David Thiselton

The Turffontein Inside track has an interesting nine race meeting on today which has attracted one or two horses who will be looking to make a big impact this season. 

The Paul Peter-trained Reunion is one such horse and this Flower Alley gelding runs in one of the highest rated races on the day, a MR 96 Handicap over 1800m. This big bay had tongues wagging after his debut last November when powering home by 10,25 lengths from the front over 1600m on this track. He then lost his way and was at one stage looking to be yet another overhyped horse who was amounting to little. However, he bounced back three runs ago with an unlucky second and then showed class in his next two outings, winning both of them in fine style. Having dropped from an initial 98 merit rating down to 85 he is now back to a 99 and he should not stop there. The tall long-striding horse proved last time, when winning easing up by 2,25 lengths over this trip, he can relax well enough in the front and possesses a tremendous kick. In his previous start he had come from well off the pace to win by 5,30 lengths over 2000m, so the excellent schooling given him by the Peter yard has made him into a versatile horse who can win from anywhere. Therefore his tricky draw of seven should not be a problem and Gavin Lerena can play it by ear. Reunion now just has to prove he is the real deal which he has always been believed to be and if he is he should get past this first hurdle despite having to carry topweight of 60.5kg. Prince Evlanoff, also by Flower Alley, also has some class and can progress beyond his current 87 rating. He won well last time in his first attempt at this trip and now has his third run after a layoff. He comes from off the pace so a draw of eight should not be of much concern. Trend Master beat Reunion three runs ago at level weights over this trip and now receives 3.5kg. However, Reunion was unlucky in that race and according to the weight for age scale should have made 2.5kg improvement since then, so he should reverse the form. Trend Master is a decent type and he followed that win with another good win over 2000m before running on over the too sharp 1450m last time for a good one length third. He is going to be a threat from pole position. Some might want to include Willow’s Wish too as he was still green last time when winning over 1750m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville in just his third career start. A 2.5kg claimer up alleviates some of the eight point raise he was given but he does have a tough draw of ten. Twin Turbo is yet another son of Flower Alley who has a chance. He stayed on well from the front last time over this trip to win by half-a-length and drawn well off just a three point higher mark can go close carrying the minimum weight of 52kg, which off an 81 merit rating puts him just half-a-kilogram under sufferance. Category Four has not enjoyed much lucky lately but if it pans out well from a wide draw he is capable of staying on well and could earn. Our Coys also has the ability to be a contender but returns from a five month layoff and was given six points for winning last time. Western Fort is an unreliable sort but is capable and has a 4kg claimer up from a good draw over a suitable trip. Zeal And Zest is off form and his best days are likely behind him. Watusi is always an interesting runner because he won well in his only good performance to date. He lost ground at the start that day and ran on so if they try that tactic again and he settles, instead of him burning himself out in the front as he has been doing, he could be a surprise earner. 

The eighth race is a Pinnacle Stakes event over 2600m and Captain Chorus looks the part. He ran third over course and distance last time and is now 7.5kg better off with Afraad for a 5,60 length beating. He was a touch unlucky not to get second that day as he was bumped late by Barak. He carries just 52kg from a good draw and Kennedy is up. The topweight Out Of Your League has to give 8kg and more to the entire field so it won’t be easy although he is fact the best weighted horse according to official merit ratings. He is also drawn in pole and has his SA Derby-winning pilot Raymond Danielson on for the third time in succession. White Fang is officially 6.5kg under sufferance with Out Of Your League but is on the way up and it would be no surprise to see him making it four wins on the trot as he has a lot of scope. Afraad has to come into it too despite being officially 7kg under sufferance with Out Of Your League as he has relished the step up to staying trips and might have more to come. Barak can also be right there as he is 3.5kg better off with Afraad for a 5,25 length beating and he has always struck as being an out and out stayer. Apollo Robins is 4kg better off with White Fang for a 4,10 length beating over this trip but White Fang would have made 1kg of weight for age improvement over Apollo Robins since then on paper and White Fang also strikes as the one with more scope.   

Andrew Harrison

If those outside of Kingsmead cricket ground – headline sponsor Hollywoodbets – didn’t know who Krystl was, they know now. “Hollywoodbets Dolphins players can identify with ‘Kingsmeads Krystl’ named after a bubbly staff member,” confirmed Hollywoodbets’ Brand and Communications Manager Devin Heffer.

And the name could be in lights for a little longer as the Alyson Wright-trained filly scored a comfortable victory under Anton Marcus in the first at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday.

It was probably asking a little too much of Kingsmeads Krystl to take on winners in her first three starts, including two group races, but yesterday confirmed what Wright thought all along with a convincing win that suggests that she has more to offer.

Kingsmeads Krystl was far from disgraced in any of her first three outings and in spite of finishing over a dozen lengths back to Desert Miracle in the Gr2 Golden Slipper, she was in the pack with the rest of them as Mike de Kock’s filly sauntered to an eight-length victory.

Kingsmeads Krystl is definitely a name to go into the notebook.

Nathan Kotzen has mined a rich vein of form over the past week, with a treble at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday, and followed up with Noble Nova landing the odds in a small field in the second.

It was a three-way contest entering the final furlong but S’Manga Khumalo extracted the best out of his mount to get home by a neck from Bijoux who fought back gamely to edge out Claudina.

It was no quarters asked or given in the third over 1400m, with some modest maidens going hard in what would have been a testing pace over five furlongs.

A long way off the pace turning for home, Tristan Godden sent Magic In Motion up the inside rail with a storming run to collar a bunched field with Bay Breeze and Indomavel in the shallow end of the purse. It was a 36-1 winner for the brother and sister combination of Wayne Badenhorst and Barbara Kennedy.

Weiho Marwing launched a lightning raid, his first two strikes missing, but he was on the money in the fourth as Craig Zackey led the field a merry dance on Midnight Caller. Opening up early which had much of the field off the bit, Zackey kicked for home at the top of the straight and just kept his mount’s nose in front as Pink Floyd and Naval Secret got going late – too late!

A small field lined up in the fifth where Keep The Lights on reverted to Graduation company. Her feature race form panned out and the result was never in doubt as Marcus aimed straight for the wire and had the race wrapped up at the top of the straight.

Maria Corolina completed a Wright double, and back-to-back wins, when making short work of the opposition in the sixth. She took the step up in trip in her stride and unfortunately for her, the handicappers will also be impressed!

It’s never easy for horses to win more than two or three races under the current handicapping rules, so it takes some clever placing by the trainer and a favourable programme to stretch beyond. However, seven-year-old Gentleman’s Wager bucked the trend and is seemingly getting better as he gets older when in the winner’s enclosure for the eighth time. Leading for most of the way under Donovan Dillon, Peter Muscutt’s charge was never under threat.

Rise and Twice The Quality went at it hammer-and-tongs over the final 100m in the last with the Khumalo ‘rising’ to the occasion.

David Thiselton

The Vaal Classic track has an eight-race meeting and exotic punters might be able to afford fairly low cost permutations.

In the first race over 1800m, Monsoon Kenny looks to be a Bi-Pot banker. He finished second when stepped up to this trip last time and looks to have scope for improvement. He does have a tricky draw of six out of six but the good and experienced workrider Joe Gwingwizha should be able to work out a winning strategy. Invincible Wall plodded on last time and finished third, just 1,50 lengths behind Monsoon Kenny, and there is now a reversal in draw fortunes so the risk averse might want to include him too. 

In the second race over the same trip, Ontheverge ran on well over 1500m last time and she should enjoy the trip. She is by Where’s That Tiger who has produced some useful stayers and her dam, who is by Toreador and was a sprinter, is a half-sister to SA Derby winner Irish Flame. She does have a tricky draw of five out of six though, so might have to be dropped out. Shikuru has scope and from a fair draw of three out of six can confirm form with Stunning Kitten and After Me. Hewitson takes over the ride from apprentice Kyle Strydom and Shikuru could be one to include for the risk averse. 

In the third race over 1450, Gilda Gray should relish the step back down to 1450m and has very little to beat so from a fair draw will only have to repeat the form of her penultimate start over 1400m. The first-timer English Primrose is well drawn and this Flower Alley filly is a half-sister to Magogo, an Ideal World filly who won first time out over this same trip, although she has never placed in any of her subsequent nine starts. English Primrose could nevertheless be her chief danger in this uninspiring contest.

In the fourth over 1450m, the filly Golden Aspen takes on the boys but gets 3kg and is the one to beat. She is enjoying the current fast conditions, as she has good gate speed and runs from the front before staying on, and this looks to be her optimum trip. Timbavati River should stay on resolutely like he did last time and can place again. With Pleasure has faced good fields over sprints and should enjoy the step up in trip on pedigree so is an interesting runner. The first-timer Corapi is by Elusive Fort and is a half-brother to twice winner Fromheretoeternity. Lincoln County is by Call To Combat and is a half-brother to four-time winner Lad and comes from the yard of Chris Jonker whose small string earn cheques consistently.

In the fifth race over 1000m, the consistent Sweet Sensation is the best in at the weights under the Graduation Plate conditions and will take a lot of beating having won twice and placed eight times in 12 starts over this trip. Alabama Anna will be a threat as among the vanquished in her easy maiden win over 1200m was Mike’s Chick, who recently bolted in by 7,75 lengths over 1600m. Naarah won her first two starts over this 800m and 1000m respectively before stepping up to feature company and now in this class she could be a contender.

In the sixth race over 1000m, Master Archie will take a power of beating as he beat the classy Dyce last time by a comfortable 2,50 lengths over this trip. Retallick looks to have scope for further improvement and this big horse could be the chief danger. Captain Morisco has ability and could earn. The filly Captain’s Run is second best in at the weights and can also be considered. Phinda Mzala has a lot of pace and will enjoy being back on the Highveld on this fast ground.

In the seventh race over 1600m, Ballet Shoes returns from a layoff of six months but is 6.5kg better off than any other horse and has returned from such a layoff before to run well. Eliud also returns from a layoff and has always struck as one who will come on as a four-year-old and he has already displayed class so it will be no surprise to see him winning. Paton’s Tears has plenty of ability and can also win if not losing many lengths at the start like he did last time. 

The last race is a Classified Stakes event over 1200m and looks wide open so as many as possible must be included. Flower Of Scotland is only half-a-kilogram under sufferance with the best weighted Midnight Gem and should have benefited from her decent comeback run last time so is the one to beat from a fair draw.       

GOLD CIRCLE is extremely proud to announce that it has achieved the first-place award as the best managed company in the Top 500 Gaming and Leisure sector. To be nominated as a Top 500 company, a business has to excel in three key spheres, financial performance, people management which includes the development of staff and commitment to social transformation as well as policy or accreditation.

“The Horseracing Industry has been faced with many serious challenges in the recent past which have resulted in the need to focus on ensuring that we can sustain the future of our sport in KwaZulu-Natal and in South Africa.  Gold Circle is grateful to have been considered for this award, and we are honoured to be recognised as the leader in our industry.” Said Michel Nairac, Gold Circle CEO.

Top 500 is a professional publication directory of South African companies that encourages business-to-business exchanges. The Topco Research Unit closely monitors the business performance of over 3800 companies annually.  Companies are scored against defined criteria in order to identify the top five organisations across 100 business sectors; credible businesses that are good at what they do; and the major companies that are the driving force of the South African economy.

To read the latest edition of Top 500 please click on the following link: https://issuu.com/topcomedia/docs/top500_11th_edition

David Thiselton

KZN Champion Owners the Hollywood Syndicate have some interestingly named horses and Hollywoodbets’ Brand and Communications Manager Devin Heffer explained there is real purpose behind these names.  

A recent example is the Dean Kannemeyer-trained William Longsword colt Khuluma Nathi, who has been discussed at length during the morning show on East Coast Radio (ECR), and the video and commentary of his debut were also downloaded on to the ECR website.

ECR are not part of the Hollywood Syndicate but are a Hollywoodbets business partner and Khulumu Nathi was named in recognition of presenter Sky Tshabalala’s live on-the-air Zulu lessons.

ECR thus have an attachment to the horse and view him as their own.

Consequently, they are are not only following his career but sharing the experience with thousands of listeners.

Devin said, “We love to name our horses after our business partners and sponsored entities. We want people to resonate with them. The Khulumu Nathi segment Sky hosted on the morning show really brought KZN together and bridged the gap between cultures so we thought what a beautiful name for a horse.” 

He continued, “Hollywoodbets Dolphins Players can identify with ‘Kingsmead Krystal’ named after their bubbly staff member and we have also included our own staff in naming horses, for example Bhakka, who has recently won three races at Fairview, is named after our long-time tipster Peter Barker and Imbejeje was named by our jovial housekeeping team (a fun name referring to “love handles”).” 

However, the concept does not end with the names. The relevant business partner or Hollywoodbets department associated with the horse are then exposed to every aspect of the sport. They are taken to Summerveld or Randjesfontein where they first enjoy breakfast in the clubhouse before visiting both the training rings and the stables where they can get close to the horses, including their “own” horse, and can speak to the trainers and jockeys. They are also taken to the parade ring on racedays. These groups thus get an overall horseracing experience that is usually reserved for owners and they become genuinely attached to “their” horse. This has a knock on effect when they share the experience with family and friends.

Heffer said, “People who have never been exposed to the sport are thus sitting up and saying ‘wow, this looks like an interesting and fun sport’, so it is generating interest and might hopefully lead to a buy in. Even if just one of them buys a horse the experience will reach all of their family and friends, so the knock on effect is potentially great.”

The concept works two ways as jockeys, trainers and owners are also getting to meet sporting legends like Springbok captain Siya Kholisi. 

The naming drive, and knock on effect, is thus in line with another of Hollywoodbets’ goals of uniting various mainstream sports like football, rugby, cricket, netball and horseracing which will increase the support they currently each have.  

Heffer pointed out that commentators and presenters are never left guessing but are instead contacted and not only taught the correct pronunciation of the names, but also the meaning behind them. He praised commentators Craig and Sheldon Peters and Alistair Cohen as well as the Gold Circle TV and Tellytrack presenters for buying in to the concept. 

Imilenzeyokududuma, for example, is named after Hollywoodbets brand ambassador, Jerry Sikhosana, an Orlando Pirates legend who scored the winning goal in the 1995 African Cup of Champions Clubs Final. Sikhosana’s nickname during his playing career was “Legs Of Thunder”, but Hollywoodbets felt the Xhosa translation “Imilenzeyokududuma” would have more impact.

Heffer explained, “Not enough has been done to expose blacks to horseracing and giving a horse a Xhosa name could ignite interest among a community who generally know little about the sport.”

Ironically, Sikhosana was nicknamed after a racehorse called “Legs Of Thunder” who featured in a 1990’s TV program. The nickname was coined by the late football journalist Sibusiso Mseleku due to Sikhosana’s running action which resembled a galloping horse.

The Duncan Howells-trained Spydas Corner is named after another Hollywoodbets football-famous brand ambassador, the Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana goalkeeping legend Brian Baloyi, who was nicknamed “Spiderman”.

Hollywoodbets asked brand ambassador Odwa Ndungane, a stalwart winger for the Sharks rugby team, for name ideas and stuck with his suggestion of “Isivunguvungu” which is the Zulu word for “storm”. Odwa said the name given to a Muscutt-trained gelding related to the feeling he had when running on to a rugby field. 

Brand Ambassador and cricketing legend Mike Procter named the Muscutt-trained Might Mashona. Procter played for Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in the Currie Cup while living in Mashonaland from 1970 to 1976 and during this spell he not only joined Sir Donald Bradman and CB Fry as one of the only players in history to record six successive first class centuries but he also recorded his best bowling figures of 9 for 71.  

Some of the names might be a mouthful but promoting horseracing is the purpose behind them.