Go Deputy.

This the first racemeeting at the Cape Town course since the Sun Met 11 days ago but two of the principal players will be sitting on the sidelines.  Corne Orffer is out for ten days for failing to do enough to stop Captain America interfering with fourth-placed Gold Standard when third in the Met and Grant van Niekerk has an identical ban for a similar offence after the fast-finishing Trip To Heaven hampered Tevez (fifth) on the way through when second in the Cape Flying Championship.

Robert Khathi, who recently returned from a stint in Bahrain, is the principal beneficiary of the Van Niekerk suspension. He has rides in all eight races including five for Candice Bass-Robinson. Craig du Plooy, in action for the first time since breaking bones in his hand at the beginning of November, has three mounts for Justin Snaith.

By Michael Clower

Turffontein Standside stages an eight race meeting on Tuesday night and not surprisingly some good horses have been attracted on the eve of the Highveld Autumn Season.

The headliner is a Conditions Plate over 1400m and it is worth visiting the track for this race alone as it sees an intriguing clash between New Predator and Kangaroo Jack. On paper there is not much between them. Kangaroo Jack won easing up the last time they met over 1450m in October and at level weights was 2,2 lengths ahead of New Predator at the line. However, New Predator is now 6kg better off which brings them together on paper. New Predator was also making his seasonal reappearance in that race and likely needed it. Furthermore, he had a wide draw and after being dropped out he had too much to do. This is his first run since returning from Cape Town and he might also need it as it is likely a pipe opener for the Autumn season.

New Predator (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, importantly, he is well drawn this time so should be closer turning for home. He is classy and 1400m running fresh will be right down his alley, so he is tipped to win. However, there is unlikely to be much in it. Kangaroo Jack will likely be more forward and has never looked in danger of defeat in his last two starts over this sort of distance. He doesn’t have a bad draw of six. On paper Forest Fox also has a shout, being 1,5kg better off with Kangaroo Jack for a 0,5 length beating over course and distance.

However, Kangaroo Jack won that race hands and heels and was being eased at the line. Forest Fox was once a frustrating sort, who would get out it at the slightest opportunity, but he has become consistent lately and is beginning to fulfil his potential. Will Pays is only 0,5kg better off for a two length beating by Kangaroo Jack over 1450m in October. He has gone off the boil in his last two starts too, so will need to bounce back. Bulleting Home is a strapping sort, who is likely at his best over 1400m. He will also relish the long straight here, although he has a tricky draw of seven.

In race three, a Conditions Plate over 1000m, Green Pepper could take another step towards proving herself a likely successor to the current best female sprinter in the land, Carry On Alice. She is officially only third best in the weights here running off a merit rating of 106, but looks to have plenty more to come. She beat her chief danger here, Joan Ranger, by 3,75 lengths back in November over course and distance when receiving 7,5kg. They now face each other at level weights and, considering weight for age allowances per month, this puts them just about together.

Furthermore, Joan Ranger was a touch unlucky that day as she didn’t get her usual good start. Joan Ranger has speed and a good kick at the end so is going to be a tough nut to crack, especially as the Lucky Houdalakis yard is in such fine form. However, the verdict goes to the exciting prospect Green Pepper, albeit only just. Old Em is officially the best in at the weights, but has to bounce back from a 17 length beating by Green Pepper over 1160m on Summer Cup day, where she was found to be not striding out.

A Pinnacle Stakes staying race over 2450m will also be a highlight. These races often throw up results which make a mockery of the merit ratings. The best weighted horse here, Cool Chardonnay, looks likely to need the run, although no Weiho Marwing-trained horse can ever be completely discounted in a staying event. Go Direct is the up-and-coming stand out of the race and is tipped to win, being a son of Go Deputy whose progeny come into their own as four-year-olds and who have stamina aplenty.

Consistent stayer Storm Warning goes very well for Piere Strydom and is the second best in at the weights, so looks the chief danger. Officially he is 1,5kg well in with Go Direct. Odd Rob is an interesting contender, despite officially being 6,5kg under sufferance with Cool Chardonnay. He over raced with blinkers on in his penultimate start over 3200m and otherwise could have gone close. The blinkers are now off. The Elmo Effect is also out at the weights, but is consistent over this trip. Kingmambo’s Legacy is a runner from pole over a suitable trip. He is 1,5kg better off with Go Direct for a 1,4 length beating over 2000m. Deputy Jud is not the most reliable and could be in it if things go his way, but he does have a wide draw to overcome.

By David Thiselton

The first foal of the French-bred Treve, twice winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, was born on February 1 and served to highlight the saturation of the Northern Dancer and Mr Prospector cross which exists in the modern thoroughbred.

The foal is by Dubawi, champion sire of France in 2015 and record holder for the quickest to ever reach 50 Group winners. Dubawi also has more Group winners at present than any other sire at the same stage of their careers. He has 26 Gr 1 winners to date and is the flagship stallion of Darley, the worldwide stallion operation of Sheik Mohammed, Ruler Of Dubai.

Treve (Supplied)

Treve’s first foal has two lines of Mr Prospector mixed in with six lines of Northern Dancer. She stunned the racing world in 2013 by scooting to a five length victory in the Arc at odds of 9/2, annihilating the 2/1 favourite Orfevre. She had an interrupted 2014 season and went into the Arc as an 11/1 shot on the back of three losses in succession. However, she romped to an easy two length victory.

Ironically, she was an even money favourite to make it three-in-a-row in 2015, but could only manage fourth. Treve, trained by Criquette Head-Maarek, won nine races in 13 starts and six of those wins were Gr 1s. She is owned by Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani (Al Shaqab Racing) of Qatar. Her first foal was born at Sheik Joaan’s Haras de Bouquetot at midday last Wednesday.

Meanwhile in the USA the brilliant racehorse but luckless broodmare Zenyatta is due to foal down to Medaglia D’oro soon. Zenyatta won her first 19 starts, including 13 Gr 1s, but was beaten in her 20^th and final start in the Breeders Cup Classic, although she only just failed in that race and was most unlucky.

As a broodmare her two runners to date are yet to win in a combined total of six starts. Her other two foals tragically had to be euthanized. The foal by Medaglia D’Oro out of Zenyatta will be 4×4 to the Northern Dancer and Mr Prospector cross.

Meanwhile, Rachel Alexander, who ousted Zenyatta as Eclipse Horse Of The Year in 2009, was not covered in any of the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons due to complications in the birth of her last foal.

However, her two foals to date have both won. The second of them, Rachel’s Valentina by Bernadini, was a Gr 1 winner and finished second in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Rachel Alexandra’s first foal was a colt, Jess’s Dream, and his impressive debut win proved to be his only start. He is now a sire. Rachel Alexandra was by Medaglia D’Oro. There is, of course, a long list of great race mares who have not made it at stud.

However, South Africa are fortunate to have the blood of one of the North American greats who did succeed at stud too.

Glorious Song, a Canadian-bred daughter of Halo, won four Gr 1s and at stud produced three notable racehorses-turned-sire, Rahy, Singspiel and Rakeen.

Rakeen was imported to South Africa and won a Gr 2 and a Gr 3 as well as finishing third in the Durban July. At stud he sired Jet Master, five-time Gr 1 winner and twice Horse Of The Year, before becoming the greatest SA-bred stallion in history, winning the national sires title seven times.

However, Glorious Song is in stark contrast to Jet Master’s own dam, Jet Lightning, who only won two races and whose ten foals yielded only one stakes winner.

By David Thiselton

The ambitious plan to fly Legal Eagle, The Conglomerate, Marinaresco and Silver Mountain to race in America – and so pave the way for the South African bloodstock industry to be opened up to the world – looks to have fallen through.

David Thiselton reported in this paper last Thursday that the flight was in the balance because of lack of support but yesterday Derek Brugman, the man behind it all, said: “It now looks highly unlikely and the feedback I am getting from the other guys involved is that it is a no-go for the money involved.”

The Conglomerate (Nkosi Hlophe)

The original target was 15 horses sharing the $600 000 flight cost but, with only six (possibly seven) horses confirmed, the cost per ticket has risen from $40 000 to $100 000.

Brugman said: “It’s a great shame but I gave Markus Jooste an undertaking from the beginning that we would only do this if it made economic sense and I can’t justify spending that kind of money. It’s too big a risk.

“Similarly the other guys who committed from the start are not prepared to spend an extra $60 000 a horse. The exercise doesn’t make sense at that price.”

The intention was that, once the big-name horses came through their 60-day lockdown in New York with a treadmill for exercise, they would add to their reputations on the racetracks of the States and so advertise South African bloodstock to such an extent that American owners and trainers would buy yearlings here and take them home via the same New York 60-day quarantine.

When the market developed sufficiently breeders here could benefit further by breeding some of their mares to Northern Hemisphere time.

Brugman, who has been working on all this for two years, regards the setback as temporary and said: “I can assure you that I haven’t thrown in the towel in terms of trying this again in the future, possibly even later this year.”

He is looking forward to the day when So

uth Africa is regarded by the Americans as Contagious Equine Metritis-free. At the moment it is not and so they insist that any colts or entire horses coming from this country must do a third month of lockdown during which they have to cover two mares. It is a requirement that would play mental and physical havoc with any plans to keep them racing.

Brugman said: “But for this requirement we might have been able to send a couple of our good three-year-olds with the shipment.”

By Michael Clower