David Thiselton

 

Summerveld trainer Louis Goosen has a couple of runners on World Pool Gold Cup day on Sunday at Hollywoodbets Greyville as well as a reserve and he is bullish about all three of them.

 

In the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes over 1600m he runs the giant horse Erik Dubois who ran on well last time out in the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m and is improving all the time.

 

Goosen said, “He is a big, solid sort, you are talking about a 600kg two-year-old and he is still growing in the hindquarters, so I don’t know if he will even fit into the starting stalls – they might have to extend the back or something! He is a magnificent horse. You will see the best of him at three, but I think he is a huge, huge runner in the Champion Stakes on Sunday. He is still a soft, big boy, but he is coming on all the time. He is at the top of his game.”

 

As opposed to the Golden Horseshoe when drawn widest of all in 14 and dropped in near the back before running on for a 2,95 length sixth, the Laurence Wernars family-owned horse is now drawn three and he has the bonus of three-time SA Champion jockey Lyle Hewitson aboard.

 

Earlier in the Gr 2 World Pool With Race Coast Debutante over 1200m he runs Ferrari Flair. This Vercingetorix two-year-old filly might still be a maiden, but she has shown class against the best.

 

In the Gr 3 Tote Strelitzia Stakes over 1100m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville she finished a 0,35 length third in her career third start.

 

She followed that with a 6,25 length seventh in the Gr 2 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m in which she ran on very well from last after being squeezed out at the start.

 

Next time out she ran a fine 2,30 length third to Alice B Toklas in the Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m from a pole position draw.

 

In her last start she didn’t find much extra late when handy and running a 3,25 length eighth in the Gr 2 Amusnet Golden Slipper over 1400m.

 

She now reverts to a 1200m trip.

 

Goosen said, “We have got her absolutely spot on and I think she is definitely a runner. We had to decide whether to go up to the mile or back to the 12 and as she has run some crackers over sprints we decided to come down in trip. We managed to get Richard Fourie for the ride.”

 

Ferrari Flair has landed a plum draw of three and as a non-winner gets 2,5kg from the Gr 2 Amusnet Golden Slipper winner Palace Of Arvernia. Interestingly the latter beat her by 1,40 lengths in the Allan Robertson over this trip, so that puts them just about together at the weights here.

 

Ferrari Flair should be staying on strongly and has a chance.

 

The yard’s reserve runner is Blazing Fury, who is second reserve for the Listed HKIR In December Umngeni Handicap over 1000m.

 

Louis said, “Blazing Fury will be one of the nicest place bets in a long time if he gets in as he has been set 52kg and I will have claimer Blaine Marx-Jacobson up. He will be out at the weights still but it won’t matter he will be a huge runner if there are two scratchings.”

Race 1

MASTER’S LADY has been costly to follow but deserves a reward for her consistency. She wouldn’t be winning out of turn and is unlikely to get a better opportunity to open her account. ELEGANT EDGE and 2yo CALADRIUS have shown enough to trouble the selection, while returning CHARLESTON DAWN need only build on the improvement of her last starts to make her presence felt too. Newcomers SHIRAZ GLOW and WINDRUSH RUN are worth a market check on debut and don’t need to be special to play leading roles either. (Brendan Gaillard 1-5-2-9)

 

Race 2

ASTROPHILE was well backed on debut and justified that support with a close-up second over track and trip. She would’ve benefitted from that experience and, with any improvement, should go one better. ECHOES OF WAR and TIGER’S CAPTAIN have the form and experience to be competitive, along with WILLOW CHARM whose latest outing is best ignored. (Brendan Gaillard 9-1-3-2)

 

Race 3

EPIDAURUS has found only one better in each of his last 3 starts and a repeat of any of those efforts should suffice. He finished ahead of EVENING NEWS, HEROIC ACT and COMIC ARTIST over this trip last month and should have the measure of those rivals again. Youngsters SUTTER’S MILL and FOREST ACT are open to any amount of improvement stretching out to this distance so could get into the picture. (Brendan Gaillard 1-2-3-4)

 

Race 4

LOLLY WILLOWES made eye-catching late headway when finishing fourth over 1400m on this course last time, suggesting the step up to this trip will be more to her liking. LIFE AND LETTERS and GLOBAL ROYALTY have the means to make their presence felt but have more of a place chance than a winning one. BRIGHT COMET and LAZER LIGHT could be anything stretching beyond a sprint trip for the first time. (Brendan Gaillard 1-3-2-5)

 

Race 5

ROYALE JACKET is better than his last start over a sprint trip suggests. This distance will be more to his liking so a more competitive effort can be expected. ECHO OF THE WILD, MEGA AWESOME and SILVER COMET have scope for improvement and have shown enough to make their presence felt. STEEL PIER has stronger form in open company and was a game-in-defeat second over 1600m last time. A similar performance will make him hard to beat. (Brendan Gaillard 10-1-8-7)

 

Race 6

MEGHAN’S DIAMOND made an encouraging Highveld introduction and would have tightened up with the benefit of that reappearance. She will be hard to beat with any improvement over this extended trip. BE ALL YOU CAN BE and WINIKA are lightly raced fillies with scope to improve but have shown enough to be competitive. GIMMESUMLUV and MISS RIVER DANCER have the form and experience to make their presence felt too. (Brendan Gaillard 1-2-3-4)

 

Race 7

GLASTONBURY FIRE and A ROMAN TWIST made encouraging sprint debuts and are bred to improve over this extended trip with that experience to count on. BEACH WALKER and WISH YOU WERE HERE have shown enough to play leading roles. SECOND TO NUNN and CAPTAIN’S EXPRESS have earning potential too. (Brendan Gaillard 5-6-1-3)

David Thiselton

 

There is a seven race meeting at the Vaal today and all seven races are work riders maidens.

 

The outside rail is in by just two metres and this setup usually leads to high draws being favourable in the races down the straight, but often the jockeys go to the side where the winners come from and with a lot of the fancied horses drawn low it might lead to them seeking inside ground.

 

In the first race over 1000m, Master’s Lady has the best form but has drawn the potentially tricky number one draw. However, she has the accomplished rider Tobias Mango up. Caladrius has shown some ability and could be a threat from a nice high draw with the good rider Phenisile Mongqawa aboard.

 

In the second over 1000m the two-year-old filly Astrophile makes most appeal on form, having made a good debut, but she is another one with a low draw, although Mongqawa will aid her cause. Echoes Of War’s potentially favourable high draw could see him going close as he has shown ability and has the accomplished Savannah Valjalo up. The latter’s 1,5kg gender claim is a bonus.

 

In the third over 2000m, Epidaurus has drawn pole position and can go in as he has run three seconds in three starts between 1800m and 2000m.

 

In the fourth over 1500m Lolly Willowes has a low draw, but does not have much to beat and is the first choice. Global Royalty could be the biggest threat.

 

In the fifth over 1500m, Sam Mosia can help Steel Pier overcome a low draw. This colt by The United States has run well in his last two starts and they have shown him to have the ability to beat this field.

 

In the sixth over 1300m, Meghan’s Diamond ran well on her Highveld debut and can win this with Chamu Mabaya up.

 

The last race could go to A Roman Twist who looks capable of improvement and has Mongqawa up. Wish You Were Here and Glastonbury Fire should be in the shake up too.

 

Andrew Harrison

When world respected and multiple champion trainer Mike de Kock labels a Progress Plate winner capable of taking its place in races like the Gr1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate, and also hinting that it may be added to a stallion roster,  then it is best to sit up and take note.

The Rafeef colt Esteemed has obviously had some serious issues in his short career before returning from a 69 weeks lay-off, with De Kock intimating that it has taken some large vets bills to get him back on track.

That patience has paid dividends for his owners and Esteemed came through his first race back with flying colours, destroying the opposition in a 1200m sprint in his comeback. “Just an exercise canter” was how jockey Richard Fourie described the win.

Sitting off the early pace, Fourie got a dream run up the inside fence and the result was a formality a long way out. A long-striding colt with a pedigree that suggests that a mile and even further would be right up his alley, his progress will now be under the microscope.

It appeared to be an ordinary day of racing at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday but the black books will have been scribbled in. Esteemed stamped himself as a horse to follow, as did Dean Kannemeyer’s gelding Hah Lah Lah.

Taking on a small field with only eight in opposition, Hah Lah Lah made short work of his rivals, winning the Hollywoodbets Bright Future Handicap in commanding fashion. His fourth win from just five starts, Kannemeyer said he would give his charge a break and line him up for the Cape Summer. He is a horse that should comfortably go a mile so may well clash with Esteemed in the Gr1 L’Ormarins Kings Plate.

With a world connected by AI and technology, landing an old fashioned betting coup is never easy, but the punt on Cowboy Country landed with a thud in the Class 4. Gelding does not always have the desired effect but the operation certainly got Cowboy Country concentrating on what he was bred for and backed in from an ante-post call of 20-1 to start around 4-1 was a coup well landed. With Jabu Jacobs calm in the saddle and pressing on when it mattered, the result was never in doubt.

It was a double for Tony Rivalland and owner Mary Liley whose racing roots trace back to the early 1970’s where her colours, with her late husband John Liley, were carried with distinction by many champions.

Who wants to be a stipendiary steward? They do if they don’t as there are plenty of amateur stipes with itchy fingers on line. Mike and Mathew de Kock’s gelding Trombolines came in for a lot of race-time money for the B Stakes over 1400m but the lead-in was delayed as Serino Moodley lodged an objection on the grounds of interference to his mount Nordic Chief in the closing stages.

There was no doubt that Trombolines shifted ground running into Nordic Chief. The question that would have been asked in the boardroom is ‘would Nordic Chief have won but for the interference?’

Any human athlete will tell you that if an opponent leans onto you, you will be inconvenienced, no matter what. However, if that runner comes from behind and likely to go past, that will have been what the stipes took into consideration. Obviously it was their opinion that Trombolines would have won regardless of the interference so the result stood. You Judge!

After making all the running to win the second on Sierra Foxtrot for the fledgling Paardeberg Stud, Glen Kotzen and Chad Little teamed up for a double as Takethegreenlight finally got the Maiden monkey off his back in the Open Maiden.

Giving weight all round, both Kotzen and Little were cautious in their pre-race comments, concerned about the weight but feeling that the gelding was in the right race. They need not have worried as Takethegreenlight was always handy, tracking pacemaker Noctamnulist and taking command shortly after turning for home. Noctamnulist raced very green under pressure but stayed on for second and definitely one for the notebook.

Soccer10 Friday 24 July 2026. ADD-IN: R125 000. Estimated Pool: R1.4 Million. Pool Closes at 20h45. Sport 17 Pool 1

Soccer10 Saturday 25 July 2026. ADD-IN: R125 000. Estimated Pool: R1.4 Million. Pool Closes at 23h30. Sport 20 Pool 1

Soccer Any 13Xtra Saturday 25 July 2026. Carryover R75 000. Estimated Pool: R200 000. Pool Closes at 17h30. Sport 13 and Pool 1.
Soccer13 Saturday 25 July 2026 Carryover R3 395 532 R8.5 Million (If only One 13 of 13 Winner). Pool Closes at 15h30. Sport 10 Pool 1.