Captain America will have his first race since finishing third in the J & B Met in a pinnacle at Turffontein on Saturday as he bids to repeat last year’s HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut win.

Brett Crawford said: “He is with the Mike de Kock yard in Jo’burg at the moment and goes in a 1 450m race on Saturday before running in the Horse Chestnut on April 2.”

Captain America (Liesl King)

Crawford travelled to Melbourne to buy one horse at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for the second successive year. Twelve months ago he bought the AUS$ 560 000 sale-topper for Ridgemont Stud and this time he picked up a Fastnet Rock filly out of a full sister to Holy Roman Emperor for AUS$ 300 000 for the same operation.

De Kock, Joey Ramsden, Johan Janse van Vuuren, Candice Robinson and Derek Brugman were also in action. Ramsden will train two of the three Brugman purchased on behalf of Markus Jooste and Mrs Robinson the third. She bought two others and was also acting for Marsh Shirtliff, Bryn Ressell, James Drew and Mike Fullard.

Jooste, for whom Brugman also bought two to stay in Australia, was among the sellers as well and sold four by the 2012 Golden Horse winner Delago Deluxe who was bred in Australia and stands at the Newhaven Park Stud in New South Wales.

Brugman said: “Delago Deluxe has been very well received in Australia and his yearlings are selling fantastically well.”

Jooste, the leading owner in South Africa for each of the last eight seasons, is now part-owner of a significant number of horses with the great Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien at Ballydoyle, one of the most impressive and most successful training establishments in the world.

By Michael Clower

Sublime Lady is to try feature company again despite drifting the width of the course after Grant van Niekerk sent her to the front two furlongs from home in the mile handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Candice Robinson said: “In the Victress she was almost put over the fence and in the Jamaica last time she was caught three wide. We will keep her here in the winter and have a go at one of the smaller fillies features.”

Mike Bass was on course but his hopes of initiating a double with Whose That Girl in the juvenile fillies were dashed when the 5-10 hotpot trailed in seventh behind Aldo Domeyer on the Darryll Hodgson-trained Chill Baby Chill. “Maybe she was feeling her shins,” reported a disappointed Van Niekerk. “That wasn’t her run at all.”

Grant Van Niekerk (Nkosi Hlophe)

Punters were already reeling from Gray Frost in the first. The Brett Crawford newcomer was backed from 14-1 to 4-1 but finished with only one behind him, 14 lengths off the Joey Ramsden odds-on Attenborough under Donovan Dillon.

Crawford said: “He is a nice horse and, while I wouldn’t say I expected him to trot up, I thought he would finish in the first four. Maybe something will show up.”

Followers of the stable had compensation when Crawford and Corne Orffer fired off a quick-fire treble with Tide Is Turning, Silver Snaffles and Mr Bond who all started favourite.

Crawford commented, straight-faced: “For two and a half years I’ve been telling Corne that when he wants to go he must first count to ten and then go. At last he he’s got it – up until now I think he was only counting to five!”

The first and third of the stable’s winners were led in by Mark and Louise Currie who were in Cape Town to take part in the Cape Cycle Tour. The Investec executive said that it was ten years since he had last ridden in the famous cycle race so he would probably be in need of the run!

But the Philippi partnership suffered another reverse when odds-on Juba never got into it behind the Paul Reeves 20-1 shot Fifty Other Shades in the 1 000m maiden. The stipes ordered a veterinary report but nothing showed up. However Orffer reported: “She got a bit above herself and became very sweaty.”

The winner was the second Gareth Wright had ridden from his last seven mounts and he is optimistic that this change of fortune will enable him to leave behind a freak and unwelcome spell on the sidelines.

He said: “Unknown to me I fractured a finger, I think when I was holding a horse, and a fortnight later it started to hurt. When I had it looked at, the doctor told me that it was an old injury that had broken again and I had to stay off for six weeks.”

The 16-runner finale turned into one of starter Fred Brosman’s nightmares with one horse (Mr Piscato) breaking through the pens and galloping back to the stables. Then, when the other 15 were reloaded, Mini Loushe also burst out. The increasingly fractious field was eventually off nine minutes late.

But for those who backed Mega Secret from 5-1 to 28-10 the agony came at the business end with Craig du Plooy inflicting a last gasp defeat on Captain Splendid.

Chris Snaith, though, was impressed, saying: “Craig does all the work but rarely gets a good ride. When he does he produces the goods.”

By Michael Clower

KZN has a double header this weekend with eight races on the Greyville polytrack tonight and eight more at Scottsville on Sunday.

The latter meeting has attracted some good horses and should provide purists with a feast of action.

In the first on Sunday Mike de Kock brings out the Argentinian-bred filly Ebtihaal for her second career start. She looked to be full of class on debut over this 1000m course and distance. She was slow away but made up the ground quickly and then still managed to kick away from the field in impressive style despite soft underfoot conditions. The Allan Robertson could be beckoning. She has to give weight to the rest of the field, who are all first-timers, but it will take a good one to peg her back. The Australian-bred Mygirldownunder by Gr 1 Prix Morny winner Myboycharlie is an interesting contender.

The second is competitive, but Bold Approach makes a lot of appeal coming back down to 1000m. Her last win, over 1200m, was off an 81 merit rating and before that she beat the useful Sarve over 1000m off a 77 merit rating. She has come down the ratings quickly to a 66 and with her natural pace from a good draw should go close. Kingsview loves this course and distance and has a shout with a 2,5 claimer up. Easy debut winner Cosmic Burst could still be anything and her mere 72 merit rating gives her the chance to progress through the ranks if she proves good enough.

In the third over 1200m an exciting sprinting sort in Natal is the one to beat. The turn of foot he showed over1000m last time was effortless but devastating and he should enjoy the step up in trip. He is best in at the weights. Captain Chaos, the facile Gr 3 Cape Nursery winner, makes his debut for the Mark Dixon yard. Dixon said the run might come just one week too soon. However, Cape form can never be sneezed at and he has to be considered.

In the fourth over 1200m the Highveld raider Joan Ranger looks the one to beat. She has shown plenty of speed over 1450m against good horses, so the step back to this trip might be what she is looking for despite her pedigree. She has a nice stride and Delpech rides from a plum draw. She is also officially the best in at the weights.  The older Shezaleader loves this course and distance and has not been disgraced against some good sorts recently, so will be a threat. Elusiveenchantment looked a smart sort when winning her maiden and is another big runner.

In the fifth over 1950m, All Together Now relaxed beautifully in the running before turning it on nicely in the straight when winning comfortably over 1600m last time out. He should love the step up in trip on both pedigree and running style and looks to have a touch of class.

In the sixth over 1600m the exciting Mater Familias reappears after impressing with an easy maiden win second time out on the poly. She could be anything and is a banker possibility. However, beyond her the race is very open and the whole field would probably have to be included.

The seventh is a maiden over 1400m and is much more open than it appears to be at first sight. Lateral Dancer looks to have the most scope for improvement among this weak bunch and is tipped, but all of Hanji, Destined For Dawn, Reactive, Nutcracker, Powder Keg and Stormatic could be considered.

The eight is a competitive fillies and mares handicap over 1400m and it would be wise to go wide in the exotics, although the one who makes most appeal is Black Cashmere.  She looks likely to appreciate the step down in trip, as one who has over raced over further, and she looks to have some scope too. Furthermore, she jumps from a good draw off a merit rating which has been dropped ten points since her handicap debut.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Ebtihaal (Nkosi Hlophe)

Mega Secret, one of the few maidens to run in the Investec Cape Derby in the last decade, could be worth waiting for in the last race at Kenilworth tomorrow.

The Paddy Kruyer-trained gelding  ran two good races over this mile before finishing 11^th of 15 behind It’s My Turn and Brazuca. He was beaten less than eight lengths and only the badly drawn, six-month absent Imperial Dancer is rated his superior in the Patronage Maiden.

“I think he got the 2 000m that day although he just rolled on a bit at the finish,” says Kruyer. “His best distance will probably be 1 800m but he is in good shape for this.”

Grant Behr’s mount opened at 4-1 with World Sports Betting yesterday and he has 15 up against him with Imperial Dancer (11-2) rated the biggest danger.

The first four races have an ominously straightforward look about them – usually a sign that upsets can be expected – but 14-10 favourite Attenborough stands out in the opening maiden juvenile and should certainly be able to confirm the placings with Rand Hedge (7-2) and Studiolo (14-1) as he lost valuable ground at the start on debut.

Barak Lavan showed promise first time and another to bear in mind is Rasta Rebel, who although last in the Listed race on Met day, met with some interference just inside the final furlong.

Mike Bass, with four winners, is only two behind Justin Snaith in this season’s Cape Town two-year-old log and he can add to his score in the Play The Bipot Maiden Juvenile with Whose That Girl (2-1) who finished eye-catchingly strongly when only just beaten by stable companion Wake Up Maggie on debut three weeks ago.

Ubiquitous Star and Baseema look held on that run but it’s worth noting that there is a line of form that puts 7-2 chance Colorado Rose (fourth to top-notch Cloth Of Cloud) in front of the Bass hope.

Brett Crawford’s luck deserted him at Durbanville last Saturday but his Juba (8-10) looks nailed on for the Place Your Bets Maiden (race three) after taking third to Leisure Trip last month despite losing five lengths at the start.

You might think that Helen’s Bay, the only non three-year-old in the race, has lost her chance of winning at the age of five (this is her 11^th attempt) but the year younger Ravishing Lad won at the 23^rd time of asking last month and Exclusive Knight (five) at the 36^th. Helen’s Bay (6-1 here) showed significant improvement last time and Mike Robinson says that was because he dropped her back to this 1 000m.

Crawford and Corne Orffer can double up with 2-1 favourite Tide Is Turning in the Quinte Plus Maiden 35 minutes later when Oli Miranda looks the one for the forecast.

By Michael Clower

Paddy Kruyer has ambitious plans for his Cape Fillies Guineas fourth Anglet who was badly jarred after running on odd shoes in the World Sports Betting-sponsored classic.

Kruyer said yesterday: “I am getting her ready for the season and I will be taking her to Durban a bit later on when she will have a go at the Garden Province on Vodacom Durban July day.”

The Biarritz filly won her last three starts as a juvenile including the Irridescence and beat all except shock winner Budapest in the R2.5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run.

She was doubly unlucky in the Fillies Guineas. She wore special front shoes but lost one on the way to the start and the racecourse farrier had to fit an ordinary racing plate as he did not have one to match. Then Raymond Danielson was forced to snatch her up to avoid the fallen Gareth Wright.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Patrick Kruyer (SAHorseracing.com)