The Turffontein meeting on Sunday has a few good looking opportunities for punters and the first of them appears in race one with the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Netflix, who faces a weak field in a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1600m.

The Tiger Ridge gelding caught the eye when running onfrom way back over 1600m in his penultimate start. Next time out he was terribly unlucky when taken out at the top of the straight, so the bare form there can be taken with a pinch of salt as he might have even won that race instead of finishing a ten length third.

The main danger will be Champagne Haze, a Kahal colt who is a half-brother to the top class Pierre Jourdan. He stayed on well on debut after being dropped out from a wide draw over the Inside track 1200m and is likely to be favourite, because there will be natural improvement and he will relish the step up in trip. Furthermore, he is now well drawn and Andrew Fortune has been in fine form for the Gary Alexander yard.

Bajan Fantasy looks to be a good bet in race two, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1600m for fillies. This Mullins Bay filly had to be snatched up when baulked near the line after running on strongly from last over 1200m on the Inside Track on debut, having been dropped out from a wide draw. She will relish the step up in trip and on the evidence of that last race should easily reverse form with Eye The Countess, especially as she represents the Alexander/Fortune combination from a plum draw of three. Rock Of Laudium is the danger. She over raced slightly when a close second over course and distance last time out from a tough draw of nine, but she now has an even wider draw to overcome.

The third is a maiden over 1450m and the one to beat will be Jin-Go-La-Ba. He over-raced over 1600m last time out at the Vaal so will relish the step down in trip and  Piere Strydom is likely to take advantage of pole position draw.  La Digue is the danger on form but has a wide draw to overcome. The Alexander/Fortune combination are represented by an interesting first-timer, Dahlia’s Guest, who is by A P Arrow and is a half-brother to three-time winner Mr Mulliner and other multiple winners.

The frustrating Badger’s Belle is a must for the PA in race four, a Maiden for fillies and mares over 1800m. However, she puts on the brakes and looks for company as soon as she hits the front so is hard to win with, although this is an ideal course and distance and she has a plum draw of three. The two-year-old Sheik’s Diamond looks to be a better one to side with for a win, having been unlucky when a narrow third last time over 1600mand now well drawn again. Secret Angel is an improving sort and Fortune is an interesting booking, while Bubba’s Doll, Suzie Wong, Global Spin and Beautiful Floutist could also be considered for the Pick 6 and Jackpot.

The fifth is the highest rated race on the card, a fillies and mares MR 91 Handicap over 1800m, and Pennington Sands might be the one to side with. She scrapes into the handicap with bottom weight and bounced back to form last time when running on well over 1600m.However, the wide draw is a bit of a concern. Erin has a touch of class and loves this course and distance, so will be right there from a fair draw with Weichong Marwing up. Dream Galaxy is an improving sort who should love this trip too and she is drawn three with Strydom up, while Educated and Tiger Flame can’t be written off either.

The sixth is a MR 64 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1200m. Prescient could cause a surprise if repeating her last run, especially if jumping better than she did there, as she will appreciate the step up in trip. Panchatanta and Stirling Leaves make most appeal of the others.

The seventh is a MR 80 Handicap over 1450m and Gambol is the selection. He has been a touch disappointing in his last few starts but showed signs of a return to form last time and from a good draw the course and distance should be suitable for his front-running style. Pivotal Pursuit and Platinum Jet make most appeal of the rest.

The last is a Maiden Plate over 1450m. The two-year-old Gentleman Only could be the one to beat because his best run was over this distance and he has Strydom up. Sands Of Time pulled up lame last time when failing as odds on favourite, but if back to his best he should be right there from a good draw. Bridegroom Bertie caught the eye with a strong finish on debut over shorter and has a chance over a step up in trip he should appreciate.

David Thiselton

The weather has put paid to the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup meeting scheduled for Greyville tomorrow and it does not look all that bright for Kenilworth either with showers forecast and temperatures a touch on the chilly side. But racing should go ahead on a course that drains like Clifton beach.

The Gr3 Champagne Stakes has attracted a high class field and given the vagaries of the weather and a highly competitive field, things are likely to get a little sweaty at the wire in spite of the fresh weather.

Justin Snaith has most of his big guns resident at Summerveld for the winter but Jet Supreme, who has some mileage on the clock, has remained behind to take advantage of the softer winter tracks in Cape Town. She does however, take a drop in distance for tomorrow’s race – 1800m to a 1200m sprint – and that could play into the hands of the opposition. But the daughter of Jet Master is versatile and does have a tendency to stretch her riders’ arms in a race.

With Andrew Fortune back in action, she does have a master horseman in the irons, and if she is ever going to settle it will be with Fortune aboard.

The pair are not strangers with Fortune having coaxed Jet Supreme to a second placed finish over the course and distance behind the Gr1 winning Fly By Night back in April and with the sting out of the ground and under some favourable weight conditions, the daughter of Jet Master could pull this off.

Mike Bass has had a relatively quiet Champions Season in KZN with some of his runners not finding their best form but he holds a strong hand tomorrow with three runners in the 10-horse field.

Stable rider Grant van Niekerk has been pencilled in aboard Lanner Falcon who came with a telling late run to basically out-class the opposition over the Kenilworth “mile” last time out. Like Jet Supreme, she is versatile and the drop in trip coupled with the soft ground will be in her favour.

Adam Marcus saddles the smart mare Priceless Jewel but feels she may just be short of peak fitness. “She was making a bit of a noise in her work and after her disappointing last run in a feature we galloped her with an overland scope,” he said. She was found to have a small problem and had a minor wind op to correct her breathing. “It was not a major op and she’s been going very, very well with no noise but she may just be short of a run. But she loves the soft and races fresh and the 1200m is not too testing. If she brings her true from to the race she will be right there,” he said.

The top three carded look to be the class in the race with the balance of the field having met on one or two occasions recently and there is not likely to be very much between them although Pure Power and The Which Doctor look to be the pick of them at the weights.

It’s not an easy race but Jet Supreme can take the drop in trip in her stride and is fancied to get home ahead of Lanner Falcon and Priceless Jewel

Andrew Harrison

Given the soaking rain over the past 24 hours, and the forecast of further heavy rains over the coming weekend, the prognosis for racing to go ahead at Greyville on Saturday is extremely poor.

Against that background, and in the best interests of all affected parties and stakeholders, Gold Circle has decided to postpone the Super Saturday race meeting, featuring the eLan Property Group Gold Cup and three other Grade 1 races, in its entirety to Saturday 1 August.

The race meeting originally scheduled for 1 August will now take place on Sunday 2 August.

“With the support of Event World and all our service providers we are pleased to confirm that all marquee infrastructure will remain at Greyville for the delayed race meeting thus affording the 17 Charities the opportunity to continue with their much needed fund-raising activities on 1 August,” said Racing and Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins.

“All bookings in the various venues will also be transferred to the new date and Gold Circle would appreciate clients advising the company of any cancellations,” added Hawkins.

“The decision to postpone was not made lightly as we are well aware that the official NHA statistics, which determine the Championship in respect of various categories such as Champion Stallion, Champion Breeders, Champion Trainer, Champion Jockey etc will be finalized when the Season closes on 31 July, ” said Hawkins.

Fortunately the Championship in respect of the Trainer and Jockey is a done deal, with Sean Tarry and Gavin Lerena holding unassailable leads, but Super Saturday could have played a major role in other categories – in particular the General Sires Log, which now seems likely to be headed by Captain Al.

The Equus Awards panel will however consider the performances of horses running on Super Saturday when voting on the outcome of the various equine categories which are not governed by official NHA statistics.

The ever popular Gold Circle Racing Masters golf tournament at the Wild Coast Sun, which has attracted a record entry of 110 golfing enthusiasts from amongst the racing fraternity, will go ahead as planned from Sunday 26 to Wednesday 29 July.

“The long term weather forecast for next week is good with sunshine predicted from Monday all the way through to Sunday 2 August,” concluded Hawkins.

Mike de Kock is hoping a long rest and a good preparation will do the trick for Wild One in this year’s R1.25-million eLAN Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m at Greyville on Saturday, reports Jack Milner for TabNEWS.

Wild One finished second in last year’s race, beaten just 0.50 lengths by Wavin’ Flag. The five-year-old son of Mogok was not seen in action again until the Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1800m at Greyville on 6 June and ran a cracker, flying up late to finish a 1.25-length second to Punta Arenas. The winner franked the form by running a 0.75-length second to Power King in the Vodacom Durban July.

Wild One came out again in the R1-million KwaZulu-Natal Breeders Million Mile (Non-Black Type) over 1600m, also at Greyville, and this time showed good pace to run a 0.25-length second behind Bezanova.

“He’s not the soundest of horses,” said De Kock yesterday. “I was always patching him up and sending him out, so I decided to give him a solid rest and it certainly has made a big difference.

“I think he has had a fantastic prep. He’s a lot better with the rest than he was last year without it. I specifically stayed away from the features on July Day because I wasn’t looking for a penalty and I think he’s had two great races since he’s come back.”

De Kock also has Kingston Mines in the race and he puts the son of Archipenko very much in the same league in that De Kock avoided large penalties by keeping him out the stayers’ races on July Day. Kingston Mines was bred in the UK and is six months younger than his South African counterparts, having only turned four on 13 March this year.

“At the end of the day Kingston Mines is not guaranteed to stay 3200m. He seems to find that last 200m a bit too much at this stage of his career. But he is still an immature horse and he will get a lot better.

“As far as Anthony (Delpech) goes, he probably made the right choice going with Wild One.”

De Kock only has one other runner contesting the Grade 1 races on the day and that is Persian Rug who runs in the Thekwini Stakes over 1600m for two-year-old fillies. The daughter of Ideal World is unbeaten in two starts and looks to be a classy performer.

“Persian Rug is a smart filly but unfortunately has had a troubled prep,” said De Kock. “She has been battling with respiratory infections and as a result has missed out on quite a bit of work. She’s not at her best at the moment but is massively capable.”

De Kock also confirmed Estidraaj will be having her final run when she contests the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m. “She’s quite a temperamental filly and will be going to stud after this.

Gavin van Zyl runs the ever improving Silvano filly Vino Veritas in the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m at Greyville’s Super Saturday meeting this weekend and he also has No Worries in the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m.

His son and assistant Gareth said, “We’re quite confident she’s going to stay the trip. She’s as honest as the day’s long, and she is very well in herself at the moment. It’s perhaps throwing her in the deep end but she’s the type of horse who, whenever she is thrown in the deep end, manages to find a bit more. So considering how well she is at the moment, and Silvano is doing so well at the moment, we’re taking our chances. We are quietly confident she will be in the money and are sure she will give of her best.”

He agreed a valid concern could regard some of the male stayers looking better weighted than those, like Vino Veritas, who had earned their ratings in middle distance races, and it was thus unfortunate one of the former, their own a Heart Of A Lion, had to be scratched. Vino Veritas is drawn in pole position with champion jockey S’Manga Khumalo aboard. The gallant filly could be the dark horse because like a lot of the progeny of Silvano she gives the impression that she loves her racing and could gallop all day. She is 0,5kg worse off with Ash Cloud, who beat her by 0,65 lengths in the Gr 2 Gold Circle Oaks over 2400m at Scottsville last time out, but she is now much better drawn.

The five-year-old Kahal gelding No Worries has disappointed in two Champions Season outings, but Gareth said, “He’s had as good a preparation as he can have had for this race, it has been spot on, so he’s going to improve into this race. In his previous two races we were against the clock with him. It’s a tough field so we’re going to be realistic but we are also going to see him bouncing back to his best.”

He added that from his wide draw of 12 he would in all likelihood be dropped out by warren Kennedy and come from off them. This will be interesting because, despite becoming known as a front-running type, his two best career runs, when a short-head second in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and fourth in the Vodacom Durban July as a three-year-old, he came from the back of the field.

The yard contest the Listed Darley Arabian over 1600m on the poly with MLJet and being by Jet Master he should love this surface. Gareth said, “He’s doing well and galloped very well on Monday. We’re looking for easy pickings for him just to try and boost his confidence. This race he can win. He will love the poly. He is improving as the season progresses and would be suited to a better pace than he got on July day.”

Gareth admitted the yard were “struggling” with the disappointing Mohave Princess, who has her swansong in the Gr 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m before going to stud. They could only hope for an improved effort.

The yard run two useful types, the three-year-old Kileigh and the five-year-old Tip Toe, in the second race, a handicap for fillies and mares on the polytrack.

Gareth said, “This is the weakest race Kileigh’s been in for long time. She has a big weight, but with her class and claim four she can run into the money. She is fit enough to run a good race, but she’s not peaking yet.” The yard have been getting her accustomed to the poly at Summerveld.

Gareth continued, “Tip Toe is a filly with ability and we’ve been struggling to find a race for her, so this is also a nice type of a race for her. Being drawn badly is not going to help, but she’s certainly one to include and I would say she is the stable elect.”

In the third, a Juvenile Plate over 1900m for two-year-olds, they run Just As Well gelding Jullidar. He has uninspiring form from 1000m to 1600m, apart from a 5,5 length fifth to the exciting Abashiri over 1600m, but the yard won this race with the similar type Sun On Africa last year. Gareth said, “Jullidar has had excuses, last time he went way too fast. The distance is an unknown, but he suggests to us he will see it out and with a bit of luck in running he is one who can place if not better.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Vino Veritas (Nkosi Hlophe)