The highlight of yesterday’s meeting at Scottsville was a Conditions Plate over 1200m for fillies and mares and the lightly weighted Paul Gadsby-trained four-year-old Var filly Miss Varlicious confirmed herself a sprinter to be reckoned with when finding a strong finish to win comfortably. The course manager Sthembiso Dlamini has worked wonders with the track and the infamous sprint track draw bias, that used to palpably favour low draws, was shown in this meeting to be just about insignificant. Miss Varlicious only had to carry 48kg, if the 4kg claim of apprentice Eric Ngwane was included, and after jumping from a draw of five she didn’t appear to be doing herself any favours by drifting wide at about the 500m mark.

However, she then stormed home to beat the Gr 1-winning 22/10 favourite Chestnuts N Pearls by 1,5 lengths, with Beloved Country staying on for third. The fancied African Dream had to concede lumps of weight and likely needed the run ,being beaten 5,15 lengths into fifth just behind LittleBlacknumber. Chestnuts N Pearls finished strongly over too sharp a trip, carrying 51kg, and this was a fine preparation for the R2,015,000 Bloodstock South Africa Ready To Run Cup over 1400m at Turffontein on October 31. In the next race, a MR 90 Handicap over 1200m, apprentice Ngwane completed a quick double and weekend treble when winning aboard Kimberley-based trainer Coenie de Beer’s raider Talktothestars, an amazing four-year-old gelding by Overlord, who won off a 93 merit rating to land his sixth win in his last seven starts and seventh career victory overall. Runner up Highway Explorer from the Tony Rivalland yard ran on well for second, pipping the nine-year-old topweight Royal Zulu Warrior who had to lug 64kg even including the 2,5kg apprentice claim. The Fort Wood filly Nikki easily converted odds of 1/3 in the first race over 1200m to give Mike de Kock a weekend double and Anthony Delpech his third of his five winners over the weekend. She showed good speed throughout. The Alistair Gordon yard have a number of promising three-year-olds at present and the runner up Cause Célèbre by Argonaut is another to follow. The Mark Dixon-trained Muhtafal filly Isingamoya found some early betting support in the second over 1200m after an eyecatching debut and never looked in danger of defeat, despite a high draw.  She ran handy and kicked clear to win easily by 2,75 lengths from the favourite Seventh Moment and give Keagan de Melo a weekend double. Dixon also trained Isingamoya’s dam, Shoot The Breeze, who was a facile winner on debut over this course and distance six years ago.

In the third over 1200m Tony Rivalland landed the second leg of a weekend treble when the Miesque’s Approval gelding Humidor, who is a half-brother to the useful Caviar, returned from a layoff of nearly a year to win cosily under Anton Marcus in just her second career start. In the fourth over 1200m, the R900,000 purchase by Captain Al, the Rivalland-trained first-timer gelding Spanish Captain, won cosily under Delpech from a high draw after being backed from 5/1 Into 4/1. The first-timer by Second Empire from the Paul Lafferty yard, Neruda, is a half-brother to two speedsters Dennis The Menace and Battle Of Alma, and caught the eye running on well for second from a high draw Later, the Colin Scott-trained six-year-old Count Dubois gelding Innate Quality bounced back to his best to easily win a 2400m handicap under Muzi Yeni. The Sean Tarry-trained three-year-old colt Forest showed himself to be a promising stayer when winning the eighth, a maiden over 2400m, in good style under Delpech in just his fourth career start. The last race, a maiden over 1600m for fillies and mares, was won by the improving King’s Chapel filly Reigning Wave under Alec Forbes to give Paul Gadsby a meeting double.

By David Thiselton