South Africa will have eight representatives at the Dubai World Cup racemeeting to be held at Maydan on Saturday, March 26.

Participation is by invitation and Paul Lafferty was sweating on Harry’s Son’s entry for the Dubai Turf. However, the Australian-bred colt will be in the line-up.

The other seven runners are all trained by ‘Dubai King’ Mike de Kock who will have another crack at the $10 million World Cup with Mubtaahij. The race is run over 2000m on dirt and former Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome is warm ante-post favourite after his recent smashing win in the Trans Gulf Electromechanical Trophy at Meydan.

The former Dubai Derby winner was deemed good enough by De Kock to try his luck in the U.S. Classics but has yet to win since the Derby.

Other loclly bred runners on the night are Tellina and Star Empire, both entries for the Dubai Gold Cup and Forries Waltz who will start with Harry’s Son in the Dubai Turf.

The full list of runners is:

HARRY’S SON (Dubai Turf)  – Paul Lafferty

MUBTAAHIJ (Dubai World Cup) – Mike de Kock

FORRIES WALTZ (Dubai Turf) – Mike de Kock

PRAYER FOR RELIEF (Godolphin Mile) – Mike de Kock

TELLINA (Dubai Gold Cup) – Mike de Kock

STAR EMPIRE (Dubai Gold Cup) – Mike de Kock

VALE DORI (UAE Derby) – Mike de Kock

Meanwhile, there are no Frankel’s, Black Caviar’s or Variety Clubs around this season and currently the world’s best three racehorses are bracketed on a modest 121 with a host of runners cramped in just behind.

The only two South African horses to feature are J&B Met winner Smart Call (above) in joint sixth place on 119 and runner-up Legal Eagle who shares seventeenth place with a rating of 117.

The LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings is the official listing of the world’s best racehorses (For 3yos and upwards which raced between 1st January and 6th March 2016).

The leading trio come from across the globe and although none of them are based in the United Arab Emirates, all three are being pointed toward the lucrative Dubai World Cup card on March 26.

Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome is the leading dirt horse and is current favourite for the Dubai World Cup. Alongside in joint first is the Japanese galloper Duramente and the Irish-bred Postponed.

California Chrome kicked off his 2016 campaign at home with a victory in the San Pasqual Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita before heading to Dubai. He then easily won the Trans Gulf Electromechanical Trophy at Meydan giving his rivals 7.5kg. He finished second in last year’s edition of the world’s richest race but was sidelined for the rest of 2015 and did not race again until the San Pasqual.
Also returning from a lengthy layoff is Japanese champion Duramente who has not raced since last May when he won the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (G1). He then suffered fractures in both front legs and missed the rest of the year while recovering from surgery.

Postponed, who ended his 2015 season with a victory in the Qatar Prix Foy (G2) at Longchamp, made his first start of 2016 a memorable one during Super Saturday of the Dubai World Cup Carnival. The 5-year-old was an easy winner when he took the Dubai City of Gold Sponsored by Skycargo (G2) by three lengths. Postponed and Duramente are now set to square off in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on Dubai World Cup night.

– Andrew Harrison

– Pictures: Liesl King (Smart Call) and JC Photos (Harry’s Son)

Mike Miller’s promising Warm White Night gelding Executive Power proved he could go 1400m last Wednesday and now has the Gr 3 Byerley Turk in his sights.

Executive Power led from the off in a small but useful Novice Plate last Wednesday under Anton Marcus. He relaxed well before running all the way to the line and staving off the fair sort Monte Christo to win by 1,25 lengths with the other two runners way back.

Miller does not believe he will go further than 1400m. Therefore, he will an interesting runner in the Byerley Turk, which is to be run on Friday night April 3 on the Greyville turf over 1400m.  He will be going all out, while a lot of the runners will be using it as a springboard into bigger races like the Gr 2 Canon Guineas. Executive Power will also be able to lead, having proved affective with the tactic.

Miller was also pleased with the run of Argonaut colt Rob’s Jewel in the Listed Storm Bird Stakes over 1000m at Turffontein two weekends ago.

The unfashionably bred colt won on debut over 800m at Scottsville on December 20 and was supposed to have had another run before the Storm Bird, but it had to be scrapped due to a lack of entries. He consequently just ran out of steam in the last few yards of the Storm Bird when looking threatening to finish just 1,5 lengths back in fourth.

He would have benefitted from the run and should now be cherry ripe. He is being aimed at the Sentinel Stakes over 1000m at Scottsville on April 3.

By David Thiselton

Charles Laird said the run of Exit Here in the Gr 3 Kings Cup on the polytrack on Friday night could be ignored and he will now likely go straight into the Gr 2 Canon Guineas on the opening night of the South African Champions Season on Friday May 6.

Laird also spoke about Ice Machine and his promising two-year-old winner on Sunday, Good To Give, as well as some of his other chief feature race contenders.

The Kings Cup was run in the rain, and followed a torrential downpour, meaning Exit Here had to work a lot harder than usual to get into his favoured handy position from a draw of eight. He also “hated” the wet conditions. He not surprisingly found nothing in the straight and finished last. The Gr 1 Daily News 2000 is likely a trip he is looking for so is also on the agenda.

Laird also felt a line could be drawn through Stormy Eclipse’s run in the Kings Cup, despite him running on for third, as the conditions made it difficult coming from off the pace due to the water being kicked up.

Ice Machine was unlucky in the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein last time out when a slow pace saw him flying from last place to finish a close up third. Laird thought it was a fine performance and said, “If the race was over 1402m everybody would have said it was a great run.”

Ice Machine put up a fine gallop coming up the bottom sand track at Summerveld yesterday (Monday) and is on track for the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m on Classic Day at Turffontein, April 2.

Philanthropist colt Good To Give ran on in eyecatching style on Sunday to win on debut in a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m under Anton Marcus.

He displayed a fine turn of foot and Laird really likes the Philanthropists, of which he has three. “He is a proper sire,” he said. Philanthropist was a middle distance horse, while Good To Give is a half-sister to Sweet Sanette, who finished third in the Gr 1 King’s Stand Stakes over five furlongs at Royal Ascot, so the young colt has some speed too. Laird believes Good To Give will get 1600m so has a nice quandary to be in, whether to run him in the CTS $US500,000 1200m race at Kenilworth next January or the CTS $US500,000 1600m race. Good To Give is sure to be a player in the South African Champions Season Gr 1 races before that.

Laird was very pleased with the performance of Viva La Var on Friday night. He led until close home in a MR 102 1000m handicap, a race run in dry conditions before the deluge, and was only overtaken by a good sort in Captain Alfredo. That was his first outing since last October at Turffontein and he is now going to be targeted at the innovative R100,000 Easter Dash at Scottsville on March 27. This year is to be run over only 500m, so Viva La Var’s early speed will give him a big shout.

Laird said the promising three-year-old Main Submission had benefitted tremendously from an enforced layoff. The Oracy colt was injured in the float on the way back from the R2,5 million CTS Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup over 1400m on October 31, where he ran a decent sixth. He will be at the races soon and will later likely line up in the Canon Guineas too.

By David Thiselton

Feature image: Exit Here (Nkosi Hlophe)

Apprentice Lyle Hewitson, who rode 23 winners as a workrider, expects to have his first winner in the professional ranks at Fairview on Friday.

Fittingly it will be on a horse his father Carl owns a share in and also helps condition, being assistant trainer to Yvette Bremner.

Hewitson rides the Bremner-trained Blizzard Belle in a Conditions Plate for fillies and mares over 1000m.

The Western Winter mare has won her last five on the trot. She is second best in at the weights on Friday off her 99 merit rating.

However, Hewitson’s 4kg claim will alleviate some of the 7kg she is under sufferance with the best weighted horse in the race, stablemate Love To Sail.

The latter is a classy sort, who has her first run since being sent to Port Elizabeth from the Mike de Kock yard.

Love To Sail would prefer a touch further, but hasn’t run since last November, so could do well in this sprint.

Hewitson needs five qualifying rides down the straight before being allowed to race around the turn.

However, he is only allowed a maximum of two qualifying rides per racemeeting, even if he has more rides on the day. He has three qualifying rides under the belt to date.

Hewitson has had eight rides in the professional ranks to date for one third place and one fourth.

He compared it to riding in workrider races, “It is a lot tighter and there isn’t just one pace, there are changes of pace throughout the race.”

However, he added the communication between riders was a lot better, which obviously made the safety factor better.

He concluded, “It is just a lot more professional.”

By David Thiselton

Durbanville’s ridge and furrow, one of the main reasons for the Cape Town course failing to attract enough runners, is to be eliminated as part of the grand design for the racecourse and the Milnerton training centre.

Kenilworth Racing director Hassen Adams announced in November that a synthetic track would be installed alongside the grass one. He hoped then to have the work done by the end of this month but it has taken longer than planned to put all the necessary arrangements (including finance) in place.

Adams, the prime mover behind the project, is emphatic that it will all go ahead and will be accompanied by the replacement of the turf course.

He said: “Durbanville was originally established as an amateur racecourse used only during the winter months and so the corrugations didn’t much matter.

“The trainers still want to retain a grass track there and so what I would like to do is rip up the existing surface and take out the ridge and furrow.

“That won’t be expensive but putting in a polytrack will be. However I want to get an extension of the boundaries so we can have both grass and polytrack.

“I regard it as my job to make quite sure that we get the best out of Durbanville and it looks as if I will get the Milnerton development through quite quickly. That will give us enough money to be able to do all this.

“I have already secured the necessary environmental approval to make the Milnerton training track a circular one and, when that is done, we will have three tracks alongside one another – grass, polytrack and sand.”

The existing training track is less than five furlongs and riders have to start thinking about pulling up when they have only gone three and a half. As a result trainers have to use a race to get their horses fully fit. The new one will be around ten furlongs in circumference.

By Michael Clower