Champion jockey S’Manga Khumalo rode three winners over the weekend for Champion trainer elect Sean Tarry and this saw him edge six clear of Gavin Lerena in the intriguing race for this year’s national title.

Lerena rode the Geoff Woodruff-trained Touch The Sky to win yesterday’s feature at Turffontein, the Listed Syringa Handicap over 1600m, and completed a double for Woodruff aboard Sisters Of Mercy in the next race.

Lerena had given up his rides at Scottsville on Saturday in order to attend the funeral of trainer Lance Wiid, whose charge King’s Gambit gave him his first two Gr 1 victories in the SA Classic and SA Derby respectively in 2008.

Khumalo replaced Lerena at the top of the log last Sunday and had winners at all of Flamingo Park, the Vaal and Fairview last week to arrive at Scottsville five clear. His double at the latter centre included a fine ride on Carry On Alice to win the Gr 1 City of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint.

Khumalo added another winner at Turffontein yesterday. The Syringa Handicap was a thriller and the talented grey filly Touch The Sky, running in second time blinkers and over a step down in trip, produced a flying finish to catch the Mike de Kock-trained Maayaat in the final stride.

Khumalo rode a blank at Fairview yesterday, while Greg Cheyne rode a treble to cement his third place position on the log, thirteen winners off the lead.

By David Thiselton

Picture: S’Manga Khumalo (Nkosi Hlophe)

Geoff Woodruff’s star Black Minnaloushe colt Louis The King has been retired from racing following an injury sustained in work and can now look forward to a career at stud.

Woodruff, after confirming that the horse had fractured a sesamoid, said, “We are gutted, but he has done more than enough.”

The public hero became the first horse since the great Horse Chestnut to land the Triple Crown last season.

This season he won a third career Gr 1 when carrying 59kg to victory in the SANSUI Summer Cup.

The Alchemy Stud-bred horse was the ultimate rags-to-riches story. He went through the ring at the Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale unsold and was later purchased for just R60,000 in a deal brokered in the sales car park. Woodruff had only gone to the sale to pick up some Vodacom Durban July tickets and bumped into The Alchemy’s owner Philip Kahan looking disappointed at not having sold his “best colt on the sale.”

He was later bought by a client of Woodruff’s, Tiaan van der Vyfer, who then named him after his son Louis and gave him to the latter as a gift. He was the first racehorse that Louis had ever owned.

Louis The King followed his Summer Cup win with a flying 0,75 length second to the best horse in the country, Futura, in the Gr 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate in January.

However, he ran below par in his next outing in the J&B Met and then ran dismally in both the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes and the Gr 1 President’s Champion Challenge at his favourite stamping ground, Turffontein.

Rather than gelding him a decision was then made to remove one testicle, which he had apparently been pulling up while galloping, causing pain.

A previous Woodruff inmate Royal Air Force had the same operation and it did not affect his subsequent stud career.

It is a pity Louis the King could not have had his swansong in the country’s premier race, the Vodacom Durban July, especially considering the roar he received from the crowd on the way to the start last year before having terrible luck in running.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Loius The King (Liesl King)

“There was very little between the two but sadly a jockey has to choose,” were the consoling words from Mike de Kock for stable first call rider Anthony Delpech after stable elect Shaama came up empty in the Gr 1 Allan Roberts Championship. The chips fell the way of stable companion Entisaar and veteran Johnny Geroudis took full toll as the Australian-bred daughter of More The Read slipped through a gap up the inside to put the race to bed in a matter of strides, winning by a length from Princess Royal and outsider Madame Dubois.

With Speedy Suzie setting quick early fractions the field stretched out a little which gave all plenty of galloping room as the field drifted towards the inside fence. 18-10 favourite Shaama was in the firing line as the field entered the dip and headed up the hill, but when asked for an effort the tank was empty.

But for Geroudis the race panned out in his favour. “I was always travelling well. At the 200 I got a little gap between myself and Anton (Royal Pleasure) and she quickened away nicely.”

“She was baulked a little and that suited her well,” said De Kock who intimated that we had seen the last of the winner in this country.

Entisaar drifted alarmingly in the ante-post market from 7-2 to 7-1. “Before the race I would have told you that there was very little between the two but Shaama wants a ‘mile’ and that was probably the difference,” surmised De Kock.

The meeting played out in front of a large crowd in what has always been one of the big social attractions on the Capital’s calendar.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: Entisaar (Nkosi Hlophe)

Dennis Drier and owners Markus and Ingrid Jooste have gained something of a stranglehold on the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion. Owners and trainer teamed up for the third year in succession as the son of Seventh Rock, himself a winner of this race back in 2007 for the Joostes, Anton Marcus and Charles Laird, scored  comfortably leaving Redcarpet Captain, Prospect Strike and Muwaary fighting over the scraps.

Drier always had the race tagged. “Don’t worry Ant, the hill will get them,” were his only instructions to Marcus who also boasts an exemplary record in the race. The words proved prophetic.

Marcus tracked the early pace set by Just Africa and was never in trouble. As the race got towards the sweaty end, Muwaary and Seventh Plain moved in together for the kill but Muwaary’s challenge was short lived as Seventh Plain, with Marcus just flapping the reins and flashing the whip in encouragement to keep the colt honest, quickened away to win comfortably. Redcarpet Captain stuck doggedly to his guns up the inside and stayed on gamely to hold off Prospect Strike with Muwaary emptying out but still a close-up fourth.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: Seventh Plain (Nkosi Hlophe)

This year’s crop of sophomore fillies has proved exceptional and Carry On Alice and Alboran Sea drove home the point in the Gr 1 City of Pietermaritzburg Sprint at Scottsville yesterday. Alboran Sea has had the wood on Carry On Alice in recent meetings but the stretch to 1200m on the testing Scottsville track saw Sean Tarry’s filly turn the tables in no uncertain manner.

Jet Aglow and Varikate cut the early gallop with Alboran Sea and Carry On Alice head-to-head stalking the pace. Through the dip and up the hill both jockeys went for broke but it was Carry On Alice who was able to pick up best. The two locked horns for a few strides but Carry On Alice eventually ground her way to the front and extended to win by nearly two lengths with Alboran Sea just holding a fast-finishing Fly By Night at bay.

Tarry was in two minds as to Carry On Alice’s next mission. “I think the Mercury is an option or the Garden Province. It could all depend on where she draws in the Garden Province because an outside draw at Greyville is never easy.”

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)