Dennis Drier has won six Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallions, including five of the last six runnings, and punters and pundits have become used to scrutinising his Juvenile race results at this time of the year.

However, the Summerveld-based maestro trainer is even better known for bringing the best out of older horses, with the amazing mare Beach Beauty being the best example, and his six-year-old gelding Barbosa has blossomed this season from a useful top division handicapper into a Gr 1 World Sports Betting Computaform Sprint candidate. A former Medallion winner of Drier’s, Guinness, has also been entered for the WSB Computaform Sprint but will not be ready in time, so will not be making the journey to Turffontein. The WSB Computaform Sprint will be run on Champions Day, April 30.

Drier admitted his Juvenile runners to date this year had not shown Medallion credentials.

However, he was hopeful a couple could still emerge, so his two-year-old first-timers should be watched closely in the next few weeks.

A Western Winter colt called Apres Ski he has entered in a 1200m Maiden Juvenile Plate at Scottsville this Sunday has a most interesting pedigree.

Western Winter is known for the speed he imparts and has produced Medallion winners Ice Cube (2003) and Warm White Night (2008).

Apres Ski’s dam is the Fort Wood mare Topless Towers, who won only one race over 1600m, but she is a half-sister to the Gavin van Zyl-trained Horse Chestnut filly Banbury, who won the Gr 3 Fillies Mile. Topless Towers has to date produced the useful Mike Azzie-trained filly Peep Show, a Listed-winning five-time winner from 1400-1450m. Topless Towers’ dam is Lady Helen, a twice Graded runner up, who is a daughter of the outstanding broodmare Lady Shirley Bird. Lady Helen is therefore a half-sister to dual Gr 1 winner Lord Shirldor, Gr 2 winners Dog Rose and Kestrel, and Listed winner Maximum Power. Lady Shirley Bird’s female descendants have been prolific stakes-producing broodmares. Apres Ski looks likely to have the speed to be competitive over 1200m and the stamina reserves to cope with the tough Scottsville finishing hill. On pedigree he might well be full of class. His owners Nicholas Jonsson and Dr NIcholas Labuschagne will likely be awaiting Sunday’s race eagerly.

Meanwhile, Drier is very happy with Barbosa.  The Captain Al gelding has won all of his last four attempts at the 1000m trip of the Computaform Sprint and has done it in impressive fashion.

However, KZN form has become a bit questionable of late. On the other hand, one horse who has put his hand up for the province is the Michael Roberts-trained Computaform Sprint entry Muscatt. He recently broke the Scottsville 1000m course record and followed up by beating two horses with good Cape Town form, Captain Alfredo and the Drier-trained Gr 2 Cape Merchants winner Triptique. Therefore, it is interesting to note Barbosa has defeated Muscatt no fewer than six times in his career and has been on the receiving end only twice. Barbosa has also given chunks of weight away to Muscatt in their last four clashes and beaten him every time. However, it has to be said Muscatt appears to have blossomed in the Roberts yard and the pair’s ninth career clash at Turffontein will be no foregone conclusion. Furthermore, the like of Carry On Alice and Trip Tease are going to be tough nuts to crack.

By David Thiselton

Port Elizabeth trainer Jacques Strydom has not yet planned to bring his polytrack hero Gogetthesheriff to run in the Listed R150,000 Darley Arabian over 1600m on the Greyville poly at the end of the South African Champions Seasons, but is aware of the option. An appearance by the five-year-old gelding at Greyville will add a further twist to the Super Saturday meeting on the last weekend of the season, because the Darley Arabian would then shape as a South African polytrack championship event.

Gogetthesheriff is the reigning East Cape Polytrack Horse Of The Year and on Monday put his owner Freddy van Onselen in line for a R250,000 bonus by adding the second leg of the World Sports Betting (WSB) East Cape Poly Challenge series over 1400m to his first leg win over 1200m.

The long striding chestnut has a short run in so has to be waited with for as long as possible and therefore the course and distance of the tight Fairview polytrack suit him perfectly.

Ryan Munger dropped him out from a wide draw on Monday and he produced a devastating late charge down the inside rail to win by a length.

Port Elizabeth’s legendary commentator “Bumpy” Schoeman didn’t reserve many plaudits for the final leg of the Poly “Triple Crown” as he screamed “What a Beaut! What A Beaut! … Hero-Hero!”

Strydom bought Gogethesheriff as a one-time winner at a dispersal sale at the end of the 2014 season. The Go Deputy gelding had previously raced for one of Mike de Kock’s chief international clients, Sheik Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, and his only win had been a seven length romp at Clairwood in a maiden over 1600m.

Strydom and Van Onselen bought him with the dream of landing Port Elizabeth’s most prestigious race, the Algoa Cup.

However, at the time of the purchase Fairview was experiencing some problems with the turf course, so Strydom eventually decided to put him in a poly race over 1200m. He stormed home to win from a wide draw at odds of 20/1 and has not looked back. He has notched up seven wins and a second from eight starts on the poly and his winning distances range from 1200m to 1900m.

Strydom and Van Onselen are still chasing the Algoa Cup dream and Gogetthesheriff has thus had eleven starts on the Fairview turf for three wins. However, last year the dream was ended by Gogetthesheriff contracting an illness. Strydom thus planned a tilt at the East Cape Poly Challenge series. He was criticised for bringing the horse back from illness with three turf races, considering the Challenge was on poly. However, he knew when he won the last of the three preparation turf races over 1400m his charge was “spot on.” He then “freshened him” up for the Challenge 1200m event, which he won by a head, and gave him “normal” work into Monday’s 1400m race. He will now just keep him ticking over for the East Cape Poly Challenge 1600 on May 13, which is sure to attract a lot of interest from around the country because a win will land Van Onselen the R250,000 bonus from WSB.

The merit rated band conditions of each race of the series has made Gogethesheriff hard to beat at the weights, despite him having to carry 62kg on each occasion, because the upper band includes horses merit rated 100 and upward and he is merit rated 108.

Strydom will see how Gogetthesheriff goes in the Challenge’s last leg before planning the horse’s future, but the Darley Arabian and/or the Algoa Cup look the obvious target or targets.

The Frank Robinson-trained Dynasty filly Olma is likely regarded as the best poly horse in KZN, having recently added the Gr 3 Kings Cup over 1600m against the boys to her fine record on the surface. However, the Mike Bass-trained Night Trip could lay claim to being the best poly horse in the country at present as he has won the last two renewals of the Darley Arabian and is merit rated 109.

There is no award at present which recognises the best poly horse in the country, but if the Darley Arabian winner is recognised as such it might be possible the snubbed Lammerskraal sire Go Deputy has the best turf and poly horse in the country for the season as he is sire of both Gotthesheriff and the Triple Crown-chasing Abashiri.

By David Thiselton

Former Vodacom Durban July winner Legislate’s name was notable by its absence from the list of 65 first entries for this season’s event, however there is still a lot of water to flow into the sea with over two months to go before the big race. However, last season’s Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner’s name was at the top of the list of entries for the Gr 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes to be run at Greyville Racecourse on Friday, May 6. This meeting will mark the official start of South Africa’s three-month Champions Season.

Legislate, second in the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate behind Legal Eagle back in January, has not been out since finishing six lengths adrift of Smart Call in the J&B Met.

Justin Snaith’s entire is the highest rated of the 24 entries for the Drill Hall, five points superior to top ‘miler’ Act Of War who did not race in KZN last winter. Also among the nominations is veteran Ice Machine who will be out to defend his title.

With Abishiri’s sights on the SA Derby and third leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday week, Mike Azzie will be looking to Rabada to do duty for the stable in the Gr2 Canon Guineas to be run on the same day.

The son of Brave Tin Soldier has been relatively lightly raced but after a trip to Cape Town when all did not go well, he made a winning return at Turffontein last Saturday and should strip primed for the Guineas should Azzie let him take his place in the field.

Other notable entries are New Predator, Prospect Strike, Baritone, Investec Cape Derby winner It’s My Turn and the Michael Roberts-trained Natal, who now appears to be looking for more ground.

The Mike Bass-trained Silver Mountain, winner of the G1 World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas and beaten less than a length into fourth place in the Gr1 Grand Parade Guineas behind Noah From Goa, heads the list of nominations for the G2 Daisy Fillies Guineas. The diminutive daughter of Silvano rounded off her Western Cape season with a close-up second in the CTS Million Dollar behind the side-lined Illuminator.

Also nominated are the highly regarded Bela-Bela, Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Heaps Of Fun and runner-up Negroamaro.

By Andrew Harrison

The Vaughan Marshall-trained Exelero’s excellent victory in the Pinnacle Stakes race over 1200m at Scottsville on Sunday under Anton Marcus might have had more of an influence on the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint than first meets the eye, because he defied the Pietermaritzburg course’s infamous draw bias. Marcus also won an earlier race over 1000m from an outside draw on Omega Onslaught and then Muzi Yeni made it a hattrick for sprint event outside draws when winning a 1200m event on the Duncan Howells-trained Elusivenchantment.

The far side rail is at present five metres further in than usual and the jockeys, according to both track manager Sthembiso Dlamini and top rider Muzi Yeni, are “loving it.”

It was not only the draw numbers which were significant on Sunday, but the path the horses travelled. All three of the winners stuck to their stations for virtually the entire race.

Marcus believes the best thing that can happen to Scottsville is to keep the rail out there. He advocated keeping it there for the big Festival Of Speed meeting even if this meant a reduction in field sizes. In his belief the draw bias at Scottsville is largely due to perception and it has become vital to alter this perception.

History has shown as soon as the rail is moved back to its original position, the horses flock like sheep back to the inside. Ironically one reason for this might be due to the moving of the rail inward in the first place, because of the fresh ground it creates.

However, it is more far reaching than that and Muzi Yeni’s opinion revealed why the operators appear to be caught in a catch 22 situation.

Yeni believed in normal Scottsville events, outside drawn horses tend to be used up early by rushing to the inside. However, without the need to do so yesterday they were conserving energy by staying straight.

However, asked whether jockeys would revert to the inside when the rail is back to normal, he replied, “Of course.”

Yeni explained, whether there was an actual draw bias or not, there was a deeply ingrained perception of a draw bias.

Horses are pack animals so like to run in a bunch. Furthermore, wherever “the speed of the race is” there is more opportunity to use slipstreaming, so it would be foolish to stay on your own out wide.

The problem might be compounded by the track becoming compacted on the inside. However, on the other hand it does become cut up and uneven, so this explanation has its flaws.

The final factor, and Yeni has not been the first to say it, is the responsibilities jockeys have towards their clients.

Yeni said trainers do not specifically instruct jockeys to go to the inside. However, if they return to the parade ring having stayed on the outside, questions will be asked unless the horse had won. After all, everybody in racing knows that “you have to go to the inside to win at Scottsville, so what on earth was this jockey’s thinking.”

In fact on one occasion a Scottsville course manager approached a detractor triumphantly after a horse had won on the outside. The response of, “It would have won by ten lengths if it had been on the inside” showed just what a hiding to nothing the course managers and operators are on regarding this issue.

Most straight courses around the world have a draw bias, but unlike Scottsville it usually varies from meeting to meeting, so the problem is not compounded.

In fact, there have been days in the fairly recent past when Scottsville had a palpable advantage on the outside. Such a day was at the Festival Of Speed meeting in 2010.

Another course where the perception of a draw bias is beginning to become deeply ingrained is the Vaal. On the outside track jockeys tend to stick to the outside and on the inside track they stick to the inside.

Commentator Alistair Cohen is one prominent racing industry man who believes no bias actually exists, or at least on the outside track he believes it doesn’t.

Scottsville course manager Sthembiso Dlamini was delighted by Sunday’s results and the jockeys positive feedback.

However, even he is pessimistic about anything changing once the far rail is moved back to its original position for the April 27 meeting.

He said, “It’s not so much there is a draw bias as the jockeys use the rail as a guide. But we hope in big fields they will use the whole track.”

He said placing the bank of stalls on the outside rail for smaller fields had been tried before, but “did not work” because at about the 600m mark everybody headed towards the inside anyway.

Meanwhile, Exelero has probably booked his place in the Tsogo Sun Sprint field as the handicappers have raised him from a 97 merit rating to a 103. This five-year-old Western Winter gelding has had a big reputation since day one of his career. However, he was disappointing overall until, firstly, blinkers were fitted, and secondly, he was stepped back to the 1200m trip. He has won three races over 1200m this season, although he did fail twice when stepped up to Gr 2 class.

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Captain Alfredo and the Craig Eudey-trained Flyfirstclass weren’t disgraced on Sunday 1,25 lengths and 1,5 lengths back respectively, considering they both gave the winner 1,5kg.

The disappointment of the race was the Michael Roberts-trained three-year-old favourite Natal, but he was reported fatigued and coughing so this was not his race and he can bounce back.

By David Thiselton

Durban July hero Stuart Randolph will be at Kenilworth on Saturday for seven rides, notably Cape Classic winner Eighth Wonder in the Tekkie Town Winter Guineas.

Greg Ennion, who has booked Randolph for three other mounts, said: “Eighth Wonder needs to be settled and Stuart knows the horse because he rode him in the Investec Cape Derby.”

Joey Ramsden, who has won two of the last four Winter Guineas with class horses Variety Club and Act Of War, runs the top rated Hard Day’s Night (Donovan Dillon) as well as Mr Wise Guy (Gareth Wright). With 16 runners, it’s the biggest Winter Guineas field for at least 15 years.

Anthony Delpech has five rides for Justin Snaith (as well as one for Glen Puller) including Ready To Attack in the Winter Guineas. Last year’s Langerman winner will be boosted if this week’s forecast rain materialises.  He is rated only a kilo behind Hard Day’s Night and receives that amount.

Raymond Danielson is another visiting jockey, riding Streak Of Silver for Eric Sands in the big race, the Brett Crawford-trained Midnite Zone and two for Paddy Kruyer – Anglet in the RTT Sweet Chestnut and probably favourite Mega Secret in the last.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Stuart Randolph (Nkosi Hlophe)