South African apprentice Jose Barnes had a winner in his first meeting in the USA this weekend after being granted a work permit last month.

It was the perfect Mother’s Day present for his mother Monica, who together with Barnes’ father Milton followed his progress through telephone contact with relatives living in the USA.

“I first and foremast want to thank trainer Charles Laird for helping keep Jose’s race riding dream alive,” said Monica. “Charles will know what I mean.”

Barnes had three rides for his Santa Anita-based guv’nor Steven Miyadi in a dirt track meeting at Golden Gate racecourse in San Francisco on Saturday.

He had a chance of making a winning USA debut as he was aboard the favourite in the fifth race, but his mount broke awkwardly and could only manage fourth place.

However, in the seventh race Barnes announced his arrival in the land of the stars and stripes with a fine ride aboard Two Steps Of Glory, who paid US$11.20 a win on the Tote. Fittingly the winning owner was ex-patriot South African film producer Gary Barber. Barnes tracked the leaders to the turn, brought his mount two wide into the straight and she then responded to urgings to just get up by a head despite lugging out in the final furlong.

Barnes’ final ride of the meeting yielded a fifth place finish.

Barnes’, who grew up close to Clairwood racecourse, was mentored in his early days by jockey great Garth Puller and was later accepted by the South African Jockeys Academy.

He was officially the shortest rider in South Africa.

After taking 57 rides to break his duck he grew in confidence and became one of the most sort after claiming apprentices in the country, including having a strong association with the Charles Laird yard. He proved many detractors wrong in the process.

However, he was then struck down by a debilitating back injury, which saw him side-lined for months. After an operation he made a brief comeback, but was written off by all and sundry once again after being forced back on to the side-lines.

Monica Barnes then spent her life savings on an operation for Jose performed in the UK by renowned spinal surgeon Martin Knight.

The Barnes family are thankful to Knight as Jose’s back has not given him any problems since.

Jose rode 27 winners and had 141 places in 449 rides in South Africa and having improved his record in just one meeting in the USA the determined youngster is deservedly back on the path to success.

By David Thiselton

At Kenilworth yesterday Joey Ramsden won the Somerset 1200 for the fourth successive year when 5-2 shot Attenborough led two furlongs out under Donovan Dillon and romped home to win pretty much as he liked.

Ramsden said: “He is a smashing horse and he has come on by leaps and bounds since his first run. We are quite keen to keep him here rather than send him to Durban and so he will do the two-year-old winter series – the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery (May 28) and the Langerman four weeks later.”

The Milnerton trainer was optimistic that he would double up with Miranda Frost in the Perfect Promise Sprint but the 8-10 favourite went out like a light inside the final furlong and was found to have a significant nasal discharge.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe slipped The Merry Widow through on the inner to extend the unbeaten record of Gaynor Rupert’s homebred 5-1 chance to three. She will come back for the Fillies Nursery in three weeks’ time.

She is no more than 15 hands and Jonathan Snaith quipped: “She is the smallest horse in the yard and Justin was eyeing her for polo!”

It was a red-letter day for Lungese Geledu. The 27-year-old has been with Vaughan Marshall for four years but has only started race-riding relatively recently and Indigo Storm in the Work Riders’ Maiden was his third ride. He led 50m out to record his first success.

By Michael Clower  

Captain America, only sixth behind Legal Eagle in the Premier’s Champions after finishing second to the same horse in the Horse Chestnut, will not be seen again this season.

Brett Crawford (“He will come back home to Cape Town for a rest and he will stay off for the rest of the season”) will again aim him at the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the J & B Met. He finished fourth and third in these two races in January.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Captain America (Liesl King)

Black Arthur, the new favourite for the Vodacom Durban July, came out of his win in Friday night’s Canon Guineas in great shape but no decision has yet been taken on whether he will run in the Daily News en route.

Justin Snaith said yesterday: “Black Arthur pulled up as well as I could have asked. We are undecided about the Daily News at the moment. We will have a chat with the owners and make a decision.

“But the aim for Bela-Bela (winner of the Daisy Fillies Guineas) has always been the Woolavington on May 28 so she will go for that.”

However there is a question mark about the 2014 July winner Legislate who had been due to contest the Rising Sun Gold Challenge on June 11 before being retired to stud. He started favourite for the Drill Hall and managed only fifth.

Snaith said: “He was very quiet before the race which is unlike him and in the parade ring I was a little bit concerned. Anthony Delpech also felt he was quiet in the race. He is fine this morning – there is no sign of anything – but the owners are in discussion about him and the decision will be made by them. It’s out of my hands.”

Nightingale, a generous 12-1 when beaten only half a length by Bela-Bela, will renew rivalry in the Woolavington but plans for 12-10 favourite Silver Mountain (sixth) have yet to be confirmed.

Candice Robinson said: “Nightingale is a good filly and she has improved. Also the 2 000m will be better for her but it was a disappointing run from Silver Mountain. Bernard Fayd’Herbe said she didn’t quicken up at all. We can’t find anything wrong and she pulled up fine. We will take bloods in the morning.”

Mike Bass’s successor confirmed that Winter Guineas winner Marinaresco will run in the Winter Classic on May 21 “and we will the take it from there,” while Inara remains on target for the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province on July day despite finishing with only one behind her in the Premier’s Champions Challenge nine days ago.

Candice said: “It was a tough task but Grant van Niekerk said that she got badly cut into and lost it behind. She was never going after that.”

By Michael Clower

Black Arthur and stable companion Bela-Bela had bookmakers scrambling to change their odds display for the Vodacom Durban July after Justin Snaith’s charges turned in superb performances in the Gr2 Canon Guineas and G2 Daisy Fillies Guineas, and Friday evening at Greyville could prove a defining meeting in Africa’s Champion Season. All three features provided plenty of fodder for the formbook and any intrepid punters sitting with 12-1 about Black Arthur and 45-1 about Bela-Bela, may not be in the league of those who got the 5000-1 about Leicester City, but are entitled to be smug.

After stunning displays in the two Classics, Black Arthur displaced Legal Eagle (4-1) as anti-post favourite for the July – 3-1 on some boards but 7-2 still available – while Bela-Bela is now 14-1. Of Black Arthur Delpech said, “He’s the type of horse I would like to ride in the July,” the four-time July winning jockey confirming what all had just witnessed.

Black Arthur, home-bred by Alec and Gillian Foster, was beaten favourite in the Investec Derby at the end of the Cape summer but arrived in KZN with a mighty reputation. Delpech has the pick of the Snaith rides for the Western Cape Champion trainer during his KZN campaign and it took a single gallop for Delpech to decide between Baritone, Derby winner It’s My Turn and Black Arthur.

Seemingly out-paced from the gate as Sylvester The Cat set a suicidal gallop in overcoming his wide draw, Delpech slotted him in on the rail behind a charging pack. “I thought it might be a touch short for him but they went very, very fast which was in his favour,” Delpech confirmed.

Aimed for home, Delpech threaded his mount through the traffic and once in space the son of Silvano sailed through to win as he liked in spite of the winning margin being less than a length.

Race favourite Rabada settled in behind Sylvester The Cat and looked destine to keep his clean sheet at Greyville in tact before Black Arthur mowed him down with the line in sight while third and fourth placed Mambo Mime and Ten Gun Salute also had their July odds trimmed after promising performances.

All four look destined to meet in the Daily News 2000 that at this stage is brewing into one of the races of the season.

If Delpech needed a dress rehearsal for Black Arthur he got it in on the grey Bela-Bela who turned in a similar display of galloping in the Daisy Fillies Guineas to give trainer and jockey a Classic double. Nearer last than first turning for home, Delpech also had to pick his way through traffic before accelerating away to win in commanding fashion. It was a display out of the top draw.

“I rode two very good horses tonight,” was Delpech’s parting shot.

Race favourite Silver Mountain never got going and it was left to stable companion Nightingale to carry the stable flag although Bela-Bela went past her like she was looking for parking.

Johan Janse van Vuuren commented before the race that Negroamaro was off her best form but it was not by far. “I think she’s still a bit soft. We skipped the Oaks to go for the Woolavington.” The grey was in contention half a furlong out but was run down by Bela-Bela and Nightingale.

But if Negroamara was underdone, Van Vuuren’s New Predator was “gaar” as they say in Afrikaans. The three-year-old blew away his rivals in the Gr2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes in a display that will have sent a chilled down Sean Tarry’s spine if indeed Legal Eagle has the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge on his agenda.

Although beaten four lengths by Legal Eagle in the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes, New Predator was given a puzzling ride that afternoon as he was sent for home nearly 800m out, but he did show an exceptional turn of foot albeit off a slow pace.

The Greyville ‘mile’ with its short straight is right up New Predator’s alley and the switch in course could extend Tarry’s champion a tad more.

Disappointment was race favourite Legislate but Snaith was quick with an explanation. “Legislate didn’t saddle well. He walked around the ring with his head down and I know we were in trouble. But what can you do.”

Snaith will no doubt have the puzzled solved by this morning and have Legislate back on track to defend his Gold Challenge crown.

Triptique ran a cracker in second in his first venture beyond 1200m and could now be a candidate for the Gold Challenge while Ice Machine ran his usual game race, coming from last to third.

By Andrew Harrison

Betting on the R4,25 million Vodacom Durban July to be run over 2200m at Greyville on Saturday, July 2:

7-2 Black Arthur, 4-1 Legal Eagle, 11-2 Abashiri, 14-1 French Navy, Bela-Bela, The Conglomerate, 16-1 Brazuca, New Predator, 20-1 Rabada, Nightingale, 22-1 Mac De Lago, 25-1 Samurai Blade, Marinaresco, 33-1 Silver Mountain, Master Sabina, Deo Juvente, It’s My Turn, 40-1 Negroamaro, 50-1 Baritone, 55-1 Trophy Wife, 66-1 Inara, Dynastic Power, Ten Gun Salute, Mambo Mime, Saratoga Dancer, 7-1 Paterfamilias, 80-1 Olma, Prospect Strike, Punta Arenas, Romany Prince, Cape Speed, Master Switch, 100-1 and upwards others.