Age is often an excuse when it comes to under-performing athletes whose performances appear to have tailed off in the twilight of their careers but seven-year-old Marchant kicked that theory over the fence in the Racing.Its A Rush Handicap at Greyville yesterday. Without a win for nearly two years but some fair form in useful company in the Western Cape, the gelding put a decent field to bed in emphatic fashion with his seventh win from 33 starts.

Byron Vorster, long-time assistant to Paul Lafferty and now Sabine Plattner’s KZN assistant to Western Cape-based Andre Nel, is a man of few words but given the manner of victory he will be encouraged that Marchant has juice left in the tank come the winter season.

However, Marchant’s win does not reflect well on KZN sophomore form with a trio of promising colts buried. Ole Gunnar fared best finishing second with Lafferty reasoning beforehand that his charge would be better suited to tens furlongs. But more was expected from Monte Christo and Team Guys, the latter now appears lengths better on the poly.

If that was not enough, Royal Master, eleven lengths back in a Kimberley handicap last time out and a win his only placing in eight starts, ensured some healthy exotic dividends. Bill Human’s runner paid close to 33-1 on the tote and under the odds given his form.  A mad scramble at the start compromised a few of the fancied runners chances helping the Kimberly visitor’s cause but replacement apprentice Ryan Munger took the shortest way home to finished ahead of the cavalry.

A change of equipment was all that was needed to get Bold Star to shine for Pat Lunn and stalwart owner Mike Destombes in the card opener. “I was quietly confident,” said Lunn, a master at setting up a horse for a ‘touch’. “She was too keen in her races, so we took the blinkers off and put on a tongue tie,” Lunn surmised post-race. Warren Kennedy did the rest, pouncing from mid-field.

They don’t all have the “look of eagles” so a good eye for a yearling is an asset. “There’s not much of her,” quipped television presenter Paul Lafferty of second race winner Zagora after Kennedy had notched a quick double, this time for Gavin van Zyl. “Very light,” concurred van Zyl. “Brian (Burnard) picked her and she was going cheap. He said we can’t let this one go.” It was an inspired buy as the daughter of Lateral has already paid her way with a second win.

Even stretching the imagination Strategic’ s Pride is not in the same league as Dubai World Cup winner California Chrome, the only similarity being that like Victor Espinoza, apprentice Lyle Hewitson had to steer from the rumble seat as the saddle slipped in the running for the third. It was an easy victory for Sean Tarry’s runner made easier by favourite Tanjiro bouncing Anthony Delpech into the air as the gates were sprung, finished riderless and declared a non-runner.

“I always thought he was a smart horse,” said Dennis Bosch, a trainer forever wary of the handicappers who in retrospect were generous with only a five pound penalty for the gelding’s second place last time out. Bosch had Cutting Edge honed to a razor’s edge for the fourth and Delpech always had the race in hand. “He’s a smart horse; he just has to learn to do things the right way.”

By Andrew Harrison

Many punters looking for a banker in Saturday’s carryover Pick 6 (estimated pool R4million) will reach for trainer Sean Tarry and seriously consider two of his runners at the meeting, Legal Eagle and Heaps Of Fun.

The ruling champion trainer, who is the leading the championship by some way this season, says: “I wouldn’t dissuade anybody from bankering either horse” and is cautiously optimistic about their chances.

Legal Eagle is the top-rated runner still racing in South Africa and will line up in the R1-million HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m. The race is run at weight-for-age and Legal Eagle is at least 1.50 lengths better than any of his rivals in the race.

“He is going for the R4-million President’s Champions Challenge so this is a prep race and while I believe he’s a better horse over 2000m, he did win the Queen’s Plate over 1600m in January. So it would not be foolhardy to judge him a suitable banker. But we’re hopeful rather than confident. If he wins, that’ll be fantastic.”

Tarry will also field Halve The Deficit in the Grade 1 race and believes he must not be left out of Quartets.

“He pulled up with a virus in the SANSUI Summer Cup so we had to give him time. I wasn’t unhappy with his sprint-up, when seventh in an 1100m Pinnacle race. He’ll be thereabouts.”

Heaps Of Fun, who races in the R1-million Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m, beat 10 of these rivals when winning the Gauteng Fillies Guineas in February.

She races over 1800m for the first time, but Tarry says: “I think she’s probably looking for the ground and don’t see a problem with the distance.”

He did confirm that he is certainly not going to restrict the filly to front-running tactics again.

“That was our game plan in the Fillies Guineas. She hadn’t been racing from the front before that, but I knew tactically it would work for us because the others wouldn’t worry about us.

“She’s a simple, laid-back and straightforward horse, who came out of the Fillies Guineas nicely. She’ll be competitive, for sure,” he said.

Negroamaro, who started favourite in the Fillies Guineas and finished a 0.90-length second, is the horse he fears most because “there is a lot of talk about how good she is and I’m not sure if there were excuses in that race”.

“Mike de Kock’s coupling, Noor and Persian Rug, have scope for improvement over the distance, but I make the grey filly the horse to beat.”

Tarry’s other runner in the SA Fillies Classic is Witchcraft. She won over 2000m in her last race and “the form has worked out well,” said Tarry. “She’s definitely an Oaks filly and this will be a nice test for her in this kind of company. We’ll see how she handles the jump in class. If she handles it, I wouldn’t expect her to get beaten too far. She’s very well.”

He has four runners in the topliner at the meeting, the R2-million SA Classic, Malak El Moolook, Lunar Approach, Liege – the choice of stable rider S’manga Khumalo – and Samurai Blade.

Tarry believes they all have a bit to do on merit ratings and says: “If I get a piece of the pie I won’t be unhappy.”

He points out there were valid reasons why they can do better this time.

“Malak El Moolook didn’t disgrace himself in finishing third behind Abashiri and Champagne Haze in the Gauteng Guineas and he got his tongue over the bit when well beaten by Liege last time out. We’ll try a tongue tie and see if that helps. But he is suspect over the trip.

“Liege had a problem in the stalls on Guineas Day but won his next race very well. I knew he was capable but the runner-up Count Tassilo was badly out at the weights. He won well enough and couldn’t do more than that.

“Lunar Approach’s saddle slipped in the Gauteng Guineas so you can’t read much into him finishing last.

“The interesting runner is Samurai Blade, who is only having his second run for the yard. I’d planned to run him in the Derby Trial but his prep run – when second in a Pinnacle Plate – was so good, I thought I’d take a chance and see how he goes in this race.”

Are any of them underrated, in his opinion? “Maybe Lunar Approach is lurking under the radar,” he says. “It didn’t work out for him in Cape Town and he only had one run – in the CTS Million. But I don’t think Liege has done much wrong either.

“They’ve all been well prepared and with a clean run, we’ll see where they fit in.”

Another runner he believes can do well is very talented but temperamental Cloth Of Clouds. “She’s interesting because depending on how she does, we’ll decide whether to take on the colts in the SA Nursery at the end of the month or go against the fillies.”

As for his other runners on the day, he says none of them can be summarily discarded. “I’ve got a lot of good horses running and they should be competitive throughout, but it’s hard racing and nothing really stands out.”

– TABnews

Cape Trainer Neil Bruss has brought his promising fillies Flying Ice and Zante back to Summerveld for further tilts at South African Champions Season feature races.

The three-year-old Go Deputy filly Flying Ice won the Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m at Greyville last season before finishing a 0,75 length fourth in the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m. She was a touch unlucky last time out in first time blinkers when a 1,25 length runner up in the Gr 3 Prix Du Cap over 1400m at Kenilworth.

She had to be continually switched out and only saw daylight 200m out. She then flew home, but it was too late to catch the winner, the decent four-year-old Cuvee Brut. Bruss had been confident of winning the Prix du Cap, despite her 33/1 odds, as she had recovered from the illness which had affected her previous run. Cuvee Brut raced off a 103 merit rating that day and the 98 merit-rated Flying Ice faced her on weight for age terms, so it was a fine performance by the latter considering her bad luck in running. The progeny of Go Deputy show continual improvement with age and she has been doing well since arriving at Summerveld, so is one to follow.

Four-year-old Zante is another filly who should be improving being by the top class sire Ideal World. She ran a 3,25 length fourth to Smart Call in last year’s Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 and, of course, that form now looks outstanding. Bruss was forced to race Zante mainly against males in the Cape Summer, as there were no suitable races for her, and she has consequently dropped to an attractive 89 merit rating. Bruss said there would be many opportunities for this staying type during the SA Champions Season and she starts her campaign on Sunday in a 1600m Conditions Plate at Scottsville. She is affective over a mile, despite preferring further.

Bruss has also brought another decent four-year-old staying type in the Go Deputy filly Deputy Ryder. She won three races in KZN last year for the Alyson Wright yard, including the Listed Queen Palm Stakes over 2400m at Greyville. She should love being back at Summerveld and is likely to have as many opportunities as the similar type, Zante. She only found the frame once in four starts during the Cape Summer, but was up against some good types, and the handicapper has consequently only dropped her one point to a 94 merit rating.

By David Thiselton

Summerveld trainer Robbie Hill’s Pathfork colt Red Chesnut Road was the talk of the Scottsville meeting on Sunday after running away with a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m on his debut.

Later there was a good front-running performance from the useful Sean Tarry-trained Serissa to win the Listed Easter Handicap over 1950m under S’Manga Khumalo, while the Louis Goosen-trained Trip Tease showed how classy he is by coming from off the pace to win the innovative Easter Dash over 600m.

Hill, a top jockey for many years who once completed a rare Durban July/Gold Cup double, knows the game well and is not allowing himself to be carried away by Red Chesnut Road’s performance, despite the effortless win by 7,75 lengths under Brandon Lerena.

The Highlands-bred chestnut colt showed fine gatespeed and early speed, allowing him to overcome a high draw, which is usually viewed as unfavourable down the Scottsville straight. He steadily increased his lead under hands and heels.

The only possible downside to the victory was the winning time of the following race, won by the strapping Gavin van Zyl-trained two-year-old Just As Well filly Princess Analia. The latter’s time was just 0,48 seconds slower than Red Chesnut Road’s. This might bring in to question the quality of the field Red Chesnut Road beat. However, the Dennis Drier-trained Western Winter colt Lee’s Star, who was beaten 11,5 lengths into third place, was the subject of a big whisper and started 13/10 favourite, so must show a lot at home. Furthermore, Gavin van Zyl rates Princess Analia a “smart filly” and she certainly gave that impression in Sunday’s race, which followed her debut second on the poly in which she was green. Her big action took her to the front and she held on by 0,75 lengths from the Drier-trained debutant Sail, who is by Philanthropist. The 8/10 Duncan Howells-trained favourite Dawn Calling was beaten 3,5 lengths with the rest beaten ten lengths and more.

Hill liked Red Chesnut Road from the moment he saw him at the KZN Suncoast Yearling Sale and was surprised to pick him up for just R250,000. His pedigree suggests he should get a mile and more. Pathfork by Distorted Humor won a Gr 1 over seven furlongs at the Curragh in Ireland in soft going and the narrow runner up Casamento subsequently won a Gr 2 over a mile by four lengths before winning the Gr 1 Racing Post Trophy over a mile at Doncaster. Red Chesnut Road’s dam Scarlet Sky by Fort Wood won three times from 1200-1600m and his second dam Fading Light won the Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes over 1600m and was third in the SA Oaks.

Hill has had a high regard for Red Chesnut Road from day one, but is wisely not getting ahead of himself. The acid test will obviously be when he faces some of the best from the Highveld and the Cape. Consequently, no Gr 1 targets are being spoken about just yet.

Front-runners appear to be favoured by small fields, as they are able to dictate, and such was the case with Serissa in the Easter Handicap over 1950m. The tough six-year-old gelding by Black Minnaloushe started favourite despite having been given a six point merit rated raise to 95 for an easy win in the Non-Black Type Umthombothi Stakes over 2000m on the poly in his penultimate start. The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Solar Star, who sat second in the running, was chasing throughout the straight but was still 1,5 lengths shy at the line and second favourite No Worries finished third. Serissa is just below the best, so won’t be easy to place during the South African Champions Season. However, he has proven able to stay 2400m and has not been tried over further than that yet, so there are a range of possibilities.

Trip Tease was able to come from about two lengths off the pace under Gunther Wrogemann in the Easter Dash, despite his rivals going all out from gun to tape, and he got up in the shadow of the post to beat outsiders Piano Man and Zinnavar by 0,75 lengths.

By David Thiselton

Horses from visiting stables are rolling in with 117 boxes booked for Summerveld, 38 in Ashburton while Neil Bruss will be stabled off limits near Summerveld with 6 boxes.

The visitors are dominated by Western Cape trainers with Mike Bass, Brett Crawford, and Vaughan Marshall all allocated 20 boxes. Joey Ramsden has been allocated 15 boxes while Justin Snaith will fill 22.

The only Highveld visitor with boxes at Summerveld will be Mike Azzie with 20.

Johan Janse van Vuuren has applied for 20 boxes at Ashburton along with Louis Goosen (10) and Stanley Ferreira (8).

Sean Tarry and Dean Kannemeyer have permanent satellite yards at Summerveld while Weiho Marwing has a satellite yard at Turffontein and is now based in Ashburton.

The majority of Highveld trainers, but most notably Geoff Woodruff and Gary Alexander, will raid.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: Louis Goosen (Nkosi Hlophe)