The Gr 1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup has not been won twice in succession since the Jean Heming-trained Roland’s Song completed the feat 25 years ago, but the Geoff Woodruff-trained Master Sabina could achieve it again this year.

The seven-year-old Jet Master gelding impressed in his preparation run and goes into tomorrow’s big race off only a one point higher merit rating than he had last year. Compared to last year he is effectively 1,5kg better off with his stablemate Deo Juvente, whom he beat by 0,2 lengths. He had better luck in running than Deo Juvente last year but is drawn well again in 6. Lastly, he has enjoyed a better preparation than he had last year and on top of his one build up race has had four grass gallops.

Deo Juvente has also had a good preparation and although facing a tougher task at the weights is drawn in 8 this year compared to 18 last year. He could repeat his runner up spot.

Mac De Lago is full of class and coming from the Weiho Marwing yard his one preparation run will be enough to have him spot on. He is capable of carrying topweight so from a plum draw of three will be a big runner.

The Conglomerate overcame a wide draw to win the Vodacom Durban July and will have to do so here too, so Piere Strydom will have to work his magic again. The Conglomerate was 2,5kg under sufferance in the July and was only raised five points so effectively runs off the same rating, which gives him a good chance. He has enjoyed a good preparation.

Saratoga Dancer showed his liking for Turffontein Standside in the Charity Mile and the only draw back he has here is his wide draw.

Samurai Blade looks to be off a lenient merit rating, considering he has a Gr 1 second and third to his name, so he should be involved in the finish from a good draw.

The aforementioned are fancied to finish in the top six in the order mentioned. However, none of the twenty runners can be ignored.

Punta Arenas loves to gallop so is interesting in his first visit to Turffontein Standside from a good draw.

Liege should be improving being by Dynasty, but as a handy type has it tough from a draw of 12.

Juxtapose is big and strong and full of class, so won’t be bumped around by the boys, and it would be no surprise to see her go close off an attractive merit rating.

Master Switch looks to have come into his own and has the Woodruff factor on his side.

Master ‘N Commander is better than his last run when trapped wide, but will have to be ridden cold over a trip which will stretch his stamina capacity.

Mogok Master didn’t have it pan out well for him last time and now has blinkers on, so with luck n running could be one of the dark horses.

No Worries is six points lower in the merit ratings than he was two years ago when finishing sixth.

Judicial has a fine record in this race and was “bursting out of his skin” before unfortunately casting himself in his box earlier this week. He will only line up if the swelling on his leg has gone down.

Stonehenge could be dangerous from the front with a lightweight, but the downside is his wide draw.

Ten Gun Salute is a dark horse from a fair draw over an ideal trip as he has plenty of ability, although he does need things to go his way.

Irish Pride is 2kg under sufferance and has a stamina doubt, but was finishing strongly in the Charity Mile and for a very much in form yard is another dark horse.

St. Tropez should love the course and distance and is drawn in pole. He is 0,5kg under sufferance, but has always struck as one who could go places. However, both his July and his Charity Mile runs were disappointing.

Romany Prince has a tough draw and has to bounce back from an ordinary run in the Charity Mile, which was his only preparation outing.

Bankable Teddy is better than his Victory Moon run when over racing behind a slow pace, but he has a tough task being 4kg under sufferance.

In the Gr 2 Investec Dingaans, Heavenly Blue has a wide draw, but should relish the step up in trip. He could give Mike de Kock his second successive win of the prestigious three-year-old level weights event, although it looks highly competitive.

The third race, the Gr 3 Daily Sun Magnolia Handicap over 1160m, features Green Pepper. She looks to be a top class sprinter in the making and runs off a capped merit rating, having obliterated older horses last time when under sufferance. She is the best bet on the card.

The Gr 3 Fillies Mile has the days value bet, Tambalang, who found plenty extra last time despite appearing to over race a touch. She has a wide draw but with luck in running could cause an upset.

The Gr 2 Gauteng Ipi Tombe Challenge could see Polyphonic fighting it out with Negroamara. Polyphonic appears to have come into her own and gets the nod.

By David Thiselton

The Tyrone Zackey-trained soldier Judicial’s Sansui Summer Cup participation hangs in the balance after he cast himself (rolled) in his box earlier in the week and banged one of his legs.

Zackey said on Wednesday it remained to be seen whether the swelling would come down in time for him to run, but added, “I will be the happiest man in the world if he is able to start, but won’t be cross if he doesn’t because he’s been so good to us. I worry about the horse and there are a lot of other races, we don’t want to hurt him.”

Zackey said the six-year-old gelding by Miesque’s Approval, who finished a three length third and a 1,1 length fourth in the last two running of the Summer Cup respectively, had been “bursting out of his skin”.

“He ran a good race in the Victory Moon with that weight and it was maybe because he was so well that he rolled in his box.”

Judicial has a plum draw of two, as opposed to his draws of 13 and 20 in the last two renewals of the big race. Karl Zechner, who rode him to third two years ago, knows him well and is aboard again.

Zackey’s only other runner on the day is Front Rank, who runs in the tenth race, a MR 95 Handicap over 1600m. Zackey said nothing could be found wrong with the consistent five-year-old Mogok gelding after his disappointing run two weeks ago over 1800m at Turffontein. That was in fact the first time he had been tried beyond a mile.

He has won over Saturday’s course and distance before and has a plum draw of three with Zechner up. Betting World have priced him up at 11/2 in the ten horse field. Zackey said, “He has been working very well and is a good each-way bet.”

By David Thiselton

Captain’s Flame attempts to make it four in a row in the McNaughtans Handicap at Kenilworth tomorrow as she continues her so far-relentless progress towards the Paddock Stakes.

“I am giving her two prep runs and this is the first of them,” says Andre Nel who has also earmarked the Jet Master on December 17 for his progressive four-year-old who faces a stiff task under top weight – even though the handicappers only raised her half a kilo for her Diana win.

She won that Durbanville Grade 3 with authority with Aldo Domeyer saluting the crowd as he began pulling her up approaching the line. She was certainly value for more than the official three-quarters of a length, particularly as it was her first race for four and a half months.

“She was pretty ready for that,” recalls her trainer who provides one of the biggest threats in Quine who is on a hat-trick. Can Captain’s Flame beat this one? “It will be tough but I think she can,” answers Nel who is targeting the Victress Stakes with Sihle Cele’s mount.

However Goodtime Gal, unlucky when second in the Diana and now 2kg better, could be a different proposition. “She was baulked early in the straight and she couldn’t get a clear run. I think it cost her the race,” recalls Mike Robinson’s wife Louella. The rerun confirms this view. It’s also worth pointing out that her rider couldn’t claim that day so she is effectively 4.5kg better with the top weight.

She has since chased home Sail and The Secret Is Out, and Richard Fourie (31 today) is in inspired form.

Miss Marker is, in theory at any rate, the best handicapped of all the Diana runners. She was fourth, only 1.3 lengths behind the winner, and is a huge 6g better. But she had the smoothest of passages that day and it was her third run of the season.

You can make some sort of a case for Jane S Piddy and Moonlight ‘N Roses  but it is Harlem Shake’s first outing for four months. Captain’s Flame keeps doing it, she is a class act and she gets the vote.

The sahorseracing computer says she will beat Goodtime Gal a head with Quine a neck away third and Jane S Piddy a well-beaten fourth.

The computer predicts a surprise in the Scout Paints Conditions Plate (race two) with victory going to Adorada who has little chance on adjusted ratings despite last time’s third to In Limine over this 1 800m.

There is precious little between Fear Not and Icy Fire on Final Fling running although that was in the soft. Icy Fire had much the better reappearance run and, with both Brett Crawford and Greg Cheyne doing so well, she gets the vote.

Loadshedder looks good in the first after two promising outings. “We think he is a miler but he is still pretty inexperienced so I am giving him one more run up the straight,” says Nel. “The form is standing up well.”

By Michael Clower

Warren Lenferna chats to James Rich about Duncan Howells runners [Nov 25 to Nov 27]

 

 

 

Gavin Lerena and the Geoff Woodruff-trained Master Sabina will attempt to retain the Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup together at Turffontein on Saturday and the high-flying jockey believed the seven-year-old gelding was going in with a better preparation than he had last year.

Lerena has a number of other good rides at the meeting and it is no coincidence that the majority of them are for two trainers who were mentored by Woodruff, Johan Janse van Vuuren and Candice Dawson. Lerena said about the latter, “They are both very good trainers, they have done amazingly well, they learnt a lot from Geoff.”

Master Sabina is highly regarded by Lerena. The son of Jet Master was a touch disappointing in both the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and J&B Met subsequent to his Summer Cup win last year, but he ran a cracker in the Vodacom Durban July. Lerena said after the July, “I was forced to take him back early, so was considerably further back than I had wanted to be, but he ran on really well in the straight.” He finished a 3,35 length ninth.

He followed up by running a decent fifth in the Gold Cup over 3200m with topweight. That was the fifth consecutive time he had not made the frame, but on the positive side this allowed the handicapper to drop him three points back to 105, the same merit rating he ran off in last year’s Summer Cup.

He made his seasonal reappearance in a MR 104 Handicap over 1800m at the Vaal on October 25 and made eyecatching progress in the straight to finish a 0,8 length second to his stablemate Master Switch. He was raised one point for the run, but still faces the latter on 1kg better terms.

He carries 56kg in Saturday’s 2000m handicap event off a 106 merit rating, as opposed to 56,5kg off 105 last year, and he jumps from draw six as opposed to draw seven last year.

Lerena said, “He has a fair draw and his prep has gone very well. He had a nice prep run and took the run well. He has been putting up nice work and I am happy with the progress he has made. I think he is in a better place than he was last year. I can’t say I am confident, because it’s a horse race, but he is definitely in with a chance with luck in running.

“I think his stable companion Deo Juvente and also Saratoga Dancer are big runners and we will also have to be careful of the lightweights, there are some strong lightweight gallopers.”

Lerena rides the exciting Janse Van Vuuren-trained Captain Al colt Doosra from a tricky draw of nine in the Gr 2 Investec Dingaans over 1600m and said, “I certainly think he will get the trip. I have been very happy with his work at home, he keeps on improving nicely. Obviously we don’t have the number one draw we had last time, so will need a little bit of luck.”

He rides the equally exciting Australian-bred High Chapparral filly Being Fabulous for the Janse van Vuuren yard in the Gr 3 Fillies Mile. Like Doosra, she possesses a magnificently long stride, but she also has to overcome draw nine. Lerena said, “I would have been more confident with a couple of weeks and another run under the belt, but having said that she a very nice filly and is doing very nicely at home.”

In the Gr 2 Gauteng Tourism Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m Lerena rides the Alec Laird-trained Polyphonic, who was well regarded last year as a three-year-old and now looks to be coming into her own. Lerena said, “She is now having her third run after a rest and her last run was brilliant, carrying that big weight it was full of merit (she finished a 2,5 length second in the Gr 3 Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m under Lerena carrying 60kg and giving the winner Girl On The Run 8kg). She has the number one draw too, but it’s competitive, it’s quite open.”

Lerena rides the Paul Peter-trained African Ruler in the Gr 2 Citizen Merchants over 1160m and this consistent four-year-old Trippi gelding’s form speaks for itself, as he has only once failed to finish in the first three in 15 career starts, six of which he has won. His runs include a runner up finish to Equus Champion Sprinter Talktothestars in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville, but he faces the latter on 0,5kg worse terms here despite being defeated 2,25 lengths in the latter race. It is a very strong field and it remains to be seen whether his low draw of three is disadvantageous, which it can be in rain affected going. There is some more rain expected this week, so it might be on the soft side.

Lerena doesn’t know much about the Woodruff first-timer by Captain Al he rides in the first, Whosethebossnow.

In the second over 1160m, he rides the Candice Dawson-trained Ideal World filly Royal Utopia, who appeared to be going backwards on debut, but then suddenly stayed on well. He said, “She is doing ok, she is still quite green, but it’s not a bad formline and she could be in the places.”

He rides the Dawson-trained Prince Of Orange in the last, a MR 95 Handicap over 1600m. This five-year-old Indigo Magic gelding’s victory under Lerena in the Grand Heritage consolation race over 1475m was full of merit as he jumped from a seemingly impossible low draw of three.

Lerena said, “He is not drawn well again (10 in a field of 10), but is feeling fit and will be running on again.”

By David Thiselton