Charles Laird will send a string of five horses to the big meeting in Johannesburg this weekend and they include his Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile runner Bold Inspiration as well as sprinter Viva La Var and Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup contenders Main Submission, Top Form and Dance On Air.

Bold Inspiration has sensitive feet, so Laird runs him in special shoes that have a rubber cushion between the feet and the alumite base. However, the Summerveld trainer is still hoping for some rain to ease the current hard going in the Highveld, which has been suffering from a dry spell. There is about 29mm forecast this week in Johannesburg, 20mm of it at 60% probability and 9mm of it at 30% probability, so there is hope for at least some cut in the ground.

Main Submission (Nkosi Hlophe)

The five-year-old Horse Chestnut gelding Bold Inspiration began his career with Weiho Marwing and won two of four starts for him before being bought into Laird’s yard by Alesh Naidoo.

He won his first start for Laird over 1600m at Clairwood in comfortable fashion and followed up by winning twice in succession easily on the Greyville poly between 1800m and 2000m, before winning the Listed Michaelmas Handicap over 1900m on turf with topweight. He then failed in last year’s Sansui Summer Cup, but not surprisingly as he was asked to do it from the front over 2000m having travelled up to altitude.

This will be his second trip to altitude, but it is over a shorter trip of 1600m. On the other hand he will be running off a 105 merit rating as opposed to the 100 he ran off in the Summer Cup.  This was courtesy of an easy victory over 1600m on the Greyville poly last time out with topweight in a handicap.

Anton Marcus will not be able to ride him on Saturday as he is aboard Whiteline Fever for the owner who retains him, Markus Jooste. However, replacement Andrew Fortune is capable of doing a fine job too, although he won’t have an easy task overcoming a wide draw of 14, although he will come into draw eleven if the three reserve runners are scratched.

Dance On Air (Nkosi Hlophe)

In the R2,5 million Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup, Laird will also not be able to use Marcus as the latter is booked to ride the likely hot-pot favourite, the Mike Azzie-trained Jooste-owned Gr 1-winner Rabada.

Laird felt that all three of his contenders were running for place cheques due to Rabada’s presence.

Main Submission is officially the highest rated of them, but Laird was loathe to separate the trio as he said the other two, Dance On Air and Top Form, had still been learning in their races.

Main Submission, a three-year-old colt by Oracy, has always been rated by Laird as one who would keep on improving through this season. He has shown just that by winning both of his starts this term, over 1200m and 1400m respectively, and both of them were in handicaps against older horses. Anthony Delpech now gets the ride on the 97 merit-rated horse and as things stand he will have to jump from draw eight of 12 runners.

Dance On Air is an impressively strong 86 merit-rated Kahal gelding, who proved his liking for the 1400m trip last time when winning comfortably on the Greyville poly in second time blinkers. Piere Strydom takes the ride on Saturday from draw seven.

Top Form is a classy colt by Kahal who ran off an 86 in his first handicap last time out. That rating was due to a facile 4,5 length victory over 1200m on debut, which was followed by an unplaced run in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m. He did well to finish third to older horses over 1400m on the poly in his handicap debut as it was his seasonal reappearance and his first outing in blinkers. In fact it earned him a two point merit rating increase to 88. He unfortunately has to jump from draw eleven of 12 on Saturday, but he has a good big race jockey in Raymond Danielson aboard.

Top Form (Nkosi Hlophe)

Laird has won the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup twice, both times with fillies, and that included an amazing victory by Rich Girl last year from a wide draw under Marcus. Last year’s R3,85 million race is still the most expensive race to have been run in South African history.

The speedy five-year-old Var gelding Viva La Var, who has only had seven outings to date, has come back successfully from a knee chip issue to run two fine races over 1000m on the poly. The form now looks good as he was second on both occasions to Barbosa, who has transformed into a really good sprinter this year. The tall speedster has a low draw of four in Saturday’s Golden Loom Handicap over 1000m, which had cut down to 13 runners by the time of going to press, and he carries a nice galloping weight of 53kg , although a jockey is yet to be booked.

Laird said all of his runners were very well and would be travelling up on Friday night and arriving on the morning of the race.

By David Thiselton

Vaughan Marshall is considering a tilt at the Selangor Cup on November 21 with Victorious Jay whose form was given a big boost by Eighth Wonder’s Magnum Cape Classic win last Saturday.

The Milnerton trainer said: “I am going to prep him for the Selangor but he has to draw well to run. I think he is a lot better than he has been given credit for.”

Victorious Jay has won three of his last four starts, most recently beating Eighth Wonder (who was conceding 1.5kg) by three-quarters of a length in a 1 400m handicap in fast time at Durbanville. Marshall has the CTS Million Dollar on January 23 as his long term target for the Jay Peg colt.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Vaughan Marshall

Garth Puller has a good regard for his four-year-old Fort Beluga gelding Sea Urchin, who won impressively at Greyville’s PinkDrive meeting on Friday night under Anthony Delpech. Sea Urchin is not the only Fort Beluga to have done well under Puller’s care and it is not surprising the former jockey great has a few of the ill-fated stallion’s progeny in his Summerveld yard as he rated this Sean Tarry-trained son of Fort Wood very highly after winning on him in his first two career starts.

Sea Urchin started his career as a four-year-old due to a joint chip. On his debut over 1000m on the Greyville poly on August 23, he was backed in from 25/1 to 10/1. However, he lost two lengths at the start and was detached at the back of the field when turning for home, before running on fluently and overtaking all but the easy winner, the promising Swakopmund. In his next start on October 11 over 1000m at Scottsville he started even money after being backed in from 4/1 but, after hitting the gate and losing two lengths, he was once again outpaced before flying home for a 1,15 length third to Bagger Vance.

Sea Urchin (Nkosi Hlophe)

On Friday night at Greyville over 1000m on the poly, his third career start, Sea Urchin was backed in from 5/10 to 1/3 and broke well for a change from pole position, which allowed him to find a midfield position under Anthony Delpech. He then got better and better the longer the race went and strolled home a comfortable winner.

Puller admitted Sea Urchin had not beaten a strong field and the handicappers have duly merit rated him only 68. However, he confirmed the horse was looking for further, so this gelding is definitely one to follow until beaten because he strikes as a horse, who from this handicapping starting point, could run up a sequence of victories.

Other of Fort Beluga’s progeny Puller trains include the three-time winners Fortissimo and Call Me Maybe, as well as one-time winner King’s Affair and the twice-placed from just three starts, Enchanted Bay.

Current national champion trainer Tarry for a long time rated the luckless Fort Beluga the best horse he had ever trained.

Puller rode him in his first two career starts, both at Clairwood, and immediately rated him a horse with multiple Gr 1 potential after victories of six lengths and 2,5 length victories respectively over 1200m and 1450m.

Fort Beluga won his first four starts but then calamity struck. Starting 18/10 favourite in the 2006 Gr 1 BSA Cape Guineas, an upset in the stalls prior to the race saw him finishing unplaced 30 lengths back and the experience had a negative influence on his subsequent racing career. He still managed to achieve another two wins so ended a six-time winner over distances of 1200m – 1600m. He never earned black type, despite attaining a highest merit rating of 105, but at least looked to have a promising stud career ahead of him as he had a fair female line with his dam by Northern Guest having also produced Gr 2 eight-time winner Hundred Acre Wood and stakes-placed Joshua Tree and Magnolia Lane, all of whom were also by Fort Wood. Alas, Fort Beluga had only covered for one season at Bruce le Roux’s Spring Valley Stud when he was struck by lightning, so was fated to only ever produce one crop.

By David Thiselton

National champion trainer Sean Tarry’s first ever raid of Port Elizabeth turned into a magnificent success as he finished one-two in Fairview’s biggest race, the Gr 3 Algoa Cup over 2000m, with the four-year-old Seventh Rock colt Stonehenge and the five-year-old Jay Peg gelding Orchestrated.
Julius Mariba rode a fantastic race on Stonehenge, who led from start to finish.
Mariba sent his mount to the front from a wide draw when adjudging there was not much pace on and dictated the gallop in the windy conditions. He remained patient after turning for home, waiting until the challenges were coming thick and fast before asking Stonehenge the question. The colt kept on finding to keep the like of Krambambuli, Symbolik, Mountain Master, Gothic, Masterly and Current Event at bay. Orchestrated then flew late down the inside and only just failed to get to his less fancied stablemate, losing by a head. The Justin Snaith trio Masterly, Krambambuli and Current Event filled the next three places and were all within a length of the winner.
Stonehenge was actually officially 2kg under sufferance and started at odds of 8/1. Krambambuli started joint 7/2 favourite together with with the eventual seventh-placed Mountain Master.
Stonehenge was bred by Daytona Stud and is owned by the Seventh Rock Syndicate.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong the former South African-based Mauritian Karis Teetan rode a treble, including winning the Gr 2 $HK 4 million Premier Bowl over 1200m on the top class Able Friend.
– David Thiselton

Two horses displayed their Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup credentials over the weekend, the Mike de Kock-trained Dynasty colt Alghadeer at Greyville when winning the Listed Jonsson Workwear Michaelmas Handicap over 1900m on the Greyville polytrack under Antony Delpech, and the Joey Ramsden-trained St. Tropez on the Turffontein Inside track, whose magnificent turn of foot saw him cutting through a Pinnacle Stakes field over 1800m like a knife through butter under Andrew Fortune.

Greyville was awash with pink at Friday night’s PinkDrive meeting. The generosity of the sponsors of race 2 to 9 on the card (Klawervlei Stud, Sean Tarry Racing, Investec, Drakenstein Stud, Jonsson Workwear, Varsfontein Stud, Cape Thoroughbred Sales and Gold Circle) enabled Gold Circle’s Racing and Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins to present a cheque of R300 000 to PinkDrive, who work tirelessly in aid of the worthy cause of breast cancer awareness. Additional money was raised through an auction and donations and the big and appreciative crowd enjoyed a plethora of live entertainment laid on for the night.

In the Michaelmas the four-year-old Dynasty colt Alghadeer didn’t get the best of starts from the widest draw in the 12 horse field but Delpech persisted with the plan of going to the front and once he had got there, at about the 1400m mark, the horse settled well. However, his supporters would have been a tad concerned that too much use had been made of him as he had to come three wide around them on the turn. Meanwhile, the four-year-old Frank Robinson-trained Dynasty filly Olma, who was giving Alghadeer 3kg, had found the perfect position one wide in about fourth place, just behind the fancied Master James.

However, Alghadeer found a fantastic kick in the straight and then kept on resolutely, and Olma, despite running on well on the outside, never quite looked like getting to him. In the end she was beaten a length by her paternal half-sister in what was yet another triumphant result for the leading sire Dynasty. The Royal Rhumba came from last to finish third, just pipping the courageous seven-year-old gelding Penhaligon, who was having his third run after an eight month rest. Alghadeer, who was bred by the Gary Player Stud and is owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was steady in the betting throughout as 4/1 favourite, while Olma was backed in from 14/1 to 9/2 and Master James, who finished fifth, started 11/2.

Alghadeer (pictured) only ran off a merit rating of 92. However, Delpech rates him a good horse and reckoned he could win a Gr 2 or Gr 3. That does not say much for his Summer Cup hopes but the manner of the victory, in which he found extra after his early exertions, could see him in with a shout if he is able to sneak into the field with a light weight.

The other two most impressive winners on the card were the Garth Puller-trained four-year-old Fort Beluga gelding Sea Urchin and the Paul Lafferty-trained three-year-old Warm White Night gelding Apollo’s Gift.

Sea Urchin was having just his third career start in a 1000m Maiden. He broke well for the first time in his career and strolled to a comfortable victory under Delpech, which suggested he would prefer further. Being a four-year-old and therefore favourably weighted in this maiden according to the weight for age scale, he will not be given a high merit rating and could run up a sequence of victories.

Apollo’s Gift was having only his fifth career start in a MR 74 Handicap over 1000m and won effortlessly to give Delpech a meeting hattrick.

Craig Eudey and Alec Forbes got the meeting rolling when the improved Kildonan gelding Buster Brown powered to an easy victory in a 1400m Maiden in his 17^th career start at odds of 8/1. The Dennis Drier-trained 15/10 favourite Ricochet Flyer faded tamely to finish unplaced.

The Drier yard made amends in the second, another Maiden over 1400m, as the hard knocking four-year-old Ashaawes gelding First Sea Lord finally got it right in second time blinkers in his ninth career start to just get up under a strong ride from Sean Veale at odds of 3/1, beating the Doug Campbell-trained 18/10 favourite Shine Up by a head. The Charles Laird-trained first-timer by Visionaire, Stokvel, ran on well for third and is one to keep an eye on.

Wendy Whitehead’s fantastic recent run continued as the four-year-old Kahal filly Thanda, who started at 15/2, put the bad luck of her last start behind her and under a good ride by Forbes won the third race, a Maiden for fillies and mares over 1400m, after fighting off the Michael Roberts-trained Chinese Whisper. The favourite Queen Of Thrones almost fell to her knees at the jump and finished tailed off.

The fifth race might have seen a world first, because all the jockeys wore the same colour silks, pink. It didn’t stop the great commentator Craig Peters delivering a faultless call with the only the colour of the caps to go on. Doug Campbell kept his good form rolling in this race as the Overlord filly Overlap and jockey Keagan de Melo recorded a quick 1600m polytrack double, having won together over course and distance four weeks earlier. She started at odds of 6/1. However, she ended up Tote favourite after original favourite Let It Rip was scratched at the start.

In the seventh, a MR 82 Handicap over 1000m, the Robbie Hill-trained Tiger Ridge gelding Bengal Boy surged through late to give De Melo a meeting double and deny Campbell’s Fire The Rocket a course and distance double. However, the horse for the notebook is the Sean Tarry-trained Arabian National, who was unable to make use of his  blistering early pace after a tardy start and instead pulled for his head in behind horses. He still looked likely to win when running on well, but had no answer to the winner’s late charge and was just pipped for second.

In the ninth, a Maiden for fillies and mares over 1000m, the hard knocking Kumaran Naidoo-trained Querari filly Simla overcame an outside draw before powering clear and easily converting 16/10 favouritism under Ian Sturgeon.

At Turffontein on Saturday, the classy four-year-old Silvano gelding St. Tropez was having his first start since staying on for second under a bit of a weak ride in the Gr 3 tabGold 2200 on Vodacom Durban July day. He was always travelling well under Andrew Fortune in midfield and turned it on impressively in the straight before staying on resolutely to repel the persistent pacemaker Ahlaam. St. Tropez looks likely to love the 2000m course and distance of the Summer Cup and the long straight should suit his style.

Another impressive winner at Turffontein was the Mike de Kock-trained three-year-old Tiger Ridge gelding Noah From Goa, who overcame a wide draw in a MR 74 Handicap to win by 6,25 lengths,  giving Delpech his fourth winner on the weekend. This was Noah For Goa’s first start on turf and his only defeat in three starts to date has been in a Non-Black Type feature over the too sharp 1000m on the Vaal sand. Saturday’s win could earn him a place in this Saturday’s Gr 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m, although he is unfortunately drawn widest of all among the 27 horses still standing their ground.

– David Thiselton
– Picture: Alghadeer winning the Michaelmas Handicap at Greyville on Friday night (Nkosi Hlophe)