Mike de Kock had a frustrating day by his standards at Greyville last weekend, running second in two Gr 1s after the disappointing scratching of Majmu from the Woolavington, but he has a couple of chances to make amends in feature races at the Rising Sun meeting on Saturday.

The yard run Ataab and One Fine Day in the Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m. They finished third and fourth respectively in the Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas last time out but it would be no surprise to see the roles reversed because Ataab  dictated in that race at a slow gallop while One Fine Day was dropped out after dwelling at the start and had too much ground to make up in the straight.

On Saturday One Fine Day, who has a fantastic turn of foot, is drawn in pole over the course and distance of her career best performance, a one length second against the boys in last season’s Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe. The Australian-bred Flying Spur filly Ataab is drawn seven and over this shorter trip might battle to get to the front and dictate as she did last time, but she is still effective over this distance and can’t be ignored.

De Kock’s Summerveld assistant Nathan Kotzen revealed that the pair had put up good work together on the Summerveld grass this week. He added, “One Fine Day often misses the break, but when she jumps well she wins.”

The yard run the Australian-bred Bernadini filly Almashooqa in the Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m. She won her debut by four lengths over 1200m at Scottsville, but was green when starting favourite first time around the turn over 1400m at Scottsville. However, she was doing good work late in that last race and has scope for improvement so is one to consider from draw three with Antony Delpech up. Kotzen confirmed, “She was still dum last time, she is a nice filly who will get better as she gets older and will also go further.”

Wild One makes his seasonal reappearance for the yard in the Gr 3 Cup Trial over 1800m, his first run since his excellent 0,5 length second in the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m last July. Kotzen said, “It is too short and is a preparation run.”

Meanwhile, Majmu is fine but was still only trotting yesterday (Wednesday) and will start normal work again today (Thursday). Ertijaal and Pine Princess have come out of their respective seconds in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 well.

By David Thiselton

Picture: One Fine Day (Nkosi Hlophe)

Sean Tarry’s yard can do little wrong in their first championship winning season, so it would be no surprise to see him walk away with more trophies at Saturday’s important Rising Sun meeting at Greyville.

He runs Halve The Deficit and Willow Magic in the weight for age Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m.

He said about the four-year-old Australian-bred Dubawi colt Willow Magic, “He is well and I’ve been waiting to go this type of distance. He recorded a good time when winning his comeback over 1000m and the Horse Chestnut was coming a bit soon so we elected to keep him to sprints to see if he could pick up one or two features. But I think he is clearly looking for this ground. I think Greyville could be his best course from the good draw he has. He is way out at the weights with the top two but over his right distance he may not only be a 104 (merit rating).”

Willow Magic won the Investec Dingaans over the tough Turffontein 1600m in commanding fashion as a young three-year-old and will be at his peak on Saturday, unlike a few other runners who are having preparations for the July. Furthermore, there will be no concerns about his merit rating being raised, because as a sprint-miler his future largely lies in weight for age races. Piere Strydom aboard from draw three is a further plus.

Tarry said about the six-year-old Right Approach gelding Halve The Deficit, “He is very well, I’m very happy with him.”

Halve The Deficit was overlooked in the first Vodacom Durban July log, despite finishing a decent fourth in the Gr 1 President’s Champions Challenge over 2000m, but was promoted to 14^th place on the second log due to a decent win in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1600m on the Turffontein Inside track. He quickened well from a handy position in that race and not only displayed his liking for tight courses like Greyville but also beat another top 18 July log incumbent, Tellina, by 1,15 lengths at level weights. He is drawn well in four on Saturday and will be ridden by Raymond Danielson, who is fresh from his Gr 1 Daily News 2000 victory on the Tarry-trained French Navy.

Tarry runs Gold Onyx, Whiteline Fever and The Hangman in in the Gr 3 Cup Trial over 1800m.

He said, “Gold Onyx is a small horse who doesn’t take a lot of work, so I was reluctant to get him ready for this race, because we will need something to work with going into the July. He will only be 80% fit and if he finishes five or six lengths back I will be satisfied, anything better I will be upbeat. I could have avoided this race to ensure his place in the July, but the right thing to do in order to get him spot on for the July is to run him here.”

The seven-year-old Black Minnaloushe gelding has enjoyed a new lease of life since being partnered by Grant Behr and earned his lofty position of tenth on the July log through his excellent L’Ormarins’s Queen’s Plate and J&B Met runs.

Tarry said that the six-year-old Right Approach gelding Whiteline Fever could be excused for running out of steam in the last 100m of the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 as he had run wide throughout and then made up a lot of ground in the straight.

He said, “He is doing well and has a nice weight and good jockey (Strydom). From this better draw he will be able to follow them in and pounce in the last 300m, that’s the way that suits him best. It’s very open but he has a chance.”

Whiteline Fever will need a big run to get into the July and could well do so having been lowered two merit rated points after that last run.

The five-year-old Jallad gelding The Hangman was also a Dingaans winner, but subsequently fractured a cannon bone and had to be laid off for over a year.

Tarry said, “His prep has gone well and his last run in the Pinnacle Plate (1600m at Greyville) was very good. I don’t think the distance will be a problem provided he gets the right positon early on.” Danielson, rides The Hangman from a tricky draw of nine.

Halve The Deficit was due to travel from Randjesfontein to Summerveld today (Thursday). The rest of the runners have all been prepared out of Summerveld.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Halve The Deficit (Nkosi Hlophe)

Dennis Drier has a good chance in the Gr 2 Tibouchina over 1400m at Greyville on Saturday with Jet Aglow, while the connections of the Paul Lafferty-trained Goldie Coast will be hoping for some rain before that same event.

Jet Aglow finished a 2,25 length second to her perennial rival Hammie’s Hooker in last year’s Tibouchina over 1450m at Clairwood, but is particularly interesting this year as the first time blinkers made her noticeably sharper last time out when running a cracker in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville.

Drier said, “She took us a bit by surprise with the first time blinkers but we expect her to settle better this time.” He added that she had come out of that last race a hundred percent and was currently in fine shape.

The 1200m is too sharp for her, so it was a surprise to see her showing such good pace in the City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint and setting the gallop. She was outpaced late but still managed a fine 2,65 length fifth to one of the best sprinters in the country, Carry On Alice, to add to her third place finish in that same race last year.

The five-year-old Jet Master mare will now be having her third run after a rest, but does have a tricky draw of nine in the twelve horse field. Regular pilot Sean Cormack is aboard.

Goldie Coast is the joint lowest rated horse in this race, but is ideally suited to the Greyville 1400m as she has an exceptional turn of foot provided she finds cover.

Lafferty’s assistant trainer Roy Waugh said, “It’s a very tough race, but she’s been running reasonably well. She doesn’t have the best of draws, but she does come from off them. She is definitely better with a bit of cut in the ground.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Jet Aglow (Liesl King)

Duncan Howell’s top class Mambo In Seattle filly Same Jurisdiction makes her comeback from a taxing Highveld campaign in the Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m at Greyville on Saturday.

The Gr 1-winning three-year-old was declared a non-runner in her last start in the Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes at Turffontein after a faulty gate swung back and hit her in the face.

Howells said, “She had to miss the early Champions Season events because she took that last run very hard. But we have reconditioned her, and she is now very well in herself. She has only had one grass gallop as this is a preparation for the Garden Province Stakes, so she may just need it but she is still capable of a good showing.”

Interestingly, her last visit to Greyville followed a five month layoff and she put up a scintillating display to annihilate them in the Gr 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m, so she clearly enjoys running fresh. She does have a tough draw of 12 to overcome, but the peerless Anton Marcus has retained the ride.

Howells runs the staying type Beewithme in the Gr 3 Cup Trial over 1800m. He is aiming him at the Gr 2 Gold Vase on Vodacom Durban July day. He said, “He went slightly off form, but everything is on song again. He is up against a strong field and will need it.”

The yard run the Elusive Fort filly Lauderdale in the Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m and he said, “We will see where she stands after this run but I expect a bold showing. She is consistent and honest. I think she can run in the first four, although she will be looking for further in the future.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Same Jurisdiction (Nkosi Hlophe)

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)