Charles Laird’s Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge contender Ice Machine is not the soundest type but his class is illustrated by two particularly scintillating career performances, first when beating the country’s best milers in last season’s Gr 2 weight for age Green Point Stakes over 1600m at Kenilworth and then in his last start when annihilating them in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m at Greyville.

The six-year-old Silvano gelding displayed his devastating turn of foot in the Drill Hall, but Laird’s immediate wish after the race was that he would be sound the next day, which told a story of how difficult a horse he is to train.

Laird is Ice Machine’s third career trainer and said ahead of the gelding’s third outing for the yard, “He is floating, he is moving very well. It is a hard ask against those horses but he couldn’t be better.”

Ice Machine is now back on a career high mark of 113 and is the third highest rated horse in Saturday’s weight for age race behind 120-rated Futura and 117-rated Legislate. Anton Marcus remains aboard which is an obvious bonus, but they are drawn a tricky nine this time as opposed to the three draw they had in the Drill Hall.

Laird also runs Bold Inspiration in the Gr 3 Cup Trial, but even if he wins he won’t be re-entered for the Vodacom Durban July, having been scratched from the big race after his unplaced run in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900. That last run didn’t pan out well for him and Laird said, “They went a crawl and from draw one he got stuck behind the leader, it was a shambles. He is not a horse that can sprint for home and Stuart Randolph will have to use his draw (three) on Saturday to make sure they don’t go a walk. He’s very well.”

Laird has five two-year-olds in total running on the day and expected all of them to hold their own in their respected Listed events over 1400m, although he admitted that at this stage these races are very difficult to predict especially as virtually all of the runners will be seeing the Greyville turn for the first time.

However, one of the more interesting of his runners could be the filly Ninefold, who looks to be a chip off the block of her sire Warm White Night. She showed good pace on debut and then found another gear late to pull clear in soft going over 1200m at Scottsville. From draw two in Saturday’s Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m, she should be up there early under Anton Marcus and should also be doing good work late so is one to consider.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Ice Machine (Nkosi Hlophe)

Gavin van Zyl runs the Kahal gelding No Worries in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and this strapping chestnut is the quiet fancy of more than a few to win the big one, the Vodacom Durban July.

This 111-merit rated five-year-old finished a gallant 2,25 length third in the Gr 1 President’s Champions Challenge over 2000m at Turffontein last time out and as things stand will be considerably better off in the July weights with both the winner Wylie Hall and the runner up Majmu, although he does risk punishment from the handicapper if going close on Saturday considering he is up against the like of 120 merit-rated Futura and 117 merit-rated Legislate.

Van Zyl said, “That last run was only six weeks ago, so we were able to keep him going. He is in a good space at present and I make him a runner.  We won’t be burning him up in front as this is also a preparation for the July, so we will be looking slot him in, although he is a versatile type and if we can get a soft lead we will take it.”

No Worries jumps from a slightly tricky draw of eight in the 12 horse field.

However, there has been no sign of the headstrong antics which affected his performances in his early four-year-old career. This has in part been due to the fine partnership he has struck up with the talented young jockey and horseman Keagan de Melo.

No Worries already has three Gr 1 places at Greyville. He showed as a three-year-old here that he is capable of producing flying finishes from the back of the field, so his current reputation as a front-runner is a bit misleading.

Van Zyl runs the three-year-old Horse Chestnut filly Banbury in the Gr 2 Tibouchina over 1400m, where she has to overcome the widest draw of all in the 12 horse field.  Her Gr 3 Fillies Mile win at Turffontein now looks good on paper, having beaten the subsequent Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 winner Smart Call. Last time out she was beaten four lengths over Saturday’s course and distance by Maybe Yes in a conditions event and now faces her on 1,5kg worse term, but she did need that run quite badly and Van Zyl said, “She is fine and been working well and we expect her to get closer to Maybe Yes than she did last time.” Banbury has a good turn of foot, but is the type that needs cover, so the draw will be tricky for jockey Warren Kennedy.

The yard run the Judpot gelding Rocketball in the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m. He appeared to relish the turf surface in his third career outing last time out when coming from off the pace to win over course and distance. The form was franked as the narrow runner up King’s Knight won next time out over 1200m on the poly. Van Zyl said, “He is not a great track horse but good horses often don’t sparkle at home. He will need to improve three lengths to run a place but I expect him to do so through normal progression. This is unchartered territory and only the race will tell how good he is.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: No Worries (Nkosi Hlophe)

Alec Laird has two runners in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m at Greyville on Saturday, Bouclette Top and Bezanova. He was hoping that the two big guns in the race Futura and Legislate would be below their peaks, thereby giving him a chance of landing a second Gr 1 at Greyville in the space of a week.

Laird won the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 last Saturday with the Ideal World filly Smart Call, whom he is now likely to rest until next season. He has prepared both Bouclette Top and Bezanova from Randjesfontein. They will travel to Summerveld on Thursday.

He said, “Bouclette Top has been bursting for a run since his Drill Hall second, so he will be ready for this. Bezanova has had a nice little prep and ran very well at Greyville last year.”

The Argentinian-bred Giant’s Causeway gelding Bouclette Top had struck as a middle distance to staying type after running on well last season for fourth in both the Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas and the Gr 1 SA Classic over 1600m and 1800m respectively.

However, Laird believes now that a mile is his best trip, although he did win the Listed Drum Star Handicap over 1800m in March. The Drum Star was his first start with blinkers and the headgear appears to have brought a new lease of life as he followed up by running a decent third in the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m. He then ran a three length second in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m at Greyville, when staying on well despite being keen in the running. The bay four-year-old deserves his 107 merit rating.

The four-year-old Bezrin gelding Bezanova has filled into his big frame this season and showed his class when winning the Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile at Turffontein last November. The latter is a handicap race and was raised from a 104 merit rating to 107. He probably found the 2000m of the SANSUI Summer Cup too far and he was then rested for three months before running unplaced in the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m and fourth in a Conditions Plate over 1450m. Last time out he ran on well over the more suitable 1600m trip to finish a 3,8 length fifth to Halve The Deficit at level weights.

The factor that augurs well for this good looking chestnut on Saturday is that he ran a three length second to Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate in last season’s Gr 2 KRA Guineas over the course and distance of Saturday’s Gold Challenge. He followed that with a 1,65 length fifth to Legislate in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, so appears to enjoy the tight Greyville circuit.

Bouclette Top is drawn seven with Woolavington-winning jockey Weichong Marwing up and Bezanova is drawn eleven with Gavin Lerena aboard.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Alec Laird

The Sean Tarry-trained Count Dubois gelding French Navy has been raised three points for his Gr 1 Daily News 2000 win on Saturday and will go into the Vodacom Durban July with a merit rating of 113. This means, based on July favourite Futura’s current merit rating of 120, he would have to carry 54,5kg in the big race as things stand.

The 108 merit rated third-placed The Conglomerate was used as “the line horse” in the Daily News and his merit rating will remain unchanged, so as things stand he will go into the July 1kg under sufferance carrying the minimum weight for a three-year-old male of 53kg. Second-placed Ertijaal was raised four points to 110, meaning he will scrape into the July’s handicap with 53kg, while fourth-placed Rampant Ice was raised six points to 106 and it remains to be seen whether he will be supplemented for the big race.

The Alec Laird-trained Gr 1 Woolavington winner Smart Call was raised eight points to 109, based on her 2,25 length defeat of the 103 merit-rated line horse, third-placed Trophy Wife. However, Laird has said Smart Call will likely be rested for the remainder of the season.

Second-placed Pine Princess, beaten a quarter-of-a-length, remains on a 109 merit rating so will go into the July with 52,5kg as it stands. Fourth-placed Zante was the only other horse to be affected and her merit rating was raised nine points to 101, although she is not currently a July entry. The fifth-placed favourite Inara remains on 110, but she was scratched from the July yesterday (Monday) morning and will likely be aimed at the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over the more suitable 1600m distance.

By David Thiselton

Picture: French Navy (Nkosi Hlophe)

Mikedekockracing.com report that preparations with Mubtaahij for Saturday’s Gr1 Belmont Stakes have gone smoothly and, as this picture shows, he has taken well to his new surroundings.

Picture: Mikedekockracing.com