Greyville (Poly/Night) Friday December 23 Race Previews by Warren Lenferna

Race 1
Preview: With no disrespect to anyone in this race, it has to be one of the weakest maidens to go to post. BRAVE KNIGHT gets Marcus and an okay draw. He shows speed and to put it rather bluntly, if he cannot win tonight – he will battle! ROYAL BODYGUARD was not far off last time and can go very close once again as he is not taking on much but he is very well tried. The rest – get out that crystal ball! (Warren Lenferna 1-3-7-9)

Race 2
Preview: The second race on the card is just as weak as the first and Anton Marcus seems to have selected the right rides in these two races. APHRODEITY’S RAIN despite the wide draw looks very hard to beat here. DAMALI ran well last time and should do so again. BLUE JASMINE and BEAU VAR can finish in the first four. (Warren Lenferna 8-1-3-2)

Race 3
Preview: CAPTAIN ELLIO has done well in KZN and ran second last time to Lucky Barb – that form should be good enough in this field to see him go one better tonight. He is the confident first choice. SUPPER GUPPY is way better than her last run suggests and if reproducing and improving on her penultimate effort should be right there at the finish again – ignore her last run. ROY’S POWER comes from an inform trainer / owner combination and he is seldom far off the action. KEPT SECRET could pop up. (Warren Lenferna 2-9-10-3)

Race 4
Preview: LA DI VAR will get help again with an apprentice claim – Serino Moodley has done well on her and she looks ready to win again. ALL TRUE MAN (Marcus) is better than his last run and has a chance. ROMAN SOCIETY and RED APACHE have quartet chances in a field where pretty much anything could happen. (Warren Lenferna 3-6-9-5)

Race 5
Preview: ICY SPIRIT has to overcome the draw – if doing so, she should be hard to beat as her form is good and she won her penultimate start impressively. BRAVE AND BOLD is very consistent and her chances of going close look very bright. WELL DRESSED ran a cracker last time behind Roy’s Rakara and has a chance tonight. CAROLINE’S CALL has been catching the eye recently and she has a strong chance4 here with in form Alec Forbes in the saddle. (Warren Lenferna 4-3-5-11)

Race 6
Preview: SOVEREIGN REIGN ran an excellent race last time and looks cherry ripe to go one better and score his fourth career win. MAGICAL BET won a good race last time beating a tough field – if he had to follow up it would be no shock at all. TROPICAL’S SON and BIZJET can fight out the minor money and must be included in the quartet. (Warren Lenferna 1-5-8-2)

Race 7
Preview: Trainer Belinda Impey is doing exceptionally well with MUSIC WORLD. She ran a great race last time in a tough field and has proven she has ability. She goes 2000m tonight and I am sure this will be no problem. She has shown she goes on both turf and poly and has been selected with some confidence to win this race and record her fourth career win. LITTLE CHAPEL won the race where Music World ran fourth in and again there should not be too much between the two. Little Chapel is a big runner and danger. JET INTOMBI and PEACE AGAIN are worth having a close look at for the minor money positions. (Warren Lenferna 4-2-3-6)

Race 8
Preview: The way CRYSTAL BALL was closing in hand over fist last time to finish fourth behind stable companion Madame Excess (whom runs / ran on Wednesday) – she should be a very hard horse to beat over tonight’s 2000m trip that she tries for the first time. If she stays she should win! ROY’S PONY ran well last time and her chances look bright here. SPANISH LADY is coming to hand steadily and from the good draw should be able to go very close tonight and help add some value to the quartet. UNDER THE ROSE showed last time that her penultimate run was all wrong and she deserves her place in the quartet tonight but they will all have to run some to beat Crystal Ball if she sees the distance and takes to the surface! (Warren Lenferna 2-6-3-4)

MJ Byleveld’s job as stable jockey to top Cape trainer Vaughan Marshall has had pressure attached to it which not many in the grandstand would understand, but he proved on Saturday with his cool ride on William Longsword in the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas he is now taking it in his stride.

Meanwhile, Derek Brugman, racing manager of Markus Jooste’s Mayfair Speculators ownership operation, said a decision would be made at the end of the Cape Summer Of Champions Season whether to keep William Longsword in training or retire him to stud. The latter option would coincide with the colt’s Champion sire, Captain Al, nearing the end of his stud career.

A number of Marshall’s top horses over the last few years have been owned by Jooste, who retains top jockey Anton Marcus. Therefore, Byleveld, who is at Marshall’s Milnerton yard riding work every morning except for his “off day” on Sunday, has been left in a situation where he has had to try and make the most of the limited Gr 1 opportunities coming his way. The pressure attached to each of these opportunities is thus increased.

“As you get older you learn to take the pressure,” he said before elaborating and saying his philosophy towards a big race these days was to just go out and do his job and treat it as he would any other race.

Referring to Marcus’ retainer with Jooste, he said, “I have learnt to live with it – it is all about teamwork – you have to look at the bigger picture.”

“Bakkies”, as MJ is known to many of his friend’s partly due to his fanatical support of the Blue Bulls rugby team, went in to Saturday’s race confident.

He said, “I had worked a couple of the contenders and was quietly confident.”

He added, “He is a big horse but has such a lovely temperament and a good action and good turn of foot. In work he does what you want him to do, you can put a kid on him.”

Byleveld was modest in his assessment of his ride, especially considering the horse had to jump from stall 13 of 16. He said, “He showed good gatespeed and is a horse I can’t really restrain so I got lucky as there was not a lot of speed and he got across quickly and found himself a nice position.”

In actual fact Byleveld made a decisive, race-winning move before the turn, one which a less experienced jockey might have flinched at. He expertly eased the horse over and slotted him in in front of Elevated. William Longsword was now one off the rail and covered behind Elusive Path, who was lying on the quarters of the surprise pace setter, the favourite Table Bay.

William Longsword, a big, long-striding bay, travelled beautifully from then onward.

Byleveld continued, “Table Bay was in trouble 400m out and my horse quickened very well, I then just hoped nothing would come and catch us.”

Byleveld’s last Gr 1 victory was on the Marshall-trained The Secret Is Out at Scottsville last June. He showed the calmness of the consummate professional on that occasion, easing and switching the horse at a crucial moment, and displayed this asset once again on Saturday.

He remained patient until the 200m mark at which stage he made a necessary change of whip hand as his horse was shifting inward. He then drove his mount out vigourously to the line, in between cracks of the whip. This was enough to keep Gold Standard at bay by 0,5 lengths.

Byleveld confirmed William Longsword was “most definitely” one of the best he had ever ridden and probably the best.

He felt he would be even better as a four-year-old.

However, it remains to be seen whether he will keep the ride in the US500,000 CTS Mile on J&B Met day.

Derek Brugman, Mayfair Speculator’s racing manager, said the latter race was William Longsword’s probable next target. A decision whether to keep him in training would be made thereafter.

John Koster, part-owner together with Jooste of Klawervlei Stud and a member of its founding family, said the decision to retire William Longsword lay entirely in the hands of Mayfair Speculators. However, he said it would make sense for a son of Captain Al to come in 16 years after the latter had won the same race, the prestigious stallion producing Cape Guineas.

He revealed, “Captain Al is twenty years old now and is becoming increasingly sub-fertile.”

Koster pointed out William Longsword’s dam is a half-sister to Victory Moon, a Gr 1-producing stallion who was a great loss to the breeding industry when passing away at the age of just nine. Furthermore, William Longsword himself is a half-brother to Gr 1-winning sprinter Real Princess (Trippi).

William Longsword was also bred by Klawervlei and his dam Pagan Princess currently has a yearling by Trippi and is in foal again to Captain Al.

By David Thiselton

Visiting South African apprentice Callan Murray rode Strictly Legit to victory in a maiden race at Mornington on Tuesday landing a winner at just his fourth race ride in Australia.

Indentured to South African trainer Mike De Kock, Murray is having a stint in Australia before becoming a fully-fledged jockey.

Last season’s champion apprentice in South Africa, Murray had two rides at Flemington last Saturday, finishing a close second aboard La Speciale.

“I’m really excited to get on the board here,” Murray told broadcasterRacing.com.

“The hospitality has been great from Lindsay Park and I’m really grateful for their support.”

Mikedekockracing.com confirm that Murray booted home his second winner with Barjeel in a Plated race over 1400m yesterday for Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Australasia. Callan commented: “I’ve won in these colours back home, thanks to Sheikh Hamdan and Angus Gold. Racing in Australia is great, I’ve had some good opportunities from Lindsay Park, my part has been easy.”

Whisky Baron has been promoted to 8-1 third favourite for the Sun Met after making short work of the opposition in the 1 800m Allowance Plate at Kenilworth yesterday.

He was previously as big as 15-1 but the Australian-bred quickly put daylight between himself and the rest after Greg Cheyne sent him on two furlongs out – and he looked value for more than the length and three-quarters he finished in front of Macduff.

Cheyne said: “The pace was fair – it wasn’t the crawl that I thought it might be – but his turn of foot is amazing.”

Brett Crawford has an open mind about immediate plans and explained: “The L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate (January 7) is an option but he can only get 3kg for winning this so he could go for  the Peninsula Handicap on the same day. I will discuss it with the owners.”

The four-year-old has won all three starts since being gelded and seemingly the operation has had a marked effect with the trainer explaining: “He used to be a big burly horse but he is now much more athletic.”

Brazuca, weak in the market – he drifted from odds-on on Monday to 7-2, faded to finish with only one behind him after making much of the running but rider Randall Simons reported: “He hung out and he needed the run badly. He will come on a lot from this.”

Betting World marked him out from 22-1 to 33-1 for the Met but Macduff, a rather insulting 500-1 before the race, is now down to 150-1. However you can still get 100-1 about Mambo Mime despite his pleasing Dean Kannemeyer by finishing third.

Kannemeyer said: “He deserves a crack at the Met and I’m now looking to nominate him for the Queen’s Plate. He ran a nice race here despite being big and blowing hard afterwards.”

The handicappers have given the first two in last Saturday’s Grand Parade Cape Guineas a hefty hike. William Longsword has been raised 5kg to a new rating of 109 while Gold Standard, beaten only half a length, has gone from 96 to 108. However third-placed Table Bay has been dropped a kilo to 106. As he was over three lengths away, the assessors obviously feel he is capable of better.

By Michael Clower

Royal Life is a talented gelding and although it has sometimes been tough going for him and his connections, he is smart on his day. Alistair Gordon’s runner lines up in the MR 90 Divided Handicap over 1400m at Scottsville this afternoon where he looks to have a strong chance of recording just the third win of his career.

The son of Dynasty can be a difficult ride and often takes a strong hold but Gordon has booked Sean Veale for the ride and Veale can hold an elephant off a peanut if needs be.

Royal Life rounded off last season with a distant second to Sail South in the Thukela Handicap and was then given a four-month break.

He returned to the track in October where he showed good pace under apprentice Eric Ngwane before being out-paced by Buffalo Soldier over a distance well short of his best.

He steps up in trip today over a course where he has record both of his victories. He also gets a tongue-tie on for the first time and if finding his best form he could prove difficult to beat.

Prolific owner Roy Moodley’s horses have hit a rich vein of form and Roy’s Winter Patch looks a possible threat to Royal Life.

The gelding has his first run for Yogas Govender after finishing a close-up third behind Silver Spring in a set weights race for Dennis Drier last time out and is in receipt of 3.5kg from Royal Life. Although he takes on stronger he should be up there when the whips are cracking.

Runners from the Tony Rivalland yard are coming to hand and Spanish Captain was narrowly beaten in a Scottsville sprint after returning from a six-month break. He will much prefer today’s trip and is another to consider.

All things considered punters face another difficult card of maximum fields and moderate horses where form is not always reliable.

One of the better propositions could be Hot Mambo in the opening leg of the Pick 6. A beaten favourite in both recent starts at Greyville, Mark Dixon’s filly is due a change of fortune. She shows good pace but has not been able to finish off her races and her last outing over 1400m may have been just beyond her compass. Dixon has declared blinkers on his charge and if she puts it all in she rates the one to beat.

The dangers could come in the form of Danish Cross and Starwin. The latter has run her two best races on the poly but has not been far back in any of her four starts while the lightly raced Danish Cross comes from an in-form yard and judged on her debut effort behind useful looking stable companion Blaze Of Mystery on debut she is likely to improve lengths.

The fourth has upset written all over it but Veale has made the trip home from Cape Town where he has mostly been aboard the Dennis Drier raiding party. Wild Irish looks to have been set up nicely by Drier’s stable assistant Stuart Ferrie after going down narrowly behind Whatawonderfulworld on the Greyville poly. Today’s trip should be right up her ally.

Veale will have been ‘jocked off’ Great Value in the sixth where Anton Marcus will be aboard for his bosses Mayfair Speculators. It’s an open race but Great Value took on much stronger at his last start. He can be unruly which is a concern as the starters appear to have taken a much harder stance in recent weeks after their  great ‘indaba’ a fortnight back but Great Value appears to have improved his behaviour in pacifiers. If he can build on his last effort he may be the one to beat. Robert Fay’Herbe, in charge of the Candice Bass-Robinson satellite yard at Summerveld, he got his stable humming along and Panga has not been far back at recent outings. This looks to be his optimum trip and he is also down in class.

By Andrew Harrison