Craig du Plooy is optimistic that he can resurrect his career with the backing of Snaith Racing and the tuition of Felix Coetzee.

The Final Fling Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday proved his point as he delivered 6-1 shot Cat And The Moon with a perfectly timed challenge to head her much better fancied stable companion Jet Supreme 100m out. As he passed the post nearly two lengths to the good, Du Plooy punched the air in delight.

The 40-year-old said: “It’s been a long time since I last won a feature as I have been off with a lot of injuries including breaking my shoulder, hand and wrist – each one in different falls. Almost as soon as I got going each time I broke something else.

“More recently Felix has been working on changing my style and making me look stronger in a finish – and he has been a big help.”

The master was on hand to witness his pupil’s success. The former champion explained that he had been asked to help by the Snaiths and added: “It is a lot of fun working with Craig. He is keen, enthusiastic and works very hard, and I’m thrilled that it has paid off.”

Du Plooy, who has himself taught many of the Cape Town work riders the rudiments of race-riding, has long been recognised as a good horseman but in recent months Justin Snaith has become convinced that he is a much under-rated jockey, saying: “He is improving a lot as a race-rider and he deserves to be given the opportunity.”

Forward Drive is a significant step nearer a place in the line-up for next January’s CTS Million Dollar after blitzing the older horses in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap under Brandon May.

Paul Reeves said: “This was a phenomenal performance and I am ecstatic. It’s hard enough to win from the front, never mind in this ground (heavy after 170mm of rain).”

Reeves earlier got off the 13-winner mark when Devin Ashby drove 12-1 chance Star Academy into the lead almost on the line in the Juvenile Fillies Maiden while May, 19, initiated his second double on the Stan Elley-trained Ledbury in the Mandela Day Maiden.

Grant van Niekerk, who turned down an invitation to take part in the Rider Cup, is still three short of his century after drawing a blank. He had to be content with two seconds and two thirds.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Craig Du Plooy (Nkosi Hlophe)

Last year’s runner-up Wild One is 4-1 favourite to give Mike de Kock his third Gold Cup in nine seasons on Saturday and Anthony Delpech’s mount has already been supported at 9-2 for the Elan Property Group marathon.

But there has also been money for stable companion Kingston Mines who has been cut from 8-1 to 6-1. The J & B Urban Honey Stayers winner will be ridden by Johnny Geroudis, successful on De Kock’s Thundering Star in 2007.

Betting World also go 6-1 about last year’s fourth Hot Ticket and the Lonsdale runner-up Disco Al while Solid Speed, who pulled a front shoe when third in the Gold Vase, is a 7-1 chance. The four-year-old will be ridden by Vodacom Durban July-winning jockey Stuart Randolph who won on Cereus in 2001.

Meanwhile, Dennis Drier is to take over Durban July runner-up Punta Arenas when Stan Elley retires from training at the end of the month. Drier will also train Pecan Nut who won the Listed Off To Stud Stakes for Elley at Greyville on Saturday and both horses are expected to campaign in Cape Town during the summer.

But arrangements for other Elley-trained horses, including Saturday’s Kenilworth scorer Ledbury and Betting World 1900 winner Dynastic Power, have still to be finalised.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Wild One (Nkosi Hlophe)

Dennis Drier’s brilliant Captain Al colt Captain Of All produced one of his career best performances in his swansong at Greyville yesterday when easily winning the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m under replacement jockey Greg Cheyne, to follow up on his impressive win with topweight in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scotsville on May 23.

The strapping bay colt’s regular rider Sean Cormack was sent to hospital for observation after his mount Zacharias collapsed with a pulmonary haemorrhage in an earlier race.

Cheyne commented later that this was the easiest Gr 1 winner he had ever had. Cheyne has won three Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprints, but this was his first Gr 1 sprint win on a colt.

However, he was full of sympathy for Cormack and said, “I feel for Sean, I know what it’s like when you ride these horses and especially today, it’s a very special occasion, it’s his last run, and Sean had been with him from day one.”

Captain of All jumped well to take the lead and Cheyne said the pace had initially been sedate. However, when he saw Legilsate coming around to take it up he knew the latter would not be able to afford to slow it up and admitted the race had panned out extremely well for him from then onward.

Captain of All moved out for his run in the straight and showed an exceptional turn of foot to draw alongside the reigning Equus Horse Of The Year before powering clear to win by 4,5 lengths.

Carry On Alice did well to storm home on the outside for second as she had been caught quite far back in a race lacking a true pace.

Legislate was only a short-head further back in third. This was his first defeat at Greyville, although his four wins here, all Gr 1s, have been over distances from 1600-2200m.

Last year’s winner Fly By Night stayed on well to be neck further back in fourth, a head clear of the gallant African Dream, who behaved well again when accompanied in the parade ring by “horse whisperer” Glyn Redgrave and to the start by both the latter and trainer Mark Dixon’s wife Hayley.

Drier was full of praise for Captain Of All’s “legend breeder” Duncan Barry of Riverton Stud, who has been behind a number of Drier’s many Gr 1 wins.

Captain Of All was sold at a Klawerveli Farm Sale for a mere R100,000 due to an offset knee, but this hasn’t stopped him winning three Gr 1s under Drier’s care.

Drier said, “He’s been a wonderful horse, his knee hasn’t really worried him.”

He added that resting the colt for most of his three-year-old year due to a niggle had been a  turning point, “I think that when you have a horse of this quality you don’t want to stop, start, stop start and that’s why I said to Derek (Brugman) let’s give him a nice long break.”

Regarding the jockey change Drier said, “Derek and I discussed it quickly, Greg has had the experience of Hong Kong, he’s riding with the utmost confidence and I’m just so sad for Seany (Cormack), so sad.”

Markus and Ingrid Jooste own Captain Of All, who will now join his father among the stallion ranks at Klawervlei, which is part-owned by Jooste.

Earlier there was an impressive display by the Duncan Howells-trained Maine Chance Farms-bred Querari filly Cosmic Light, who used her exceptional turn of foot and big stride to come from off the pace and win the Gr 2 The Debutante over 1200m in fine style under Muzi Yeni. Yeni dropped her out from a wide draw but she made the ground up quickly in the straight down the inside and held off a late challenge by Rebel To The Fore, who lost a length at the start. Lala, Roy’s Goddess and Khaleesi were next best.

Later in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m the Mike Miller-trained Waterford Stud-bred King Of Kings colt King’s Knight galloped clear under Anthony Delpech to win by a comfortable 3,25 lengths. The win gave KZN’s “Mr Racing” Bill Lambert his first ever feature race winner as he part-owns the rangy colt. Oriental Tiger and Vous Et Var were next best.

The Listed Queen Palm Stakes over 2400m was won impressively by the Alyson Wright-trained Go Deputy filly Deputy Ryder under a typically cool ride by champion jockey elect Gavin Lerena. She was the only three-year-old in the race, yet carried joint top weight so she looks to have a bright future as a stayer.

The Interprovincial series saw the KZN Falcons winning two of the four races and the Highveld Hawks and Cape Eagles won one race each.

The KZN Falcons, consisting of Anton Marcus, Anthony Delpech, Muzi Yeni, Sean Cormack and Keagan de Melo (substitute in the last leg for Cormack) emerged winners on 158 points, with the Highveld Hawks (Gavin Lerena, Raymond Danielson, S’Manga Khumalo and Piere Strydom) second on 152 and the Cape Eagles (Greg Cheyne, Donovan Dillon, Richard Fourie and Corne Orffer) third on 108 points.

The winning team members each received R12,000, the second team received R8,000 each and the third-placed team received R5,000 each.

Anton Marcus won the Interprovincial third leg, the Listed Off  To Stud Stakes over 1600m on the polytrack aboard the Stan Elley-trained four-year-old Horse Chestnut filly Pecan Nut. The blinkered grey was officially 2kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse Euphoria, but relished the poly and travelled like a winner throughout in a handy position. She drew away in the straight to beat Red Label and Resolution by two lengths and 3,5 lengths respectively. Fortitude was next best and the disappointing Euphoria found little in the straight and could only manage sixth.

In the Interprovincial first leg, a Maiden Plate over 1600m on the poly, the Sean Tarry-trained two-year-old Kahal filly Intergalactic improved on her decent debut to annihilate her older rivals under Highveld Hawks’Gavin Lerena, winning by 5,25 lengths from Sword Storm and Zara’s Legacy.

The second leg over 1600m on the poly was fought by the only to two-year-olds in the race and the Gavin van Zyl-trained Celtic Captain only just got the better of Mambo Mime.

The last leg over 1200m on the poly was won easily by the Kumaran Naidoo-trained topweight Tuscan under Donovan Dillon.

The first race of the day over 1200m saw an upset as Richard Fourie rode a clever race on the Mike Bass-trained Come Fly With Me, who is a full-sister to Fly By Night, and the odds-on favourite Real Princess was unable to catch her in the straight.

By David Thiselton

Jet Supreme has over four lengths in hand on adjusted merit ratings as she bids to win the Final Fling Stakes for the second successive year at Kenilworth tomorrow.

But punters taking a short price – and Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount could well start favourite – have to decide whether her recent problems at the start mean that she won’t produce her best.

She started slowly in the Olympic Duel but that was nothing compared to what happened when she reared in the pens as the starter pressed the button in the Ladies Mile last time. “She caught her neck in the roof – not a nice experience at all,” says Justin Snaith. “She is going to stud soon and some fillies coming to the end of their careers can get rattled quite easily. Sean Cormack felt that he went in a bit early and this time they must load her later.”

Jet Supreme won the Victress Stakes over this trip in December but more recently her best form has been in sprints. “No, she is not a 1 200m horse,” her trainer is adamant. “She is definitely better around a mile.”

Snaith, bidding for his third successive Final Fling, also runs the improving Cat And The Moon who kept producing more when winning the Winter Oaks over 2 200m last month – “She is a tough little filly and anything around this distance is fine for her.”

Both the Snaith runners have won in the soft and, if the forecast for heavy rain today proves correct, that is important.

Jet Supreme is favoured by recent statistics – favourites have won three of the last four runnings  and older horses every one of the last five – but three-year-olds Moonsong Magic and Crystal Cavern finished close up in the Winter Oaks and have definite claims.

“Moonsong Magic is versatile but once again she has to jump from a wide draw which always makes it difficult,” cautions Greg Ennion.

In the Winter Oaks Crystal Cavern finished fast in a manner that suggested she is one to bear in mind. “We think highly of this filly and we believe that what beat her was the winter course,” says Adam Marcus. “If we had had the longer straight she could have unwound a bit earlier. As it was she sat about second last whereas the two that finished in front of her were sitting handy and had the run of the race.”

This is the winter course again but, if Jet Supreme thinks more about what happened last time than breaking fast, Crystal Cavern could be the one to take advantage. She has won in the soft and she just might start at an each way price.

Of the others Alascan Maiden and Omaticaya should run well on recent form but not well enough to win.

By Michael Clower