Jockey Warren Kennedy is fine after a nasty fall in the seventh race at Scottsville on Sunday when his mount Pearly King clipped the heels of Burwaaz.

Kennedy escaped with a touch of whip lash and some swelling to his face.

Due to a previous incident Kennedy has steel plates around his cheek and eye socket and has decided to skip Wednesday’s meeting at Scottsville to allow the swelling in this area to subside.

He will be back for Saturday’s meeting at Greyville.

Kennedy is attached to the Gavin van Zyl yard which secures him plenty of good quality rides.

He also rode the Mike de Kock-trained Pine Princess in the country’s premier race, the Vodacom Durban July.

He has ridden 40 winners to date this season at a strike rate of close to 6,5% and is lying in 29^th position on the National Jockeys log.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Warren Kennedy

The Vaal stages an eight race meeting on the Turf Inside track tomorrow and low draws are usually favourable on this track.

In the first the Judpot gelding Mister Potter was green on debut when caught late after running on from behind and with expected improvement he could be the one to beat from a favourable draw. Ashantee is much more exposed but could overcome his high draw with his early pace and has the champion workrider aboard. It looks to be a two horse race.

The second is a very weak maiden over 1000m and Kahal filly Fair Colour could be the one to beat. She was eased out of it after setting the pace over 1200m from a wide draw on the Turffontein Inside track last time, but before that she went close over this trip with first time blinkers when hold up tactics were used. The two-year-old Vanda ran well in her penultimate start over this trip on the Turffontein Inside track and could be the danger although all of Indemnity, Crimson Rose, Phuket, Strictlycumdancing, and Roxy Dancing have to be considered in an open race.

In race 3, a fillies and mares maiden over 1400m, the two-year-old Oracy filly Matilda’s Daughter will enjoy the extra trip and should have come on from her debut over 1200m when showing up well before fading late. Another two-year-old Nurse Harriet has shown decent form and should be right there, although the high draw makes it difficult. Victor’s Castle is an improving sort who is course and distance suited and she is a big runner here too.

The fourth is a MR 72 Handicap handicap over 1400m and Game Of Thrones might have hit the front too soon last time and could make amends here over a suitable trip from a nice draw with Gavin Lerena up. Fort Eagle impressed in his easy maiden win over 1400m last time out, so could also be in the shake up. On The Nod has been thereabouts lately and has the draw in his favour over a suitable trip with champion jockey S’Manga Khumalo aboard. Rainbow Star makes some appeal after his much improved performance to win his maiden over 1200m last time out, but he must overcome a tough draw. Devious Tiger and Kahal Legal could also be involved if able to overcome their high draws.

The fifth race is a MR 80 Handicap over 1200m and in form horse and jockey combination Call Kelly and Andrew Fortune are well drawn over a suitable trip so look to be the pair to beat. Foyle was running on well last time over 1160m and should go well here from a good draw. Talktothestars has improved with blinkers and is another who will likely be in the shake up from a favourable draw with Lerena up.

The sixth is a fillies and mares MR 67 Handicap over 2400m and it looks to be the right race for Casual who has run on well over 2200m before so should stay the trip and is well drawn. Celtic Heroine has done well with front-running tactics recently and goes for a hattrick over a trip she should get as she made late progress before that over 2200m when finishing just under four lengths behind Casual, although she is now 6kg worse off. Noor Dubai is well drawn and could improve off a lowered merit rating.

The seventh is a MR 74 Handicap over 2400m and Elusive Flyer ran well last time over course and distance despite casting a shoe, so could be the one to beat off the same merit rating. Noble Star is seven points higher in the merit ratings since winning that race, but Piere Strydom is back on board from a good draw. Frikkie has strengthened into a fair sort and could be involved despite being raised seven points for running second over 2600m last time out.

The last is a maiden over 1400m and Nation Builder, who was green on debut over 1000m after being backed from 25/1 into 9/2, should relish the step up in trip and is the one to beat with Lerena up. Gold Status is an improving sort and could be a contender despite a high draw as this is not a strong field.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Piere Strydom

Olympic and World Champion swimming hero Chad Le Clos is “very excited” ahead of the debut of the first racehorse he has ever owned, the Paul Lafferty-trained Unbelievable Chad, and will be on course at Scottsville on Wednesday to cheer him on.

Lafferty described the two-year-old Toreador colt as “a very nice horse who should run very well” in Wednesday’s first race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m, under Ian Sturgeon.

Chad’s father Bert was overwhelmed when his son clinched the Olympic 200m Butterfly gold medal in 2012 with a final lunge that enabled him to pip swimming legend Michael Phelps.

Phelps was a hero of Chad’s and the win was unexpected.

Bert said, “When the BBC interviewed me I just couldn’t stop saying UN-believable, UN-believable! From there the words just stuck and they have even called Chad’s book Unbelievable! You must understand that having come from small beginnings in Greyville and then Pinetown, I was just so excited, it was a moment in a million. I always say to people I am the richest man in the world. You just can’t buy what we have.”

The BBC interview went viral on social media and this was also partly due to Bert’s touching admiration for his “unbelievable, most down to earth, beautiful boy“.  Bert later featured in a South African television advertisement singing the Nat King Cole classic Unbelievable.

Chad has gone on to become both a World and Commonwealth champion and currently holds the world short course records in both the 100m and 200m butterfly.

Bert is a former bookmaker so knows a lot about the Sport Of Kings.

He said, “I wanted Chad to enjoy a different outlook and watching the horse run once every two months will be fun. He knows absolutely nothing about the game, he has only been to one July, but he is very excited about Wednesday.”

Bert also revealed that in everything he does Chad likes to be a winner, so he will expect his horse to be as well prepared for racing as he is for his swimming events.

Chad has won many admirers not only for his swimming exploits but also for his humble nature and he will likely be a big drawcard at the Scottsville meeting, which he will attend with Bert, other members of the family and friends.

He owns the horse in partnership with Greg Blank, Phillip Kahan and Bridget Conway. Kahan’s The Alchemy Stud bred the Toreador colt.

Meanwhile, Lafferty is undergoing a second round of chemotherapy for cancer of the lymph glands behind the stomach. The overall condition of his body has been shown in tests to be excellent and the prognosis for full recovery is very positive. Lafferty’s mental strength has been “Un-believable” and he was his normal jovial self when interviewed about Chad Le Clos’ first runner.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Unbelievable Chad with Chad and Bert Le Clos (Lafferty Racing)

It is nine years since Sun Classique, and 14 since Sport’s Chestnut, but the Mike Bass stable has its sights firmly set on Cape Fillies Classic victory. This time the bullet is Silver Mountain.

This half-sister to Helderberg Blue cost R1.3 million but the way she won the Rugby 5 Maiden Juvenile at Kenilworth on Saturday suggests she is going to be worth every rand. She took it up over two furlongs from home and strode away to win in a manner far more conclusive than even her three-and-a-half length margin would suggest.

Aldo Domeyer said: “She has come on by leaps and bounds and, on what she showed today, she could win anything from five, six or seven furlongs. This was probably the easiest winner of my career.”

Maybe he was a bit carried away! But the rather more feet-on-the-ground Candice Robinson, who has seen Hammie’s Hooker, Lanner Falcon and Inara all agonisingly beaten into second in the last three seasons, is also eyeing the Avontuur-sponsored classic. “This looks to be a really smart filly,” she said. “I am very optimistic about her future.”

This winner started at 15-20 but on a day of upsets the Bass stable also struck with 16-1 two-year-old winners Elysian Park and Marinaresco to leave Grant van Niekerk only three short of his century.

Vaughan Marshall is optimistic that he is getting on top of the respiratory virus that caused him to scratch all nine runners at the last Cape Town meeting and Bernard Kantor’s Irish bred Roman Perfection underlined his point by springing a 25-1 shock against older horses in the Soccer 6 Maiden.

Marshall said: “It started two months ago. We eased up for ten days and, while scratching the lot was a drastic step, I think it was the right thing to do because the horses are running better now.”

The winner provided an overdue change of luck for Ossie Noach who had ridden only one previous winner this season and leaves for Hong Kong next week.

He said: “This will be my first time there and I am going for a year. I will ride work and see how it goes.”

Richard Fourie, runner-up in the championship last season, has been repeatedly ramming home what might have been had injury not sidelined him for so many weeks in the early part of the campaign – and he did it again with a Snaith Racing double, scoring on convincing winner Paolo and getting two-year-old A Time To Dream up in the final two strides of the concluding handicap. He needs just four more to reach his hundred.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Mike Bass (Nkosi Hlophe)

Bernard Fayd’Herbe will take over as stable jockey to Justin Snaith when Richard Fourie moves to Hong Kong next month and in the meantime Fayd’Herbe will regain the ride on Futura in Saturday week’s Champions Cup.

Fayd’Herbe, 33, has had a long association with Snaith and has won five of the trainer’s 22 Grade 1s. He also won this season’s L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and J & B Met on Futura when the horse was trained by Brett Crawford.

He said yesterday: “I am very happy to be back on Futura and to ride for Justin again. Riding for Joey Ramsden has been a pleasure but it was a no-brainer when I got the opportunity to join Snaith Racing. I have been a bit restricted in the big races because Joey’s main owner is Markus Jooste who has his own jockey.”

Fayd’Herbe was replaced by Sean Cormack on Futura in the KZN season because he was committed to the Ramsden-trained King Of Pain and even under the new arrangement Wayne Kieswetter’s Ridgemont Stud operation will have first call on him.

Snaith, who paid tribute to both Fourie and Cormack, said: “Bernard has always had close ties to the stable and, although he has big shoes to fill, I am certain he will add enormous value to our stable. I was extremely pleased with Futura’s run in the July with top weight and he has come through it particularly well.”

Legislate (Fourie) will race over 1 200m for the first time since his debut two years ago on Saturday and a week later he is pencilled in for a further showdown with Futura.

Jonathan Snaith said: “Legislate runs in the Mercury Sprint and if he pulls up well he will then run in the 1 800m race.”

At Kenilworth this Saturday Fayd’Herbe partners last year’s winner Jet Supreme in the stable’s bid to win this Grade 3 for the third successive year. Snaith will also run Cat And The Moon.

King Of Pain, winner of last year’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge, was scratched from the Vodacom Durban July a few weeks before the race and has not raced since. “There is nothing wrong with him. He is just having a holiday,” said Ramsden.

Act Of War, the surprise packet among the Mercury Sprint entries, will not be declared this morning – Ramsden had some unprintable comments to make about the horse’s widest-of-all draw – but the Cape Guineas winner just might run in the Champions Cup.

Ramsden said: “It’s a possibility. We will see how we go.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Bernard Fayd’Herbe