Andrew Harrison

Even at 58 years of age there are few of the current rides that can match his ability and plain ‘racing nouse’ when it comes to race-riding. For a jockey to come back after a break of many years and lose in the region of 20kg, it says a lot for the mindset of Andrew Fortune.

He was still puffing some 15 minutes after steering the Yogas Govender-trained Moscow Miss to a narrow victory over Chad Little and Flying South in the first at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday with the runner up denied by a nostril.

It is not often that one sees Fortune as animated in the saddle as he was on Moscow Miss but when the chips are down he is seldom on the wrong end of a tight finish having ‘won’ the race a long way out.

Prince Florian made short work of his rivals in the second as Dean Kannemeyer’s charge finished with a flourish and The Golden Goal a long way back in second. Prince Florian had shown his better form over a couple of furlongs further but he out-classed this field. Seemingly under pressure crossing the subway he gradually built up momentum to win going away.

There was drama at the start as Time Will Tell jumped sideways out of the gate into Sun In My Pocket and giving Deryl Daniels a tase of the poly.

 Those stalwart punters that stayed faithful to Cherry Oh Baby were finally rewarded in the third. Sporting quarter-cup blinkers for the first time, she was given a confident ride by Callan Murray and came through to edge out rank outsider Canyoudothehula. Lemon Thyme was awkward out of the gate but had every chance.

The name Kitchakal is not one that you will find in any dictionary as it is a combination of names, Anneke Kitching and her mother Anita Akal who have been gracing the finishing line of all the KZN racecourses for decades. Anita is a legend in her own right and Anneke was totting cameras from when she was allowed on course.

Their pride and joy in the Hollywood Racing silks lumbered 61kg to victory in the fourth as Duncan Howells kept faith with his charge and Murray scoring back-to-back wins in the absence of a suspended Sean Veale.

 It was an afternoon of mixed fortune for visiting Fanie Bronkhorst after Time Will Tell unseated Daniels but Azaleas For All  paid for the trip from Gauteng with a hard-fought win, Gavin Lerena pulling out all the stops to get her home ahead of a late charging Ideal Gift.

David Thiselton

Warren Kennedy has revealed he will be riding The Fabian Habib-trained Gr 1 TAB SA Classic winner Confederate in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July.

Warren revealed that a lot of top jockeys take the winter months of June and July off in New Zealand due to the ultra heavy going and consequent lower class of racing.

He is coming out here for a holiday witth his family and will be arriving in the country this weekend and will only be arriving in Durban a week later.

He said he might ride in one meeting before the Hollywoodbets Durban July meeting.

He should get plenty of other rides on Hollywoodets Durban July day.

Confederate, a Moutonshoek-bred Fire Away gelding, is quoted at 33/1 by the sponsor of the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

He has not raced beyond 1800m as he was scratched from his intended start in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 for an elevated TCO2 reading.

However, his maiden Danehill Dancer dam is out of a Sadlers Wells mare and she was placed twice in the UK over the July distance. However, she herself has produced mainly speesters. so that creates a bit of doubt about his stamina capacity, especially as Confederate has been taken to the front in his recent starts, including in the SA Classic, which he won from start to finish.

Other jockey declarations for the big race so far are all of partnerships that were expected i.e. Muzi Yeni on the Nathan Kotzen-trained Royal Victory, Craig Zackey on The Dean Kannemeyer-trained The Real Prince and Calvin Habib on the Alec Laird-trained Atticus Finch.

David Thiselton

Summerveld trainer Frank Robinson said his Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial winner Madison Valley had come out of the victory well and he also had news about his Gr 3 Tote Derby runner Field Marshal. 

He said, “Madison Valley took it very well, that night he never left an oat. The next morning he looked very good and I think he will have come on from the run.”

Madison Valley looks to be a certainty to make the final field as he was 15^th on the Hollywoodbets Durban July log released on Tuesday (see log at bottom of article).

Robinson runs the three-year-old Lancaster Bomber gelding Field Marshal in the Gr 3 Tote Derby on Saturday and whilst he is not a Hollywoodbets Durban July entry he could have an affect on the big race because two borderline July entries are involved, Future Swing and Holding Thumbs.

The latter pair will be out to win the race to ensure a berth in the July, but the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup winner Field Marshall could throw a spanner in those works.

He said, “Field Marshal is spot on, he is an improving horse. I think I will run him in the July consolation race after this.”  

Frank said Shoot The Rapids, who will run in the Gr 3 Gold Vase on Hollywoodbets Durban July day was in a “very good space.”

The Erupt gelding lost narrowly to Madison Valley in last year’s Gold Vase and he was an unlucky second in the Gold Cup too, so he should be a big runner in this year’s Gold Vase.

Cats Pajamas runs in the Gr 2 Post Merchants on July day and Frank expected a big run, despite his well below par performance in the Gr 1 Golden Horse Sprint.

Frank said on the day the low drawn horses were having severe traffic problems as all the horses were drifting over, so they had decided to run Cats Pajamas against his normal hold up tactics and sent him forward. However, it was proven that he needs to be left alone and he simply did not enjoy those tactics. Franks also believes he is a better horse at Hollywoodbets Greyville, the scene of his Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes win over the Post Merchants 1200m course and distance.       

Graeme Hawkins

The evergreen 6yo Silvano gelding, Sugar Mountain, bounced back to form last month with an excellent win over 1400m and Candice Bass-Robinson’s charge look set to follow up in this afternoon’s R200 000 Winter Mile over 1600m. Stable jockey Aldo Domeyer retains the ride, and victory today will elevate Sugar Mountain to “millionaire” status. He has won 9 races over a career spanning 34 starts and has always been one of the stable’s favourite campaigners.

Gem King is an interesting runner. Piet Steyn’s 6yo Master Of My Fate gelding comes into the race with very good recent sprint form, but earlier in his career Gem King won both the 1600m Variety Club Mile (Gr3) and the 1800m Legal Eagle Stakes (Gr3) and from pole position may prove the biggest danger to Sugar Mountain. Corne Orffer has recorded two victories aboard Gem King this year and is once again in the saddle. Two runs back Gem King accounted for subsequent Golden Horse Sprint winner, Tenango, before finishing runner-up behind the same horse in his most recent outing in April. There’s no questioning the quality of his form and given his history, there is no reason why he should not be ultra-competitive today.

Justin Snaith sends out Mucho Dinero and Magic Verse with Andrew Fortune and JP van der Merwe doing duty for the stable. Surprisingly, Mucho Dinero is priced up favourite in an open market, but I fancy that the son of Twice Over will find this trip a little on the sharp side. Stable companion, Magic Verse, may however appreciate a step back in distance, as he has won twice from only three starts over 1600m. His last two starts have been encouraging and certainly warrants a great deal of respect. Mucho Dinero is a little unreliable these days and appears better over a tougher test of stamina.

Richard Fourie has taken the ride on Promettere, one of three runners in the race from the Vaughan Marshall stable. The 5yo son of Pomodoro has only had two starts since winning over the distance in January and should improve on his below par effort in April. Gavin Lerena rides Seeking The Stars for Marshall and the 7yo son of Vercingetorix was under two lengths behind Sugar Mountain in their most recent encounter. They meet again here on even terms which suggests that Seeking The Stars may be hard pressed to turn the form around. Coastal Commander is the third string to Marshall’s bow, but he needs to step up on his recent performances.

The R200 000 Winter Sprint looks a competitive affair, but I fancy that the talented and consistent Arctic Wizard is all geared up to register the fourth victory of his career. Trainer Greg Ennion enjoyed a welcome return to the winner’s enclosure last week and Arctic Wizard can continue to build the winning momentum for the stable. Fellow 3yo, Kaiboy, is no slouch but appears held by Arctic Wizard at the weights. That said, Kaiboy never runs a bad race, and Andrew Fortune may be able to coax a little extra from the son of One World. 

Dumbledore is in cracking form and was a good winner over Air Raid on 4 May when Arctic Wizard was less than a length back in third spot. Arctic Wizard is now marginally better off at the revised weights but there should not be too much to choose between the pair. Dance Variety needed his last run when a 5-length fifth behind Tenango and Adam Marcus’ 5yo son of Var is very useful at best. Corne Orffer gets a very good tune out of Dance Variety, and you ignore his chances at your peril. Gimmelightning is another decent sort in a useful field and would not be a shock winner while Boundless Energy has shown a touch of class but could need this run after a six-month absence.

As the ante-post betting market suggests, the Winter Sprint, billed as the eighth race on the 10-race programme, is very competitive but I am optimistic that Arctic Wizard will give us a great shout for our money.

The first race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m, is due off at 11:30 and apprentice Brevan Plaatjies can build on his recent good form by steering Marketa to victory but watch for improvement from Day In Day Out and Spirit, both of which are having their first starts since being gelded. Green With Envy’s half-brother, Coco’s Hero, makes his debut in the opener while Thunderstruck’s own brother, Nightrain, steps out in the third race, a Maiden Plate over 1200m.

RACE 1

2 MARKETA ran a lovely race behind Inside Voice on the 25th of May at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, she jumped out the gates smartly, showed any amount of speed early, and then stayed on for third, this doesn’t look to be the strongest maiden juvenile plate on paper, on her current form, she must have a good winning chance. 4 SPIRIT was gelded on the 29th of April, the yard thinks highly of this individual, he has run some fair races behind nice horses, he will be right there in the finish, include him into all bets. 3 DAY IN DAY OUT was gelded on the 22nd of April, he was very disappointing last time behind Green Planet, if he can put that run behind him, he could easily finish in the money. 9 THE ROARING ROCK ran a decent race behind Churchillian on the 6th of May, the form of that race has worked out well, watch him closely at a decent price. (Brandon Bailey: 2 – 4 – 3 – 9)

RACE 2

4 MATCH THAT must have a big winning chance in this field, her last run in the Grade 3 Winter Nursery behind Dreamworld was an absolute cracker, she is talented, and she is still improving with racing, on her best form, she will be very hard to beat. 2 PARALEGAL has run some fair races to date, she ran just under five lengths behind She’s My World on the 4th of May at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, Brevan Plaatjies takes off 2.5kgs, she must have a good place chance in this field. 3 SPORTS FAN won a good race in PE on the 9th of May, her form is solid, if she can build on that last performance, and she travels well from PE to Cape Town, she could certainly earn some money for the connections. Watch the first timers closely here, and watch the market as well, it’s going to be a good race. (Brandon Bailey: 4 – 2 – 3 – 9)

RACE 3

11 FUTURE FREE finished like a train on debut to run third behind Rhydian, he was green early, and then caught the eye late to finish two lengths behind the winner, if he has made the necessary improvement back at home, he will take lots of beating in this race. 10 PALANCAR has improved nicely with every start, he finished second in the same race as Future Free on the 13th of May, he looks to be getting stronger and better with more racing, on his last run, he will have a good each way chance here. 16 AFRICAN MEMOIR ran a great race on debut behind the talented Three Tigers, he ran fourth and was only beaten just over three lengths by the winner, he will improve, watch him closely at a decent price. 13 KANAAL SKATER disappointed terribly in his last start behind Follow Your Heart, he is much better than that, if he can bring his debut run to the track on Tuesday, he could trouble them all in the finish. Watch the first timers, Nightrain and Waloyo Yamoni, they are very well bred. (Brandon Bailey: 11 – 10 – 16 – 13)

RACE 4

2 CLAIR DE LUNE made up good ground late behind Rikkitikkitavi on the 4th of May, she is a young filly with lots of ability, her form is very good, Jockey Gavin Lerena has been booked to ride this well bred individual, she must have a good winning chance. 15 RED TAFFETY showed good improvement from her first start into her second start, the horse that beat her last time, has come out to win again, she is clearly improving with every start, she must have a good each way chance in this field. 3 HERITAGE RIDGE didn’t have much luck in running last time, she was badly inconvenienced from the 200m mark all the way to the finish line, she has been so consistent this filly, with a clear passage on Tuesday, she could certainly finish in the money. 8 MISS WILLIAM was very disappointing in her last start over 1400m, she travelled well in the race, and then completely flattened out when they turned for home, she is much better than that, she drops in trip now to 1200m, watch for sharp improvement. (Brandon Bailey: 2 – 15 – 3 – 8)

RACE 5

2 BEACH QUEEN was very disappointing in her last start behind Dream Searcher, she was drawn wide, and just battled to get into the race, she is much better than that performance, Jockey Muzi Yeni gets the ride back on Tuesday, from a good draw, she will go very close, include her into all bets. 1 OCOTILLO ran a great race behind Supreme Fate on the 6th of May, she finished third, and was only beaten just over one length by the winner, from a good draw on Tuesday, she should have no excuses, include her into the play. 4 LADY VERITAS ran a fair race on debut behind Take It As Red, she was only beaten just over three lengths at the wire, there is no doubt she will improve from that run, watch her closely. 9 KISSES showed massive improvement in her last start, it was her first run over some ground, she went to the front, and she stayed on nicely for third, if she can build on that performance, she could sneak into the places. (Brandon Bailey: 2 – 1 – 4 – 9)

RACE 6

4 STRAWBERRY THIEF quickened up like a smart filly on the 21st of May at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, she was a long way back early, and then finished powerfully towards the end of the race to win going away, she looks extremely progressive, even though she was given six points for that good win last time, she will take lots of beating again. 3 LICKETY SPLIT should be cherry ripe for this Class 4 event on Tuesday, she had some traffic problems up the lane in her last start behind Strawberry Thief, and she still managed to run third, she gets a nice pull in the weights here with Strawberry Thief, with some luck in running, she will go close to winning. 6 LAVENDER BAY never runs a bad race, she tries hard, her form is rock solid, she must have a good each way chance again. 5 TAP SHOES finished just under three lengths behind the winner last time, she is consistent, on her best form, she could sneak into the places. (Brandon Bailey: 4 – 3 – 6 – 5)

RACE 7

3 SUGAR MOUNTAIN won super impressively on the 6th of May, he raced just off the speed early, and then flew home to win by just under two lengths, even though he was given four points for that win, he is classy, and he will take lots of beating again. 5 MAGIC VERSE ran a terrific race in the Listed Pocket Power Stakes on the 25th of May, he ran third and was only beaten just under two lengths by Otto Luyken, if he can bring that performance to the races again, he will be right there in the finish. 8 SEEKING THE STARS gets the blinkers fitted and he steps up in trip to 1600m, if he stays the trip and he gets some luck in running from a tricky draw, he could certainly finish amongst the places. 4 MUCHO DINERO never raised a gallop in his last start, he was terribly disappointing, if he can put that poor performance behind him, he can easily win a race like this, watch him closely. (Brandon Bailey: 3 – 5 – 8 – 4)

RACE 8

9 DANCE VARIETY needed his last run in the Grade 3 Champagne Stakes, he stayed on nicely for fifth behind Tenango, on his day, he can mix it up with some of the best sprinters in the land, if he has made the necessary improvement back at home, he will take lots of beating here. 5 KAIBOY never runs a bad race, the yard thinks highly of this gelding, he is packed with ability, Jockey Andrew Fortune now gets the ride, watch him closely, he will be flying at them late. 4 ARCTIC WIZARD could be the dark horse in this competitive race on Tuesday, he is a lovely horse with a magnificent action, Jockey Muzi Yeni knows him well, with no weight on the back, he must be respected. 10 DUMBLEDORE won a gutsy race last time, he was given three points for that win, but he tries hard, he could certainly finish amongst the places on his best form. It’s a tricky race, you will need to go wide. (Brandon Bailey: 9 – 5 – 4 – 10)

RACE 9

6 SUN DAZED had absolutely no luck in running on the 16th of April, he was badly inconvenienced at about the 350m mark, once the gaps opened, he motored home to run third behind his stable companion, this looks to be the perfect race for him, if he gets some luck in running, he will be hard to beat. 3 LOVERS LANE looked a picture last time, he might have just needed the run slightly from a small break, he was just off the speed early, and caught the eye late for third behind Avignon, if he can build on that performance, he could certainly trouble them all in the finish. 1 MONT LOISIR has been in great form of late, he drops back in trip now to 1200m, he must be respected, Jockey Richard Fourie knows him well. 9 GRAVITY made up lots of ground to win a good race on the 4th of May, he was given four points for that win, but the apprentice Brevan Plaatjies takes off 2.5kgs, which certainly helps with that penalty, he must be include into all bets, he will be running on strongly late. (Brandon Bailey: 6 – 3 – 1 – 9)

RACE 10          

7 PINK PIGEON ran a cracking second behind Babelicious on the 21st of May, this will be her third run after a break, she should be cherry ripe for this race on Tuesday afternoon, on her best form, she will take lots of beating. 5 PEACE OF MIND had no luck in running last time, she unfortunately didn’t get to the front, and she had some traffic problems up the lane, she is an absolute speed ball, if she gets to the front, she will be hard to fetch, include her into all bets. 8 GOLDEN TATJANA is slowly starting to slide in the ratings, her form of late is much better, watch her closely, she is now racing off a dangerous mark, she could finish in the money at a decent price. 2 THE CHARLESTON has been rested for 104 days, she is much better than her recent form, if she doesn’t need the run badly, she could sneak into the places. (Brandon Bailey: 7 – 5 – 8 – 2)