The Scottsville Festival Of Speed meeting will be as exciting and intriguing as usual and picking winners in the Jackpot of Gr 1 races will have kept form studiers busy during the build up.

The R1 million Tsogo Sun Sprint is the headliner and as it is a handicap it is always the toughest of the four races to assess.

Generalissimo will attempt to make it three years in succession that a three-year-old son of Var has won this race. This Kenilworth 1200m course record holder looks to be more classy than the previous two winners Contador and Normanz and is only a couple of points higher in the merit ratings than they were. He has a fair draw of nine.

His stablemate Captain Of All possesses class in abundance and could join greats like J J The Jet Plane as a victor in this race with top weight. He loves this track and his draw of nine on a straight which usually favours low draws shouldn’t be a significant disadvantage considering he posseses both pace as well as the ability to kick late.

Willow Magic is a Gr 1 winner carrying only 54 kg and is drawn on the right side. He is 6kg better off with Captain Of All for a one length beating in the Gold Medallion two years ago and also 6kg better off with the same horse for a 2,65 length beating in last month’s Computaform Sprint. However, he didn’t get a good start in the latter race and will prefer the 1200m.

Sheik’s Brashee was unlucky last time out in the Listed In Full Flight Handicap over 1100m at Scottsville, but consequently avoided a merit rating raise and is drawn perfectly over a course and distance he loves.

Gulf Storm proved he enjoyed this tough course when impressing in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes over 1100m, but he was given a harsh nine point raise.

Barbosa won well over course and distance after a long layoff and is a game sort running from a good draw with a good jockey aboard. Brutal Force has quite a tough draw of 12 but won well last time over 1000m in his second run after gelding and will prefer this 1200m trip.

Zambezi River is a good looking horse who is suited to this trip and although officially 1kg under sufferance the best has probably not been seen of him. Bichette won by an impressive six lengths in a Gr 2 last time, showing speed throughout, but has a tough task at the weights for a three-year-old filly.

Normanz has enjoyed a good preparation and his pace could help him overcome a wide draw. He is only three points higher in the merit ratings than last year. Kingvoldt is full of class and effective over this trip but has the toughest draw to overcome.

Ashton Park was very unlucky in the Diadem over this trip and will likely be running on strongly after possibly being dropped out from a high draw. The speedy Flyfirstclass has won three times over course and distance and jumps from the same draw that the last two winners of this race have come from.

Moofeed was given a harsh eight points or his head second in the In Full Flight Stakes, when proving he is capable of overcoming this same high draw. Chekilli has early pace but couldn’t have landed a worse draw for his style of running. Daring Dave did not enjoy his first visit to Scottsville and has it all to do.

The Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship will be a cracker. Australian-breds have had a fine record in South Africa this season and although by jockey bookings Entisaar looks the second string from the De Kock yard, she impressed from an unfavourable draw when winning the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery and should enjoy the tough Scottsville track from a fair draw of eight.

Classy Princess Royal is a half-sister to a previous winner of this race Princess Victoria and was unlucky last time out. She has come on from that run and doesn’t have too bad a draw in nine.

Unbeaten Royal Pleasure has landed a perfect low draw for her style of racing in which she likes to dominate from the off and on pedigree she should run all the way to the line.

Shaama is another Australian-bred from the De Kock yard and finished a gallant second against the boys in the SA Nursery but faces a tougher draw here. Swift Sarah impressed on debut and could be anything but also has a tricky draw.

The Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion could be won for the fifth time in six years by Dennis Drier. He runs Seventh Rock colt Seventh Plain, who has both early pace and the class to stay all the way to the line. Muwaary won easily on debut in a good time and is a classy Australian-bred who will have a big say. Redcarpet Captain has enjoyed a much better preparation than for the SA Nursery and could bounce back. Mr Roy has also enjoyed a better preparation this time than last and could be the dark horse.

Beat The Retreat was only 1,5 lengths off Seventh Plain last time and comes from a yard that has a good record in KZN Gr 1 sprints.

Prospect Strike beat a weak field by over 12 lengths on debut and could be anything. Donny G should improve on his debut win and is well drawn. Jet Air has some pace and will stay all the way to the line from a good draw. Just Africa has fair Jo’burg form and can’t be ignored.

The Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint could see Carry On Alice getting the better of her nemesis Alboran Sea from a superior draw and over a trip she will prefer. The latter will use her early pace to overcome her tricky draw and it is likely going to be a thriller.

Jet Belle is full of class and proved last time that she relishes this tough course, so could feasibly upset the applecart. Garibondy could be next best ahead of last year’s respective second and third Fly By Night and Jet Aglow.

The horses are selected for every race in the order mentioned.

By David Thiselton 

Picture: Generalissimo (Liesl King)

 

Mike de Kock’s leading troops for the Festival Of Speed meeting at Scottsville on Saturday have all eaten up well and are in fine fettle after traveling from Johannesburg to Summerveld on Wednesday.

His Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint contender Moofeed was prepared out of Summerveld and the rest, Alboran Sea, Muwaary, Entisaar and Shaama, were all prepared out of Randjesfontein.

De Kock’s Summerveld assistant Nathan Kotzen said about Moofeed, who was punished five points for a narrow second in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville last time out, “He has had two recent gallops in company and did well, but it’s a strong field.”

Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint contender Alboran Sea is on her way to being named Equus Champion Sprinter, having won both the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships and Gr 1 Computaform Sprint, both over 1000m. She is just as effective over 1200m as she won the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville as a two-year-old last year. She recorded a blistering time despite the slightly soft going in the Computaform Sprint and can use her early pace to overcome her tricky draw of nine under Anthony Delpech.

The Australian-bred Muwaary was not very well away on debut but still sauntered to a hand and heels nine length victory in an excellent time over 1200m at The Vaal. The only downside is that the form has not been franked. He has a plum draw of five in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and Delpech rides.

Australian-bred Entisaar didn’t beat a vintage field when winning the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein, but the impressive point was that she jumped from an unfavourable draw and went through the worst going yet still won emphatically in the slightly soft going. She hasn’t raced on fast ground before, but her only defeat was in very soft going so she will probably appreciate a firmer surface. She jumps from a draw of eight, but interestingly Johnny Geroudis replaces chief stable jockey Anthony Delpech, who will be aboard Shaama.

Shaama is also an Australian-bred and showed good cruising speed from a favourable draw in the Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m, before fighting on doggedly to go down by a length. Her time was just over a second quicker than Entisaar’s, although she did carry 2,5kg less. She jumps from a tricky draw of 12.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Alboran Sea (Nkosi Hlophe)

Mike Miller believes that his 50/1 shot Sheik’s Brashee can “run a place at least” in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville on Saturday.

He said about the four-year-old gelding by The Sheik, who has improved from a merit rating of 91 to 103 this season, “He loves that track and has been doing very well and working well, he has really come into himself and has not put a foot wrong. He was very unlucky to not finish second or third last time (in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes over 1100 at Scottsville) as he was cleaned up just as he was doing his best work. He is drawn next to Flyfirstclass who has given us a lead before and I think he will run in the first four.”

An interesting point about the his unlucky In Full Flight Stakes run was that the winner Gulf Storm as given a nine point raise, while Sheik’s Brashee avoided any raise at all back in fifth.

Sheik’s Brashee has landed a plum draw of four. The winner of this race has come from draw five in the last two runnings and from draw three the year before that.

He will be ridden by accomplished apprentice Mathew Thackeray, who will obviously not be able to take his 2,5kg claim, but he has ridden this horse before.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Sheik’s Brashee (Nkosi Hlophe)

National champion trainer elect Sean Tarry said yesterday that he was happy with all of his charges for Saturday’s big Festival Of Speed meeting and they were shortly due to travel down to KZN.

His Gr 1 Allan Robertson contender Swift Sarah started at even money on debut and, although she didn’t beat much, the race was against older fillies and the manner of her six length victory suggests she has a bright future. The Dynasty filly showed good gate speed as well as cruising speed and produced a telling kick at the business end to draw away and win easing up. She jumps from draw 11 and Raymond Danielson keeps the ride.

Gold Medallion contender Donny G, a colt by the previous winner of this race Seventh Rock, showed excellent gate speed on debut over 1200m at the Vaal and then stayed on well to beat a weak field comfortably after being prominent throughout. His time was slightly slower on the same day than the Gr 1 Allan Robertson contender Pacifica and more than a second slower than the Gold Medallion contender Muwaary. However, he does look to have plenty of scope and on Saturday he jumps from a plum draw of two. Danielson has replaced Piere Strydom, who has now been left without a ride by the scratching of the Gavin van Zyl-trained Isca.

Tarry will have an excellent chance of Gr 1 glory in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint over 1200m with his top class Captain Al filly Carry On Alice. She faces her nemesis Alboran Sea, who beat her in the Allan Robertson last year as well as in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championships over 1000 and the Gr 1 Computafor Sprint this year. However, she is drawn three compared to Alboran Sea’s nine so this should play in her favour, especially as she has excellent gate speed and early pace. Regular pilot S’Manga Khumalo is aboard.

His former Gr 1 SA Nursery and Gr 2 Dingaans winner Willow Magic will also have an outstanding chance of success in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sprint over 1200m. He was a runner up as a two-year-old in the Gold Medallion, beaten a length by Captain Of All. He was beaten 2,65 lengths by Captain Of All last time out in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m at Turffontein, but will now be receiving 6kg from the latter. He has a good draw of four with Piere Strydom up, although considering that the field tends to track over to that side these days he will need to jump quicker than he did in his last two starts. He has jumped well on occasion, but does prefer to be loaded late.

Tarry’s two other Gr 1 Tsogo Sun contenders, Zambezi River and Bichette, will also have plenty of supporters. Zambezi River, a good looking colt by Trippi, has a touch of class and his best form has been from 1000m to 1400m. The tough Scottsville track should be ideal and the draw of ten is not too bad. He is officially 1kg under sufferance but has only had seven career outings to date and has given the impression that the best has not yet been seen of him. Tarry has wisely avoided the City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint with Bichette, as Carry On Alice and Alboran Sea look difficult to oppose. This three-year-old Western Winter filly was, by the trends on the day, drawn on the wrong side last time out in the Gr 2 Camellia Stakes over 1160m at Turffontein, but that didn’t stop her winning by six lengths. She only carried 54,5kg on that occasion but was given a massive 16 point raise and now has to lug the same weight in Gr 1 company, despite being the only filly in the field. As a horse with a lot of pace, her draw of three is ideal, and she should be right up there. She has won over 1400m before so should stay all the way to the line, although her high merit rating of 108 makes it tough for her in this handicap event against the boys.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Sean Tarry

Multiple-times Cape champion trainer Mike Bass sends out last year’s Gr 1 Mercury Sprint winner Fly by Night in Saturday’s star-studded Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville and even if she bounces back from her last place finish in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint she will have her work cut out to repeat last year’s close second.

The yard also run Ashton Park in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint and Jet Air in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion.

The five-year-old Jet Master mare Fly By Night travelled well to Johannesburg for the Computaform Sprint, but then went down to the start striding short and took no interest in the race. The yard trotted her up afterwards and found nothing wrong. However, Bass’s assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe said about her from Summerveld this week, “One or two hiccups have been ironed out and she galloped well on Saturday. She always does well in KZN and I think she will be back to her best, although she is drawn near the outside.” She jumps from draw ten, but that shouldn’t be too much of a disadvantage in an eleven horse field.

Fayd’Herbe said that the five-year-old Battersea Park gelding Ashton Park had been doing very well. On paper this sprint-miler is 4kg better off with Captain Of All for a 3,6 length beating in the Gr 2 Diadem Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth. However, that doesn’t tell the story of him being completely taken out by runner up Copper Parade when making a forward move on the outside rail, although on the other hand that was Captain Of All’s second run after a yearlong rest and he likely still needed it. Ashton Park unfortunately has a wide draw of 13 to contend with but should be running on strongly late.

Fayd’herbe described the Visionaire colt Jet Air as a “nice little horse” and felt the yard had done enough with him “to run a nice race”, but he added that his main aim would be the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m on Vodacom Durban July day. In his second start in the maidens in March over 1400m at Kenilworth, he showed fair pace to overcome a wide draw, before sitting in second and winning cosily. He should enjoy the tough 1200m and is a dark horse from draw three.

Stable jockey Grant van Niekerk rides all three of the yard’s Gr 1 contenders.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Fly By Night (Liesl King)