Cuban Emerald, who justified a wholesale plunge in the opener at Kenilworth on Saturday, could well turn into the classic horse he is bred to be.

Gaynor Rupert’s homebred Trippi colt is a son of the 2008 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Sparkling Gem and, although the 4-1 shot only gained the advantage in the last 50m, his stable is convinced he has a big future.

Jonathan Snaith said: “He has improved a hell of a lot since his first run and he did a superb gallop at Durbanville two weeks ago. I was surprised when he opened at 16-1 and I told most of our owners to have a little dabble – and they obviously did!

“He is a big horse who needs time and we will probably stick him away to bring him out in the summer. He is definitely one to follow and he could be a Guineas horse like his mum.”

The Snaith team and retained jockey Richard Fourie made a clean sweep of the three two-year-old races and Brandon Morgenrood completed a four-timer for the stable after making light of a horrific accident to spring a 40-1 shock on Harvard Crimson in the Mother City Handicap.

Morgenrood, hobbling like a cripple when he got off, had taken the ride when Craig du Plooy could stand the pain from his injured wrist no longer. Yet 35 minutes earlier he himself had come within a flailing hoof of his own funeral.

The once-raced Princess Ashreya took fright in the pens and panicked. “She wasn’t happy in the gates – she’d been in quite a long time,” Morgenrood related. “But she flipped so fast that her back legs went from under her and I got stuck underneath. It was a scary moment.”

Aldo Domeyer won that race on the Adam Marcus-trained Boomtown Belter, justified two days of near-starvation to do 55.5kg for Piet Steyn on Friendly Tibbs in the 2 000m handicap, and made it four with a Mike Bass double.

However he was fined R500 for using his whip more than three times in successive strides as Castlethorpe earned a reprieve from retirement in the Pinnacle. Grant van Niekerk, who has form for this particular offence, was fined twice as much for doing the same on runner-up Waiting For Rain.

Blarney Bay, four lengths clear a furlong out, weakened just as Mike Robinson predicted he would but he thrilled both his connections and himself, and victory number seven cannot be far away. Lockheed Jetstar (sixth) also tired in the closing stages and is entered for the so-called Super Sale at Greyville on Thursday week.

Bass trained his first winner in the world-famous Niarchos colours when 10-1 shot Three Balloons led a furlong out in the concluding maiden.

Favourite backers got their money back when Petty Officer, 3-1 for Castlethorpe’s race, failed to jump. The stipes declared her a non-runner as this huge 564kg filly had her head in the neighbouring stall when the gates opened.

But trainer Greg Ennion was most unhappy, claiming that his warnings about such an eventuality had gone unheeded.

He said: “I asked the starter to load her last because of her size – she doesn’t fit in – and that, if he had to load a few after her, he was not to close the back gates until the last horse had gone in. But the gates were shut after she was loaded and she had to stand with her head turned sideways.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Richard Fourie (Liesl King)

Leading Vodacom Durban July fancy The Conglomerate is having a few days rest and relaxation as Joey Ramsden carefully gears the colt’s preparation towards the big day.

Ramsden, who has yet to win the historic race, said: “The Conglomerate is doing fab and at the moment he is having a bit of a break – there is quite a big space between the Daily News and the July. He still has to do the July gallops and I feel you are better off leaving them a bit underdone rather than killing them.”

The Conglomerate, now generally available at 10-1, is one of the best backed horses in the race. He was shrewdly supported at 33-1 on the morning of his KRA Guineas win and he was backed again before finishing third in the Daily News.

However stable companion Flying Fiona, who made such a big impression when comfortably landing the odds on her Greyville debut, has had a setback and has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Ramsden said: “She has had a hiccup but hopefully I will bring her back for the Cape season. I think she is quite useful.”

The Dynasty filly was to have gone for the Devon Air Stakes nine days ago but was scratched the previous day after going lame on her left fore.

By Michael Clower

Picture: The Conglomerate (John Lewis)

Duncan Howells and Dennis Drier are once again out in front in the race for the KZN Trainers Championships and they dominated the three R200,000 KZN Winter Challenge Finals races at Scottsville on Saturday.

Ashburton-based Howells won the KZN Trainers Championship for the first time last season, usurping many-times champion Drier, but ended Saturday 12 winners behind the Summerveld-based maestro. However, he landed both the Winter Challenge 1950m and 1600m finals through Crime Victim and the exciting three-year-old gelding Saratoga Dancer and four of his other five contestats finals contestants earned cheques in their respective races.

Crime Victim, who started 3-1 favourite in the 1950m final despite carrying third top weight of 59kg, was a bit slowly away, but settled well on the rail from the off. He looked to be enjoying himself throughout and turned for home full of running. Jockey Anton Marcus switched him inward and he easily made up the leeway on the Mike de Kock-trained Semra before being given his head at about the 300m mark. He readily repelled the persistent Semra as well as the Paddy Lunn-trained Cat In Command, who was running on down the inside rail, before finding another gear and going on to win by 3,5 lengths. Semra held on for second from a fast finishing Howells-trained His Approval. Cat in Command was next best and the Alyson Wright-trained Go West McGraw was 7,5 lengths back in fifth. Crime Victim is a four-year-old gelding by Bezrin and is owned by Barry Reardon, who bred him at Yellow Star Stud. He is a consistent sort and from 18 career starts has won three times and laced nine times.

In the 1600m final Saratoga Dancer started second favourite at 4/1 behind his stablemate Baltic Amber, who was backed into 7/2, but this classy three-year-old gelding by Mambo In Seattle never looked in danger of defeat under championship-chasing jockey Gavin Lerena. Saratoga Dancer jumped from a tricky draw of eight carrying 57,5kg and took a little bit of time to settle as Lerena looked for a good position. The top jockey managed to slot him in just before the first turn. He settled well in about fifth place behind a steady pace set by Baltic Amber. The rangy Saratoga Dancer gained more and more momentum down the straight, despite hanging inward late, and won easing up by 3,5 lengths from the Garth Puller-trained Translunar with the Howells-trained Entrée just pipping his stablemate Baltic Amber for third. The Gavin van Zyl-trained Silver Spring finished fifth. Saratoga Dancer, bred by Gary Player Stud, is owned by Howells himself in partnership with Rodney and Jane Trotter, CV Winter, Mr and MRs RAJ Nidd and S Westwater. Howells has deliberately avoided running him in the big Champions Season features this year as he believes he will be at his best as a four-year-old. He definitely looks one with the potential to win a feature or two next season and to date had won four times from nine starts.

In the 1200m final The Drier-trained Sea Fever, who started at odds of  6/1, broke well under Sean Cormack and showed pace throughout. He was able to go straight the whole way from a low draw and from the halfway mark was able to sit behind the Howells-trained 18/10 favourite Hunting Owl, who had tracked over to the inside rail from a draw of eight to set the pace. The Mark Dixon-trained second favourite London Call, carrying a welter 62kg, tracked over all the way from draw 13 and threw down a strong challenge. However, Sea Fever stayed on resolutely and got up to beat a gallant London Call by 0,25 lengths with Hunting Owl a further 0,5 lengths back. The Tony Rivalland-trained Lucky Break finished fourth ahead of Kumaran Naidoo-trained Royal Roy. Sea Fever, a three-year-old gelding by Argonaut, was bred by Cheveley Stud and is owned by Jack and Nancy Mitchell. He has won three times from seven starts.

Gold Circle’s Challenge series’ have always been a good incentive for smaller owners to race for good prize money.

Mumsy’s Jet emerged leading horse of the Winter series, earning 32 points, and landed a cheque of R30,000 for his trainer Alyson Wright. Discourse was second on 31 points, earning a cheque of  R15,000 for trainer Craig Eudey, and joint-third on 30 points were Libertine and Fire The Rocket, whose trainers Colin Scott and Doug Campbell shared prize money of R7,500.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Saratoga Dancer (Nkosi Hlophe)

Castlethorpe can bounce back from last time’s flop to take the Racing.It’s A Rush Pinnacle Stakes at Kenilworth tomorrow.

The seven-year-old started second favourite for a mile handicap four weeks ago on the strength of a smart sprint second to Brutal Force but he finished stone last. The course vet reported that he was not striding out behind.

“He is getting on a bit and he is probably not as consistent as he used to be,” acknowledges Mike Bass. “But he is moving OK now and this 1 400m is probably his optimum distance.”

It’s also the ideal for Blarney Bay who reappears after a six-month break. It’s not hard to see him galloping the others into the ground and loving every moment. But Mike Robinson is keeping  his own feet firmly on the ground.

“We’ve done lots of sand work with him and I have given him a grass gallop but he will probably just need it,” reports the Philippi trainer. “I think he will probably get caught out in the last 200m.”

The race conditions favour the top horses. The weights are calculated on merit rating bands but, instead of the horses moving down 2.5kg at a time, they only go down 1.5kg for each five points. Matador In Red, for example, should receive 10.5kg from Castlethorpe but only receives 6kg.

ReadyToGoRightNow, officially the best horse in the race, has been scratched (Justin Snaith: “We feel he is not quite ready so we will give him a couple more weeks”) and there are doubts about Lockheed Jetstar’s readiness.

“All the horses that we took to Cape Town had to stay for two weeks on the way down and could only trot then,” explains Geoff Woodruff’s son Tim. “It is taking a little while to get them back to match fitness. This horse does go well fresh but I think he will probably need the run.”

Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount was 15-10 favourite in the Betting World forecast yesterday with Greg Ennion’s  recent winner Petty Officer next best at 5-2. Castlethorpe was 5-1 and Blarney Bay 8-1.

The Snaiths have run more two-year-olds than any other stable in Cape Town – 42 individual runners so far – but their juveniles are really beginning to fire and have won at least one race at each of the last six meetings. A Time To Dream looks nailed on for race two.

Things are nothing like so clear cut in the first. Top Of The Rock ran well against older horses last time, Bold Aspen has come on (Robinson: “I scratched him from the May 23 race because he went a bit shinny but he is now 100% and working very well”) and Brilliant Crimson gets only a tentative vote.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Castlethorpe (Liesl King)

The KZN Winter Challenge Day at Scottsville provides an opportunity for smaller owners to earn a bigger cheque as the three Challenge finals each carry a stake of R200,000 tomorrow.

In the 1200m Challenge, Piano Man has come down to an attractive merit rating and will be a big runner here for a trainer who knows how to get them ready. Hunting Owl is a horse on the up who improved with first time blinkers last time, winning a handicap over course and distance by 3,75 lengths. He could follow up as the win was probably worth more than the maximum eight point raise he was given. London Call is a talented sprinter who could rise above his current merit rating of 94. He could possibly carry 62kg to victory and the Scottsville sprint course bias appears to have evened out lately so his high draw of 15 shouldn’t be a major disadvantage. Libertine is an honest sort who enjoys the Scottsville 1200m and he should be right there again. Sea Fever has scope for improvement and drops back to the 1200m of his two career wins. Fortissimo is also a talented sort and stepping back in distance could also aid his cause. Buffalo Bill makes most appeal of the rest.

In the 1950m Challenge, Crime Victim has been knocking on the door since his last win. He finished third in a feature over 2400m last time out but his last win was over this course and distance. He should be fit and could go close. Oh Boy appears to love Scottsville and should handle this trip. Cat In Command is another horse who enjoys Scottsville and on pedigree he should stay this trip, although his wide draw is a concern. Semra is the only filly in the race but is course and distance suited. Topweight Assegai has gone close in two runs over course and distance, albeit off a lower merit rating, and he could feature with championship chasing Gavin Lerena aboard despite carrying topweight. Night Lock is 0,5kg under sufferance but has a 4kg claimer aboard and usually runs well over this sort of trip at Scottsville. Kentucky Guest’s last win was over course and distance and at his best he could earn here off just a three point higher mark.

In the 1600m Challenge, Saratoga Dancer has a lot of class and should rise above his 88 merit rating. Auction King was quite close in a Listed race over 1750m here last time and is suited to this trip, so should be thereabouts despite a wide draw. Caribbean Day has been transformed since cheek pieces were fitted and goes for a course and distance hat-trick. The wide draw shouldn’t bother him. Vienna Wood is ideally course and distance suited and should be involved from a similar draw to his last win here. Rockaberry Lane is a full-sister to Gr 1 Cape Guineas winner Solo Traveller and is stepped up to this trip from pole position. Translunar improved with blinkers last time when second to a talented sort over this trip on the Greyville poly. He has run well over course and distance before and is well drawn. Silver Spring has been knocking on the door since his last win and appears to enjoy Scottsville. Tell The Tale is a well bred progressive sort who should be distance suited but he is returning from a three month layoff. Baltic Amber ran well at Scottsville last time and has to be considered.

The first race should be won by the well regarded Beluga, who was unfortunate to bump into a good one in both of his career starts.

The well-bred Deeyala, a Western Winter filly out of the speedy Gr 2 runner up Dijla, could prove to be the one to beat in the second race as none of the experienced horses make much appeal.

Mike de Kock should also win the third as Sharp Princess looks hard to oppose.

In the fourth race the two-year-old Kitty’s Destiny was green and didn’t have much luck over 1200m at Greyville last time and she could represent fair eachway value here against an uninspiring field.

Jet Explorer looks a penalty kick in the fifth race over 1400m and Surefire could fill the other exacta position from a good draw over an ideal course and distance.

The two-year-old Fort Ember should win the last, although Cakewalk could give her a race as she is better than her last start.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Jet Explorer (Nkosi Hlophe)