Mike de Kock’s comments for Chartity Mile race day Nov 5:

EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN CUP (1400m)

I think Act Of Loyalty is a very nice horse and I’m expecting him to run well. We have a lot to do at the ratings but I feel he is relatively unexposed. Coyote probably needs gelding. I thought he was a fair sort but he had a disappointing last run. It would be unrealistic to expect a place.

GRAHAM BECK STAKES 1400m 

Heavenly Blue is a smart sort. This is his minimum trip, he definitely wants further. This is a test in a way because I would like to see how he runs against his peers. He has won well, although he beat very little. He’s more of a Classic kind of horse. He’s had plenty work at home and he is a horse with a good attitude – very straightforward – but he needs to rise to the occasion. I would expect him to be in the top three.

HSH PRINCESS CHARLENE OF MONACO STARLING STAKES 1400m

Al Hawraa ran a cracker in a handicap last time and was probably a bit unlucky not to win. I expect her to run very well. If things go her way she should do well. Intriguing Lady ran well last time but she is going to have a tough time from No 16 draw. Red Pomegranate is a nice filly and she won a handicap very well against older fillies. If she was drawn well I would give her a big chance. If Callan (Murray) can get lucky from the draw she can run a big race.

YELLOWWOOD HANDICAP  1800m

Persian Rug has been disappointing. The form suggests she is not any better than she is showing and form doesn’t lie. We will try different tactics with her this time. We’ll sit her at the back and let her run on.

Race 2: HSH PRINCESS CHARLENE OF MONACO MAIDEN PLATE 1600m

Al Hamd is very well but probably wants further. He’s quite a nice little horse who will win his share of races.

RACE 4: JAVA HANDICAP 2450m

Whatever you for say for Kinaan you can say for the other two. He’s had two runs and he’s fairly fit. We’ve taken the blinkers off because he tended to over-race with them on. Kingmambo’s Legacy ran a cracker last time and I’m expecting a similar run. Piere Strydom called for the ride so I’m hoping having a man in the saddle who wants the ride, can make a difference. Smart Mart had a good prep run last time.

RACE 10: MR 91 HANDICAP 1600m

I thought Janoobi ran quite well last time. That 1450m was too short. I think this is more what he wants and even further. I expect him to run well. He’s still learning and will leave it up to Strydom. I won’t be giving him any instructions. Master’s Spirit is a bit of a frustrating horse. He’s definitely better than his form. I’ve been running him in sprints but on breeding he should go further so this is the first time we’re trying him over this distance.

Mikedekockracing.com

The Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile meeting is one of the highlights of the Highveld racing season and combines top class racing with a festive social occasion in which the public can rub shoulders with celebrities.

The Charity Mile is never an easy race to analyse, because some horses use it as a preparation for the Sansui Summer Cup.

New Predator loves the Turffontein Standside mile and from a probably ideal draw of six under Gavin Lerena has a big chance. He ran an excellent preparation race when staying on strongly for third in the Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m. Champagne Haze will be going all out, as the mile is probably the limit of his range, and he will be attempting to emulate his half-brother Pierre Jourdan, who won this race on Guy Fawkes day five years ago.

Champagne Haze is an easy ride, so can be switched off from his tricky draw of eight, and if he finds decent cover his superb turn of foot will take him close. Leading apprentice Lyle Hewitson rates him one of the best he has sat on and he and trainer Gary Alexander have been pleased with his preparation.

New Predator (Nkosi Hlophe)

Mogok Master had a year off, not due to any physical issues, but due to a rules enforcement on another matter. This could only have done him good and he proved it when winning impressively first time out for his new yard. The mile at this stage should be right down his alley and he should have improved from that first comeback run. The Standside track suits him as he has a good turn of foot and a sustained finishing run. Anthony Delpech has duly stayed aboard. His draw of ten is a bit tricky but he is a relaxed type who should be able to find cover.

Mac De Lago is probably the best miler in the country. He returned from a layoff last year to finish strongly for fourth in this race and can repeat the effort despite being ten points higher in the merit ratings and having to carry 62kg. Rabada is also top class over a mile and loves the Standside course. However, he does have a tough draw.

Saratoga Dancer began catching the eye in no uncertain terms last year and this long striding sort always struck as one who would get better with age. He missed the cut when strongly fancied for this race last year and has a chance to make amends from a plum draw. His preparation run on the Greyville poly should have ideally been better than it was, but he was found to be coughing and that was seven weeks ago. He has reportedly been doing well at Turffontein, where the Duncan Howells runners have been prepared for the last six weeks.

Bulleting Home has a good draw and the best has likely not been seen of him yet, so he has a chance under Piere Strydom. Deo Juvente has talent and although he would prefer a touch further he can’t be written off from a plum draw. The veteran No Worries proved in the KZN Million Mile he still has it in him to be competitive in a race like this. He has a plum draw. St. Tropez would prefer further, but loves a galloping track like this one and also has a fair draw. These are the ones most fancied and they are selected in the order mentioned.

The most anticipated clash of the day could well be the one in the Gr 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m between Doosra and Heavenly Blue. Both look full of class. Doosra is drawn in pole and is race fit. The course and distance should be ideal. It will be a thrill to see him unwinding down the long straight into that enormous stride of his. Heavenly Blue is drawn seven and has been just as impressive. However, this will be his first run of the season, so Doosra is given the nod.

The R2,5 million Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup could see national champion trainer Sean Tarry filling a few of the placings. Africa Rising could be the one to side with having struck as a classy sort. He won well from a wide draw over 1450m on the Inside track last time, so can overcome another tough draw. Safe Harbour is a long striding sort who over raced early last time in the Gr 2 Joburg Spring Challenge against some of the best older males in the country, yet she was still staying on well at the end. Her wide draw is the drawback.

Unagi has proven class, but his last below par run leaves a bit of a cloud over his head especially as tests could not find anything wrong. He also had to overcome a wide draw. If producing his best he has a winning chance. Visuality was staying on strongly last time in the Gr 2 Joburg Spring Fillies and Mares challenge and finished a decent 0,7 length third considering she was the only three-year-old in the field. She has a fair draw of nine and has a winning chance. The rest of the field all have tough tasks according to the official merit ratings.

However, Act Of Loyalty caught the eye last time as one with a nice action and scope for improvement, so he could upset the applecart. Double Appeal tried this trip once as a juvenile and ran a good third, beaten 4,75 lengths by the useful Jiffy, especially considering he had a wide draw and was bumped a few times while making his run down the outside rail. He could be a threat from a nice draw of six.

By David Thiselton

Dennis Drier has had a winner at each of the last three Kenilworth meetings and his Mayfair Speculators runner Lloyd’s Legacy looks worth waiting for in the last at tomorrow’s Cape Town meeting.

This Australian-bred was Drier’s first runner of the Cape season a fortnight ago and, starting second favourite, he raced prominently to take third to the much more experienced Glorious Goodwood. He is sure to have come on a fair bit from that. He was reported by the course vet to have made an “abnormal respiratory noise” (often meaning a wind problem) that day but it didn’t stop him and it  is unlikely to this time either.

Donovan Dillon (Nkosi Hlophe)

Donovan Dillon again has the mount while Sean Veale, who has ridden all three of the Drier Kenilworth winners, has been snapped up by Justin Snaith for obvious danger Gstaad who has similar once-raced credentials.

But he raced green and came from a long way back to take third to favourite Moonbird over this trip at Durbanville a month ago. Another to note here is Loadshedder who would have finished closer than fourth on his debut had he not been bumped leaving the pens.

The sahorseracing computer has Lloyd’s Legacy running out a comfortable winner with Gstaad second and Loadshedder third while it expects Broder Control to take the opening 1 400m maiden. Brett Crawford’s runner is the obvious chance on form and there seems no logical reason why he should not confirm the placings with My Word My Bond and Whitelight Warrior. They had experience in their favour last time but that does not apply now and Corne Orffer’s mount should be able to cope with his seven draw.

Oh Behave has claims, or rather he would have had he not such a wide draw. Mini Loushe, drawn on the fence, showed significant improvement at Durbanville last time despite getting worked up in the pens.

William The Brave has had four decent runs and looks a cut above the opposition in the Racing Association Maiden. Dillon’s mount probably has most to fear from his own stable companion Paddington whose third to Royal Ginger over 400m less at Durbanville suggested there are better things to come.

Whispering Light is the forecast favourite in the preceding 1 400m maiden but Big Bang Theory has more scope for improvement and looks another for the in-form Crawford team.

BLOB Michael Clower’s last four selections have produced three winners including Horizon (4-1) and Table Bay (3-1). The fourth tip was second.

By Michael Clower

Andrew Fortune has had to withdraw from participating in this year’s Air Mauritius International Jockeys’ Challenge and will be replaced by his son Aldo Domeyer.

The two-legged series takes place at Fairview on 18 November before heading to Turffontein on 20 November.

Aldo Domeyer (Nkosi Hlophe)

“We are thrilled to announce that Aldo will be involved in the Air Mauritius International Jockeys’ Challenge this year,” Larry Wainstein, Racing Association CEO, said of the substitution.

“While it’s unfortunate that Andrew Fortune won’t be able to take part in this year’s event this does offer an opportunity to another one of South Africa’s young talents to showcase his skills against some of the world’s best,” said Larry Wainstein, CEO of the Racing Association.

The evergreen Piere Strydom was approached to fill the role but unfortunately had to decline due to prior commitments.

The South African team will be captained by defending champion jockey S’manga Khumalo and sees Anthony Delpech, Gavin Lerena, Grant van Niekerk and Muzi Yeni all included.

Domeyer ended the 2015/16 racing season inside the top 10 of the jockeys’ log having ridden 110 winners with a strike rate of 17% and a place strike rate of 58%. He was the runner-up in the race to be champion rider in the Western Cape and is a regular feature in the winner’s box in Port Elizabeth.

Domeyer also has international experience having ventured to South Korea in 2011, riding the winner in the YTN Cup at the Seoul Race Park. Another of his big achievements includes riding Martial Eagle to victory in the 2013 Met.

Racing. It’sARush