The Riverside Handicap and the Nkosazana Stakes will both be run over 1 450m and while both events could produce upset results, there are runners that stand out as potential winners.

In the Riverside Handicap the six-year-old Strike Smartly gelding Brooks-Club has been a gallant and gutsy performer, seldom running an uninspiring race. He gives of his best and for his efforts has amassed stake earning of more than R1-million, considerably more than any of his rivals.

Ian Sturgeon has retained the ride for trainer Mike Azzie and the gelding was a little unlucky in his last race over 1 600m on the course when second to Augustinus. Since then he has raced twice in features on the turf doing good work in the finish and certainly not disgraced.

With a win and three places in five starts over the course and distance he has to be rated as one of the potential winners.

Solar Triptych has won his last two starts for Alec Laird over the course and distance but against weaker opposition than he meets today. However, he won those races very easily and although stepping up in class, he could have more to offer and cannot be ruled out.

Kiss Me Hardy has a big weight to shoulder but he too has to be respected. He has raced and won at the course and won well enough over 1 400m last time to suggest he will handle the extra 50m and if combining the two today he is not without a money chance.

At the bottom of the weights with 52kg on his back is Samogan from the Sean Tarry stable. He has two of his four starts over the course and distance and with that light weight from a good inside draw he could be dangerous.

In the Nkosazana Stakes, the Jet Master filly Be Mine Tonight looks the horse to beat and could even be considered as an exotic bet banker. She has recorded two wins and a second from three starts over the course and distance for trainer Dominic Zaki and with regular pilot from a good draw she has a lot going for her today.

But one cannot ignore the chances of a few other runners including the likes of Jade Vine, Mystic Express, Mohave Princess and the Mike de Kock duo of Qawaasem and Bang Sue. Qawaasem took to the dirt like a duck to water in her last race winning by 4,5 lengths over 1 200m. She has won over the distance and with a light weight to shoulder today she could give Be Mine Tonight something to think about.

Jade Vine does shoulder top weight but has won under similar over the course and distance before. She is a consistent sort in giving of her best in every race so does warrant utmost respect.

Ramsden said: “Bernard Fayd’Herbe rode him in a gallop over six furlongs with Kingvoldt and he went very nicely. I am going to road him up to Johannesburg on either Wednesday or Thursday and he will travel in my own lorry. I will make it like a box and let him travel loose.”

King Of Pain (Nkosi Hlophe)

Fayd’Herbe’s other mounts will include Justin Snaith’s J & Met day Listed winner Buckinghampshire in the Protea Stakes and Grant van Niekerk has been booked for stable companion Readytogorightnow in the Horse Chestnut as stable jockey Richard Fourie will be at the wedding of Snaith’s brother Jonathan that day.

Vaughan Marshall is expecting Mljet (MJ Byleveld) to finish much closer in the SA Classic than he did in last month’s Betting World Gauteng Guineas when he was headed two furlongs out and weakened into tenth, six and a half lengths behind the winner.

Marshall explained: “That was his first run since being gelded and also he hadn’t been up in Johannesburg all that long. He is now nearly back to his best.”

Marshall added that Exelero, reported not striding out on his left fore and making an abnormal respiratory noise after finishing a well-beaten fifth behind Paterfamilias at Turffontein last weekend, is fine and will run over a mile next.

Fourie gave up all but the first two of his rides at Kenilworth yesterday. He hurt his back when a horse fell with him in the morning and Snaith fears the injury traces back to his fall on Jet Explorer in last year’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

Corne Orffer deputised on Heartland in the 1 200m handicap but the favourite was no match for the Darryl Hodgson-trained Mister Matchett (Greg Cheyne).

Snaith said: “It was his first run for three months and it looked like it. He will come on from it but he will run over further in Durban.”

Champery bridged a 25-year plus gap when the Eric Sands-trained filly (the first leg of a treble for Karl Neisius) made a winning debut in the maiden juvenile fillies. She is owned by the family of Vernon Head who owned the 1989 Met winner Fearless Streaker.

According to Head’s wife Antoinette this is the first horse they have had since. Her husband was on hand to cheer the filly home despite having a pacemaker fitted only last Friday.

The bay colt, named Torre Del Oro and sold by Ian Heyns, is the second foal of the Fort Wood mare Fort Sylvia who comes from a strong American family with a host of Group 1 winners close up – notably Dayjur.

The price was more than twice the next highest and the Cape Thoroughbred Sales chairman also bought the third top lot, Daytona’s Dynasty colt out of a full sister to the 2001 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Sport’s Chestnut. John O’Kelly, who also sold the sale-topper, brought the hammer down at R500 000.

Sean Tarry, Van Niekerk’s principal trainer, said: “I think he’s a very nice horse and we bought him at a nice price. Certainly, I am happy to have him.”

This bay colt was sold on Friday evening as was the Noordhoek Flyer colt from Graeme Koster’s Rosedene Stud out of four-time winning Western Winter mare Tin Legs. This one made R 600 000 and was one of seven yearlings bought by Markus Jooste’s Mayfair Speculators.

Dominic Zaki, who will train him, said: “He is a very nice horse and, while I haven’t trained any of his relations, I do have a good two-year-old in my yard by Noordhoek Flyer.”

There was only one Captain Al filly in the catalogue – from Klawervlei out of four time winner Blingle Bells whose third dam is the 1986 Horse of the Year Enchanted Garden – and Hassen Adams went to R400 000 to get her.

He said: “I’ve been very lucky with Captain Al fillies and Darryl Hodgson kept putting his hand up for this one.”

Despite a smaller catalogue, the R118 945 average was 18% down on last year but sales boss Adrian Todd explained: “A number of horses which could have been on this sale have been sent to our Johannesburg yearling sale. However we still had a million rand horse which shows that you can get top prices for good horses at it.  Furthermore this sale is a vital part of the cog and has produced some very good value horses.”

Louis Goosen bought the most yearlings (13) closely followed by Nicola Coppez’s Balmoral Stud with 11. David Hepburn-Brown’s Hemel ‘N Aarde Stud sold the most (32) and Dynasty was the sire with the best average (R358 333) for those that sold three or more.

“We had that virus in the yard so we thought we would rather wait with him,” says Justin Snaith, explaining the absence. He believes the horse will be fit enough – “Definitely, and he is doing well.”

The drop in trip could be a problem, particularly against seasoned sprinters. After all, he is Jackson’s full brother and the impression he gave when winning over 1 400m last time was that the further he goes the better he is. “That was a slow run race,” his trainer points out. “But we want to see what he is like in a sprint and also I want to sharpen him up for the Durban season.”

Heartland (Liesl King)

Richard Fourie’s mount was raised 3kg for last time’s win and that shouldn’t stop him – he scored impressively – but the distance might and the 8-10 at which he opened with Betting World yesterday suggests it could pay to look for alternatives.

Mister Matchett (4-1) and Captive Action (10-1) have gone up 2.5kg and 1.5kg for recent wins, suggesting both could struggle to go in again. But Tiger Tiger may prove rewarding at 4-1 as he went close when dropped back to this trip last month and he runs off the same rating.

“We put him back to 1 200m because the pace hadn’t been on in his races over a mile,” says Paul Reeves. “He ran a nice race that day and we are sticking where the form is. He is doing very well.”

Snaith introduces the Singapore import My Son who is a 7-1 chance. “I have had him about four months,” says the champion trainer. “What surprised us was that he raced in Singapore off 82 and they have given him a rating of 95 here so we want to see how he runs.”

The handicappers say they contacted the director of racing in Singapore and were informed that the correct South African mark for the horse is 95.

Prize Peg ran well enough on debut to suggest she could be the one in the first and 35 minutes later Jet Air looks worth an interest. He was heavily backed on his Durbanville debut but lost several lengths at the start.

Captain’s Dove and Annigoni are the form horses in races three and four but the Brett Crawford/Corne Orffer combination have a good chance of collecting both with Amarillo Rose and Silver Snaffles.

“Silver Snaffles is a really nice horse in the making and, while he will probably want a bit further at some stage, I am expecting a competitive run,” says Crawford. “Similarly Amarillo Rose who improved from her first race to her second.”

The well-travelled and internationally respected Marwing appears to be a lot more careful with his choice of rides these days but the results have been positive. His strike rate continues to improve with nine of his last 14 rides earning a stake, including four wins.

Weichong Marwing

Similarly, the Alexander stable have been selective with their runners and the Turffontein-based yard appear to be turning the corner with five of their last six runners finishing in the first four. However, visits to the winners box have been few and far between but that could change in the second tomorrow when they send out King And Empire to contest a Maiden Plate.

Similar to his yard’s recent fortunes, the son of Brave Tin Soldier has had a recurring habit of featuring in the boxes adjacent to the winner’s enclosure but the recent addition of blinkers appears to have solved the problem. King And Empire was a strong finisher when fitted with the equipment for the first time at the Vaal recently and he looks set to run a big race back at a more suitable track.

Any support for the improving Pataudi and Counterstroke should be respected but King And Empire’s experience, together with Marwing’s handling, is expected to give the Alexander runner the edge.

The pair combine again with Mr Mulliner in the seventh and the four-year-old gelding looks well-weighted, back in a handicap, based on his second to Exelero at level weights in a Graduation Plate last time out. Mr Mulliner is 5kg better off this time around for a four-length defeat. Add to that the services of Marwing, as well as a good draw of three, and a form reversal looks likely.

Marwing and Alexander also combine with the consistent Classic Illusion in the eighth, a Pinnacle Stakes over a mile, but the mare looks up against it at the weights which clearly favour the classy Arcetri Pink.

It’s rare to see Marwing ride for the Alexander yard but the timing of this collaboration appears spot on and it could pay to follow them at Turffontein tomorrow.