THE National Horseracing Authority confirms that at an Inquiry held in Johannesburg on Tuesday, 20 October 2020, Jockey Chase Maujean was charged with a contravention of Rule 62.2.2.

The particulars being in that during the running of Race 1 at Turffontein Racecourse on 26 September 2020, whilst riding the horse PUERTO MANZANO (ARG):

1. He changed his crop into his left hand at about the 150m and struck PUERTO MANZANO (ARG) to which this gelding clearly responded.  He then changed his crop back into his right hand, for no apparent reason and this resulted in a pause in his riding of the gelding, and

• Thereafter the vigour with which Jockey Maujean rode PUERTO MANZANO (ARG) up until about the 75m, after this gelding had responded to the use of the crop in his left hand, (as stated above), was not to the standard expected of a competent and professional Jockey.

Jockey Maujean pleaded not guilty to the charge, but was found guilty of the charge.

The Inquiry Board, after hearing all the evidence in mitigation put forward in this matter and taking Jockey Maujean’s record into account, unanimously ruled that:

Jockey Maujean be fined the sum of R60 000 (sixty thousand rand) of which R30 000 (thirty thousand rand) is suspended for a period of 12 months, provided that Jockey Maujean is not found guilty of a contravention of this rule during that 12-month period.

Jockey Maujean has the Right of Appeal against both the finding and penalty imposed.

David Thiselton

JUSTIN SNAITH said there was a good chance that Crown Towers, winner of Sunday’s Listed Michaelmas Handicap over 1900m at Hollywoodbets Greyville, would take his place in the Grade 1 Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein Standside on November 28.

He spoke further about his new satellite yard at Summerveld and about the ongoing hindrance to equine travel within South Africa brought about by measures to control the spread of  African Horse sickness (AHS).

Snaith said, “Crown Towers is a handicap type and being by Camelot we have never doubted he would get the Summer Cup distance. His only bad race was when going too fast in front in the Queen’s Plate. He deserves his place and it does not look to be one of the stronger fields, nothing stands out although there might be a few who will improve with a couple more races.”

Crown Towers is drawn 27 of the 49 entries.

On Sunday the five-year-old Australian-bred gelding had to carry 62kg and was caught wide in the early stages from a high draw. Anton Marcus thus took him up to second place where he could sit on the leader Duc D’Orange’s quarter, although he made the move at a steady pace to ensure no wasted energy. At about the 1100m Marcus was able to slot in behind the leader ahead of his main market rival Sworder Street. Crown Towers has more natural speed than the latter and in the straight he skipped a few lengths clear under the hands. He was asked the question at the 300m mark and kept going to beat Sworder Street, who made late inroads, by 1,20 lengths. Crown Towers, off a merit rating of 109, gave the 92 rated runner up 9,5kg. He has been raised six points to 115 and Sworder Street has been raised four points to 96.

Snaith, who flew in for the meeting, said, “Our only concern beforehand was the weight, 62kg is a lot to carry. I was very excited to be there for the satellite yard’s first feature win. It was great for Megan Trott, who runs the Summerveld yard, especially as she is a hometown girl. She is from KZN and went through the Summerhill School of Equine Management Excellence and then did the Darley course in the UK. She then spent a few years under my wing, so knows exactly how we think and how we like to do things. I will be flying up and down and want to see the satellite yard gain the momentum it needs to sustain itself. A big thanks to Michel Nairac, Tony Rivalland and Raf Sheik for going out of their way to help us start the satellite yard and making us feel welcome.”

Meanwhile, Sworder Street runs again over 2000m at The Vaal on Thursday in a Progress Plate. This four-year-old Judpot gelding will need to get his merit rating up significantly to make the Summer Cup final field. He looks tailor made for the Summer Cup course and distance so trainer Paul Peter will likely be eyeing the Grade 3 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m on November 14 as his ultimate qualifier.

Snaith then got on to the subject of AHS and lamented the fact that a case in Germiston and potentially more cases to follow would possibly prevent the best horses from Gauteng travelling to Cape Town for the prestigious Cape Summer Season.

He said, “I want to compete against the best guys and not having some of the top trainers race here dulls the racing a little bit. I do believe we have to get the exports right and Adrian Todd is doing the best he can under trying circumstances. I really hope all the time and effort spent will reap the rewards for breeders, owners and trainers in South Africa. Never has it been needed more than right now. But on the other hand, if we are going to be doing this for the next ten years with the hope of getting exports right, all concerned need to sit around the table and devise a plan that will help sustain rather than hinder our own racing while at the same time not effecting the export drive. Racing in South Africa is also a priority.”

Snaith provided a few examples of the above-mentioned hindrance including a recently retired mare who is not allowed to travel into the Western Cape from KZN as she had been given her AHS vaccinations. She is consequently going to miss the breeding season.

The Western Cape’s training centres and stud farms fall within the AHS Controlled Area and movement in to this area is very strictly monitored, especially during the high risk AHS season, which is usually from February 1 to June 30, and also in relation to outbreaks and vaccinations.

There is a special vector protected barn at Randjesfontein where racehorses can spend 14 days instead of waiting out a 40 day travel ban, but living under these conditions and being allowed out only between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. is not conducive to a good preparation.  

David Thiselton

A new type of race called a Conditional Graduation appears on the Hollywoodbets Greyville meeting on Sunday October 25 and the intention is to attract more runners.

Graduation Plates in their pure form advantage good one or two-time winners and give a virtually impossible task to lesser horses. 

Consequently, a lot of these events in the past have had to be scrapped due to a lack of acceptors. 

However, the Conditional Graduation makes it a touch harder for the higher merit rated horses so should attract bigger fields.

In a normal Graduation Plate the one-time winners simply receive weight from the two-time winners and there is an allowance for females and sometimes for young horses.

However, the Conditional Graduation allocates weight to both the two-time winners and one-time winners according to respective nett merit rated bands. There is a female allowance on top of that too.

The race is thus similar to a Pinnacle Stakes event except that there are two weight structures within it, one for the two-time winners and another for the one-time winners.

In the 1800m race on October 25 the two-time winner structure starts at 61kg, which will be carried by horses nett merit rated on a five point spread off the top horse. The top band example given in the program is from nett merit rating 93 to 98. The second top band and downward all have a three point spread. So, two-time winners nett merit rated from 89 to 92, as per the example given, will carry 60kg. Two-time winners nett merit rated from 85 to 88, as per the example given, will carry 59k. Each band from then on downward will also have a three point spread and the weight carried will decrease accordingly by 1kg down to 55kg.

The one-time winner structure starts at 58kg and is allocated to horses nett merit rated on a five point spread that is three points lower than the two-timer winners’ top band. So, as per the example given in the program, it is for horses nett merit rated from 90 to 95. Each band from then on downward will have a three point spread and the weight carried will decrease accordingly by 1kg down to 52kg.

The females will be given an allowance of 1,5kg subject to a minimum weight of 50kg.

The October 25 Conditional Graduation is already closed and there were 32 entries and so far only one scratching. 

Share Holder became a two-time winner on Sunday and will likely have an unchanged merit rating of 99, which as a four-year-old over this trip gives him a nett merit rating of 97. 

He is the top merit rated horse in the race and will have to give up to 9kg away. The lowest gross rated horse in the race is King’s Cove on a 56 merit rating.

Gold Circle will be hoping a full field goes to post so will be monitoring this field closely to see whether the format has worked.   

Andrew Harrison

THERE is a racing truism that ‘weight stops trains’ but class generally triumphs over weight and Crown Towers, who had mixed it with the best over Champions Season, never looked in danger as the Australian import lumped top weight of 62kg to an emphatic victory in the Listed Michaelmas Handicap at Hollywoodbets Greyville today.

Justin Snaith, up from home base in Cape Town to oversee his string of Summerveld satellite runners, made much of it when interviewed after Rite Of Passage opened his account in the second.

It was more a cautionary notice than an emphatic statement but supporters needn’t have worried.

Anton Marcus was not shy to use his mount up early and took his time overcoming a deep draw. He finally found the rail at around the 1000m pole and Crown Towers was moving like a well-oil machine as Duc D’Orange took the field along.

Travelling sweetly at the top of the straight, Crown Towers was given his head and he accelerated away to a comfortable victory.

Warren Kennedy on the favourite Sworder Street, always had Crown Towers in his sights but when the chips were down, he was not able to go with the winner.

Marcus had to call on all of his expertise to get Rite Of Passage home but came unstuck in the Beach Beauty Mile just when he looked to have the race sewn up on favourite Maria Corolina. It was a tight tussle to the line with Treasured Pearl chasing hard but just as Maria Corolina looked to have the upper hand, the two come close together with Marcus having his stick struck out of his hand by a hard-driving Ashton Arries. It was an accidental coming together but the slight change in momentum was enough for Mike Miller’s charge to get her nose in front when it mattered.

There are always one or two upsets when it comes to the Pick 6, the trick is finding which races are the most likely to provide the upset and load up. Highveld visitor Rebel’s Champ was coming off a good second and started favourite but was never in the hunt. Donovan Dillon slipped Sunset Eyes up the inside rail and looked all over a winner before Stuart Randolph produced Hard To Play with a telling late run up the centre of the track chased by Hudoo Magic, both getting to grips with Sunset Eyes inside the last 50m. In this case the 62 kg allotted Sunset Eyes proved his undoing as he gave the winner 6kg and the runner-up 2.5kg.

CHRIS SAUNDERS, former chairman of Gold Circle and the first chairman of the Tongaat Hulett Group, died on Saturday night after a lengthy illness.

Saunders was one of the first directors of Gold Circle and was elected chairman after the company’s first chairman, Roy Eckstein retired.  Saunders retired as chairman in 2005 after steering Gold Circle back to profitability and weathering pressure to amalgamate with Phumelela.

Saunders was a staunch supporter of KwaZulu-Natal racing and his Invermooi Stud was one of the leading thoroughbred nurseries in the country.

Saunders’ white silks with red stars and cap were a familiar sight and he stood the stallion Rollins, the broodmare sire of champion racehorse and sire Jet Master. Saunders raced many of his home-breds, easily recognised by alliteration such as Raise A Raucus (Rollins) or Slewper Slipper, named after her sire, Slewpendous.

At the KZN Breeders awards in 2013 he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award where in his absence his good friend Bill Lambert gave a stirring speech on his behalf.