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

Durban – The 120th running of the Vodacom Durban July, Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event, will take place at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday 2 July 2016.

The event will be preceded by a full programme of fashion competitions and shows:
Thursday 5 May: Selection of Vodacom Durban July Fashion Challenge finalists off storyboards at Ice Models, Durban
Tuesday 24 May: The Vodacom Durban July Young Designer Award Semi-final selection, Members Lounge, Greyville Racecourse.
Monday 13 June: The Vodacom Durban July Young Designer Award Semi-finals & Designer Collection.
Wednesday 15 June: The Vodacom Durban July Fashion Showcase Cheese and Wine, including the premier of the Vodacom Durban July Invited Designer Showcase.
Friday 17 June: The Vodacom Durban July Young Fashion Showcase Dinner, including the Vodacom Durban July Invited Designer Showcase.

Applications for Media Accreditation can be found here and close punctually at 2pm on Tuesday 21 June 2016.

The 2016 Vodacom Durban July takes place at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday 2 July. More information can be found at www.vodacomdurbanjuly.co.za

Gregorian Chant, his form boosted by Caballo Blanco’s win last Saturday, can start the afternoon on a winning note at Kenilworth today.

The Dean Kannemeyer colt divided Le Harve and Caballo when the latter pair made their debuts last month and he probably has most to fear from Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount Cream Soda Green who went close first time.

“I thought Cream Soda Green had a good chance that day but we weren’t 100% sure,” recalls Harold Crawford. “He has improved a bit since and they are going to have to be quite good to beat him.”

All but five of the 16 runners are newcomers but watch out for R2 million buy A New Dawn, an Australian son of Epsom Derby winner New Approach. “He is a very nice horse,” says Joey Ramsden, “although I’m four weeks behind where I would like to be with him.”

A New Dawn opened at 10-1 with World Sports Betting who went 33-10 Cream Soda Green, 4-1 Gregorian Chant, 9-2 the once-raced Moonrise Sensation and 6-1 the Vaughan Marshall newcomer Always In Charge.

Half the 14-strong field in race two are unraced with 11-2 chance Don’t Stop Dancing (a Dynasty daughter of Majorca winner Sarabande) among the most expensive at R900 000. Trip The Willow (3-1 favourite) and 4-1 shot Rock On Wood have the right credentials, and Justin Snaith’s booking of in-form Grant van Niekerk for the former looks significant.

Arctic Blast has proved expensive and frustrating, starting favourite or second favourite in his last four starts. He has often shown tremendous early speed only for something to cause him to fade. Three races back part of his breastplate broke and last time MJ felt there was something wrong although the racecourse vet reported only “poor recovery.”

Mighty Hash (13-2) is an obvious danger in the Itsarush.co.za Maiden but Arctic Blast looks worth one more chance at 16-10 even though Vaughan Marshall cautions: “He is a very light-framed horse. He will win a maiden but he is not very good.”

Ramsden, with a string of two-year-olds ready to run, has two in each of the first two races and pits four against three-year-olds in races three and four. “Everything was coming back sore but now the rain has come I’m running them. I’m fully aware that it [racing them against older horses] is not the right thing to do.”

The weights are against them. They should be receiving between 8.5kg and 9.5kg according to the weight-for-age scale but they get only 3kg in race three and 4kg in race four.

Even so, many punters will want to side with Moonsaballon (33-10) after the filly was nominated as a horse to follow on Winning Ways, particularly if Trip The Willow franks her form by winning race two. “I worked her quite hard to get her where she was first time,” Ramsden points out.

She certainly looked useful but then she is going to need to be and prudence suggests 5-2 favourite Peonie Rock in particular, and Variance at 9-2, may prove better value.

By Michael Clower

Glen Kotzen is going to aim Princess Royal at the Gr 1 Fillies Sprint at Scottsville on June 4 and last year’s Gr 1 Allan Robertson runner-up boosted her claims by producing a spectacular turn of foot to sprint away from the opposition at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Admittedly the Sceptre winner had nothing of the calibre of Carry On Alice to contend with this time but, as part-owner Peter de Beyer put it, “She did it far better and far easier than I thought she would.”

Anthony Andrews, who gets on so well with what can apparently be a tricky customer, said: “The key to her is keeping her calm beforehand. If she plays up with you down at the start you’ve as good as run your race.

“This was only an allowance plate whereas the Sceptre last time was a Group 2 but I wouldn’t think she was 100% – it was a prep before going to Durban and she would have needed it.”

But keep an eye on Captain’s Flame. The lightly raced second favourite would have been closer than fourth had she not been hampered and twice forced to switch.

Mike Bass has the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery on May 28 as his objective for the highly regarded Caballo Blanco who comfortably landed the odds in the first.

“He shows a lot of ability at home and I’m very excited to see how he progresses,” said Candice Robinson while Grant van Niekerk, who rode five winners for his boss in two days, added: “This horse is talented and he will go places.”

The Kenilworth Fillies Nursery on the same day is the target for stable companion Live Life who also justified odds-on and is a half-sister to Cold As Ice.

Mike Stewart reckons he will make winter hay with Al Wahed who was sent to him from Duncan Howells to avail of the daily benefits of sea-water. But, according to his new trainer, the vet’s knife has also improved the four-year-old who certainly came good under Brandon May in the Soccer 6 Handicap.

The Noordhoek trainer explained: “Al Wahed has an offset knee but it’s since I gelded him three weeks ago that he has begun moving nicely. This is going to be a serious horse to follow over the winter.”

Cape Town-born Ralton Peters is optimistic that a long-awaited first South African winner will open up new avenues of opportunity.

Peters, 31, said: “I was sent to Zimbabwe by the Jockey Academy in 2001 because they had very few apprentices there and I stayed until I joined Brett Crawford two years ago.”

Newcomer Make It Raine in the 1 200m fillies maiden was Peters’ first winner since Approval Rating in the 2013 Zimbabwe Guineas and only his sixth ride of the season. He had to sit and suffer when he found his path blocked approaching the 200m mark and he then coolly switched the 25-1 shot through a gap to look as impressive as his mount.

Wayne Kieswetter and his Ridgemont manager Craig Carey were impressed with both horse and rider. “Ralton does a hell of a lot with the horses at Brett Crawford’s. We were a bit worried about this filly because she has taken a long time but she suddenly seems to have come good,” said Carey.

But the hero of the hour was racehorse owner Dr Sarembock. The failure of the booked medical officer to turn up  caused consternation both at Kenilworth (“The start of racing has been delayed indefinitely,” announced the public address) and Turffontein where race times had to be put back with Clyde Basel assessing his various options as busily as punter working out the bipot. Sarembock calmly stepped into the breach and, not surprisingly, was welcomed like manna from heaven.

> Aldo Domeyer, successful on Tripinthemist for Paddy Kruyer in the last, has been suspended for a week (April 6-12) for interference when winning on Streaming the previous Saturday.

By Michael Clower

Fear Not, fifth in the Klawervlei Majorca and the Vasco Prix Du Cap, has had a throat operation.

Adam Marcus said: “She was showing signs of having an entrapped epiglottis which means she could choke up in her races.

“There are some suitable features for her at Kenilworth over the next few months so I won’t be taking her to Durban. On her day she is only just off the best although she does need things to go her way.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Adam Marcus