Geoff Woodruff has been “encouraged” by the recent form of his Gr 2 Betting World 1900 contender Master Switch, who arrived at Summerveld from Randjesfontein on Tuesday evening.

Woodruff said Anton Marcus’ decision to ride The Conglomerate in the race did have  a bit to do with the weights, as Master Switch had originally been set to carry 54kg, before the weights were dragged up 2kg due to none of the runners being in the 110-114 merit rated band. However, his big race rider Callan Murray knows him well from training track work.

The four-year-old Jet Master gelding looks to be going the right way, but Woodruff said the race would tell how good he was. He is versatile in style, having done well from the front, from handy and from off the pace.

Master Switch was raised six points to a 98 merit rating for his win last time out at Turffontein over 2000m. He drew away well to beat Fort Meyers by 1,5 lengths in that race on April 16. However, the latter could only manage a 1,9 length third, albeit off a three point higher merit rating, in a handicap over 2000m at the Vaal on Tuesday.

However, Sean Tarry named Master Switch as one of the horses to beat in the 1900 earlier this week, so clearly has a good regard for Fort Meyers.

Master Switch carries 56kg and is officially 0,5kg under sufferance. He has a plum draw of three and is 14/1 with the race sponsor.

David Thiselton

Since cutting formal ties with the powerful Mike de Kock yard and going freelance early in the season, Anthony Delpech has not looked back. He is an important cog in the Dean Kannemeyer operation that has been a main source of his many winners but along with agent Deez Dayanand, they have cherry-picked with great success.

It was an up-and-down afternoon at Greyville yesterday when favourite Gregorian Chant failed to deliver and found to be lame post-race after the first and hot favourite Tripandie dug in his toes and refused to load for the seventh. But these were mere hiccups as he was in front of the microphone for the third and followed up just for good measure.

Tripandie, looking for his fourth win on the bounce, was in short order for the 99 Divided Handicap but refused point blank to take his place in the line-up resulting in him being scratched.

Captain Chaos (Nkosi Hlophe)

But whether he would have matched the finishing effort of the Mark Dixon-trained Captain Chaos is debateable. Since arriving in the Dixon yard for the season from Ronnie Sheehan in Cape Town, Captain Chaos has taken time to find his feet, but back to a sprint he landed running yesterday.

“Today was the first time I was happy with the horse. He had put on condition, his coat had come right and his work on the poly was phenominal. With myself and Kegan we said if he doesn’t run well today then we are really in trouble,” he said.

“He arrived with a big reputation,” said Kegan de Melo, “but he was not putting in what he was showing in work. I think the blinkers did the trick.”

Highway Explorer pinched an early lead at the top of the straight but was running on memory at the furlong marker as Captain Chaoas was produced with a telling finish by De Melo. Psycho Syd gave MJ Byleveld a torrid ride but stayed on to finish a well-beaten second.

Doug Campbell, in the second box after the first as King Of Scots found the De Kock-trained Coyote, a pick-up ride for Anton Marcus, just too good was lavish in his praise after Delpech produced Golden Fort with a perfectly timed run to out-do Roy’s Sailor and Just Positive. “It’s wonderful to have a top jockey,” said Campbell and it appeared that he needed him. “He’s a big boy, very strong,” said Delpech of Golden Fort after punching the gelding out to the line hands and heels. “He still doesn’t know how to race. He has his head in the air and I didn’t want to hit him. It doesn’t do these types of horses any good.” By Elusive Fort, Golden Fort was home-bred by Claire and William Meyer on their farm outside of Mooi River.

Delpech was back in front of the cameras 30 minutes later but having to work much harder on the Des Egdes-trained Just Rap who held off the attentions of Brave And Bold and peace-making favourite La Gitano. “It was a cracking ride by Anthony,” enthused Egdes who is always lavish with his instructions. “Des told me to stay out of the kick-back so I was happy to be three wide,” said the rider, “but I had to work hard for this one.”

Silver Inspiration was given a patient ride by Warren Kennedy for Chris Erasmus and owners Koos de Klerk and Bruce le Roux in the fifth.  Being Julia tried a repeat of her end-to-end victory last time out but came up empty as Silver Inspiration ran her down and Airtime finished off her race nicely to relegate her to third.

Hardly a meeting passes without apprentice Lyle Hewitson making a visit to the winner’s box and he picked up another on a chance ride for Pal Lafferty and prolific owner Roy Moodley. Admittedly the scratching of the fancied runners Surrey and Shenyang opened the door for Roy’s Strike Force but the son of Lecture quickened away smartly at the top of the straight and won unchallenged.

Andrew Harrison

Mike Azzie’s Gr 2 Betting World 1900 contender Greek Legend will officially be 2kg under sufferance in Friday night’s race at Greyville, but Azzie regards this son of Black Minnaloushe as “way better” than his current 91 merit rating.

He elaborated, “We always rated Greek Legend better than Deputy Jud before he was hurt, and Deputy Jud finished third in the Gr 1 SA Classic and second in the Gr 1 SA Derby (before winning the Gr 2 Supreme Cup over 1450m on the Vaal sand).”

Greek Legend arrived at Summerveld the week after his win at Turffontein on April 30. That day, in a MR 102 handicap over 1600m, the blinkered gelding was making steady progress down the straight, but was a bit tight for room. However, when seeing daylight he found another rocket-like gear, which propelled him to the front from a seemingly beaten position.

He suffered a suspensory injury midway through his three-year-old season and his last outing was only his third run since February 2015.

He appears to be thriving at Summerveld and Azzie said, “He has improved a lot in soundness and fitness. He is eating well and has shed the winter coat he had, his coat now has a lovely sheen to it.”

Jockey JP van der Merwe mentioned only two horses he rides which could be followed for the rest of the season when being interviewed shortly after his J&B Met victory on Smart Call. One of them was Greek Legend.

From a draw of three and carrying only 54kg, Greek Legend looks to be a big runner tomorrow night, provided he takes to the new course and the lights, and as one who relaxes superbly in the running and has a fine turn of foot there is no reason why he shouldn’t.

David Thiselton

The 2016 Rider Cup Inter Provincial Jockeys’ Challenge is set to take place at Scottsville Racecourse on Sunday, 10 July 2016. The inaugural event was held last year and won by the KZN Falcons with the Highveld Hawks and Cape Eagles finishing second and third respectively.

“We have decided this year to stage this event as a standalone Scottsville Sunday racemeeting to avoid a clash of engagements amongst the leading jockeys,” says Gold Circle Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins. “We hope to attract the best riders to represent their provinces this year and once again R100 000 will be up for grabs as prize money. In response to a suggestion from many quarters last year, we have agreed to include the leading PE domiciled rider in the Cape Eagles team, along with the top three Cape Town-based riders,” added Hawkins.

The leading riders from each province as at the 31^st May 2016 will be invited to represent their respective teams and the competition will again comprise four races over varying distances.

As of today’s date, 17 May 2016, the leading jockeys are as follows:-

KZN FALCONS:

Anthony Delpech

Anton Marcus

Muzi Yeni

Keagan De Melo

HIGHVELD HAWKS:

S’Manga Khumalo

Andrew Fortune

Karl Zechner

JP van der Merwe

CAPE EAGLES:

Grant van Niekerk

Aldo Domeyer

Bernard Fayd’Herbe

Teaque Gould (PE)

Neil Bruss sends out two classy fillies in the Listed East Coast Cup over 2000m on Friday night at Greyville, Deputy Ryder and Zante, and he favours the former but also gives the latter a chance because “she stays well.”

They look the pair to beat, although there are many horses with winning chances.

Bruss’s pair of horses are respectively by two of the current most talked about sires in the country, Go Deputy and Ideal World.

Go Deputy is the sire of SA Triple Crown hero Abashiri and his progeny not only stay well but show notable improvement in their four-year-old seasons.

Deputy Ryder showed her class last season in Durban by winning the Listed Queen Palm Stakes over 2400m at Greyville in eyecatching style.

However, her Cape Summer season did not pan out well for her after a bad start. An attempt to steal the slow run Listed Woolavington Handicap over 2400m, her opening race in the summer, by circling the field and sending her clear left her exhausted.

Neil Bruss

However, her three unplaced efforts and a fourth place finish overall in the summer did at least see her merit rating dropping one point to 94. Her penultimate run in the summer, when only 4,6 lengths behind Inara in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over the too sharp 1600m showed also she has not lost her zest.

In her SA Champions Season pipe opener she finished a 0,25 length second to the classy Joey Ramsden-trained Gallica Rose in the Listed Scarlet Lady over 1750m at Scottsville and now faces her on identical terms. Both horses will be having their second runs after respective two month layoffs and both will relish the step up in trip. However a significant point is a reversal in draw fortunes in Deputy Ryder’s favour despite her having to still jump from a tricky draw of 8.

Grant can Niekerk rides Deputy Ryder, while Anthony Delpech retains the ride on the race’s defending champion Gallica Rose.

Zante had too much to do in the straight of the Scarlet Lady but was flying at the finish to be just 2,35 lengths back in fifth. She faces Gallica Rose on the same terms again and has a similar draw to the one she had in that race (9 compared to 8). An interesting point in her form is her fourth place finish in last year’s Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 amidst some of the best of an extraordinarily good crop. She will relish the step back up to that trip and could provide the best value in the race. Donovan Dillon replaces S’Manga Khumalo.

Gathering Fame (Nkosi Hlophe)

Ramsden also has two runners. The disappointing Grey Light attempts the trip for the first time. Her site Tapit, being a Gr 1 winner over 1800m gives her a chance of seeing it out, but on the other hand her second dam Harry’s Charm was a champion sprinter. She is officially 3,5kg under sufferance with Gallica Rose.

The Dennis Drier-trained Gathering Fame is said by the yard to be in good shape at Summerveld but she would have probably preferred this race to be at Scottsville. She finished a 1,5 length fourth to Gallica Rose last year but is now 4,5kg worse off and drawn wide.

Intergalactic (Nkosi Hlophe)

Ma Choix plugged in from last after being dropped out from a wide draw in the Scarlet Lady and was 4,7 lengths back at the line. She faces Gallica Rose on the same weight terms, so has a bit to do but is now drawn in pole and should have come on from the run.

Tonya is the dark horse. She is officially 3kg under sufferance with Gallica Rose but is a progressive three-year-old and caught the eye in her victorious pipe opener over 1950m at Scottsville considering she was quite strong in the running.

Intergalactic is also a progressive three-year-old and is officially only 1kg under sufferance with Gallica Rose. She was a staying on fifth in the Gr 2 Daisy Guineas, has proved she stays the trip and Anton Marcus is up from a fair draw of six.

Cassie O’Malley has a chance of beating Intergalactic on a line through Inaninstant. Her dour galloping style is not usually suited to the tight Greyville track, but can sometimes be effective if the jockey can time it right from the front. She is 1kg under sufferance with Gallica Rose.

The yard said they would be thrilled with a place for Kileigh, who is officially 1kg under sufferance, but achieved her current mark on the polytrack.

Speedy Chestnut is 4kg under sufferance with Gallica Rose and needs to improve on her first two KZN runs.

It is an intriguing race and Zante is chosen to cause the upset with Gallica Rose, Deputy Ryder, Intergalactic and Tonya next best.

By David Thiselton