Gr3 London News S New 27/01

Charles Laird-trained horses dominated the exciting finish to the London News S over 1800m at Newmarket on Wednesday night, with Hunting Tower scrambling home a short head in front of stable companion Likeithot. The race had been scheduled for the previous Saturday, but the entire meeting was held over for four days because of inclement weather, writes Matthew Lips.

Silverpoint, having his first start since changing hands at public auction in December for R1.1 million, looked to be well weighted in this conditions race and was the ante-post favourite, but his new trainer Mike Azzie made no secret of the fact that the 5yo was not fully wound up for his stable debut and it was Hunting Tower (who met Silverpoint on 1 kg worse terms than in a handicap) who started as a heavily supported market leader.
Land Lubber ensured a decent pace on ground which had dried out to be virtually perfect, showing the way from Captain Corageous, Tamarino Bay, and Likeithot. Silverpoint raced a little wide in around midfield, with Hunting Tower as always held up towards the rear of a ten horse line-up. Land Lubber began to weaken 400m out and it was Likeithot who made the first move towards the inside, with Captain Corageous very much in contention wider out as Silverpoint battled to quicken. Singing Sword loomed up with a big run against the inside rail, but never got to grips with Likeithot, who led them into the last 200m.
Hunting Tower, though, was making excellent progress from well back. He ranged up to Likeithot coming to the final 100m, and while his stable companion refused point blank to throw in the towel under pressure it was Hunting Tower who managed to stick his nose down on the line to win by a short head under an all-out Anton Marcus drive. Singing Sword finished third as Captain Corageous weakened into fourth, but Silverpoint was disappointingly one-paced under pressure even allowing for the fact that this run will bring him on a fair bit.
Likeithot would face Hunting Tower on half-a-kilo better terms should their trainer elect to run both horses in the Gr1 J&B Met at Kenilworth on January 27th, so the draw (still unknown at the time of writing) could ultimately decide which of the two fares best. Whether Hunting Tower could give 2.5kg to the likes of Pocket Power is debatable, but poor draws have prevented Wednesday's winner from showing his true ability in such big races as the Vodacom Durban July and Steinhoff Summer Cup. Hunting Tower is one of the very best of his generation, and he does pack an excellent turn of acceleration.
Likeithot has finished second in all four of his races this season, but has done nothing wrong and any unwarranted question marks over his attitude must surely have been laid to rest once and for all in the London News Stakes, but purely at the weights the best chance Charles Laird has of winning the Met lies with neither of this pair, but with Lion Tamer. On pre-London News Stakes merit ratings, he would respectively face Likeithot on 1.5kg and Hunting Tower on 0.5kg better terms than if the Met were a handicap. That said, Likeithot seemed to run above his 102 rating at Newmarket, where he met Hunting Tower on 1.5kg worse terms than in a handicap and was beaten by centimetres, so it all boils down to the likely reality that the Charles Laird trio are pretty equally matched in the Met even if Hunting Tower has won a bunch of Graded races and the other two between them have won not a single one. It proves again, if nothing else, that ability and achievement are two very different things when it comes to assessing a horse's chances, especially in any race where the weights are not a level playing field, and the Met is famous for being won by horses that have never won a major contest before. At least, before the weights are finalised, that is.
A four-year-old gelding by Fort Wood, Hunting Tower is out of the Royal Chalice mare Stirrup Cup and has won seven times from 20 starts for owner/breeder Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer, earning R1.546.075 in the process. That's a nifty record indeed for a horse who needed five runs before he won a maiden.

Gr3 Peninsula H Ken 06/01

Pinero has probably booked his passage into the Gr1 J&B Met after making all the running to win the T.B.A. Peninsula Handicap over 1800m on the Kenilworth new course on Saturday. This race is essentially the last chance saloon for borderline Met entries to make the cut and it is more-or-less taken for granted that the winner will receive an invitation to the Cape's showpiece event. It is pretty much what the Cup Trial is to the July or the Victory Moon Handicap is to the Summer Cup - win this, and you're in - but it is not by any means official, writes Matthew Lips.

The Peninsula H produced one of the most open betting markets imaginable and the handicappers must have been patting themselves on the back when bookmakers (for once) took a leaf out of their English cousins' book and installed the ante-post favourite (Wonder Gold) at no less than 11/2. In the end it was Dunedin Star who was sent off as a very weak market leader, with steady support coming also for the likes of Wonder Gold's stable companion Lord Of The Mark, bottom weight Rosestone, and the eventual winner's stablemate Avalanche Way. Pinero himself went off as a 10/1 chance.
Pinero was drawn one from the outside in a 13 horse field and Karl Neisius had no hesitation taking him straight to the front, setting a steady enough pace from Dunedin Star and Vettriano, with Chopsticks and Zigal tucked in behind as Irish Assembly brought up the rear. Those racing closest to the pacesetter began one by one to tread water early in the straight and when Pinero kicked away 400m from home the writing was on the wall. Wonder Gold emerged from the pack with a steady run as Rosestone began a move from off the pace as well, but the proverbial flown and Pinero never looked like losing from 200m out even though his stride was starting to shorten at the wire. He won by more than a length from Wonder Gold, with Rosestone third and Appelate Court running on very strongly in his usual manner to finish 4th. Dunedin Star, unable to dictate his own pace this time, failed completely to repeat what he had shown by finishing less than a length behind much improved Hilgrove after making the running in the Gr2 Premier's Trophy three weeks earlier.
Pinero is one of a raiding party of about six horses sent to Cape Town for the summer by KZN trainer Paul Lafferty, where they have been in the (excellent) care of assistant trainer Byron Forster. It may be a far cry from the good old days when KZN horses crowded into Cape Town by the truckload for the summer months, but at least we still have one oar in the water. The J&B Met would obviously present Pinero with an altogether different and much more difficult task. He would be facing favourite Pocket Power at level weights, for a start, and you don't need to phone Mike Bass to find out that Pocket Power is a darned sight better horse than his stable companion Wonder Gold. Pinero's ability to race from the front offers a glimmer of hope, given the manner in which so many Cape races (even big ones) are run, but realistically the Peninsula H won't have done much to change most pundits' view of the likely Met outcome. One thing is for sure, though. Were Pinero to somehow pull it off, the after-party would be something the likes of which Cape Town has never seen before and would be no place for either the faint-hearted or weak-livered!
Pinero is a 4YO gelded son of Dominion Royale. He is the 10th foal and 5th winner of Argentine-bred mare Poesy, a daughter of Lefty who won two races up to 1600m in SA. Bred at Avontuur Stud, Pinero was bought for R85.000 from the 2004 KZN Yearling Sale and has won 6 from 14 starts for R298.075 in stakes.

Gr3 Lebelo Hcp

Jet Master makes headlines almost as frequently as George W.Bush these days and the stallion "find" of recent years was in the limelight yet again when Mythical Flight successfully defended his unbeaten record in the Lebelo H over 1000m at Newmarket. The race had been scheduled for 24 hours earlier, but let's be grateful that the torrid recent Gauteng weather relented for long enough to allow the race to take place at all, even if it was on distinctly soggy ground.
Three-year-old Mythical Flight came into this race on the back of three wins from as many starts, but he was now facing top class older rivals for the first time and was racing on much softer going than he had previously encountered in his short career. There were reasons for punters to be wary of Sean Tarry's colt and, although he remained favourite, he drifted to start at 16/10 from an ante-post call of 7/10.
It is practically inevitable that, whenever a trainer and/or an owner has a horse of rare talent pass through his hands, that in the immediate aftermath every other horse of remotely similar ability or racing style will be compared to that champion. For example, when Corne Spies recently saddled a two-year-old Lecture filly to win her debut by six lengths in the Basil Linington silks it was a bigger certainty than the sun rising in the east that the name Rock Opera would be repeatedly bandied about in the post race interviews. I lost count after about the fourth time. It's all a bit of harmless fun, and almost everybody in the racing media gets a bit carried away in these circumstances at some time or another, but it can cloud the issue and lead to horses being judged by the performances of their forerunners instead of their own.
Mythical Flight, though, makes it damned near impossible to avoid comparisons with National Colour. Whether he is as good or as fast as his former stable companion is impossible to say at this stage, and with the flying filly now in Dubai the two are destined never to meet, but Mythical Flight could well be destined to give trainer Sean Tarry and co-owner Chris van Niekerk another lap of honour around some of SA's biggest sprints.
The Lebelo Handicap is easy enough to describe in a nutshell. Mythical Flight led early with Atlantic Inn, Gypsey Caravan and National Flame showing speed, opened up a three lengths lead by halfway, and simply left them all standing to coast over the line with what looked to be a fair bit up his sleeve. Let's Rock 'n Roll stayed on well to finish second while conceding Mythical Flight 6 kgs, having given National Colour 2.5kg when he finished 4.5 lengths behind her in the Gr1 Mercury Sprint at Clairwood in July. You can draw your own conclusions, but bear in mind that Let's Rock 'n Roll is the same age as National Colour and one year younger than Mythical Flight. Atlantic Inn, a stable companion to Mythical Flight, was run out of second place close home and finished third ahead of Mocha Java.
Winning jockey Brett Smith was full of praise for Mythical Flight afterwards, admitting that he had been sceptical about the colt being tested so early in his career against some of the best and most battle-hardened speed merchants in Gauteng. To say that Mythical Flight passed the test with flying colours would be an under-statement, and it is still anybody's guess how good he is given that he has never been seriously tested. His proven ability to handle soft ground is a big plus, because that doesn't always follow with horses who possess his kind of speed.
Mythical Flight is the sixth foal and third winner of Harry Hotspur mare Mythical Bird, who won one race over 1000m. Bred at The Alchemy and a R340.000 purchase from the 2005 Cape Vintage Yearling Sale, Mythical Flight's 4 wins have earned stakes of R286.250 and he is very much a horse who could become one of the stars of 2007.

Gr2 Premiers Trophy Ken 16/12/06

Mike Bass saddled the first three in the market for the Premier's Trophy over 1800m at Kenilworth and was rewarded with yet another significant win in what has been a lucrative summer season already for one of the country's pre-eminent trainers. That said, he would have had to sweat through a nail-biting photo finish before the camera revealed that Hilgrove had repelled the challenge of rank outsider Veiled Essence with nothing to spare.
Hilgrove went off as a 5/1 chance and was the biggest-priced of the three Bass entries in this conditions race. Stable companions African Appeal and Dunford pretty much dominated the market, with Golden Dice and Zigal most favoured of those representing other yards.
Glyn Schofield had Hilgrove well back early as Dunedin Star set a moderate pace from Zigal, with Radar making progress to race in third ahead of Harvest Time and Captain Cook. African Appeal raced on the outside of horses in around midfield, with Dunford towards the rear. It was a noticeable feature of races around the turn at this meeting that fields were heading straight to the outside of the course in the straight, and the Premier's was no exception. Quite where this trend came from is hard to say, but it looked to be a pretty good recipe for traffic jams and for a long way in the straight African Appeal looked to have a ton of running in him and nowhere to go hard against the rail.
Almost any result was still possible as a bunched field raced into the last 300m, but Hilgrove wisely opted to stay away from the cluttered outside of the course and made his run up the centre. Quickening rapidly from a long way back turning in, Hilgrove grabbed a narrow lead close home and then just held on to win as Veiled Essence stormed between horses wider out, only to find the line arriving just too soon. It was a good effort from last season's Gr2 Gold Circle Oaks winner, who met the winner on 1.5kg worse terms than would have applied were the race a handicap, but she was a long way from being the worst weighted horse in the 12 runner field.
African Appeal eventually ran on well to finish a close 3rd and may easily be considered to have been unlucky not to add to what is already a splendid record over his "specialist" 1800m distance. Dunedin Star weakened late to finish 4th, but it represented big improvement from the R1m yearling and his proximity at the finish must cast some doubt over the form of this race.
Hilgrove at least proved that it isn't necessary to go where you can see the whites of the spectators' eyes to win races at Kenilworth right now, but one can only hope that this silly trend will evaporate before such races as the Queen's Plate, Guineas, and (God forbid) J&B Met turn into something which resembles a Friday afternoon highway snarl-up. The Kenilworth new course has the reputation of being one of the fairest in SA, and by and large that is true, but on Saturday it looked a far cry from it.
Hilgrove has doubtless earned his ticket to the J&B Met, but has also collected a 1.5kg penalty to go with it. Winners of the Premier's Trophy have a pretty weak record in the Met these days, and it perhaps does much more to highlight who can't win the Cape's showpiece event rather than who can, but Hilgrove is undeniably a much improved horse as a 4yo. He ran on well when beaten one length behind Jagged Ice in the Gr2 Green Point Stakes over 1600m in November and raced here off a merit effectively 14 pounds higher than when he won his final start of last term, a minor handicap at Kenilworth in July.
It was as recently as April that Hilgrove was beaten in a work riders' hcp (albeit over an inadequate 1200m), which is hardly the profile of a potential Met winner, but he is virtually unrecognisable as the same horse. Holes can be picked in the form of the Premier's, but Hilgrove cannot be without some sort of a chance in the Met. Whether he is fully effective over 2000m also remains to be seen, but he runs on well in his races and is now unbeaten from four starts over 1800m.
Hilgrove is a son of former champion freshman sire Casey Tibbs (Sadler's Wells) and is out of the Truly Nuereyev mare Leap To Fame, who won twice over 1600m and who had previously produced a host of multiple winners incl. the 4-times successful Spicy Ginger. Bred at Anton Shepherd's Beaumont Stud and owned by Lady Lilford, Hilgrove has won 5 from 12 and earned R318.625.

Gr2 Sceptre S Ken 16/12/06

Secret Of Victoria completed the Cape summer fillies' sprint "double" with a minimum of fuss when she won the Gr2 Scepre S at Kenilworth. The almost white four-year-old had captured the Gr2 Southern Cross S over 1000m in late November and was a well supported 15/10 favourite to go in again in the Sceptre.
This is a WFA affair and Disco Queen looked easily the best weighted on merit ratings. She actually went off as the Tote favourite ahead of the eventual winner, but performed well below her best to finish unplaced. Perhaps her extensive recent travels around the country took too much out of Alistair Gordon's mare, who had trekked from her Summerveld base to win the Gr 2 Merchants at Turffontein 3 weeks earlier before making the long journey to Cape Town. Certainly, the burst of acceleration which she showed when she won the Merchants was nowhere to be seen this time.
Maggie was the early leader into a brisk south-easter and showed the way from Page Girl and Voice Of Africa, with Countess Corlia also well in touch, with Secret Of Victoria a few lengths off the action wider out. Angel At My Table raced at the rear after being a little slow out of the gates. Maggie still led racing into the last 300m, but was clearly there under sufferance. Secret Of Victoria was moving well under Karl Neisius, and lengthened well when asked for her effort, kicking into the lead around 200m out and wrapping the issue up very quickly. Golden Shina ran on strongly from off the pace, but the bird had long flown and she could only finish second as Secret Of Victoria won with more than a length to spare. It was pretty much a form run by Golden Shina, though, as she met the winner on 2kg worse terms than in a handicap.
Countess Corlia can no more run a bad race than she can quote Shakespeare and stayed on to finish third ahead of Angel At My Table, who ran on well from an unpromising early position to finish fourth and surely establish that she does get 1200m without too much trouble. Last season's leading two-year-old filly Asylum Seeker, a disappointment in the Fillies Guineas two weeks earlier, flopped again here. She began to make a little progress coming to the last 200m, but her effort soon fizzled out and she never looked like playing a real hand in the outcome.
Secret Of Victoria can also not be faulted for consistency, having only run well below her best when appearing not to stay 1600m in soft going in June, and the decision to then skip the rest of the winter mud and wait for the summer has paid off handsomely. Just where Vaughan Marshall's filly will go from here remains to be seen, but there is very little left this Cape season except a possible tilt at the boys in the Gr 1 Flying Championship over 1000m in January. Surprise results to such races as the Merchants and Diadem Stakes at Kenilworth this summer suggest that there is no outstanding sprinter in town at present, and while 1200m may be her best distance Secret Of Victoria is effective enough over the minimum trip to make the bid seem worthwhile.
After all, a Gr1 win would boost her already enormous value as a future broodmare right through the stratosphere and National Colour has emphatically established that a member of the fairer sex can plunder big sprint races with aplomb. Secret Of Victoria is a daughter of Goldkeeper, a stallion whose name seems to crop up in these pages every week at present, and she is the half sister to ill-fated former champion 3yo Rabiya. She is the third foal of Irish-bred Royal Academy mare Mystic Spring, who never ran a place during her track career but who has been something else altogether as a broodmare. Bred by John Newsome and acquired for R70.000 at the 2004 National Yearling Sale, Secret Of Victoria has won 6 from 11 starts and earned R460.175.

Memorial Mile (L)

State Coach gave the boys something to mull over this Christmas when she ran out a comfortable winner of the Memorial Mile on WFA terms at Arlington.
She was ridden to victory by Brandon Morgenrood, who is steadily rebuilding his career since he returned to the saddle in October after being warned off for several years. A hugely talented rider, Morgenrood is now older and wiser than when he so nearly wrecked his career by coming under, shall we say, some undesirable influences and can now put all that behind him.
Ultra consistent Ilkeston hadn't finished worse than third in his last nine races and was a strongly supported favourite to win the Memorial Mile, but he has had a very busy schedule of late and it may have been a case of once too often to the well as he ran no sort of race and never looked like featuring. State Coach was rising sharply in class after running away with a modest fillies' hcp at Fairview 2 weeks earlier, but was well backed into 9/2 from 8/1.
Well placed in 3rd as Doctor Bloom set the pace from Crimson's Tag, State Coach picked it up more than 200m out and kicked clear easily, running on strongly to win by a couple of lengths from grand old Brigadier Parker, who was attempting to win this race for a third year in succession. Prima Versa ran on steadily from well back to finish 3rd ahead of Red Gold East, who came from last after being slow away.
State Coach was meeting Brigadier Parker on 7 kgs worse terms than in a handicap, but purely on merit ratings the latter should have won by a street and ran nowhere near his best even if he was not disgraced in second. There is no way the handicapper can take the form with Brigadier Parker literally, because if he did State Coach would wind up as just about the highest rated older filly in SA. She's good, but nowhere near that good.
A 4yo daughter of Jet Master trained by Mitchell Wiese, State Coach is the 8th foal and 5th winner of Free State mare State Treasure, who won four races up to 1900m including the Gr1 Gosforth Park Fillies Guineas. Bred at Varsfontein Stud, State Coach was a R100.000 buy from the 2004 National Yearling Sale and has won four times from 18 starts for R206.875 in stakes.

Secretariat S (L)

A couple of hefty reputations were left dented after Pick Six ran out an easy winner of the Secretariat S for 3yos over 1400m at Turffontein (standside track) on Saturday. Undefeated Epic Poetry and once-beaten Prince Asad virtually dominated the market in a twelve runner field, although there were was support at longer prices for the likes of Sound Of Thunder, Bombani, and Bernabeau, but 7/1 chance Pick Six took care of them all.
The Secretariat S is a hcp, though, so it was always on the cards that things may not quite map out as largely expected. Bernabeau set a brisk pace under 50 kgs and showed the way from Epic Poetry and Master Rambo, but he was collared inside the last 300m and soon weakened out of contention. Epic Poetry led briefly, but Pick Six was making up ground at a great rate and drew clear from 150m out to win very comfortably indeed under promising apprentice Raymond Danielson, a rider who some experienced racegoers have tipped for future stardom.
Wizardry ran on stoutly from midfield to finish second, a good effort conceding 2.5 kgs to a winner that could be virtually anything, while Epic Poetry was far from disgraced in finishing 3rd. He was shouldering top weight of 58 kgs in his 1st attempt beyond 1200m and this was always going to be a pretty big test of Alec Laird's gelding. Bomabi ran on for 4th, but Prince Asad was very disappointing. Never nearer than midfield, he found absolutely nothing when asked for his effort and - hcp or no hcp - he has to be much better than this. The suspicion that all is not well in the Woodruff stable will only have been fuelled even further after this.
Pick Six had been an impressive winner of a Newmarket 1200m maiden race in mid-November, when racing for only the second time, and shaped here as if he may get 1600m. The fact that he received weight from all three of the placed horses, 7 kgs in the case of Epic Poetry, must be borne in mind before any fancy predictions are made about his future, but he has done nothing wrong in his very short career and certainly won this impressively. A gelded son of deceased Rambo Dancer, Pick Six is the 2nd foal and second winner of Rami mare Choice Field. Trained by Charles Laird, Pick Six was bred at Summerhill Stud and cost R320.000 to buy from the 2005 National Yearling Sale. His 2 wins from 3 starts have earned R125.975 in stakes.

Gr2 Diadem S Ken 12/12/06

Youth triumphed over experience when 3yo Golden Ivory scrambled to the narrowest of victories in the WPOTA Diadem S over 1200m at Kenilworth, beating twelve rivals in a race where the old competitor was fully three times his age.
Caesour, still going great guns at the age of seven, was a well supported favourite to win this WFA contest as Golden Ivory went off as a largely unconsidered 14/1 outsider. Port Elizabeth visitor Turbo Jet was the early leader into a strong south-easterly headwind, showing up in front of Lt Jerry Mouse, with O Caesour and Golden Ivory prominent just in behind the leaders followed by Something Else as Gulf Trade brought up the rear.
Turbo Jet was already in trouble by halfway, and 400m out the race looked like the proverbial cavalry charge, but the almost-white Golden Ivory was impossible to miss as he grabbed a narrow lead against the outside rail. O Caesour ran on gamely and was a persistent challenger, while Pocket Power weaved and bobbed his way through traffic from near the back of the field and shot into contention in the dying strides. The three reached the line almost as one, but the camera revealed that Golden Ivory had just lasted long enough to beat Pocket Power by a nostril, with O Caesour a head back in 3rd. Lucky Boy finished fourth after briefly looking around 100m from home as if he would give the three that eventually beat him more to think about.
Nhlavini was never seen with a chance and even allowing for the fact that he was forced to try to make his run in what might have been the least favourable going up the middle he clearly was not the Nhlavini of old. Kenilworth has always been his happy hunting ground, but time may have caught up at last with a horse who recorded the first of his three wins in this particular race back in 2001 - one year before Golden Ivory was even conceived. If he has indeed reached the end of the road, this tremendous servant to the Charles Laird stable owes nobody a thing.
Pocket Power could well be considered to have been an unlucky loser, but connections of this extremely versatile son of Jet Master may yet come to be thankful that the line came one stride too soon for him here. A win in the Diadem would have incurred a 1.5kg penalty for the J&B Met, and you don't need to be a genius to realize that that could make all the difference between victory and defeat in the Cape's premier race late next month. Already a Gr3 winner over 2400m, Pocket Power can boast a rare blend of speed and stamina and would not be terribly inconvenienced either way should the Met be run at a strong gallop throughout or develop into another of those maddening Cape Crawl thingies.
A very useful juvenile last season, when he finished second at Listed level over 1200m, Golden Ivory nevertheless looked to have plenty to do off his 90 merit rating in the Diadem. This marked only his second start since early September and his third since late June, so he is entitled to be improving. Some may wonder how much his extreme outside draw may have helped his cause here, but neither of the day's 2 other sprints was won by a horse hugging the standside fence and the draw on the day didn't look to be that much of an issue. Golden Ivory may be lucky that Pocket Power's challenge came a tick too late, but Vaughan Marshall's colt won it fair and square and opinions on how good he is need to be substantially corrected.
Golden Ivory became the third Gr2 sprint winner in a fortnight for his sire Goldkeeper, after the success of Disco Queen in the Merchants at Turffontein and Secret Of Victoria in the Southern Cross Stakes at Kenilworth. He is the sixth foal and fourth winner of Australian-bred mare Flaming Ivory, a daughter of Kala Dancer who won one race over 1200m in South Africa. Flaming Ivory is well enough related, though, being the half sister to a Gr3 winner in Italy and a Listed winner in the USA. Bred by Geoff Armitage, Golden Ivory was acquired for R160.000 at the 2005 National Yearling Sale and has won four times from eight starts for prize money of R264.116.

Gr2 Selangor Cup Ken 9/12/06

Objections are one of the most controversial aspects of racing and the entire issue came under the spotlight once again after Jay Peg survived a double protest to win the Selangor Cup over 1600m at Kenilworth.
Objections which are so blatant - one way or the other - that the decision is little more than a formality are few and far between. This certainly wasn't one of them.
The power to change the result of a race - any race, let alone a Graded Stakes - is not one to be exercised lightly, and as much as punters often love to hate the Stipendiary Stewards theirs is not always an easy job. No universally fair and acceptable system of deciding protests has ever been invented, simply because in most cases the criteria involved are highly subjective and can reasonably be argued either way. Some years ago the NHRA changed the rules regarding objections. Where previously it merely had to be "proved" for an objection to be upheld that but for the interference suffered the aggrieved horse would have finished at least one position better, it now needs to be shown that it would have beaten the horse that caused the interference.
Both approaches have their merits and demerits, but on a balance one may be left to think that the old system was fairer if a horse can get away with causing mayhem on the basis that it would have beaten its inconvenienced rivals anyway. There is a rule which allows for a horse to be disqualified outright if the interference caused is of sufficient severity, but it is a draconian step and one which is almost never enforced. Which leaves us with Jay Peg, who certainly didn't do enough to be one of the rare exceptions to that rule, but who got away unscathed after hampering the second horse a bit and the 3rd horse a lot. Under the old rules he almost certainly would have lost the race, and as an entirely neutral observer one has to say that he would have deserved it. There again, the previous system also produced its share of anomalies and unfair results, so we're back to square one. There just is no easy way to do this, but the old method may have led to justice being done more often.
Record priced yearling Wonder Lawn was sent out favourite to win this conditions race for three-year-olds in his first foray into Stakes company, with topweight Jay Peg second favourite and unbeaten State Crown heavily supported from an ante-post call of 10/1 into less than one third of those odds. In the absence of the injured Bulldozer, only Whispering Wood was given much chance of the others in a ten horse field.
It was Senor Jet who went out to set a reasonable if unspectacular pace in the early stages, with his stable companion Saltarello passing horses to race in second as Jay Peg settled in third. Wonder Lawn was nicely positioned in fourth ahead of Harmony Gem, with State Crown held up at the back after starting a little slowly. Senor Jet began to come under plenty of pressure halfway down the long new course run-in as Jay Peg and Wonder Lawn threw down their challenges. State Crown, meanwhile, opted to come to the outside of his field and was making good headway from the rear.
Jay Peg took a narrow lead coming to the last 200m, but he was already beginning to hang out to his right into the path of Wonder Lawn. This was already quite a sharp movement by Jay Peg, but it got worse as he then veered very sharply all the way to the outside fence, causing Wonder Lawn to ease and State Crown to check very badly. Jay Peg, driven out by Richard Fourie, held on to beat Wonder Lawn by half-a-length, with State Crown switching in sharply in the dying stages and finishing roughly a similar distance back in third. Senor Jet finished fourth after minding his own business.
It was the trainers of both Wonder Lawn and State Crown who lodged the ultimately unsuccessful objections. It could be argued that the interference to Wonder Lawn wasn't severe enough to justify a change to the result, while the interference to State Crown happened too late in the race for Piet Steyn's colt to ever have been able to beat Jay Peg. This is probably all true, and in terms of the current rules it was decided to leave the result as it stood. Thus the Board no doubt exercised the rules correctly, but it just doesn't seem morally right.
Be that as it may, the winner was conceding 2.5kg to both the second and third horses and could well be the Cape's best chance of a hometown win in the forthcoming Guineas. It could be argued that Wonder Lawn and especially State Crown - who was here racing for only the third time in his life and should obviously have finished closer - are still improving, but in the Guineas Jay Peg will meet them at level weights. We can only hope he steers a much less erratic course!
Trained by Basil Marcus, Jay Peg is from the first crop of A.P.Indy horse Camden Park. He is the third foal and second winner of Laptop Lady, who never won a race but who is doing more than her bit to boost the ever-growing influence of Al Mufti as a sire of broodmares. Bred at High Season, Jay Peg was a R130.000 purchase from the 2005 Cape Vintage Yearling Sale and has now won 6 of 8 for R368.375.

Gr2 Southern Cross S Ken 28/11/06

The upper levels of the bloodstock market being what they are these days, the true value of a well-bred filly with the racecourse performance to match is a breathing, living, goldmine. Little wonder that the gap between the respective sales averages for colts and fillies has been shrinking.
There are any number of races all the way up to the highest echelons that only females can contest, after all, and the R70.000 which it took to buy Secret Of Victoria, for instance, is proving to be a bargain of note. Already a dual winner at Gr3 level, the half sister to ill-fated Rabiya scored in Gr2 company for the first time when winning the Southern Cross Stakes for fillies and mares over 1000m at Kenilworth.
Secret Of Victoria was the best treated at the weights in this WFA dash and predictably went off as the favourite in a field of 15, having run very well to be beaten around a neck into fifth place behind Floatyourboat in the Gr2 Betting World Merchants on her return from a 20 week lay-off. Maggie was the early leader and set a brisk pace with Hancock News, Mairingi Bay, and Royal Observer all prominent as Secret Of Victoria was held up four or five lengths off the action.
Maggie still held a slender lead coming to the last 200, but Secret Of Victoria was making steady headway under Karl Neisius and was set to strike. Delivered with a perfectly timed challenge by one of the doyens of the SA jockeys' ranks, Secret Of Victoria led inside the final furlong and ran on well to peg back a determined challenge from Angel At My Table with the best part of a length to spare. Maggie ran the race of her life to finish 3rd, facing the winner on 10.5 kgs worse terms than would have applied in a hcp, with Golden Shina running on well to take fourth place over a distance short of her best. The 6 3yos in the field were ultimately all well beaten out of the money.
On the face of it, Secret Of Victoria ran nowhere near her 100 merit rating, for she met runner-up Angel At My Table on 7.5kg better terms than in a handicap and should have put healthy daylight between herself and that rival, but nobody will care much about that. In any case, Secret Of Victoria is probably at her very best over 1200m, and there is still the Gr 2 Sceptre S for fillies and mares to come over that longer distance this summer.
Secret Of Victoria is a 4yo grey daughter of Goldkeeper, who was being credited with his 2nd Gr2 winner in 4 days after the success of Disco Queen in the Merchants at Turffontein the previous Saturday. It is a pity indeed that Goldkeeper suffers from genuine fertility problems these days, because the former Zim resident has been a worthy addition to the SA stallion roster these past few years. Bred by John Newsome, Secret Of Victoria is out of the Royal Academy mare Mystic Spring and has now won half of her ten career starts for R366 425 in stakes. That is obviously not a reflection of her real worth, though, and it hardly hurts that she can boast a 2nd place finish at Gr1 level on her CV.

Gr2 Ipi Tombe Challenge Ken 26/11/06

We are a long way removed from the glory days of old, but it has been a good little spell for KZN stables. Four days after the success of Disco Queen in the Gr2 Merchants at Turffontein, First Again raided Newmarket and recorded the 1st Stakes win of her career when landing the Ipi Tombe Challenge for fillies and mares over 1600m.
Two daughters of Jet Master dominated the market for this conditions race, with November Handicap heroine Soft Landing the odds-on choice to lift another valuable prize and last-start Listed winner Stratos strongly supported to give her paternal half sister plenty to think about. First Again was a 7/1 chance in a ten runner field.
Frisky Flag immediately went off the make the running and set a reasonable pace from Bold Ellinore and Stratos, with Soft Landing tracking them in fourth as old rival School Assembly followed her in turn. Bold Ellinore and School Assembly both set out after Frisky Flag not long after turning for home, with Soft Landing still well in touch and appearing to travel well enough, but things started to go horribly pear-shaped for the favourite when she was asked for an effort inside the last 300m and promptly found absolutely nothing.
Stratos also began to throw down a strong challenge from more than 200m out, but starting to thunder home from the tail of the field was First Again. Virtually last with 600m to go, First Again found all the right gaps at the right time as she made her run down the far rail, getting to grips with Stratos soon after the latter had herself hit the front and going on to beat the second favourite by the best part of a length going away. Bold Ellinore lacked extra late and finished third as Uptown Girl made late headway to share fourth place with Frisky Flag. Soft Landing eventually faded to finish with only the horribly off-form Rememberance behind her.
This was clearly no kind of run from Soft Landing, who on the merit ratings should basically have finished wherever Stratos was, but take nothing away from five-year-old First Again. The Neil Bruss-trained mare has blossomed as she has aged and was recording her 4th win from within her last five starts. "She has a mind of her own" said Bruss afterwards, "but she has a heart as big as herself." One also have to give plenty of credit once again to winning jockey Glyn Schofield, who has been riding like a man possessed since he returned from a lengthy sojourn in Hong Kong. He kind of admitted that he was lucky that the gaps all appeared for him at the right time, but when you're in his kind of form you can even make your own luck.
First Again is a daughter of Muhtafal, who can be considered the senior member of the KZN stallion ranks since National Emblem departed for the Western Cape. She is the second foal and first winner of Esplendor mare Going Places, who failed to place from three visits to the track. This is very much a Zimbabwean female line, with a runner-up in the Zimbabwean Oaks and a winner of the-then Rhodesian Oaks further down the family tree, so First Again's success in a race named after the best horse by a country mile to emerge from our northern neighbour was more than slightly appropriate.
Bred at Backworth Stud in KZN, First Again was knocked down for R90.000 at the 2003 National Yearling Sale, but is still co-owned by her breeder Keith Russon. She has won eight times from 22 starts for earnings of R469.988, and the decision to keep her in training at the age of five has, to say the least, been vindicated.

Gr3 Magnolia H New 28/11/06

Mary Slack's Wilgerbosdrift stud has become a major player on the South African breeding scene in a short space of time and Quickwood will be a worthy addition to the farm's broodmare band after her posted a first Stakes success in the Magnolia H for fillies and mares over 1200m at Newmarket.
The 4yo has run on very strongly to finish third in a Listed hcp over 1000m earlier in November, when returning from a 14 week lay-off, and was the well supported favourite to beat 15 rivals in what looked like a very competitive race.
The pace was on from the start as Darwin led early with Start Me Up, topweight Dollar Bright, and Evening Attire also showing plenty of speed. Start Me Up took a narrow advantage coming to the last 200m, but it was soon all change as Quickwood and Lady Perez delivered their challenges from off the pace. This pair went on to fight out a close finish, with Weichong Marwing driving Quickwood to the line a short head in front of her year-younger rival. Dollar Bright ran a cracker with 58kg to finish third as Start Me Up weakened late to fill fourth place. The winner is trained by Mike de Kock, who left earlier the same morning to do some shopping in Argentina.
It was a smart effort from Quickwood, who was conceding 4kg to a runner-up who has been in great form and who had failed by a length to give 2kg to talented Ethereal Lady in a Listed race last time out. There were plenty of useful and in-form fillies well beaten off behind the leading pair. Quickwood was never offered for sale and remains the property of her breeder, who will be mightily pleased with that state of affairs.
Quickwood's future potential at stud is assured in no uncertain terms now. A daughter of Fort Wood, she's the full sister to Heir Apparent, who won the SA Guineas at Greyville in its final year as a Gr1 race before being sold for export. The Magnolia winner is the 5th foal and 5th winner of Al Mufti mare Quick Succession, who won 4 up to 1000m, and it is obvious now that Quickwood has inherited the speed of her mother and not the stamina of Fort Wood. She was recording her 4th win from 7 and has now earned R206.250.

Block And Chisel brought down the curtain on a splendid Summer Cup meeting (which was thankfully spared the predicted 60% chance of thunderstorms) when he won the Unitrans Racing Association Handicap over 3200m.
The race was previously run over 2850m, but Block And Chisel was one of only four runners in the 16 horse field to have previously won over two miles and clearly enjoyed the step up in trip.
He was given a canny ride by Willie Figueroa, who has only just returned from almost six months off because of an arm injury and who was riding his first winner since his comeback. Well back early as Andronicusofrhodes and then Bayete set the pace, Block And Chisel made steady progress from halfway down the back straight and around the final turn to be up in third spot turning in. Given a bold ride in the full knowledge that stamina was not a question mark, Block And Chisel took it up from a tiring Bayete inside the last 300m and kept on running all the way to the line to shake off the attentions of well supported Mato Grosso, who was chasing in vain from a long way out. Zambomba looked briefly dangerous before finishing third, but former leading stayer Saddlewood never showed under 60kg and it remains to be seen whether he will be remotely be the same force he was before injury kept him out of racing for more than a year.
Block And Chisel is a Robbie Sage-trained son of Restructure out of the Royal Prerogative mare Fairest Fame. Bred by the Koster Bros, the 5yo was bought for R52 500 at the 2003 National Two Year Old Sale and has won 5 from 28 starts for R340 950 in stakes. He will doubtless be back in the autumn for the Gold Bowl, over this same course and distance, a race in which he finished 6th last season.

Gr2 Merchants Turff 25/11/06

A less-than-ideal preparation couldn't stop Disco Queen from showing her male rivals some fancy footwork in the PG Bison Merchants (hcp) over 1160m at Turffontein.
he KZN visitor had run most dis-appointingly on soft ground at Scottsville in October, when returning from a three month rest, and was then forced to miss her next intended outing in a conditions race where on best form she was weighted to run backwards and still win. Having to miss out on that must have been at least mildly irritating to connections, but Alistair Gordon did a mighty fine job of getting her fully tuned at home instead.
Vega, winner of the-then Gr1 Merchants when it was last run in April 2005, was sent off favourite to land the spoils for a second time, but the market reflected the highly competitive nature of the race and there was plenty of support at long odds especially for Flaming Jet. Disco Queen, who ran flying machine National Colour to a neck at WFA in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint at Scottsville in May, was an 8/1 chance, but the most favoured of the four KZN visitors in the field was Michael Roberts-trained Australian import Tropical Empire.
It was another of the Durban hopefuls in Blue Heaven who set the early pace, oiling along at a hundred miles a minute with Atlantic Inn and the much-travelled Hinterland closest to him. Status Quo also showed up prominently, but it looked to be an unsustainable tempo and one by one the frontrunners began to back-pedal. The race took on a completely different look from more than 300m out, but it was Disco Queen who burst through from seemingly nowhere coming to the final 200m as Vega ranged up on the inside of the pack. Eventually it boiled down to these two, but Disco Queen always had Vega's measure and ran on gamely all the way to the line under Jeff Lloyd to grab the quarter-million first prize. Flaming Jet and Pure Hokum were running on to fill the minor places, the former never threatening to justify the faith of his backers but nevertheless holding his own in his first venture into Stakes competition. Tropical Empire was outpaced throughout, but did run on to finish fifth and is probably at his very best around 1400m, if not even 1600m.
This amounted to an all-too-rare reminder of the glory days when KZN was the predominant force in South African racing, but (I say yet again) it isn't because of the trainers and nobody could have done a better job of getting Disco Queen to the Merchants in tip-top shape despite a troubled prep. After all, it was only five weeks earlier that the mare was well and truly clobbered by both of her fellow Merchants entries Blue Heaven and Tropical Empire at Scottsville. A note for the future was sounded by Alistair Gordon when, three days before the Merchants, Disco Queen's 3yo half sister Mkushi Gold easily won a Scottsville maiden race at the 2nd time of asking. "She shows me more than Disco Queen did, at the same stage." You have been warned.
Disco Queen is a 5yo daughter of Goldkeeper out of the Del Sarto mare Gypsy Silk, who was a champion race filly in Zim and who has also produced the Gr 2 winning stayer Big Bad John. Bred and part-owned by Zambian resident Mike Marffy, she has now won 6 of her 20 starts and earned R610.762. The only downside to it all is that the Merchants has lost its Gr1 status, because mares who win at the highest level are more valuable than gold these days, but she's still worth a bundle and, anyway, who's to say she cannot win a Gr1 before she retires? She has certainly shown that she's up to it.

Gr2 Dingaans Ken 18/11/06

Divine Jury, a smart two-year-old last season when still immature, fulfilled his potential in no uncertain terms at Turffontein on Saturday. Taking advantage of a horribly under-par effort from the hitherto undefeated Kildonan, Divine Jury came from well off the pace to win the Gommagomma Dingaans for three-year-olds over 1600m.
It remains to be disclosed what exactly went so awry with Kildonan, but with the highest rated horse in the Dingaans field performing so far below his best it was left to the next two highest rated contestants to fight out an enthralling finish to the season's 1st major test of 3yo talent.
Our Giant was the early leader, with Divine Jury's stable companion Mentor then speeding things up by taking up the frontrunning role as they negotiated the turns. Kildonan was right on the heels of the leading pair, with Road To Athens passing horses to race in fourth spot. Divine Jury was a good eight or more lengths off the action, with Biarritz as always well back as well. Our Giant quickly regained the advantage in the straight as Kildonan failed to quicken when asked for his effort, but starting big runs from further back were both Divine Jury and Biarritz. They got to The Giant racing into the last 200m and swept on past without much fuss. Biarritz wider out briefly threatened to get to Divine Jury, but the latter still had plenty to give and kept responding to the urgings of Jeff Lloyd, beating Biarritz by a neck.
Our Giant held on to finish third ahead of sole filly Royal Fantasy, who wasn't disgraced in fourth but who lacked the finishing speed to ever really get competitive. Kildonan was eased up from 200m out when his chance was gone and trailed in at the rear, while stable companion Emperor Napoleon made no show in what was a distinctly forgettable race for the Mike de Kock yard. Yes, it even happens to the best.
Divine Jury was twice beaten by Kildonan during the KZN season and it is anybody's guess what would have happened had the odds-on favourite run his race here, but Divine Jury also finished behind Biarritz in the Gr1 Premier's Champion S won by Kildonan at Clairwood in July, where Biarritz was drawn widest of 16 and came from a hopeless position. This may imply that Divine Jury might well have given even an on-song Kildonan plenty to think about in the Dingaans, which is exactly what everybody connected to the eventual winner would have told you all along.
Divine Jury is trained by Weiho Marwing for principal patron Kenny Geemooi, who had to fork out R525 000 to buy the colt on the select session of the 2005 National Yearling Sale. A son of Jallad, Divine Jury is the second foal and 2nd winner of Al Mufti mare Divine Nymph, who won five races up to 1200m and finished second in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Fillies Champion. 1600m was the furthest that Jallad ever won over and on pedigree anything beyond that distance would have to constitute unknown territory for Divine Jury, but his style of racing suggests he may get a bit further. Bred at Highlands Farms, Divine Jury has won 5 of 10 for R571.803 in stakes and Gr1 honours may well await him in 2007.

Gr2 Green Point S Ken 26/11/06

Jagged Ice, whose 2nd place finish behind Malteme in the Gr2 Gold Circle Derby in July was made to look pretty good in the Steinhoff International Summer Cup, recorded the first Feature race victory of his career when he captured the Green Point S over 1600m at Kenilworth on Sunday. He was one of 4 representatives in this WFA contest from the stable of Dean Kannemeyer, who was bidding to win this race for a 5th time in 6 years and who also sent out Eyeofthetiger. The Gr1 Durban July hero was the ante-post favourite, but strong support for Silver Mist saw the latter go off as the eventual market leader, writes Matthew Lips.
Majestic Sun immediately went out to set a reasonable but seemingly unspectacular pace, with Autumn Glory pulling hard in second as Harvest Time passed horses down the back straight to race handy as well. Subastador was further back as Eyeofthetiger brought up the rear of the 14 runner field. Jagged Ice was held up in the bunch, with Silver Mist some way off the lead as well.
Majestic Sun is certainly game and he dug in deep all the way to the line, but Jagged Ice quickened very well when asked for his effort by Karl Neisius. He made up ground from early in the straight and eventually ground down the gallant Majestic Sun to beat that frontrunner by about half-a-length, with Hilgrove staying on very strongly to finish third, but the one that inevitably caught the attention of most spectators was Eyeofthetiger. The Brazilian import ran on very stoutly from far back to finish fourth over a distance which is short of his very best and is clearing going the right way as the Cape summer season hots up. It was a pleasing run, even if strictly on the merit ratings he should have been able to tow a beer truck and still win this.
For starters, overall form must suggest that the 11 pound difference in the respective ratings of Eyeofthetiger and Jagged Ice going into Sunday's event did the latter an injustice. That is obviously a legacy of the July, for which Eyeofthetiger was effectively raised nine pounds and in which Jagged Ice finished more than ten lengths back from a diabolical draw, but take a look at such races from last season as the Gr1 Cape Derby or Gr1 Daily News 2200 and the two Kannemeyer horses would appear to be pretty levelly matched.
This naturally brings us to the J&B Met, the obvious target race of both horses this summer. At this stage, Jagged Ice would be set to receive 1.5kg from Eyeofthetiger, the difference between a Gr1 and a Gr2 winner's penalty under the conditions of the Met, whereas in the Green Point S they met at level weights. It is easy to be taken with the way Eyeofthetiger finished this race, and he may very well be the superior of the two as he matures, but to the tune of 1.5 kgs over 2000m? That is another story, and Jagged Ice proved he has the class to win at the highest level in his own right when he ran Elusive Fort to a short head in the Daily News 2200.
Jagged Ice is a 4yo gelded son of champion sire Western Winter out of the former crack Port Elizabeth filly Annie, a daughter of Trigger Finger, which makes Jagged Ice the full brother to former champion 2yo male Ice Cube. Owned by his breeders, the Lammerskraal, he has won four of his 13 starts to date and earned R453.450.
Whether he can be the one to make Karl Neisius a very happy man and credit him with his first ever J&B Met win we can only wait to find out. It can hardly be impossible, though, and lest we scoff at the strength of a race contested solely by Cape Town-trained horses it is worth noting that there were more participants with a three-digit merit rating in the Green Point Stakes (nine) than in the Summer Cup (eight) the previous day, and that officially the best horse on Sunday raced off a nine pounds higher mark than the highest rated horse on Saturday. Given the way the Met weights work that may mean less than a politician's promise on the eve of an election, but you'd better believe that the Green Point Stakes was a seriously classy contest.

Gr3 Cape Classic Ken 18/11/06

Basil Marcus' trademark smile gets wider and wider. The former ace rider seems to be doing a post race interview on Tellytrack every five minutes as he successfully makes the often-tricky transition from successful jockey to top trainer, and he really does have plenty to smile about where Jay Peg is concerned. This talented and consistent 3yo looks set to give his trainer a realistic crack at the big summer races for his age group after making short work of 9 rivals in the Investec Cape Classic over 1400m at Kenilworth.
The race did lose a fair amount of its lustre with the scratching of undefeated Bulldozer, but some very useful sophomores remained to oppose Jay Peg, who nevertheless went off as a popular 12/10 favourite. Braam Van Straaten was widely considered to be his biggest threat, but there was considerable support at bigger prices for last-start Durbanville novice plate winner Whispering Wood.
Jay Peg often finds himself doing all the legwork, but this time he was tucked in just behind Casey Cool, who came across from a wide draw to set an ordinary pace. Saltarello pretty much kept Jay Peg company in 2nd, with Avon Wood behind them. Braam Van Straaten and Whispering Wood raced further back. Casey Cool led them into the short old course run-in, but Jay Peg didn't take long to make his move. Taking it up comfortably inside the last 300m, the favourite never looked in any real danger from a furlong out and ran on well to easily keep a late challenge from Whispering Wood at bay. Farolito, the rank outsider of the party, ran on steadily to finish 3rd ahead of Saltarello, who didn't find an awful lot when the chips were down.
Whether this amounts to classic form is debatable. Whispering Wood met the winner on 4 kgs worse terms than in a hcp, while the 3rd horse would have been 5.5 kgs better off with Jay Peg had the race been merit rated, but Jay Peg did win without a great deal of fuss. In any case, his nearest pursuers at the line were both racing for only the 4th time, and Farolito had never previously raced on going that wasn't heavy or soft, so both he and Whispering Wood are entitled to be better horses than their handicap marks suggest.
This win was another feather in the cap of leading apprentice Richard Fourie, whose excellent association with the Marcus stable has become one of the current success stories of Western Cape racing. Asked where Jay Peg was headed to next, Marcus predictably replied, "the Selangor (Cup), and then the Guineas." He also mentioned a possible tilt at the Cape Derby, and it is a curious fact that, despite the disparity in distance, past winners of the Cape Classic have a much better record in the Derby than in the Guineas. "He isn't fully mature yet, he's maturing all the time," said the trainer of his obviously very useful colt.
Jay Peg became the 1st Graded Stakes winner for last term's champion 1st season sire Camden Park, a son of A.P.Indy who won 2 up to 1800m (on turf) in the USA and who was Gr2 placed. Jay Peg is the 3rd foal and second winner of Al Mufti mare Laptop Lady, a modest performer who never won herself but whose first foal Cabernet Kid has finished 2nd at Listed level. Bred at the now-disbanded High Season Stud, Jay Peg was a R130.000 purchase from the 2005 Vintage Yearling Sale. He has won 5 of 7, earning R243.375.

Gr2 Betting World Merchants Ken 11/11/06

Obviously well over the knee injury which kept him out of action for five months, Floatyourboat made a terrific return to action when he defied 59kg to win the Betting World Merchants over 1200m at Kenilworth. Judged on this display, last term's Gr1 Cape Derby hero could be in for a very lucrative summer season.
It was the eventual winner's stable companion Laredo Gold, an easy course-and-distance winner two weeks earlier, who went off a strongly supported favourite to land an elusive first career Graded race success. O Caesour, bidding to win the race for a third year in succession, was the second choice of the market as Floatyourboat, lumping top weight over a distance considered to be well short of his best, was allowed to start at 14/1.
As has become common in sprints at Kenilworth, the field soon split into two groups and shunned the middle of the course as if it were a minefield. Most of the speed look to be on the outside, where Molten and Battle Line disputed the pace ahead of Firebolt, with O Caesour beautifully poised just in behind them. Countess Corlia led those that opted to race on the far side. The O Caesour hat-trick looked to be very much on the cards when Shane Humby's 7yo moved up to dispute the lead coming to the final 200m, but the challenges came at him from all sides even as the early leaders faded.
Something Else shot through along the inside to dispute the lead, drifting over towards the stands' side as he did so, while right under the outside fence came Floatyourboat. Rattling home from well off the early pace, Floatyourboat and Something Else eventually hit the line virtually as one, with the photo finish revealing that the former had just prevailed. O Caesour was far from disgraced in third, with ultra-consistent Countess Corlia as game as ever in fourth place. The last named filly has only failed to earn a stakes cheque three times from 21 racecourse appearances.
Laredo Gold failed to really quicken when the chips were down and continues to be one of those horses that can win minor races with regularity but continues to not deliver in the bigger contests. Eyeofthetiger made no show in his first start since he won the July, but will obviously be all the better of this run and the Merchants was merely the first step on the road to the J&B Met in late January for Dean Kannemeyer's Brazilian import.
This win will have damaged rather than improved Floatyourboat's own Met prospects, for the Gr2 winner's penalty he collects for this success will have him shouldering at least 57kg in the Cape Town showpiece, but there again he could be a better horse now than he even was at three. He seems to be back in top physical shape, and as a son of Jet Master the Mike Bass-trained gelding is quite entitled to only be reaching his peak now. The WFA Queen's Plate may however represent a more winnable target for him, and his connections do have Pocket Power up their sleeves as a potential Met horse.
The latter has only won at Gr3 level against 3yos (3 times admittedly), and could be weighted with a realistic chance in terms of the conditions of the Met, where set penalties are incurred for winning Graded races, and only half penalties where those Graded races are age-restricted. That is precisely why the Met so often falls to a good horse that has never actually won a major race.
Floatyourboat became Jet Master's 3rd Graded Stakes winner is as many consecutive weekends, following the heroics of Soft Landing in the Gr2 November Handicap the previous Saturday and of Escapology in the Gr3 Algoa Cup the Sunday before that. Out of the Foveros mare Foverington (herself the half sister to two J&B Met winners in Surfing Home and Badger's Coast), Floatyourboat has now won 5 of 13 and earned R749.025. Bought for R240.000 at the '04 National Yearling Sale, he was bred by Carl and Amanda de Vos.

Gr3 Yellowwood H New 7/11/06
This has been a pretty good year for Gerrit Schlechter at Newmarket did nothing to harm the Cape-based jockey's bank balance. Half-an-hour before winning the Victory Moon Hcp on Over Bearing, Schlechter steered Bed Of Roses to a runaway success in the Yellowwood H for fillies and mares over 1800m
Although thoroughly consistent in more modest races, Bed Of Roses was considered to have plenty to do in this stronger company, especially from 1kg out at the weights, and went off as a largely unheralded 20/1 shot against a field where the 4 highest weighted horses were all previous Graded stakes winners, at Gr1 level in the case of Count The Money.
Winter Diamond set an unhurried early pace and showed the way from Trading Up and Count The Money, with the stable companions Jet Danza and National Banker next in line as Bed Of Roses sat last of the eleven runners. Count The Money was the first to set off after Winter Diamond in the straight, but her effort fizzled began to die out more than 200m from home. The race was briefly wide open, but Bed Of Roses was unleashing a storming run down the outside and fairly raced away in the closing stages to win by 3.75 lengths from well-supported She's On Fire, who was suffering her 1st career defeat since finishing unplaced on debut but who hadn't raced since July.
Sportscuddle loves Newmarket and would be horrified to know that the Alberton track's days are numbered. She stayed on to finish third on a course where she is already a dual Gr3 winner, with Count The Money weakening into fourth and National Banker unplaced after failing to quicken when asked for her effort.
The moderate early pace makes Bed Of Roses' effort all the more commendable as the race wasn't really run to suit a horse with her style of racing from so far back, but she overcame all obstacles to win in great style and more than justified the decision to keep her in training at the age of 6. A daughter of now KZN-based Modern Day, she is out of the once-successful Arbat mare Rose Of Mooncoin. Trained by Roy Magner for her owner/breeder Wally Brits, Bed Of Roses has won 7 from 33 and earned R416.430.

Gr3 Victory Moon H New 7/11/06
There are reasons why professional punters who can make a living out of betting on horses are rarer than ice-cream vendors in Antarctica. Tuesday's night meeting at Newmarket is a pretty good case in point. Three Graded or Listed hCps on the card, and every one of them won by a horse under sufferance at the weights. That may well have constituted some sort of record, but there again racing can be about as exact a science as a blind man trying to find his way out of a maze at midnight.
Anyway, there were extenuating circ-umstances, at least where Over Bearing is concerned. Well supported into 9/2 in an open betting market, Over Bearing recorded the first Stakes win of his career when he landed the Victory Moon Hcp over 1800m. The Charles Laird-trained four-year-old was 1.5kg out at the weights, but that was only because of the presence of one horse, Saddlewood. Had the latter not accepted for the race, second highest weighted Eurovision would have had his mass lifted from 56.5kg to the minimum top weight of 58kg. With Saddlewood not at his best in only his second start since a lay-off of well over a year, it may be argued that the handicap was not as out-of-kilter as a first perusal would suggest.
Whether the handicappers will see it that way when they reassess Over Bearing is of course another matter, but an effective "double" penalty would improve his chances of a run in the Gr1 Steinhoff Summer Cup on November 25th, so perhaps nobody would be complaining. Furthermore, Over Bearing is entitled to be a considerably better horse than his pre-Victory Moon rating, for he was still relatively lightly raced and had won very nicely over 1600m at Newmarket in October, when returning from a 33 week lay-off.
E-Fuel set an ordinary pace, narrowly in front of Split Decision, with Senor Senna in third spot followed by Malteme, and that was still the order as they reached the top of the straight. Senor Senna went for his run down the inside as E-Fuel kept plugging away on the lead. Goldsmith and To And Fro started to run as well, with Succesful Bidder beginning to unwind from well off the pace, too. Senor Senna didn't quite appear to go through with his effort as Goldsmith got to the front racing past the 200m pole, but Over Bearing was making steady progress wider out now and got to Goldsmith close home, beating that Mike de Kock-trained rival by a neck and making this a one-two finish for owner/breeder Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer. The runner-up was suffering defeat for the first time in four starts since being fitted with blinkers, but was a long way from disgraced under the one kg penalty he collected for scoring at Clairwood the previous Wednesday.
Senor Senna managed to stay on and finish third ahead of Succesful Bidder, whose form since he returned from a year's lay-off is pretty good - and definitely better than the spelling of his name. E-Fuel was beaten less than three lengths into fifth place after doing the donkeywork in his first start since July 1st.
At the time of writing some uncertainty still exists as to whether Over Bearing has done enough to ensure a spot in the final Summer Cup field, but he looks to be on the upgrade. The Victory Moon Handicap is more-or-less to the Summer Cup what the Cup Trial and Peninsula Handicap are to the Vodacom Durban July and J&B Met respectively, where the winner almost invariably does get a run in the ensuing big race, but time will tell.
Over Bearing was ridden at Newmarket by Gerrit Schlechter, who is more than likely to resume his partnership with the son of Fort Wood if Over Bearing does indeed contest the Summer Cup. A son of Fort Wood, Over Bearing is out of the splendid Highborn Harry mare Ollies Last, dam of previous Gr1 winners Alpha Omega (Pole Position) and Final Claim (Proclaim). It is hard to argue (impossible, even) against Fort Wood being an upgrade on either of those two sires, but then again breeding can be even more of an inexact science than handicapping. Over Bearing has now won four of his eight starts and earned R279.125.

Gardenia H (L) New 7/11/06
Aside from being won by horses that were "out" at the weights, the three Feature events at Newmarket on Tuesday had one other thing in common. They were all won by horses that were bred by their owners. The Turffontein-based training partnership of Lyle Anderson and Alan Roux sent out four of the 11 starters in the Gardenia Hcp (f&M) over 1000m and were rewarded with the first two finishers, but it was 33/1 outsider Good Samaritan who prevailed narrowly over much better fancied Evening Attire and left exotic bets punters offering a million thanks to whoever invented the idea of couplings.
Good Samaritan had won well in a much less demanding race on her return from a five month rest in October, but she was fully 3.5kg under sufferance here and even over the minimum distance that is no small consideration. Evening Attire and Aussie import Celestial Mist were considered to be the principal contenders, with the likes of topweight Dollar Bright, Darwin, and Shades Of Winter (for the Anderson and Roux team) also having their followers.
Boogie Woogie was the first to show at a very quick pace, but Good Samaritan was right there with Dollar Bright also showing pace under her 60kg. Evening Attire was just behind the early speed, but had moved right into the firing line as they came into the final 400m. Boogie Woogie and Dollar Bright were soon weakening, and with the others struggling to quicken it was left to the two stable companions to dominate matters inside the last 200m or so. Evening Attire looked to take a narrow lead, but Good Samaritan refused to cave in under pressure and the two went to the line locked together. In what was pretty much a case of heads-up and heads-down, it was Great Samaritan who did bookies a turn by sticking her nose out on the line under Kevin Derere to win by a short head. Quickwood ran on to finish third over a distance short of her best, an eye-catching effort after a 14 week lay-off, with Celestial Mist 4th.
Evening Attire was conceding 5.5kg to a year-older winner and was far from disgraced, even if it would have been 9kg in a totally unrestricted hcp, and she wasn't beaten for lack of effort as her jockey Sylvester Mtshali landed in hot water with the Stipendiary Stewards for over-zealous use of his whip. That a rider can be sanctioned for trying too hard still doesn't set very well with some people, especially as racing whips are hardly instruments of medieval torture no matter how you use them, but in an era of increasing animal rights awareness that is just a fact of life. At least we don't have that horror story known as steeplechasing in this country; the sooner that bizarre spectacle goes the same way as foxhunting and public hangings, the better. Long-suffering viewers of seemingly endless jumps races on Tellytrack will no doubt agree, if not necessarily for the same reasons!
Co-trainer Alan Roux did point out that Good Samaritan had won three of her four starts since returning from a knee operation and was therefore entitled to be better than her merit rating, which is good news for the handicapper on a night when his sums repeatedly went for a Burton. Good Samaritan became the 1st Stakes winner for her recently deceased sire Anytime, a fine example of Sod's Law in action yet again. Out of the once-winning Bold Speed mare Star Rocket, she has now won 4 from 8 and earned R182.750 for her owner/breeders Mr and Mrs David Makins.

Starling S (L) New 4/11/06
Royal Fantasy was sent off as the 8/10 favourite to make a winning seasonal debut, having been rested for more than 3 months since winning the Thekwini Fillies S over 1600m at Clairwood, but she was unable to concede weight all round over a distance which seems short of her best. She could only stay on to finish third, but should build on this in her coming starts. Ethereal Lady's stable companion Captain Spartha set a brisk pace here from Ghost Writer and Catwalk Belle, but Glyn Schofield took Ethereal Lady to the front some 300m from home. Lady Perez launched a challenge wider out over the final 200m and briefly looked as though she might make a big race of it, but Ethereal Lady found more on the lead and won comfortably enough in the end.
The winner is a daughter of Model Man trained by Sean Tarry for his principal patron Chris van Niekerk. Ethereal Lady is the 12th foal of Amber Gem, a daughter of Argosy who won once over 900m but who produced Gr1 Champion S winner Amberpondo to an earlier mating with Model Man. Bred by Phillip Kahan at the Alchemy, Ethereal Lady was acquired for R300.000 at the 2005 Cape Vintage Yearling Sale. Her 2 wins from 3 starts have yielded R116.950 in stakes.

CT Brand H (L) New 4/11/06
Five-year-old Pure Hokum was rewarded for his admirable consistency when he picked up a first Feature race success in the CT Brand Handicap over 1000m. The gelding had won or placed in 14 of his last 15 starts going into this event, and had in fact only failed to bring home sort of a stakes cheque once from 22 career appearances. That would be very good going for any horse, but it's dream stuff for small owners everywhere when the horse came with a very modest price tag.
Some of the lustre was removed from the CT Brand when favourite and top weight Fanyana was withdrawn shortly before race time, but plenty of the regular suspects remained to fight out what looked to be a thoroughly competitive handicap. Fountainhead eventually went off as the market leader, but after being a couple of lengths off the early lead he weakened out of contention and finished unplaced.
Gypsey Caravan attempted to make all the running and set a fast pace under 50 kgs, but he was run out of it late. Super Guy had always been prominent on the outside rail and eventually locked horns with Pure Hokum in a late duel to the line, but Mark Khan rode a typically powerful finish on Pure Hokum and always just had Super Guy's measure in the closing stages before going on to beat that younger rival by a head. Gypsey Caravan was game in third, with Vega running on strongly from well off the pace to finish 4th under 61kg.
The form may be watered down somewhat by the fact that the second and third finishers were respectively 4kg and 2kg under sufferance, and nobody would consider Pure Hokum to be top class, but he is as game as he is useful and when all is said and done he had to concede 3.5kg to his two nearest pursuers. A son of Winter Romance trained by Andre Kirsten, Pure Hokum is the second foal of first winner of National Assembly mare Merry Meg, who won once over 1400m but who does come from a family with more than its share of Graded Stakes winners.
Pure Hokum used to race with blinkers in his early days and was an absolute tearaway who could open up a huge lead very quickly, but the scoops were done away with a long time ago and without them he is a totally different horse who likes to race from off the pace and is sometimes even a couple of lengths slow out of the gates. Bought for R20.000 from the Breeders Invitational Yearling Sale at Kyalami in 2003 - a sale distinctly not famous for producing Stakes winners and not even held after 2005 - Pure Hokum has won 7 of 23 and earned R436.575. He was bred in KZN at Bush Hill Stud.

Gr2 November H New 4/11/06

Conventional wisdom probably dictated that Soft Landing had it all to do in the November Hcp at Newmarket on Saturday evening. She was the least experienced horse in SA's richest 1600m hcp, she was meeting male rivals for the 1st time, and she hadn't raced for four months. She's a big girl, though, and she overcame all that to win in resounding fashion and make just about the best seasonal debut anybody could ever wish for.

Punters still seemed to have their doubts, though. Although Soft Landing was far from unfancied at 7/1, the market revolved primarily behind two horses, the wilful but hugely talented National Spirit, and the year-younger Hunting Tower, whose prep for this looked to have been spot on. Coincidentally, this duo represented the last two winners of the Gr2 Dingaans (coming up this year on November 25th at Turffontein), but on this occasion neither could make it into the trifecta.
It all started going pear-shaped for National Spirit from the start. He was drawn the widest of 15, bad enough for any horse but a problem greatly magnified when the animal in question is inclined to hang in his races and needs the inside rail for guidance. He never managed to get anywhere near the fence and was racing in second spot wide out as Soft Landing immediately went out to make the running, with Bold Ellinore and School Assembly next in line. Hunting Tower was well back early, with River Plate last of all.
National Spirit was the first horse beaten into the 800m long run-in. He already had his head cocked to the left at the top of the lane, where he was stuck out exactly where he doesn't like it, in the centre of the course. He found very little when asked for an effort, and fizzled out tamely. Soft Landing, meanwhile, was gradually winding up the tempo up front as her fellow fillies Bold Ellinore and School Assembly quickly went off in pursuit. School Assembly got to Soft Landing inside the last 250m and briefly headed the pacesetter, but Soft Landing soon re-rallied to find herself in front once more as they reached the final 100m. School Assembly had nothing more to offer and had to settle for second place as Soft Landing came clear to win by the best part of 2 lengths.
Northern Wolf, a stable companion to the winner, finished 3rd. He moved up well along the inside rail and momentarily looked as if he might make more of a race of it, but he didn't have the finishing kick to match the 2 girls who beat him. Hunting Tower ran on all too late to finish 4th without ever being a threat, but stable companion Lion Tamer made no show and predictably found this a much harder race than when he was allowed to make all the running under a feather-light 45.5kg in his most recent start over the same course and distance.
Soft Landing was given a smashing ride by champion jockey Mark Khan, although it might be argued that School Assembly is stretched to her limits by 1600m, especially on a galloping course like Newmarket. Opinions will be divided on whether Soft Landing found another gear at the finish or School Assembly just ran out of gas - which wouldn't be the first time this has happened to her in a one mile contest. It was nevertheless a terrific training performance by Geoff Woodruff, for Soft Landing is a strapping four-year-old who looks as if she might take a bit of work, yet she was ready to win this in her first appearance since she won the Gr1 Garden Province S Vodacom Durban July day.
Woodruff was winning this race for the 3rd time in four years, having won with Duchess Daba in 2003 and with Swartland in 2004. Soft Landing became the 3rd of her sex in the last 4 years to win the November Hcp, after Duchess Daba and then Jamaica in 2005. Soft Landing has inevitably been the subject of some considerable interest from potential overseas buyers, and the ante is bound to be upped even higher now that she has so impressively come through her 1st encounter with the male of the species. As with almost every good SA horse these days, there is just no telling where her future may lie, but for now her owner/breeders Henry and Pat Devine have resisted all temptation to sell.
The Devines' emotional ties to Soft Landing are obvious enough. She is a daughter of their beloved Jet Master, who finds himself with a growing lead in the national sires' table at this admittedly early stage of the season. Soft Landing's out of the unraced Golden Thatch mare Safety Net, who was acquired by the Devines as a rising 9yo at the very same Natal Mare and Weanling sale in 1995 where they bought Jet Master a few weeks shy of his first birthday. Not a bad day at the sales, right?
Soft Landing became the 2nd daughter of her sire in a week to win a Graded hcp against the boys, following the success the previous Sunday of Escapology in the Gr3 Algoa Cup at Fairview. Soft Landing has now won 4 of 5, earning R620.625.

Gr3 Graham Beck S New 4/11

Champion trainer Mike de Kock has used the Graham Beck S as a stepping stone to much bigger things in the past (Horse Chestnut won it in 1998), and this time it was last term's unbeaten champion juvenile male Kildonan who made his seasonal debut in the 1300m race for 3yos at Newmarket on Saturday, writes Matthew Lips.

Conceding weight all round and not particularly well drawn, Kildonan led from practically every inch of the way to show that he has certainly trained on into a leading Classic contender.
It was no great secret that Kildonan wasn't at his very best for his first start since he won the Gr1 Premier's Champion S at Clairwood more than 3 months earlier and drifted from an ante-post call of around even money to start at 16/10 even in a market restructured after the late withdrawal of the well-supported Epic Poetry. He still went off as the favourite, though, and those who chose to throw in their lot with the topweight were amply rewarded. Weichong Marwing wasted no time in getting Kildonan to the front and on the fence, showing the way from Glint Of Ice, with Super Profit caught very deep but racing handy just in behind that.
Kildonan was doing it easily on the lead, while most of his rivals came under pressure a good way from home to try and bridge the gap. Super Profit faded to nothing inside the last 300m, and from there on it was only Lightning Lecture who gave the favourite any kind of a race. This member of the in-form Gary Alexander yard made good headway along the inside rail, but while he was slowly eating into Kildonan's lead in the last 100m he never really looked like getting to the frontrunner, who held on to win by about half-a-length. Catmandu had raced fairly prominently throughout and finished 3rd, but a much more eye-catching performance was that of fourth placed Biarritz. The latter came from practically last place turning for home and was fairly flying at the death. Racing over a distance short of his best, and drawn widest of the 13 starts, Biarritz was given an awful lot to do but will be all the better for this run and may give Kildonan plenty to think about in the 1600m Gr2 Dingaans later this month at Turffontein.
That said, the winner will also come on plenty from this outing, and let's not forget that he conceded 4.5kg to the runner-up and 3kg to Biarritz. "I had him about 30% short of his best," said De Kock of Kildonan afterwards. "I have an ambitious plan for him, he is a wonderful horse," he continued. The immediate target is, of course, the November 25th Dingaans. Connections of other high class three-year-olds may yet have plenty of reason to rue the fact that Kildonan stayed at home instead of joining the De Kock raiding party to Dubai, but with unbeaten Fearless waiting in the wings the Dingaans may well prove to be the race of the day come the final Saturday of the month even if it is a part of the Summer Cup undercard.
Kildonan is by deceased Rich Man's Gold and is the 4th of foal - and 2nd winner - of his dam, Cathay Firth. A daughter of the largely unheralded Philippi, Cathay Firth won five races up to 1400m including a pair of Listed events whose equivalents today both carry Gr3 status. Bred at Wilgerbosdift and bought for R360.000 from the select session of the 2005 National Yearling Sale, Kildonan has won 4 from as many starts and earned R468.994.

Gr2 Odessa Fillies Ch'ship Ken 4/11/06

The withdrawal of Sun Classique took away much of the race's glamour, but few punters could have been prepared for the sight of the lowest-rated horse in the field getting up close home to snatch a narrow win in the Odessa Stud Fillies Championship over 1400m at Kenilworth on Saturday, writes Matthew Lips.

The race had been originally slated for the new course, but heavy and unseasonal rain during the week led to Gold Circle switching the first Gr2 of the Cape season to the old track. This would have made Sun Classique's wide draw a much greater disadvantage and it was decided to bypass the race with her.
What was left was a Gr2 in name only. The 9 who eventually took part numbered one previous Gr3 and one previous Listed (in PE) race winner amongst them, and as a pointer to next month's Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas this form probably won't be worth the paper it's printed on, but it did allow Our Girl to record a big win which must have seemed as unlikely as a Martian invasion when she won a Durbanville maiden by a short head at odds of 100/1 in July. This time she returned a starting price of "only" 66/1.
The early pace was ordinary, with Sun Classique's intended jockey Jeff Lloyd taking his substitute mount Millside to the front and showing the way from Mia Elise and Lantana. Favourite Princess Asharaf raced towards the rear. Lantana had moved her way past Mia Elise to be in second place as they turned for home. Millside still led inside the last 300m, but Lantana headed her around 200m out and went for the glory. With Millside now comfortably beaten off and the likes of Spring Lilac and Princess Asharaf making no headway whatsoever in the dash up the straight, it was left to Our Girl wider out to close the gap on Lantana with every stride, eventually getting up in practically the final jump to win by a short head. Lantana was bred and is co-owned by race sponsor Lionel Cohen, who is also the breeder and joint owner of Sun Classique. Lantana nearly proved to be a marvellous stand-in for the absent star, but not quite.
Our Girl was given a grand ride by very promising apprentice Richard Fourie, who must have been wondering if the line wouldn't come just too soon for his mount as Lantana desperately clung to her lead, but who simply never gave up. The winner is trained by Andries Steyn for a two-man partnership which includes her breeder, Com Yiannakis. In fairness Our Girl does look to be on the upgrade and came here off a comfortable win in a low-key fillies' hcp at D'ville in late October, but she had been beaten 4.35 lengths behind Mia Elise when last seen at Kenilworth and here reversed the form on Mia Elise in a fashion which cannot be explained solely by the 1.5 kgs swing in the weights which Our Girl enjoyed.
A daughter of Alami out of the four-times winning Home Guard mare Home Town Girl, Our Girl was recording her 3rd win from 10 starts and has now picked up R172.475 in stakes.

Hyperion Hcp (L) Turffontein 7/10/06

The sight of Geoff Woodruff saddling the first 2 finishers in a Feature race is nothing new and the former champion trainer was at it again when he sent out Northern Wolf and Elizondo to dominate the Nomads Hyperion Hcp over 1400m at Turffontein (inner track) on Saturday, writes Matthew Lips.
If one thing is certain in SA racing it is that you never have to wait long for the next ridiculously priced favourite in a handicap and the 12/10 on offer about Elizondo here could only have had the handicapper wishing he'd taken up bookmaking instead. The 1 draw and the fact that stable jockey Mark Khan was riding him of the 3 Woodruff horses in the race clearly had a good deal to do with it, but the fact remains that the Hyperion was a competitive-looking affair and Elizondo's only previous win on grass came in a novice plate. A call of somewhere around 3/1 the field would have been more realistic all things considered, and while Elizondo nearly won, nearly doesn't help his backers very much at all.
Time Goes By allowed no time at all to go by before he was out setting a strong pace, some three lengths clear from Echo Of Thunder and Bold Classic, with Anti-Freeze next in line followed by Wide Country. All of the Woodruff trio were held up well off the early speed, with Barnathasna last of the 10 starters. Time Goes By still led inside the last 300m, but he had plainly gone off too fast, and his time was up. Elizondo made good progress when asked for his effort and picked it up around a furlong out, looking for a while as if he would indeed reward those brave enough to have accepted the offered price, but Northern Wolf was soon out in pursuit. Edging closer all the while under a well-judged ride from Randall Simons, 8/1 chance Northern Wolf mastered his stable companion in the dying strides to win by a head.
Wide Country loves the Turffontein inner course and put up a very solid performance in third, while Barnathasna running on to finish fourth, but Brave Dominion - stable companion to the first two - was never a serious threat.
Northern Wolf may have been the Big Bad Wolf as far Elizondo's backers were concerned, but there are few more consistent horses than the 4yo winner, who has earned a stakes cheque in every one of his dozen visits to a racecourse. He had dead-heated with Singing Sword in his previous start over 1400m on the Vaal turf course, when returning from an 11 week rest, so his performance here didn't do much to prop up the second-run-after-rest theory. Northern Wolf did receive 4kg from Elizondo, and there is no doubt at all that the beaten favourite is indeed very effective on grass, and both horses might be en route to next months Gr2 November H over 1600m even though neither of them has yet won beyond 1400m. In fact, all five of Northern Wolf's victories have come over 1400m, although he has run well in defeat at the longer distance. He won the Hyperion off an 88 merit rating and as yet looks well short of top class, but the November Handicap is be definition not necessarily designed to be won by the best horse in the race, anymore than Saturday's contest was.
Northern Wolf is a son of Wolfhound out of the Northern Guest mare Different Class, who won once in an undistinguished racing career. Owned and bred by Cecil Baitz, Northern Wolf has now earned R280.125 in prize money.

Falcon Sprint (L) Turff 30/09/06

Drawing early comparisons with champions is usually a foolhardy exercise that leaves the predictor wishing he or she had kept their mouth shut, writes Matthew Lips.
But it wasn't hard to conjure up visions of National Colour when Mythical Flight led throughout at a strong pace to win the Falcon Sprint for 3yods over 1160m at Turffontein (standside) on Saturday. After all, Mythical Flight does sport the same Chris van Niekerk silks as National Colour, and like the flying filly he is trained by Sean Tarry. Even forgetting for now about the joint horse-of-the-year, Mythical Flight looks to be a seriously exciting sprint prospect in his own right.
Rested for 16 weeks since running riot in a Clairwood 1000m maiden on debut, Mythical Flight was a heavily supported odds-on favourite to make a winning seasonal debut and any hopes that bookmakers might have harboured of keeping the loot were soon dashed. Tarry's colt was out in a flash and soon had a lead of at least four or five lengths over Cape Rainbow, Super Profit, and Coastal Rock. All eight of his rivals were off the bit a long way from home, but by and large they didn't even get close enough to Mythical Flight to chase his shadow.
The frontrunner was visibly running out of steam in the final stages, but he was never in any danger of defeat even though Lightning Lecture ran on steadily to reduce the winning margin to less than 2 lengths. He in turn finished comfortably ahead of third placed Sound Of Thunder, with Super Profit never able to get competitive under top weight of 58 kgs and finishing a well beaten fourth.
'Mythical Flight saw out the 1160m well enough, and he might have been a shade rusty after his lengthy absence from the track, so there could even be a bit of improvement to come with this run. There cannot be too many of his generation that will live him with in a straight line, and back over the minimum distance especially he could be almost unstoppable. He certainly looks like an exciting prospect, even if merit ratings suggest this was a weaker race than the equivalent event for fillies won by Lady Perez 35 minutes earlier.
This was a second Falcon Sprint win in succession for co-owner Chris van Niekerk and trainer Sean Tarry, who had captured the race twelve months earlier with Atlantic Inn, when it was run at the Vaal. Mythical Flight is another talented son of hot (in more ways than one) sire Jet Master, and is the 6th foal and third winner of Harry Hotspur mare Mythical Bird, who won once over 1000m. Talk about an all SA pedigree - local is lekker, right? Bred by The Alchemy and bought for R340 000 at the '05 Cape Vintage Yearling Sale, unbeaten Mythical Flight has earned R148 750 from his 2 visits to a racecourse.

Goldfields Sprint (L) Turff 30/09/06

Hindsight is a wonderful science, but it is not every day of the week that the second best handicapped horse in a race is allowed to start at 50/1, writes Matthew Lips.
Punters who do their homework and can accept that betting markets are far from a consistently reliable indicator to the eventual outcome of a race might have thought that Christmas had arrived in late September when Lady Perez was allowed to go off as a 50/1 chance in the Goldfields Sprint for 3yo fillies over 1160m at Turffontein on Saturday.
Only favourite Ghost Writer was entitled to beat Lady Perez if the race was assessed purely and strictly according to merit ratings, and with Ghost Writer running nowhere near her best it was game on for Lady Perez. Evening Attire set a brisk pace under 59 kgs, with Divine Presence also very speedy against the outside rail as Ghost Writer showed early pace ahead of Captain Spartha. Ghost Writer began to gradually lose touch with the leaders from halfway and never got back into the hunt thereafter, leaving Evening Attire clear with 200m to go as Divine Presence weakened.
Lady Perez, though, emerged from the pack with a sustained late run and collared an extremely gallant Evening Attire close home to win going away under talented young Randall Simons. Hurricane Brook stayed on to finish 3rd, but didn't have the finishing speed to seriously trouble the first two. Captain Spartha was fourth.
The lack of interest shown in Lady Perez probably stemmed from the fact that she had twice finished some way behind Ghost Writer at Gr 1 level during the KZN winter season, but those were level weights races and in one of them (over 1400m at Greyville) Lady Perez was drawn in the proverbial bush. For the purposes of future form study it would be extremely foolish to dismiss this is a fluke, or to assume that the winner improved out of her skin, considering that she met the three placed fillies on respectively 2 kgs, 0.5 kgs, and 3.5 kgs better terms than would have applied in a hcp.
Lady Perez is a daughter of West Man and is the second foal of twice-winning Cordoba mare Rosie Perez. Trained by Paul Matchett, she is owned by Geoff Anstey, who bred her in partnership with his late wife Caro, and has won 2 from 7 for R165.975.

Gr3 Matchem S Ken 30/09/06

There have been four Graded races in Cape Town so far this season, and jockey-turned-trainer Basil Marcus has now won two of them and saddled the runner-up in one of the others.
Successful in a Gr3 with Countess Corlia (who then finished second in another event of the same status) in August, Marcus struck again when he sent out Majestic Sun to capture the Matchem Stakes in a rousing - and somewhat rough-finish at Kenilworth on Saturday, writes Matthew Lips.
Given the success that the younger generation usually enjoy in this WFA event for three and 4yos, it was rather surprising to see Subastador as the lone representative of the sophomore class. Twice a Stakes winner up to Gr3 level late at two, Subastador was making his seasonal debut in the 1400m Matchem and was a well supported favourite to beat the seven 4yos who opposed him. It would prove to be a bit of a troubled journey for the younger gelding, though, in his first ever encounter with horses of a different generation.
PE raider Striking View had been well supported at long odds and again employed the frontrunning tactics which have served him well in his home town, setting a decent pace from Majestic Sun and Firebolt. Subastador was held up some four lengths off the pace and raced in company with his stable companion and only filly in the race, Starlit, herself better known as a frontrunner but held up on this occasion.
Striking View led them into the short old-course straight, but was soon under pressure as Majestic Sun made his move wider out and Subastador began to improve over on the inside. Golden Dice also came with a rattle from off the pace and all 3 of these horses had the pacemaker's measure 200m from home. The trio went on to fight out a memorable battle, with any one of them capable of winning at any stage throughout most of the last furlong, but Subastador did shift to his right under pressure about 100m out, nudging Golden Dice and forcing that rival momentarily off a straight course. That may have been just enough to leave the way open for Majestic Sun, driven flat to the boards by his regular partner Richard Fourie, to snatch a short head verdict on the line.
Subastador finished 2nd, with Golden Dice a similar margin further back in 3rd, but a member of the Stipendiary board objected against Subastador on Golden Dice's behalf. These days it is practically impossible to get away with even the slightest interference where only a short head separates two horses, and the result was amended to award Golden Dice 2nd place at Subastador's expense. Striking View held on to finish 4th as Starlit failed to quicken and Firebolt faded out of contention.
Connections of Subastador will have been disappointed with it all, but they can take heart from the fact that their gelding seemed to pretty much run up to the form he showed in the winter mud on this much firmer ground, something which doesn't always happen with stars of the Cape winter season. This was also a cracking good effort from runner-up Golden Dice, who may have been an unlucky loser and who met Majestic Sun on 2.5 kgs worse terms than in a hcp. He looks capable of winning a decent race at some stage, especially as he seems effective over a wide range of distances.
Majestic Sun had reached the frame in 2 of the Winter Challenge Series races won by Pocket Power and was here recording the 1st Stakes win of his career. It was a very good training feat to have the gelding ready to win this 1st time out after a 14 week lay-off and it is hardly surprising that the famous Basil Marcus smile is never far away these days - especially in this instance, seeing as he co-owns Majestic Sun.
There can be few more consistent horses than Majestic Sun, who has not been out of the first 4 in 12 starts since finishing 8th on debut. He is a son of emerging sire Kahal and is the 4th foal and 3rd winner of Jallad mare Blushing Summer, who was unplaced in her only track appearance but who does come from a family full of black type performers. Bred at Summerhill Stud and sold (under the name of Le Caroubier) at the 2004 TBA Breeze-Up Sale, Majestic Sun has won 7 of 13 and earned R337 400.

Settlers Trophy Ken 30/09/06

Mike Bass seems to have an affinity for the progeny of Goldmark, not to mention a knack of finding the right ones, writes Matthew Lips
Following the heroics of July winner Trademark and the numerous victories of R10.000 bargain Laredo Gold, Bass has unearthed another decent son of Goldmark in Lord Of The Mark, who defied a considerable rise in class to win the Settler's Trophy (hcp) over 2400m at Kenilworth on Saturday.
Lord Of The Mark had beaten 6 rivals to win a MR76 hcp in his most recent start and now contested what was effectively a merit rated 100 race, but the precious benefit of being drawn 1 in a race which starts on a turn may have helped his cause considerably, together of course with the presence of Jeff Lloyd in the irons. Tailormade eventually settled down to set the pace in a contest where the lead changed hands several times early on, with Ivy Green, Golden Oriole and Arboretum closest to him.
Ivy Green picked it up around 200m from home and kicked a length or more clear of a tightly packed bunch of pursuers, but Lord Of The Mark was produced with a perfectly timed effort wider out to collar Ivy Green close home and win by about a neck. Set To Music was staying on steadily to finish 3rd and even in a "mere" Listed race it took trainers of the calibre of Messrs Bass, Kannemeyer, and Ramsden to provide the first 3 finishers.
Lord Of The Mark is a 4yo son of Goldmark and is the 12th foal and sixth winner of Be Glorious mare Emma, who won 2 up to 1800m and who is also the dam of SA Oaks winner Victoria Bay. Granddam With Pleasure won the Natal Oaks, so there is enough stamina in the pedigree to suggest that Lord Of The Mark may have improved considerably racing over 2400m for the first time. Bred by Mademma Stud and a R30 000 purchase from the 2004 Cape Summer Yearling Sale, Lord Of The Mark has won four of his 13 starts and earned R165 800.

Emerald Cup Vaal 25/09/06

The richest race ever run on sand in SA turned into a one-horse procession when National Spirit annihilated eleven rivals to win the Emerald Cup over 1400m at the Vaal on Monday, writes Matthew Lips.
un on handicap terms, the Emerald Cup featured a healthy R500.000 purse, double what was on offer for the inaugural running twelve months ago, and rightly attracted a strong field which included four Gr1 winners.
The market had a wide open look to it, with Hunting Tower and Surveyor both well supported to beat ante-post favourite National Spirit as Tigray found some backers as well. The pace was solid from the start, with Bourbon Alley and Hunting Tower disputing the early lead from Men Of Rheims and National Spirit, with Surveyor just behind the leaders.
Men Of Rheims kicked on to lead more than halfway down the straight as Hunting Tower and Bourbon Alley both weakened, but National Spirit was immediately tracking him like a lion stalking its lunch. Always moving really well under Piere Strydom, National Spirit clearly had too much firepower for Men Of Rheims and it was only a matter of time before he overwhelmed that rival. Everything else was already dead-and-buried as National Spirit swept to the front inside the last 400m, soon opening up a healthy lead, and treating his field with nothing less than contempt.
Strydom could afford the luxury of a look around as National Spirit won easing up with daylight to spare from Men Of Rheims, with Silverpoint well beaten into third but staying on well enough over a distance short of his best. Fanyana finished fourth, without every getting seriously involved, but the likes of Hunting Tower and recent course winner Surveyor were disappointing and were spent forces a long way from home.
Even by National Spirit's high standards this was an impressive display. He shouldered top weight of 60 kgs, and conceded 9.5 kgs to a runner-up who in turn had the rest of a talented field dead in the water two furlongs from the finish. One of the quartet of Gr1 winners in the Emerald Cup, National Spirit was making his seasonal debut and looks to be at least as good as ever at the age of 5. The Dominic Zaki-trained chestnut had finished second behind ill-fated Hilti (a stable companion to Men Of Rheims) in the inaugural Emerald Cup last season.
The winning rider admitted that he was no more than "a passenger" as his mount did all the work himself. National Spirit was better behaved at the start than is usually the case and went into his gate with little of the usual recalcitrance which the often-tempestuous son of National Emblem is well known for. Not that National Spirit's attitude should come as a big surprise; the gelding is in-bred to Northern Dancer, a legend of a horse who very much had a mind of his own.
Out of the Model Man mare Meretrix, National Spirit has now won nine of his 24 starts and earned stakes of R1 797 125. On this evidence he isn't done for yet, even though the generally bread-and-butter nature of Vaal sand racing makes it highly unlikely that he will get another chance on this surface until the 2007 Emerald Cup. Bred by Dr Alan Bechard, National Spirit was a R70 000 purchase from the 2003 National Yearling Sale.

Gr3 Diana S Kenilworth 16/09/06
It may be early days for the current racing season, but Sun Classique underlined her position as one of the best 3yo fillies in training when she ran out a comfortable winner of the Diana Stakes over 1400m at Kenilworth on Saturday, writes Matthew Lips. If the Australian import wasn't already being "headhunted" by overseas interests before this race - and she probably was - she is assuredly on their radar now.
The Diana is a WFA affair for 3 and 4yo fillies, and the scratching of highest rated 4yo Secret Of Victoria must have made life even easier for Sun Classique, who would have been the best in at the weights anyway and who came here fresh from a running-on second behind Royal Fantasy in the Gr1 Thekwini at Clairwood in late July. She was sent off as the heavily backed 5/10 favourite to make her seasonal debut a winning one, and while there may have been moments when her supporters felt the odd twinge of concern, Sun Classique came through readily in the end.
The going looked perfect after the rather dire weather forecast proved off the mark and it was Sun Classique's stable companion Star Role who set off at a good solid pace. Countess Corlia came across from her wide draw to race in 2nd, with Lingfield and Wendy Wyatt in touch as Sun Classique raced the best part of 8 lengths off the action. Ruby Heart looped horses on the turn to lead briefly as they turned for home, but she soon started to back-pedal.
Sun Classique had plenty to do turning into the short old course run-in, and halfway down the straight the race was wide open, but the favourite really started making up the ground coming to the final 200m. Brought to the outside of horses by Jeff Lloyd to ensure a clear run, the hot favourite soon put the issue to rest and had the race won more than 100m out. She ran on well to score by a couple of lengths from the ever-game 4yo Countless Corlia, herself an easy Gr3 winner in her previous start and a pretty good benchmark to the strength of this form. Three-year-old Princess Asharaf ran on to finish 3rd ahead of the year older Kiss And Fly, who also did her best work late.
Sun Classique "is getting stronger", according to the winning rider, and 1400m "is now her minimum trip." The Diana S may only have represented solid Gr3 form and Sun Classique is going to be presented with some considerably stiffer tests during the Cape summer season, but she has already gone close at the highest grade and may well be up to winning in that league. Her effort in the Thekwini suggests she easily gets a mile and probably more, so such assignments as the Cape Fillies Guineas and Paddock S are surely on the agenda over the coming months. The switch to the more galloping new course at Kenilworth later in the season should be a plus, too.
Sun Classique has the pedigree to suggest she will be better beyond the Diana Stakes distance. She is a daughter of Sunday Silence horse Fuji Kiseki, who won up to 2000m and was Japan's champion 2yo. Her dam, the Last Tycoon mare Efenjer, only raced once. without success, but is in turn a daughter of Gr1 SAJC Oaks winner Gamine. Gamine's other progeny included Gr2 winner Royal Voyage, who won up to 1800m.
Sun Classique seems certain to carry on improving, in the style typical of so many of her trainer Mike Bass' best horses, and she has a bright future. She was bred in Aus by her co-owner Lionel Cohen, and was knocked down to Bass for R100.000 at the '05 Vintage Yearling Sale. Her 3 wins and one 2nd from 4 to date have garnered R198.125, but that is a pale reflection of her true worth.

Displaying all the grit and tenacity which made her sire Classic Flag one of SA's favourite racehorses of the late 1990s, Priceless Flag made all the running and shook off a barrage of challengers to narrowly win the Jockey Club Stakes over 2000m at Arlington on Friday. In the process, she also became Classic Flag's first Stakes winner since the 1998 Rothmans July winner and 1999 runner-up retired to stud in 2001, writes Matthew Lips.
A full field of 16 lined up for this conditions race for fillies and mares, which formed the final leg of the East Cape Fillies and Mares Challenge. The series could not be won, but the winners of the first two legs, Frozen In Time and Crimson's Tag, were in the line-up. Ultra-consistent Frozen In Time had looked unlucky when coming from a mile back to dead-heat for second place, a neck behind Crimson's Tag, over 1600m three weeks earlier and was sent off favourite to earn compensation here. Priceless Flag was allowed to start at 14/1 after a very disappointing last effort in a minor race, but those who were prepared to forgive her an occasional lapse would have found that a massive price as she had beaten Frozen In Time by 1.75 lengths on the same weight terms over the same distance at Fairview in June.
Priceless Flag soon found herself in front and set a reasonable pace from Melting Moments, Magnolia Lane, and Bridal Lace, with Crimson's Tag well placed at the fence just behind the leading pack. Frozen In Time once again found herself racing well down the field as Coral Parade brought up the rear.
Melting Moments was the first to set out after Priceless Flag in the straight, with Magnolia Lane also mounting a quick challenge. Frozen In Time made up plenty of ground down the inside rail and was running on best of all at the line, but Priceless Flag would not be denied. It looked a formality that the frontrunner would be gobbled up by at least one or two of the chasing trio inside the last 100m or so, but she stuck to her guns in a manner that would have made even the iron mare Jamaica proud and held on to win by a short head under a great ride from Eldin Webber, an apprentice who has rapidly been making a name for himself in Port Elizabeth over the last couple of months.
Frozen In Time may again be considered unfortunate. She was running on the best of the 4 principals at the finish, but the line came just too soon for her and she almost bizarrely dead-heated for the runner-up spot for a 2nd time in succession. With today's technology, the chances of a horse dead-heating for the same position in successive races must be infinitesimal. Melting Moments clearly coped with this longer distance and shared second prize with Frozen In Time, with Magnolia Lane a short head away in fourth. Crimson's Tag, who had won this race twelve months earlier, found no extra in the straight and was never a serious contender for the double.
Four-year-old Priceless Flag failed to reach her R30.000 reserve when offered at the TBA's Breeze-Up Sale in 2004 and is owned by her breeders, Ben, Marie, and Arne Botha of Benmarne Stud in PE. She is the 2nd foal and first winner of Priceless Asset mare Priceless Gift, who won 2 over 1200m, and has clearly inherited her distance requirements from her sire. Now trained by Mitchell Wiese after commencing her career with Barend Botes, Priceless Flag has won four of her 15 starts and earned R201.863.

Very different ground and much stronger opposition couldn't stop Bulldozer from posting his 2nd win from as many appearances when he retained his spotless record by landing the Sophomore Sprint over 1200m at Kenilworth on Saturday. Bulldozer had justified considerable market support when scoring on debut over 1000m a fortnight ago, where he beat long time maiden Seneca The Younger by less than a length on going so heavy that one more decent rainshower would probably have torpedoed the meeting, writes Matthew Lips.

After a spell of bright weather which will have the locals fervently hoping that winter is finally behind them for another year, the ground on Saturday was barely soft for the first Feature event of the Cape spring season. Favourite for this 3yos hcp was Braam Van Straaten, an impressive winner of his last two starts over the Sophomore course and distance in much soggier conditions than he encountered here. Show A Profit and topweight Golden Ivory were largely considered the favourite's biggest dangers as Bulldozer went off as a relatively unheralded 8/1 chance.
Golden Ivory's stable companion Downpour set the pace here, with Show A Profit and Triple-Isle closest to him as Golden Ivory fought for his head early on and then settled down to track the leading trio. Bulldozer was about three lengths back, with Braam Van Straaten waiting towards the rear of the nine-horse field. Downpour began to weaken inside the last 300m, and Bulldozer soon made a decisive move which won him the race. He picked it up coming to the last 200m, went a couple of lengths clear, and poached enough of an advantage that he could hold off a strong late run from Braam Van Straaten with about half-a-length to spare. Show A Profit and Triple-Isle filled the minor places, having been unable to quicken when the eventual winner turned up the heat.
Braam Van Straaten was hardly disgraced, for he was conceding 2kg to a winner who could be a very decent horse in the making. The quicker ground may also have done the market leader no favours, and now that Kenilworth has dried out (hopefully) for another Braam Van Straaten's future may well lie over longer distances than 1200m. Although out of a sprinting mare, he is a son of Saumarez, and his full brother Camp David stays at least 1600m, so the beaten favourite here still looks to have a bright future ahead of him. It is however worth noting that jockey Glen Hatt reported to the Stipendiary Stewards that Braam Van Straaten "stuck his toes in, in the latter stages." This may say something about the colt's attitude in a close finish, but the Stipes have taken the issue one step further and will hold an inquiry into the riding of Braam Van Straaten. The hearing is set to take place on Friday, 8th September.
Bulldozer was ridden for the 2nd time by Christopher Puller, who celebrated his graduation to fully-fledged jockey in grand style by winning the Feature race at his 1st meeting out of the apprentice ranks. Bulldozer is a gelded son of Tara's Halls and is the 4th foal and 3rd winner of Al Mufti mare Lady Alena, an unraced full sister to Listed winning miler Beat The Breeze. Chances are Bulldozer will also stay a bit more than the maximum 1200m which he has attempted to date. The gelding is trained and co-owned by Greg Ennion, who paid what looks now to have been a bargain R30.000 to acquire Bulldozer at the 2005 Vintage Yearling Sale. Bred at Arc-En-Ciel Stud, Bulldozer has earned R93.750 from his two outings thus far.

Cape Town in August can be a pretty miserable place, but the weather finally relented for long enough to allow racing to go ahead for the 1st time in a fortnight. Great news for all concerned, and particularly so for Basil Marcus, who saddled the 1rst Graded Stakes winner of his training career when Countess Corlia landed the Champagne S over 1200m, writes Matthew Lips.
Not surprisingly after the recent barrage of cold fronts, the going was heavy and the race lost much of its glamour when trainer Vaughan Marshall decided that his talented grey Secret Of Victoria was too valuable to risk on ground which doesn't suit her and scratched the likely favourite. That left Golden Shina, fresh from her KZN campaign, as the 1st choice of punters to win this WFA event for fillies and mares. The daughter of National Assembly was rated 5 pounds superior to next-best Countless Corlia by the handicapper and looked very well in at the weights, but she ran no kind of a race and never looked like getting involved with the outcome.
Page Girl and PE visitor Googol disputed the early pace and showed the way from Countess Corlia and Easyjadeasy, with Fort Belvedere just in behind that as Golden Shina raced towards the rear of a 9-runner field. Countess Corlia didn't waste much time in asserting herself, though, and was sent to the front around 300m from home by Richard Fourie. She soon opened up a couple of lengths lead on her field, and the race was as good as over more than a furlong from the finish.
Countess Corlia has done much of her winning over 1400m, and has gone close over a mile, so stamina was never going to be an issue even in these testing conditions. The 4yo ran on strongly all the way to the line, making maximum use of what looked to be the best going up against the inside fence. The false rail on the straight course had been removed for this meeting, which meant that horses on the far side were racing on ground which had not been in use for quite some time. Whether that made a huge difference to the result is hard to say, but Countess Corlia won full of running with her talented young rider looking across for non-existent opposition as they approached the line.
Easyjadeasy stayed on well wider out to snatch 2nd place from Googol, with Page Girl finishing 4th. This small dollop of Black Type will have done Googol's stud potential plenty of good as the daughter of Western Winter is the half sister to multiple Gr1 winning sprinter Cordocelli and does have a thoroughly attractive pedigree. Races of this type have an intrinsic value well beyond their prize money and it is just as well that our racing operators appreciate this. The Champagne Stakes was scheduled for the previous weekend, but was attached to Saturday's programme when the earlier meeting was rained out.
Countess Corlia is herself worth a tidy sum these days and her value is likely to appreciate considerably in the coming season even if she doesn't add to this first Feature race success. She's the full sister to last term's highly promising 2yo Biarritz, who looks more than likely to win some decent races in times to come, and the spin-off effect of that on his Black Type-winning older sister would be considerable to say the least.
Countess Corlia is from the 1st crop of sire sensation Count Dubois, whose seemingly never-ending success at stud has flummoxed most buyers, breeders, and trainer alike. Countess Corlia is the 4th foal and 3rd winner of Aus-bred Polish Patriot mare Corlia's Bid, who won 3 up to 1600m and who is the half sister to Gr2 winner Outstanding Star. Countess Corlia was bred by Northwood Stud and failed to reach her R120.000 reserve at the '04 National Yearling Sale, back in the days when most of us sadly tended to look the other way or disappeared to recharge our glasses whenever a Count Dubois walked into the ring. That has turned out to be almost like knowing the winning lottery numbers and not buying a ticket, but those few breeders who stuck with the son of Zafonic while most others were steering a wide berth are now sitting on goldmines. Owned by Brian Joffe and Bernard Kantor, Countess Corlia has won 5 of 18 and earned R273.675 in stakes.

National Banker has always been highly regarded, and it wasn't hard to see why as the newly turned 4yo gunned down some talented rivals to win the Gold Bracelet over 2000m at Greyville on Saturday, writes Matthew Lips.
This WFA event for females seems to have become entrenched as the final Graded race of the KZN winter season and it produced a storming finish which left spectators wanting more.
Gr1 Woolavington 2200 winner Count The Money was a heavily backed odds-on favourite to make her seasonal debut a successful one, but there was a ton of support also for National Banker. That the latter would be strongly fancied to win on her 1st ever appearance in a Stakes race was pretty well telegraphed by stable jockey Weichong Mawing, when he opted to ride her in favour of dual Gr2-winning stable companion Rememberance. National Banker come here rated 15 pounds inferior to Rememberance and 14 pounds below Count The Money by the handicapper, which appeared to make her task at level weights a thankless one, but one must remember that National Banker was being rated on form up to 1600m, the furthest she had ever been before the Gold Bracelet. The step up to 2000m proved very much what she has been wanting.
Frisky Flag attempted to make all the running and set a fairly ordinary pace from Count The Money and Valdovino, with Ms Goldfinger next in line as National Banker was held up in midfield. Rememberance raced towards the rear after starting slowly, with Winter Wish last of the ten runners. There was no obvious response from Count The Money when Mark Khan called upon the hot favourite for an effort early in the straight. She simply could never make it alongside, let alone past, Frisky Flag, whose attempt to win from the front so nearly paid off. National Banker loomed up to the frontrunner inside the last 200m, but Frisky Flag continued to fight tooth-and-nail all the way home and Marwing had to drive National Banker flat out to deny that older rival by a head.
Count The Money finished third, with Sportscuddle coming from well back to finish fourth, but Rememberance was never a threat and ran well below her best in a contest which was probably run at a pace that did backrunners no real favours. It may well be that Count The Money became rather flatfooted in the dash for home, and a more testing pace may have suited her better.
Frisky Flag may go down as one of the gamest losers of the winter season, but in the end National Banker was just that little bit too strong. The winner had looked a bright prospect from the moment she destroyed a decent maiden field on debut over 1200m at Clairwood in July 2005, but she has clearly had her share of problems and the Gold Bracelet marked only her sixth career outing. It was only her second appearance since Christmas Eve, but she is trained by Mike de Kock and here is a man who is way above silly second-run-after-layoff theories.
National Banker has a lovely pedigree and has done her stud value the world of good with this initial Stakes success. She's by Fort Wood and is the fourth foal and third winner of Al Mufti mare Larapinta, who won 6 up to 1600m. Larapinta is also dam of Gr3 winner Banker's Gold (by Fort Wood) and is the full sister to 3 Graded Stakes winners incl. dual Arcsa Award champion Arabian Lass. Bought for a hefty R850 000 at the '04 National Yearling Sale, National Banker was bred by Ascot Stud and has now won 3 of her 6 races for R164 600 in stakes.