Owner Adriaan van Vuuren was on course at Greyville on Saturday and said his beloved  Lammerskraal Stud-bred Mike Azzie-trained SA Triple Crown-winning hero Abashiri had recovered well from his grueling SA Derby victory and if things continued to go well he would definitely line up for the Vodacom Durban July.

Van Vuuren has won many fans due to both his passion for the Sport Of Kings and an obvious love of horses and he is already embracing the July with the same enthusiasm he brought to Turffontein for the Triple Crown bid.

In fact on Saturday he delivered a gift bag to the manager of Lammerskraal Stud, Sally Jourdan, which contained, all in his bright orange colours, an Abashiri theme scarf, cap, bottle of champagne, flash drive with all of his wins on it, a ‘King Abashiri’ saddle cloth, and a personalised T-Shirt for Jourdan with the words “Abashiri, Vodacom Durban July 2016 here we come” and on the back “Go Abba go.”

David Thiselton

Sergeant Hardy, a R450 000 sales disaster, could yet justify breeder Veronica Foulkes’s faith by becoming a decent sprinter on the evidence of Saturday’s Cape Of Good Hope Nursery when Francois Herholdt’s mount made most of the running to spring an 11-1 surprise.

The Normandy stud owner’s son Oscar related: “Sergeant Hardy failed the scope when we sold him at the CTS Premier Sale as he proved to have a paralysed right vocal cord. We put him in the Ready To Run in November but we knew he would fail again and we bought him back for R70 000.”

There was no fluke about Saturday’s Kenilworth win – the gelding had already won the Listed race on Met day – but the surprise was that his much more fancied stable companion Bishop’s Bounty was beaten into fourth.

Chris Snaith said: “That did surprise me but this is a sprinter and they let him go two lengths clear. Also he had a 3kg penalty in the Somerset last time and weight stops trains. Bishop’s Bounty wants further but Western Winters don’t normally like the wet and if it rains I would rather duck the Langerman (June 25) with him.”

Attenborough, who started favourite and was beaten a length and a half, was found to have mucus in his lungs when Joey Ramsden had him checked out but Aldo Domeyer came in convinced that third-placed Our Mate Art has a big future, saying: “He was the best horse in the race – watch the re-run, he was all over the place and he will want ten furlongs.”

Snaith Racing also took the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery with the outsider of their two runners when Robert Khathi saved 45-1 shot Nordic Breeze (again bred and part-owned by Mrs Foulkes) for the final 100m and held odds-on The Merry Widow by half a length.

Snaith snr said: “They are two beautiful fillies and I wouldn’t like to try and split them. The winner is a difficult filly with a temperament but she has loads of talent and she ran into a lot of trouble last time. She could go for the Irridescence (June 25).”

Gypsy Beauty, who finished last, made an abnormal respiratory noise and will now have an operation. Greg Ennion, who thinks highly of her, said she has a deformed palate and the op will be done by a specialist from Pretoria.

Mike Bass is only five short of his sixth successive century after Sublime Lady, yet another Normandy-bred and backed from 6-1 to 5-2 favourite, got up two strides from the post under Khathi in the mile handicap to make amends for last time’s flop in the Sweet Chestnut when she was found to be suffering from a stacked leg virus.

Francois Herholdt is beginning to catch the eye of the top Cape Town trainers and he initiated a long-priced double when Brett Crawford newcomer Argo Solo made a winning debut at 55-1 in impressive style in the maiden juvenile.

The talented lightweight, whose big race wins include the 1994 Daily News on Imperial Despatch for Mike Azzie, said: “I can ride at 52kg and Jo’burg has been tough for me recently with a lot of appies doing well – and I thought there was a big gap down here after Karl Neisius and Glen Hatt retired plus Greg Cheyne being out of action.”

Tribal Fusion, who made all under Richard Fourie in the Third Leg Maiden, is a tough customer as Shane Humby explained: “He bashed his head against the gates last year and broke several bones in his head. There was nothing to be done except rest him and allow the bones to heal.”

On a day of surprises the distinction – if that is the right word – for producing the biggest shock of the lot went to Billy Prestage whose Red Peril made much of the running under Craig du Plooy to win the last at 66-1.

Michael Clower

Red Ray may make his long-awaited return in the Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville on Saturday after visiting Mauritius, England and Dubai on what proved to be an unproductive overseas campaign.

Racing manager Derek Brugman said: “He works on Monday (today) and depending on how he goes we will make a decision. He is not 100% fit after his 16-month lay-off and we hope to have him around 80% ready.”

The six-year-old has been supplemented for the Tsogo Sun Sprint, a race in which he finished second to Normanz two years ago. He has not raced since finishing seventh of ten in a Group 2 at Meydan in January last year.

Michael Clower

Bela-Bela has been cut from 11-1 to 7-1 for the Vodacom Durban July after her impressive win in the Woolavington on Saturday while stable companion Black Arthur has hardened considerably at the top of the market following his convincing gallop before racing.

World Sports Betting has cut the favourite from 11-2 to 4-1 and yet another Justin Snaith contender It’s My Turn, previously a 25-1 shot, has been slashed to 12-1. He was only beaten a quarter of a length by Rabada in the Daily News.

Michael Clower

Anthony Delpech was left with a headache any jockey would like to have after winning the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 on Saturday aboard the Justin Snaith-trained Bela-Bela and Anton Marcus also now faces a tough decision on whom he will ride in the Vodacom Durban July after the Mike Azzie-trained Rabada’s win in the Gr 1 Daily New 2000.

Both riders would set a new mark of five July victories in the saddle were they to win the big one this year as they are currently joint-record holders with the great Harold “Tiger” Wright.

On Saturday Delpech’s narrow Daily News runner up was ironically named It’s My Turn as the top jockey was coming off five SA Champions Season Graded race victories in succession – somebody else finally had a turn.

Marcus admitted dropping the whip shortly after turning for home on Rabada had been a worrying moment, especially aboard a horse who had always responded well to reminders. However, like a true professional he compensated by flicking the rein into Rabada’s range of vision and the robust bay duly found extra to repel Investec Cape Derby winner It’s My Turn. However, the latter would likely have been pencilled into more July note books as he has an impressive stride and was closing rapidly despite the earlier crawl they had travelled at. He failed by 0,25 lengths to give both Snaith and Delpech what could well have been a unique Guineas and 2000 double-double, the pair having won both the Daisy Fillies Guineas and Canon Guineas with Bela-Bela and Black Arthur respectively at the beginning of the month.

Delpech’s only loss in the six previous SA Champions Season Graded races this year was in the opening one aboard the now retired Legislate in the IOS Drill Stakes.

Anton Marcus, when posed the question about Rabada staying the July trip, replied, “The pace today was pedestrian.”

This played into the Summerhill Stud-bred Brave Tin Soldier colt’s hands as he found the box seat behind the leader from a good draw and his stamina reserves were not put to the true test.

“At the moment I am just happy to have won this race for Markus,” he continued,  referring to champion owner Markus Jooste, for whom he is the retained rider. Rabada’s July participation will likely be discussed by Azzie, Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman and jockey Marcus. Jooste’s leading July hope at present among a few contenders would likely be fast-finishing Betting World 1900 runner up St. Tropez.

Another eyecatching July Trial in Saturday’s Daily News was run by the Gavin Van Zyl-trained Rocketball, who reached top gear close to home and was finishing strongly with an impressive stride. Third-placed Mambo Mime also ran on well representing last year’s July-winning combination, Dean Kannemeyer and Stuart Randolph, and so did fifth-placed Ten Gun Salute.

However, the three-year-old males are all likely to carry the minimum allowed July weight for their age and gender of 53kg, because even the current 106 merit rating of the highest rated of them, Rabada and Black Arthur, means being 2kg under sufferance with top merit rated entry Legal Eagle (120).

Rabada might go up a point or two if Rocketball, rated 105 and beaten 1,5 lengths is used as the line horse, and It’s My Turn (101) and Mambo Mime (100) will in that case be raised too, but it will all be superfluous in the July picture unless Legal Eagle is scratched before the setting of the weights.

Black Arthur put up a gallop before the first race on Saturday and, striding out very well under Delpech, pulled away effortlessly from his companion, who had given him a lead. The work out pleased both Delpech and Snaith.

Cheveley Stud-bred Dynasty filly Bela-Bela might also be raised a point or two from 107 if 104-rated Heaps Of Fun, beaten 2,1 lengths, is used as the line horse, especially considering the ease of the win. This will be significant because for every point above 108 she will carry 0,5kg above the minimum allowed July weight for a three-year-old filly of 52kg.

Delpech spoke about Bela-Bela’s amazing turn of foot and described her as the second best filly he had ever ridden after 2011 July hero Igugu.

The energetic grey, like a lot of world class fillies, nods her head in the running, perhaps an indication of how much she loves her job, and she looked the winner a mile out.

Negroamara stayed on well for a 1,75 length second and Nightingale, hampered around the turn when Ruler Of The Sky broke down, was staying on even stronger for a  good third.

Negroamaro’s owner Laurence Wernars still seeks his first Gr 1 win after 25 years of owning racehorses, but this was another of a few Gr 1 seconds he has had. Drill Hall winner New Predator later disappointed in the Wernar colours in the Daily News and likely didn’t stay the trip.

Earlier, Kannemeyer and Delpech had combined to win the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m. The first time Kannemeyer put this Silvano gelding beyond 2000m he finished second in the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup and this was only his second attempt beyond that distance. He remains in the July picture. However, winning the Lonsdale off a 98 merit rating at the expense of a slightly unlucky Heldeberg Blue might not be enough to get into the big race. The Gr 2 Gold Vase and/or Gold Cup route looks more sensible anyway.

David Thiselton