There will be exhilarating high-speed action at and above Greyville Racecourse in Durban on Saturday, May 28, with aerobatic aircraft tumbling, twisting and flashing across the heavens prior to the start of one of the country’s iconic racemeetings featuring the R2-million, Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and the R1-million, Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.

Gold Circle, the South African Aerobatic Club and the Daily News are collaborating in the two presentations with the Sky Grand Prix of Aerobatics taking place over the grassy expanse of the Royal Durban Golf Course during the morning and the horseracing getting underway in the afternoon.

Greyville Racecourse will be the perfect vantage point to view the aerobatic manoeuvres performed by five world class South African and five leading international pilots from 9am on the day with the gates to the course opening an hour earlier.  The live expert commentary and big screen coverage of the Sky Grand Prix will be unique to those attending the event at Greyville Racecourse.

Entrance tickets to Greyville for the air show, at a cost of R220 per person and R50 for children under 12, can be obtained through Computicket.

The public attending both events should note, however, that due to the health and safety regulations related to air shows, there will be no parking at the Greyville in-field area and certain roads around the area will be closed.

However, from 13:00 entrance to Greyville for the Daily News 2000 racemeeting will be FREE and the main action will be on the racetrack where the focus will be on the many horses fighting to establish their authority as the best three-year-olds in the country and to secure places in the 18-horse field to face the starter in the R4.25-million, Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July a few weeks later.

The classic three-year-old level weights race was first run in 1961 and came under the banner of The Daily News in 1987. With runners from all parts of South Africa it is rated as the ultimate test of the young horses and in its 55-year history seven winners of the event have gone on to win the Vodacom Durban July in the same year.

Daily News 2000 raceday is a highly entertaining meeting and one of the popular features at the Theatre of Champions, as it is now known, is the Galloping Gourmet Beer & Braai Festival next to the Braai Zone area at the course. The Festival will be in action throughout the day including during the aerobatic display, and will feature live music, food stalls offering a variety of casual dishes, and popular brews. The popular Kids Zone will not be in operation on the day.

The Daily News is also running a fabulous competition for the public that offers a two night stay for four people, inclusive of breakfast, worth R64 000 in the magnificent Penthouse Suite at the Fairmont Zimbali Resort.

The Sky Grand Prix of Aerobatics will have viewers searching the skies but when the racetrack action begins they will be brought back to ground for some of the most exciting thoroughbred racing they will ever see.

Dennis Drier might still have three runners in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville’s Festival Of Speed meeting on June 4, despite Triptique proving with his excellent running on third in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes on Friday he is more than just a sprinter.

Dual Gr 1 winner Seventh Plain was struck down by a “nasty virus” recently, but has recovered and is “doing well”. He might be back in time for the Tsogo Sun. He won the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion over the same course and distance last year and the track and distance perfectly suits his style, in which he has good cruising speed and a powerful kick.

Triptique might go for both the Tsogo Sun Sprint and the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge. Jockey Sean Veale describes him as a honest horse and added, “He will easily stay a mile, he has been running like a horse who needs the mile.”

Meanwhile, Barbosa has come out of his excellent third in the Gr 1 WSB Computaform Sprint very well and should be a big runner in the Tsogo Sun, having escaped any raise to his existing 108 merit rating.

Triptique earned the maximum five point raise for his Drill Hall run, in accordance with the new handicapping guidelines for a second-placed horse in a Gr 2. He is now merit rated 106.

Seventh Plain (Nkosi Hlophe)

Seventh Plain could be well weighted in the Tsogo Sun off a 107 merit rating, having been dropped from a high of 110 due to three slightly disappointing runs in Cape Town. However, that campaign was geared around the CTS Million Dollar over 1400m and he is likely more comfortable over 1200m.

Furthermore, the last horse to do the Medallion/Tsogo Sun Sprint double was Delago Deluxe and he won the latter race off a 108 merit rating.

Both Drier and Veale confirmed Punta Arenas had needed the run in the Drill Hall, where he finished a 7,15 length eighth.

Drier will run him in the Gr 3 Cup Trial and then into the July, in which he was an unlucky runner up last year. However, his 18th position on the first July log makes him a borderline case for qualification.

Drier’s Gr 1-winning filly Chestnuts ‘N Pearls has had chips removed from her joints and reappears on 20th May in a Conditions Plate for fillies and mares over 1400m on the Greyville turf.

The useful middle distance filly Gathering Fame, who defended her Listed Jamaica Handicap crown at Kenilworth in January, also reappears on the 20th in the Listed KRA East Coast Cup over 2000m on the turf.

David Thiselton

Gavin Van Zyl stable jockey Warren Kennedy faces a difficult choice of ride for the forthcoming Gr 1 Daily News 2000, an always vital Vodacom Durban July pointer which is to be run at Greyville on May 28.

Meanwhile, Anton Marcus was impressed by Rabada’s run in the Gr 2 Canon Guineas on Friday night and Geoff Woodruff revealed the respective routes his Vodacom Durban July entries Deo Juvente and Master Sabina would be taking.

Kennedy always knew the Van Zyl-trained Rocketball would stay the 2450m trip of the Gr 1 SA Derby and also knew the field would come back to him due to the furious pace up front. However, he was surprised by how easily the horse had made up the ground under a tight hold. Abashiri then went tearing past and opened up a two length lead at which point Kennedy thought he would be running for second.

However, in the end he nearly caught the Triple Crown hero. With both of their heads down all the way to the line neither jockey knew who had won and Kennedy answered Karl Zechner’s question in the pull up by saying, “I think I might have got it.” Zechner had been under enormous pressure throughout the day and his relief moments later was palpable.

However, Kennedy did question the strength of the Derby field beyond the first three finishers.

The Van Zyl-trained Celtic Captain, on the other hand, faced a strong field on Friday night in the Gr 2 Canon Guineas and finished a decent 2,3 length sixth.

Kennedy said, “He moved through beautifully and struck the front comfortably, but just as he did so he lifted his head and wanted to move outward. I think he might have seen the big TV screen.”

Stablemate Redcarpet Captain bounced back to form and stayed on well for a 2,65 length eighth. Jockey Keagan de Melo believes he will stay the 2000m trip of the Daily News. However, Kennedy felt it would not be wise to opt for Redcarpet Captain for the Daily News as a horse with a stamina question mark.

He concluded by saying he would likely be asked to ride Rocketball again, although he could not separate him from Celtic Captain, whose dam won over 2400m and who should still be improving after recent gelding.

Marcus was impressed Rabada had stayed on for second on Friday night, despite having to be used early to overcome his draw and find a handy position. He pointed out the two horses ahead of him in the running of the fast paced race had finished close to last. However, he felt Black Arthur would be tough to beat in the Daily News.

Woodruff said Deo Juvente’s only preparation race into the July would be the Gr 3 Jubilee at Turffontein on June 12, which significantly takes place after the publication of the July weights. Sansui Summer Cup winner Master Sabina will race in a Pinnacle Stakes event as his July preparation.

David Thiselton

Picture: Warren Kennedy (Nkosi Hlophe)

Jockey Bernard Fayd’herbe said WSB Cape Guineas winner Silver Mountain “didn’t raise a gallop” in the Gr 2 Daisy Guineas on Friday night.

His brother Robert, who is taking care of Mike Bass’s SA Champions Season string at Summerveld, has also been left mystified as the star filly has pulled up 100% fine.

Silver Mountain (Liesl King)

The diminutive Silvano filly lacked her normal zip and might not have enjoyed the going on the night, which appeared to be soft.

She finished a 5,5 length fifth having turned for home perfectly placed to pounce from a midfield position on the rail.

The stablemate from the Mike Bass yard Nightingale ran a cracker to finish second and will relish the extra trip of the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000.

Bernard was also aboard a fancied disappointment in the Gr 2 Canon Guineas, the Justin Snaith-trained Baritone, who was moving up well before running out of steam.

However, he reported to the stipendiary stewards the colt had “choked up in the latter stages.”

Meanwhile, some anomalies have already surfaced out of the new handicapping guidelines, which the handicappers had forced upon them despite being strongly opposed to some of the new restrictive measures.

For example, Nightingale could only be raised to a 92 merit rating due to the rule a Gr 2 runner up can only be raised a maximum of five points.

This means she would receive 3kg from Daisy Guineas fourth-placed Flying Ice in a handicap, despite having beaten her on Friday night by 3,5 lengths.

Another example is the Joey Soma-trained Fortissima, who is currently merit rated 82, despite having finished second in the Gr 2 R1 million SA Oaks.

By David Thiselton

Trainer and jockey comments for Scottsville today

Dennis Drier is expecting a good run from Rock On Baby (4th race), a talented sprinter who was found to be coughing after her disappointing last start in the Gr 2 WSB Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m at Kenilworth five months ago.

Drier has won five of the last six runnings of the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and the public are still waiting for his contender for this year’s renewal, so all eyes will be on Seventh Rock colt Rocky Valley in the first over 1000m. Drier said, “He should run a nice race.” He is out of the fair sprinter by Mogok, Valley Of Rubies, who finished runner up in the Gr 3 Sycamore Sprint. He is owned by Markus Jooste, whose retained rider Anton Marcus will however be aboard the Charles Laird-trained Buffalo Soldier, who is by Warm White Night out of a USA-bred dam who hasn’t produced much to date. However, Laird has a fine record with first-timers so the betting should be watched closely.

Drier said the first-timer Anime in the second race would probably need the run. However, she is well bred being by Count Dubois out of Gr 2 KZN Guineas winner Rei Rei, so can’t be discounted.

Drier said it is about time Lighting The Fire, who runs in the fifth race over 1400m, “lit his fire” and he at least seems to be back down to a competitive merit rating and is over a suitable trip so can’t be ignored.

Warren Kennedy spoke on behalf of the Gavin Van Zyl yard and said, “Qatar Springs (7th over 2400m) is doing very well and has beaten all of these horses before. He stays well and should win.

Bagger Vance (5th) is one of my better rides on the day, he has the weight turnaround with Never Settle and should be there.

Northern Storm ran a cracker on debut. There was a lot of talk about Rebel Rose on debut (the Wendy Whitehead-trained filly duly finished second to an odds on shot) and she could be the one to beat, but if you go on times Northern Storm is ahead of her. It’s a difficult race and there are a lot of first-timers too but Northern Storm should be in the first three.

Cronological (3rd race) made a decent comeback but what you see is what you get, she is a struggler. Hello Mah also runs here but the 1000m is too short for her.

Lil Red a Rooster (1st race) has to improve.

Captain At Sea (8th) is a smart colt, but is drawn high on debut. It’s a weak field though and he has a quartet chance.”

Dennis Bosch was bullish about Lavender Bank and gave all his other runners chances too.

He said, “Lavender Bank will run a good race (3rd race – Anton Marcus retains the ride after she was backed to 9/20 on debut but ran green around the turn on the poly, although she still ran an eyecatching race to finish a staying on 1,3 length fourth).”

Bosch continued, “Regardstobroadway (4th) has always been talented but wasn’t being ridden correctly and is now being ridden the right way.”

He said Your Worship (7th) was also not given a good ride last time. However, the blinkers are back on and Delpech is aboard so he expected a decent run.

Bosch also expected a decent run from the sprinter Shezaleader (4th) too and this filly certainly loves the Scottsville straight.

By David Thiselton