Triple Crown hero Karl Zechner rides at Durbanville for the first time in his career today when he has three booked mounts.

He has ridden over 100 winners this term and says, explaining the visit: “I want to finish off the season with a few more.”

His best chance could be on Persian Silk in the last even though the Glen Kotzen filly has been off since February but on the equine front the most intriguing horse on trial is Argo Solo in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap.

This colt was a 55-1 supposed no-hoper when he made his debut at Kenilworth two months ago yet he ran out an impressive winner, beating hot favourite Oceans Trip by a comfortable two and a quarter lengths. The runner-up boosted the form by winning next time and reopposes here on 2.5kg better terms.

“Argo Solo didn’t surprise me that day – he had been working well,” recalls Brett Crawford. “He has done very well since, he has been to Durbanville and I expect him to run a big race.”

He opened at an appealing 9-2 with World Sports Betting which makes obvious danger Ovar favourite at 3-1, Oceans Trip 9-2 and top weight Kirumbo a 5-1 chance. The Adam Marcus runner ran well here last time and should not be left out of calculations.

Mike Stewart’s surprise first time course winner Blazing Rebel is a 14-1 chance. “He’s a little horse but he has a chance if he can get to the front,” says his trainer.

Harakiri is 3-1 favourite for the first despite her outside draw and she has shown enough early pace to be able to get across. However  Justin Snaith cautions: “It is extremely difficult. She is going to have to be fast early.”

Maybe it would be more prudent to side with 33-10 shot Miss Malbec and Glen Kotzen’s filly probably has more scope for improvement than Moulina (9-2).

Devin Ashby returns in race two for the first time since shattering his ankle and shin in a freak accident going down to the start at Kenilworth at the beginning of the year. Good luck to him on Me-Horse and his other three mounts.

There is not much to choose between 22-10 favourite Kenny Trix and 4-1 shot Black Parrott – and both are badly drawn – but the vote goes to the latter. “He is an improving type and he will like Durbanville,” says his trainer.

Snaith and Richard Fourie should follow up with Miss Hyde 35 minutes later. She was only a head behind second-placed Sandy Bay on debut here four weeks ago but she had to overcome a poor draw, was last away and was still last turning for home.

Snaith’s Figure Of Grey is 15-10 favourite for race four but she could find it hard to beat Emerald Gal (16-10) with Andrew Fortune in the irons.

Michael Clower

Vodacom Durban July runner-up Marinaresco is reported in good shape for Saturday’s Champions Cup but there are serious concerns about another wide draw, particularly as it proved his undoing in the big one.

Candice Robinson, who takes over her father’s licence a week today, said: “Marinaresco is doing well but we are going to have to hope for a bit of luck because we again have a bad draw (14). We will have to again drop him out because he doesn’t race up with the pace.”

Grant van Niekerk’s mount is as short as 8-10 with Betting World to score for Mike Bass whose most recent victories in this race have been with African Appeal in 2007 and Africana Lion four years earlier. Favourites have won the last three runnings. Exit Here is second favourite at 9-1 with Punta Arenas, Saratoga Dancer and Baritone all on 10-1.

Justin Snaith is optimistic that his Golden Horseshoe winner Zodiac Ruler can follow up in the Premiers Champion and said: “The colt has done well since July day and he has improved. In fact he is improving all the time.”

Piere Strydom takes over from Richard Fourie who will be on duty for the stable at Kenilworth’s Champagne Stakes meeting. Fred Crabbia’s Australian-bred is 12-10 favourite with World Sports Betting which has already priced up all 12 races. Mike Azzie’s Rivarine is 9-2 second favourite with Golden Horseshoe fifth Palladium next on 7-1.

Snaith may have seen his wins-in-a-season record (198) fall to Sean Tarry but he reached 189 when Fourie followed up their Fairview Friday treble on Northern Ballet at Kenilworth on Saturday. However 5-2 favourite Acrostar proved expensive in the Final Fling, managing only eighth.

Fourie reported: “The race didn’t work out for me – the pace was too slow . Had it been faster I would have tried to get a run up the inner but I had to come up the middle where the ground wasn’t the best.”

Harlem Shake at 12-1 was the longest priced Final Fling winner since Glen Kotzen sprang a 50-1 shock with Escapology ten years ago and a was a triumph for the CTS Million Dollar combination of Glen Puller, Heavelon van der Hoven and an ownership group that includes Frank Carruthers and Ian Robinson.

The last-named had positive news of Illuminator, saying: “He is still only walking around the yard but there is no sign of the injury and the vet says he can now start trotting. We are still hopeful and we haven’t gelded him.”

Donovan Dillon, enjoying his best season so far, reached 60 on Prize Peg for Mike Robinson while work rider Lungisani Geledu’s all-the-way win on Flying Monarch gave Vaughan Marshall’s his 70^th success of the campaign. The Steyn brothers scored a notable family double – Piet with Friendly Tibbs and Andres with Power Grid.

The last-named and the Harold Crawford-trained Cream Soda Green completed a double for leading first-season sire Gimmethegreenlight, much to the delight of Hassen Adams whose deep-rooted faith in the horse now looks fully justified.

Ian Sturgeon could be the next South African jockey to try his luck in the oft-volatile cauldron of Mauritius. According to the Turf Club trainer Jean-Michel Henry has applied to bring him out to replace Anthony Andrews who has cut short his contract and returns to South Africa at the weekend.

Michael Clower

An interesting sideshow this week will be the race for the Breeders Championships. KZN kingpins Summerhill look set to wrest the trophy from reigning champions Klawervlei Stud and thereby land a milestone tenth national title.

On Saturday Glen Puller and Heavelon van der Hoven helped Klawervlei close the gap on Summerhill by winning the Gr 3 Final Fling Stakes over 1800m at Kenilworth with Harlem Shake, who became Warm White Night’s first stakes-winning daughter.

By close of play on Saturday Klawervlei on R19,782,625 were R610,187 behind Summerhill, whose runners had earned R20,392,812 in the season up until then.

The two biggest stakes earning opportunities on Super Saturday are in the Gr 2 R1,25 million eLan Property Group Gold Cup and the Gr 1 R1 million Mike and Carol Bass Champions Cup and Summerhill are the only one of the pair represented in either race.

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Summerhill-bred five-year-old Kahal gelding Solar Star showed he will likely stay every inch of the Gold Cup 3200m trip when staying on for a 2,3 length fifth in the Gr 3 Gold Vase over 3000m on Vodacom Durban July day, despite having no cover the whole way. He will be better off in the weights with all four who beat him and is now drawn in pole.

The Summerhill-bred five-year-old Geoff Woodruff-trained gelding Arch Rival is by the stamina influence A P Arrow and is another with a fine chance, despite a wide draw of 14. In his last two starts he has won the Gr 2 Gold Bowl over 3200m and a Pinnacle Stakes event over 2450m, both at Turffontein. In the latter event he beat the ruling Gold Cup favourite Enaad by 0,4 lengths and is now 1,5kg better off.

In the Champions Cup over 1800m the Gavin Van Zyl-trained Summerhill-bred six-year-old Kahal gelding No Worries bounced back to form with two fine performances over 2400m, but then proved this had little to do with a step up in trip when running on strongly off the back of a slow pace to win the KZN Breeders Million Mile. He is drawn nine on Saturday.

Klawervlei might close the gap early in the meeting with their sole representative in the Gr 2 R300,000 Debutante Stakes. Vaughan Marshall has had a fine SA Champions Season, sending out 49 runners for ten wins, a strike rate of 20,41%, and included among them are two Gr 1s and a Gr 3. His runner in the Debutante is the Klawervlei-bred Philanthropist filly Flash Fire, a long striding sort who did not find the necessary extra from a high draw in the Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m on the Greyville turf last time out. Her previous two runs had also been over 1400m and yielded a win at Scottsville. She now steps down to 1200m, albeit from another tricky draw of seven. If breaking well she is a dark horse as she is not without speed.

Both Summerhill and Klawervlei have a runner each in the Gr 2 R300,000 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m. The Tony Rivalland-trained Visionaire gelding Count Von Count won the Eightfold Path KZN Breeders Juvenile 1200 in eyecatching style on the poly and from a good draw of three should  be able to use his fine turn of foot to good affect again. He will also have a 2kg weight advantage over the Sean Tarry-trained Klawervlei-bred Trippi colt Flying Myth, who beat the useful Rivarine on debut before finishing third in the Gr 3 Protea Stakes and then romping home in a Juvenile Plate event over 1160m at Turffontein. Flying Myth has a fine chance, but faces a tough draw of eleven.

Summerhill have a runner in both the Gr 1 R600,000 Thekwini Stakes and the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes, both over 1600m, while Klawervlei are not represented in either race. The Mike Azzie-trained Summerhill-bred Golden Sword filly Oasis Queen won over 1450m at Turffontein with second time blinkers on and then, despite odds of 25/1, finished a two length second to Safe Harbour over 1400m. She relaxed well in front in the latter event and being by Golden Sword, who won a Gr 3 over twelve-and-a-half furlongs, out of a National Assembly mare who has produced both a 2000m and an 1800m winner, she should enjoy the step up in trip in the Thekwini. She could be the dark horse from a plum draw.

In the Premier’s Champions Stakes the Tarry-trained Summerhill-bred Visionaire colt Africa Rising could be anything having caught the eye on debut when running on strongly to win over 1200m. He was backed in from 6/1 to 2/1 and beat the hard-knocking Rock Of Africa by 0,75 lengths and there was a further 5,25 lengths back to the rest of the field. The athletic sort is out of a Braashee mare, so might enjoy the step up in trip.

In the Gr 2 R400,000 Gold Bracelet over 1800m, Klawervlei are not represented while Summerhill have the Sean Tarry-trained Kahal filly Intergalactic and the Doug Campbell-trained Visionaire filly Lala. Intergalactic is course and distance suited and is the joint second highest merit-rated horse in the weight for age event, while Lala has a tough task being the joint second lowest rated horse.

In the Listed R150,000 Umgeni Handicap over 1200m on the poly Klawervlei have the widely drawn Charles Laird-trained filly Beloved Country, who will need to improve on her last run.

Klawervlei’s slim hopes of retaining the title appear to rest on them having an exceptional week in the minor meetings and doing well with their few big race opportunities on Super Saturday, while they will also have to rely on Summerhill failing in all of their many big race opportunities.

David Thiselton

Carl Burger, who had a quadruple heart bypass operation in Cape Town’s Vincent Pallotti Hospital a fortnight ago, had his left leg amputated below the knee on Thursday.

The Philippi trainer, surprisingly cheerful in the circumstances, said: “I will be in here for a while but I am going to have a prosthesis fitted in a couple of months and my heart is now strong again.

“In the meantime I am entering into a training partnership with Riaan van Reenen and the runners will be in our joint names from next Monday.”

Van Reenen confirmed the arrangement, saying: “Carl is going to need help – and what are friends for if you are not there for them when they need you?

“When Carl is feeling better, he can come and help me. It will help the horses too because having more of them means you can match them better when they work.”

Michael Clower

Mike Bass can sign off on an exceptional training career at Greyville next Saturday. Although Bass will still be in the background supporting daughter Candice Robinson, Helderberg Blue and Marinaresco will be his two official sign-offs and they can put the cherry on the top of what will be an emotional day, come what may.

Helderberg Blue contests the Gr2 eLan Gold Cup and forty minutes later Marinaresco the Gr1 Mike and Carol Bass Champions Cup, the race named in his honour.

Helderberg Blue faces a difficult task in the Gold Cup, a race where all 16 runners are in with realistic winning chances. A hot temperament has often got the better of Helderberg Blue and he may well boast a better record of just four wins if he had not been so difficult.

Just short of top class, he has calmed down as he has got older and can finally run up to his full potential as he steps out over 3200m for the first time.

Recent signs have been good. He started his Champions Season campaign with a warm-up over a ‘mile’ and then stretched to 2400m for only the second time in his career he finished just over a length back to the blinkered No Worries in the Highland Night Cup.

Since then he has been placed in both the Lonsdale, beaten half-a-length by Balance Sheet, and the July consolation behind Punta Arenas. He will be at his very peak come next Saturday and with a favourable draw he should have every chance.

Mike de Kock has five runners including the first four past the post in the SABC Gold Vase. Writing on his website De Kock said that Gold Vase winner Enaad was perhaps the best of the five, but did suggest that Weichong Marwing’s mount, The Centenary, was one to keep an eye on.

Second to Punta Arenas in the July consolation he said of the New Zealand-bred filly: “She is out of a Montjeu mare and I believe she will get the trip. Richard Fourie got off last time when she ran second to Punta Arenas and was very impressed with her. She’s a game filly and she looks like a stayer. I’m quite confident she will run well.”

De Kock considers Enaad, who is at 10-1, as very well handicapped. He said: “Enaad put up a very good performance in the Gold Vase and the only reason I wasn’t more confident was because I did feel he was suspect over the distance.

“He is now stronger, better and more mature and I would say he is the best of the five. However, he is drawn wide and that is a problem. I know the race is over 3200m and barrier positions are less relevant but for me, a bad draw is a bad draw.

“If you are well drawn you can often get a position for nothing but off a wide draw you always have to work to get a position. But a lot can happen over two miles.” Gold Vase winning jockey S’manga Khumalo retains the ride.

Dean Kannemeyer has a good record in this race and saddles three runners, including current ante-post favourite and the progressive Cape Speed.

The three-year-old has been in exceptional form of late, winning his last three on the trot, most recently the KZN Derby at Scottsville beating Deputy Jud. He too steps out over this trip for the first time but given his pedigree there are unlikely to be any stamina limitations.

Callan Murray will be crowned Champion Apprentice two days after the meeting and start his career as a professional jockey on a high if he can get home aboard the Weiho Marwing-trained Zafira. She finished a neck behind The Centenary two runs back and comes off a recent victory in a Pinnacle Stakes at Turffontein. She has only once finished out of the money and could be the surprise package in a race that has surprise written all over it.

Marinaresco is likely to start at short odds for the Gr1 Mike and Carol Bass Champions Cup  and Bass will be on hand to dish out the trophy, possibly to himself.

Coming from the clouds when runner-up to The Conglomerate in the Gr1 Vodacom Durban July, the Tekkie Town Winter Guineas and Winter Classic winner has another tricky draw to contend with but is much better off at the weights in this event and is likely to be in warm order.

In the July Marinaresco pulled one marble inside of The Conglomerate but while Piere Strydom elected to go forward, Grant van Niekerk dropped his mount in which was always the plan.

In the final analysis Strydom managed to pinch enough of a lead to hold on to the line as Marinaresco had his measure three strides past the post. Tactics are unlikely to be much different this time around and many will be looking to see Marinaresco home in time to give Bass an emotional and rousing send-off.

Marinaresco was lumbered with an eight-pound penalty for his July effort but once again meets his fellow three-year-olds that ran in the July at level weights and all things being equal he should beat them again.

Exit Here was given a cracking ride by Weichong Marwing to win the Gr3 Cup Trial but Charles Laird was of the opinion that he was not quite good enough to contest the July. Given the July result he may have been left rueing his decision but he gets an opportunity here over the same course and distance.

Saratoga Dancer’s presence in the July field was met with derision in many quarters but he proved the neigh sayers wrong, finishing fifth, beaten two short heads for third. He too came from well off the pace and given that he is over his optimum trip he could finish even closer here. Craig Zackey retains the ride for Duncan Howells.

The luckless Ice Machine was touched off by Futura in this race last year and he could be likened to golfer Sergio Garcia, the most talented runner never to win a major. Time is running out for the seven-year-old and this could be his last chance.

Andrew Harrison

Current betting on the Gr2 eLan Gold Cup to be run on Saturday July 30:

9-2 Cape Speed

8-1 Helderberg Blue, Arch Rival

9-1 Master Sabina, Ovidio

10-1 Enaad

11-1 The Centenary

12-1 Balance Sheet, Kingston Mines, Solar Star, Zafira

14-1 Coltrane, Smart Mart

18-1 Stebbins, Kinaan

33-1 Fortune Fella