Justin Snaith said yesterday: “He was drawn on the wrong side of the course in the Protea and, while I am not saying that this accounted for the bad run, it didn’t help and I also think he would have done better if had been allowed to use his action more. He definitely runs in the Nursery.”

Hassen Adams’ colt showed himself to be one of the best of the early Western Cape two-year-olds when winning the Listed race on Met day but Snaith is under no illusions about the strength of the opposition in Johannesburg.

He said: “Cape Town two-year-old racing is the most uncompetitive around, and you don’t get trainers there pushing their two-year-olds whereas the guys in Jo’burg do so a lot more.”

Picture: Buckinghampshire (Sportingpost)

The Duncan Howells-trained Mambo In Seattle filly Same Jurisdiction is being taken care of at Turffontein by Joey Soma and KZN champion trainer Howells said yesterday that she had come out of her narrow defeat in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic on March 28 “exceptionally well”. He added that her preparation for Saturday’s race had gone according to plan and that the veterinarian had checked her and confirmed her to be 100% sound.

Howells said about the going, which was “very soft” for the SA Fillies Classic, “I think the soft going over 1800m might not have suited her as she probably only just stays 1800m in good going. But over 1600m it shouldn’t worry her as long as it’s not a quagmire. The 1600m is her right distance.”

The weather forecast predicts 18mm between Wednesday and Friday this week and no rain on Saturday, so the going should be suitable for good racing.

Same Jurisdiction (Nkosi Hlophe)

Same Jurisdiction made up a lot of ground in the straight of the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, despite having been bowled at the start and clipping heels shortly thereafter. However, she was not at her very peak and faded late. This time she should be in peak condition and is drawn superbly in barrier four with the brilliant big race rider Piere Strydom aboard.

The Mike de Kock-trained Australian-bred Redoute’s Choice filly Majmu will still be a very tough nut to crack as she looks to be a great in the making and form evidence to date would suggest that only luck in running, or having an off day, can beat her. She was considered the most likely horse to land the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara after her amazing win in the Gr 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas. She looked to have possibly gone for home too early in that race as jockey Anthony Delpech had decided to squeeze her through a narrow gap at the top of the straight.

However, when the challengers loomed up she found another gear and simply powered away from them to win easing up by 2,5 lengths. In the manner of all great racehorses, she had made top horses look ordinary and just how good those horses were was proven when the runner up Inara came out and won two prestigious weight for age Gr 1 races in January, beating older females in the process.

Furthermore, Majmu is the only female to date to have beaten Siren’s Call, who now looks to be an odds-on shot to land the Triple Tiara, having won both the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and the SA Fillies Classic, beating Same Jurisdiction in both races. In fact, Majmu not only beat Siren’s Call but gave her 4kg and a 1,75 length thrashing in their only meeting over 1400m, so on strict formlines Same Jurisdiction’s hopes of beating her look forlorn.

Majmu was scratched from the SA Fillies Classic and Mathew de Kock explained at the time, ““Majmu is a little behind in her fitness and we won’t be chasing the Triple Tiara for the sake of it. She took her time to recover after her journey back from the Guineas in Cape Town and putting her back in a Gr 1 race over 1800m at this stage will be too hard on her. The Empress Club Stakes will fit better into her schedule.”

Mathew confirmed this week in a videoed interview with Andrew Bonn that the yard expected Majmu to give close to her best performance, although he added that she would likely come on from the run and probably be at her absolute peak next time out.

Majmu (JC Photos)

Majmu’s draw of eight should be of little concern to Delpech as she settles well and appears to make up ground effortlessly in the straight before changing into topgear.

Some will view the clash as the settlement of an argument that arose in the wake of last season’s Equus Champion two-year-old filly Award, although that would ignore the fact that both horses are now three-years-old. The controversy arose due to the hitherto unbeaten Majmu having received the award despite having never raced in a Gr 1 event before. All of her wins had been in feature races, including an 8,75 length romp against a below par field in the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery, and she had also been  accorded the highest merit rating for a two-year-old filly in South African history.

However, she unfortunately fell ill before her Gr 1 program had begun. Some believed that the award had made a mockery of the graded system and that Same Jurisdiction should have been named champion, having won all three of her starts following her debut defeat, including a victory over the other Gr 1-winning nominees, Carry On Alice and Bilateral, in the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes.

It would be dangerous to ignore the other runners in a high quality field on Saturday. A much better run from can be expected here by Banbury, who will attempt to give Gavin van Zyl two successive wins in this race. She overraced when taken too handy in the SA Fillies Classic and her win in the Gr 3 Fillies Mile proved that she is better when held up. She should find a nice position for free from pole position.

The older horses Hammie’s Hooker and Arcetri Pink have proven themselves top class and the latter appears to grow an extra leg when the going is soft so must be hugely respected in those conditions. Trophy Wife has consistently been close up behind Siren’s Call and will enjoy the 1600m trip, especially in fast conditions.  Smart Call was only beaten a length by Trophy Wife in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and there is now a reversal in draw fortunes. Tamanee should finish close to that pair. Not Sulking has class and is course and distance suited too. The ever improving Whatalady is an interesting runner, but has a tough task from a wide draw. Winter Star will be stretched by the trip, especially from her wide draw, and Enchanted Silk appears outclassed.

However, the veteran trainer is still looking forward to the Champions Season due to his young Argonaut two-year-old colt Beat The Retreat, who was an impressive 3,5 length winner on debut over 1000m at Scottsville.

Royal Life (Nkosi Hlophe)

Gordon said about Royal Life, “We are going to take him along slowly and if he is good enough he will be aimed more at the Cape Season.” He elaborated by saying that throwing Royal Life into big races straightaway might be too hard on him and they would rather build up his confidence by finding easier tasks and taking him through the divisions.

The Dynasty colt has only had two starts to date, both for former trainer Duncan Howells. He was backed from 10/1 into 22/10 on debut over 1200mat Scottsville, but proved to be up against a firecracker in the Tony Rivalland-trained Highway Explorer, who followed up by winning first time out of the maidens off a merit rating of 81.

However, when stepped up to 1600m next time out Royal Life showed his true potential. He became stronger and stronger the longer the race went and galloped past the line full of running two win by 6,5 lengths. He was then bought out of the Howells yard by Rattray.

Gordon clearly has hopes for Beat The Retreat. However, being one of the country’s longest standing trainers, he will never talk up a horse too soon and admitted that it was always difficult to gauge how good a two-year-old was at this stage of the season. He said, “He looks half decent. He was a bit shin sore after his first run but it was not a big problem. He shows a lot at home and if he proves good enough he could take on some of the bigger Champions Season two-year-old races.”

Beat the Retreat had the field spread out like the washing behind him on debut, which is usually the sign of good form, and the runner up King’s Knight has franked the form to a certain extent by subsequently finishing a narrow runner up to the promising Vous Et Var over the same 1000m distance at Greyville.

The champion, leading the log by seven, said: “I am riding around six days a week but, if I get the support in Cape Town and rides that have a chance, I will go there too. Obviously a lot of people there have their own jockeys and they come first.

“At one stage last year I rode for virtually a whole month because I was getting the support and that gave me the encouragement to keep going. “

Khumalo, now as short as evens with Hollywoodbets, won on the Adam Marcus-trained Crystal Cavern on a rare Kenilworth visit on Monday and is on 125 winners while 17-10 second favourite Gavin Lerena is on 118. Lerena lost out to Anton Marcus by a single winner three seasons ago.

Six-time champion Piere Strydom (9-2) has ridden 116 winners. Greg Cheyne (110) is an 18-1 shot, Muzi Yeni (106) is 22-1 and dual champion Anthony Delpech (105 and fast making up ground after returning from a broken leg) is 16-1.

Mike Bass, along with a number of other trainers, is determined that Sunday’s race will not suffer a similar fate and says he will declare enough horses to make sure it goes ahead.

Fellow Computaform candidate Tevez was among those not declared for yesterday’s cancelled race and Bass explained: “He had already won a prep race and he didn’t need to run again. I reckon he is fit enough and he will sprint up 800m on grass before he leaves for Johannesburg.”

Joey Ramsden put Grand Parade Cape Guineas winner Act Of War into Sunday’s 1 400m Open Handicap with a view to using it as a prep for the Winter Guineas on May 3 and was incensed to find that his star has been lumbered with a massive 70.5kg, giving a minimum of 10.5kg to the rest of the field with the weights going down to 48.5kg.

He said: “I am bloody annoyed. This is an open handicap, not a 0-70 or 0-80. They obviously don’t want Act Of War to run in the Winter Guineas.”

Fly By Night (Liesl King)

The Stone Thrower, Act Of War’s year younger half-brother by Seventh Rock, made a winning debut at Kenilworth yesterday despite drifting from 11-2 to 10-1.

Ramsden said: “He is a smashing laid back horse and, while I’m not sure that I will do the nurseries with him, I will certainly do the Langerman on June 7.”

Ramsden is on a roll. He has now won four of the last five Cape Town two-year-old races and he initiated a four-timer yesterday with the Australian-bred Macduff who arrived on course with a huge reputation and punters backed him from 7-1 to 5-2. He produced a tremendous surge when push came to shove and big things are expected from Bernard Kantor’s son of Street Cry.

His trainer said: “He is a lovely big horse who is looking for a trip. He is by one of the best horses in the world yet he only cost 70-80 thousand Aussie dollars. We will take our time with him and he won’t go to Durban.”

Bernard Fayd’Herbe rode all four Ramsden winners to complete a wide-travelled but rewarding weekend that also saw him ride two winners at Fairview and one at Turffontein.

Richard Fourie’s return to action might have been winnerless but he professed himself well-satisfied despite his back being strapped up like a parcel in the post office.

He said: “I’m sore and it will take a while to come really right. I’m still taking anti-inflammatories and it’s the next day that I feel it but the horses are running well and I’m getting there.”

His stable had only one winner yesterday (newcomer Petala who Fourie got off to ride third-placed Cape Flyaway!) but Jonathan Snaith is convinced that many of their runners are worth backing.

He explained: “A lot of our horses are under their ratings as those that would have won had the virus and ran below form. For a long time we said to punters ‘Be cautious’ but now is the time to jump on the bus.”