Brett Crawford and Eric Sands are to have a conference call with Phumelela racing executive Clyde Basel early this week about how to respond to the demand for more runners at Cape Town meetings.

Cape trainers’ committee member Crawford said: “We are going to put to Clyde a few suggestions that the trainers have and then we will discuss the matter again among ourselves.”

There now seems more of a determination than there was initially to take measures to increase the average runners per race from ten to 12 and so avoid the stakes cut threatened by Phumelela.

> Andre Nel, who had his first runner five days ago and three more on Saturday, has a team of 60 to go to war with in his new role as private trainer to Sabine Plattner. Thirteen of them are two-year-olds who are not expected to race until next season.

> Shadlee Fortune, nephew of Andrew, has moved from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. The 19-year-old has ridden 13 winners.

– Michael Clower

Hard Day’s Night has the CTS Million Dollar as his target after putting up an impressive performance on his handicap debut at Durbanville on Saturday.

The 2-1 favourite had never been to Durbanville before, or indeed been round any sort of a turn, and he was having to give weight to older horses yet he won pulling up and had the second three and a half lengths back.

Joey Ramsden, who won the 2004 Gold Cup with the colt’s uncle Major Bluff, said: “Whether he is quite good enough to be a Guineas horse I don’t know but he is a smashing sort and I was impressed with the way he had the others off the bit so far out.”

Donavan Mansour, who had no hesitation in sending him to the front fully two furlongs from home, reckons there is more to come and said: “There is a lot of scope there and a lot of improvement too.”

Some observers wondered about the colt’s tendency to drift right in the closing stages – he had done the same, only worse, when winning at Kenilworth on his previous start – but Mansour believes there is a logical and relatively harmless explanation. He said: “It’s a mental thing. He had sore shins and as a result he is looking after himself. But in fact he strides out perfectly.”

Derek Brugman made it clear that he and owner Markus Jooste intend to run as many as possible in the hope of hitting the jackpot at Kenilworth on January 23 and said: “Everything that gets into the Million Dollar will run. There is nearly R14 million at stake and, if you have a horse that qualifies, you’ve got to have a go – and I’m really excited about this horse.”

Varumba is also on the list after making much of the running in the Gold Circle Fillies Handicap to give MJ Byleveld, 34 yesterday, an early birthday present. She will first be aimed at the Avontuur Cape Fillies Guineas on December 5 although Vaughan Marshall didn’t seem too keen on using the Choice Carriers (November 7) as a stepping stone.

He said: “I’m not sure about that – I’ve done it before and it didn’t work – but this is a special filly.”

Settlers Trophy winner Arezzo is likely to follow the example of last year’s winner Desert Swirl (only seventh this time after losing a lot of ground at the start) and go for the Woolavington when racing returns to Kenilworth on October 24.

Chris Snaith added: “He will obviously get a penalty – he was 1.5kg under sufferance – but he is still a young horse. We weren’t sure whether he would get the extra 400m but obviously he stays all day.”

Mansour, who is riding with ever-increasing confidence as the winners begin to flow, said: “He took the corners like a kid to candy and, when I squeezed him at the 1 000m mark, I knew I had them but I decided to wait until the straight.”

Greg Cheyne, out of luck on 5-2 favourite Parachute Man, still went home with a double after springing a 10-1 surprise for Glen Kotzen on Chestnut’s Champ and scoring on the Eric Sands-trained My Emblem.

Mike Bass’s son Mark went racing for the first time since the start of his father’s illness seven weeks ago – the intervening racedays have been spent watching on TV at the patient’s side – and he was rewarded with a double with the first time-blinkered Shout and Inara’s full sister Inanna.

He said: “My father is anxious to get back with his horses and onto the golf course, and he may be allowed out during the day in three to four weeks’ time.

“However his good leg has no feeling and, although the doctors say it will come right, he has to work on it and he is now doing three to four hours a day in the gym.”
– Michael Clower

The Gr 2 R1 million Supreme Cup sponsored by SAP, formerly known as the Emerald Cup, had its last running on the Vaal Sand track on Saturday and among those who are sad about this surface’s pending discontinuation is Mike Azzie, trainer of Saturday’s big race winner Deputy Jud.

Azzie was thrilled for Deputy Jud’s owners Adriaan and Rika van Vuuren, who have had close to 100 winners in three years in the game, but this was their first big one.

“It was their biggest pay day and long deserved. I think there are good times ahead for them because with patience there are now some good horses coming through the ranks.”

Deputy Jud has come through the race well. “He is a tough horse”, said Azzie of the four-year-old Judpot gelding.

The Van Vuurens, who are one of the biggest spending couples at the South African thoroughbred sales, were not on course due to a family wedding. However, they are keen racegoers and are unlikely to miss Deputy Jud’s other big engagements this season, which according to Azzie could either  be the Gr 1 SANSUI Summer Cup at the end of November or races like the Gr 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and Gr 1 J&B Met.

Azzie was also full of praise for Deputy Jud’s jockey JP van der Merwe, who rode a treble for the yard at the meeting. He said, “Horses love JP, he is kind to them and they run for him. He is talented and I have always said when he gets serious one day he will really go places.”

Azzie did not put down Deputy Jud’s win to a freakish liking for the sand surface, but rather to an improvement in him brought about by recent gelding.

He said, “He doesn’t have to prove himself on turf, he finished third in the SA Classic and second in the SA Derby and might even have won the Daily News 2000 if he hadn’t taken that bad bump. After he had taken that bump, he became very obstinate and gave us a torrid time. He did not want to go to work in the mornings, the groom had to lead him all the way to the ring, and before his workout he would stand for minutes not wanting to do it until he felt like it.”

Upon returning to Johannesburg Azzie told Van Vuuren he would not be able to continue training the horse unless he was gelded. In emphasising the necessity he pointed to a former inmate of his Potala Palace, a Gr 1 winner with an outstanding pedigree, who was attracting little interest at stud. Indeed if Deputy Jud had been packed off to stud he would likely only have been covering Van Vuuren’s own mares, such is the quality of stallion in the country at present.

Azzie is one of many who is sad about the pending discontinuation of the Vaal Sand surface. He said, “When the plan to build the Vaal Sand track was embarked upon, many of us put pressure on them not to do it, but they proved us completely wrong. The sand surface offered a lifeline for so many horses that were going nowhere on the turf, so it is going to be missed for this reason by owners, trainers and breeders. It is a sad day for many.”

One of the best examples of a horse who was given a new lease of life by the surface was provided by the St. John Gray-trained Alami gelding Alimony. After over 40 runs on the turf, Alimony had a merit rating of only 69, despite having won 6 races. However, he proved a revelation on the sand and after a quick hattrick of 1600m wins, two of them by close to ten lengths, he suddenly found himself 18/10 favourite for the 2008 Emerald Cup, despite already being a six-year-old. He duly won the race, carrying 52kg off a merit rating of 94, and in the following two years finished third and second respectively.

However, Alimony wasn’t bad on the turf and didn’t fall into the category of horse whose career could be rescued by the Vaal sand. The latter were sorts who were able to maintain a reasonable gallop from the beginning of a race right until the end, but did not have the necessary turn of foot to win races on the turf (Like dirt surfaces in the USA, the lack of traction on the sand surface makes immediate acceleration more difficult). When the Vaal sand track closes it will be difficult to find victories for this one-paced type of horse, some of whom had choppy actions as opposed to the long strides that are invariably vital on turf surfaces.

However, jockeys might not be among those sad to see the end of the Vaal Sand.

Piere Strydom was its biggest critic. He said it was important on this track to be within striking distance in the straight, because he likened the attempt to reel in a horse in front to trying to trying to catch up with somebody in the soft sand of the beach. The kick back apparently made this task even more difficult. A good start was therefore vital, but he lamented that  horses often slipped when attempting to ping the gates. Jockeys were thus left in a catch 22 situation.

Punters were generally not fans of the surface either, due to the perception that there was a relatively higher incidence of upset results. However, the shrewd were often able to find value on this surface. One example was of horses making their debuts on the Vaal Sand who might have racing styles as well as pedigrees which could be suited to the surface and therefore form improvement could be expected.

– David Thiselton

Mike Azzie and JP van der Merwe reigned supreme on the Vaal sand on Saturday when clinching a treble including the big one, the Gr 2 R1 million Supreme Cup over 1450m with the four-year-old Judpot gelding Deputy Jud.

Assistant trainer Adam Azzie confirmed afterwards that his father had deliberately kept Deputy Jud away from the Vaal sand with this race in mind after the horse had proved very much suited to the surface when comfortably winning his maiden here over 1600m last November. He added, “We didn’t want to make the same mistake we made with Pylon (who finished second in this race two years ago with a massive merit rating of 119).”

Deputy Jud’s work had also improved since being gelded after a busy three-year-old campaign, while his rating of 103 was also at one of the top of one of the merit-rated bands, which dictated the weights of the race.

The powerful galloper duly started joint second favourite at 6/1 along with Mootahadee and Ultimate Dollar. Toro Rosso was backed into 4/1 favourite, while Willow Magic drifted out to start at 7/1 together with Roman Carnival.

This was a deserved win for owners Adriaan and Rika van Vuuren, who are together one of the country’s biggest spenders at the sales.

The first to show in the race was the well drawn Ultimate Dollar. The favourite Toro Rosso had to be backed out and checked by the course veterinarian after playing up in the stalls, but that didn’t stop him shooting around into a handy position from his wide draw. Deputy Jud broke well and was perfectly poised behind the leading horses.

The pole position drawn Precursor didn’t jump very well and didn’t enjoy the kickback, while the Gr 3 August Stakes winner Roman Carnival, who stood to win a R100,000 bonus sponsored by World Sports Betting, had difficulty overcoming his wide draw and was in midfield together with the fancied Mootahadee and the best weighted horse, the filly Jade Vine. The speedsters Willow Magic and Isphan were left more than ten lengths out of their ground and just ahead of them was the gallant topweight Uncle Tommy.

Ultimate Dollar kicked on gamely in the straight. However, it was clear Deputy Jud was moving like a winner from a long way out and the connections had one hand on the cup when  he hit the front at about the 300m mark. Uncle Tommy emerged from the pack to chase him home and finished 2,25 lengths back in second, his third successive top three finish in this race and second successive runner up spot. Ultimate Dollar plugged on to finished three lengths back in third ahead of Toro Rosso, whose early exertions were costly. Solar Triptych, who was handy throughout, took the fifth place cheque.

Deputy Jud was bred by Mr and Mrs J Erasmus and was purchased for R460,000 at the Bloodstock South Africa National Yearling Sales.

This was the last Supreme Cup, formerly known as the Emerald Cup, to be run on the soon to be done-away-with Vaal sand track.

Later in the Listed Hampton Handicap over 1000m the horse considered to be the meeting banker, Trip Tease, found 63,5kg just too much and had to settle for second. However,   his Louis Goosen-trained stablemate Doing It For Dan showed he is capable of following in his footsteps with an amazing victory. He lost many lengths at the start, but still managed to power through for an easy 2,1 length victory under Anthony Delpech. The four-year-old gelding provided a third victory on the day for Windrush, whose progeny have always loved the Vaal sand.

In the next race the flying Dominic Zaki-trained four-year-old Judpot filly Little Genie won for the fourth time in succession over 1000m under Craig Zackey, beating home the gallant Brigtnumberfour with Twilight Tiger next best.

Earlier, the Listed Britehouse Supreme Fillies and Mares Stakes over 1450m was won by Azzie and Van der Merwe with the four-year-old Ideal World filly Peep Show, who confirmed she had come into her own, and comfortably repelled pole position drawn Run For Revelry with the favorite Walking On Air next best.

In the Non-Black Type Investec Sophomore Fillies 1000, the unbeaten Mike de Kock-trained Captain Al filly Perfumed Lady, who is a half-sister to the Gr 1 Royal Ascot King’s Stand Stakes third-placed Jallad filly Sweet Sanette, enjoyed her first outing on the sand and converted odds of 28/10 under Randall Simons.

Later, Corné Spies clinched a meeting double when the Var gelding Captainoftheworld took well to the sand and easily won the Non-Black Type SAP Sophomore 1000 under Gavin Lerena, despite having to give at least 2kg to the whole field bar one other horse.

The Non-Black Type Vaal River Handicap over 1800m, saw both De Kock and Delpech clinching respective feature race doubles as the Asiatic Boy filly Ahlaam defied a big weight of 60kg to win bravely from the front.

– David Thiselton

– Picture: Deputy Jud (Sporting Post) 

Private Richmond-based trainer Doug Campbell ended a lean spell with a memorable four-timer on the polytrack at Greyville on Friday night, two of them ridden by Donovan Dillon who in turn scored a treble at the meeting.

Campbell’s night began with a victory by a horse he bred, the three-year-old Mogok filly Race Me Home. Race Me Home’s dam is an own sister to the Campbell-trained National Emblem mare National Navigator, a seven-time winner who won a Listed race and later produced the dual Gr 3-winnner Kinematic Countess. Friday night’s Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1000m was Race Me Home’s third start and she started 16/10 favourite having caught the eye in both of her first two starts. The only concern was the two slow starts she had previously had.

However, being loaded late made all the difference and she jumped well. This saw her in front and over racing a bit, but the experienced stalwart Anthony Delpech didn’t panic and allowed her to use her lovely action. In the straight she kept the persistent challenge of her market rival Chapel Queen at bay to win by a quarter-of-a-length and they were followed home closely by a flying Glimmer Of Silver and the consistent Campbell-trained earner Dark Rose. Race Me Home looks likely to win more races.

Campbell sent out the well-bred Strummer in the second, a Maiden over 1000m.  The Arc-en-Ciel Stud-bred colt is by Var out of the Sportsworld mare Hello Margarita, who was placed third in both the Gr 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m and the Gr 1 Cape Guineas, and he is a half-brother to the useful Cruzwithmecaptain. Strummer, who started at 6/1 under in form Ian Sturgeon, not surprisingly showed pace from a good draw of two and turned for home in front.

Under a hands and heels ride he stayed there and pulled further clear when asked the question at the 200m mark to win by 2,75 lengths from Shreya’s Star, who should win soon having showed good pace throughout from a wide draw. Strummer has plenty of speed and looks to have a nice, relaxed temperament too, so he could well be above average. He was picked at the sales by Campbell’s wife Di, who also puts in a tremendous amount of work as assistant trainer.

Campbell claimed a quick 1000m hat-trick in the next when the five-year-old Yellow Star Stud-bred Kildonan gelding Fire The Rocket got up in a MR 74 Handicap under Dillon. The previous Friday night Fire The Rocket had run a cracking close up third to good horses in a Pinnacle Stakes event, which made him hard to oppose back in a handicap. He duly delivered at odds of 22/10, although he had his work cut out and only just got there by a head from the talented but unsound H’Oponopono.

Later Dillon brought home the four-year-old Campbell-bred Overlord filly Overlap to win a MR 75 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1600m at odds of 8/1. Dillon timed his run to perfection, which he later revealed was necessary with this filly, who doesn’t enjoy being in front for too long.

Campbell has achieved a four-timer on only one previous occasion and that was way back in 1989 at Scottsville. He was full of praise for his team, singling out Di as well as another of his assistants John Swart, who will be leaving him at the end of the month. He also thanked the yard’s owners.

Dillon’s other winner was aboard the Garth Puller-trained five-year-old Mogok gelding Way Of Light, who is lightly raced and is now coming into his own. The 84 merit-rated horse burst through to win a MR 86 Handicap over 1400m in impressive style to record his second win in a row and fourth career victory in just nine starts.

Delpech also scored a treble on the night. He brought home the Dean Kannemeyer-trained five-year-old Jay Peg mare Alzerra to win a MR 75 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1600m. She just got up in her first start in KZN, but it provided further proof that the merit ratings of Cape Town horses are often suppressed due to the class of horse down there and they usually appear to have an advantage at the weights when arriving in KZN. Later, Delpech won on the Kumaran Naidoo-trained Australian-bred three-year-old High Chaparral filly Princess Varunya, who relished the step up in trip in the 2000m fillies and mares Maiden and won effortlessly by 5,75 lengths. She looks to have some class as she is a filly with substance and possesses a nice, long stride, so is one to follow.

The only other winner on the night was also an eye-catcher. Weiho Marwing had obviously thought a lot of the now four-year-old Admire Main filly Mamasita last season, as he entered her in the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000. She once again showed her liking for the poly on Friday night, storming through to win a MR 92 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1600m by a length under Jarred Samuel off a merit rating of 81. The runner up from the Alyson Wright yard, Alpine Ridge, has won on the poly before and can also be followed.

– David Thiselton