The weekend’s KZN racing unearthed a few prospects for the South African Champions Season, which officially starts at the Canon Guineas meeting on May 6.

Dean Kannemeyer is in tremendous form countrywide and had a feature double at Greyville on Friday night with Avontuur Stud-bred Mambo In Seattle colt Mambo Mime and Lammerskraal-bred Trippi filly Fromafar.

They started at odds of 11/2 and 22/1 respectively.

However, the Byerley Turk runner up Baritone was the weekend runner who looks likely to have the biggest impact on the SA Champions Season features.

This Justin Snaith-trained Trippi colt is out of the Gr 3 Jubille Handicap winner over 1800m, the Argentinian-bred daughter of Singspiel Candy Singer. Baritone has always struck as a type who would get better and better as he got older and so he proved on Friday night. In the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas in December he was beaten 2,2 lengths into sixth having had the run of the race from pole position and was a length behind Victorious Jay at level weights. He won a handicap over 1600m on Met day in impressive style, pulling away in the closing stages while still looking immature. Mambo Mime was 4,45 lengths behind him that day, although the latter was giving him 2,5kg.

However, on Friday night Baritone had to give both Mambo Mime and Victorious Jay 4kg and had to overcome a wide draw of 12 compared to pole position for Mambo Mime and draw seven for Victorious Jay. He travelled beautifully in the running under a fine ride from Anthony Delpech.

However, he had to come wide into the straight and was still near the back, meaning Mambo Mine, who was ridden by Stuart Randolph, got first run on him down the inside. Baritone cut the deficit with giant strides and went down by just a short-head, despite the 1400m trip being too sharp. He still needed the run and once again gave the impression there is more improvement to come, especially over further. He is likely to be a big runner in both the Gr 2 Canon Guineas and the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and even the Vodacom Durban July.

Mambo Mime has always struck as classy from the day he fought his way around the Greyville 1600m in his second start start as a juvenile, yet still won. He has settled down since then. He has a lot of speed in his female line but Kannemeyer did send him over a mile early in his career so might believe he is looking for a trip. He will be effective over the mile of the Canon Guineas and can’t be written off despite the weight turnaround he will face with Baritone. Friday night was his second run since arriving back at Summerveld and of course Kannemeyer’s record in classic races speaks for itself. He know how to peak them at the right time and has an excellent team behind him as is proved by his current run. Since February 1 he has had the highest win strike rate of the top 20 trainers in the country at 21,28% and has by far and away the highest place strike rate of 63,83%.

The Gavin van Zyl-trained Budapest finished a fine 0,55 length third in the Byerley, also receiving 4kg from Baritone, and the jury will be out in the Canon Guineas on whether he gets the trip having disappointed in the Cape Guineas.

Ernie ran at level weights with Baritone and was 1,3 lengths back in fourth. However, sprints are likely his route from now on because even the 1400m was stretching his stamina reserves.

The Highveld raider Irish Pride finished a 3,3 length fifth and might have put a dampener on the form for some, being merit rated only 84, but he has always been an eyecatching sort and proved his class.

The like of Victorious Jay and Beat The Retreat can’t yet be written off as they over raced and are better than their respective runs.

Fromafar’s upset win in the Umzimkhulu Stakes was likely no fluke, because she pulled for her head slightly behind a slow pace and eventually came around them but still found plenty in the straight to win by a length under Brian Nyawo. The runner up the Neil Bruss-trained Flying Ice ran at level weights with the winner and was a touch unlucky as she took a while to find a split down the inside rail. She and the winner can both be followed.

Another three-year-old filly to take out of the meeting is the Mike Bass-trained three-year-old Nightingale. She is ever improving, which is not surprising as she is by Silvano, and she found a telling finishing burst off a merit rating of 82 to win a MR 76 Handicap over 1600m on the poly in impressive style. She looks likely to develop into a feature class filly and the trip of the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 is likely to suit.

At Scottsville on Sunday the Dennis Drier-trained three-year-old Trippi gelding Ferrie proved himself a sprinter of the future with an eyecatching win of a handicap over 1200 off a merit rating of 82. He has improved with gelding and this was his first run since winning his maiden over 1000m at Kenilworth in late December, so is another one who can improve into a feature class horse.

The versatile Kannemeyer-trained Solid Speed loves KZN and later won a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1600m narrowly from Dynamic, to whom he gave 1,5kg. Solid Speed was a staying race stalwart last Champions Season, but has now won the last two 1600m races he has contested, which poses some interesting questions. However, the stayers route is likely to be less competitive so looks the obvious option and perhaps the July could be a possibility too. The promising Duncan Howells-rained Ten Gun Salute made a fair comeback to run a 5,5 length third, receiving only 1,5kg from the older Solid Speed, and he will come on from the run. He is still on track for the SA Champions Season classics.

By David Thiselton

Entries for this year’s R3.5 million Vodacom Durban July closed at 11am this morning (Tuesday) and entries will be announced at the launch of Africa’s Champion Season at Greyville Racecourse on Thursday.

As per tradition, the race will be run over 2200m on July 2, the first Saturday of the month.

Last year’s race attracted 60 initial entries and Gold Circle officials are expecting a similar number this year. A maximum 18 horses will be allowed to run.

Likely to be at the top of the initial list is the exciting Legal Eagle, winner of the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and more recently the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein.

Legal Eagle is rated the best horse in the country and if trainer Sean Tarry decides to accept for the big race, he is sure to be allotted top weight.

Tarry and owner Chris van Niekerk won the July in consecutive years with Pomodoro in 2012 and Heavy Metal in 2013 and last year’s Gr1 Daily News 2000 winner French Navy is another from the stable likely to be pencilled in come Thursday. French Navy was the victim of some serious traffic problems last year and although he has been a little off his game of late, Tarry has more than enough time to prime his charge for another crack at Africa’s greatest horserace.

Captain America was second best behind Legal Eagle in the Horse Chestnut but will likely be taking his place in the field alongside Legal Eagle in the 2000m Premier’s Champion Challenge come Derby Day at Turffontein at the end of the month and how he fares there could determine whether Brett Crawford allows his charge to take his chances in the July.

By Andrew Harrison

Saturday’s meeting at Durbanville has fallen victim to the African Horse Sickness outbreak in the Paarl area and has been switched to Kenilworth.

There are no further Durbanville meetings until June 29 but the course’s Thursday gallop sessions have been cancelled until further notice and this will hit Cape Town trainers hard.

Racing administrator Teresa Esplin said yesterday: “Durbanville racecourse falls within the containment zone, quarantine is in place for 40 days from the last reported death and so gallops there will cease with immediate effect.”

She ruled out suggestions of opening up Kenilworth for extra gallops to compensate, saying: “The track has been under pressure with the extreme heat that we have been having and it cannot take any extra traffic.

“However horses which have been nominated for features will be allowed to gallop on the morning of a raceday as per normal.”

By Michael Clower

Mambo Mime, winner of last Friday’s Byerley Turk, is set to return to Greyville for the Canon Guineas on May 6 while the fillies’ equivalent could be the target for Fromafar who sprang a 22-1 shock in the Umzimkhulu Stakes.

Dean Kannemeyer said yesterday: “The draw at Greyville is very important and hopefully Mambo Mime will draw well in the Guineas. If he draws badly I will have to discuss plans with Fieldspring Racing.

“He was in need of his previous run and I thought he would be tough to beat from his one draw on Friday but he is a big horse and I don’t believe I have him fully stripped yet.

“Fromafar won exceptionally well – I would have been thrilled if she had just finished in the first four – and I will enter her for the Canon Fillies Guineas. She and Mambo Mime are both on the up.”

The Mike Bass-trained Nightingale, ridden with exceptional confidence by Grant van Niekerk when coming from last to take the Oriental Restaurant Handicap, will be stepped up in class.

Candice Robinson said: “She will run in the Fillies Guineas and then go for the Woolavington on May 28. She is a very nice filly.”

Peninsula Handicap winner and J & B Met fourth Light The Lights, who had the Vodacom Durban July as his target, has been sold to Mike de Kock and is en route to Dubai.

The four-year-old’s former trainer Glen Kotzen said: “It was a shame in a way (to part with him) but they offered us the right money.”

By Michael Clower

South African Champions Season’s fever usually begins with the running of the Byerley Turk meeting, which was held at Greyville on Friday night, and if past year’s ending in “6” are anything to go by there is likely to be plenty of excitement and drama in the build up to and running of this year’s Vodacom Durban July.

This winter will mark the 50th anniversary of the most dramatic incident in South African racing history, the shooting of the great Syd Laird-trained Sea Cottage, and it is also a significant anniversary year for July-winning darlings Jamaican Music, London News and Spey Bridge, for Mick Goss of Summerhill Stud, for great trainer Terrance Millard and brilliant jockey Bartie Leisher, and also for late great commentator Ernie Duffield.

Sea Cottage was shot from a concrete shelter, which still exists today, while walking under the Blue Lagoon bridge on the bright morning of June 10, 1966. Earlier, a bookmaker from the Field Street “rooms” had allegedly approached the owner of the Monaco Club across the road and asked him to settle his considerable debt. The bookmaker’s explanation had been the widely expected Sea Cottage July win, which would result in damaging losses to his business. The club owner’s alleged response was to ask what it would be worth to “stop” Sea Cottage. The bookmaker’s alleged reply was he would forego the debt. A bouncer from the club named Johnny Nel then allegedly hatched the plan and agreed to carry out the dastardly deed. A few mornings before the shootings, “gangsters” who frequented the Monaco Club arrived on the beach at Blue Lagoon still dressed in their evening suits, purportedly to watch the gallops, and Nel was among them. Sea Cottage’s white markings made him an easy horse to identify. The great horse was shot in the soft flesh of the hindquarters with a pistol and reared in fright.

Trainer Eileen Bestel was first on the scene and had the distressed horse walked back to the Newmarket Stables. He made a remarkable recovery and appeared at the July gallops a couple of weeks later to tumultuous applause. He ran in the big race just three weeks after the incident and finished an unlucky fourth after being severely checked at the two furlong mark. However, he famously won the July the following year carrying topweight and with the bullet still lodged in his hindquarter, deadheating with the lightweight Jollify, to whom he gave 27 pounds. Nel had been arrested less than a day after the shooting. He had foolishly used his yellow convertible, one of the most conspicuous cars in Durban, to drive to and from Blue Lagoon and a passing fisherman had seen him speeding away. The remorseful man was sentenced to three years, but was released due to ill health after one year and died shortly thereafter. Sea Cotttage ended his career with 20 wins from 24 starts and was widely regarded as the greatest horse to ever grace the South African turf until Horse Chestnut arrived. Sea Cottage’s old stable is today a vendor stall in a section of the Stables used as a popular evening market. Syd Laird had always been terrified somebody would “get to” Sea Cottage and had metal plates fitted over the air vents on the road side of his stable. The now rusted metal plates can still be seen there today, on the road side of the market three stalls to the left of the main entrance.

The year 1906 marked the tenth running of the July and Bonnie Dundee was the second Argentinian-bred to win it.

In 1916 the Pietermaritzburg-owned Margin won from start to finish carrying the joint-lightest ever winning weight of 38,5kg and apparently won another race at Greyville a few days later.

In 1926 the July had its third short-head finish and the judge awarded it to 5/1 shot Moosme at the expense of the hot 3/1 favourite Narrow Gauge. The decision stands today as one of the most unpopular and controversial ones in the race’s history. Ernie Duffield had his only July ride in 1926, as an apprentice, but finished last.

In 1936, Petersfield became the first of three July winners for renowned Cape trainer Ted Shaw, who had previously won the Met five times as a jockey.

In 1946 St. Paul’s, a graduate of Pony and Galloway handicaps, became the smallest ever winner of the July. He was owned by Mick Goss’ grandfather Pat.

In 1956, the Rhodesian (Zimbabwean)-bred Spey Bridge carried a record weight of 58kg to victory. El Picha (2000) and Pocket Power (2008) equalled this weight carrying feat and then Heavy Metal broke it in 2013 when carrying 59,5kg to victory. However, in the old days the race was a long handicap and Spey Bridge had to give 13kg to the runner up Labby.

1976 saw a fairytale victory for one of South African history’s most popular grey’s, the Ralph Rixon-trained Jamaican Music. Two years earlier he had started second favourite but had infamously dislodged jockey Tom Rattley when pecking down the back straight. The intelligent grey had then won hearts by continuing to run as if he had a jockey aboard and crossed the line first but riderless. There was hardly a person who begrudged this gallant grey his official July win two years later.

In 1986, Bartie Leisher pulled off one of the all time great July rides, dictating in front on the Terrance Millard third string Occult to hold off even money stablemate Fool’s Holme. Another stablemate Enchanted Garden finished third. It was the first of Millard’s pair of one-two-three finishes.
However, Syd Laird still holds the July training record of seven wins and his son Alec won the Big race in 1996 with London News, who later paved the way for South African-breds overseas by winning the Gr 1 QE II Cup in Hong Kong.

In 2006 Dean Kannemeyer landed the second of his three Julys, winning with three-year-old Eyeofthetiger. The latter ran in the same Fieldspring Racing colours as Kannemeyer’s Byerley Turk winner on Friday night, Mambo Mime.

By David Thiselton