Trainer Weiho Marwing said his Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge contender Mac De Lago was fit and well ahead of Saturday’s big race at Greyville, while St. John Gray also confirmed Captain Aldo to be in good shape.

Marwing said it had been a long hard season for Mac De Lago, so the yard had given him a relatively easy time in the aftermath of his decent fourth-place finish in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m at Turffontein on April 30. However, he added the Australian-bred four-year-old Encosta De Lago gelding was now fit and well and Saturday’s race would offer the opportunity for him to have a good preparation race into  the Vodacom Durban July.

He pointed out Mac De Lago’s liking for Greyville and felt he had a good draw too (six in a field of nine), so was hoping for a “big run.” A further bonus is Piere Strydom aboard. The great jockey has already won a Grade 1 since returning from a protracted layoff for a broken collar bone.

At the Vaal on Thursday Strydom clinched his 5000^th winner as a fully-fledged jockey. His 5000^th winner as a rider was reached when winning the Gr 2 Selangor Cup aboard Act Of War in November 2014, but those wins included the ones he had achieved as an apprentice.

Mac De Lago won his opening two career races and has only competed in Graded company since. He has achieved seven cheques in ten runs at Graded level, which underlines his consistency, but he is yet to earn Bold Black type by winning one of them. The closest he has come was when finishing second over the Gold Challenge course and distance in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas, running on strongly from the back to finish two lengths behind The Conglomerate.

These days he might prefer middle distances, but is interesting running fresh tomorrow. On 107 he is the fifth highest merit rated horse in the race.

Captain Aldo, a five-year-old gelding by Captain Al, is merit rated 109 thanks to his Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes victory, where he beat the like of Ice Machine and Trip To Heaven over 1400m on the Turffontein Standside track. That was a slow run race and he converted odds of 16/1. However, he subsequently finished downfield in both the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes and when carrying topweight in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1450m on May 21. He is drawn eight with Bernard Fayd’Herbe up and Betting World have priced him up joint-biggest outsider on 25/1.

Gray won this race with crack mare Dancewiththedevil in 2011. However, he was not as confident this time and kept his comments short and sweet, “He is well but it’s going to be tough.”

David Thiselton

Drill Hall Stakes winner New Predator impressed Weichong Marwing at Ashburton this week ahead of the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge to be run at Greyville on Saturday, although the top jockey has jumped ship to French Navy.

Meanwhile, Triptique, has been doing well at Summerveld.

The Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained New Predator over raced behind a crawl in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and did not find the necessary extra in the straight. However, before that he was dictating the pace himself in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m and, after kicking well at the top of the straight, the field was unable to catch him. As a horse with plenty of speed, he will likely prefer dropping back to the mile.

Marwing rode him in both those races. He also rode him in work at Ashburton earlier this week and described the workout as “exceptional”. Randall Simons will be aboard the 110 merit rated New Predator on Saturday from a plum draw of three, which will enable him to go to the front again. However, Sean Tarry has said Trip To Heaven will go to the front if he is able to jump well enough, so New Predator might not have the same easy lead he enjoyed in the Drill Hall Stakes.

Marwing was high in his praise of New Predator after his Drill Hall Stakes win. The Australian-bred New Approach colt’s record proves him to be possibly the best three-year-old miler in the country as he ran the subsequent Cape Guineas winner Noah From Goa to a head in the Dingaans and had subsequent Triple Crown hero Abashiri beaten by 3,1 lengths in that race, although that was Abashiri’s first run of the season and he hasn’t been beaten since.

Trainer Dennis Drier said Triptique was as well as the yard could possibly have him. He is a most interesting contender. The Drill Hall Stakes was his first attempt beyond sprints and he stayed on strongly from midfield to finish a 0,5 length second. He gave the impression the 1600m would be within his range and his pedigree also suggests it to be. He gets on well with stable jockey Sean Veale and jumps from pole position. He is the dark horse in the race and if he passes this acid test will have some exciting career prospects ahead of him. He could also lift the Drier yard out of a below par big race season by their high standards.

David Thiselton

The Gr 3 Cup Trial over 1800m offers a last gasp opportunity for borderline horses to qualify for the Vodacom Durban July and fans are likely to witness a fast and furious finish to the race which is one of the highlights of the always well attended Rising Sun Gold Challenge race day at Greyville on Saturday.

Saratoga Dancer was unfortunately only made a reserve for the Gr 2 Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile, where the yard fancied his chances. He subsequently ran third in the Gr 3 Christmas Handicap over 1600m at Greyville from a wide draw, as opposed to the winner It Is Written’s pole position draw. He will be 3kg better off with It Is Written for a 1,75 length beating, but he unfortunately has another wide draw of 12 to overcome.

Saratoga Dancer made a comeback in the too sharp IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m and stayed on well for fourth. He will much prefer this trip and has a chance with Muzi Yeni up as he was still green and immature last season and, as a stronger and more mature horse, he can rise above his 95 merit rating.

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained It Is Written ran a good 2,45 length fifth in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 and will appreciate the slight step down in trip. His jockey Anthony Delpech will be going for an incredible seventh Graded victory in this SA Champions Season and three of them to date have been for Kannemeyer. The five-year-old Dynasty gelding jumps from draw seven.

Master’s Eye looked at the stands the whole way down the straight when close up in the Sledgehammer over 1750m at Scottsville, but then over raced with blinkers on in the Betting World 1900. The blinkers are now off. This classy sort has the ability to win if his quirkiness is suppressed and Piere Strydom is up from a draw of three, so he has to be seriously considered.

His stablemate Dynamic is off an attractive merit rating and is drawn in pole over a suitable trip so should give another honest account, although he hasn’t won for a year-and-a-half.

The Joey Ramsden-trained The Conglomerate will be cherry ripe having his third run after a rest and Anton Marcus is up from draw 8. He has dropped down to a 101 merit rating from a high of 108 but needs a strong pace to be affective as he otherwise seems to just stay on steadily.

The race does not look to have a lot of pace in it. Exit Here is a possible pacemaker, but won’t go the ridiculous pace he set in the Canon Guineas. The experienced Weichong Marwing is a master of pace and this could see Exit Here bouncing back to form, although he might be a touch high in the merit ratings.

Deputy Jud is usually handy so from a wide draw is another possible pace setter. He is off a more competitive mark and can feature if reproducing his Daily News run of last year, when unlucky not to place.

Stablemate Greek Legend was too handy in the Betting World 1900 and his good turn of foot could be effective if ridden more conservatively from a wide draw.

Punta Arenas hasn’t reproduced his best form this season and has a tough task with top weight.

The evergreen Gold Onyx should be cherry ripe and with his short run in has to always be considered at his favourite course.

Halve The Deficit was too far back in the Betting World 1900 and will be handier from a good draw, so he has to be given a good chance off a three point reduced merit rating, especially if reproducing the form of his unlucky July run last year.

Way Of Light faces It Is Written on the same terms despite beating him a neck in the Sledgehammer and he is the dark horse despite a four point merit rated raise.

Big Cat ran on well late in the Sledgehammer and runs off the same merit rating. He beat a good field in the Calulo Cape Mile and has been doing well at Summerveld so has a chance from draw four.

The selection is Dynamic to beat Big Cat with It Is Written, The Conglomerate and Master’s Eye next best.

David Thiselton

 

When all goes well in horseracing it is a sport without peer. When it goes wrong it is frustrating, not a human condition that many owners, trainers and or officials, for that matter, can handle without a grimace and expletive.

Scottsville patrons were treated to both yesterday as the first race resulted in a punter’s refund while Heartland realised some of his potential in the meeting’s headliner.

It was drama in the first as Muzi Yeni was left standing in the pens when the gates sprung leaving the heavily backed Hour Glass riderless and Duncan Howells cursing. Alongside Hour Glass, Anton Marcus was quick to pull up on the favourite Pep Squad who was also being difficult in the stalls but heeding a shout of ‘false start’ by the starter. The balance of the field bolted for home.

In subsequent reports to the Stipendiary Stewards, Marcus and Yeni both admitted to hearing starter Paul Hepworth call a false start while the other riders appeared oblivious to the call and continued with the race.

Further investigation showed that the assistant starter had not raised his “all clear” flag to indicate that all was in order behind the gate as both Hour Glass and Pep Squad had not settled and in fact Yeni had removed his feet from the irons and was calling for the starter to wait.

Hepworth reported that he had not effected the start as he was waiting for the “all clear” flag and was also aware of the two horses playing up in the gate.

However, the ‘starting stalls opened prematurely and by themselves’ according to the preliminary Stipes report and the sudden opening of the gates did not give Hepworth time to sound the ‘false start’ siren. However, he did shout the instruction heard by both Marcus and Yeni.

In terms of Rule 61.5.13.1, chief stipendiary steward Shaun Parker had no option but to declare the race null and void and all bets were refunded.

There was a happier ending for Justin Snaith as Heartland, a full brother to champion Jackson, finally got his act together but apparently and frustratingly, too late to follow the plan originally mapped out for him.

Flopping first time out as a gelding late last month, Heartland had everything in his favour in the Daniels Flooring Allowance Plate and in spite of tugging his way to the start in the preliminaries he did the deed as was expected of him, winning comfortably from Beat The Retreat and pacemaker Budapest.

Snaith said of Heartland, “He’s always been a very smart horse and we just always hoped that we could get him into the right races. He could be a horse next year for the Queen’s Plate but I’ve got a bit of work to do.

“We gelded him two weeks before I came to Durban and it just set him back and the other night we were actually quite confident but the 61-and-a-half, first run back from gelding and night racing he just wasn’t too sure what was happening. You can put a line through that.

“He came back blowing heavily and I knew what I needed to do.

“We wanted to go for a few features here but we sort of missed them,” Snaith concluded ruefully.

As Damon Runyon so famously wrote; “Well – that’s horseracing.”

By Andrew Harrison

Candice Robinson, who takes over when her father Mike Bass retires at the end of next month, means business in Durban as well as Cape Town and she is opening a permanent residency in Summerveld.

She has signed a contract with Rupert Plersche’s Janet Baker Properties for 30 stables in their private Summeveld training complex.

She said yesterday: “Having two centres to work from, with alternating peak seasons, makes sense for us in a lot of ways. The Summerveld  stable is also an alternative yard for us to race horses that may not be able to cope with the stronger competition that the Cape summer season offers.

“Another major enticing factor is that it serves as a sensible geographical base from which to raid Johannesburg.”

Mrs Robinson will take out her licence with the full support of her father who will stay on in an advisory capacity, and of her brother Mark who points out that training from a private Summerveld facility means that the stable’s horses will not fall under the current minimum merit rating restrictions for horses of visiting trainers.

Meanwhile, Basil Marcus, who lost consciousness after suffering from what was believed to be an epileptic seizure a week ago, has been released from the Milnerton Mediclinic.

Son Adam said: “He was in intensive care for a few days but he was looking better as each day went by and he is delighted to be home again. He is going to rest for the next couple of weeks and then hopefully it will all be a thing of the past.”

Michael Clower