KZN trainer Duncan Howells said his two Sansui Summer Cup hopefuls, Saratoga Dancer and Ten Gun Salute, had put in pleasing gallops over 1800m at Turffontein last Thursday and they were both “fit, sound and very well in themselves”.

He is also pleased with his Investec Dingaans pair Secret Captain and Roy’s Magic, although his one concern was whether the latter would stay the 1600m trip.

Saratoga Dancer put up an eyecatching preparation for the Summer Cup when staying on from a handy position to finish a 0,6 length second in the Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile. The long striding five-year-old gelding by Mambo In Seattle proved he would like the galloping Turffontein Standside course and that, as expected, he would come into his own with age. Saratoga Dancer ran a superb fifth in the Vodacom Durban July, so the tough 2000m of Turffontein Standside should be ideal.

On the downside he was drawn well in three in the Charity Mile, but now has a tricky draw of 13 in Saturday’s 20 horse field. Howells said how the draw was managed would all depend on the pace. A fast paced race would play into Saratoga Dancer’s hands, whereas a slow pace would make it tough. He added Craig Zackey knew the horse well and he would leave the ride to him.

Saratoga Dancer was raised one point for his Charity Mile second to 104 and will carry 55kg in the Summer Cup.

Ten Gun Salute, an Australian-bred four-year-old colt by Henrythenavigator, was described by Howells as one with a lot of ability but “things have to go right for him.”

In the Charity Mile he become upset when having to have  a shoe refitted at the start.

Howells revealed jockey Grant van Niekerk had not actually been happy about participating when trotting up after the reshodding. However, the course veterinarian had passed the horse.

Howells reckoned this chain of events, together with a slowing up of the pace, had explained the horse’s antics around the turn that day. Van Niekerk had dropped him out and moved on to the rail from a wide draw. However, around the turn Ten Gun Salute’s head was up in the air and twisted sideways. Howells added that even without those contributing factors Ten Gun Salute “is not the easiest ride in town,” on the best of days. Ten Gun Salute did well under the circumstances to stay on for a 6,2 length sixth in the Charity Mile.

Howells concluded, “He is distance suited and pretty well handicapped. The draw (nine) is just about right for him.”

He will carry 53,5kg off his 102 merit rating and Van Niekerk remains aboard.

Saratoga Dancer is currently a 10/1 shot with Betting World and Ten Gun Salute is at 15/1.

In the Investec Dingaans over 1600m Randall Simons has kept the ride aboard the well-bred colt Secret Captain, who is by Captain Al out of the amazing matriarch Mystic Spring, whose best progeny include last year’s Equus Champion three-year-old filly Bela-Bela as well as the like of Gr 1-winner Rabiya.

Howells took Secret Captain up to Johannesburg as he felt at this stage of his career the run in at Greyville was too short for him.

He elaborated, “He becomes unbalanced and needs to strengthen within his big framework before he can cope with a tight track like that. I can’t fault what he has done to date and he has plenty of scope for improvement.”

In his first start at Turffontein he flew up to run a head second to the decent sprinter Buckland in a 1200m Progress Plate. Then in the Gr 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m he came from the back of a ten horse field to run a decent two length fourth to the highly touted pair Doosra and Heavenly Blue, with Singapore Sling in between. There was 3,75 lengths back to the rest of the field, so it was a fine effort.

Howells said the long-striding grey had “come on from the run.” He added he had initially been a bit disappointed as he had appeared to get to the leaders and then tire. However, in retrospect he had changed his view and said, “He has had to make up ground to decent horses from a wide draw, while the others were up there for free. It was also a bit of a false run race as the leader sped well clear and the second horse eased it up a bit. Secret Captain travelled very well on the turn. He over raced a bit, and that is not like him, he usually switches off. Now he has a good draw (six in a 16 horse field) which will help big time, he won’t have to sit back.”

Secret Captain looks likely on pedigree and running style to enjoy the step up in trip to 1600m.

Howells said about the Australian-bred Foxwedge colt Roy’s Magic, whose two wins in four career starts have been over 1200m and 1400m respectively at Scottsville, “He is well above average and was disappointing in the Graham Beck (11,75 length 7^th). He was probably too handy and battled to quicken. Now he faces a real test from a wide draw (16) and my one concern is the distance. He is laid back and has given the impression he will stay the mile. But he is by a sprinting stallion and I wonder whether this is a touch too far.”

Warren Kennedy has ridden him in all of his starts to date and remains aboard.

The Howells yard are due some luck on the Highveld. Having gone to the extent of setting up a satellite yard there for the current campaign this might be the meeting where it changes in their favour.

By David Thiselton

Queen’s Plate winner Legal Eagle and Triple Crown hero Abashiri may both travel from Johannesburg to take on Marinaresco and Captain America in the Green Point Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday week.

Mike Azzie said yesterday: “At this stage Abashiri is going to run. We want him to have a good look at the track because he has never raced on a left-handed course before.

”Anthony Delpech will ride the horse but he won’t be fancied and we will let him come on from the run.”

Sean Tarry added: “It’s not definite but we are seriously considering the Green Point for Legal Eagle and, if he does run, he will stay in Cape Town for the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met.”

Azzie, who intends doing the same with Abashiri, added that Delpech has also been booked for Thekwini winner Querari Falcon in the World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas on the same card. She is joint top-rated with She’s A Giver who won Turffontein’s Princess Charlene Of Monaco Starling Stakes on her return earlier this month. Johan Janse van Vuuren has already declared Gavin Lerena.

Star sprinter Red Ray has been given the steadier of 62kg in the Cape Merchants and has to concede 2.5kg to Gulf Storm who is the next highest rated. Third top is Tevez who has won the sprint handicap twice before.

Tarry said that he plans to bring back his SA Nursery winner Cloth Of Cloud early next month, adding: “She is a million dollar horse so we are aiming her at one of the two CTS $500 000 races on January 28. Unfortunately not much has changed with her behaviour!”

The daughter of Captain Al is something of a wayward individual and has a disconcerting habit of pulling herself up the second she reaches the line.

By Michael Clower

There is an eight race meeting on the Vaal Outside track tomorrow, where high draws are favourable by trends, and there look to be some good opportunities for punters.

The first opportunity comes in race two, a Maiden over 1200m, where Bockscar is the choice. He jumped from a favourable low draw on debut on the Vaal Inside Track over this distance and was continually shuffled backwards as the field jostled to get over to the far rail. The King’s Chapel colt was angled outward when it eventually became possible and with daylight finally in front of him he ran on strongly to finish just 4,25 lengths behind his promising stablemate Matador Man.

He looks likely to reverse form with the exposed Amber Flash, who had the run of the race that day from a good draw. The main danger could be Clever Guy, who has the very much in form Gavin Lerena up. This good looking Argonaut colt also made a good debut over 1200m. He is drawn only one inside of King’s Chapel and may get first run on him, as he was handy throughout on debut, but Bockscar is still the choice due to the impression he created when finishing so strongly.

The best bet comes in race four, a Maiden for fillies and mares over 1000m, where Lady Of The World is fancied as hard to beat. This improved daughter of the promising sire Great Britain has both pace and the ability to stay on. She ran a cracker on Grand Heritage day from the worst draw of all. She followed up with another fine run over this trip from a good draw on the Vaal Inside track.

Unfortunately, an unheralded first-timer called All Over The World mowed her down. The latter remains unbeaten after two starts, so the form has been franked. Lady Of The World is drawn close to the favourable side and regular rider Marco van Rensburg is up.

The danger will be the KZN horse Rainbowinthesky, who finished just five lengths back in a feature on debut over 1200m, and then was well clear of the rest when mowed down by a first-timer over 1000m at Scottsville. She has a plum draw, unlike the bad one she had in that last race, so it won’t be easy for Lady Of The World.  Rainbowinthesky did hang inward in that last race. However, she was being brought over from the high draws to the low, so the hanging antic might just have been due to her inexperience.

The highest rated race on the card is the sixth, a Graduation Plate over 1200m. Angel’s Power is the joint-best in at the weights on official merit ratings with Sporting Monarch. Angel’s Power, merit rated 89, was raised to a 92 after a cracking effort from a tough draw in the Gr 3 Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m on the Turffontein Inside track, where she was a 1,75 length second to the top class Kangaroo Jack.

He was unsurprisingly fancied in his next start in a handicap over the same trip at the Vaal so he was disappointingly unplaced. However, the draw that day palpably favoured the low draws and he was drawn wide. Last time Angel’s Power was over a too sharp 1000m against classy sorts in the Golden Loom handicap and he was unplaced again.

He is now favourably weighted and drawn on the right side over a suitable course and distance with Piere Strydom up, so should go close. The Stone Thrower has class and won comfortably last time from a favourable draw in a Novice Plate over this trip on the Vaal Inside track. It would be no surprise to see him follow up despite being officially 1,5kg under sufferance with Angel’s Power. However, against him is a low draw. Sporting Monarch is also drawn low but could come on from his last race, which was his first after a layoff.

Oracle Of Delphi could get punters off to a good start in race one over 1600m if taking his place. He ran third behind two promising sorts on Saturday when stepped up to this trip and faces an uninspiring field.

In race seven over 1400m Analyse This is drawn on the right side and might enjoy the step down to this trip, as he did hit the front in the Grand Heritage over 1475m before being run out of it. Gavin Lerena has kept the ride, an obvious bonus.

By David Thiselton

South Africa’s racing and breeding industry is mourning the death at the weekend of one of its most passionate and influential members, owner-breeder Hyman “Hymie” Maisel, who passed away on Saturday night only hours after attending the Selangor Cup (Hymie was not at the Selangor on Saturday. He was very ill before he died but was aware that the race was taking place. I suggested to you that in his mind he would have made an emotional connection because some of his friends from Malaysia would miss him at the races and that would have made him sad) race meeting at Kenilworth.

The race was part of the partnering arrangement between South African and Malaysian racing which Hyman had played a major role in establishing some years ago.

Numerous tributes to the man, who was heavily involved in the breeding industry in the country and in the administration of racing in the Western Cape, have poured in including those of very close friend John Freeman of Freeman Bloodstock (Freeman stallions) and Gold Circle CEO Michel Nairac who described him as “one of the most passionate lovers of the thoroughbred and the sport”. They extended their condolences to his widow Joan and his family.

Hyman was the owner of the Hyjo Stud in the Cape and bred many top horses including the winner in (Past master didn’t win this year – he won in 2011) January this year of the J&B Met, Past Master. He was responsible some years back for selling the first South African-bred horse, Money Market, to race in Malaysia and it went on to win the country’s richest race at the time, the R3-million Cunku Gold Cup.

He played a leading role in trying to establish a protocol (he was not involved in established a protocol – I told you that was Paddy Wilson – Hymie was involved in setting up a market with Singapore and Malaysia for SA horses) (He put a lot of effort into marketing SA horses) between the two countries that would allow South African horses to be sold to Malaysia which would have given a major boost to this country’s breeding industry but through the lack of government support the protocol was never concluded (The protocol was concluded I told you that Paddy Wilson brought the protocol document from Malaysia by hand, the Government failed to support the protocol and do very little even now). He had also worked tirelessly while in the TBA to open the South African market to the racing world.

He was the chairman of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association for many years and also chairman of the Western Province Racing Club, playing a major role in the amalgamation of Western Cape Racing with Gold Circle in 2000.  He served as a board member of Gold Circle and was the first chairman of the Western Cape Chapter of Gold Circle.

 

The second and final leg of the Air Mauritius International Jockeys Challenge got off to a dream start at Turffontein yesterday when legendary jockey Frankie Dettori rode his first winner on South African soil and the crowds were treated to his trademark “flying dismount”.

The appreciative crowd enjoyed a double dose as Dettori was in the winner’s enclosure again two races later.The brilliant jockey was aboard the promising Joe Soma-trained three-year-old Trippi filly Turn Back Time in yesterday’s first Challenge event. He extracted a strong finish to convert favouritism in the MR 62 Handicap over 1800m to win by 0,25 lengths.

Dettori was thrilled to have won a race in South Africa, in his third riding visit, and to have put his team back in contention.

The charismatic Italian spoke of the wonderful hospitality the visitors had received.“We are having a ball”, he said. He concluded the winner’s enclosure interview with typical humour by shouting, “Shot!”, a well-known South Africanism.

Soma said having the famous jockey riding a winner for him would be a memory which would last a lifetime.

In yesterday’s third Challenge race, a MR 87 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1200m, Dettori led from start to finish on the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Seattle Lady. However, by that stage the bird had already flown as far as the team competition was concerned. The South Africans had brought a commanding 226 to 174 lead from Friday’s first leg at Fairview.

In yesterday’s first Challenge race South Africans S’Manga Khumalo, Anthony Delpech and Gavin Lerena, had filled the next three places behind Detorri and the Internationals only scored 53 points to 47, meaning they had closed the gap to 46.

In the next race, a MR 66 Handicap over 1600m, S’Manga Khumalo produced a strong finish to win on the Geoff Woodruff-trained Duzi Moon and South Africans Delpech and Yeni finished second and fourth respectively.

The South Africans had now increased the lead to a virtually unassailable 69.

Dettori’s next win helped the internationals close the gap to 57, but from that position they would still have required a miracle to overhaul the South Africans. However, there was still a lot to play for in the individual competitions.

Over the two legs Dettori was on 79 points to Gavin Lerena’s 77, and Friday’s victor Ladorum Muzi Yeni was on 73. In yesterday’s individual standings Dettori was on 64 to Khumalo’s 52. Unfortunately, lightning in the vicinity prevented the last race from being run. The South Africans had therefore won the Challenge for the seventh time in the ninth clash since it had begun.

Dettori capped yet another wonderful year in his illustrious career by going home as both yesterday’s and the overall victor ladorum.

By David Thiselton

Picture courtesy of Racing. It’s A Rush