Western Cape champion trainer Justin Snaith runs the pacey Victoria Lavelle in the Gr 2 Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m at Kenilworth on Saturday.

In the meantime tests are being done on Black Arthur and the yard are “under pressure” to have him ready in time for the Sun Met.

The Southern Cross Stakes looks to be a two horse race on paper and will see the Sean Tarry-trained Carry On Alice attempting to exact revenge on the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Real Princess, who beat the former when they last met in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint over 1200m back in June.

Black Arthur (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, Carry On Alice looks to be the proverbial penalty kick as she has natural speed and has proven in the past to be as suited to 1000m as she is to 1200m, while Real Princess looks much better suited to 1200m. Carry On Alice was beaten in her comeback run last season over 1000m at Turffontein, but her rider might have been caught napping a touch as she had quickened and joined the lightning fast Little Genie in front and nobody, including the rider, would have expected the latter to then find another gear as she did.

Victoria Lavelle, who returns from a layoff since running fifth in the Gr 3 Champagne Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth on July 30, is the “blitz” horse in the Southern Cross field who could potentially pull off a similar surprise. The 1000m is the Captain Al filly’s best trip, as she has speed to burn, but she hasn’t raced over this distance since winning a Novice Plate by 3,25 lengths in September last year. However, Snaith said although she had been doing well at home, he believed “something would need to go wrong” with both Carry On Alice and Real Princess for any of the other runners to win this race.

Black Arthur was eased out of the Green Point Stakes by Piere Strydom last weekend in order to protect him, as he felt something was amiss.

Snaith said he believed it might be a case of excessive haemo-concentrating.

A decision will be made within a week whether to geld the talented son of Silvano or not. Snaith added the yard in any event would be “under pressure” to have him ready for the Met.

However, Snaith is gearing up to have a big day at the Cape Guineas meeting on December 17, which will coincide with both the yard’s form return and a strong team of runners.

By David Thiselton

The Greyville turf is looking in magnificent shape at present and there are innovations afoot which aim to have it in as good condition during the winter months from now onward.

The city course’s turf track copped plenty of criticism during the last SA Champions Season, which takes place in the depth of winter in May, June and July.

Raf Sheik (Nkosi Hlophe)

Gold Circle’s new Racing Executive Raf Sheik revealed the full “spring treatment” given to Greyville every year would from next season onward take place in January and February. He pointed out currently the treatment takes place nine months ahead of KZN’s main season, meaning the track is already worn by the time this world class three month festival of racing begins. Furthermore, there are changing seasonal patterns all over the globe, including in Durban. January and February are now probably Durban’s two best months of the year for growth, as the climate during this period combines warmth with moisture.

In future there will also be plenty of turf racing at Greyville after the SA Champions Season. Depending on the condition of the track, it will either be rested in August for up to five weeks, or turf racing will continue unabated at Greyville right through until the end of the year.

Meanwhile, there is a plan from next season onward to have two separate “spring treatments” for Scottsville. The aim is to have either the Inside or the Outside track open at any given time. This will ensure there is turf racing in KZN throughout the year.

When the Scottsville Ïnside track is being treated, there will only be racing down the straight at Scottsville on the Outside track.

In order to achieve the two separate Scottsville Spring Treatments, their pull-up areas will have to be separated. Plans are in motion to achieve this.

The Scottsville Spring Treatments will take place in and around the month of October every year.

Sheik said the secret to the current top class condition of the Greyville turf track included bringing in expert advice during the Spring Treatment. Furthermore, torrential rain caused the cancellation of the earliest intended turf meeting, and this allowed the track an extra month of unhindered growth.

Early next year there will be full turf meetings at Greyville on January 1, January 22 and February 19.

Thereafter the track will be closed for six weeks in order to give it a “light treatment.” This should ensure it is in good shape for the 2017 SA Champions Season.

By David Thiselton

Woolavington winner Bela-Bela begins her Cape campaign in earnest at Kenilworth on Saturday week. She is in both the Jet Master and the Victress Stakes but also has the option of a 1 400m fillies conditions plate where she could come against Silver Mountain.

“We have been waiting for this day for a long time,” says Justin Snaith who complained earlier in the season that there were no suitable races for the star filly. “She is doing well.”

The Joey Ramsden-trained pair A New Dawn and I Travel Light were yesterday supplemented for Saturday week’s Grand Parade Cape Guineas as was Tuesday’s Vaughan Marshall-winner William Longsword. Bernard Fayd’Herbe returns from Mauritius and will partner Craven for Brett Crawford.

Bela-Bela (Nkosi Hlophe)

Last Saturday’s Fillies Guineas winner Just Sensual has been raised 17 points (8.5kg) to a new merit rating of 109 while runner-up Safe Harbour has gone up 11 to 108, but third-placed Querari Falcon has been left on 104.

A little surprisingly Green Point winner Legal Eagle has been upped three to 123 – many observers felt the Horse of the Year simply ran up to somewhere near his best. But Marinaresco, beaten less than half a length, is only on 115 after going up five points. This is because five is the maximum the handicappers were allowed to give him. However Abashiri (fifth) has been dropped 2kg to 113 despite his well-documented travel problems.

Crawford is going to aim Cape Merchants gamble Search Party (upped seven to 103) at the Betting World Cape Flying Championship on January 28. He said: “I will also nominate him for the Diadem on January 14 but I am not sure that he will run.”

Grant van Niekerk has worked out what to do with his three separate seven-day interference suspensions – precisely nothing. Because of the holiday period the Review Board is not due to sit again until February and so, if the jockey does not appeal or state when he wants to take the bans, the Board will rubber stamp the suspensions at a time when all the big Cape races are over.

But Van Niekerk is aggrieved that the suspensions, three in eight days, have been given such prominent treatment in some sections of the media. “When I am riding at a meeting I am in almost every race, and I am often riding animals that can’t keep straight, so I am bound to get suspended from time to time,” he said. “It’s part and parcel of the job.”

In-form Richard Fourie rode the 1 000^th winner of his career when scoring on Step Out for Glen Kotzen at Kenilworth on Tuesday.

BLOB The decision to increase the stakes for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate by 50% will be widely welcomed. The minimum value of any Grade 1 is now R1 million (a sum, incidentally, that is dwarfed by many sales races) and it is only right that the country’s premier mile event should stand apart.

By Michael Clower

The Western Cape Equine Trust is to be given a second charity raceday in February to raise much-needed funds for retraining and rehousing ex-racehorses.

Ken Truter

Ken Truter, who took over as chairman earlier in the season, said: “I found I had inherited a fantastic committee of really dedicated people and it was amazing to see the work that Newton Phillips puts in at the Philippi centre where the horses are reschooled for their second life.

“But I was concerned about the financial situation. In the past the Trust benefitted from Rodney Dunn’s pre-Met cocktail party to the tune of a considerable amount of money. When that was discontinued the Trust suffered a huge loss of income, was not generating sufficient funds to cover expenses and was having to dip into reserves.”

Truter’s solution is to link up with the Horses For Causes day at Kenilworth on February 11 and expand it into a money-making operation that will benefit both the charity and the Trust.

He explained: “I’m going to create an elite stallion auction that day. I still have to take my plans to the breeders but I want them all to attend the racemeeting and have nominations to top stallions for them to bid for.”

Owners now have – or soon will have – a responsibility under NHA rules to ensure their horses are properly looked after when they finish racing. Nobody is more aware of this than the man who bred Jay Peg. He calculates that he now has 50 horses including his mares and their foals.

The Trust’s normal fund-raising raceday is this Saturday when it will benefit from the sponsorships of all ten races plus lunch tickets, raffles etc while Grade 1 winner Real Princess will try to thwart star sprinter Carry On Alice in the latter’s bid to win the CTS Southern Cross Stakes for the second successive year.

By Michael Clower

Punters are faced with a few posers at Greyville today where the racing is mostly of the bread-and-butter variety and the card headed by a MR 80 Handicap. It’s a 1000m dash on the poly and Garth Puller’s runner Mr Mcsteamy could prove too hot.

The gelding is on the hunt for his second win and has been much improved since being tried in blinkers. He took on a useful field in a Pinnacle Stakes last time out where he was ridden by an inexperienced apprentice who lacked a little ‘oomph’ in the finish.

Prior to that Mr Mcsteamy had finished close-up in two starts over course and distance and with a stronger rider aboard today and only 48,5 kg on his back he should be right there.

Ho’oponopono (Nkosi Hlophe)

Top weight Swakopmund goes well over the distance and even with a big weight should feature with Anton Marcus aboard. Ho’oponopono is seldom far back and is distance suited. However, both these runners finished behind Mr Mcsteamy in the race won by Big King and meet on the same weight terms so turning the tables could be difficult. A bigger threat could be Aramouse, who has only twice finished out of the money in 12 starts. He drops in trip but the blinkers go on which could do the trick.

The Duncan Howells-trained Lunar Rush shed her maiden against winners in the KZN Breeders Million on July Day and has since been lightly raced. She looked just in need of her last outing when touched off by the useful Victory Takeover and poly specialist Marcus is back on board. One hopes that she can come on from that run as she is up against two runners who were at her girth come the line. School Run and Red Moon At Night meet on the same terms as they did behind Victory Takeover where there was a neck separating all three of the placed runners. The latter could turn the tables but there is unlikely to be much between the three again. We’re Are watching You was given a hefty rating after running out an easy maiden winner at her second attempt. She looks above average but has her work cut out.

It has been many moons since we had a 3000m marathon and Olympic Power goes this far for the first time. He was behind both Newtons Spark and Born To Rule when last they met but that was a false-run race. He has since won on the poly and could prove a cut above the opposition given a decent gallop.

Born To Rule stays well over shorter but this trip should hold no fears. With a four-claimer up he has a bright chance. When Tony Nassif arrives in town it often pays to take note and he saddles Taegan’s Jet. The gelding comes with some useful Highveld form over ground and with a light weight is one to include in all bets. Musuchelalomissus is another that has not been over the trip but goes well enough over 2400m and is showing signs of coming to hand. Newtons Spark makes his poly debut. He is always dangerous if allowed to get away but his best form has been at Scottsville.

In the opening leg of the Pick 6, Variety Romp has been persevered with by Charles Laird in spite of his problems and won well enough last start to suggest that he can go in again off a two-point higher rating. Ice Ridge shed his maiden first up on the poly track. He had consistent Cape form before that and is still improving for Alyson Wright. Assistant Amy McMullen will saddle San Julian Bay for Weiho Marwing and the gelding was less than a length behind Variety Romp when last they met and is 1kg better off. However, he does have a difficult draw. Roy’s Dollar takes on males but goes well over the course and distance and the form of her last run has worked out well so needs to be considered.

By Andrew Harrison