Bezanova loves Greyville
PUBLISHED: June 7, 2016
Bezanova doing well ahead of the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge…
Highveld-based trainer Alec Laird is having another crack at the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge with Bezanova, who finished third in this race last year.
Bezanova has been at Summerveld since May 27 and has been “doing well” ahead of the big weight for age 1600m event, which is to be run at Greyville on Saturday.
Laird pointed out the big five-year-old Bezrin gelding always did well at this time of the year and appeared to love Greyville.
The biggest win of his career came when winning the Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile in November 2014 as a four-year-old. However, in his seven starts in KZN he has only failed to earn a cheque once and that was when just 3,6 lengths behind Futura in the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m two years ago as a three-year-old.
He won his debut at Clairwood over 1200m as a young three-year-old, then returned from the Highveld to finish third in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas and a narrow fifth in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000. Both races were won by the subsequently-named Equus Horse Of The Year Legilsate. He ended that Champions Season with a disappointing third in the KZN Breeders Million Mile at Clairwood, followed by his unplaced run in the Champions Cup.
Last season he only had two runs in KZN. He finished a fine third in the Gold Challenge. He raced wide for quite a while after jumping from draw ten in the eleven horse field, although he did have cover most the way, and he then found himself in a handy position off a slow pace and stayed on strongly to finish just 0,9 lengths behind Legislate at odds of 66/1. He proved it to be no fluke when winning the KZN Breeders Million Mile with 59kg on his back next time out.
This year Laird had an option to run him in a Pinnacle event over either 1450m or 1800m before transporting him to Summrveld and opted for the latter as he believed building him up from 1450m to a mile in three weeks would have not have been an easy task. He confirmed he had needed that last run on May 21 when unplaced over 1800m.
Bezanova has landed a plum draw of four in a ten horse field on Saturday. It is weaker than last year’s race. He will be ridden by Stuart Randolph for the first time.
Laird has two runners in the Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m, Arissa, who is drawn ten, and Maleficent, who is drawn three. Maleficent by Judpot is a full-sister to Gr 1 SA Derby runner up Rocketball and will be ridden by Weichong Marwing. Laird said she seemed better than Arissa based on their homework and she proved her promise last time out when winning a maiden over this trip at the Vaal by 5,5 lengths.
By David Thiselton
Hold fire on Bela
PUBLISHED: June 7, 2016
Punters to hold fire as the decision for Bela-Bela to run in the July will not be made before the end of the week…
A decision on Woolavington winner Bela-Bela running in the Vodacom Durban July will not be made before the end of the week and in the meantime the stable advises punters to hold fire.
Jonathan Snaith said yesterday: “She is going to run on July 2 in either the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province or the July and the owners (Varsfontein Stud) want to see the Garden Province nominations which come out on Friday. They want to see how she is drawn and what sort of field she would be up against before making a decision.”
The grey filly is fourth favourite for the July at 15-2 with Betting World and 9-1 with World Sports Betting.
Snaith said: “Punters should definitely hold on until a decision is made. In any case there is no reason to back her now. Her price is quite short and I don’t see it changing much if we decide to run.”
Canon Guineas winner Black Arthur (Anthony Delpech) and Cape Derby winner It’s My Turn (Richard Fourie) are the stable’s two confirmed runners at the moment and a decision will be taken on Dynamic and Master’s Eye after they run in the Cup Trial at Greyville on Saturday.
By Michael Clower
Team decision to scratch Eagle
PUBLISHED: June 7, 2016
Legal Eagle bypasses the Gold Challenge but might still run in the Vodacom Durban July…
Sean Tarry described it as a “team decision” to scratch Legal Eagle from this Saturday’s Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and it was due to nothing more than the horse’s poor draw.
However, he added the crack gelding might still run in the Vodacom Durban July.
He said Legal Eagle would likely have had to run on from behind in the Gold Challenge at a course where the draw over a mile was usually all important. A potential blemish on his record was therefore averted by the scratching.
He said he was definitely fit and well enough at present to be able to take his place in the July: “He is not a big horse and does not require a lot of work.” However, he said the decision to run him in the big one might ultimately depend on the weights.
Owner Markus Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman will likely have the final say.
Tarry is coming off a tough week in which it was well documented he was concerned about a potential bacterial infection going around his Randjesfontein yard.
However, he believed this had nothing to do with brilliant sprinter Carry On Alice’s disappointing fifth place finish as odds-on favourite in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint at Scottsville on Saturday.
He was firstly disappointed she had been loaded early despite her history of being restless in the gates. She had started badly and he then felt jockey S’Manga Khumalo had possibly found cover too early, and behind the wrong horses, meaning she was travelling too well in the early stages. The jockey had then been “undecided for about three or four seconds and you can’t do that in a sprint.”
By the time she was extracted from her snookered position the race was over. However, Tarry said she had not been blowing after the race and had pulled up well.
The majority of his runners on the day had run well and he said the two-year-old fillies, Visuality and Myfunnyvalentine (3rd and 4th in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship respectively), would likely line up in the Gr 2 Golden Slipper on July day.
He said he had pointed out last week Captain’s Causeway had only been his third choice runner in the Tsogo Sun Sprint and “you can’t win Gr 1s with your third choice.” He felt he had been vindicated in the belief Buckland should have been his first accepted runner as this horse had finished just 1,8 lengths behind Talktothestars in the Gr 2 Senor Santa Stakes and would have been considerably better off in the weights in the Tsogo Sun Sprint.
Tarry said it was impossible to tell with certainty which horses had been affected by the bacterial infection and which hadn’t. However, every declared runner is being tested before their respective races and if they pass the test they run, otherwise they are scratched.
French Navy, Trip To Heaven and Prospect Strike take their places in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge on Saturday.
Tarry said, “It is a preparation run for French Navy, we freshened him up after the Champions Challenge and the mile at Greyville is a touch sharp for him, but he will be running on strongly.
“Trip To Heaven (who will have his first run as a gelding) has put up a good gallop and has his final gallop tomorrow (Tuesday). It all depends on the break as he is a funny horse at the start, but if he breaks well he will lead.
“I thought Prospect Strike’s runs in the Canon Guineas and Daily News 2000 were both good ones from poor draws, now he gets a reasonable draw and is fit and well, so we will take our chances.”
Of his two Gr 2 Cup Trial runners (1800m) he was more pleased with Gold Onyx’s run in the Betting World 1900. Both horses had been too far back in a race where the front horses weren’t stopping.
He said Gold Onyx would improve further while Halve The Deficit would be placed more handily from a plum draw and the race would give a good indication of his well-being.
Bichette, who runs in the Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m, disappointed the yard in a Pinnacle over 1450m last time, but that was her second run after a rest and she will now be “cherry ripe and not without a chance.”
Tarry said it was unfortunate she was drawn eight out of 12 as she liked to run handy. However, he added this was probably her best trip and a positive showing would give the yard confidence to run her in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes on July day.
Tarry felt Side Show would be competitive in the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m after having come from strong maiden form and jumping from pole position with a weight allowance.
David Thiselton
Rider Cup on July 10
PUBLISHED: June 6, 2016
The 2016 Rider Cup will take place at Scottsville Racecourse on Sunday, 10 July.
The 2016 Rider Cup, an Inter-Provincial contest between leading jockeys from the Highveld; the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, is set to take place at Scottsville Racecourse on Sunday, 10 July 2016.
Gold Circle has extended invitations to riders based on their positions on the National Jockeys’ Log as at the end of May and, if all accept, the teams will shape up as follows:-
THE HIGHVELD HAWKS
S’mango Khumalo (Captain)
Andrew Fortune
Karl Zechner
JP van der Merwe
First Reserve: Gavin Lerena
THE CAPE EAGLES
Grant van Niekerk (Captain)
Aldo Domeyer
Bernard Fayd’herbe
Teaque Gould
First Reserve: Corne Orffer
THE KZN FALCONS:
Anthony Delpech (Captain)
Anton Marcus
Muzi Yeni
Keagan de Melo
First Reserve: Ian Sturgeon
The competition will be decided over four legs and apart from the bragging rights, medals and the floating trophy, an amount of R100 000 will be up for grabs, with the winning team receiving R48 000; the runners-up R30 000 and the also-rans R20 000.
Rising Sun raceday final fields
PUBLISHED: June 6, 2016
Final Fields for the Rising Sun raceday at Greyville on Saturday…
FINAL FIELD for the R1million Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge to be run over 1600m at Greyville on Saturday, June 11:
Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B A T Jockey Trainer
1 FRENCH NAVY 60.0 115 (115) 10 A W Marwing Sean Tarry
2 TRIP TO HEAVEN 60.0 113 (113) 5 A T S Khumalo Sean Tarry
3 ICE MACHINE 60.0 111 (111) 9 A A Marcus Charles Laird
4 PATERFAMILIAS 60.0 110 (110) 2 B A G van Niekerk Mike Bass
5 CAPTAIN ALDO 60.0 109 (109) 8 A B Fayd’Herbe St John Gray
6 MAC DE LAGO 60.0 107 (107) 7 A T P Strydom Weiho Marwing
7 TRIPTIQUE 60.0 106 (106) 1 A S Veale Dennis Drier
8 BEZANOVA 60.0 102 (102) 4 B A S Randolph Alec Laird
9 NEW PREDATOR 58.5 110 (107) 3 A R Simons Johan Janse van Vuuren
10 PROSPECT STRIKE 58.5 102 ( 99) 6 A T A Delpech Sean Tarry
FINAL FIELD for the R400000 Gr2 Tibouchina Stakes to be run over 1400m at Greyville on Saturday, June 11:
Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B A T Jockey Trainer
1 INARA 60.0 111 (111) 9 A G van Niekerk Mike Bass
2 ALEXIS 59.0 100 (100) 6 A C Orffer Brett Crawford
3 BICHETTE 59.0 100 (100) 8 A S Khumalo Sean Tarry
4 SILVER MOUNTAIN 58.5 107 (104) 2 A B Fayd’Herbe Mike Bass
5 ENTISAAR 58.5 103 (100) 1 A A Delpech Mike de Kock
6 OLMA 58.0 107 (107) 12 A T P Strydom Frank Robinson
7 CUVEE BRUT 58.0 103 (103) 10 A A Marcus Brett Crawford
8 EVENTUAL ANGEL 58.0 95 ( 95) 7 A S Veale Dennis Drier
9 SENSIBLE LOVER 58.0 95 ( 95) 4 A W Marwing Weiho Marwing
10 LITTLEBLACKNUMBER 58.0 93 ( 93) 3 A T B Lerena Duncan Howells
11 SILVER CLASS 58.0 87 ( 87) 5 A T R Simons Johan Janse van Vuuren
12 COSMIC LIGHT 57.5 106 (103) 11 A M Yeni Duncan Howells
FINAL FIELD for the R250000 Gr3 Cup Trial to be run over 1800m at Greyville on Saturday, June 11:
Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B A T Jockey Trainer
1 PUNTA ARENAS 60.0 107 (107) 6 C A K de Melo Dennis Drier
2 GOLD ONYX 59.0 105 (105) 5 A T B Fayd’Herbe Sean Tarry
3 IT IS WRITTEN 57.5 102 (102) 7 A A Delpech Dean Kannemeyer
4 MASTER’S EYE 57.0 101 (101) 3 A P Strydom Justin Snaith
5 THE CONGLOMERATE 57.0 101 (101) 8 C A A Marcus Joey Ramsden
6 HALVE THE DEFICIT 56.5 100 (100) 2 A S Khumalo Sean Tarry
7 EXIT HERE 56.0 103 ( 99) 10 B A W Marwing Charles Laird
8 WAY OF LIGHT 56.0 99 ( 99) 9 A B Jacobson Garth Puller
9 BIG CAT 55.5 98 ( 98) 4 B A C Orffer Brett Crawford
10 DEPUTY JUD 55.5 98 ( 98) 11 A K Zechner Mike Azzie
11 DYNAMIC 55.5 98 ( 98) 1 A G van Niekerk Justin Snaith
12 SARATOGA DANCER 54.0 95 ( 95) 12 A M Yeni Duncan Howells
13 GREEK LEGEND 52.0 91 ( 91) 13 B A J P v’d Merwe Mike Azzie