Gavin van Zyl stable jockey Warren Kennedy has stuck with SA Derby runner up Rocketball for Saturday’s Gr 1 Daily News 2000, leaving Keagan de Melo to pick up a good ride on Celtic Captain and Raymond Danielson a difficult task with Redcarpet Captain who has a stamina doubt.

Van Zyl said Rocketball had been doing very well up in Johannesburg.

“The change of tactic seemed to do the trick last time,” he added.

Rocketball was dropped out in the SA Derby and cut through the field like a knife through butter, although the pace had admittedly been fast. In the end he was beaten only 0,2 lengths by the SA Triple Crown hero Abashiri.

From pole position draw he will be able to employ the same tactic and will waste no energy finding cover.

Van Zyl has raided successfully from Johannesburg before with the like of Seal and Eton Square. The training at altitude could well be of benefit for such a middle distance race.

He travels down to Summerveld tomorrow (Thursday) and Van Zyl had no concerns about this relaxed horse being affected by the journey.

Meanwhile, Kennedy said Redcarpet Captain had put up very good work at Summerveld yesterday (Tuesday). This Captain Al colt has plenty of speed, so there will be a doubt about him getting the 2000m trip. Kennedy confirmed, “He will have to be dropped out and put to sleep immediately, that will be the only way.” He is drawn wide in 12.

Kennedy said Celtic Captain had also been doing very well.

This Captain Al gelding is out of a dam who won over 2400m and Kennedy reckons he is looking for 2000m. In the Canon Guineas Celtic Captain quickened well to hit the front, but then appeared to lift his head to look at the TV screen. The course experience would have helped and the race is also run in the day on Saturday. This recently gelded horse looks to be the dark horse from a fair draw of six.

Kennedy rides No Worries in the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m. He said, “This trip is maybe what he has always been looking for. He galloped resolutely all the way to the line last time (when winning over this trip at Scottsville).

By David Thiselton

National Champion trainer Sean Tarry has several horses involved in Saturday’s big Daily News 2000m meeting features at Greyville, but only two of them have been prepared out of Summerveld.

Assistant trainer Dishone Steyn said, “Liege is doing very well and has come on from his last run. I give him a shout, he is not a bad horse.”

This Gr 1 Daily News 2000 contender will relish the 2000m trip, having won two 1800m Graduation Plat

es in good style recently, one at Turffontein and one on the Greyville poly, and is drawn nine with Karl Zechner up.

Serissa reappears soon after his 8,9 length Betting World 1900 defeat last Friday to run in the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m. Steyn confirmed this front-running sort was tough and added, “They went a bit fast last Friday and when they challenged he had had enough. It was disappointing but he has come out of the race beautifully.”

The six-year-old Black Minnaloushe gelding has proven affective over the course and distance before.

By David Thiselton

Andre Nel could be the yard to follow at Greyville’s polytrack meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) as they have chances with horses who could represent good value.

His Summerveld assistant Byron Foster spoke about all of their runners.

“French Revolution will improve immensely on his last run, which was too short, and we are building him up towards a staying feature.”

“Mehmed’s last run can be ignored, he was ridden too handy. He should improve and will appreciate the extra if he can sit off the pace and run on. We have put the blinkers on as he looks around a lot and he has worked fine in them.”

“Petite Master has run well in two mile races and this is his distance. He will need things to go his way, such as having a good pace. There should be a good pace in this race and he is definitely a quartet horse.

“The Morrigan’s last run can be ignored, she kept on having too much ground to make up from wide draws so we decided to try sending her to the front and it didn’t work. Now she is well drawn, so we can ride her a bit closer without having to use her up.”

“Silver Rose had a setback after his last run. I don’t think he is 100% fit but has shown enough to warrant a good run. I am worried about the kickback coming from off them in his first race on the poly.”

David Thiselton
Picture: The Morrigan (Nkosi Hlophe)

The ruling Vodacom Durban July favourite Black Arthur was not one of the declared runners when the field for the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, to be run this Saturday at Greyville, was finalised yesterday.

However, his Justin Snaith-trained stablemate Bela-Bela is in the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 line up. She is drawn seven and with big race Anthony Delpech up will be hard to beat. The others who made the frame behind her in the Daisy Guineas, Nightingale, Negroamara and Flying Ice are drawn four, five and eight respectively, and Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Heaps Of Fun is drawn ten.

Snaith had said after Black Arthur’s Gr 2 Canon Guineas win, ““He is high quality and we want to still have a horse for next season, so must be careful which route we take with him.”

He later spoke about the July weights consideration, “When Legislate won the Daily News two years ago he then had to carry 56kg in the July and that is a big weight for a three-year-old.”

Black Arthur is currently merit rated only 106, but this could be capped as he received a maximum ten points for his Guineas win in accordance with the new handicapping guidelines pertaining to Gr 2 races.

As things stand he will carry 53kg in the July, but will officially be 2kg under sufferance.

Delpech will now ride the Snaith-trained Gr 1 Investec Derby winner It’s My Turn in the Daily News. He was a bit outpaced early in the Canon Guineas and ran wide too, so his 4,65 length tenth was not a bad effort considering it was his first outing since his Derby win on January 23.

The Derby was considered by some to have been diluted this year by the running of the CTS Million Dollar on the same day, but that no longer looks the case as It’s My Turn had the top pair on the July boards, Black Arthur and Marinaresco, as well as Brazuca, comfortably beaten.

Brazuca has been side-lined by injury and this might have played a part in trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren’s declaring of Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall winner New Predator for the Daily News. Weichong Marwing keeps the ride. New Predator has bundles of speed, so will likely be ridden cold from a good draw of five. His dam is out of the speed imparting sire Fastnet Rock. However, his sire New Approach won the Epsom Derby and his second dam won five times from 1850m to 2100m, so there is hope.

The Canon Guineas runner up Rabada is drawn eight with Anton Marcus retaining the ride. He did well to stay on for second in the Guineas considering he was handy in a race run at a blistering pace. It provided hope he would stay the 2000m trip, despite his pedigree suggesting a mile should be his optimum. Furthermore, when staying on for a 2,25 length sixth in the Gr 3 Politician Stakes over 1800m, he was giving 5kg to the winner Black Arthur and 6,5 kg to third-placed Marinaresco.

The narrow Gr 1 SA Derby winner Rocketball is drawn in pole position and Warren Kennedy keeps the ride.

His Gavin van Zyl-trained stablemate Celtic Captain quickened well to hit the front in the Canon Guineas, but then appeared to look up at the big TV screen. The experience would have helped and as his dam won over 2400m he should stay the trip. Recent gelding should also be a plus and from a good draw of six with Keagan de Melo up he is one of the dark horses.

Van Zyl has also declared Redcarpet Captain. De Melo felt after his 2,65 length eighth in the Canon Guineas he would get the 2000m trip. He has plenty of speed in performance and pedigree, but the good balance and hands of Raymond Danielson could help him get home.

Two apprentices have rides in the big race. Lyle Hewitson will be aboard Dynasty gelding Brooklyn Brawler, who quickened well to beat Celtic Captain by 2,5 lengths last time out over 1600m at Greyville. However, he will now be 3,5 kg worse off and his close relative Capetown Noir always had a slight stamina doubt beyond a mile, despite winning the Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby.

Apprentice Callan Murray will be aboard Trading Profit, who upset the like of Judicial and French Navy in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1800m in February, but will need to improve on his Premier’s Champions Challenge run.

Gr 1 SA Classic and SA Derby third-placed Samurai Blade will have Sean Tarry’s first choice jockey S’Manga Khumaklo aboard, but has to jump from a wide draw of 17.

Tarry also sends out Politician Stakes third-placed Liege; as well as Prospect Strike, who performed well in the Canon Guineas considering he was too handy and also raced wide; and also the progressive Milla’s World, who disappointed in the SA Derby, but has some eyecatching form up to 1800m.

SA Derby fourth-placed Stebbins has drawn well in two, and trainer Weiho Marwing’s nephew Wesley Marwing replaces Richard Fourie. Weiho and Wesley are thus rare father-and-son participants in the same Gr 1 race.

Last year’s July-winning combination Dean Kannemeyer and Stuart Randolph are in the race with Mambo Mime, who ran on well for third in the Canon Guineas and goes beyond a mile for the first time.

Duncan Howells has two runners, Canon Guineas fourth-placed Ten Gun Salute, whose best win was over the Daily News course and distance, and the enigmatic Sylvester The Cat.

That leaves Bankable Teddy who failed in the SA Derby but before that thrashed Stebbins over the Daily News trip.

By David Thiselton

Andrew Fortune rides at Kenilworth on Saturday for the first time since Queen’s Plate day and the former champion has seven booked mounts.

He partners the maiden Copper Force for Eric Sands in the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery for which the Joey Ramsden-trained Somerset 1200 winner Attenborough (Donovan Dillon) is expected to start favourite.

Justin Snaith’s Perfect Promise scorer The Merry Widow (Bernard Fayd’Herbe), unbeaten in three starts, seems sure to head the market for the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery.

The meeting starts early, with the first race at 11.35am, to avoid a clash with the big races at Greyville.

By Michael Clower