London Call has never been an easy horse to train but Mark Dixon and wife Hailey have persevered and the Kahal gelding posted the seventh win of his career in only eleven outings when winning the Marula Sprint (Non-Black Type) at Scottsville yesterday.

The seven wins have been punctuated by some lengthy breaks and yesterday’s victory came off a three-month spell as Brandon Lerena kept his mount running strongly to the line to easily hold off fellow top weight Barbosa and Sea Fever, a whisker separating the two stable companions.

With very little rain over the past few weeks, Scottsville was riding fast and Lerena had London Call up with the pace throughout, but it was only inside the final furlong that he really got to work with London Call responding gamely to his urgings.

It was a quick double for Dixon who had earlier saddled the consistent Caribbean Day for his fourth victory for owners Blake and Cathy Richard. Although this was only his fifth win from 38 starts, Caribbean Day has been a soldier, placing 18 times for a return of over R400k.

Yesterday’s win came at the expense of some useful younger rivals as Keagan de Melo took the shortest way home off the false rail to easily held off the attentions of the late-charging Capel Top with favourite Monte Christo a well-beaten third.

Mr O’Neill, back in blinkers after his narrow previous victory, notched the third win of his career when comfortably seeing off the opposition in the Soccer 6 Handicap. It took time and gelding for Dean Kannemeyer’s charge to realise the promise he had shown early in his career – at his second start being touched off by Saturday’s Gr 1 Investec Derby runner-up Zodiac Ruler in a race that he could easily have won had he had his mind on the job.

With Champions Season looming, Mr O’Neill may well be a name for the notebook.

By Andrew Harrison

The Sun Met 2017

Greg Cheyne, won on Whisky Baron: “When I asked him for his effort he turned it on superbly. Some horses quicken but this one has two kicks.”

Anton Marcus, second on Legal Eagle: “He tried hard and he ran up to his best. In fact he ran the same race as last year.”

Corne Orffer, third on Captain America: “I thought for a time that he might hold on but then he started running outwards, using up his energy. I could have been a lot closer had he kept straight.”

Richard Fourie, fourth on Gold Standard: “It was a good run but I got interfered with. Captain America carried me out the width of eight horses.”

Grant van Niekerk, fifth on Marinaresco: “He is not travelling in a race like he used to and I need to figure out why his putting in only half the effort he should.”

Weichong Marwing, sixth on French Navy: “Everything went according to plan but he just kept on at the one pace.”

Piere Strydom, eighth on It’s My Turn: “He didn’t take the bend and I had to slap him down the shoulder to keep him in.”

Frankie Dettori, 13^th on The Conglomerate: “He was OK early but he was soon throwing out distress signals. He took me to the straight and then he ran flat.”

By Michael Clower

Brett Crawford is planning a dual Grade 1 assault on the Vodacom Durban July following Saturday’s fabulous four-timer.

“I will discuss things with Derek Brugman and we will decide whether Edict Of Nantes goes the Daily News route, or stays in Cape Town for the first two legs of the winter series like Marinaresco last year and then runs in the July,” said Crawford for whom Whisky Baron’s triumph in the Sun Met was his third in the great race. “The way the horse had kept winning since being gelded meant I thought he had the potential to win again on Saturday.”

The 2 min 2.71 sec clocked by Whisky Baron made it the fastest Met for 16 years bar the first of Pocket Power’s three wins in 2007.  Fourth-placed Gold Standard lost a front shoe, quite possibly when hampered by Captain America, while Mambo Mime (last) returned not striding out.

Frankie Dettori has ridden in enough countries not to be surprised by the stipes having him in for waving his whip in triumph as he neared the line in the Investec Cape Derby. But in Europe there is no rule against this. Here he was fined R1 500.

S’Manga Khumalo, whose usual flying dismount is more of a hop off the horse, gave it the full Dettori treatment after winning the Betting World Cape Flying Championship on Carry On Alice – “She is so special.”

Sean Tarry, who won this race with Mythical Flight ten years ago, said: “It’s not too often that I get a horse who wins Grade 1s at two, three, four and five but we did things a bit differently with her this time, bringing her to Cape Town with something to work on. The Computaform Sprint (April 29) is now her target but 1 000m is a bit short for Trip To Heaven.”

The runner-up took his reputation for starting slowly to new heights. After dawdling the first 100m he was ten lengths behind the leaders but he made up four in the last 100 alone and went under by only a fast-diminishing neck.

Red Ray was promptly retired after finishing a gallant third. “This was his swansong and Anton Marcus said he would have won had the race been over six furlongs but he still covered himself in glory,” declared Derek Brugman. “He has every chance of doing the same as a stallion at Klawervlei.”

William Longsword, on whom Marcus led 400m out to take the $500 000 CTS Mile for Vaughan Marshall, might also go there without racing again. “It’s a distinct possibility with the emphasis on the word possibility,” said Brugman. “But we will discuss it within the next fortnight.”

Tarry hinted that Cloth Of Cloud’s next stop could also be the breeding sheds after she trailed in a long way last in the CTS Sprint. “We have to weigh up our options but I don’t think there is anything I can do that I have not already done,” he said.

Live Life confirmed Candice Bass-Robinson’s tentative belief that Piet du Toit’s Trippi filly should be kept up the straight when Grant van Niekerk’s mount headed Always In Charge just inside the last 100m of the CTS Sprint. “I was a bit hesitant because I wasn’t sure whether the Sceptre was just a flash in the pan,” she admitted.

Durban is an option as it is for the Anthony Delpech-ridden Nightingale who finished fast in Mary Slack’s famous colours to give her trainer her first Grade 1 in the Klawervlei Majorca. “Candice is going to be a better trainer than me,” said a proud Mike Bass who won half the last ten Majorcas.

Justin Snaith, eight winners last year, had to be content with three this time but the Gavin Lerena-ridden Gimme Six in the last was his 100^th success of the season.

By Michael Clower

Video clip courtesy of Andrew Bon

Whisky Baron, one of the gambles of the race, powered home to a famous victory in the Sun Met at Kenilworth yesterday.

Greg Cheyne set him alight halfway up the straight and struck the front 100m out, drawing clear to beat 2-1 favourite Legal Eagle by a length and a half with long-time leader Captain America third at 22-1.

Richard Fourie, fourth on Gold Standard, promptly lodged an objection to Captain America for interference but this was over-ruled by the stipes.

Cheyne said: “I tried to get into a good position early on but unfortunately I couldn’t maintain it. Luckily Anthony Delpech on Bela-Bela found the fence and I was able to get in and tack on the back of Legal Eagle. When I asked him for his effort he turned it on superbly.”

This was the third Met success for trainer Brett Crawford who confessed to a few anxious moments: “I was very worried at the back turn because he couldn’t get cover and early in the straight I thought he was labouring. But it has been a fairytale. Since we gelded him in July he has won all his five races.”

The four-year-old is owned by Ross Kieswetter and his brother Craig who played cricket for England. They named him after their father Wayne whose whisky interests include a distillery in Scotland.

The brothers now have their sights set on the Vodacom Durban July with the family’s racing manager Craig Carey saying: “Brett must decide but the obvious route is Durban and head for the July.”

Just under an hour earlier Frankie Dettori thrilled the crowd by winning the Investec Cape Derby on Edict Of Nantes, raising his arms in triumph as he entered the winner’s circle and leaping into the air in trademark fashion.

His mount was only an 11-2 chance but the colt strode clear a furlong out to beat Zodiac Ruler by nearly two lengths with 100-1 chance Captain Gambler third.

Dettori said: “I got in a good position and played my cards at the 500m mark. I kicked really hard and soon got the field in trouble.

“I’ve won a lot of Derbies and after winning at Epsom on Golden Horn in 2015 Bernard Kantor asked me to come out for the Cape one so this was a very touching win for me.”

This was another major triumph for Crawford and the colt also has the July on his shopping list.

Candice Bass-Robinson had her first Grade 1 winner when Delpech and Nightingale finished fast to get up almost on the line in the Klawervlei Majorca Stakes.

Michael Clower

Greyville this evening is the aperitif for the three-day KZN racing festival that encompasses The Sun Met at Kenilworth tomorrow and Scottsville on Sunday.

The Kenilworth card has been boosted by a host of carry-over pools and punters can get a head start with Danish Cross in the Greyville opener tonight.

Duncan Howells is in Cape Town over seeing his two runners for tomorrow and assistant James Rich will be doing the honours in his absence. Danish Cross was a hot favourite for her last intended start at Scottsville but was kicked in the starting stalls and was scratched at the instance of her trainer.

She appears to have come out of that incident unscathed and from and inside draw she rates the one to beat in spite of making her poly debut.

Mungo Cherry, with four-claiming apprentice Sandile Mbhele aboard, has run her two best races on the poly and may be a threat while Momo has improved in blinkers and after being touched off a piece of paper at her last outing looks a more likely danger to Danish Cross.

The balance of the card is made up of maiden races and lowly handicaps which could make things tricky for punters.

Johan Janse van Vuuren will also be in Cape Town for the Met and his assistant will saddle Crowd Pleaser this evening. The colt was good enough to run the well thought off Legend to two lengths as a maiden and followed up with an easy Maiden victory over tonight’s course and distance. He has some fair Highveld form to commend him and this being his third run after a break he is in with a strong chance.

Pure Logic will have his supporters after showing much improved form since being fitted with blinkers. He was a beaten favourite when taking on weaker on his handicap debut but he stays the trip and has a plum draw which adds to his appeal.

Howells has a strong chance of a double on the night with Accidental Tourist in the seventh. The daughter of Gimmethegreenlight has shown up well in two outings since shedding her maiden and took on much stronger last time out when third behind stable companion Lunar Rush. She tries this trip for the first time but her pedigree suggest that she will see out ever yard.

Vogue Idea and Tanami fought out the finish when last they met with the former getting home with a neck to spare. Vogue Idea is still in the black as far as the weights are concerned courtesy of four-claiming apprentice Serino Moodley and she also has the better draw which could see the pair finish in the same order.

Greyville’s six-race meeting tomorrow coincides with The Sun Met that forms part of the exotics along with the Blue Label Telecoms Cape Stayers where the Snaith-trained Ovidio is a strong favourite. But Helderberg Blue can finally take his rightful place in the limelight and is taken to put one over the favourite.

Racing moves to Scottsville on Sunday where Howells again looks to have a strong contender for an exotic bet banker in the form of New Golden Age in the fifth. The gelding caught the eye when finishing strongly from a wide draw at only his second start when third on the Greyville turf last Friday. Mark Dixon’s runner Prime Suspect with Anthony Delpech aboard looks the obvious danger. He finished a good third behind the highly-regarded Howells-trained Wild Wicket on debut and is expected to improve.

By Andrew Harrison