Sean Tarry regarded Buckland as his first choice for the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, only to see him eliminated by the selection panel, but the three-year-old Western Winter colt now gets a chance to prove his class in the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m at Greyville on Friday night.

Tarry said his other contender, Trip To Heaven, who crossed the line first in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m at Greyville on Saturday before being demoted to second in the boardroom, was a “doubtful starter” due to the proximity of that previous run, although he would be monitored over the next couple of days before a final decision was made.

Trip To Heaven (JC Photo)

Tarry was also hopeful of a good run from Witchcraft on Sunday at Scottsville in the Gr 2 Track And Ball Oaks over 2400m.

The 103 merit rated Buckland will be near the bottom of the 100 to 104 merit rated band under the conditions of the race, as his net merit rating is 101, and this means he will be 2,5kg under sufferance with the officially best weighted horses in the race, the mare Fly By Night.

Tarry would still have preferred him to have taken his place in the Tsogo Sun, despite the Post Merchants being an overall weaker race, as he preferred him “down the straight.”

Buckland has gone around the turn twice before at Turffontein, but those races were over 1400m and 1600m respectively. Tarry said the colt was “well.”

He jumps from a fair draw of eight with first call jockey S’Manga Khumalo up.

Tarry is a bit annoyed the racing fraternity have taken it upon themselves to describe the few cases he has had of “bacterial infections” in his yard as a “virus”, which it is not.

The runs of Trip To Heaven, French Navy and Liege over the weekend proved the yard’s runners are arriving at the course in good shape.

Trip To Heaven will only be 0,5kg under sufferance with Fly By Night if taking his place in the Post Merchants, although he will have to lug 60kg. This sprint miler’s two Gr 2 victories have been over 1160m and 1450m respectively, so he has plenty of speed. He tends to miss the  break, so will likely be dropped out from his draw of ten. He proved on Saturday what a fine turn of foot he has, as he made up ground effortlessly and quickly from last in the running.

If Trip To Heaven is scratched his stablemate Old Em will come in as the reserve runner. This speedily-bred three-year-old Trippi filly beat the previously unbeaten Hollie Point over this trip at the Vaal last time out by a length. However, she was given a seven point raise for that effort so, despite her being officially only 0,5kg under sufferance with Fly By Night and carrying a featherweight 51,5kg, she will not have it easy in her first run in open Graded company. Her draw of six is suitable as one with plenty of natural speed.

Tarry felt Witchcraft was unlucky in the Gr 1 SA Oaks as she was caught wide without cover the whole way from a wide draw. She had then found the Greyville 2000m of the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 too sharp. He gives her a shout in the Gr 3 Track And Ball Oaks over 2400m at Scottsville on Sunday if she is able to overcome her wide draw. Khumalo will have learnt a bit more about her from the SA Oaks run and is back aboard.

Meanwhile, French Navy has pulled up well out of his eye catching third in the Gold Challenge. The remainder of his preparation for the Vodacom Durban July will be done out of Summerveld.

By David Thiselton

Topweight Legal Eagle has been scratched from the Vodacom Durban July the day after the publishing of the weights.

French Navy, who was originally set to carry 57,5kg, will become the new topweight carrying 60kg and all of the other weights will be dragged up accordingly by 2,5kg.

SA Triple Crown hero Abashiri will now carry 59kg.

However, his weight relative to other horses will not have changed and he will in fact still be the only three-year-old in the race who is not under sufferance.

The bottom weight horses will carry 54,5kg and this includes the fancied three-year-old filly Bela-Bela.

All of the three-year-old males with the exception of Abashiri will carry 55,5kg and this includes the ruling favourite Black Arthur.

David Thiselton

Dean Kannemeyer said Capfain Alfredo’s run in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint was only “slightly below himself”, despite a 4,1 length beating, and he believed the four-year-old Captain Al gelding could find the frame in Friday night’s Gr 2 Post Merchants over the same 1200m trip around the turn at Greyville.

Kannemeyer was also positive about the chances of Cape Speed in the Gr 3 Track And Ball Derby over 2400m at Scottsville on Sunday.

Captain Alfredo (Nkosi Hlophe)

He said, “I didn’t think Captain Alfredo had an easy task at Scottsville as he had been given the eight point raise. He is a very tough horse and took the race well. We have kept him fresh for this race. Greyville is not a problem for him, he as run well there before. It’s quite competitive, but if he puts his best foot forward he can finish in the first four.”

Kannemeyer mentioned only Red Ray of the other horses in the field, so must have a lot of respect for this much touted horse.

Captain Alfredo is relatively well weighted under the merit-rated bands conditions, being only 0,5kg under sufferance with the best treated horse, the mare Fly By Night.

Furthermore, he has a plum draw of three, perfect for his style in which he uses his natural speed to lie handy before kicking for home.

Anthony Delpech will attempt to make it a seventh Graded race victory of this SA Champions Season and a fourth for Kannemeyer.

Kannemeyer and Delpech combine again on Sunday in the Track and Ball Derby with the three-year-old Ideal World gelding Cape Speed.

Dean Kannemeyer

This gelding looked very promising as a two-year-old, but after starting off his three-year-old season well in Cape Town he went a bit off the boil. However, he was a rig and has won both of his starts since gelding and both of them have been in KZN.

He has therefore won his last three starts in KZN, all of them at Greyville between 1800m and 1900m. However, one of his most eye catching performances was at Scottsville, when making up a tremendous amount of ground in his second career start over the too sharp 1600m and finishing just 1,25 lengths behind the decent Celtic Captain in a maiden.

Kannemeyer said, “I haven’t pushed him but he is doing very, very well. It is not an easy task as a three-year-old, but he is on the up and improving continually.”

Kannemeyer confirmed Cape Speed thrived in KZN. It is no surprise he is improving as most progeny of Ideal World do and this top class sire should also impart enough stamina in him to stay the trip.

He jumps from draw nine and off a 96 merit rating is 2,5kg under sufferance with the officially best treated horse, the three-year-old Listed Derby Trial winner Bankable Teddy.

By David Thiselton

Summerveld trainer Mark Dixon was upset his classy sprinter London Call was not selected to run in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at the Scottsville Festival Of Speed Meeting on the first weekend of this month, but believes the five-year-old Kahal gelding can prove a point in the Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m on the turf at Greyville on Friday night.

He said, “I was disappointed they reduced the size of the field for the Tsogo Sun Sprint to 14 (due to the moving of the rail inward) and then decided to ignore the handicapping and select the field on their own judgement.”

London Call (Nkosi Hlophe)

London Call did his final piece of fast work for the race on Monday upsides a companion on the Summerveld top sand track and the gallop was “very pleasing.”

Dixon continued, “He is exceptionally well and is a big runner provided he behaves himself … it is his first time running under the lights.”

Dixon felt the Bruce Le Roux-bred gelding’s draw of two was perfect as “he has plenty of pace.”

The 101 merit-rated speedster is not the soundest and cannot be raced often, but on the other hand he does not take a lot of work and it is relatively easy to get him ready for a race.

He has only had eight career starts for four wins, two seconds and a fourth and his only unplaced run was when tried over 1400m against the like of Ice Machine.

All four of his wins have been over the 1200m trip of the Post Merchants and his last win, on December 30 this season, was over the Greyville course and distance.

In that race, carrying a welter 61kg, he gave the Graded-placed three-year-old Mr Roy 7,5kg and a one length beating and an even more eyecatching bit of form was giving third-placed Executive Power, who has always been held in high regard, 9kg and a 2,5 length beating.

In London Call’s last start over 1000m at Scottsville on February 28 he was a 2,5 lengths second in the race in which Muscatt set a new course record and he was giving the latter 1,5kg.

In form Keagan de Melo knows him well and will be aboard on Friday night.

By David Thiselton

Rain is in short supply in most of southern Africa but punters will be looking to Mike de Kock’s filly Rain In Africa to beak her drought when she runs in the seventh at Greyville this afternoon.

On a card littered with Maidens and Handicap punters will be digging deep into the form book where all races are on the poly, and all barring one with maximum fields.

Mike de Kock

Rain In Africa has her first outing in KZN after running up a string of placings on the Highveld but alarmingly in most of those races the jockeys have returned reporting respiratory noises which does not augur well. However, that has not been enough to stop her finishing in the money in all of her seven starts and the switch to poly over the minimum trip may finally get her over the line.

The balance of the runners consists of a group of fellow battlers but the danger could come in the form of two-year-old Castor Cat. Weiho Marwing’s runner has also been reported to have breathing issues but she did improve last time out and could be finding form.

Silver Sage and Smart World will be popular choices in the last and barring sudden improvement by one or two of the opposition, should fight this one out.

Silver Sage comes from the all-conquering Sean Tarry yard and has put in two smart efforts on the poly since making his debut. He was doing his best work late behind the heavily backed Starrett City late last month and is the likely favourite.

However, apprentice Lyle Hewitson will have to deal with old fox Anton Marcus aboard Dennis Drier’s charge Smart World that steps out in blinkers for the first time. He raced on the same day as Silver Sage, but over a ‘mile’, and gave the impression that he would enjoy today’s extended trip as he was running on stoutly in the finish after missing the jump.

Blinkers and Marcus could be enough to get him off the mark.

The opening leg of the Pick 6 is a nightmare race. Trinity Hall has been knocking at the door for some time now but could again leave the door open has pulled another tough draw. Drier, ahead in the KZN Trainer’s Championship, could take advantage and add another to his total with Majix. The grey found trouble at the start last time after showing steady improvement. He races in a tongue-tie for the first time.

A Divided Handicap heads the card where Executive Power can go one better after being caught late by the smart Paterfamilias on the Greyville poly. Prior to that he has some smart form in strong company and from the best of the draw can add to an already useful record.

Chestnut’s Rocket appears to have taken a liking to Scottsville where he won a feature as a three-year-old and finished runner-up to It Is Written over the course and distance when making his seasonal KZN debut back in March. He has to give a bit of pudding to the younger Executive Power and that may be what separates the pair at the line.

Sail South, Diamond King, Master James and the grey Isca, who blew the start and declared a non-runner at his last intended start, are others to consider in a difficult race.

Irish Pride and Cape Laddie look the principal contenders in the fifth but both have been compromised by wide draws. Cape Laddie has not been out since November last year but showed early in his career when making his debut on the Greyville poly that he is a horse with potential.

Dean Kannemeyer is a past master at letting his runners mature without being under pressure and Cape Laddie could prove the pick of the field in spite of the draw.

By Andrew Harrison