Futura (pictured), one of the few at yesterday’s J & B Met gallops asked to exert himself in anything like earnest, impressed when partnered by big race jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe.

Last year’s winner worked on his own at a good pace from halfway down the back straight and quickened up nicely in the last 300m.

Fayd’Herbe, bidding for his fourth Met win, said: “He had a workout and it was good one. I think he would have come on from his Queen’s Plate run and he will be ready for Saturday week.”

Craig du Plooy, who rides expected pacemaker Krambambuli,  deputised for Piere Strydom (in Dubai to ride Harry’s Son yesterday evening) on Legislate and was mightily impressed with the Durban July winner.

He said: “That was an outstanding gallop and the best he has ever been for me. They have got the horse at his best at the right time.”

Anton Marcus was aboard Legal Eagle when the Queen’s Plate winner went with last year’s runner-up Gold Onyx (S’Manga Khumalo). At least they hacked down to the six furlong marker together. Legal Eagle came back on his own, extending over the last 300m, and Gold Onyx followed about a furlong behind.

Sean Tarry said: “It was just going through the motions but it was exactly what Legal Eagle wanted and he seems to be moving well. I think Gold Onyx could again run into a place. He over-raced in the Queen’s Plate.”

Marcus added: “I don’t think you can read much into these gallops but I was happy with Legal Eagle.”

Smart Call (Met gallops) – Liesl King

So too was Corne Orffer with Captain America. The Horse Chestnut winner  did a solo spin at a workmanlike pace with his rider reporting: “That was a very good gallop and his wind is good.”

Most of the big names drew well, a notable exception being Master Sabina at 14, and the Sansui Summer Cup winner’s trainer Geoff Woodruff has had a double blow as Deo Juvente is unlikely to run after suffering a nasty cut on his left stifle.

Woodruff explained: “He went for a roll at Milnerton and buried in the sand was a piece of a broken glass bottle that cut into him.”

Master Sabina was ridden by Thomas van Rensburg in a spin over a mile. He wasn’t asked to do much – indeed he spent most of the time looking around at his new surroundings – despite quickening inside the final furlong.  Compere Neil Andrews was moved to comment: “He did as much as I do when I go to the gym!”

Smart Call, the only filly in the race, caught the eye when partnered by Marcus and convincingly drew away from As You Like (Orffer) in the final furlong with an understandably pleased Alec Laird remarking: “She was impressive.”

By Michael Clower
Pictures: Liesl King

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – FAIRVIEW
Fri Jan 22. Net Carryover R150 000
Race 4 @ 13h45
Estimated Pool: R700 000.

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – GREYVILLE
Fri Jan 22. Net Carryover R150 000
Race 3 @ 18h55
Estimated Pool: R1.1MILLION!

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – KENILWORTH
Sat Jan 23. Net Carryover R500 000
Race 4 @ 13h50
Estimated Pool: R2.5MILLION!

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – TURFFONTEIN
Sat Jan 23. Net Carryover R200 000
Race 4 @ 14h10
Estimated Pool: R1.3MILLION!

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – SCOTTSVILLE
Sun Jan 24. Net Carryover R300 000
Race 4 @ 14h10
Estimated Pool: R1.8MILLION!

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – FLAMINGO PARK
Mon Jan 25. Net Carryover R100 000
Race 4 @ 13h50
Estimated Pool: R675 000

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – FAIRVIEW
Tues Jan 26. Net Carryover R103 360
Race 3 @ 14h25
Estimated Pool: R700 000

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – TURFFONTEIN
Tues Jan 26. Net Carryover R200 000
Estimated Pool: R1.3MILLION!

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – GREYVILLE
Wed Jan 27. Net Carryover R200 000
Race 3 @ 14h20
Estimated Pool: R1.2MILLION!

PICK 6 MEGAPOOL – KENILWORTH
Sat Jan 30. Net Carryover R2.2MILLION
Race 4 @ 13h15
Estimated Pool: R8MILLION!

Charles Laird is bullish about Exit Here in Saturday’s CTS Million Dollar. The 6-1 chance is on a roll and has won his last five.

Laird said yesterday: “He arrived in Cape Town around 7.00pm last Saturday evening and he settled in well. I worked him on the racecourse on Tuesday morning because I wanted to show him a left-handed track and he went very well.”

Anthony Delpech takes over from Anton Marcus who has ridden the colt in all his five wins but has decided to stick with Seventh Plain – but apparently only after some deliberation.

Racing manager Derek Brugman said: “Anton gave it a lot of thought and seriously considered riding Exit Here.”

Cape Guineas runner-up Brazuca is 18-10 favourite for the Investec Cape Derby but there are stamina doubts – the colt’s dam is by a sprinter. However trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren does not share them.

He said: “There is no stamina in the pedigree and at one stage I thought he wouldn’t even get a mile but I now believe he will definitely stay the trip.”

Politician winner Black Arthur is 33-10 joint second favourite with Rabada but will be 5kg worse for just over two lengths. Justin Snaith believes his horse has enough improvement left in him to confirm the placings although on Saturday the colt will not come from some far back.

He said: “We don’t want to be doing that again and anyway Black Arthur has a good draw this time.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Exit Here (Nksoi Hlophe)

National Champion trainer Sean Tarry regarded his well-drawn Dynasty filly Swift Sarah as a “nice outsider” for the CTS Million Dollar at the Investec Day of Dreams meeting on Saturday and he also gives the higher merit rated but wider-drawn Right Approach colt Lunar Approach a shout.

Sean Tarry

Both horses arrived in Cape Town about ten days ago.

He said, “Swift Sarah has good gatespeed and is well drawn. In her only attempt at this 1400m trip she burst through the stalls and raced wide, everything went wrong, but on pedigree she should get the distance. She travelled exceptionally well and her work has been very good.”

Swift Sarah will jump from a plum draw of three with Cape Town-based jockey Grant Behr up.

Lunar Approach has won over 1600m before and was an impressive winner over 1400m at Turffontein last time out. The form of that last outing has been franked too. Tarry reckoned he could rise above his current merit rating of 96 and said, “I wouldn’t say he is a 110, but is close to 100. He has a shout but will need luck from the draw.”

If the four reserves come out, he will jump from draw ten in the 16 horse field and is to be ridden by S’Manga Khumalo.

Khumalo also rides the Tarry-trained Western Winter filly Bichette in the R1 million Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m and the Tarry-trained Dynasty colt Liege in the R1 million Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby over 2000m.

Tarry was still assessing whether Bichette had fully recovered from her 3,75 length eighth in the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes over 1200m last weekend. If she takes her place, she should stay the trip, having finished a close second to subsequent Paddock Stakes winner Smart Call in the Gr 2 Ipi Tombi Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein. However, she will need luck from a wide draw.

Tarry regards the 2000m Cape Derby trip as perfect for Liege. This scopey colt bounced back to finish third in the Gr 3 Cartier Politician Stakes over 1800m last time out, having had legitimate excuses in his first two Cape Town outings. However, he is another one who has a wide draw to overcome and Tarry admitted he faced a tough field.

By David Thiselton

The Gr 1 R1 million Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m at Saturday’s Investec day Of Dreams meeting looks to be at the mercy of the Duncan Howells-trained Same Jurisdiction, who is now drawn perfectly, having not had things go her way last time from a wide draw in the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over the less suitable trip of 1800m, which looks to only just be beyond her stamina range.

Inara (Liesl King)

A tongue tie was tried for the first time in the Paddock Stakes and the first hiccup was when  this came off down at the start and had to be refitted. The tongue tie has been dispensed with for the Majorca. The second hiccup in the Paddock Stakes occurred when she was shuffled outward on the turn, thereby losing the cover she had. She consequently over-raced for a couple of strides and this likely contributed to her relatively flat finishing run. It was still a good effort to finish fourth. She was reported to have returned with an overreach injury, but her part-owner and veterinarian Ralph Katzwinkel said it had just been a “scrape” and was unlikely to have affected her performance.

Katzwinkel is now very happy with her indeed from a veterinary perspective, describing her as “spot on”, and added by all accounts she had “come on” from her last start. She will jump from draw two over a much more suitable trip on Saturday, so will take a power of beating under the ever professional Anton Marcus.

The chief danger will be the Mike Bass-trained Inara, who failed by two lengths to defend her Paddock Stakes crown and will now attempt to defend her Majorca title under her trusted partner Grant van Niekerk. Last year she jumped from pole position and this year gets another good draw of six. She produced a magnificent late lunge last year to deny the top class Cold As Ice, who had a stamina doubt over the trip. Same Jurisdiction is going to be a tougher nut to crack, especially considering she slammed Inara by 3,25 lengths over 1400m in the build up to the Paddock Stakes, despite giving the latter 2kg. However, Inara’s form over the Kenilworth 1600m is exceptional, and as a Bass-trained horse is also sure to arrive in peak condition.

Same Jurisdiction (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Bass yard will also have the classy sprint-miler Lanner Falcon in the race and she is a dark horse from a plum draw of five under Bernard Fayd’Herbe. The five-year-old mare finished like a train to win the Gr 2 Diadem against the boys over 1200m last time out and has a Listed win and Gr 1 place over 1600m to her name.

Bass’ other  contender Tafferty Tart was third in the Cape Fillies Guineas but comes from a crop who appear to overall be below par, so this will be tougher.

An interesting contender will be the Glen Kotzen Double Whammy, who finished third in the Cape Fillies Guineas last season, which subsequently proved to be one of the best form races of the season. Kotzen said she would now be having her peak run and added the jockey had battled to pull her up last time over 1400m after she had run on well. He said she had not over raced in first time blinkers in that race, but she was obviously going to need a lot of luck on Saturday from her wide draw.

A fascinating contestant is the Andre Nel-trained Lohnromance, a classy and unbeaten five-year-old mare, who will only be having her third career start. She had a 15 month layoff between her debut over 1400m in September 2014 and her victory over 1200m last month, but Nel said her problems were now behind her. She is in the deep end but he said in her favour was she settles well and doesn’t need to be handy due to her fine turn of foot.

The Brett Crawford-trained Alexis won last season’s Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas in fine style. Due to her good gatespeed and early pace, she should be handy and has a good kick, but she will find it tough to keep Same Jurisdiction at bay, having been beaten 4,4 lengths by her in the GR 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over this trip.

Double Whammy (Liesl King)

National champion trainer Sean Tarry said the yard were still assessing whether Bichette had fully recovered from her 3,75 length eighth in the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes over 1200m last weekend. If she takes her place, she should stay the trip, having finished a close second to subsequent Paddock Stakes winner Smart Call in the Gr 2 Ipi Tombi Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein. However, she will need luck from a wide draw.

The Dennis Drier-trained Eventual Angel was rated one to watch for the summer by Sean Cormack before he was sidelined and she proved it with a good win over Alexis last time out over 1400m, when fighting back, which showed she would likely enjoy the 1600m trip. She is well drawn in three with Piere Strydom up.

Entisaar was a Gr 1-winner over 1200m as a two-year-old and ran the brilliant Silver Mountain to 1,5 lengths in the Gr 2 Choice Carriers Championship over 1400m, so is another dark horse, although she is drawn in ten and her useful dam was speedy so there could be a slight stamina doubt.

Of the rest Fear Not has proved herself a progressive sort who can mix it with the best and, being by the excellent sire Ideal World, should have more to come. She has a fine turn of foot and can’t be ignored with Weichong Marwing up, despite a tricky draw of nine.

By David Thiselton