South Africa’s Champion Season is still a month off but hands are being raised at every meeting with Cape Speed the latest to show Classic potential at Greyville yesterday.

“He’s a smart horse,” said Dean Kannemeyer. “But I don’t think the penny has quite dropped,” he added after the son of Ideal World had disposed of his four opponents. This was his fourth win from eight starts, his second on the bounce after being gelded. “He was a rig so we had no choice. We took him to Cape Town where he won one but I think it was bothering him,” Kannemeyer continued. “He may still need blinkers to sharpen him up …. I think he will stay 2400m.”

Anthony Delpech concurred. “He’s a lazy bugger. You saw how I had to wake him up in the ring and I trotted him around at the start.”

Cape Speed races in the same Khaya Stable silks of Lady Christine Laidlaw that Power King carried to victory in last year’s Vodacom Durban July and while Cape Speed has a way to go, the signs are good.

The same combination was back in business half-an-hour later as Never Settle made light of a six-month break to deny the strongly fancied Bagger Vance. “We thought he was our best two-year-old last season,” Delpech revealed in his earlier interview. Never Settle obviously has as he was well supported in the market and came from near last to land the honours.

Racing lore dictates that one race is the equal of four home gallops in bringing a horse on and that was pretty much the case as Zelig hit the front from the jump and galloped the opposition into the ground in the first. The unraced Desert Winter opened favourite but Zelig supports took the bookies to the cleaners as Gavin van Zyl’s runner was backed in to 16-10 from an opening call of 7-1.

“He was very unlucky in his first start. He got squeezed out and dug in his toes,” said Warren Kennedy, but the run obviously brought him on. “We jumped him through the starting stalls with some quite decent horses and he put up a good gallop,” Van Zyl summed up. “He will go a ‘mile’ and has got a bright future ahead of him.” Good news for his legion of owners, many on course to lead in the son of Lateral.

The bookies were wise to Spice Girl in the second and Anton Marcus, taking a leaf out of the Kenney book, had the 4-10 favourite out and running from the start. “She did it the hard way and I think she’s a very decent filly. Thank God we have a share,” commented Charles Laird making music for the ears of Alesh Naidoo in whose silks the filly races. “I want to go for the big races,” said the prolific owner. “I’m tired of the little ones.”

Even the stable cat is in danger of being saddled up while the Tarry yard is in such mustard form as Ostentation gave log-leading Sean Tarry another winner. Owner Chris van Niekerk is probably the best ‘horse’ in the yard but he is very well rewarded as Tarry places his horses expertly and has them right on the day. Long-time assistant Deshone Steyn saddled up for apprentice Lyle Hewitson yesterday where his 4kg claim was the difference between victory and defeat. Registering the sixth win of his professional career, Hewitson edged out former champion Marcus aboard the front-running Victory Takeover.

A drop in distance and merit rating was enough to get Shap Shap home for Brian Burnard with Gareth van Zyl and Warren Kennedy working out how to race the tearaway gelding. “He ran away with me last time,” admitted Kennedy of the strapping son of Noordhoek Flyer. “He fights you all the time and he fought me behind the pens so I just let him stride. He had had enough in the end but it was a win full of merit.”

By Andrew Harrison

Mike Bass’ South African Champions Season string will be worth following this winter as they have all been doing well at Summerveld.

The string at present consists of Inara, Silver Mountain, Nightingale, Tafferty Tart, Helderberg Blue, Mountain Master, Three Balloons, Lanner Falcon, Ernie, Fly By Night and Night Trip. Paterfamilias is still in Cape Town but will be entered in the Vodacom Durban July and it hasn’t been decided yet when he will join the string. There are others who might also still make the journey and these include the exciting Var filly Wake Up Maggie, who was bred by rival Milnerton trainer Joey Ramsden and is unbeaten in two starts.

Inara is being prepared for the Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein on April 16. This Trippi filly is a leading light of possibly the best female crop in South Africa racing history.

In her last two starts she finished runner up in the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over 1800m to Smart Call, who is currently rated the joint sixth best racehorse in the world, and she then successfully defended her crown in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, her third career Gr 1.

She was not herself in KZN last year and was reportedly found to have had a lung infection, but all seems well so far this year and she put up a pleasing gallop yesterday (Tuesday).

Lanner Falcon is another older female who must be followed. Assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe said this Trippi five-year-old is just getting better and better. He reckoned she has the ability to win the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint in what might be a below par season in the female sprinting division and other races like the Gr 2 Tibouchina over 1400m and Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m will likely be on her agenda too. In her last two starts she won the Gr 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes over 1200m comfortably, beating Gr 1-winning stablemate Fly By Night, and then finished third in the Majorca.

Fly By Night, who won the Mercury Sprint two seasons ago at Clairwood, has become difficult to predict, but appears to be in a good space at present and the City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint is her obvious target.

Silver Mountain stamped herself as the best three-year-old filly in the country when demolishing the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas field by five lengths. She was subsequently narrowly beaten into fourth in the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas and was then a 0,75 lengths runner up in the CTS Million Dollar. The latter two performances were disappointing to those who are willing her to greatness, but in the context of her SA Champions Season tasks, they were peerless. She is a diminutive filly with an electric turn of foot and will be ideally suited to the tight Greyville track. The yard are considering finding a race for her before her first big target, the Gr 2 Canon Fillies Guineas on the Friday night of May 6.

Tafferty Tart is just below the best three-year-old fillies, while Nightingale is a progressive sort who could develop into a Woolavinton 2000 or Oaks type.

Helderberg Blue will likely have a similar program to last year where he raced in the Drill Hall,  the Betting World 1900, Cup Trial, July and Champions Cup, finishing fourth in both the Cup Trial and Champions Cup.

Ernie always goes to the races with the words “Believe in Ernie” ringing in his ears due to the fun characters of his owners and such will be the case on Friday night when he runs in the Gr 3 Byerley Turk over 1400m at Greyville. This is his maximum trip and he will subsequently be kept to sprints with the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville on June 4 a possibility.  This Elusive Fort gelding has a fine turn of foot and as Cape Town merit ratings tend to be suppressed due to the superior class of horse it would be no surprise to see him win on Friday night as he is officially the third highest rated horse in the race off 101.

Mountain Master’s aim is to win races, without taking in big features, and he is one to follow in handicaps off an attractive merit rating of 82.

Three Balloons is a stayer who was raised 13 points to 89 after his Gr 3 CTS Chairmans Cup runner up finish over 3200m and the big staying features culminating in the Gold Cup are his obvious targets.

The enigmatic Night Trip has been accompanied to KZN by his retired lead pony Epic Tale and his chief ambition will be to win the Listed Darley Arabian over 1600m on the poly on Super Saturday for the third year in succession.

By David Thiselton

After seven seasons of sterling service top sprinter Uncle Tommy has been retired.

“I think he’s had enough,” said trainer Weiho Marwing at Ashburton yesterday morning.

Uncle Tommy had his last race in the Senor Santa Stakes at Turffontein last month but was never in the hunt, finishing last, an obvious sign that he had come to the end of his racing career.

“You can’t keep squeezing. I gave him one last run and the next suitable race would be the Thukela Stakes at the end of July,” he reasoned.

“We have found him a very nice place in Cape Town. I think he will be happy there.”

Racing throughout his career in the well-known blue and silver silks of Hassen Adams, Uncle Tommy was a real soldier, winning 13 of his 63 races and placing 28 times for stakes of over R1.74 million.

By Kahal out of the Badger Land mare cousin Linda, was bred by Summerhill Stud.

Uncle Tommy’s last win came at the Vaal at one of the last meetings on the now defunct sand track in October last year. The win came hard on the heels of his runner-up berth behind Deputy Jud in the Gr2 Supreme Cup on the sand giving the winner 6kg.

With a highest MR of 105 Uncle Tommy was at home on turf but as he got older the sand and the Greyville poly became his preferred surfaces with possibly his best effort being second to Tommy Gun in the Gr2 Emerald Cup, run in its final year under the banner of the Supreme Cup.

By Andrew Harrison

The KZN challenge for the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint to be run on June 3 over 1200m at Scottsville is looking increasingly strong.

The Michael Roberts-trained Muscatt showed his breaking of the recent Scottsville 1000m course record was no fluke when winning just as impressively over the same course and distance on Sunday in a time of 56,18 seconds, just 0,37 seconds off his own record.

He downed another Tsogo Sun candidate, the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Captain Alfredo by 0,75 lengths despite starting at odds of 17/10 compared to the latter’s even money. Muscatt was ridden by apprentice Calvin Habib and had the latter’s 2,5 kg claim as the only weight advantage over Captain Alfredo. However, Captain Alfredo will appreciate the extra 200m of the Tsogo Sun (he looks likely to be a huge runner), while the jury will be out on Muscatt in that regard as his form suggests he prefers the minimum trip.

The Roberts-trained Natal will be another big runner if he lines up in the Tsogo Sun as expected and will certainly enjoy the 1200m trip.

Mark Dixon’s London Call was beaten 2,5 lengths into second place by Muscatt when the latter broke the Scottsville 1000m record, although he was giving the latter 1.5kg. He might go straight for the Tsogo Sun due to his soundness issues and is another who will love the 1200m trip.

The Dennis Drier-trained Triptique likely needed his run on Sunday and was 3,5 lengths behind Muscatt, but he is classy and progressive and will also relish the step up to 1200m. His stablemate Barbosa has had a cracking season and is another who could bolster the KZN challenge.

Meanwhile the recent Scottsville 1200m record breaker Humidor has been entered by trainer Tony Rivalland in a MR 82 handicap over 1200m at Scottsville this Sunday. He is only merit rated 80, despite his debut in a four start career to date being his only defeat, so has his work cut out to make it into the Tsogo Sun field.

By David Thiselton

The Mike Miller-trained Argonaut filly Clear Sailing became the latest in a long line of mares in foal to succeed on the racecourse when winning the Listed Kwa-Zulu Natal Stakes over 1000m at Scottsville on Sunday and she completed a feature double for Miller in the process.

Miller had earlier sent out the Argonaut colt Rob’s Jewel to land the Non-Black Type Sentinel Stakes over 1000m at odds of 1/3, although he beat home just three opponents in a disappointingly small field.

Being by Argonaut was not the only thing the two horses had in common as both were originally owned by Robert and Robin Muir.

Argonaut was also originally wholly owned by the Muirs. Shares in Argonaut were sold after he had won two Gr 1s as a two-year-old for Geoff Woodruff, including a start to finish five-length destruction of the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes field over 1600m at Clairwood.  He was exported to Australia, where he was injured and never raced. He then returned to South Africa to stand at Cheveley Stud, who bred him. Argonaut, who was ultimately shunned by breeders and recently sold on, is now suddenly beginning to fire. Clear Sailing and Rob’s Jewel follow the like of Natal and Beat The Retreat as horses to have recently put their hands up for the sire.

Clear Sailing’s former trainer Dennis Drier revealed she had cracked a pelvis as a weanling and later developed a breathing issue. Argonaut was not firing as a sire either, so the Muirs decided to put her up for sale after just three career starts, which included a debut win over 1200m at Clairwood.

Well known Durban owner Cecil Baitz then bought her together with his son Gary, a veterinarian practicing in Australia. Upon moving her to the Miller yard Gary advised the use of a “spoon bit”, which is used in Australia to keep the tongue down. Whether the bit is the reason Miller has been able to extract another three wins from her is open to question because it did not solve the same breathing issue found in another Drier horse named Eternal Jet. The latter’s claim to fame, on top of being promising as a youngster, was being the fastest horse the Onderstepoort veterinary team have ever witnessed on their Overground Exercise Laryngoscope. He is now battling in Port Elizabeth.

Clear Sailing showed her class in her second victory for Miller, in a handicap over 1000m at Scottsville, as she downed the useful Paul Gadsby-trained sprinter Miss Varlicious. However, she was found after the race to have bled. The connections consequently decided to have her covered by the former Pat Shaw-trained Singapore dual Gr 1-winning sprint-miler Ato, who now stands at Summerhill Stud. She then returned to training at Summerveld.

Miller believes she has been more relaxed since being scoped in foal.

She enjoyed the forgiving conditions on Sunday and loves running down the rail, so the low draw suited. Anthony Depech also gets on well with her and she finished 0,75 lengths clear of the hot favourite, the Wendy Whitehead-trained Free State. The latter lost her unbeaten record but a lot more will be heard of this Ideal World three-year-old as that was her first run for five months.

Clear Sailing will be scoped again and if proven to still be in foal, as opposed to the possibility of having absorbed the foal, she will be retired. Otherwise she will remain in training.

Rob’s Jewel was bred by the Muirs and they sold him after a promising fourth place finish in the Listed Storm Bird Stakes over 1000m at Turffontein, which followed a debut win over 800m. Miller believed he had needed the Turffontein run as he moved up well and only ran out of steam in the last few yards.

Gold Circle CEO Michel Nairac bought a share in him together with Miller’s son Sterling and Mauritian ML Jean Hardy. The purchase yielded immediate dividends on Sunday, as Rob’s Jewel repelled the only other previous winner in the field, Skip The Red, to win by a comfortable 1,75 lengths under Alec Forbes. His time of 57,58 seconds was 27 seconds quicker than the subsequent winner of the Non-Black Type King’s Pact Stakes, the Mike de Kock-trained New Approach filly Al Hawraa, who ran on strongly under Anton Marcus.

Miller might now aim Rob’s Jewel at the Gr3 Godolphin Barb Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville on May 1. However, he is reluctant to enter him in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1200m in early June, regarding it as too tough a race and one which can effect a horse’s future.

Miller also has another promising two-year-old in the superbly bred filly Call Me Winter, who is by Western Winter out of a mare the Miller yard trained, Outcome by Muhtafal, who won the prestigious Gr 1 Garden Province Stakes over 1600m. Call Me Winter impressed on debut with a fluent win over 1200m on the poly. The form has been franked and Miller is now targeting the Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m at Greyville on June 11, although she is due to race again before then.

Miller will run the promising Warm White Night gelding Executive Power in Friday night’s Gr 3 Byerley Turk over 1400m in order to “find out how good he is.”

He won over the course and distance last time out.

By David Thiselton