Mike Bass’ Summerveld assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe made the two mares Fly By Night and Lanner Falcon big runners in Saturday’s Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, while admitting Night Trip was “taking his chances” over a trip too sharp.

They have all been doing well at Summerveld and Fayd’Herbe said, “Fly By Night has been doing well in KZN this season, but is drawn wide (12) so will have to come from off them. There is not much between her and Lanner Falcon.”

Fly By Night (pictured) ran on well in the Gr 2 Post Merchants over this 1200m course and distance a month ago for second, albeit from a good draw. In last year’s Mercury Sprint she ran on well for fourth despite being caught wide behind a slow pace early. She will be out to reclaim the crown she won two years ago when the race was run at Clairwood for the last time.

Lanner Falcon (Liesl King)

Lanner Falcon was a touch unlucky in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint over this trip at Scottsville when having to be switched outward considerably to get a clear run. She only finished two lengths behind Mercury Sprint contender Real Princess there and was only 0,75 lengths behind Fly By Night. From a fine daw of four she has a chance on Saturday at a course where her fine turn of foot is a valuable asset. She last ran on Vodacom Durban July day in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes where she was cramped for room close to home and not disgraced. Fayd’herbe expected her to come from about midfield on Saturday.

Officially both mares have a tough task on paper as Laner Falcon is merit rated 107 and Fly By Night 105, way below the 121 rating of Talktothestars.

Fayd’herbe said about the 103 merit rated six-year-old Night Trip, who jumps from a plum draw of three, “It is a bit short for him, but he hasn’t run for a while so is fresh. We had to take our chances from the draw and he will then go for the Darley Arabian on Super Saturday (which he bids to win for the third time in succession). He seems to like a right hand bend and could maybe sneak into the quartet.”

Brandon Lerena is aboard Fly By Night, Stuart Randolph rides Lanner Falcon and Callan Murray rides Night Trip.

David Thiselton

Dean Kannemeyer believes his Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint winner Real Princess deserves a crack at the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint against the boys and has freshened up his other runner Captain Alfredo.

He said, “Real Princess has got the credentials. I said before the Scottsville Sprint if Carry On Alice could win it then on form so could she (having finished on top of Carry On Alice in the Gr 2 Southern Cross Stakes) and she then proved it.”

The beautifully bred Trippi filly also beat Fly By Night and Lanner Falcon in the City Of Peiermaritzburg Sprint and Kannemeyer rated that pair as ”very good fillies.”

Real Princess (Nkosi Hlophe)

He continued, “I stayed out of the Gr 2 Diadem Stakes and Lanner Falcon and Fly By Night beat the boys there and finished one-two (six months ago in December). Real Princess is a better horse as a late four-year-old than she was six months go.”

She will be suited to Greyville as Kannemeyer pointed out she had “fantastic cruising speed” and she also showed at Scottsville how good her turn of foot was.

He said about Captain Alfredo, “He’s a tough campaigner and was a little below his very best in his last two starts. He found a bit of interference in the straight last time in the Post Merchants and before that in the Tsogo Sun Sprint didn’t quite finish, so I have freshened him up now. He is a bull of a horse and is tough and sound, but he hasn’t got a great draw.”

Real Princess has a good draw of six with Anthony Delpech retaining the ride and Lyle Hewitson rides Captain Alfredo from draw eleven.

Kannemeyer concluded, “They are both very well, but it’s a very strong race.”

Kannemeyer said his first-timer in race one over 1600m, The Slade, who is a big colt by Philantropist and a half-brother to Gr 1 winner Afrikaburn, would likely need a run or two for the penny to drop  but felt he could develop into a promising sort.

David Thiselton

Vodacom Durban July-winning trainer Joey Ramsden has no doubt Red Ray is as good as he was before leaving for overseas two years ago and is happy with his work ahead of Saturday’s Gr 1 Mercury Sprint.

However, Ramsden does have a little doubt whether running the five-year-old Western Winter entire in first-time blinkers from a tricky draw is the right thing to do for obvious reasons (he could end up caught wide.) However, it is difficult to tell where the pace will come from in the race and it could pay to have him handier than he was in the Gr 2 Post Merchants.

Red Ray ran a good fourth in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, despite likely needing it in his first run since his only disappointing run overseas a year-and-a-half before. That run is one reason Ramsden believes he still retains his ability.

In the Post Merchants he had traffic problems in the straight and could have got closer. Anton Marcus stays aboard from a draw of nine.

David Thiselton

Trainer Justin Snaith said his Gr 1 Mercury Sprint contender Heartland had been doing very well at home since gelding and he made him the dark horse in Saturday’s weight-for-age 1200m race.

He said, “He won very well last time at Scottsville over 1400m. He is a brilliant 1400m horse so this is a bit on the sharp side. But there is a slight hill at Greyville which makes it more testing. It is certainly a lot harder than the Scottsville 1200m. He is drawn well and it was very important to have a good jockey, so we are very happy to have Weichong Marwing aboard. I think the pace will be quite fast and he will come from just off them.”

The four-year-old Dynasty gelding displayed his liking for Greyville when winning the Gr 3 Byerley Turk over 1400m at Greyville last year. He was handy in a slow run race there and won the sprint for home, which augurs well for his chances on Saturday. He then disappointed in the KRA Guineas and was laid off for the rest of the season.

He finished second to Act Of War in the Gr 3 Matchem Stakes over 1400m at Durbanville in his reappearance last October and then won the Listed Jet Master Stakes over 1600m at Kenilworth in December two runs later. However, he disappointed in both the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and Calulo Mile, so the gelding was clearly necessary. This always highly regarded sort is indeed an intriguing runner, despite having a lot to do on paper off an official merit rating of 106. He jumps from draw two.

Snaith has one other runner on the day, three-year-old Dynasty gelding Shenyang, who runs in the eighth over 1000m on the poly. He said this horse had been doing “better” at home. He pointed out the horse had “run away” down to the start last time so that run could be ignored.

Shenyang has speed and finished just 1,5 lengths behind Captain Swarovski over 1200m at Kenilworth in January with Piere Strydom up, albeit when receiving 2,5kg. Now off a four point lower merit rating, pole position draw and Strydom back aboard, he can’t be ignored despite having finished last in both of his KZN outings to date.

David Thiselton

Reigning South African champion jockey Gavin Lerena said all was well with his Gr 1 Mercury Sprint contender Talktothestars and he also revealed he will not be returning to Hong Kong next season, but will instead be chasing another SA Championship.

Trainer Coenie de Beer was travelling Talktothestars down from the Vaal to Durban yesterday (Wednesday) and the horse will have a canter around Greyville before the big race on Saturday. The four-year-old Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint winner has a tough draw to overcome, but De Beer pointed out wide draws have a good record at Greyville statistically.

Lerena only arrived back from Hong Kong on Monday, so has not been riding the Overlord gelding in work. However, he said De Beer had reported him to be fit and well. Talktothestars is a versatile type. He can use his speed to be up with them, but has a devastating turn of foot, so can also come from off the pace.

The rags-to-riches fairytale horse has been declared to run without shoes as usual and as the probable most travelled horse in the country will not have been affected by yesterday’s journey.

Lerena said about his stint in Hong Kong, “It was a fantastic experience, but it was very tough to break in. All the holes are plugged and the trainers have got their jockeys. But I would love to go back in a year or two’s time when I will know what to expect.”

Lerena said current Hong Kong champion jockey Joao Moreira was so in demand he was effectively controlling the market.

Most Hong Kong races are “class” defined and there are five classes from one to five.

Lerena said in each of these class races there were usually about four horses capable of winning and Moreira would often be offered the ride on all four. After choosing one he apparently often advises the owners of the other three of his willingness to ride their charges in forthcoming races. The owners of these three then often scratch due to this commitment. When this scenario plays out, Moreira’s mount now effectively has what would have been the fifth favourite as the main danger. The competition is thus being taken out of the racing.

Lerena clarified, “I am not saying it happens every race, but I would say about 60% of the time.”

Lerena pointed out even thirteen-times champion jockey Douglas Whyte had been battling to get good rides lately. Other jockeys who are in demand are Zac Purton and apprentice female Kei Chiong and Lerena pointed out the latter was allowed a ten pound claim, despite having previously ridden 43 winners in New Zealand.

Lerena rode five winners in his stint in Hong Kong, which began in late February, and was proud of his place strike rate of 33% considering his lack of opportunities.

He said, “You have to up your game in Hong Kong.” This is due to the level of competition and improvement in many areas is a natural consequence. He pointed out judgement of pace became almost an automatic skill for a jockey who had ridden for a period in Hong Kong.

Lerena is looking forward to partnering Master Sabina in either the eLan Gold Cup or Champions Cup. “I love riding this horse,” he admitted.

He said he had been forced to take Master Sabina back early in the Vodacom Durban July, so was considerably further back than he had wanted to be, but said the Jet Master six-year-old, on whom he landed his second career Sansui Summer Cup, had run on really well in the straight to finish a 3,35 length ninth.

Lerena will head to the UK for the Shergar Cup in August and is hoping to land a few rides in France before coming home to chase the championships.

David Thiselton