Geoff Woodruff’s fourth consecutive victory in the Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup on Saturday might have pundits pouring through the record books, because at first sight he looks likely to have become one of an elite trio.

Five-times SA champion trainer Woodruff, the former SA champion jockey Gavin Lerena, owner and breeder Michael de Broglio, and the seven-year-old gelding Master Sabina, combined on Saturday to win Johannesburg’s most prestigious race for the second year in succession.

Two reigning champions, Sean Tarry and S’Manga Khumalo, both had days to remember too, with five and four winners respectively, while the late great seven-times SA champion sire Jet Master had another couple of accolades added to his CV.

Geoff Woodruff (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Summer Cup is considered one of South African racing’s big three along with the Vodacom Durban July and the Sun Met. Woodruff looks to have joined only two other trainers in achieving four successive wins of any one of these races, unless a search through the archives reveals something other.

Trainer Fred Murray won the July four times in succession between 1910 and 1913, while the recently retired trainer Mike Bass won the Met four-times in succession between 2007 and 2010. Murray did it with four different horses, Bass did it with two horses and Woodruff three. Both Bass and Woodruff owe a lot to Jet Master for the achievement.

The Bass-trained Jet Master gelding Pocket Power won three successive Mets. The following year his full-sister and stablemate River Jetez upset him when he was going for a fourth successive win.

Remarkably two of the Woodruff horses involved in his four-in-a-row Summer Cup streak are also by Jet Master.

Jet Master gelding Yorker got the Woodruff roll going by winning it in 2013. Black Minnaloushe colt Louis The King won it for him in 2014.

Then on Saturday, Jet Master gelding Master Sabina became the first horse to win consecutive Summer Cups since the Jean Heming-trained filly Roland’s Song achieved the feat 25 years ago.

It remains to seen whether Master Sabina will attempt to emulate the greats Java and Elevation, who both won the big race three years in succession.

What makes Woodruff’s Summer Cup dominance even more remarkable is that in 2013 he filled the trifecta, plus fifth place, and he filled the exacta positions in both 2014 and 2015.

Master Sabina finished second to Yorker in 2013 to give Jet Master the exacta. Jet Master nearly achieved the feat again this year as his son Master Switch, also trained by Woodruff, finished third.

The Joey Ramsden-trained The Conglomerate finished second on Saturday and was thus denied becoming the first horse to win the July and the Summer Cup in the same year since the Woodruff-trained El Picha achieved the feat in 1999.

Woodruff has now won the Summer Cup six times and Lerena three times.

Earlier, Woodruff’s Drakenstein Stud-bred Philanthropist gelding, Singapore Sling, threw the three-year-old division wide open by beating a quality field in the Gr 2 Investec Dingaans, which included a powerful trio of Mike de Kock-trained horses. Of the latter Heavenly Blue in second place caught the eye as one who will make a massive impact in the classics.

By David Thiselton

Anthony Delpech has been made 7-2 favourite to win the Cape Fillies Guineas for the third time in five years. Race sponsors World Sports Betting have installed the former champion’s mount Querari Falcon at the head of the market for Saturday’s Kenilworth classic.

Gavin Lerena, out to follow up his Sansui Summer Cup triumph, rides 4-1 second favourite She’s A Giver. Sail is next on 11-2 while the unbeaten Quick Brown Fox has already been nibbled at from 8-1 to 7-1.

Fortissimus (Liesl King)

The WSB Green Point Stakes threatens to steal the Grade 1’s thunder with Legal Eagle (16-10) up against local hero Marinaresco (2-1), 4-1 chance Black Arthur, New Predator (9-2) and Abashiri (14-1).

“It’s a mini Queen’s Plate,” says Brett Crawford who reckons he has a big shout with 11-1 chance Captain America. “He is doing very well at home and one of the things in his favour is that he has a win under his belt whereas some of the others haven’t.”

Like last year’s Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut winner, Marinaresco has not been to the course for a gallop since his last run. “He doesn’t need a huge amount of work,” explains Candice Bass-Robinson. “He is doing well and working well although he will be at his best for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.”

She has nominated last year’s Fillies Guineas winner Silver Mountain for Saturday week’s Southern Cross Stakes in which Carry On Alice could attempt to repeat last year’s win. But Silver Mountain may wait.

“There is a 1 400m conditions race a bit later and she might start in that instead,” said her trainer. Stable jockey Grant van Niekerk is expected to take over the mount. Aldo Domeyer, for whom Silver Mountain went so well last season, has commitments to Andre Nel and Bernard Fayd’Herbe (who rode her in her last three starts) looks like staying in Mauritius for a bit longer.

Red Ray has been installed 7-2 favourite for the WSB Cape Merchants despite his huge task under 62kg. Tevez, bidding for his third win in this race, is a 12-1 chance.

Greg Cheyne joined the sidelined Andrew Fortune at the top of the log on 57 with an inspired four-timer at Kenilworth on Saturday.

He was particularly effective on Rocketeer in the Steelbank Maiden, dashing the 8-1 chance into the lead just before the straight and building up what proved to be decisive lead. The winner gave a boost to the Guineas hopes of Cape Classic runner-up Elevated.

Icy Fire (Liesl King)

“Rocketeer is the only horse that can work with Elevated in the sand at home so he had to be able to win a maiden,” pointed out Riaan van Reenen. “But last time he hung badly so the next day we had his balls off.”

Two of the four Cheyne winners were for the Bass-Robinson yard but perhaps the most significant was Icy Fire’s narrow defeat of old rival Fear Not in the Scout Paints Conditions Plate.

Crawford said: “She will run next in the Victress Stakes (December 17) but she would have to do very well in that for us to think of the Paddock Stakes. However I am considering putting blinkers on her at home because at the moment she is always doing only just enough. Once she gets her mind on the job we will have a bit of fun with her.”

Richard Fourie is also enjoying a rich vein of form and a first and sixth race double took his tally to 45. Peter de Beyer, owner-breeder of the Glen Kotzen-trained Elusive Singer, is hopeful of a big run from stable companion Final Judgement (Piere Strydom) in the Fillies Guineas. Surprisingly the Golden Slipper winner is the only Cape Town-based horse in the top eight on merit ratings.

Etienne Braun’s Fortissimus, the second Fourie winner, took Justin Snaith’s total to 78 and benefited from some uncharacteristic generosity on the part of the handicappers who originally put the filly on 92 on the strength of her fifth to Querari Falcon in the Thekwini. Three subsequent unplaced runs saw her dropping to 77.

This poses an intriguing question. Is Saturday’s favourite grossly over-rated?

By Michael Clower

Winners proved difficult to find at Greyville yesterday with upset results the order of the day, but the first race back on the turf track after a three-month spring break saw the progressive Miss Minver take her tally of victories to four from six starts in the Beekman Management Services KZN 3YO Series Fillies.

Miss Minver (Nkosi Hlophe)

Dean Kannemeyer’s Dynasty filly boasts a smart pedigree that suggest further than a mile is well within her compass and although she met yesterday’s field on favourable weight terms there was very little in it and she could well prove a candidate for the filly’s classics come Champions Season.

Karatage, who easily landed a gamble on debut, was sent out a luke-warm 5-2 favourite but found the step up in class too much to handle and it was left to Onesie to chase home for second.

Kannemeyer and Anthony Delpech were quickly back in the winner’s enclosure as Pure Logic, making her local debut on the back of some good Cape Town form, finished too strongly for the year-older Calabash.

The trainer and jockey combination got their day off to a fine start with Prince Myshkin building on his two smart poly efforts to shed his maiden in the second of the day.

Trainers are quick to latch onto any apprentice that shows a modicum of talent to take advantage of their claim and both Denis Schwarz and Calvin Habib fall into that category. Both recorded doubles yesterday although punters would not have been well pleased as all four were on outsiders. Schwarz was first off the mark on the Belinda Impey-trained She Done Good (27-1) and following up with an excellent ride on Caprivi (18-1) for Des Egdes as he got his mount to quicken smartly over the final 100m to win going away.

Habib scored a quick double on two long-shots, Joshua’s Answer (22-1) for Lizaane Forbes from a wide gate and following up on the Frank Robinson-trained veteran Sounds Positive (22-1) in a particularly courageous ride as he barged through a closing gap.

Less than one percent of the Pick 6 was won resulting in a large carry over.

By Andrew Harrison

Geoff Woodruff continued his stranglehold on the Gr1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup as Master Sabina recorded back-to-back wins at Turffontein yesterday. It was also Woodruff’s fourth consecutive win and sixth overall threatening Mike de Kock’s record of seven.

It took 26 years for back-to-back winners after the filly Roland’s Song but it was not all plain sailing as Gavin Lerena punched his mount through a narrow gap to deny The Conglomerate a rare Vodacom Durban July and Sansui Summer Cup double. Master Switch, who delayed the start when bursting through his gate, finished a close-yup third with Liege some way back in fourth.

The start had been a problem all afternoon with gates opening prematurely and horses bursting through and the Cup start proved no different. Master Switch came through his gate and had to be re-loaded but when the start was effected there were a number who blew their chances before that race had hardly begun.

Anthony Delpech was not one caught napping and was quickly away from his outside gate to race Master Switch up into third as the Sean Tarry pair of Stonehenge and Liege set the gallop. Master Sabina was another who did not get the best of breaks. “Things did not work out for me early,” said Lerena. “But he is all heart and determination,” he said of his mount.

Once clear of traffic in the straight Lerena found himself confronted with the battle between Master Switch and The Conglomerate and quickly running out of track. So he took the direct route. With the gap between the two closing and still plenty of horse still under him, Lerena barrelled his way through to the line.

Woodruff was almost matter-of-fact. “This is a handicap and in a handicap, you need luck. He nearly got cleaned up by my other horse.”

There was little place for the small stables at Turffontein yesterday as Sean Tarry, Woodruff and Johan Janse van Vuuren held sway. Tarry won five of the first eight races with Woodruff a double including the Gr2 Investec Dingaans and the very smart Green Pepper winning the Gr3 Magnolia Handicap for Van Vuuren.

Chase Maujean is one of the unsung heroes of the weighing room but makes the most of what comes his way and grabbed his opportunity with both hands. He rode a cracking race on Woodruff’s colt Singapore Sling in the Dingaans, a race that surely needs to be up-graded to Gr1 status as it draws a top class field year after year.

Woodruff was lavish in his praise of Maujean. “That was one of the very best rides that I have ever seen recently from any jockey,” he complimented.  Quickly over from a wide gate, Maujean stalked the opposition like a hunting lion and pounced with a perfectly timed run. Graham Beck winner Doosra hit the front two furlongs out seemingly with plenty in hand but once off the bit he came up empty as Graham Beck runner-up Heavenly Blue took over. However, once Maujean let his lion loose it was a case of race over and the drinks were on owners Dave and Tiaan Shaw.

Trip To Heaven, denied in the boardroom in the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge last season, has really turned the corner for Tarry as a sprinter and produce possibly the performance of the day in the G2 The Citizen Merchants. Slowly away as is his want, S’Manga Khumalo had him at the back of the field in company with Talktothestars. Hot favourite Kangaroo Jack threatened briefly at the 400 m mark but Trip To Heaven was in full cry and reeled in the opposition with a sustained run. Bull Valley tried hard in second while Talktothestars also rallied from off the pace for third.

Andrew Harrison

Geoff Woodruff sends out four runners in search of his fourth successive Gr 1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein tomorrow with last year’s first two past the post, Master Sabina and Deo Juvente, topping the betting boards and grabbing most of the attention. But the lightly-raced Master Switch has just as much going for him and could present decent value (around 16-1) in a fiercely competitive renewal of ‘The People’s Race’.

Anthony Delpech (Liesl King)

Master Switch was rated around the 86 mark this time last year but has progressed to a 101 since and was again impressive on his season return when boxing on to fend off Master Sabina in a top division handicap over 1800m at the Vaal. That was just the fifteenth start for the Jet Master-gelding who looks open to further improvement this term and has a profile that suits the handicap conditions of the Summer Cup.

The big drawback is a wide draw of 18 but the booking of the accomplished Anthony Delpech for the ride is enough to ease these concerns. Delpech has overcome far worse in steering home dozens of Grade 1 winners during his career and Master Switch has the necessary gate speed to assist in the task of finding a good early position. With just 53,5kg on his back, Master Switch looks a big runner tomorrow and is a must inclusion in all bets.

Woodruff, looking for his sixth Summer Cup overall, felt earlier this week that Master Sabina’s preparation had gone much better than last year when they were unsure of whether they had him fit enough. Speaking to TabNews he said: “I leant towards Deo Juvente (last year), who was flying, but Master Sabina beat him a short head.”

But this year: “He’s pleased me in his work, looks very well in his coat and is much closer to his fighting weight. Master Sabina is what I call a Gary Player seven-year-old. He might be a year older, but Gavin [Lerena] gets on incredibly well with him and he can still be competitive,” said Woodruff.

Woodruff was also encouraged by Deo Juvente’s recent performance in the Charity Mile: “[That] was a nice comeback over a trip that’s short of his best. We have Anton Marcus in the saddle and for me he is one of the greatest riders this country has produced.”

Woodruff’s fourth runner is Master ‘N Commander who has yet to prove himself over this trip. But the trio of Deo Juvente, Master Sabina and Master Switch could provide the yard with another Summer Cup exacta and are worth chancing in smaller exotic perms.

If you’re going wider, the Duncan Howells pair of Saratoga Dancer and Ten Gun Salute are definite inclusions. Saratoga Dancer confirmed that his close-up finishes in the Vodacom Durban July (5^th to The Conglomerate) and Champions Cup (4^th to Marinaresco) were no flukes when giving New Predator a big scare in the Charity Mile (2^nd). Nothing went right for Ten Gun Salute in the same race but he remains “pretty well handicapped” according to his trainer and suited by this trip. Ten Gun Salute is not the easiest of rides but this is the perfect race for him to begin fulfilling his potential.

Of the rest, Mac De Lago and Liege appeal on form alone with the recently gelded Samurai Blade respected at the weights and on potential.

Kangaroo Jack is likely to prove a popular favourite in the fourth, Gr 2 Merchants, but Trip To Heaven has improved since being gelded and must go into all bets – especially if the going is on the soft side.

Mike de Kock holds a strong hand in the Investec Dingaans with a talented trio of runners headed by Heavenly Blue who is fancied to continue on a steep upward curve.

By Brendan Pather