Four runners from Blue Stables will go to post at Thursday night’s Meydan Carnival meeting, andwww.mikedekockracing.com reports that four-year-old colt Lindo Amor (ARG) could be best of them if he can secure a good early position in Round 2 of the Al Maktoum Challenge (Gr2) over 1900m on dirt.

Mike de Kock

Lindo Amor made an eye-catching debut on dirt when he came from midfield to take third behind Le Bernardin in the first leg of the Challenge over 1600m – only a neck kept him out of second.

Lindo Amor was doing his best work late that day and, knowing that he is Gr1 placed over 2000m in his native Argentine, Mike de Kock is confident that tonight’s trip will suit him. Christophe Soumillon retains the ride.

He said, however: “Lindo Amor is very well. He has improved after his January run, but tonight’s result depends on whether he can get into a handy position early.  Lindo Amor will face a stiff task if he’s out of his ground, runners not up with the pace on this track have a mountain to climb, as we’ve seen.”

About the others:

Race 2: Muwaary (Turf Handicap, 1600m, Jim Crowley)

“He ran a bad race last week, but has only been here for a  month and we have to race him to form. He will improve tonight, but we’re not expecting much yet.

Race 6: Sanshaawes (Soumillon) and Saltarin Dubai (Bernard Fayd’Herbe) in a Handicap on turf over 2000m:

“Sanshaawes is very well, this is his third start after a rest and he should be competitive, he has a chance. Saltarin Dubai drops in rating and comes to turf, the change of surface and a change in tactics will help.”

Selections Meydan Thursday February 2

Race 1 [4.30pm]: (4) WINSLOW (7) Ormindo (1) Grand Argentier (9) Vivernus

Race 2 [5.05pm]: (4) AMERICAN HOPE (2) Elite Excalibur (1) Dark Emerald (3) Fanciful Angel

Race 3 [5.40pm]: (4) MUARRAB (5) Cool Cowboy (2) Wild Dude (1) Movesta

Race 4 [6.15pm]: (2) RED GALILEO (4) Blue Rambler (5) Rio Tigre (6) Warrior Of Light

Race 5 [6.50pm]: (7) LINDO AMOR (3) Second Summer (9) Le Bernardin (5) Long River

Race 6 [7.25pm]: (3) SANSHAAWES (9) Belgian Bill (4) Master The World (1) Dylan Mouth

Race 7 [8.00pm]: (11) HARRY HURRICANE (6) Sir Maximilian (1) Medicean Man (5) Magnus Maximus

Prolific owner Roy Moodley has many winners from the “Roy” brigade and two more were added to the tally at a scorching hot Scottsville yesterday.

Roy’s Donkey (Nkosi Hlophe)

Yogas Govender provided the first when Roy’s Folly converted a string of recent places into victory under Tristan Godden ahead of outsider River Ayre with Alistair Gordon’s runner much improved since being fitted with blinkers while Roy’s Donkey made a nonsense of his nonsensical name winning the Blinkers Bar Handicap for Kom Naidoo.

Apprentice Sandile Mbhele has had his share of trials and tribulations this past week. He picked up a seven-day suspension when winning on Hot Chilli at Greyville last week and he had a bit of a ‘mare’ yesterday.

Riding Kingsview for Therese Mitchley, his mount took a right turn when under pressure and Mbhele – and indeed the rest of the field – were fortunate that he was clear as the mare was allowed to shift alarmingly across the entire field before cannoning into the inside fence allowing Roy’s Folly in for the win.

Earlier Mbhele arguably cost himself victory aboard the Gareth van Zyl-trained Poster Girl when dropping his near-side rein, letting Just Vogue hang on for the win for Gavin van Zyl.

No doubt he will learn but it is coming at a cost.

Blistering heat and a dearth of rain has not made things easy for the course managers and Scottsville was running quick which did not suit many of the runners including favourite Isingamoya who was in contention for much of the trip but did not go on with it under pressure.

Keagan de Melo, recently signed up for the Duncan Howells yard, paid his way when scoring on favourite Mambo in the eighth. De Melo blasted his way through a narrow inside gap to take up the cudgels with Fully Charged, going through to win comfortably.

By Andrew Harrison

It is touch and go whether the pending shipment of Legal Eagle and a few others to the USA will get off the ground due to a lack of numbers.

The flight, which is due to leave at roundabout the end of February, was the initiative of Mayfair Speculators racing manager Derek Brugman. However, the cost of the flight is US$600,000 and the export task team, under the stewardship of Chris van Niekerk, had therefore hoped to have a plane filled with 15 horses.

Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

Before Saturday’s Sun Met there were only eight horses on the flight list. They were Legal Eagle, Marinaresco, The Conglomerate, Silver Mountain, Flying Ice, a couple of broodmares and a sport horse.

Brugman is not yet aware of any new bookings or cancellations which might have taken place after the Met. He said the flight was only ever going to take place if it was economically viable. This was with a view to the future as it could then become a regular exporting option.

The horses will be subjected to a 60 day lockdown upon landing in the USA. This makes it a quicker export route than the Mauritius one, which South African thoroughbreds have been using.

However, horses who wish to move on to other countries are then required, by most countries, to spend additional residency time in the USA.

Another of the biggest stumbling blocks to the USA route had been the lack of exercise opportunity for horses during the lockdown. However, thanks to the efforts of Brugman and CTS MD Adrian Todd, the US Department Of Agriculture had agreed to the installation of a treadmill.

By David Thiselton

Triple Crown hero Abashiri has a new owner and is to be given a lengthy break before making an assault on the Sansui Summer Cup.

Mike Azzie said: “I scratched him from The Sun Met straight after his run in the Queen’s Plate. He will now have a good rest and then I will start him off from scratch once more and aim him at the Summer Cup.  He is a good horse and, while he might have lost his form, he won’t lose his ability.”

Abashiri (Nkosi Hlophe)

The four-year-old finished last in the Queen’s Plate and was returned not striding out. He was a well beaten fifth in the Green Point on his previous start, after a tough journey from Johannesburg which put him off his food for two days. However Azzie traces the horse’s loss of form to his running in the Vodacom Durban July.

He said: “Abashiri had a hard time winning the Triple Crown and I begged the owner (Adriaan van Vuuren) to put him away but he wanted to go for the July. The horse should never have run. He has recently changed hands and will race in the name of Corner Stone Trust for an owner I used to train for some years ago.”

Trainer-of-the-moment Brett Crawford is to be sent the Trippi colt out of a half-sister to Jeppe’s Reef and Disco Al who equalled the South African yearling record when knocked down to Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier for R6 million at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale. Markus Jooste is a part-owner in the Drakenstein-consigned colt who is named Mark The Doorman.

Candice Bass-Robinson will train the sales’ second highest-priced lot, Sovereign Sway, a Dynasty colt out of the Woolavington winner Viva Maria and bought by Kuda Holdings for R5.75 million.

Captain Of Tortuga, the R4.5 million Captain Al colt bought by Bernard Marais, is to go to Justin Snaith who won the Cape Fillies Guineas and the Majorca with the colt’s dam Ebony Flyer. Sean Tarry will train the Captain Al colt out of Orator’s Daughter purchased by David Redvers on behalf of Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, also for R4.5 million.

By Michael Clower

The Glen Kotzen-trained Trippi colt Gold Standard, now the highest merit rated three-year-old in the country, will be campaigned in the SA Champions Season in KZN.

Gold Standard (Liesl King)

Meanwhile, the route which Investec Cape Derby winner Edict Of Nantes takes is still up in the air.

Gold Standard has been accorded a merit rating of 115 by the handicappers after finishing fourth in Saturday’s Gr 1 R5 million The Sun Met and Kotzen said this would likely rule him out of the running in the Vodacom Durban July.

Kotzen’s concern is the merit ratings of the other three-year-olds in the country. He pointed out the horse which had beaten Gold Standard fair and square in the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas, William Longsword, was only merit rated 109, although he did recognise The Met itself had likely been correctly assessed.

Gold Standard’s chief targets will be the R600,000 Gr 2 Daisy Guineas and the R2 million Gr 1 Daily News 2000.

Kotzen was “very happy” with Gold Standard’s Met run and believed he could well have finished third had he not been interfered with by third-placed Captain America. He pointed out he was carried out eight horse widths and then had to be eased when squeezed between Captain America and the faster finishing Legal Eagle. The official margin between Captain America and Gold Standard was a length but Kotzen said it would have been impossible for a big horse like him to recover in time when having his stride broken at the most crucial stage. “But it’s history,” he added, as he looked forward to the future for the classy colt.

Glen Kotzen

Kotzen will be targeting the Gr 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas with Judpot filly Final Judgement, who was the first three-year-old home in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m.

The yard’s promising two-year-old Horse Chestnut filly Gold Image will also be going to KZN. Kotzen said, “She was beaten by two big, strapping colts (when third in Saturday’s R1 million Kuda Sprint) and I liked the way she finished her race. She will be a nice filly in a couple of months’ time and will be aimed at the Allan Robertson.”

Mayfair Speculators’ racing manager Derek Brugman said it had not yet been finalised whether the Brett Crawford-trained Edict Of Nantes would be kept back in Cape Town for the Winter Series or be campaigned in the SA Champions Season. It had also not yet been decided, if staying in Cape Town, whether he would raid for The July. The Count Du Bois colt has been accorded a merit rating of 102.

By David Thiselton