The Frank Robinson-trained Dynasty filly Olma proved herself the best polytrack horse in the country by winning the Gr 3 Kings Cup over 1600m on Friday night at Greyville in comfortable style under Ian Sturgeon, despite carrying 58kg under handicap conditions against the boys off a merit rating of 101.

Ian Sturgeon (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, she is just as good on turf and Robinson is now targeting the Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein on April 16.

The Kings Cup was run in the rain and took place shortly after a torrential downpour.

The going on the all weather surface for the last three races was described as “rain affected” but most horses didn’t seem phased.

Sturgeon said he knew virtually from the off it would take a good one to beat the small Dynasty filly as she was “moving so sweetly”.

She came from the box seat on the rail and used her exceptional turn of foot followed by her resolute finish to overtake the brave Alyson Wright-trained pace maker Mumsy’s Jet and win by 2,75 lengths.

The Charles Laird-trained Stormy Eclipse stayed on strongly and was just a short-head further back in third.

The Tote favourite Exit Here was asked to do quite a lot early to find a handy position from a draw of eight and found nothing in the straight, finishing last.

Robinson said the race provided further evidence Olma was improving all the time.  The mile seems to be her best trip too.

Robinson and Sturgeon also combined to win the first race over 1200m with the impressive Horse Chestnut three-year-old gelding Bahamas Woodstar, who ran on powerfully from last to win easily. He had been unlucky on debut last October when hampered, which also caused him to pull up sore. Robinson, because he rates this horse so highly, decided to allow him the time to recover fully, and is not going to rush him into anything too soon.

Olma (Nkosi Hlophe)

Later the up and coming Dean Kannemeyer-trained sprinter Captain Alfredo announced his South African Champions Season pretensions with a fine win in a MR 102 handicap over 1000m, wearing down the useful Viva La Var. The Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint is likely to be on his agenda.

Kannemeyer’s Real Princess didn’t enjoy the slow pace of a Conditions Plate over 1400m, where she was 5kg well in, and couldn’t catch Weiho Marwing’s Auatralian-bred filly Sensible Lover. The latter has always been well regarded and is coming into her own.

Dennis Drier added a double to his four-timer the previous Wednesday. Stable jockey Sean Veale rode four of these six winners.

By David Thiselton

Octogenarian Ormond Ferraris is the doyen of South African trainers. Never has he had more than 60 horses in his string yet he has a consistently good strike rate and notched the 2500^th winner of his illustrious career when Romany Prince staked his claim for the Gr1 SA Classic in the Drum Star Handicap at Turffontein yesterday.

With Anthony Delpech injured, Muzi Yeni  did the honours on the only three year old in the race. “The horses in front folded quickly so I just waited until the 200m mark before asking the question,” said Yeni. But by then Romany Prince had built up a winning lead and although Judicial finished with a rattle the race was over a long way out.

Earlier Silver Scooter took Ferraris’s career winning tally to 2499 when outpointing his field in a Pinnacle Stakes event.  Captain America was expected to open his Highveld account before defending his crown in the Gr1 WFA HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes but it started as it did last year – in defeat. Brett Crawford’s runner opened 6-10 on course but the writing was on the wall as he proved friendless and eventually jumped easy to back at 11-10.

Captain America was given every chance by Met winning jockey JP van der Merwe but he was misfiring a long way out and did well to finish third as apprentice Callan Murray eased Silver Scooter through off the false rail to win going away.

If not a record, then it must be pretty close to one. Sean Tarry’s winning streak with two-year-old fillies continued as Touching landed the odds in the second taking Tarry’s unbeaten total to seven. Touching, a daughter of Maine Chance Farms-based Querari and a half-sister to the smart Tellina, made short work of the opposition winning by over two lengths.

By Andrew Harrison

Richard Fourie will be the focus of much attention at Kenilworth tomorrow when he has his first rides since saying goodbye to Sha Tin and Happy Valley.

Jockeys stepping out of Hong Kong’s steamingly competitive cauldron tend to ride in inspired form – who can forget Karis Teetan’s seven winners from 21 mostly-unfancied mounts in August 2014? – while Fourie himself landed a double on his first day back 12 months earlier.

He will be in action in all eight races with four mounts for his old boss Justin Snaith and four for Adam Marcus with whose father he spent much of his apprenticeship.

Richard Fourie (Nkosi Hlophe)

Snaith reckons Daring Dave in the OFYT Pinnacle has the best chance of his quartet but says: “This horse’s problem is that he has been left eight lengths in his last two starts but he will be a huge runner if he jumps.

“Alpha Girl (race one) will be better over this five furlongs and she should be in the money. Newcomer Le Harve (an R850 000 Var full brother to Golden Horse Casino winner Normanz) is a nice colt but it’s an extremely strong race and he would have to be very good to win. I am just looking for a good run from Nordic Wind (race five) which I think she will give and she could surprise.”

Marcus rates Gyre (race four) the pick of his Fourie rides, adding: “He has improved a lot and ran on well last time after coming from off the pace. Valerio (race six) runs over 1 000m for the first time and I’m excited to see how he goes. His main issue has been pulling quite hard and he ran a cracker when we brought him back to 1 200m.

“Golden Pass (race three) has to improve but we are going to switch her off and get her to run on while Come On Inn (race eight) is progressively getting better and should be in with a shout if she can continue that progression.”

Alpha Girl has mostly newcomers to contend with in the Birchwood Hotel Maiden but two of Mike Bass’s four juvenile winners this term have been first timers and his Live Life (a R2.5 million Trippi half-sister to Cold As Ice) gets the vote.

Dancer’s experience should prove decisive in the Wallace Trust Maiden and his form has been franked by stable companion Attenborough’s win last Saturday. In addition to Le Harve, newcomers to note include Moonrise Sensation who cost a whopping R4 million and Bass’s Caballo Blanco (a R360 000 Ready To Run purchase).

Peonie Rock made an eye-catching Durbanville debut and could be the one in the Boland Promotions Maiden while Gyre should score for Fourie 35 minutes later. Line Break, like Daring Dave, was unlucky in the Cape Flying and the 3kg he receives can swing things his way in the Pinnacle.

By Michael Clower

The weekend sees a feast of action around the country and the quality meetings at Greyville tonight and at Turffontein tomorrow both include feature events.

Exit Here (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Gr 3 Kings Cup over 1600m is to be run on the poly tonight and this looks to be a good programming change as it is could easily be called the Greyville Poly Championships.

It is an intriguing race, but the class of Exit Here could settle the arguments and he is tipped to beat Olma, Stormy Eclipse, In Other Words and It Is Written, although Marchant and Uncle Tommy are a pair who niggle at the back of the mind as upset material.

Dean Kannemeyer could have yet another good night on the poly. Cape Town horses often arrive in KZN attractively handicapped because the superior class of horse in the Mother City tends to suppress their merit ratings. The talented Kannemeyer-trained sprinter Captain Al Fredo could be such a horse. He has some big fish to fry during the South African Champions Season, so off just a 98 merit rating he could start off on a winning note tonight in the second race, a MR 102 Handicap over 1000m.

Kannemeyer’s classy filly Real Princess is weighted to romp home in the fourth race as she is 4,5kg better off with any other horse according to official merit ratings. Furthermore, she has won over the 1400m course and distance before. She has been reported to have made breathing noises but Kannemeyer was annoyed to learn this and said, “What I see as breathing noises and what they label as breathing noises are two completely different things.”

Olma (Nkosi Hlophe)

One of the most interesting runners on the night could be the Gavin van Zyl-trained Chesa in the fifth, a MR 70 Handicap over 2000m. It has for a long time been a practice among punters to regard horses coming off their maiden wins with caution. However, the KZN handicappers definitely seem to be treating maiden winners more leniently these days and cases in point have been seen in the last week through Roy’s Twilight and Desert Fighter, who both won their first handicaps starts. Chesa has been merit rated only 61, but three horses have come out of his maiden win over 2000m and won and another two have come out and finished second. A tongue tie has made all the difference to him and being by Ideal World he is also improving all the time. He has been putting up good work at home and could beat home the like of Selvan’s Jet, from whom he gets 2,5kg.

Variable Pitch should win the first tonight.

The well-bred Gypsy Pirate could fight out the third with the hard-knocking Coastal Spell and the likely improver Enticer.

The seventh is a boat race and Wealthy is fancied to just touch off Koncealed.

The last could see the in form Dennis Drier yard notching up another winner through Delirious Nomad.

On the Turffontein Inside track tomorrow the Listed Drum Star Handicap over 1800m is the headliner and this is always a difficult race to call as some use it as a preparation event. The smashing looking individual Romany Prince might be using the race as a stepping stone to the Gr 1 SA Classic over 1800m, but having run on quite well from last in the Gauteng Guineas after being dropped out from a wide draw, he could win this from pole position under Jockey’s Championship contender Anthony Delpech.

Real Princess (Nkosi Hlophe)

Diesel Jet is an effective frontrunner so could be dangerous on this tight course from a fair draw of six. Judicial’s sustained finishing run from off the pace makes him more suited to the Standside course but his class could pull him into the first three. Master Switch set the pace last time in a handicap over 2000m and destroyed them by 4,5 lengths so could be running off capped merit rating, having been given the maximum eight point raise. He won’t be allowed an easy lead here but is still one to consider. Easy Lover has a good turn of foot from off the pace on his day and should be cherry-ripe, so can’t be ignored. Shea Devon could bounce back over a course and distance he enjoys and Dante’s Legacy should be considered for exotics too.

In the second race the Querari filly Touching, who is a half-sister to the multiple Gr 1-placed Tellina, will attempt to make it seven wins out of seven Juvenile Fillies races contested this season by national champion trainer Sean Tarry. If this amazing streak continues the pundits will be searching through the archives to see if any records have been broken.

By David Thiselton

Greyville’s night meeting tomorrow features the Gr 3 Kings Cup over 1600m and this shapes as a polytrack championship, so is going to be full of intrigue.

Exit Here (Nkosi Hlophe)

Charles Laird sent Exit Here over trips shorter than the mile due only to the big money pull of the CTS Million Dollar, because he is crying out for further and the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 will be his main target. However, he showed by running fifth in the Million Dollar, despite a slower pace than expected, the mile is well within his compass. His run of five successive wins before that included four on the poly and he is the one to beat.

Olma also loves the poly. She was weighted to win the Gr 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m on the turf last time and did it effortlessly. She could have more to come now her probable best trip has been found.

Stormy Eclipse has won four out of his five races over the course and distance and jumps from draw two. He should be cherry ripe and carries Anton Marcus’s riding weight of 55kg, so won’t have to lug any deadweight. He could be a threat.

The filly In Other Words is another danger as she is unbeaten in five starts on the poly, so it is unknown what her limit is. She looks distance suited and is drawn in pole.

It Is Written is by Dynasty, like Olma and Stormy Eclipse, and has already proven his liking for the poly. He is 1kg worse off with Stormy Eclipse for the 1,25 length beating he gave him in the GR 3 Christmas Handicap over this trip on the Greyville turf, so they should finish on top of each other on paper. However, his wide draw of eleven makes it tough.

Way Of Light (Nkosi Hlophe)

Uncle Tommy is down to a competitive merit rating and will be a big runner too.

Marchant is one to be concerned about as his form in the stronger centre of Cape Town is decent and he could be well handicapped, particularly considering he sneaks into the handicap with the minimum weight.

Way Of Light has won three out of five on the poly and won his only start over this course and distance comfortably, so is another one who can’t be discounted.

No Worries has become disappointing but his merit rating has consequently dropped. He makes his poly debut but he usually needs his comeback outing.

Silver Spring has many issues but has a big heart, although things will likely need to go his way.

Mumsy’s Jet is also a courageous sort and he has snuck in with the minimum weight, so can’t be ignored.

The selection is Exit Here to beat Olma with Stormy Eclipse, In Other Words and It Is Written next best. However, Uncle Tommy and Marchant niggle as a pair who could upset the applecart, so should be considered for exotics.

By David Thiselton