KZN Oaks (SAf-G2) (7/3)
Surprise results have been the hallmark of many a major race for three-year-old fillies this term (at any rate, those in which Gibraltar Blue has not competed) and the last such event of the season proved to be no exception when 28/1 outsider Sweetie Pie landed the Gold Circle Oaks over 2400m at Clairwood on Saturday.
The race had a particularly open look about it and it was Gr 2 SA Oaks winner Arcola who was eventually supported from 6/1 to start as the 9/2 favourite in her bid to complete the Oaks double. The stable companions Equiparada and Flirtation were the next choices of the market at 5/1 and 11/2 respectively, despite having the two widest draws in a 16 runner race which starts right on a turn. Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 runner-up Tassie Belle was not without her supporters at 13/2, but Sweetie Pie had finished tenth in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic when having her only previous bash at Stakes level and was widely overlooked by punters.
Be Careful was the first to show, but soon slotted into second as Zahira went on to set a reasonable pace, with Novelty, Flirtation and El Jadida next in line as Arcola bided her time not too far off the leading pack. There was no meaningful change in the order until into the straight, where Zahira continued to lead although coming under attack from all sides. Flirtation moved up nicely on the inside and had every chance to go on with her effort, but it was her much less fancied stable companion Sweetie Pie who produced a good turn of foot from off the pace to come right into the mix more than 200m from home.
Kicking for home inside the final furlong, Sweetie Pie found plenty more under pressure and proved to be a wholly different horse in this first attempt beyond 1800m, running on strongly under Muzi Yeni in the fashion of a true stayer to win by 1.25 lengths from stable companion Here To Win. The latter was staying on well, but was never going to catch Sweetie Pie, who had been nine lengths behind Here To Win when the latter shared top honours in the SA Fillies Classic. This made it a one-two Oaks finish for De Kock, who would repeat the trick when saddling the Gold Circle Derby exacta 35 minutes later. It also marked the first of three successive Graded Stakes wins on the day for the champion trainer elect, who was denied a fourth when Kavanagh lost his particular Gr 1 in the boardroom.Just for good measure, Flirtation took third prize, half-a-length behind Here To Win, to give De Kock the Oaks trifecta. Be Careful finished fourth at a huge price, with Arcola having every chance before finishing sixth. Equiparada made headway from well off the pace, but never looked a threat. Neither did tassie Belle, who had beaten Flirtation in the Woolavington 2000 but who suffered a considerable form reversal this time. Nothing unusual about that, with this particular batch of sophomore females.
Sweetie Pie was officially credited with covering the 2400m in a time which was less than 0.60 secs slower than that recoded by Irish Flame in the Derby. This of course proves very little by itself, even assuming that it is true. At the time of writing, the official Tabgold website carried a winning time of 79 seconds and change for the Golden Horsehoe, which would be a remarkable world record over 1450m. Just for good measure, the website also still reflected Kavanagh as the winner, and if any of this slapdash nonsense surprises you at all then you must be a very recent newcomer to the wacky world of South African horse racing.
Sweetie Pie came here rated 13 pounds inferior to Here To Win, who boasted the highest merit rating in the line-up, but the step up to 2400m made all the difference to the winner. A daughter of Fort Wood, Sweetie Pie is the third foal and second winner produced from Brazilian-bred Exile King mare baby It’s You, who won twice over 1600m in South Africa. Dam also of Listed 2400m winner Treaj Pots, baby It’s You is the half sister to Gr 3 winner/Gr 1 placed Milk And Honey as well as a half sister to Saturday’s Gold Circle Derby second happy Valley. Bred and owned by Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift, Sweetie Pie has won three times from seven starts for earnings of R250 625.
Clairwood, South Africa, July 3, R250.000, 2400m, turf, good, 2.34.96.
SWEETIE PIE (SAF), 58.0, b f 3, Fort Wood - Baby It's You (BRZ) by Exile King. Owner Wilgerbosdrift & Fazenda Mondesir; breeder Wilgerbosdrift (SAF); trainer MF de Kock; jockey M Yeni
Here To Win (BRZ), 58.0, ch f 3, Roi Normand - Ascot Belle (BRZ) by Falcon Jet (BRZ)
Flirtation (SAF), 58.0, ch f 3, Silvano (GER) - French Treasure (SAF) by Mullineaux
Margins: 1¼, ½, 1½

KZN Derby (SAf-G2) (7/3)
Irish Flame (on paper, at least) appeared to be the penalty kick of the KZN season when he lined up for the Gold Circle Derby over 2400m at Clairwood on Saturday, but even though he was victorious in the end his performance was not quite as imperious or convincing as could reasonably have been expected. One can hardly say that his claims for the Vodacom Durban July were in any way enhanced, and perhaps rather the opposite, but he got the job done and in the short tem that was all that mattered.
Coming here on the back of successive Gr 1 victories and (in the absence of new stable companion Lizarre) rated between eight and 38 pounds above his 14 rivals by the handicapper, Irish Flame was unsurprisingly sent off as the 1/5 favourite against rivals of whom Super Storm (7/1) alone was not offered ay double figure prices.
Irish Flame’s stable companion Safwan almost immediately set off to cut out a fairly reasonable pace ahead of Festival Spirit and Happy Valley, with Al’s Deputty next in line as Irish Flame raced six or so lengths behind the pacesetter, taking the shortest way around on the fence. Club Victor passed horses down the back straight to lead very briefly, but Safwan soon took it up again and continued with his frontrunning duties until turning into the straight. Club Victor was momentarily in contention in the straight, but soon began to weaken as Happy Valley took the bull by the horns and set sail for the judge. This stable companion to the hot favourite poached a fair lead inside the last 300m, and Irish Flame was soon being ridden with considerable earnest by Kevin Shea to make up ground at the rail.
It took considerable persuasion for Irish Flame to get the job done, and inside the final 200m it was no foregone conclusion whatsoever that he would get to the freewheeling Happy Valley. The latter was in no mood to go down without a fight, and it was only well inside the last 100m that Irish Flame got to Happy Valley and went on to win by a hard fought one length margin from a rival rate 20 pounds Irish Flame’s inferior.
In fairness, though, Happy Valley is surely much better than a 93 rating, and that will be very visibly reflected in his new mark the next time he races. A winner of his only start since being gelded and hitherto unbeaten in KZN, Happy Valley finished five lengths clear of the 104 rated Service Ace in third. Cracker Jack performed a long way above his 78 mark and ran on to be fourth, three-quarters of a length further behind Service Ace, but Super Storm made no show and finished 11.55 lengths behind the winner in sixth after turning for home plum last.
One way to look at this is that Irish Flame beat Service Ace by six lengths, which is a not terribly inaccurate representation of the nine pound difference in their merit ratings even if it was less than half of the 12.75 lengths which separated them in the mudbath of the Gr 1 SA Derby in May. Irish Flame’s performance contained more merit than a bland acceptance of Happy Valley’s handicap mark would suggest, and trainer Mike de Kock did reveal afterwards that the Derby was the race at which Happy Valley had been aimed. In a normal season he would have won it, but the reshuffling of certain Feature events this winter to accommodate the soccer World Cup left Irish Flame with no other suitable race to contest in the run-up to a Vodacom Durban July which is being staged four weeks latter than usual.
However, De Kock also warned that the handicappers are not going to make life easy for any of the leading three-year-olds in the July, perhaps hinting that punters would do well to look beyond the sophomore generation for the winner on July 31st. For all that, Kevin Shea confessed that Irish Flame had given him “ a bit of a heart attack,” and all things considered it was probably not quite what one would have really liked to see from the ruling July favourite, On the plus side, Irish Flame has four weeks to recover from what was a pretty hard race, and his handicap mark surely cannot go up for this win.
It is now very well known that Irish Flame was bought out of the Dean Kannemeyer yard at the end of the Cape summer season, after an intended sale to Hong Kong fell through. He is now co-owned by his breeder and original owner Percy von Molendorff, in partnership with Larry Nestadt, Bernard Kantor, and Gary Barber. A colt from the first crop of ultra promising former champion three-year-old Dynasty, irish Flame is out of the Flaming Rock mare Clock The Rock and has won six times from ten starts for stakes of R2 140 825.
Clairwood, South Africa, July 3, R350.000, 2400m, turf, good, 2.34.39
IRISH FLAME (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Dynasty (SAF) - Clock The Rock (SAF) by Flaming Rock (IRE). Owner L M Nestadt, B kantor, G Barber & R P von Molendorff; breeder Millennium Stud (SAF); trainer MF de Kock; jockey K Shea
Happy Valley (ARG), 58.0, gr g 3, Alphabet Soup - Perfect Valley (BRZ) by Clackson (BRZ)
Service Ace (SAF), 58.0, ch g 3, Fort Wood - Beltel (SAF) by Bush Telegraph (SAF)
Margins: 1, 5, ¾

Gold Bracelet (SAf-G2) (6/26)
River Jetez overcame an early scare to justify odds-on favouritism in the Gold Bracelet over 2000m at Greyville on Saturday, going one better on her second place finish behind Mother Russia in the corresponding event of 2009, writes Matthew Lips.
The J & B Met heroine was coming off a facile win in a minor conditions race at Clairwood a fortnight earlier and was heavily supported to start as the 13/20 favourite in this WFA event for fillies and mares. Recent Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 winner Imperious Star was the 11/2 second favourite in a field of ten, with support at big prices for River Jetez’s stable companion Sunsational.
Backers of River Jetez must have come close to suffering cardiac failure when, shortly after the jump, the red hot favourite stumbled badly and almost catapulted Bernard Fayd’herbe out of the saddle. Somehow or other the rider managed to keep his balance and stay on board, probably helped by having just about the longest legs in the South African jockeys’ room, and River Jetez went on her merry way. She was held up amongst the backmarkers as Imperious Star led briefly before Maritime Mist went off to set a reasonable pace. Queen’s Bay and Imperious Star raced closest to the pacesetter, with Love Is In The Air and Jet Trail further back as Precedent raced towards the rear.
Imperious Star came forward to pick it up again in the straight, but once given her head River Jetez made rapid progress from near the tail of the field, and had the race pretty well won coming to the last 100m. She bounded to the front without much trouble and ran on well to win by 1.25 lengths from Precedent, who came with a rattle from well behind to finish second. Jet Trail stayed on for third, a neck behind the runner-up and 1.25 lengths ahead of fourth placed Imperious Star, who had nothing left to come at the death after being unable to dominate this race from the front as she had the Woolavington three weeks earlier.
Referring to that incident soon after the start, Fayd’herbe noted that, “I’m not sure if she clipped heels or stumbled, but her nose nearly touched the ground.” The winning rider added that River Jetez, “recovered within three strides.” “Hopefully there is no damage done,” said winning trainer Mike Bass, adding that, “this was a nice prep for the July.”
There is no good reason why River Jetez should receive a rise in her merit rating for this success, as she was rated ten pounds higher than the second finisher and nine pounds superior to the third. This was a slightly muddled result from a handicapper’s point of view, with the four fillies other than River Jetez who could boast a triple digit merit rating all finishing unplaced. The form hardly looks top draw, and we learned nothing about River Jetez that he didn’t already know except that she is capable of regaining her composure very quickly after an in-running incident. She is as good as ever, and won’t be without a prayer in the Vodacom Durban July.
A six-year-old daughter of Jet Master out of the recently deceased Prince Florimund mare Stormsvlei, River Jetez is of course the younger sister of her wonderful stable companion Pocket Power. Bred by Out Of Africa Stud and bought for R230 000 at the 2005 National Two-Year-Old Sale, she has won eleven times from 33 starts and earned stakes of R3 551 275 for owners Cedric and Barbara Amm, and Marsh Shirtliff.
Greyville, South Africa, June 26, R250.000, 2000m, turf, good, 2.02.10 (CR 1.59.60).
RIVER JETEZ (SAF), 60.0, b m 6, Jet Master (SAF) - Stormsvlei (SAF) by Prince Florimund (SAF). Owner Mr & Mrs C Amm and N M Shirtliff; breeder Out Of Africa Stud (SAf); trainer M W Bass; jockey B Fayd'herbe (R156.250)
Precedent (SAF), 60.0, b f 4, Model Man (SAF) - Legal Find (SAF) by Wardlaw
Jet Trail (SAF), 58.0, b f 3, Jet Master (SAF) - Azabu Park (AUS) by Bletchley Park (IRE)
Margins: 1¼, nk, 1¼
Also ran: Imperious Star (SAF) 58.0, Goat (SAF) 60.0, Saltwater Girl (SAF) 60.0, Love Is In The Air (SAF) 60.0, Sunsational (SAF) 60.0, Maritime Mist (SAF) 60.0, Queen's Bay (SAF) 60.0

Tibouchina S. (SAf-G2) (6/26)
Mike de Kock is a man with singularly no need to talk up his horses, so when he raves about an individual animal you have no choice but to sit up and take notice. Gibraltar Blue came in from plenty of praise from her champion trainer after she dug down deep to win the Tibouchina Stakes for fillies and mares over 1400m at Greyville on Saturday evening.
Gibraltar Blue had suffered her first local defeat when narrowly run out of it late by Captain’s Gal in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville in May, but her fans clearly didn’t want to know about Captain’s Gal beating her again and backed Gibraltar Blue into 13/20 favourite in a maximum field of 16 for this WFA fillies and mares contest. Captain’s Gal was the 33/10 second favourite, with Sparkling Gem third choice at 8/1 and the others largely treated as irrelevant bystanders.
Sparkling Gem had the best draw and wasted no time in adopting her preferred frontrunning style, setting a decent pace from Gibraltar Blue (who quickly came across from a wide draw to race in second), Purple Lake, and Strawberry Ice. Sheiks Jewel was next in line as Captain’s Gal – who’d also jumped from a lousy draw – settled in a few lengths behind the pacesetter.
Sparkling Gem led into the straight, but Gibraltar Blue was in the perfect spot to launch an attack. Coming forward some 200m out, she soon kicked for home but had to be ridden out in the closing stages by Anton Marcus to repel a challenge from Autumn Gold, who ran on strongly from some way adrift to be only beaten three-quarters of a length at the line. The runner-up never looked like actually beating Gibraltar Blue, but ran the race of her life off a merit rating 16 pounds inferior to the winner’s. Strawberry Ice had finished second behind Gibraltar Blue in the Gr 2 KZN Fillies Guineas at Greyville in May and stayed on to take third place here, the two length margin of defeat being almost identical to the difference between them in the Fillies Guineas.
Mochachino ran on strongly to finish fourth, 2.5 lengths behind the winner, but Captain’s Gal ran on kind of a race and was beaten some 15 lengths, finishing with only rivals behind her. This way below par performance from Sean Tarry’s multiple Graded Stakes winner clearly made Gibraltar Blue’s task a good deal more straight forward, for Captain’s Gal is rated a massive 19 pounds superior to her second placed stable companion Autumn Gold, but Gibraltar Blue is obviously a smart sort.
Gibraltar Blue did carry 57 kgs as opposed to the carded 58.5 kgs, with the 1.5 kgs difference being her northern hemisphere allowance, and without it the result might have been different. This average six months difference between northern and southern hemisphere-breds is important, given that Gibraltar Blue only reached her real third birthday two months before the Tibouchina, and it was still a smart display on her part to defeat some highly seasoned older campaigners after having to be rushed up early from her poor draw.
“What she did today from that draw was incredible,” said De Kock afterwards, adding that, “she had to work hard” to get into a prominent position so soon after the start. “She is really a serious filly,” added the trainer, who described this success as, “a huge win.” De Kock’s views were reinforced by Anton Marcus. “She worked very hard tonight,” noted the winning rider.
Gibraltar Blue now races in the ownership of Klawervlei Stud, having previously carried the silks of Klawervlei shareholder Markus Jooste. The Irish-bred three-year-old is a daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar and won one race over 1200m in Ireland from three starts before she was imported into South Africa. Her final appearance abroad saw her finish fourth in a Gr 2 over 1400m at Newmarket, albeit seven lengths behind the winner. She is out of the Bluebird mare Holly Blue, who won two races over 1600m in the colours of the Queen. Gibraltar Blue has won three times from four South African appearances, and her combined career earnings now stand at around R450 000.
Greyville, South Africa, June 26, R200.000, 1400m, turf, good, 1.22.17 (CR 1.21.58).
GIBRALTAR BLUE (IRE), 58.5, ch f 3, Rock of Gibraltar (IRE) - Holly Blue (GB) by Bluebird. Owner Klawervlei Stud; breeder Annalee Bloodstock & Rockhart Trading Ltd; trainer M F de Kock; jockey A Marcus (R125.000)
Autumn Gold (SAF), 60.0, b f 4, Western Winter - Golden Apple (SAf) by Northern Guest
Strawberry Ice (SAF), 58.5, b f 3, Western Winter - Strawberry Lane (SAF) by Jallad
Margins: ¾, 1¼, ½
Also ran: Mochachino (SAF) 60.0, Prestic (SAF) 60.0, Dance With Al (SAF) 60.0, Play Nice (SAF) 58.5, Nimley (SAF) 60.0, Sparkling Gem (SAF) 60.0, Seal Of Approval (SAF) 60.0, Sheiks Jewel (SAF) 60.0, Badger's Cove (SAF) 60.0, Candy Singer (ARG) 60.0, Captain's Gal (SAF) 60.0, Purple Lake (SAF) 60.0, Temair (SAF) 60.0

Gr2 Post Merchants
Casey Cool was rewarded for consistency when he recorded his first Black Type win on his 45th visit to a racecourse by landing the Post Merchants (handicap) over 1200m at Greyville on Friday night. Taking a step down in class after finishing 5.75 lengths behind J J The Jet Plane in the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint three weeks earlier, Casey Cool was given a perfectly judged ride by Kevin Shea to win the Merchants by a diminishing neck from fellow Cape Town raider Bush Pirate.
The market for the Merchants was wide open and eventually it was Mythical Flight who was sent off as a very weak 5/1 favourite to register his first success since he won the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint more than three years (and many air miles) earlier. Moroccan had finished 2.5 lengths in front of Casey Cool in the Golden Horse at his previous start and was the 11/2 second favourite, but he was drawn one from the outside in a maximum field of 16 and was never going to find it easy. This year’s Computaform Sprint heroine Noble Heir was also an 11/2 chance, with Casey Cool going off at 13/2.
There was plenty of early speed on and once again Noble Heir wasted no time in getting on with things. The diminutive grey filly set a brisk tempo from Gaultier and Mythical Flight, with Cyber Case and Thunder Key next in line as Casey Cool was held up in the bunch. Red Flyer brought up the rear after losing ground at the break. Noble Heir continued to lead into the straight, where Gaultier and Mythical Flight soon began to weaken out of contention, but 1200m has always been a touch beyond Noble Heir’s best distance and she was running out of steam into the final furlong.
Casey Cool, meantime, had made a strong forward move wide out and came to the front around 150m out, opening a handy lead over his rivals and having enough in reserve to repel a storming late run from the talented but enigmatic Bush Pirate to win by a neck. Mr Top was also running on strongly and finished one length behind Casey Cool in third, with Moroccan coming from a long way off the pace to finish another neck away in fourth. It may have been a very different result if Moroccan had not been obliged to concede so much start from his rotten draw, and Weiho Marwing’s Zimbabwean-bred gelding has been ultra consistent lately, but those are the breaks.
Noble Heir eventually tired to be beaten 3.25 lengths into ninth and it is a real pity that there is not one solitary Graded event over 1000m open to horses other than two-year-olds on the KZN calendar. There is surely a gap somewhere in the winter schedule to allow for such a contest, even if it is only at Gr 3 level. Mythical Flight was beaten five lengths into fifth and has never recaptured his best form since his sophomore season three years ago. Bush Pirate may have been an unfortunate loser, for he was drawn 13 and was gaining hand over fist at the death. The talented but frustrating four-year-old surely has a big win in him, and he has arguably been very unlucky more than once not to win a Graded event over a fairly wide range of distances, but he is two years younger than the horse that beat him on Friday so there is still plenty of time to set the record straight.
Casey Cool is a six-year-old gelding by Casey Tibbs. He is the second foal and second winner of Complete Warrior mare Some Dame, who only won one race over 1000m but whose full sister Nobely Born won the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship. Trained by Darryl Hodgson and bred at Highflyer Stud, Casey Cool was a R140 000 acquisition from the 2005 National Two Year Old Sale and has now won eight times from 45 starts for stakes of R865 500.

Betting World 1900 (SAf-G2) (5/21)
Mike de Kock’s run of success with former Port Elizabeth horses continued in some style when Bold Silvano made a triumphant stable debut in the Betting World 1900 at Greyville on Friday night. While the three-year-old has an awful long way to go to emulate the almost incredible feats of his stable companion and fellow former Eastern Caper Lizard’s Desire, he probably carried an even bigger reputation than the Lizard when trained in the Friendly City and in the 1900 he proved a little too strong for some talented opposition.
Formerly trained by Gavin Smith, Bold Silvano was transferred to De Kock’s care after he was beaten less than five lengths behind winner Bravura in what is turning out to have been a very good renewal of the Gr 1 Cape Derby in January. The Silvano colt might have been considered to be quite nicely treated by the handicap terms of Friday’s event, taking his relative proximity to some of the very best of his age in training during the Cape summer season, but De Kock was quick to point out that Bold Silvano shows “nothing” in work and the only sophomore in a field of 16 was allowed to ease from an ante-post call of 9/2 to start as a 15/2 shot. Fort Vogue was sent out as the 28/10 favourite in his first start since appearing to run lengths above his previous form when finishing fourth in the J & B Met 16 weeks earlier. Summer Cup winner Aslan and Goat –the only female in the field – were the next choices at 75/20 and 11/2 respectively.
The pace was decent from the start as Goat’s stable companion Sports Factor soon found himself in front, setting a solid tempo ahead of Noblewood and Danish Silver, with Aslan and Speed For Gold next in line as Bold Silvano was waited with in the bunch. Fort Vogue had been a little slow away at the jump and was settled amongst the backmarkers.
Bold Silvano found a clear run up the inside rail soon after turning for home and began to make rapid progress as the pacemakers faded. Aslan came forward to dispute the lead and this pair virtually had the race to themselves from close to 200m out, but Bold Silvano had taken a narrow lead and nothing that Aslan could throw at him was quite enough to bridge the gap. Bold Silvano was driven out to the line by Anthony Delpech to get the better of Aslan by a long head. Goat stayed on to finish 1.75 lengths further behind the runner-up in third, with Danish Silver always thereabouts before finishing fourth, another half-a-length further away. Fort Vogue made very good progress from the tail of the field and eventually finished an eye-catching fifth, beaten a total of 2.5 lengths by the winner.
There should be more to come from Bold Silvano, who looked a picture in the canter past but who, according to his trainer, was “still blowing” after the race, “despite the work he’s had.” Probably the most repeated single piece of racing history that has ever been published in the pages of this newspaper is that no winner of the 1900 since Occult in 1986 has won what is now the Vodacom Durban July. We say it every year, and we may very well be saying it again in 2011, but Bold Silvano may have more chance than most winners of this increasingly irrelevant July “trial” to actually complete the double. Much will depend on how the handicappers react to Friday’s win, but with the likely improvement and any kind of meaningful pull at the weights with the other three-year-olds in the July line-up then Bold Silvano may not be without a chance of landing a race which is still, after all, a handicap of sorts.
Bold Silvano did receive 2.5 kgs from runner-up Aslan, but the latter is a year older and came here with the benefit of a recent run under his girth. Sean Tarry’s gelding may not have won the hottest Gr 1 handicap in history when he captured last November’s Summer Cup, but he is obviously a gelding of considerable merit and Bold Silvano beat him fair and square, if only by a narrow margin. No doubt, many observers will rate Fort Vogue as the horse most likely to win the July from those that contested the Betting World 1900, and they may well be right. Mike Bass’ gelding was making up ground hand over fist when the race was effectively over, and he can only improve from this run.
However, plenty of improvement could also be forthcoming from Bold Silvano and it will be interesting to see where their respective trainers go next seeing as the gap between this race and the July this year is almost double what it would be in a normal (i.e., non-FIFA World Cup) season. Whether this major reshuffling of the winter racing programme makes the Betting World 1900 more relevant or less than usual as a July pointer is impossible to say because there has never been a precedent for the 2010 Feature season sequence of events. However, it has doubtless fulfilled its usual role of throwing up a whole bunch of names that surely cannot win the July and in that somewhat negative way it will once again play a considerable role in clearing up the fuzzy edges of the July picture.
As his name implies, Bold Silvano is a son of much-travelled German champion racehorse Silvano, as indeed are runner-up Aslan and fourth placed Danish Silver. He is the seventh foal and fifth winner of Al Mufti mare Bold Saffron, who won four races over 1300/1600m and who finished second in a Listed event. Bred at Ascot Stud and bought for R300 000 at the 2008 National Yearling Sale, Bold Silvano carries the colours of East London resident Gillian Thompson and has won five of his ten starts for earnings of R555 625.
Greyville, South Africa, May 21, R350.000, 1900m, turf, good, 1.56.05 (CR 1.53.31).
BOLD SILVANO (SAF), 53.5, b c 3, Silvano (GER) - Bold Saffron (SAF) by Al Mufti. Owner Mrs G Thomson; breeder Ascot Stud (SAf); trainer M F de Kock; jockey A Delpech (R218.750)
Aslan (SAF), 56.0, b g 4, Silvano (GER) - Cry For The Lion (SAF) by Elliodor (FR)
Goat (SAF), 54.5, b f 4, Labeeb (GB) - Hello Dolly (SAF) by Caesour
Margins: sh hd, 1¾, ½
Also ran: Danish Silver (SAF) 52.0, Fort Vogue (SAF) 58.5, Speed For Gold (SAF) 54.0, Caymen Island (SAF) 53.5, Robinson Crusoe (SAF) 53.5, Grisham (SAF) 52.0, Sports Factor (SAF) 52.0, Strategic News (AUS) 57.0, Thandolwami (SAF) 56.0, Omaha Beach (SAF) 58.0, Ivory Trail (SAF) 60.0, Bouquet-Garni (SAF) 53.5, Noblewood (SAF) 54.0

Drill Hall S. (SAf-G2) (5/7)
The Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m at Greyville has always been the traditional starting point for horses with bigger fish to fry during the KZN winter season, but even allowing for the fact that it amounted to a “prep” run for several of the contestants it was hard not to be taken with the way Tropical Empire won the 2010 edition of this WFA contest on Friday night.
All but three of the 14 starters were previous Graded Stakes winners, and in a wide open market it was stalwart Kapil who went off as the 4/1 favourite, marginally ahead of 9/2 second choice Blue Tiger, who’d had the benefit of a previous start in KZN this year. There was no shortage for Tropical Empire, who went off as the 5/1 third favourite in his bid to improve on his fast finishing neck second behind Earl Of Surrey in the corresponding race twelve months earlier.
Known frontrunner Imperial Gesture wasted very little time getting to where he likes it best and set a decent pace from Jamaican Dream and Braggadacio, with Fort Beluga next in line. Tropical Empire was waited with in the bunch as Kapil adopted his usual tactics of racing at the rear early on. Braggadacio set out after Imperial Gesture early in the straight, getting to the pacesetter but then having no answer whatsoever to the finishing kick of the eventual winner.
The race was soon wrapped up by Tropical Empire. Angled to the inside rail by Stuart Randolph, the Australian-bred import enjoyed a dream run up the straight and made rapid headway to lead inside the final furlong. He ran right way from his field in the final stages to win by a resounding 3.25 lengths from Braggadacio, with Imperial gesture holding on to finish third only a short head further behind. Fabiani made an eye-catching start to his KZN campaign and ran on to finish a long head behind Imperial Gesture, with stable companion Big City Life also shaping with considerable promise and staying on well to be beaten a total of 4.20 lengths into fifth. The distance would have been too short for both inmates of the Glen Kotzen stable and better things could well be in store for them over the coming few months.
Ivory Trail didn’t run badly over a distance short of his optimum and finished sixth, but Kapil never got going and wound up in eighth place, marginally in front of a below-par Blue Tiger. As already noted, this form cannot necessarily be taken completely at face value, but runner-up Braggadacio should have been match fit after having had plenty of racing in Gauteng this year and the winner of the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein in February was completely overwhelmed by Tropical Empire in the closing stages of the Drill Hall. This could easily be considered to have been a career best effort from the winner (at the age of seven, no less), for although he was rated three pounds superior to Braggadacio by the handicappers he beat that rival by considerably further than that.
A stud career (possibly in his native Australia) awaits Tropical Empire at some point, but connections will be keen to try and get an elusive first Gr 1 success into their horse before that time comes. Tropical Empire won the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 ahead of an unplaced effort in the Vodacom Durban July last year, but trainer Duncan Howells virtually ruled out a similar programme for his charge this season. Howells noted that, “I found he’s been a lot sounder recently and he’s always been an exceptionally good horse,”, but added that at this stage of his career Tropical Empire would be kept to shorter distances and seems unlikely to be seen over distances beyond a mile this winter.
Tropical Empire is a son of now SA resident stallion Second Empire out of the Pago Pago mare Tropical Touch and has won ten races from 33 starts for earnings of R1 120 375.
Greyville, South Africa, May 7, R350.000, 1400m, turf, good, 1.22.16 (CR
1.21.58).
TROPICAL EMPIRE (AUS), 60.0, b h 7, Second Empire (IRE) - Tropical Touch
(AUS) by Pago Pago (AUS). Owner Mr R & Mrs E M Pennels, G J Westwater and J
T Meyer; breeder Heytesbury Thoroughbreds (AUS); trainer DC Howells; jockey
S Randolph (218.750)
Braggadacio (SAF), 60.0, ch g 6, Western Winter - Fair Bianca (SAF) by
Priceless Asset (SAF)
Imperial Gesture (SAF), 60.0, b g 4, Al Mufti - Imperial Guest (SAF) by
Northern Guest
Margins: 3¼, nose, neck
Also ran: Fabiani (SAF) 60.0, Big City Life (SAF) 60.0, Ivory Trail (SAF)
60.0, Forest Path (SAF) 60.0, Kapil (SAF) 60.0, Blue Tiger (SAF) 60.0,
Dynamite Mike (SAF) 60.0, Milk And Honey (USA) 57.5, Don't Tell Titch (SAF)
60.0, Fort Beluga (SAF) 60.0, Jamaican Dream (SAF) 60.0

E-Cape Derby (SAf-G3) (5/9)
Robert The Bruce may have had a slice of good fortune on his side, but it ’s the number in the frame which counts and he was able to justify his role as even money favourite when posting a first career Stakes success in the New Turf Carriers East Cape Derby over 2400m at Arlington on Sunday. Robert The Bruce towered – on paper – above the thirteen rivals which remained after two late withdrawals and was an obvious choice of favourite, but he was going beyond 2000m for the first time in a field where only three of the contestants had been tried at the Derby distance. Hammies Boy was a well supported 9/2 second favourite ahead of third favourite and chief hometown hope D J Detsky (13/2).
The early pace was muddling to say the least, with the lead changing hands at least three times before half the race distance had been covered. Eye Of The World, Big Daddy and White Fire all had a turn at ambling along in front, with D J Detzky always handy and Robert The Bruce keeping a close eye on proceedings from around fifth spot. Hammie’s Boy was towards the rear, with stable companion Strategize just about last of all after having fought his rider in the early stages of the contest.
D J Detzky took it up from the fading frontrunners soon after turning in and tried to make the best of his way home into a strong headwind, but Robert The Bruce had always been ideally poised to strike and began to inch closer. The favourite had the measure of D J Detzky inside the last 150m, eking out a hard fought lead, but then had to be hard ridden by Felix Coetzee to hold off a fast finishing Strategize with only a neck to spare. Gauteng visitor Power Lord also ran on strongly and finished a similar margin away in third, with D J Detzky tiring late to be beaten a total of 2.25 lengths behind the winner in fourth. Hammie’s Boy was another short head away in fifth, having posed no threats at any stage.
The Derby was not run to suit those horses racing from well off the pace and in the circumstances Strategize and Power Lord (and to an extent, Hammie’s Boy) did well to finish where they did. This was never a true test of stamina, and nobody is much the wiser as to whether Robert The Bruce truly gets the Derby distance. He enjoyed the run of the race under a perfectly judged ride from one of the most experienced jockeys in the business, and ran nowhere near the 105 merit rating he earned primarily after finishing third behind the top class duo of Bravura and Noordhoek Flyer in the Cape Derby in January. Strategize and Power Lord came here rated 83 and 78 respectively, and could be counted as slightly unfortunate losers in a race which didn’t play to their strengths at all.
Still, Robert The Bruce managed to deliver the goods despite perhaps not himself being entirely comfortable with this first experience of a racecourse which has been the downfall of many a horse competing on it for the first time. The opposition was frankly far from great – there was the grand total of one previous Listed race winner in the field – and the form looks rather shaky perhaps, but the winner has been very consistent and was plainly the best horse in the race. It may be that he really is best up to 2000m, but the evidence is not conclusive. Trained by Justin Snaith for owner and breeder Alec Foster, Robert The Bruce is by former champion sire Jallad out of Western Winter mare Grace Me Guide, who won three races over 1200m and finished second in the Gr 3 Diana Stakes. Robert The Bruce (who was gelded just two days after the Cape Derby) has now won three of 11 starts for R405 500 in stakes.
Arlington, South Africa, May 9, R350.000, 2400m, turf, good, 2.36.88.
ROBERT THE BRUCE (SAF), 57.0, ch g 3, Jallad - Grace Me Guide (SAF) by
Western Winter. Owner A N Forster & The Hon Mrs G R Foster; breeder A N
Foster (SAF); trainer J Snaith; jockey F Coetzee
Strategize (SAF), 57.0, b g 3, Captain Al (SAF) - Model Ballerina (SAF) by
Badger Land
Power Lord (SAF), 57.0, b c 3, Dynasty (SAF) - First World (SAF) by
Sportsworld
Margins: nk, nk, 1¾
Also ran: D J Detzky (SAF) 57.0, Hammie's Boy (SAF) 57.0, All Ablaze (SAF)
57.0, Lover (SAF) 57.0, White Fire (SAF) 57.0, Iceagelegacy (SAF) 57.0,
Inkwazi (SAF) 57.0, Eye Of The World (SAF) 57.0, Big Daddy (SAF) 57.0, Storm
Benevolo (ARG) 57.0, Jet Preview (SAF) 57.0

Cape Nursery (SAf-G3) (5/8)
Trainer Vaughan Marshall was in fine form at Kenilworth on Saturday, where he sent out the winners of both the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery over 1200m and the equivalent Kenilworth Fillies Nursery for the girls over the same distance.
Only seven lined up for the Betting World-sponsored Cape Nursery, with Arctic Captain going off as the 2/1 favourite just ahead of Marshall-trained Brilliant Cut, who was the 5/2 second choice. Brilliant Cut had been hampered late when he finished almost one length behind Arctic Captain in a Listed race won by Sky Link over the same course-and-distance four weeks earlier and had plenty of supporters willing to gamble that he could reverse that form here. Easy PE Listed winner Asian Emperor also had his backers and started at 7/2.
Brilliant Cut was soon up with the action and made most of the running to record what did look to be a very lucky success. Asian Emperor and Mr Vindaloo showed early pace as well, with Arctic Captain just in behind the leaders as Dead Cert and Jack Hobbs races towards the rear. Jack Hobbs looked to have plenty of gas in the tank and began a strong forward move coming to the last 200m, but he first had to switch for a run before finding himself cramped between rivals, thereafter having to ease and switch yet again before finding clear air. He ran on strongly to be beaten a neck by Brilliant Cut, who had fought on very gamely under MJ Byleveld to hold his advantage all the way to the line.
Jack Hobbs’ rider Karl Neisius lodged an objection against Brilliant Cut, but it was difficult to apportion too much of the blame for his misfortune on the winner and the original result was allowed to stand. Still, this was a very good effort from Jack Hobbs, a son of freshman sire Right Approach who was racing for only the second time and who could very easily be expected to do better when tried over more ground. The same may also be true of Dead Cert, a winner of his only previous race who was beaten only half-a-length behind Brilliant Cut in third.
Brilliant Cut is a son of Kabool and is the first foal of the unraced Elliodor mare Simply Sparkling (who in turn is a half sister to Gold Cup winner Colonial Girl). Bred by Gavin Schafer, Brilliant Cut was a cheap R20 000 purchase from the 2009 Equimark Vintage Yearling Sale and has won three of his five starts for R188 125 in stakes.
Kenilworth, South Africa, May 8, R150.000, 1200m, turf, good, 1.12.54 (CR
1.09.90).
BRILLIANT CUT (SAF), 58.0, b c 2, Kabool (GB) - Simply Sparkling (SAF) by
Elliodor (FR). Owner R H Gardiner and V H Marshall; breeder GW Schafer
(SAF); trainer VH Marshall; jockey M Byleveld (R93.750)
Jack Hobbs (SAF), 58.0, ch c 2, Right Approach (GB) - English Willow (SAF)
by Rich Man's Gold
Dead Cert (SAF), 58.0, b c 2, Tara's Halls (SAF) - The Widow (SAF) by Fort
Wood
Margins: nk, nk, nk
Also ran: Asian Emperor (SAF) 58.0, Arctic Captain (SAF) 58.0, Azapel (SAF)
58.0, Mr Vindaloo (SAF) 58.0

Cape Fillies Nursery (SAf-G3) (5/8)
The Marshall big race double was completed some 35 minutes later when Madrisa made practically all the running to win the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery, scoring somewhat more easily than Brilliant Cut earlier in the day and posting a slightly faster time while doing so.
Madrisa had led throughout to easily win a Listed race over the same course-and-distance four weeks earlier and was the 18/10 favourite in a field of nine for the Fillies Nursery, with easy debut winner In Like Flynn a strongly supported 5/2 second choice ahead of Country Girl and newcomer Captain’s Catch.
Knock ‘em Out showed plenty of early toe, but it wasn’t long before Madrisa found herself in her customary role at the head of the field. Country Girl and Florist Rose were not far away, with Varushka and In Like Flynn further adrift, but Madrisa never relented and looked the probable winner a long way from home under regular rider Craig du Plooy, . Only 33/1 outsider Florist Rose could make any kind of a race of it with Madrisa, but the eventual runner-up never really threatened the favourite and was 1.5 lengths adrift of Madrisa at the line.
Country Girl lacked a strong finish and was beaten 4.75 lengths behind the winner into third, with Captain’s Catch making a pleasing debut to finish fourth, a further 0.75 lengths behind. In Like Flynn never got into the race and possibly didn’t enjoy the softer going, but she looked to be cramped for room in the closing stages and cannot be judged on this bare form.
Madrisa has been in fine form almost all year, having finished third on her debut in February and not being beaten in four races since. Just how much scope she has remains to be seen, and she could easily be the sort who will leave her best form behind her at two, but she has plenty of speed to go with an obviously healthy dose of ability and to date she has done virtually nothing wrong. A daughter of the somewhat unheralded Grey Eminence out of the National Assembly mare National Display, Madrisa was bred by Gary Player Stud. Her four wins from five starts have earned her stakes of R253 300.
Kenilworth, South Africa, May 8, R150.000, 1200m, turf, good, 1.12.43 (CR
1.09.90).
MADRISA (SAF), 58.0, b f 2, Grey Eminence (FR) - National Display (SAF) by
National Assembly (CAN). Owner B R G Finlayson, P R C Freestone, A Jacobs &
A C Rhodes; breeder Gary Player Stud (SAF); trainer VH Marshall; jockey C du
Plooy (R93.750)
Florist Rose (SAF), 58.0, b f 2, Mogok - Florist Gump (SAF) by Manshood
Country Girl (SAF), 58.0, ch f 2, Mon Sang - Diligent Dame (SAF) by
Exclusive Patriot
Margins: 1½, 3¼, ¾
Also ran: Captain's Catch (SAF) 58.0, Knock 'em Out (SAF) 58.0, In Like
Flynn (SAF) 58.0, Regal Bloom (SAF) 58.0, Varushka (SAF) 58.0, Grey Quest
(SAF) 58.0

SA Oaks (SAf-G2) (5/1)
With most of the 15 strong SA Oaks field trying the distance for the first time, there was always the possibility that some of the more lightly raced runners would improve considerably. And so it proved to be, writes Steve Furnish.
The bookmakers saw it differently though, calling 7/1 bar two at the off. Globetrotter Mike De Kock saddled a third of the runners, and two of them, Here To Win and Alderry left the stalls joint favourites at 2/1. The recent Fillies Classic dead-heater Here To Win was the bookmakers’ first choice having opened up at that price, but it was Alderry who found the support. Indeed, Alderry touched 18/10 at one stage. Salutation was the only other runner to find any significant support. She shortened into 10/1 from 16’s.
The improving Pennrock was quickest into stride when the gates opened and setting off at a fair clip, she soon had the field strung out. Her stable companions Ariza and Equiparada raced second and third whilst Arcola, the easy to back eventual winner, raced close up in fourth. Alderry and All Afire raced next with the Fillies Guineas runner up Generous Anna also in touch. Here To Win meanwhile was content to sit towards the rear, as was the usually slow starting Salutation. There was barely any change in the racing order during the first half of the race, but as they approached the home turn the field quickly began to concertina. The Editor’s Note filly Equiparada quickened nicely coming off the bend and took up the running at the top of the straight. Both Here To Win and Salutation were beginning to make good headway at this stage and as they moved into contention 400m from home just three lengths covered most. Equiparada was staying on gamely as they approached the 200m marker and with both Arcola and Salutation now at her heels it was evident that a thrilling battle was about to take place. The three were in a line going through the 100m and at that point the proceedings it looked as if either could score. Arcola had finished three and a half lengths behind Salutation in the 2000m Oaks Trial last time out, and that was probably the reason why she was allowed to leave the stalls at 25/1. She was not totally friendless in the betting market though, as she opened up at 40/1. Clearly relishing the extra here though, it was she who found the best finish. Arcola went on to win by a half from Salutation with the gutsy Equiparada just a neck away in third. Joint favourite Here To Win stayed on to finish a well beaten fourth with the remainder being a minimum of two and a half lengths behind her.
A daughter of Caesour, out of the Foveros mare Star Of Arcole, Arcola was bought in as a yearling for R170000 at the National Sale. She was registering her second victory from just five starts here and has already amassed stake earnings of over three times her purchase price. Arcola has shown good improvement with each outing and clearly has a very bright future ahead of her.     
Turffontein, South Africa, May 1, R750.000, 2450m, turf, soft, 2.40.53 (CR 2.31.59).
ARCOLA (SAF), 57.0, b f 3, Caesour - Star Of Arcole (SAF) by Foveros (GB). Owner A varonu and D Chinsammy; breeder C F De Vos (SAF); trainer W H Marwing; jockey G Lerena (R468.750)
Salutation (SAF), 57.0, b f 3, Requiem (AUS) - Tribute (SAF) by Desert Team
Equiparada (ARG), 57.0, b f 3, Editor's Note - Equity (ARG) by Equalize)
Margins: ¾, nose, 2½
Also ran: Here To Win (BRZ) 57.0, Alderry (SAF) 57.0, Generous Anna (AUS) 57.0, Duncton Quest (SAF) 57.0, Bandera Nativa (ARG) 57.0, Tigress (SAF) 57.0, All Afire (SAF) 57.0, Cyclone Barbara (SAF) 57.0, Pennrock (163) 57.0, Ariza (SAF) 57.0, Ireland (BRZ) 57.0

Gold Bowl (SAf-G2) (5/1)
It’s no easy task for a 3yo to take on older rivals over 3200m and that is probably why Winning Leap was the only representative in this event of his generation. The ground was soft and it rained throughout the race, but despite all, the son of Labeeb came through with his head held high, writes Steve Furnish
The classy Santa, a runner up in this race last season, was always at the top of the bookmakers’ boards and after finding good support on course he eventually left the stalls at 2/1. Mike De Kock’s only representative Wild Kodiak was also fancied. He shortened into 6/1 from 10’s, whilst all of Chico Azul (10/1 into 8/1, touched 7’s), Saltwater Girl (10/1 into 8/1) and Winning Leap (20/1 into 15/1) were all nibbled at in the ring.
They set off on this two mile trip rather slowly and were seemingly still in no hurry to get out of the rain as they passed the winning post for the first time. As they moved into the long back straight though the confirmed frontrunner Chico Azul raised the tempo and the field quickly began to string out. The unfancied Dancing Red sat second whilst the eventual winner Winning Leap raced close up in third. Racing in fourth was another outsider Carnoustie. The favourite Santa raced alongside Saltwater Girl in fifth and only five lengths off the pace at that stage they were perfectly positioned to mount a challenge. The order changed very little as they moved up the back straight and it was only when the pace began to slow again rounding the home turn that things began to change. The rain began to pour as they entered the home straight and with Chico Azul now battling to quicken, Winning Leap, under replacement rider apprentice John Paul Van Der Merwe, swiftly took up the running.  Santa also quickened very nicely at the top of the straight and when he moved up to tackle Winning Leap 500m from home it looked as if he would go on to land the odds. Just as he had done when winning in a lowly MR71 Handicap last time out though, the rapidly improving Winning Leap found extra. The pair then fought out a protracted battle with both horses and riders giving their all. Behind them meanwhile the fancied Starzene had steadily been making headway and within a length of the duel 300m from home, he too joined the fight.  Surprisingly, it was the recent Racing Association Stakes winner Santa who was the first to crack. Running out of gas 150m from home. That didn’t make things any easier for Winning Leap though as Starzene was plugging on determinedly. Answering every call from his up and coming rider though, Winning Leap dug deep below the distance and in the style of a true stayer, he held on to score by three quarters of a length. Now a tired horse, Santa kept on to finish third, whilst staying on for fourth, some nine lengths adrift, was Precedent.
A son of Labeeb out of the Northern Guest mare Summersault, the R80000 purchase Winning Leap has now won three of his seven career starts to date amassing stake earnings of over R400000. Winning Leap showed real guts and determination in winning this event and with natural improvement still to come, he’s clearly one to keep tabs on in the future.
Turffontein, South Africa, May 1, R500.000, 3200m, turf, soft, 3.33.99 (CR 3.20.71).
WINNING LEAP (SAF), 52.0, b g 3, Labeeb (GB) - Summersault (SAF) by Northern Guest. Owner R Kay, M W Maloon, D J Michael & L Gordon; breeder Summerhill Stud (SAF); trainer D Zaki; jockey J P van der Merwe (312.500)
Starzene, 57.0, db m 5, Cozzene - Star Queen by Kingmambo
Santa (SAF), 60.0, ch g 6, National Emblem (SAF) - Say I Do (SAF) by Rocky Marriage
Margins: ¾, 3½, 4¾
Also ran: Precedent (SAF) 52.0, Saltwater Girl (SAF) 53.0, Wild Kodiak (SAF) 52.0, Chico Azul (SAF) 52.0, Royal Captive (AUS) 54.0, Dancing Red () 52.0, Membrado (ARG) 54.0, Long Dollar (SAF) 58.5, Carnoustie (SAF) 52.0, Sonic Gang (BRZ) 52.0

SA Nursery (SAf-G2) (5/1)
Two closely related horses had the tongues wagging last Saturday. At Turffontein, the previously unraced Kavanagh made hacks of opposition in the Gr2 SA Nursery, the biggest 2yo race on the Highveld. An ocean away, at Churchill Downs, 3yo Super Saver took America’s biggest 3yo race, the Kentucky Derby. Imagine this. The two colts have the same third dam, Dance Number. The dam of Super Saver is by A.P. Indy, half brother to Tiger Ridge. The grandam of Kavanagh is by Seattle Slew, the sire of A.P. Indy. This is the stuff dreams are made of.
In South Africa, comparisons were quickly made with another of De Kock’s impressive 2yo first-timers, a decade ago, who went on to become The Champion. Such comparisons are premature if the SA Nursery is put in context. Easy and impressive Kavanagh may have been, but two other races on the day over the same distance had comparable racetimes. SA Fillies Nursery winner Waywest Goddess and Camellia Stakes winner Captain’s Gal, both fillies, covered the 1160m distance in much the same time. Captain’s Gal wasn’t even ridden out over the last 100m and might well have gone faster. There still is much to prove for Kavanagh, who no doubt will next be seen in the Natal features.
The story of the SA Nursery is quickly told. In a rather spread-out field, apprentice ridden Legislature made the speed, with Kavanagh’s stable companion The Raj close up. The latter, also a son of Tiger Ridge, made his effort shortly after halfway, while drifting across the width of the track. Kavanagh bided his time, before quicking impressively a furlong from home. The matter was put beyond doubt in strides. The margin was an easy 2½ lengths at the line, The Raj in second, five lengths ahead of a bunched field. The margins may have been somewhat exaggerated because of the soft going, and some of the beaten contenders might perform differently on good ground. Still, there’s no denying the superiority of the first two home, which recalled the rivalry in the first crop of Fort Wood, between Horse Chestnut and Fort Defiance.
Kavanagh is owned and bred by Wilgerbosdrift, and didn’t make it to the yearling sales. His dam Quaestio is an American-bred daughter of Seeking The Gold. She raced in the UK, winning over 1200m (rated 90) and is dam of Sadler’s Wells colt Caribbean (rated 107) who finished 4th in the Gr2 Irish Derby Trial over 2000m on soft going behind Dylan Thomas and eternal Arc runner-up Youmzain. Quaestio is full sister to sire Mutakddim, whose daughter Jazzy competed with distinction in SA and the US some years ago. If all goes to plan, Kavanagh has clear sire potential, here or abroad.
Let’s not forget Nursery runner-up The Raj, bred by Carl de Vos (also breeder of SA Oaks winner Arcola on the same day), was a 400k National Sale yearling. The Raj had been winner of his only previous start, and would have won by five had Kavanagh not been there. What odds the Champion Freshman Sire title for Tiger Ridge? Cadit quaestio.
Turffontein, South Africa, May 1, R500.000, 1160m, turf, soft, 1.08.13 (CR 1.05.12).
KAVANAGH (SAF), 57.0, b c 2, Tiger Ridge - Quaestio by Seeking The Gold. Owner & breeder Wilgerbosdrift (SAF); trainer MF de Kock; jockey J Geroudis (R312.500)
The Raj (SAF), 57.0, b c 2, Tiger Ridge - Little Indian (SAF) by Al Mufti
His Affidavit (AUS), 57.0, ch c 2, Hussonet - Deposition (AUS) by Mr Innocent
Margins: 2½, 5¼, 2¼
Also ran: Saint Pierre (SAF) 57.0, Magico (SAF) 57.0, Legislature (SAF) 57.0, Belmonte (SAF) 57.0, Gold Onyx (NZ) 57.0, Torch Singer (SAF) 57.0, Major Victory (SAF) 57.0, Tatankwa (SAF) 57.0

SA Fillies Nursery (SAf-G2) (5/1)
There nothing so difficult to beat as a front runner who doesn’t stop. But front running is an art. The jockey needs to get the pace just right – too fast and you’ll fall in a heap, too slow and you’ll easily be outsprinted.
Sampson, the regular jockey of Waywest Goddess has been there. Once, twice, three times. All went to plan the first time, it fell in heap the second, and worked to perfection when it mattered most in the Gr2 Fillies Nursery last Saturday. The time before, in the Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes, Waywest Goddess had been on her bicycle from the break. The pace was fast for the 1100m journey, probably just a shade too fast, and she got caught on the post, beaten two noses by Oochee Agent and Empire Rose.
In the Nursery the roles were well and truly reversed. Ridden with a measure of restraint, racing handy in the middle of the track, Waywest Goddess let the real front running be done by Ibrox Park on the inner rail. The latter started second favourite for the race, which had Hollywoodboulevard as the odds-on market leader. This time it was Ibrox Park who overdid things, while Sampson got everything right, winning by a comfortable two lengths.
Ibrox Park (who was reported to have spread a plate in the race) hung on for second by the skin of her teeth, a scenario much the same as it had been for Waywest Goddess the time before, two noses separating her from the third and fourth. Hollywood Boulevard didn’t run on in the final furlong, and may well be suited by a bit more ground, or perhaps better ground than the soft going that prevailed on the day.
The Fillies Nursery naturally leads up to the Gr1 Allan Robertson at Scottsville later this month. That race is normally run on fast going, with the 1200m distance presenting a stiffer test, and the draw a real poser in large fields. The juvenile fillies are an interesting bunch this season, and when Gauteng meets the Rest at Scottsville there might be some surprises.
That said, triple black type is now in the bag for Waywest Goddess, who is from the first crop of Summerhill stallion Way West. That son of Danehill raced only at two in Australia, winning three times up to 1200m. Waywest Goddess was bred by Hallmark Thoroughbreds in Natal and bought at the Ready to Run sale for a handy 65k. She’s a half sister to two multiple winners up to a mile by Krusenstern and it’ll be interesting to see how far she’ll stay eventually. With two stakes wins and a stakes place from just four starts she’s at present the leading 2yo filly of her year by some way.
Turffontein, South Africa, May 1, R400.000, 1160m, turf, soft, 1.08.51 (CR 1.05.12).
WAYWEST GODDESS (SAF), 57.0, b f 2, Way West (AUS) - Gallic Goddess (SAF) by Gallic League (GB). Owner C M Comaroff & Corryvreckenracing cc; breeder Hallmark Thoroughbreds (SAF); trainer LW Goosen; jockey J Sampson (R250.000)
Ibrox Park (SAF), 57.0, b f 2, Camden Park - Charmed (SAF) by Jallad Stormy Coast (SAF), 57.0, gr f 2, Fort Wood - Stormy Appeal (SAF) by Kilconnel
Margins: 2, nose, nose
Also ran: Candy Cotton (SAF) 57.0, Empire Rose (ARG), Oochee Agent (SAF) 57.0                 
Hollywoodboulevard (AUS) 57.0, Running Rivulet (SAF) 57.0, Southern Lights (SAF) 57.0, Raise The Bar (SAF) 57.0, Success Counts (SAF) 57.0, Giggs (SAF) 57.0, Laurel Canyon (SAF) 57.0, Surging Star (SAF) 57.0

Camellia S. (SAf-G2) (5/1)
When formbook studiers consult the written word in time to come, some interesting questions must be answered. The good book will show Captain’s Gal as winner of the Gr2 Camellia Stakes by half a length, in a time on a par for those of the winners of the two Nurseries on the day. The race comment will reflect that the 4yo filly won easing up, suggesting that the winning distance could have been much more. But was there really much left in the tank?Jockey Strydom rode a pearler, handy till half way, then making an effort to hit the front some 300m out. That early move was decisive, leaving Strydom in a position to start looking around for threats with 100m to go, then deciding to let the Gal freewheel to the line. That line didn’t come a moment too soon, with the runner-up in front just past the post. Spine-thrilling stuff.
The question is what the official handicapper is going to do. Will the apparent easy of victory be taken into account when Captain’s Gal’s MR is raised from her current level of 103? Or will it be the actual winning distance to count? This sprint-win was interesting, as the filly’s record suggests that she is effective from 1200m to a mile, much as her sire Captain Al was. Expectations are that things will become more difficult in future handicap company.
Captain’s Gal, a 100k Cape yearling sale purchase, was bred at Normandy Stud by Veronica Foulkes, who is going through another purple patch this season with the likes of Mother Russia and Bravura. The filly is by some way the best of the offspring of her dam, who is an unraced half sister to highclass island Chief, from a family of mostly sprinter/milers. Captain’s Gal has now amassed stakes of over R700k, with multiple black type to enhance that value, from 8 wins in 21 starts. She has been a model of consistency and is a credit to her trainer.
Turffontein, South Africa, May 1, R220.000, 1160m, turf, soft, 1.08.17 (CR 1.05.12).
CAPTAIN'S GAL (SAF), 58.0, b f 4, Captain Al (SAF) - Isle Of Capri (SAF) by Centenary. Owner C J H van Niekerk; breeder Normandy Stud (SAF); trainer SG Tarry; jockey P Strydom (137.500)
Mary Lou (SAF), 55.5, b f 3, Rich Man's Gold - Kentucky Lass (SAF) by Kentucky Slew
Mochachino (SAF), 58.0, b m 5, Silvano (GER) - Mabola Plum (SAF) by Fort Wood Margins: ½, 1, ½
Also ran: Picadilly Miss (SAF) 57.0, Mana Mou (SAF) 56.0, Catherina Lady (SAF) 56.0, Smangaliso (SAF) 57.5, Sensational Secret (SAF) 56.5, Valley Of Rubies (SAF) 55.0, Kissing Cousin (SAF) 55.0, On The Bluff (SAF) 56.5, Bellotto Flash (AUS) 56.5

Winter Guineas (SAf-G3) (5/1)
Last Regal followed in the footsteps of stable companion Royal Chalon twelve months ago when he won the Rossgo Winter Guineas over 1600m at Kenilworth on Saturday. The race forms the first leg of the three-pronged Winter series for three-year-olds and Last Regal is going to have to follow in some gigantic footprints if he is to win all three as the only horse to achieve it goes by the name of Pocket Power. Royal Chalon went on to win the second leg, the 1800m Winter Classic, but flopped when appearing to get the 2400m of the concluding Winter Derby.
Kiss Again represented the proven class of the dozen horse line-up after finishing third in both the Gr 1 Cape Guineas and Gr 2 Selangor Cup over the same course-and-distance during the summer. He went off as a 5/2 joint favourite with Robert The Bruce (who was rated just one pound inferior to Kiss Again by the handicapper). Last Regal was third best in at the weights but was allowed to go off at 10/1 despite winning a decent enough Durbanville 1800m handicap in his most recent appearance.
The pace was refreshingly strong from the start as Quickshot was ridden to find his way to the front of the field. He set a good tempo ahead of Feet Of Fire and Wild Shot, with Slinga Malinga and Tales Of Bravery next in line as Kiss Again was poised at the rail behind the leading bunch. Quickshot soon raised the white flag after turning for home and beat a hasty retreat, leaving his stable companion Tales Of Bravery to come through and pick up the baton. Kiss Again made good headway at the rail to throw down his challenge as Last Regal began to unwind a sustained finish wider out.
In the end the race turned into a stirring three-way duel to the wire, with Tales Of Bravery trying grimly to hang on to a slim advantage but eventually being run out of it very late by both Last Regal and Kiss Again, who flashed across the line virtually locked together. The camera showed that Last Regal had shaded his more fancied rival by a nostril, with Tales Of Bravery only a head further away in third. Lion In Winter appeared to have every chance and was beaten 1.40 lengths behind the winner into fourth, staying on steadily but never looking likely to finish any closer. Robert The Bruce never really got into the hunt and stayed on to finish fifth.
Last Regal had finished unplaced in both the Cape Guineas and the Selangor Cup and as such had to reverse several lengths with Kiss Again, but victorious rider Karl Neisius noted that the winner has been improving all the time. “He is maturing, and learning to race much better”, remarked Neisius, who confessed that he had thought that 1600m would be a bit too short for Last Regal, which is well worth remembering when the winner presumably resurfaces for the 1800m Winter Classic. It also helped Last Regal that Saturday’s race was run on the summer course with its longer run-in.
Dean Kannemeyer-trained Last Regal is a gelded son of veteran former champion sire Jallad. He is the second foal and first winner produced from Australian-bred Royal Academy mare Regal Honesty, who won one race over 1600m in South Africa. Bred by Aldo Girolo, Last Regal was acquired for R140 000 at the 2008 Equimark Vintage Yearling Sale and has won four times from 12 starts for R291 850 in stakes
Kenilworth, South Africa, May 1, R200.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.38.84 (CR 1.35.80).LAST REGAL (SAF), 58.0, b g 3, Jallad - Regal Honesty (AUS) by Royal Academy. Owner W J Rae, G l Blank, R W Deacon, A Girolo; breeder A Girolo (SAF); trainer D Kannemeyer; jockey K Neisius (R125.000)
Kiss Again (SAF), 58.0, b g 3, Al Mufti - Whatsinakiss (SAF) by Elliodor (FR)
Tales Of Bravery (SAF), 58.0, b g 3, Kahal (GB) - Emperor's Warning (SAF) by Caesour
Margins: nose, neck, 1¼
Also ran: Lion In Winter (SAF) 58.0, Robert The Bruce (SAF) 58.0, All Is Forgiven (SNL) 58.0, Cree Lodge (SAF) 58.0, League Of Honour (AUS) 58.0, Wild Shot (SAF) 58.0, Slinga Malinga (SAF) 58.0, Feet Of Fire (SAF) 58.0, Quickshot (SAF) 58.0

KRA Guineas (SAf-G2) (5/2)
The Cape Guineas winner Noordoek Flyer had always been strongly fancied to win here, but after Irish Flame (well behind Noordoek Flyer in the Cape Derby), trounced the triple crown seeking Pierre Jourdan in the Gauteng Derby just 24 hours earlier, it was clearly evident that he was going to take a lot of beating, writes Steve Furnish.
Noordoek Flyer was surprisingly allowed to flirt with 9/10 after opening up at 8/10 on the bookmakers’ boards, but he did then return to his original price before the off. In what proved to be a rather static betting market, none of the runners found any real support, although there were nibbles on both Havasha (touched 13/2) and Exhilaration (touched 6/1).
On leaving the stalls it was Havasha’s stable companion Meltaway who got away best, whilst the rank outsider of the party Al’s Deputy raced close up in second. Another outsider Trendline raced third, whilst nicely positioned in fourth was the unraced runner Top Mark. Racing in midfield meanwhile were the two nibbled at runners, whilst the eventual winner Noordoek Flyer was content with his position towards the rear. The pace wasn’t particularly strong in the early stages and as they approached the 1000m marker backers of the favourite must have been a little nervous as Noordoek Flyer was now racing unsettled. It was at this point though that Al’s Deputy took up the running, and after he raised the tempo the son of Pivotal was clearly much more relaxed. Al’s Deputy kept on surprisingly well in the straight and never weakened all the way to the wire. He had the handily placed runners held going through the 400m, but Havasha, who had raced sixth, was now steadily beginning to make headway. It was at this stage of the race that the vastly experienced Karl Neisius gave Noordoek Flyer some rein, and the four and a half lengths deficit which they had faced turning for home quickly began to evaporate. Noordoek Flyer struck the front just as Havasha was moving up to tackle Al’s Deputy 150m out and fairly cruised clear under just hands and heels in the closing stages to win by three. Havasha did manage, albeit by the narrowest of margins, to get the better of Al’s Deputy to take second close home, whilst Iliad stayed on for fourth. Also worthy of a mention here is the performance of Nocturnal Affair. He also ran on strongly and having raced in the rear did very well indeed to get up for fifth.
A son Pivotal out of the Kris mare Serra Negra(GB), Noordoek Flyer has now won four of his nine career starts to date and has already amassed stake earnings of over R1,2M. He won with authority here and is clearly up there with the very best. 
Greyville, South Africa, May 2, R500.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.35.35 (CR 1.32.99).
NOORDHOEK FLYER (SAF), 58.0, ch c 3, Pivotal (GB) - Serra Negra (GB) by Kris (GB). Owner Lady M C Laidlaw; breeder Wilgerbosdrift (SAF); trainer D Kannemeyer; jockey K Neisius (R312.500)
Havasha (SAF), 58.0, ch g 3, Kahal (GB) - Juniper Berry (SAF) by Fahal
Al's Deputy (SAF), 58.0, ch g 3, Captain Al (SAF) - Deputy Doll (SAF) by Devilish Ninja
Margins: 3, sh hd, nk
Also ran: Iliad (SAF) 58.0, Nocturnal Affair (SAF) 58.0, Meltaway (SAF) 58.0, Top Mark (BRZ) 58.0, Absolute Heretic (AUS) 58.0, Exhilaration (SAF) 58.0, Dellotto (SAF) 58.0, Clearly Silver (SAF) 58.0, Bois De Var (SAF) 58.0, Trendline (SAF) 58.0

KRA Fillies Guineas (SAf-G2) (5/2)
One of just two runners in the field already entered for the Durban July, Gibraltar Blue came into this race representing some very strong overseas form. She had been backed as if unbeatable (8/1 into 15/20) when winning on her local debut in this country and so it was no surprise to see her heavily supported again here, writes Steve Furnish.
A wide draw has proven to be the kiss of death for many an equine athlete over this course and distance in recent years, but despite that the daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar was backed into 9/10 at one stage from 16/10. The only other runners in the sixteen horse party to find any support were the locally trained Imperious Star (3/1 into 5/2), and the outsider Ashbrook (33/1 into 20/1).
Partnered by our champion jockey elect Anton Marcus, Gibraltar Blue fairly flew when the gates opened and skillfully guided over from gate 14, she very quickly found herself at the head of affairs. The move would prove to be decisive. The friendless Captain’s Cal sat second during the early part of the race, whilst Imperious Star, seeking her fifth win from just six starts, was nicely positioned in third. The recent Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Fisani (a stable companion to Gibraltar Blue), raced fourth whilst both Strawberry Ice and Queen Mira were also in touch with the leaders.
Gibraltar Blue quickly amassed a three lengths lead and with those racing handy seemingly comfortable with that margin, the racing order changed little until they were halfway around the turn. Strawberry Ice was the first to make a move and as they came off the bend both she, and the second favourite Imperious Star moved to within two lengths of the eventual winner. Captain’s Call and Fisani meanwhile had been the first to come under pressure and they both dropped right out to finish in the rear. Strawberry Ice and Imperious Star both ran on strongly from the top of the home straight and going through the 400m they looked a serious threat. Under a typically strong ride from the very talented Anton Marcus though, the UK bred Gibraltar Blue kept finding. Indeed, she kept on strongly all the way to the wire and didn’t surrender an inch of her advantage. Strawberry Ice won her battle with Imperious Star to take second. Running on to take third and fourth places respectively were Secret Babe and Comebackanddance. They had raced together over the final 400m and only relegated Imperious Star to fifth very late.
Bred in the Uk, Gibraltar Blue is a daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar out of the Bluebird mare Holly Blue(GB). She was thought good enough to contest the prestigious Goff’s Million at the Curragh in only her second career start and in her only subsequent outing before relocating to South Africa she finished fourth in a Gr2 event despite be carried out at the start. Gibraltar Blue is now unbeaten in two starts in this country, and behind at weight for age, she clearly has a very bright future ahead of her. 
Greyville, South Africa, May 2, R250.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.34.19 (CR 1.32.99).
GIBRALTAR BLUE (IRE), 58.0, ch f 3, Rock of Gibraltar (IRE) - Holly Blue (GB) by Bluebird. Owner Klawervlei Stud; breeder Annalee Bloodstock & Rockhart Trading Ltd (IRE); trainer MF de Kock; jockey A Marcus (156.250)
Strawberry Ice (SAF), 58.0, b f 3, Western Winter - Strawberry Lane (SAF) by Jallad
Secret Babe (SAF), 58.0, b f 3, Labeeb (GB) - Kefaah's Secret (SAF) by Kefaah
Margins: 2¼, nose, ¾
Also ran: Comebackanddance (SAF) 58.0, Imperious Star (SAF) 58.0, Play Nice (SAF) 58.0, Queen Mira (AUS) 58.0, Gluwein (SAF) 58.0, Laverna (SAF) 58.0, Ashbrook (SAF) 58.0, West End (SAF) 58.0, Air Pocket (SAF) 58.0, Field Flower (SAF) 58.0, Fisani (SAF) 58.0, Captain's Call (SAF) 58.0

Gerald Rosenberg S. (SAf-G2) (4/3)
Prestic has run consistently well against the cream of South Africa’s older females and took full advantage of the absence of the likes of Mother Russia to secure a valuable success in the Gerald Rosenberg Stakes over 2000m at Turffontein (standside) on Sunday. The race was originally scheduled for Saturday but was delayed for 24 hours due to excessive rain.
Prestic was very well treated in this WFA event for fillies and mares, being rated between six and 18 pounds superior to her half-dozen rivals yet facing them at level weights. Not surprisingly, the five-year-old went off as a strong 6/10 favourite to go one better on her excellent two lengths second behind Mother Russia in the Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes in February. Queen’s Bay – who like Prestic races in the colours of Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer but representing a different stable – was the 7/2 second choice facing Prestic on 3 kgs worse terms than would have been the case in a handicap.
2009 SA Oaks winner Bedloe’s Island has found form in her latest starts and attempted to make all the running on the soft ground, setting an ordinary enough pace from Ginger Hill and Queen’s Bay, with Kiribati next in line as Prestic played the waiting game at the rear of the small field. Kiribati set out after Bedloe’s Island not long after reaching the straight, with Queen’s Bay also trying to get to grips with Bedloe’s Island, but neither filly could reel in the frontrunner and it was left to Prestic to try and deny Sean Tarry’s filly a pillar-to-post success.
Brought out to the centre of the course by Anton Marcus, Prestic began to make gradual progress from some way out, but it was hard work for the red-hot favourite in the testing ground. Bedloe’s Island proved a more than worthy adversary under Felix Coetzee and continued to lead until inside the final 100m, but the standside track’s long run-in provided plenty of room for Prestic’s steady challenge to bear fruit. She collared Bedloe’s Island close home and ran on the stronger to deny her gallant rival by half-a-length. Queen’s Bay had every chance and finished 1.5 lengths further back in third, but Mike Azzie’s charge was at least four lengths closer to Prestic than had been the case in the Empress Club Stakes. Kiribati had been beaten a head by Queen’s Bay in a Gr 3 handicap over 1800m on the same course three weeks earlier and finished virtually the same distance adrift of Queen’s Bay again, taking fourth prize ahead of Starzene and the somewhat outclassed Ginger Hill.
This probably wasn’t Prestic at her very best, but she was all heart in getting the job done and there are few more consistent fillies around than this inmate of the Gavin van Zyl yard. Prestic seems likely to retire to stud at the end of this season and opportunities for her to win at Gr 1 level are running out, but she is a talented sort who is just a couple of lengths shy of the very best and she will take a splendid record back to her birth place at Mrs Oppenheimer’s Mauritzfontein Stid whatever happens. A daughter of deceased Strike Smartly, Prestic is out of the four-times winning Fort Wood mare Press Ahead and has won five of 16 starts for R803 525 in stakes. This was a splendid race for Mauritzfontein’s stalwart resident stallion Fort Wood, whose granddaughter won and whose daughters filled second and third places.
Turffontein, South Africa, April 3, R320.000, 2000m, turf, soft, 2.06.62 (CR 2.00.13).
PRESTIC (SAF), 60.0, ch m 5, Strike Smartly (CAN) - Press Ahead (SAF) by Fort Wood. Owner & breeder Mrs B D Oppenheimer; trainer G v Zyl; jockey A Marcus (R200.000)
Bedloe's Island (SAF), 60.0, b f 4, Fort Wood - Trade Enquiry (SAF) by Qui Danzig Queen's Bay (SAF), 60.0, b f 4, Fort Wood - Daphne Donnelly (SAF) by Golden Thatch (IRE)
Margins: ½, 1 ½, nk
Also ran: Kiribati (SAF) 60.0, Starzene (USA) 60.0, Ginger Hill (SAF) 60.0

Colorado King S. (SAf-G2) (4/3)
Vertical Takeoff has thrived since being tried over 2450m in recent months, but a drop back to 2000m caused him no headaches whatsoever when he registered his first Feature race success in the Colorado King Stakes over 2000m at Turffontein on Sunday. This was admittedly not by any means the hottest Gr 2 in history, with late scratching leaving just five to contest a conditions race. With Santa preferring more ground and probably prepping for the forthcoming Gr 2 Gold Bowl, and with the stable companions Eight Street and Crown Of Power not exactly being in line for the most-consistent-horse-in town award, Vertical Takeoff was a well supported 16/10 favourite despite the handicappers’ assessment giving him only the fourth best chance of success at the weights. Eight Street was best in at the weights by a comfortable margin and was the 2/1 second choice of the market.
Piere Strydom treated spectators to another master class in tactical riding aboard Vertical Takeoff. He took the favourite to an early lead and set a reasonable but unspectacular pace ahead of Crown Of Power and Zorba’s Tale, with Eight Street and Santa further back. Vertical Takeoff continued to hold sway until they approached the final 500m, where Crown Of Power came alongside and went on past to pick up the cudgels. Crown Of Power held the upper hand for a long way down the lane and looked for a time as though he might go on to win, but Strydom wasn’t finished with his cat-and-mouse routine. Having bided his time until deep inside the last furlong, Vertical Takeoff came back on Crown Of Power’s inside to regain the advantage opposite the main stand and went on to beat that rival by half-a-length.
Santa was running on nicely to be one length further away in third and looks set for a bold bid to win the 3200m Gold Bowl later this month, but Zorba’s Tale had too much to do at the weights and finished in front of only a somewhat lifeless Eight Street, who simply never got going at any stage.
Vertical Takeoff is an improved horse these days, even if the Colorado King form perhaps should be taken with a grain of salt, and he was only one pound worse in at the weights than runner-up Crown Of Power. The Sean Tarry-trained winner did promise a good deal when he won the first two starts of his career but somewhat lost his way for a considerable time thereafter. A four-year-old gelded son of Jet Master, Vertical Takeoff is the second foal and second winner produced from Al Mufti mare Sweetveldt, who won one race over 1000m. Bred by Zandvliet Stud and bought for R750 000 at the 2007 GrandWest Yearling Sale, Vertical Takeoff has won six of his 17 races and earned R458 375 for owners Chris van Niekerk and Markus Jooste.
Turffontein, South Africa, April 3, R300.000, 2000m, turf, soft, 2.07.96 (CR 2.00.13).
VERTICAL TAKEOFF (SAF), 57.5, ch g 4, Jet Master (SAF) - Sweetveldt (SAF) by Al Mufti. Owner C J H van Niekerk and M J Jooste; breeder Zandvliet Stud (SAf); trainer SG Tarry; jockey P Strydom (R187.500)
Crown Of Power (SAF), 57.5, b g 5, Saumarez (GB) - First Lady (SAF) by Elliodor (FR)
Santa (SAF), 59.5, ch g 6, National Emblem (SAF) - Say I Do (SAF) by Rocky Marriage
Margins: ½, 1, 3 ¾
Also ran: Zorba's Tale (AUS) 57.5, Eight Street (AUS) 60.0

Senor Santa Hcp (SAf-G2) (4/3)
Moroccan justified the sustained market support which saw him go off as a 22/10 favourite when he posted his first Stakes success in the Senor Santa Handicap over the straight 1160m at Turffontein on Sunday. Weiho Marwing’s gelding had narrowly won a set weights event over the course-and-distance at his last start in February, receiving the maximum six pound penalty for a short head success, but that didn’t deter his backers from rowing in with him. His proven ability to act on soft ground was an obvious plus, though. Strike Paradise and Hurricane Force were the joint 5/1 second favourites in a field reduced to 11 by the withdrawal of the three top weighted entries.
Moroccan was never far off the action and raced in about fourth spot as Noble Heir adopted her usual freerunning style and showed the way from Mentor and Cool Spender, with Lightning Lecture and Fort Beluga also prominent ahead of Strike Paradise and Mary Lou. Noble Heir is as game as they come and continued to lead 200m out, where she was successfully shaking off a challenge from Lightning Lecture as Cool Spender weakened, but the little grey filly could do nothing about Moroccan. Delivered down the inside rail by Felix Coetzee, Moroccan outstayed Noble Heir (who is really at her very best over 1000m) and went on to beat the KZN-trained filly by 1.25 lengths, with Strike Paradise finishing a length behind Noble Heir in third and three-quarters of a length in front of fourth-placed Arabian Mist, who was staying on steadily wider out after losing two lengths at the break.
Lightning Lecture ran out of puff in the final stages and only finished fifth, but Hurricane Force and Mary Lou never got into the hunt at all and respectively finished sixth and seventh. Fair Brutus had won this race in 2007 when it took centre stage at one of the last meetings ever held at Newmarket, but he is nothing like the same force these days and finished with only the completely out-of-form Mentor behind him.
Noble Heir deserves plenty of credit especially as she conceded 3.5 kgs to the winner, and connections of the Dennis Bosch-trained filly were brave to opt for this race rather than the Gr 3 Sycamore Sprint against females over the same distance earlier in the day, but Moroccan was a thoroughly worthy winner in the end. The field may have been bereft of true sprinting stars and there was nothing of the caliber of 2008 winner J J The Jet Plane or 2009 victor Rebel King to be seen, but Moroccan came here with four wins from his five most recent starts and was rewarded with a lucrative success with more than doubled his previous career earnings in one swoop.
Four-year-old Moroccan is a gelded son of Kitalpha, the half brother to Kingmambo who was repatriated to the USA and who now stands in Kentucky for a fee of US $12 500. Morrocan is out of the American-bred Arctic Tern mare Needthequilt and was bred in Zimbabwe at Rumbavu Park Stud. He has won five of his 10 starts, earning R563 125.
Turffontein, South Africa, April 3, R375.000, 1160m, turf, soft, 1.07.66 (CR 1.05.12).
MOROCCAN (ZIM), 52.5, ch g 4, Kitalpha - Needthequilt by Arctic Tern. Owner G P & M A Mackie and Mrs S W Marwing; breeder Rumbavu Park Stud (ZIM); trainer WH Marwing; jockey F Coetzee (R234.375)
Noble Heir (SAF), 56.0, gr f 4, Kahal (GB) - Irish Honour (SAF) by Kilconnel Strike Paradise (SAF), 57.0, b g 5, Strike Smartly (CAN) - Tree Of Paradise (SAF) by Fort Wood
Margins: 1 ¼, 1, ¾
Also ran: Arabian Mist (SAF) 54.5, Lightning Lecture (SAF) 56.0, Hurricane Force (SAF) 55.0, Mary Lou (SAF) 52.5, Cool Spender (SAF) 52.0, Fort Beluga (SAF) 53.0, Fair Brutus (SAF) 55.0, Mentor (SAF) 55.5

Jacaranda Hcp (SAf-G3) (3/16)
Queen’s Bay appreciated the drop in class from Gr 1 level when she set the pace and rallied under pressure to win the Jacaranda Handicap for fillies and mares over 1800m at Turffontein (standside) on Tuesday evening. The four-year-old had faded to finish with only two behind her in the Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes in late February, but she won a very similar race to the Jacaranda over the Turffontein 1800m last October and was one of the favourites in a field of ten. Milk And Honey disputed favouritism with Queen’s Bay, despite having to concede between 2.5 kgs and 8 kgs to her opposition, but she was never seen with a chance in a race that was decidedly not run to suit horses racing from off the pace.
Queen’s Bay soon found herself in front and set a very ordinary pace from Kiribati and Night Ritual, with What A Life next best. Milk And Honey and Run Angel Run (who’d been the subject of heavy market support) raced towards the rear, with Golden Scold last of all. Queen’s Bay continued to show the way once straightened for home, where Kiribati loomed up on her inside to mount a sustained challenge. Notably, the horse who had sat closest to Queen’s Bay throughout the contest was the only one who was able to launch any kind of a serious challenge and moved right up to the pacesetter 200m out. It looked for a few strides as if Piere Strydom would drive Kiribati to the front and on to victory, but Queen’s Bay was not for beating on the night. Driven out by Anthony Delpech (who stood in for the indisposed Gavin Lerena), Queen’s Bay found enough in the closing stages to repel Kiribati by a head.
Candy Singer stayed on to finish third ahead of Night Ritual, but Milk And Honey and Run Angel Run were never able to get in any kind of a blow whatsoever and their goose had been properly cooked by the way in which the race was run. The first two finishers occupied the first two positions throughout, and while Queen’s Bay is genuinely very useful at this level she did rather enjoy the run of the race. Still, she had to dig down very deep when Kiribati threatened to get her measure and it was still a win full of merit from the Mike Azzie-trained victress.
Queen’s Bay is a daughter of Fort Wood out of the four-times winning Golden Thatch mare Daphne Donnelly and has an excellent pedigree to take with her when she eventually retires to the Mauritzfontein Stud farm of her owner and breeder, Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer. Queen’s Bay is also a very good sand performer, as many of the Fort Woods are, with three wins from as many outings on the Vaal sand track. Overall, she has won six times from only 11 starts, earning R447 250.
Turffontein, South Africa, March 16, R165.000, 1800m, turf, good, 1.51.91 (CR 1.48.82).
QUEEN'S BAY (SAF), 57.5, b f 4, Fort Wood - Daphne Donnelly (SAF) by Golden Thatch (IRE). Owner Mrs B D Oppenheimer; breeder Mauritzfontein Stud (SAF); trainer M G Azzie; jockey A Delpech (R103.125)
Kiribati (SAF), 57.5, b f 4, Model Man (SAF) - Island Squaw (SAF) by Al Mufti
Candy Singer (ARG), 53.0, ch f 4, Singspiel (IRE) - Candy Girl (ARG) by Candy Stripes
Margins: nose, 3, nose
Also ran: Night Ritual (SAF) 56.0, Opera Cloak (SAF) 52.5, Run Angel Run (SAF) 53.5, Milk And Honey (USA) 60.0, Golden Scold (BRZ) 53.0, Flyte (SAF) 52.0

Gauteng Guineas (SAf-G2) (2/28)
Few people would have been happier with the results of the two Gr 2 events for three-year-olds at Turffontein on Sunday than Mickey Goss. Not only did his Summerhill Stud breed the winners of both races and for good measure one of the runner-ups as well, but all three were graduates of the 2008 Ready-To-Run Sale and competed last November in the very valuable race which is restricted to graduates of that sale and which was very much the brainchild of the Summerhill boss. Races of that type can attract fields of vastly varying quality from one year to the next, but the 2009 edition is turning out to have been a serious test of early-season three-year-old talent and the winner, Pierre Jourdan, more than confirmed it with a resounding success in the delayed Gauteng Guineas on Sunday.
Pierre Jourdan had given Dingaans and Cape Guineas runner-up 2 kgs Galileo’s Galaxy 2 kgs and a neck beating in the Gr 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes over 1400m on the same course nineteen days earlier and went off as the 28/10 joint favourite with that son of Galileo in the Guineas, a race which carries only Gr 2 status but boasts a hefty R1 million stake. Galileo’s Galaxy’s stable companion and fellow Australian-bred import Flying Tristram had won his last two races in eye-catching style and was the 7/2 third choice in a field of 14.
Mahogany set a somewhat modest pace in the soft going and showed the way from Fort Petersburg and Smanjemanje, with Galileo’s Galaxy beautifully poised in fourth place just ahead of Draw Bridge and Iwannadance. Pierre Jourdan was about five or six lengths off the pace, keeping a beady eye on the leading pack as sole filly Gluwein raced further back. Mahogany began to weaken early in the straight and Galileo’s Galaxy came through nicely to strike the front as Fort Petersburg and Smanemanje also disappeared from contention, but Pierre Jourdan found a dream run up the inside rail and began to make good headway. Galileo’s Galaxy was clearly under heavy pressure from his co-market leader racing past the 200m pole, where Pierre Jourdan worked his way to the front and proceeded to draw clear under Derreck David to eventually win handsomely by 2.75 lengths.
It was Havasha who chased Pierre Jourdan home, but after having every chance a furlong out he could not match the finishing kick of his fellow Summerhill Stud-bred, and in the end was all out to secure second prize a neck in front of Galileo’s Galaxy. This was nevertheless an excellent performance from Havasha, who had finished a very similar distance behind Pierre Jourdan on the same weight terms when drawn wide in the Ready To Run Cup, for he came into the Guineas rated 11 pounds inferior to Pierre Jourdan and seven pounds below Galileo’s Galaxy.
Flying Tristram ran on stoutly late to finish fourth, beaten 4.25 lengths by the winner, but was never able to get a serious blow in. Still, this was by no means a bad first try at Graded Stakes level for the son of Flying Spur, who was rated nine pounds inferior to stable companion Galileo’s Galaxy by the handicappers. Gluwein was never seen with a chance in her bold attempt at taking on the boys and was beaten 7.5 lengths into ninth place.
Pierre Jourdan could fairly be considered to be the best three-year-old in South Africa at present, although collateral form through Galileo’s Galaxy may suggest there is not a whole lot on paper between him and unbeaten Cape Derby winner Bravura. A clash between the two may well be on the cards in KZN later this year, and could be one of the match-ups of the season. Pierre Jourdan saw out the 1600m in good style here, even allowing for the unspectacular early pace, and should cope with at least another 200m easily enough.
Trained and part-owned by Gary Alexander, Pierre Jourdan is a gelded son of Parade Leader. He is the fourth foal and fourth winner of Qui Danzig mare Vin Fizz, who won four races up to 1400m and who was runner-up in the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes. It took only R60 000 to acquire him from the Summerhill collection at the Ready To Run Sale, a bargain if ever there was one considering that his five wins and one short head second from six career attempts have earned Pierre Jourdan’s connections R1 624 425, with the very real promise of considerably more to come.
Turffontein, South Africa, February 28, R1 million, 1600m, turf, good, 1.37.08 (CR 1.35.44).
PIERRE JOURDAN (SAF), 57.0, b g 3, Parade Leader - Vin Fizz (SAF) by Qui Danzig. Owner E Baisero and G M Alexander; breeder Summerhill Stud (SAf); trainer GM Alexander; jockey D David (625.000)
Havasha (SAF), 57.0, ch c 3, Kahal (GB) - Juniper Berry (SAF) by Fahal
Galileo's Galaxy (AUS), 57.0, b c 3, Galileo (IRE) - A Star Affair (NZ) by Star Way (GB)
Margins: 2¾, nk, 1¼
Also ran: Flying Tristram (AUS) 57.0, Iwannadance (SAF) 57.0, Bulsara (SAF) 57.0, Service Ace (SAF) 57.0, Nyakatho (SAF) 57.0, Gluwein (SAF) 54.5, Smanjemanje (SAF) 57.0, Dellotto (SAF) 57.0, Draw Bridge (SAF) 57.0, Fort Petersburg (SAF) 57.0, Mahogany (SAF) 57.0

Gauteng Fillies Guineas (SAf-G2) (2/28)
Previously unbeaten Sidera proved to be a bitter disappointment in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas at Turffontein on Sunday, but stable companion Fisani saved the day for the Mike de Kock yard when she posted a 50/1 upset in the 1600m contest. Sidera had not raced since she ran all over the place in the process of winning a Gr 3 event over the same course-and-distance in late November, but nevertheless went off as a well supported even money favourite in a field of 13 for the Fillies Guineas. Generous Anna, who had finished second behind Sidera in that earlier contest, was the 11/2 second favourite, but bookies were willing to lay double figure odds about everything else in a field which was reduced by one when Generous Anna’s stable companion Quality Alone refused point-blank to enter the starting gates and was withdrawn.
Fisani soon found her way to the head of affairs and set a reasonable enough pace in the soft ground, with her stable companions Alderry and Sidera closest to her. All Afire came across from a wide draw to join Sidera in about third place, with Generous Anna tucked in just behind them as Cashew Nut brought up the rear. Sidera had every chance until halfway down the straight, where her effort suddenly began to lose momentum, and 300m out she was dropping tamely out of serious contention. Generous Anna had come through to dispute the lead with Fisani, and looked likely for a while to wear the pacesetter down, but Fisani proved to be a highly formidable rival.
Finding plenty more under pressure, Fisani responded to a strong ride from Gavin Lerena to reassert her superiority over Generous Anna close home and went on to beat that Australian-bred opponent by half-a-length, despite being rated five pounds below Generous Anna by the handicappers. Alderry finished a very good third in her first attempt at Stakes level, challenging strongly all the way to the line and eventually finishing only a short head behind Generous Anna.
Alderry came here rated above only one rival, the Zimbabwe-trained challenger Got Personality, but ran a long way above her mark and is obviously a progressive type. She has already won over 1800m, and could emerge as a serious force in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic and possibly even the Gr 2 SA Oaks later in the Gauteng season. Here To Win came from a long way back to take fourth prize, 2.75 lengths behind Fisani, making this a 1-3-4 finish for De Kock trained runners despite the failure of their better fancied stable companion Sidera, who eventually finished with only All Afire behind her.
The fact that All Afire, the only Gr 1 winner in the field, could finish last once again proves how poorly the form of last season’s major races for two-year-old fillies has worked out, and Fisani bears some comparison to Cape Fillies Guineas winner Field Flower. Not only did both Fillies Guineas winners return a starting price of 50/1, but both had been well beaten behind several of their big race rivals in their most recent start. Fisani had weakened to finish 7.5 lengths behind Catherina Lady in a Gr 3 event over 1400m earlier in February, but comprehensively turned that form around in the Guineas, where Catherina Lady made no show and finished 3.25 lengths away in sixth place.
Sidera’s tame effort must be a concern, even though she may well have been short of match fitness after a three month lay-off, but the daughter of Galileo obviously cannot be written off on one below-par performance and may easily bounce back to form before the Gauteng Feature season ends.
Fisani is by leading KZN sire Kahal. She is the sixth foal and sixth winner produced from Coastal mare Gypsey Spirit, who won one race over 1300m and who has also bred the Stakes placed performers Catmandu and Ecole Militaire. Summerhill Stud-bred Fisani was acquired for R400 000 at the 2008 Ready To Run Sale and is still part-owned by her breeders. She has won three times from eight starts for stakes of R710 000.
Turffontein, South Africa, February 28, R500.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.37.56 (CR 1.35.44).
FISANI (SAF), 57.0, b f 3, Kahal (GB) - Gypsey Spirit (SAF) by Coastal. Owner Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al Maktoum, Summerhill Stud Syndicate, R S Napier & B A Nap; breeder Summerhill Stud (SAf); trainer MF de Kock; jockey G Lerena (312.500)
Generous Anna (AUS), 57.0, br f 3, General Nediym (AUS) - Ends Meet (NZ) by Anabaa
Alderry (SAF), 57.0, b f 3, Al Mufti - Derry Wood (SAF) by Fort Wood
Margins: ½, nose, 2¼
Also ran: Here To Win (BRZ) 57.0, Spiced Gold () 57.0, Catherina Lady (SAF) 57.0, Got Personality (SAF) 57.0, Valley Of Rubies (SAF) 57.0, Ariza (SAF) 57.0, Cashew Nut (SAF) 57.0, Jet Trail (SAF) 57.0, Sidera (AUS) 57.0, All Afire (SAF) 57.0

Hawaii S. (SAf-G2) (2/28)
The Mike de Kock team was in hot form at Turffontein’s postponed meeting on Sunday, winning three of the four Graded events on offer. Fisani and Mother Russia were followed into the winner’s enclosure by stable companion Braggadacio, who registered his first Feature race success with a battling defeat of Buy And Sell in the Hawaii Stakes over 1400m.
Buy And Sell had beaten Braggadacio by half-a-length in a pinnacle plate over the same course-and-distance three weeks earlier and was now meeting De Kock’s gelding 1.5 kgs better off, so not very surprisingly went off as a well supported 16/10 favourite in a field of 12 for the Hawaii. Braggadacio’s stable companion Rudra had made a spectacular return to racing after a very long absence when he easily won a Listed handicap over 1600m earlier in February and was the 22/10 second favourite, with Braggadacio himself the 4/1 third choice of punters.
Mentor, winner of this race two seasons ago, set a good early pace and led the way ahead of Braggadacio and Buy And Sell, with Tap Tap next in line as Rudra settled in some six lengths off the action. Course specialist and top weight Smart Banker was also held up some way back in the field as Mentor continued to show the way into the straight, but the pacemaker began to weaken as they came to the final 300m. Braggadacio soon struck the front, with Buy And Sell in immediate and hot pursuit, and very soon this pair had the race to themselves.
Try as he might, Buy And Sell just couldn’t get beyond Braggadacio’s girth when switched to the inside of the latter, and Braggadacio found gamely found more under Anthony Delpech to reverse previous form with Buy And Sell, beating the vainly chasing favourite by half-a-length despite meeting Sean Tarry’s gelding on 4.5 kgs worse terms than would have been the case in a handicap. Fenerbahce stayed on stoutly to finish four lengths behind the winner in third, but was never any sort of a threat to the two that beat him. Rudra no doubt found 1400m on the short side, but made eye-catching late headway to finish fourth and can be expected to take a hand in the outcome of such forthcoming Turffontein attractions as the H.F.Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut 1600 in late March and the Champions Challenge towards the end of April – two races that were both won in 2009 by Smart Banker.
Smart Banker will no doubt be back for another bash at those events. He had no easy task at the weights under 60 kgs on Sunday and was drawn wide, but he was running on to some effect at the death and finished fifth, only a neck behind the third horse. He will come on from this effort.
Six-year-old Braggadacio is a gelded son of Western Winter. He is out of the Priceless Asset mare Fair Bianca, who won five races up to 1400m and who finished second in the Gr 2 (now Gr 1) Majorca Stakes as well as the Gr 3 (now Gr 2) Tibouchina Stakes. Fair Bianca is also dam of Fair Maiden, a full sister to Braggadacio who won the Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes. Owned and bred by Lammerskraal Stud, Braggadacio has won five times from 21 starts and earned R598 050 in stakes. He may have a go at the Horse Chestnut 1600 next, but distances around 1400m seem to be his forte.Turffontein, South Africa, February 28, R300.000, 1400m, turf, good, 1.24.41 (CR 1.21.41).
BRAGGADACIO (SAF), 54.0, ch g 6, Western Winter - Fair Bianca (SAF) by Priceless Asset (SAf). Owner & breeder Lammerskraal Stud (SAf); trainer MF de Kock; jockey A Delpech (187.500)
Buy And Sell (SAF), 54.0, b g 6, National Emblem (SAF) - Trade Enquiry (SAF) by Qui Danzig
Fenerbahce (SAF), 54.5, b c 4, Kahal (GB) - Shoe Dance (SAF) by Shoe Danzig
Margins: ¾, 3¼, sh hd
Also ran: Rudra (SAF) 57.0, Smart Banker (SAF) 60.0, Thandolwami (saf) 54.0, Lightning Lecture (SAF) 54.0, Therealslimshady (SAF) 54.5, Mentor (SAF) 54.0, Jet Tycoon (SAF) 54.0, Lubricator (saf) 54.0, Tap Tap (SAF) 54.0

Tommy Hotspur Hcp (SAf-G3) (2/16)
Kwazulu-Natal raider Noble Heir showed her dozen male rivals a clean pair of heels to win the Tommy Hotspur Handicap over 1000m at Turffontein, leaving trainer Dennis Bosch and connections laughing in the rain.  They were lucky, for their trip to Gauteng was nearly in vain.  A huge downpour arrived soon after the race and led to the abandonment of the remaining two events, but it was mission accomplished for the small but lightning quick grey.
It was fellow KZN raider Tirade who attracted a ton of market support and eventually started as the 3/1 favourite after an ante-post call of more than twice those odds.  Cyber Case and Cool Spender were the most favoured of the others, with Noble Heir allowed to go off as a 12/1 outsider.
The going was still quick despite a lighter shower earlier in the evening and conditions suited Noble Heir to perfection.  She flew out of the gates, and was never headed.  Cyber Case and South Country were closest to her in the early stages, with Strike Paradise also handy, but Cool Spender was waited with towards the rear after losing a length or so at the jump.  Opening Night began to make up ground over on the far side and briefly looked as if he might get into the fray.  Cyber Case weakened tamely from 300m out, but top weight South Country was still in contention wider out.
The lot of them were chasing shadows under the bright new Turffontein lights, though.  Noble Heir continued to blitz along up front, and Johnny Geroudis never had to resort to the whip as Noble Heir kept going in great style to win by three-quarters of a length from Cool Spender.  The latter ran on strongly and might have been a shade unlucky not to add this race to his Listed success over the course-and-distance last November, but his effort was always going to be too late to catch Noble Heir and Sean Tarry’s gelding had really made his life difficult by giving away start at the break.
South Country ran very well under 60 kgs to finish third, half-a-length further behind Cool Spender, while Moroccan put up a very eye-catching performance to finish fourth.  Having also lost a length at the start, the Zimbabwean-bred four-year-old ran on well to be beaten 1.5 lengths by the winner despite being 1 kg out at the weights and looks a progressive sort.  Tirade was outpaced throughout, making no show and finishing 2.5 lengths away in sixth.  Cyber Case eventually tired to finish six lengths back in ninth place in his first start since he returned from an unsuccessful foray to the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship in Kenilworth.  Former Gr 1 winning sprinter Let’s Rock ‘n Roll finished one from last in his first appearance for almost two years, and while he probably needs a few runs it is hard to imagine that he will ever be remotely like the force he once was.
“Dennis (Bosch) said she’s fast,” remarked a clearly impressed Geroudis afterwards, repeating for good effect, “jeez, she’s quick!”  She certainly is, and 1000m is very much her best trip.  Her trainer confessed that he thought that “we had bitten off more than we can chew.”  There are not a great number of black type opportunities over the minimum distance, though, and credit must go to Noble Heir’s connections for taking on both male rivals and the journey to Johannesburg.  She had finished second in the Gr 2 Camelia Stakes over 1160m in one previous visit to Turffontein and obviously  handles it well, with Bosch confirming that she had travelled up from Durban without turning so much as one of her grey hairs.
Noble Heir is a four-year-old daughter of leading KZN sire Kahal.  She is the first foal of Kilconnel mare Irish Honour, who won four races over 1300/1400m and who hails from a family full of black type performers.  Bred at Connington Stud, she was a R50 000 purchase from the now-discontinued Equimark Clairwood Yearling Sale in 2007 and has won seven of 21 starts for R535 125 in stakes.
Turffontein, South Africa, February 16, R200.000, 1000m, turf, good, 57.09.
NOBLE HEIR (SAF), 56.5, gr f 4, Kahal (GB) - Irish Honour (SAF) by Kilconnel. Owner S H Franken and A Hadden; breeder Connington Stud (SAf); trainer D S Bosch; jockey J Geroudis (R125.000)
Cool Spender (SAF), 53.5, ch g 4, Winter Romance (GB) - Sandton Doll (SAF) by French Stress
South Country (SAF), 60.0, b c 4, National Assembly (CAN) - Cape Silver (SAF) by Badger Land
Margins: ¾, ½, nk
Also ran: Moroccan (ZIM) 52.0, Strike Paradise (SAF) 58.5, Tirade (SAF) 52.0, Opening Night (SAF) 54.5, Royal Exit (ZIM) 56.0, Cyber Case (SAF) 59.0, Lightning Lecture (SAF) 59.0, Beat Patrol (SAF) 53.5, Let's Rock'n Roll (ZIM) 58.5, Sirius Star (AUS) 54.0

Prix du Cap (SAf-G3) (2/20)
Mike Bass is a hard man to keep out of the spotlight and he wrung one more big race success out of the Cape summer season when Sunsational easily captured the Riverworld Stud Prix du Cap over 1400m at Kenilworth on Saturday. 
Sparkling Gem was forgiven her largely unexpected defeat in the Gr 1 Majorca Stakes three weeks earlier and was a heavily backed 13/20 favourite to beat ten rivals in this conditions race for fillies and mares, but she would prove to be an even bigger disappointment this time.  Seal Of Approval went off as a strongly supported 11/2 second favourite, with Sunsational the 7/1 third choice of punters.
Seal Of Approval wasted little time in trying to assert her superiority and went off to set a decent pace, with Sparkling Gem and Temair in her slipstream.  Katici Princess was next in line ahead of Promises To Keep and Badger’s Cove as Sunsational was held up some way off the action.  Sparkling Gem didn’t respond in the manner hoped for by her supporters once asked for an effort in the straight and frankly never looked like landing the odds.  Seal Of Approval kept going gamely on the lead and was still in front half way down the straight, but challenges were starting to emerge from downfield.  Sunsational made eye-catching progress past runners, quickening very well to lead inside the last 200m, and any fears that 1400m would be a little on the short side for Bass’ runner were soon allayed when Sunsational stretched away over the final stages to win by 1.75 lengths under Karl Neisius.
Strawberry Ice was running on steadily wider out and came out second best, at least doing something to mend the somewhat tattered reputation of Cape Town’s three-year-old filly crop, but she was no real match for the winner despite receiving 5 kgs from Sunsational.  Badger’s Cove, winner of the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes in her previous start, again did good work late from well off the pace to finish another neck further back in third, with Seal Of Approval tiring late to be beaten a total of 4.25 lengths behind the winner in fourth place.
Sparkling Gem weakened somewhat tamely in the end and finished fifth, 4.5 lengths behind Sunsational, and once again she looked to be considerably less effective when not allowed to dictate the running from the outset of her races.  She had every chance, though, and hopefully a break between now and the KZN campaign will freshen her up and bring the massive daughter of Joshua Dancer back to the form that we all know she is capable of.
Sunsational had won the Gr 3 Final Fling Stakes over 1800m on soft ground last August and is clearly versatile both in terms of distance and going.  She didn’t have a particularly easy looking task on these weight terms, but accelerated in fine style to win very comfortably in what could reasonably be considered to have been her career-best performance.  A daughter of very useful filly sire Windrush, four-year-old Sunsational is the second foal and second winner bred from Model Man mare Summers Sweet Song, who won two races over 1600/1800m.  Bred at The Alchemy and acquired for R110 000 from the 2007 National Two-Year-Old Sale, Sunsational has won five races from 17 starts and earned R390 410 in stakes.
Kenilworth, South Africa, February 20, R150.000, 1400m, turf, good, 1.25.20 (CR 1.24.00).
SUNSATIONAL (SAF), 55.0, b f 4, Windrush - Summers Sweet Song (SAF) by Model Man (SAF). Owner S H Mackenzie, W V Rippon, G D E Kahan & G D Joffe; breeder The Alchemy (SAf); trainer MW Bass; jockey K Neisius (R93.750)
Strawberry Ice (SAF), 50.0, b f 3, Western Winter - Strawberry Lane (SAF) by Jallad
Badger's Cove (SAF), 56.5, b f 4, Joshua Dancer - Princess Tobin (SAF) by Badger Land
Margins: 1¾, nk, 2¼
Also ran: Seal Of Approval (SAF) 53.5, Sparkling Gem (SAF) 59.0, Joshua's Mistress (SAF) 54.0, Katici Princess (IRE) 53.5, Promises To Keep (SAF) 55.0, Summerley (SAF) 53.5, Temair (SAF) 53.5, Lemonade (SAF) 50.0

Tony Ruffel S. (SAf-G3) (2/9)
Pierre Jourdan, successful in the hugely valuable Ready To Run Cup in November, registered his first black type success when he returned to the Turffontein standside course on Tuesday to win the Tony Ruffel Stakes for three-year-olds over 1400m. Like the earlier Three Troikas Stakes, the Tony Ruffel was held over from the disrupted meeting on the previous Saturday and switched from the inner course to the more testing standside track, a move which could have made all the difference to Pierre Jourdan.
Dingaans and Cape Guineas runner-up Galileo’s Galaxy looked to be slung in at the weights on merit ratings and went off as a red-hot 15/20 favourite to record his first Stakes success in this conditions race. Stable companion and Dingaans winner Curved Ball was the 75/20 second favourite ahead of 4/1 third choice Pierre Jourdan, with big prices on offer about the other six contestants.
Dream island was the early pacesetter and showed the way at a decent clip just ahead of Flybyme and Echohawk, with Galileo’s Galaxy a couple of lengths behind the action as Piere Jourdan and Curved Ball were held up further behind. Echohawk picked it up as the front pair weakened not long after turning for home, with Galileo’s Galaxy looming up in promising fashion wider out. Curved Ball began to stay on in behind this pair, with Piere Jourdan also starting to creep closer over towards the inside. Galileo’s Galaxy had to work hard to get the better of Echohawk and was always under pressure to justify his cramped odds. No sooner had the favourite mastered Echohawk in the closing stages that Pierre Jourdan edged past to deny Galileo’s Galaxy by a neck, with Echohawk only half-a-length further away in third. Curved Ball, who had beaten Galileo’s Galaxy by 1.25 lengths in the Dingaans but who now met his stablemate on 4 kgs worse terms, ran perfectly respectably to be beaten two lengths behind Pierre Jourdan in fourth place.
The form of the Ready To Run Cup has looked considerably less than top class, with runner-up Fisani flopping in the Three Troikas Stakes 35 minutes before the Tony Ruffel and third placed Havasha disappointingly unplaced in a Listed event during the first part of this race meeting on Saturday, but Pierre Jourdan had won that highly restricted event in fine style and proved here that he can really mix it with the cream of his contemporaries. Galileo’s Galaxy was having his first start since he returned from his trip to the Cape Guineas and will probably come on from this run, but Pierre Jourdan met him on 3.5 kgs worse terms than in a handicap and ultimately won fair-and-square. The form of the Cape Guineas – in which they finished in something of a heap – looks a little shaky anyway, despite a very good subsequent effort from winner Noordhoek Flyer in the Cape Derby, and the jury is still undecided on just who is the leading three-year-old in training right now. Taking the Tony Ruffel form at face value entitles Pierre Jourdan to be rated up there with the best of them, but again it must be noted that the recent poor weather has made it very difficult to train properly in Gauteng and many results need to be taken with a grain of salt.
Winning rider Derreck David will still be smarting from the fact that a broken leg cost him the mount on Pierre Jourdan in the Ready To Run Cup and insult was added to injury when he was fined R1000 for his celebratory gesture before crossing the line on Tuesday, but barring accidents the young jockey seems more than likely to partner Gary Alexander’s gelding in the bigger three-year-old races of the Gauteng season, starting one imagines with the Gr 2 Guineas. Pierre Jourdan should enjoy being stepped up to 1600m for the first time, and has every chance of winning a race of that stature. A son of emerging Kingmambo stallion Parade Leader, Pierre Jourdan is the fourth foal and fourth winner produced from Qui Danzig mare Vin Fizz, who won four races up to 1400m and who was Gr 3 placed. Bred at Summerhill Stud and a bargain R60 000 purchase from the 2008 Ready To Run Sale, Pierre Jourdan has notched up four wins and a short head second from five starts, earning R999 225.
Tur ffontein, South Africa, February 9, R200.000, 1400m, turf, good, 1.24.64
PIERRE JOURDAN (SAF), 56.0, b g 3, Parade Leader - Vin Fizz (SAF) by Qui Danzig. Owner E Baisero and G M Alexander; breeder Summerhill Stud (SAf); trainer G M Alexander; jockey D David (R125.000)
Galileo's Galaxy (AUS), 54.0, b c 3, Galileo (IRE) - A Star Affair (NZ) by Star Way (GB)
Echohawk (SAF), 56.0, b g 3, Captain Al (SAF) - Early Fun (SAF) by Elliodor (FR)
Margins: nk, ½, 1¼
Also ran: Curved Ball (AUS) 58.0, Bulsara (SAF) 55.0, Powerful Gift (SAF) 54.0, Dream Island (SAF) 56.0,Casey's Guest (SAF) 54.0, Flybyme (AUS) 54.0

Three Troikas S. (SAf-G3) (2/9)
Catherina Lady recorded the first black type win of her career with great aplomb when she slammed nine rivals in the rescheduled Three Troikas Stakes for three-year-old fillies over 1400m on the standside track at Turffontein on Tuesday. The race had been programmed for the inside track three days earlier, but was attached to Tuesday’s card after a heavy storm brought Saturday’s proceedings to a premature end.
Catherina Lady had finished second behind runaway winner Mary Lou in a Listed event over 1160m at Turffontein in January, but on merit ratings she had what appeared to be a virtually thankless task in the Three Troikas and she was allowed to start as a 16/1 outsider. Fisani was a well supported 2/1 favourite even though both Queen Mira (the 33/10 second favourite) and 13/2 chance All Afire were weighted to dead-heat with her purely on the handicappers’ assessment.
Theta soon found herself in front and set a decent pace from Queen Mira and Catherina Lady, with Adorable and Fisani next in line ahead of Valley Of Rubies as All Afire and Cashew Nut were held up at the rear. Theta continued to lead early in the straight, where Adorable wider out and Catherina Lady on the inside began to mount their challenges, but Queen Mira was soon in trouble and stopped to nothing. Catherina Lady burst to the front some 300m from home, though, and overwhelmed everything else from there on. She strode clear under Sherman Brown to win full of running by four lengths from Cashew Nut, who ran on strongly to grab second but who arrived on the scene far too late for Catherina Lady to even know she existed.
All Afire stayed on to share third place with her stable companion Theta, a further three-quarters of a length behind Cashew Nut. Notably, all of Catherina Lady, Cashew Nut and Theta had contested the Listed sprint won so easily by Mary Lou at Turffontein’s first fully-fledged night meeting in January and obviously paid that Paul Matchett-trained filly a massive compliment here.
Fisani weakened tamely to be beaten 7.5 lengths into eighth place while hitherto unbeaten Queen Mira compounded very badly and finished a tailed-off last. Clearly, something was amiss with the Australian import. Fisani was also disappointing and to some extent both fillies may have fallen victim to the disrupted training schedules brought on by the much higher-than-average January rainfall in the Gauteng region.
All Afire showed glimpses of the form which made her a Gr 1 winner last season, but she met the winner and runner-up on 5.5 kgs and 6.5 kgs worse terms than in a handicap respectively and this result doesn’t do much to clear up the very muddy three-year-old female picture. No doubt Catherina Lady will take a considerable hike in the ratings for this win, and the way she finished off the race suggests there is a decent chance she will cope with the additional 200m of her next mission, the Gr 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas.
The three day delay probably did Catherina Lady a favour. Both her jockey and her trainer Dianne Stenger remarked that the filly had sweated up and not travelled very well to the course on Saturday, but handled the trip from her Randjesfontein home much more calmly on Tuesday. The winner is a daughter of deceased Anytime out of the deceased American-bred Conquistador Cielo mare Elegantka, whose previous foals included Gr 2 winner Elegent Al. Owned and bred by Mr and Mrs David Makins, Catherina Lady has won three of her eight starts for stakes of R272 250.
Turffontein, South Africa, February 9, R165.000, 1400m, turf, good, 1.24.19.
CATHERINA LADY (SAF), 55.5, b f 3, Anytime (IRE) - Elegantka by Conquistador Cielo. Owner D R and K M L Makins; breeder Breedon Stud (SAf); trainer D N Stenger; jockey S Brown (R103.125)
Cashew Nut (SAF), 55.5, b f 3, Horse Chestnut (SAF) - Marfisa by Chief's Crown
*All Afire (SAF), 58.0, b f 3, Jet Master (SAF) - Alamanda (SAF) by Coastal
*Theta (SAf), 53.5, b f 3, Kahal (GB) – Enriched (SAf) by Crystal de Roche (FR)
Margins: 4, ¾, d/h
Also ran: Theta (SAF) 53.5, Valley Of Rubies (SAF) 55.5, Flyte (SAF) 53.5, Adorable (SAF) 55.5, Fisani (SAF) 55.5, Cinnamon Sugar (SAF) 55.5, Queen Mira (AUS) 57.5

Acacia Hcp (SAf-G3) (2/6)
With the benefit of hindsight, the ultra consistent mare Milk And Honey put in a tremendous effort in splitting Mother Russia and Captain’s Gal in the Gr2 Ipi Tombi Challenge in her penultimate start and so it was no surprise to her posted up favourite here, writes Steve Furnish.
Milk And Honey wasn’t the only one fancied though. Indeed, she was allowed to ease out to 2/1 from 16/10 on course as all of Jet Flyer (25/1 in 16/1), Muamba (25/1 in 16/1) and her stable companion Prestic (7/1 in 6/1) found support.
On leaving the stalls it was the confirmed frontrunner Muamba who elected to set the pace, and a fair one it was too. Qui Duel and Kiribati raced closest to the speed, whilst the lesser fancied of Mike De Kock’s three runners Candy Singer sat fourth. Last seasons’ Gr1 Thekwini Stakes winner Laverna was also in touch with the leaders whilst Milk And Honey, under a confident ride from log leader Anton Marcus, was always travelling well within herself back in ninth. With the exception of the free striding Muamba, who held a three lengths advantage, the field was tightly bunched going through halfway and although Milk And Honey was towards the rear of the fourteen strong field, she was only six lengths in arrears. The field steadily began to concertina as they moved down the strip and as a result many were soon thrust into contention. Regular place getter Lisa Anne was the first to make a move in the short home straight and with Muamba now quickly coming back to her field, Lisa Anne managed to put her head in front. The moment of glory was brief for Gary Alexander’s charge though, as both Prestic and Milk And Honey were already at her girth. Milk And Honey held a slight advantage as the two stable companions flew past Lisa Anne 200m from home, but her aptly named stable companion Prestic, was sticking to her like glue. Prestic fought on doggedly on the run to the line and Milk And Honey had to give her all in order to hold on by a neck. The 33/1 shot Golden Scold ran on stoutly to take third position, whilst Candy Singer stayed on to make it a very creditable first, second and fourth for the stable of Mike De Kock. Milk And Honey is out of the Brazilean bred mare Perfect Valley. She has finished a runner up in both the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes and the Gr2 Ipi Tombi Challenge (twice) in the last fifteen months and fully deserves her first graded win. Milk And Honey has now won five of her 22 starts to date and has amassed stake earnings of over R777,000
Turffontein, South Africa, February 6, R165.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.36.59 (CR 1.34.38).
MILK AND HONEY, 57.0, ch m 5, Belong To Me - Perfect Valley (BRZ) by Clackson (BRZ). Owner Haras de Gabba Syndicate; breeder Equine Group (SAf); trainer MF de Kock; jockey A Marcus (R103.125)
Prestic (SAF), 60.5, ch m 5, Strike Smartly (CAN) - Press Ahead (SAF) by Fort Wood
Golden Scold (BRZ), 52.0, ch f 4, Top Size (BRZ) - Miss Scold (BRZ) by Hostage
Margins: nk, ½, 1
Also ran: Candy Singer (ARG) 52.0, Lisa Anne (SAF) 55.5, Kiribati (SAF) 56.0, Run Angel Run (SAF) 52.5, Laverna (SAF) 53.0, Jet Flyer (SAF) 52.0, Gunner Girl (BRZ) 52.0, Muamba (ARG) 52.0, Autumn Gold (SAF) 52.0, Bedloe's Island (SAF) 55.5, Qui Duel (SAF) 52.0

J&B RESERVE STAYERS H. (SAf-G2)
The fairer sex was giving the lads something to think about at Kenilworth on Saturday. Not to be completely outdone by the two-two finish of River Jetez and Mother Russia in the chief event, Sangria Girl got in on the act when she made most of the running to land the traditional Met day closer, the J & B Reserve Stayers over 2800m. That she was able to do so from the widest draw in a field of 15 in a race that starts almost on a turn says much about the ride which she was given by visiting KZN jockey Raymond Danielson, but when added to the efforts from bad draws of Bravura and Mother Russia it also gives a pretty good indication of just how fair the Kenilworth “summer” course is.
Sangria Girl had won a Listed handicap over 2400m against her own gender a fortnight earlier, but the Reserve Stayers looked like an altogether much sterner test of her ability and she was sent off as a 35/1 outsider. 22/10 favourite for the race was Mokaro, a wide-margin winner of the corresponding even twelve months earlier before he went on to land the Gr 1 Canon Gold Cup. Bill Of Rights looked very well treated on merit ratings in a race which was converted from a handicap to a conditions event a couple of years ago and was a well-supported 7/2 second favourite to deliver another big win for the Mike Bass yard.
Dancing Lady was the early leader from Sangria Girl and Cloak Of Gold, with Mokaro nicely poised in fourth spot at the fence, but it wasn’t long before Sangria Girl grabbed the initiative and went on to set what looked to be no more than a reasonable pace. Hospitality tracked the leading quartet, with Bill Of Rights as always adopting hold-up tactics and racing with only a couple of his rivals behind him. The hoped-for challenge from Mokaro never came. In direct contrast to 2009, where he led early in the straight and ran clean away from his field, Stephen Page’s gelding began to labour when asked for his effort after turning in and simply failed to accelerate.
Bill Of Rights began to make some ground wide out, but his effort then failed to continue, leaving the race open for a surprise. Dancing Lady was also in the mood to get in on the “ladies first” act and gamely tried to regain the advantage from Sangria Girl, but the latter was still galloping remorselessly up front. Golden Parachute, who got loose in the preliminaries but who clearly suffered no harm from it, proved to be the final challenger to the frontrunner and stormed home against the inside rail from well off the pace, but his bid came too late to collar Sangria Girl, who held off Golden Parachute by a head to deny the J & B Met-winning Bass/Hatt team a same day Feature double. It was a terrific effort from Golden Parachute, who on merit ratings was only better treated by the weights than two of his fourteen opponents, and the imported Montjeu colt is a dyed-in-the-wool staying type who will surely pick up a decent prize over ground one day. The Canon Gold Cup at Greyville in August is an obvious target.
Dancing Lady ran on all the way to the finish and was only a neck further behind Golden Parachute in third, with Robinson Crusoe running on powerfully from a mile back to be beaten 1.85 lengths behind the winner in fourth place. Mokaro eventually finished sixth, just under three lengths behind Sangria Girl, with Bill Of Rights only eighth.
Sangria Girl has shown plenty of good form up to 2400m and is obviously blessed with plenty of stamina. A former dual Listed winner, she relished this step up to 2800m and landed her first Graded race success in the process. The five-year-old is trained by Greg Ennion, who wins plenty of races with inexpensive stock and who paid R60 000 for Sangria Girl at the 2006 National Yearling Sale. A daughter of deceased Wolfhound, Sangria Girl is out of the Jungle Rock mare Concetta, who won eight races between 1400m and 1800m, including the Listed Victress Stakes. Bred by Gary Player Stud, Sangria Girl is owned by John Harrison and has won six times from 20 starts for R531 575 in purses.
KENILWORTH, South Africa, January 30, $39,360, 3&up, 2,800mT (13.92fT),
good, 2:58.65.
1st—=SANGRIA GIRL (SAF), 116, Ch. m. 5, Wolfhound—=Concetta (SAf), by
=Jungle Rock (SAf). Owner—John G. Harrison; Breeder—Gary Player Stud
(SAf); Trainer—Greg W. Ennion.
2nd—=GOLDEN PARACHUTE (NZ), 116, B. g. 4, Montjeu (Ire)—=Maxamore
(NZ), by =Volksraad (GB).
3rd—=DANCING LADY (ARG), 112, Ch. m. 4, Ride the Rails—Dancer Sweet,
by Green Dancer. Margins: head, 1/4, 1 1/2.

Peninsula Hcp (SAf-G2) (1/5)
Fort Vogue booked his passage to the J & B Met later this month when he grabbed a last-stride success in the Peninsula Handicap over 1800m at Kenilworth on Tuesday. This race is effectively the last chance saloon for borderline candidates to secure a spot in the Met line-up and it is virtually a given that the Peninsula winner is guaranteed a run in Cape Town’s showpiece event.
Consistent Fort Vogue is a progressive sort who had run on nicely to finish second behind Red Rake in the Gr 2 Premier Trophy over the Peninsula course-and-distance in December. He went off as the 33/10 favourite in a maximum field of 16 here, with his stable companion Air Combat the 6/1 second favourite and Noblewood an easy-to-back 8/1 third choice after finishing 1.5 lengths further behind Fort Vogue in the Premier Trophy.
The pace was not particularly strong for a 16 runner handicap, with Noblewood showing the way ahead of Cape Trafalgar and Thundering Jet, with Robinson Crusoe and Directorate next in line as Fort Vogue was held up in the pack, some six lengths behind the leader. Judged Excellent, Mighty Atom and Thanks John were all amongst the backmarkers as Noblewood continue to spearhead the field. Noblewood still had plenty left to give once in the straight, where Thundering Jet came forward down the inside fence with a strong challenge and Air Combat began to make up ground wider out.
Noblewood is nothing if not game and was having a right old battle royal with Thundering Jet coming to the final 200m, where Fort Vogue was starting to make good progress wider out. In the end, though, it proved to be hard work for the favourite and Karl Neisius had to ride Fort Vogue for all he was worth in the final stages to get the gelding home a short head in front of his former stable companion Thundering Jet, whose rider Sihle Cele had dropped his whip 150m out and who might have been an unlucky loser of what was his first start for the Paul Lafferty yard. It may also have been his last, as Thundering Jet is scheduled to join Pat Shaw’s stable in Singapore.
Noblewood was only a neck further away in third, with Robinson Crusoe staying on steadily to be beaten little more than one length behind Fort Vogue in fourth. Air Combat has more than once shown a tendency to hang out under pressure and did so again here, eventually finishing fifth, a further half-a-length behind Robinson Crusoe. Little more than five lengths separated the first 13 horses at the line, which does not immediately suggest that this is top class form even if the race was a handicap and as such should in theory have produced a tight result.
Winning trainer Mike Bass will have more than one string to his bow come the J & B Met on January 30th and noted that he would almost certainly run Fort Vogue there, but given the way the Met weights are structured nowadays one imagines that Fort Vogue will need to rise some way above the form of the Peninsula to have much hope against the best middle distance horses in South Africa. Bass also remarked that the Vodacom Durban July is a future target for four-year-old Fort Vogue, adding that the gelding has been given plenty of time to mature but that he now needs to start justifying his hefty price tag.
Fort Vogue was acquired for R2.2 million at the 2007 National Yearling Sale and is jointly owned by three of South Africa’s most powerful racing personalities – Marsh Shirtliff, Chris van Niekerk, and Markus Jooste. A son of Fort Wood, Fort Vogue is the third foal and third winner produced from Model Man mare Vogue. A winner of six races up to 1200m and placed second in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint, Vogue is a half sister to dual Gold Cup winner Highland Night and to very useful current sprinter Warm White Night. Fort Vogue was bred by Peter Blyth at Clifton Stud and has won five times from 13 starts for stakes of R446 775.
Kenilworth, South Africa, January 5, R300.000, 1800m, turf, good, 1.51.44 (CR 1.48.98).
FORT VOGUE (SAf), 56.5, ch g 4, Fort Wood - Vogue (SAf) by Model Man (SAf). Owner N M Shirtliff, C J H van Niekerk & M J Jooste; breeder Clifton Stud (SAf); trainer MW Bass; jockey K Neisius (R187.500)
Thundering Jet (SAf), 58.0, b g 5, Jet Master (SAf) - Bar The Shouting (SAf) by Hobnob (FR)
Noblewood (SAF), 56.0, b g 5, Fort Wood - Lucinda (SAF) by Dancing Champ Margins: nose, ¼, 1
Also ran: Robinson Crusoe (SAF) 53.5, Air Combat (SAF) 58.0, Jagged Ice (SAF) 55.0, State Crown (SAF) 54.5, Directorate (SAF) 53.0, Mighty Atom (SAF) 56.5, Cape Trafalgar (SAF) 59.0, Judged Excellent (SAF) 55.5, Royal Chalon (AUS) 56.0, Bill Of Rights (SAF) 60.0, Thanks John (SAF) 53.0, Senor Jet (SAF) 56.5, Sun City (SAF) 53.0

Flamboyant Stakes (SAf-G3) (1/2)
Sunshine in Durban this summer has been a rarer sight than tigers prowling the beachfront, but the weather gods smiled on Greyville on Saturday evening when some dire forecasts failed to come true and the Flamboyant Stakes for fillies and mares went off at the first attempt. Last season, the 1600m race had to be scheduled three times before the weather allowed it to take place.
The Flamboyant looked to represent an outstanding opportunity for Captain’s Gal, who started as the even money favourite in a maximum field of 16. A strong frontrunner who stood out head-and-shoulders above her rivals on merit ratings, Captain’s Gal had the excellent 2 draw as a bonus and the only question mark that remained was how she would go on the softish ground that she was racing on for the first time. Answer: very well, indeed.
Captain’s Gal soon found herself in front under Kevin Shea and set a very comfortable place ahead of Nordic Moon, Eternal Flame, and Clarkies Promise. Hitherto unbeaten three-year-old Case Stated had a shocking draw right on the outside of the field and found herself towards the rear as they approached the straight. Captain’s Gal turned for home a couple of lengths in front, but she very soon extended her advantage with little obvious exertion and the Flamboyant Stakes was only a race for minor money from more than 200m out.
Captain’s Gal must have been the best part of five lengths clear inside the last furlong, and although she was eased up some way before the line by her jockey she still won by an emphatic 3.25 lengths from In The Mist, who ran on stoutly from well off the pace to finish second. The runner-up deserves plenty of credit even though she was simply overwhelmed by the winner. Bred to northern hemisphere time, In The Mist is a late foal even by those standards and is still four months away from her real fourth birthday. The daughter of prominent French sire Verglas was receiving only 2 kgs from a winner rated 26 pounds her superior by the handicapper and shaped as if a longer distance will suit her well, so while the overall quality of the Flamboyant field was not at all strong In The Mist could have a decent win in her.
Smangaliso and former Kimberley performer Tea Break filled the minor places as three-year-old Case Stated never got into the race with a chance and was beaten more than nine lengths into eighth place. The latter certainly deserves a chance to prove that she is better than this, but one again the current crop of three-year-old fillies was made to look as substandard as ever and Touch The Moon – who finished fourth in the Gr 1 Thekwini Fillies Stakes last July - trailed in more than 13 lengths behind Captain’s Gal.
Four-year-old Captain’s Gal is a consistent daughter of Captain Al. She is the sixth foal and second winner of unraced Centenary mare Isle Of Capri and is trained by Sean Tarry for prominent owner Chris van Niekerk. Bred by Veronica Foulkes at Normandy Stud, Captain’s Gal was a R100 000 buy from the 2007 GrandWest Yearling Sale and has won six of her 18 starts for R514 800 in earnings.
Greyville, South Africa, January 2, R150.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.37.10 (CR 1.32.99).
CAPTAIN'S GAL (SAf), 58.0, b f 4, Captain Al (SAf) - Isle Of Capri (SAf) by Centenary. Owner C J H van Niekerk; breeder Normandy Stud (SAf); trainer SG Tarry; jockey K Shea (R93.750)
In The Mist (SAf), 56.0, gr f 4, Verglas (IRE) - Urban Sky by Groom Dancer
Smangaliso (SAf), 58.0, b f 4, Kahal (GB) - Amusing (SAF) by Liloy (FR)
Margins: 3¼, 2, 1¼
Also ran: Tea Break (SAF) 58.0, Maritime Mist (SAF) 58.0, Clarkies Promise (SAF) 58.0, Frozen Delicious (SAF) 58.0, Case Stated (SAF) 54.0, Spanish Wisdom (SAF) 58.0, Nordic Moon (SAF) 58.0, Il Tanga (SAF) 50.0, Lizzy's Heritage (SAF) 58.0, Baronova (SAF) 54.0, Touch The Moon (AUS) 52.0, Silvery Cove (SAF) 58.0, Eternal Flame (AUS) 58.0, Prize Flower (SAF) 58.0

Sceptre Stakes (SAf-G2) (1/2)
Temperamental but talented would be a fair description of Badger’s Cove, who found her best form to spring a 40/1 surprise in the Sceptre Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth on Saturday. The four-year-old had twice finished second in Gr 2 events earlier in her career, including a 2.5 lengths defeat by Lady Windermere in this race twelve months ago, but some distinctly spotty recent form led most punters to spurn her in this WFA event for fillies and mares.
Dance With Al had won the Gr 2 Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m in December before finishing third against male rivals in the Gr 2 Diadem Stakes and was sent off as the narrow 2/1 favourite ahead of Lady Windermere, who attracted plenty of support despite a very disappointing seasonal debut when she finished last in the Gr 2 Merchants in November.
Scintilla set a reasonable pace from Joshua’s Mistress and Flying Boots, with Giant’s Jewel and La Rosita also prominent. Dance With Al had taken a hefty bump coming out of the gates but was soon within striking distance of the leaders as Lady Windermere lagged a few lengths off the pace on the far side of the course. Badger’s Cove was held up towards the rear of the 13 horse field. Dance With Al was right in contention with every chance as they came to the last 200m, where Scintilla was starting to feel the pinch. Giant’s Jewel briefly put her nose in front as the frontrunner faded, but Badger’s Cove was already unleashing a terrific turn of foot under Kelvin Jupp, leading 150m from home and staying on well to hold off a renewed challenge from KZN-trained visitor Giant’s Jewel by half-a-length.
Dance With Al finished a further half-a-length further back in third, staying on all the way to the line but not quite being able to match the finishing kick of the two that beat her. Servilia ran on to be only a head behind Dance With Al in fourth place, but again Lady Windermere was nowhere near her best and the champion three-year-old filly of last season posed no real threats before finishing 2.90 lengths behind the winner in eighth place.
Both the winner and the runner-up looked to have plenty to do at the weights if judged on their merit ratings, with Badger’s Cove facing favourite Dance With Al on 3 kgs worse terms than in a handicap and Giant’s Jewel a further 2 kgs out with the third-placed filly, but Badger’s Cove at times has shown that she had the potential to win a decent race and she condescended to give of her best on this occasion. One has to say that she was given a perfect waiting ride by Kelvin Jupp, who noted afterwards that Badger’s Cove “is very temperamental” and “has a few screws loose upstairs.”
Badger’s Cove is trained and part-owned by Joey Ramsden. A daughter of Joshua Dancer (a sire whose progeny can be a handful), she is the second foal and second winner of Badger Land mare Princess Tobin, who won one race over 1200m and finished second in a Listed event. She was bred by Peter Mills, who retains part ownership in Badger’s Cove, and was acquired for R100 000 at the 2007 Vintage Yearling Sale. She has now won five of her 24 starts for R446 525 in stakes.
Kenilworth, South Africa, January 2, R200.000, 1200m, turf, good, 1.12.62 (CR 1.09.90).
BADGER'S COVE (SAf), 58.0, b f 4, Joshua Dancer - Princess Tobin (SAf) by Badger Land. Owner J J & J Dyer, P E & L Mills, J R & F Ramsden; breeder P E Mills (SAf); trainer J Ramsden; jockey K Jupp (R125.000)
Giant's Jewel (AUS), 58.0, b m 5, Giant's Causeway - Super Seleccion (CAN) by Seattle Slew
Dance With Al (SAf), 58.0, b f 4, Captain Al (SAf) - Dancing Miss (SAf) by Dancing Champ
Margins: ½, ½, nose
Also ran: Servilia (SAF) 58.0, Purple Orchid (GB) 58.0, Promises To Keep (SAF) 58.0, Scintilla (SAF) 58.0, Lady Windermere (SAF) 58.0, Favourite Island (SAF) 58.0, Seminole (SAF) 54.5, Joshua's Mistress (SAF) 58.0, La Rosita (AUS) 58.0, Flying Boots (SAF) 58.0

Christmas Hcp (SAf-G3) (12/26)

Dance At Daylight is nothing if not consistent and he was rewarded with the biggest payday of his career when he overcame a deep draw to easily win the Christmas Handicap over 1600m at Clairwood on Saturday. The five-year-old was allowed to blow out from an opening call of 8/1 to more than three times those odds despite being unbeaten from two previous outings on the prevailing soft ground and despite having comfortably won his most recent race at Greyville. It was Select The Star who started as a well-supported 4/1 favourite in a maximum field of 16, but this is always a highly competitive event and the market reflected that.
Quick Millions set the pace at a decent clip from Thunder Creek and Fork Lightening, with Don’t Tell Titch next in line as Dance At Daylight was held up in the bunch. Lion’s Blood was further back with Ultra Vires bringing up the rear after losing lengths at the break. Select The Star began to make good headway in the straight and had every chance to land the spoils, but he proved little match for Dance At Daylight. The latter quickened well when asked for an effort by Alec Forbes, leading inside the final 200m and running on very well to beat Select The Star by two lengths. This was something of a triumph for breeder Chris Saunders, who bred both the winner and the runner-up at his Invermooi Stud in the KZN Midlands and who still owns Select The Star.
Lion’s Blood ran on very strongly and was only a head behind Select The Star in third, but his effort came far too late for the much-travelled former Gr 2 Dingaans winner to present Dance At Daylight with any kind of a threat. Dynamite Mike was staying on to be a further half-a-length away in fourth, a best effort in quite some time from the horse who once beat Jay Peg at level weights in the Gr 2 KZN Guineas. Much-vaunted Lord London was never dangerous, being caught deep from a wide draw and finishing with only two rivals behind him. He is doubtless better than this, and his effort here can perhaps be excused.
Dance At Daylight is trained by Dennis Drier. The Christmas Handicap winner is a son of deceased Rambo Dancer out of the Northern Guest mare Norse Woman and has won five times from 17 starts for R424 875 in stakes.
Clairwood, South Africa, December 26, R200.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.38.43 (CR 1.33.16).
DANCE AT DAYLIGHT (SAF), 53.5, b g 5, Rambo Dancer - Norse Woman (SAF) by Northern Guest. Owner M Dally and G A Harris; breeder CJ Saunders (SAf); trainer DR Drier; jockey A Forbes (R125.000)
Select The Star (SAF), 52.0, gr g 5, Announce (SAF) - Stately Belle (AUS) by Kenmare (FR)
Lion's Blood (SAF), 59.0, ch g 5, Dominion Royale (GB) - Corn Lily (SAF) by Dancing Champ
Margins: 2, nose, ½
Also ran: Dynamite Mike (SAF) 55.5, Autumn Frost (SAF) 59.0, Danish Silver (SAF) 53.0, Thunder Creek (SAF) 52.0, Kevinos Boy (SAF) 52.0, Quick Millions (BRZ) 53.5, Thanks Dad (SAF) 52.5, Don't Tell Titch (SAF) 56.5, Bold Wonder (AUS) 53.5, Thandolwami (SAF) 61.0, Lord London (AUS) 55.0, Fork Lightening (SAF) 57.0, Ultra Vires (SAF) 54.5

Cape Summer Stayers Hcp (SAf-G3) (12/26)

Canon Gold Cup winner Mokaro recorded his third Graded race success of 2009 when he defied top weight of 60.5 kgs to capture the Cape Summer Stayers Handicap over 2500m at Kenilworth on Saturday. Taking advantage of the strong gallop thoughtfully provided by his pacesetting stable companion Cloak Of Gold, Mokaro underlined his class in fine style here and will be cherry ripe for a possible bid to win the Gr 2 J & B Reserve Stayers event on January 30th for a second year in succession.
Promising stayer Golden Parachute was equipped with blinkers for the first time and was a well supported 33/10 favourite in a field of 13, with Mokaro going off as the 5/1 second favourite. Mokaro hopped out alertly but soon it was Cloak Of Gold who opened up a lead of some five or six lengths, with Hospitality and Golden Parachute (who raced very wide in the early stages) nearest to him as the eventual winner slotted into fourth place. Cloak Of Gold continued to perform his pacemaking duties until the top of the straight, where he quickly ran out of gas and faded from the scene.
Golden Parachute was still right in contention turning in, with Hospitality coming forward quickly to stake his claim as well. Mokaro was taken to the inside for his run and came through to challenge Hospitality for the lead approaching the last 200m. The top weight soon had the better of that rival and edged into the lead, but Trick Of Light came with a strong late run from off the pace and in the end Mokaro had to be ridden out by Richard Fourie to beat that rival by half-a-length.
Consistent Hospitality was beaten for a finishing kick more than anything else and came home 1.25 lengths behind Trick Of Light, making it a “hat-trick” of third-placed finishes in Feature handicaps for Mike Stewart’s gelding. Tan Can showed some signs of a return to form by staying on nicely to finish another 1.25 lengths behind Hospitality, but this was still a long way short of what he showed when nearly beating Russian Sage in the Gr 1 Cape Derby two seasons ago. Golden Parachute eventually finished fifth, 3.25 lengths behind the winner, after a less-than-ideal trip.
This success by Mokaro continued the dream run of form by trainer Stephen Page this season and there is every possibility that Mokaro will be adding even more silverware to the collection in due course. He conceded 8.5 kgs to the runner-up as well as to the third horse, and ran on very well all the way to the line. He deserves to be rated as the best stayer in South Africa, for sure.
Owned and bred by Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer (“the Queen of Racing”, in the words of the winning jockey), Mokaro is a six-year-old son of Gone West horse Manaloj, whose overall career at stud was so unsuccessful that he has now found alternative employment as a sire of Warm Bloods. Mokaro is out of the Fort Wood mare Matumi and has won seven times from 29 starts for R1 457 900 in purses.
Kenilworth, South Africa, December 26, R200.000, 2500m, turf, good, 2.37.01 (CR 2.34.60).
MOKARO (SAF), 60.5, ch g 6, Manaloj - Matumi (SAF) by Fort Wood. Owner & breeder Mrs B D Oppenheimer (SAf); trainer SH Page; jockey R Fourie (R125.000)
Trick Of Light (SAF), 52.0, b g 4, Jet Master (SAF) - Magic Coast (SAF) by Coastal
Hospitality (SAF), 52.0, b g 4, Badger's Drift (SAF) - Party Hostess (SAF) by Jallad
Margins: ½, 1¼, 1¼
Also ran: Tan Can (SAF) 57.5, Golden Parachute (NZ) 52.5, Casey's Son (SAF) 57.5, Frankie De Wheels (SAF) 56.5, Sun City (SAF) 55.5, Diamond Quest (SAF) 58.0, Badger's Bite (SAF) 52.0, Cloak Of Gold (SAF) 52.0, Cameron'skingmaker (AUS) 53.5, Louie's Pride (SAF) 52.0

London News S. (SAf-G3) (12/27)

Oracy quickly put his disappointing Sansui Summer Cup display behind him when he resumed winning ways in the London News Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein (standside) on Sunday. A small but quality field of eight lined up for his conditions event, where Oracy’s stable companion Dan De Lago was sent off as 15/10 favourite. The fact that stable jockey Anton Marcus was aboard Dan De Lago and not Oracy doubtless helped to shape the market, and Dan De Lago was meeting his fellow Charles Laird trainee on 1.5 kgs better terms than in a handicap, but there was no shortage of support for Oracy, who started as the 17/10 second favourite under Piere Strydom.
Fenerbahce set a brisk enough pace on the soft ground and led the way from Oracy and Captain Scott, with Dan De Lago next in line ahead of Buy And Sell. Captain Scott came forward early in the straight to dispute the lead against the far rail and looked to be travelling strongly, but Oracy was right on his heels and just waiting to pounce. Dan De Lago seemed to be caught a little flat-footed when called on for his effort, but that was certainly not the case with his stablemate. Oracy was plainly travelling the best of them all as they came to the last 200m and ran on well over the closing stages to win by 1.25 lengths from the ever-consistent Captain Scott, who had finished 2.90 lengths ahead of him in the Summer Cup but who now met Oracy on 1.5 kgs worse terms.

Dan De Lago finished a further half-length behind Captain Scott in third, with Buy And Sell beaten a total of 2.25 lengths into fourth after appearing to have every chance. Using Captain Scott as a line horse does not suggest that Oracy improved a great deal (if indeed at all) on his Summer Cup form in order to win this, but he did look somewhat more settled with the blinkers off on Sunday after perhaps being a little too keen with the headgear in the big race four weeks earlier.
Oracy probably had a fitness edge over Dan De Lago, who needed to be nowhere near his best to win a minor race on his return from a 23 week lay-off in early December, and Dan De Lago has plainly been aimed all along at the J & B Met on January 30th. Anton Marcus is expected to stick with the son of Encosta De Lago in the Met, with Strydom expected to again partner Oracy, but Oracy will meet his stable companion on 1.5 kgs better terms at Kenilworth than he did in the London News Stakes and there is no real reason why he cannot get the better of the exchange again. That said, with the way the Met weights are calculated these days both horses will find Pocket Power a mighty tough nut to crack.
New Zealand-bred Oracy is a son of outstanding sire Zabeel out of the Dehere mare Lady Dehere. He has won six of only seven career starts for stakes of R1 231 250.
Turffontein, South Africa, December 27, R200.000, 1800m, turf, good, 1.52.01 (CR 1.48.92)
ORACY (NZ), 59.0, br c 4, Zabeel (NZ) - Lady Dehere (NZ) by Dehere. Owner Mrs I Jooste and Mr M J Jooste ; breeder Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan & Maroal Services Ltd (NZ); trainer C S Laird; jockey P Strydom (R125.000)
Captain Scott (SAF), 56.5, gr g 4, Captain Al (SAF) - Utah Hoo-Ha (SAF) by Badger Land
Dan De Lago (AUS), 57.5, b c 4, Encosta De Lago (AUS) - The Golden Dane (AUS) by Danehill
Margins: 1¼, ½, ½
Also ran: Buy And Sell (SAF) 59.0, Fenerbahce (SAF) 56.5, Catmandu (SAF) 56.5, Killaridge (ZIM) 57.5, Singing Sword (SAF) 56.5

Lebelo Sprint (SAf-G3) (12/27)

Owners Markus and Ingrid Jooste and trainer Charles Laird recorded a quick Gr 3 double at Turffontein on Sunday when Cyber Case held on just long enough to win the Lebelo Sprint (handicap) over 1000m. The Jooste and Laird partnership had previously won the London News Stakes with Oracy.
Cyber Case seems to have developed into something of a 1000m specialist these days and the winner of a Listed event over the minimum distance on the Vaal sand in September went off as a well supported 5/2 favourite in a field of 15 for the Lebelo. Arabian Mist, who had easily beaten Cyber Case in the Gr 2 Merchants over 1160m at Turffontein in November, was the 4/1 second choice, but he was completely beaten for pace over this shorter distance and made no show before finishing 5.25 lengths away in tenth spot.
The Lebelo was run at a furious pace from the jump, with Bismarck showing the way ahead of Castanelli, Battlestar Express and Cyber Case. South Country was just behind the early speed, with Picadilly Miss and Waitangi further back. Bismarck was a spent force 300m from home and Cyber Case soon came forward wide out to take up the running, opening up a break of a couple of lengths. Laird’s gelding looked set for a comfortable success well inside the final 100m, but out of nowhere came KZN raider Intellectual. The latter unleashed a terrific turn of foot from well off the pace and was gaining at a rate of knots, and Cyber Case was all out under Anton Marcus to repel Herman Brown’s runner by a rapidly diminishing short head. So quickly was Intellectual gaining that he would probably have won by a long head in another stride, but the photo finish came to the rescue of favourite-backers.
Cyber Case’s stable companion Hurricane Force was running on to finish 1.20 lengths further back in third, with National Victor and Cool Spender right on top of him in fourth and fifth respectively. South Country was beaten three lengths into sixth in his first start since July, which was a reasonable enough effort.
Cyber Case will doubtless be aimed at the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over the same course-and-distance later in the season, but before that connections may be tempted to consider the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship at Kenilworth, a race in which Charles Laird has a good recent record. A five-year-old gelded son of Casey Tibbs out of the Al Mufti mare Laptop Lady, and therefore a half brother to international star Jay Peg, Cyber Case was bred at High Season Stud. Bought for R200 000 at the 2006 National Yearling Sale, he has won eight of his 27 starts for R807 500 in stakes.
Turffontein, South Africa, December 27, R200.000, 1000m, turf, good, 57.30 (CR 54.95).
CYBER CASE (SAF), 55.5, b g 5, Casey Tibbs (IRE) - Laptop Lady (SAF) by Al Mufti. Owner Mrs I Jooste and Mr M J Jooste; breeder High Season Stud (SAf); trainer CS Laird; jockey A Marcus (R125.000)
Intellectual (SAF), 59.5, b g 6, Spaceship (ARG) - Jump Ahead (SAF) by Sapieha (IRE)
Hurricane Force (SAF), 53.5, ch g 4, Muhtafal - Bahama Palms (SAF) by Coastal
Margins: nose, 1 ¼, nose
Also ran: National Victor (SAF) 52.5, Cool Spender (SAF) 52.0, South Country (SAF) 58.5, Picadilly Miss (SAF) 55.5, Castanelli (SAF) 52.0, Waitangi (SAF) 52.0, Arabian Mist (SAF) 55.5, Royal Exit (ZIM) 54.5, Cappoquin (SAF) 52.0, Skinny Jeans (SAF) 52.0, Bismarck (SAF) 52.0, Battlestar Express (SAF) 60.0Also ran:

WPOTA Diadem Stakes (SAf-G2) (12/19)

Thunder Key has been knocking on the door to win a decent race for quite some time and finally achieved it when springing a 33/1 upset in the WPOTA Diadem Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth on Saturday. The Diadem is run on WFA terms and Thunder Key had it all to do at the weights, being only the joint seventh-highest rated runner in a field of nine, so the lack of enthusiasm shown by punters was easy to understand.
Gauteng visitor Warm White Night was a narrow favourite to land the spoils ahead of Kapil, who had easily beaten several of his Diadem rivals on much less favourable handicap terms in the Gr 2 Merchants over the same course-and-distance in November. Sole three--year-old and Merchants runner-up Villandry was the only other horse to attract much interest.
Once again Villandry attempted to make all the running. Last season’s Gr 1 winning juvenile only seems to know one way of doing things and he was soon blazing a trail clear of Thunder Key and Warm White Night, with Chief Mambo also prominent as Kapil adopted his usual tactic of waiting towards the rear of the field. Villandry was starting to run out of gas coming past the 200m pole and Thunder Key was in the ideal position to take advantage, quickly kicking clear as the pacesetter faded and then holding off a strong challenge in the closing stages from Blue Tiger to win by half-a-length under Karis Teetan. Dance With Al stayed on steadily to finish a further 1.25 lengths away in third, with one length away to Rushing Wind in fourth. Kapil found considerable traffic problems before running on when the race was done and dusted, finishing fifth, 3.25 lengths behind the winner.
Every armchair jockey with access to the Internet was soon tapping away, lambasting MJ Byleveld’s ride on Kapil and showering the rider with the sort of vitriol other people usually reserve for child molesters and deceased Iraqi dictators. Now it is true that Kapil attempted to make his run up the outside of the course, which is always going to be dicey when you have to get past virtually every other horse in the race. He found his path blocked, then was cramped and had to ease when a gap narrowed on him, but every race down the Kenilworth straight course on Saturday was won by horses racing near or up against the outside fence.
This sort of track bias is hardly Byleveld’s fault, and those who suggested in derogatory terms that anybody with a grain of sense would have taken Kapil to the inside of his rivals failed to notice that that is precisely where Warm White Night was. And Warm White Night ran a clunker. Whether the course was to blame for the eclipse of Charles Laird’s runner is impossible to say. It remains to be seen whether Warm White Night is the same horse he was before an injury kept him out of the entire KZN winter season, and on his return to racing at Turffontein in November he was comprehensively beaten by two non-specialist sprinters in a plate race over 1160m. However, his effort in the Diadem does nothing to suggest Kapil’s rider would have been wise to make for the same portion of the track and one should perhaps rather ask the Kenilworth track staff (who do such a fantastic job otherwise) just why one strip of ground appears to be so much faster than the rest.
No, it was not a great ride on Kapil and his jockey will probably be the first to admit it, but it was not madness on his part to believe the gaps might open for him. Just 35 minutes earlier Purple Orchid had come from well off the pace to win a sprint over 1000m, racing virtually on the stands’ rail and finding plenty of galloping room as the gaps appeared before her like the Red Sea parting. It takes a lot of luck to win sprints from off the pace when the track is running this way, and luck was not on Kapil’s side. Irritating, but that’s the way it goes.
Thunder Key is a six-year-old gelding trained by Glen Kotzen for owner Juan van Heerden, who admitted surprise that he could win on Weight For Age terms but who noted that a big race success was long overdue for the son of stalwart KZN sire Muhtafal. Thunder Key is the fifth foal and fourth winner produced from Brother Philips mare Special Key, who won five races up to 1600m. Special Key won the Gr 2 Western Cape (now Odessa Stud) Fillies Championship and was Gr 1 placed. Thunder Key was bred by Cecil Baitz and was bought for R95 000 at the 2005 National Two Year Old Sale. He has won seven times from 38 starts, earning R883 319.
Kenilworth, South Africa, December 19, R300.000, 1200m, turf, good, 1.11.61 (CR 1.09.90).
THUNDER KEY (SAF), 58.0, ch g 6, Muhtafal - Special Key (SAF) by Brother Philips (IRE). Owner J H van Heerden; breeder C Baitz (SAf); trainer GS Kotzen; jockey K Teetan (R187.500)
Blue Tiger (SAF), 58.0, gr h 5, Counter Action (SAF) - Manuka (SAF) by Rainbow Dream (FR)
Dance With Al (SAF), 55.5, b f 4, Captain Al (SAF) - Dancing Miss (SAF) by Dancing Champ
Margins: ½,1¼,1
Also ran: Rushing Wind (SAF) 58.0, Kapil (SAF) 58.0, Villandry (SAF) 54.0, Gaultier (SAF) 58.0, Warm White Night (SAF) 58.0, Chief Mambo (SAF) 54.0

Midmar Premier Trophy (SAf-G2) (12/13)

Many of us blokes feel a little queasy when the word “gelding” is mentioned and would rather dive into a vat of solid waste than watch the procedure being carried out, but for many horses it makes all the difference between achieving their potential and taking a slow bus to nowhere, writes MATTHEW LIPS.

Red Rake is a case in point. The winner of one race from nine starts as an entire, Red Rake was parted from his family jewels in February of this year and has been a completely different horse since, not missing the first three from nine starts as a gelding and really showing what he is capable of when giving 15 rivals a galloping lesson in the Midmar Premier Trophy over 1800m at Kenilworth on Sunday.
The Premier Trophy is a conditions race, but absolutely nothing stood out in a wide open renewal and it was Strategic News who started as a shaky 9/2 favourite after an excellent first run back from his stint in Dubai. Red Rake and Fort Vogue went off as joint 11/2 second favourites in a line-up which included four individual Gr 1 winners.
Red Rake only knows one style of racing, and that is from the front. Sure enough, he marched straight off to the lead again here and set a decent enough pace ahead of Fabiani and Nevvay, with Cape Trafalgar and Littleredcorvette next in line. Ivory Trail jumped a great deal more alertly than when he lost lengths at the break in his most recent outing and was poised in midfield, with Strategic News at least ten lengths off the leader.

Even a very strong south-easterly headwind in the straight never threatened to derail Red Rake. Opening up a lead of at least four lengths, the five-year-old was clearly not for catching from a long way out as he maintained an impressively remorseless gallop under visiting KZN rider Sean Cormack to win by 3.25 lengths. Fort Vogue ran on stoutly to finish second in his first attempt at Graded level, a smart effort meeting the winner on 6 kgs worse terms than would have been the case in a handicap. The Mike Bass-trained runner-up looks a progressive sort and one imagines he is well capable of winning a decent race one day. He could really come into his own by the time of the next KZN winter season, but one feels that at this stage a race like the J & B Met is a bridge too far, especially as he would meet Red Rake on the same terms as in the Premier Trophy.

Fort Vogue in turn was 1.5 lengths in front of third placed Noblewood, who ran on very strongly but who ran virtually to his merit rating vis-à-vis the winner. The Canon Gold Cup runner-up is a versatile sort, and should prove a serious player in the big staying events of the Cape summer season that lie ahead. Fabiani had every chance, but ran out of steam late and was beaten almost five lengths behind Red Rake into fourth place. He had beaten Red Rake by almost one length into third when winning the Gr 2 Green Point Stakes over 1600m three weeks earlier, but now met his rival on 2.5 kgs worse terms and ran more-or-less to the Green Point form. Strategic News made no show and was beaten about ten lengths into tenth place. Former Cape Derby runner-up Tan Can fared even worse and faces an uphill struggle to ever live up to the potential he showed before a tendon injury sidelines him for well over a year.

Red Rake is bound to take his chance in the J & B Met, for which his ante-post odds have been slashed from 150/1 to 33/1. His current price suggests he has a three percent chance of winning the Met, and you wouldn’t want to be taking skinnier odds than those. He won well, and in terms of the Met conditions he escapes without a penalty for this success, but he will shoulder 55.5 kgs, only 2.5 kgs less than Pocket Power and 2 kgs less than Big City Life. One thing is for sure, he won’t go down without a fight, but winners of the Premier Trophy don’t have a good record at all in the Met and Red Rake looks to be about a 33/1 chance at this early stage of proceedings. Still, before he was gelded, you could have got 1000/1 that he would even run in a race like the Met.

Trained by Basil Marcus for owners Bernard Kantor and Rodney Dunn, Red Rake is a son of deceased Rakeen out of the Argentine-bred mare Saudies. A daughter of Saint Sever, Saudies won five races between 1300m/1600m including the Gr1 SA Fillies Guineas. Red Rake was bred by Kantor in partnership with the late Laurie Jaffee and was acquired for R320 000 at the 2006 National Yearling Sale. He has won five of his 18 races overall, and four from nine as a gelding. His career earnings stand at R480 945.

Kenilworth, South Africa, December 13, R300.000, 1800m, turf, good, 1.51.43 (CR 1.48.98).
RED RAKE (SAF), 55.0, b g 5, Rakeen - Saudies (ARG) by Saint Sever (FR). Owner B Kantor and R B Dunn; breeder L Jaffee & B Kantor (SAf); trainer B Marcus; jockey S Cormack (R187.500)
Fort Vogue (SAF), 54.5, ch g 4, Fort Wood - Vogue (SAF) by Model Man (SAf)
Noblewood (SAF), 56.0, b g 5, Fort Wood - Lucinda (SAF) by Dancing Champ
Margins: 3 1/4, 1 1/2, sh hd
Also ran: Fabiani (SAF) 57.5, Cape Trafalgar (SAF) 55.0, Ivory Trail (SAF) 59.0, Littleredcorvette (SAF) 55.0, Stunning Do (SAF) 54.5, Bill Of Rights (SAF) 56.5, Diamond Quest (SAF) 58.0, Tan Can (SAF) 55.0, Nevvay (SAF) 56.5, Mokaro (SAF) 59.0, Mighty Atom (SAF) 55.0, Pirate's Gold (SAF) 56.5, Strategic News (AUS) 55.0

Ipi Tombe Challenge (SAf-G2) (12/5)

Mother Russia registered her first success since she transferred to the Mike de Kock yard when easily beating stable companion Milk And Honey in the Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m at Turffontein (standside) on Saturday. A slew of scratching reduced to eight the field for this conditions event for fillies and mares and Mother Russia went off as the even money favourite after she had made an excellent Gauteng debut over 1160m three weeks earlier.

Captain’s Gal is a very game frontrunner and adopted her usual tactics here, setting a decent enough pace with Mother Russia perfectly poised in second ahead of Lisa Anne and Queen’s Bay. Saltwater Girl was next in line as Milk And Honey was held up at the rear. Mother Russia was always travelling very well in the hands of Anton Marcus, and looked like she could assert herself at any moment. Captain’s Gal led well into the straight, but had little to offer by way of resistance once the favourite set sail for home.
Mother Russia had the lead inside the last 400m, and never looked like losing. Milk And Honey ran on strongly from the rear of the small field, but she was always chasing shadows and was beaten 1.75 lengths by her stable companion at the line. Captain’s Gal was a further two lengths behind in third, with Lisa Anne fourth. Queen’s Bay was a little disappointing and could only finish 6.25 lengths behind Mother Russia in fifth, but this easy winner of a Gr 3 race over 1800m in October is almost certainly better over more than 1600m. In any case, the Mike Azzie stable is not in the greatest form at present and Queen’s Bay will more than likely rise above what she showed here, but she did face Mother Russia on 2.5 kgs worse terms than in a handicap and really had it all to do at these weights anyway.
Mother Russia was 1.5 kgs better in with Milk And Honey than would have been the case in a handicap and the De Kock duo probably ran pretty much to form. The winner may now be taken to Cape Town for one or both of the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes and Gr 1 Majorca Stakes. The latter is a race she won last season, when trained by Joey Ramsden, and she would have a very good chance of the double if she is taken to Kenilworth for another try.
Mother Russia is right up with best of her gender in the country, and one can only hazard a wild guess at what it took for her current owner, Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift, to buy her privately from Klawervlei Stud at the start of this season. A four-year-old daughter of Windrush, she is out of the Russian Fox mare Russian Muse and was bred at Normandy Stud. She was originally a R160 000 purchase from the 2007 GrandWest Yearling Sale and has won ten times from 18 starts in total, earning R1 519 638.

Turffontein, South Africa, December 5, R300.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.37.71 (CR 1.35.44).
MOTHER RUSSIA (SAF), 60.0, b f 4, Windrush - Russian Muse (SAF) by Russian Fox. Owner Wilgerbosdrift Ltd; breeder Normandy Stud (SAf); trainer MF de Kock; jockey A Marcus (R187.500)
Milk And Honey, 56.5, ch m 5, Belong To Me - Perfect Valley (BRZ) by Clackson (BRZ)
Captain's Gal (SAF), 56.5, b f 4, Captain Al (SAF) - Isle Of Capri (SAF) by Centenary
Margins: 1¾, 2 1¼
Also ran: Lisa Anne (SAF) 56.5, Queen's Bay (SAF) 57.0, Saltwater Girl (SAF) 56.5, Run Angel Run (SAF) 58.5, Nightstalker (SAF) 56.0

Southern Cross S. (SAf-G2) (12/5)

The Southern Cross Stakes for fillies and mares over 1000m at Kenilworth on Saturday proved to be a triumph for prominent Cape owner Hassen Adams, whose colours were carried by both the winner and runner-up, albeit for different yards.

It was Justin Snaith-trained Dance With Al who came out on top, running on too strongly for Darryl Hodgson’s Servilia. Remarkably perhaps, both horses were coming back from lengthy breaks, with Dance With Al not having raced since finishing second in the Gr2 KZN Fillies Guineas in May and Servilia starting for the first time since going close behind Favourite Island in a Listed event at Fairview in July.
Gauteng raider Mocachino was the 33/10 favourite in a field of 12 for this WFA contest, with Servilia a heavily backed 4/1 second favourite and Dance With Al the 5/1 third choice of punters. Mocachino never really got into the race at any stage before finishing seventh, leaving her nearest market rivals to dominate the outcome. Scintillia – a stable companion to the eventual winner – set a brisk early pace with Touch Of Tuscan showing plenty of speed wider out. Dance With Al was well positioned on the heels of the leaders, with Isabella’s Princess showing early pace as well. Scintilla was still hanging on gamely coming to the last 200m, but Dance With Al was now mounting her challenge as Servila began to unwind a finish wider out. Dance With Al ran on much too strongly for her fellow Adams colour-bearer, though, and was punched out by Felix Coetzee to beat Servilia by 1.25 lengths.
Scintilla managed to stay on to finish third, a further 1.25 lengths behind the runner-up and a neck in front of sole three-year-old Seminole, who stayed on steadily to take fourth place. Favourite Island never looked like repeating her Fairview defeat of Servilia and finished with only two rivals behind her in her first appearance since changing stables.
This represented a considerable training feat by the Snaith team. Dance With Al hadn’t raced for almost seven months, but she obviously came here in fine fettle and improved very nicely on her fifth place finish in the corresponding race of 2008. She stays 1600m, and is a versatile sort who may well have a go at the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes over 1200m before stepping back up to a mile for a race like the Gr 1 Majorca Stakes.
Four-year-old Dance With Al is a daughter of prolific sire Captain Al. She is the eighth foal and fifth winner produced from Dancing Champ mare Dancing Miss, who was placed a few times but never won a race. Bred by Willem Engelbrecht, Dance With Al was bought for R165 000 at the 2007 National Two Year Old Sale. She has won four times from 12 starts, earning R324 575.

Kenilworth, South Africa, December 5, R200.000, 1000m, turf, good, 59.07 (CR 56.67).
DANCE WITH AL (SAF), 58.0, b f 4, Captain Al (SAF) - Dancing Miss (SAF) by Dancing Champ. Owner H Adams; breeder WJ Engelbrecht (Jnr) (SAf); trainer J Snaith; jockey F Coetzee (R125.000)
Servilia (SAF), 58.0, b f 4, Caesour - Lady Celeste (SAF) by Amour De Fleuve
Scintilla (SAF), 58.0, b f 4, Silvano (GER) - Scented Royal (SAF) by Royal Prerogative (GB)
Margins: 1¼, 1¼, nk
Also ran: Seminole (SAF) 54.0, Giant's Jewel (AUS) 58.0, Flying Boots (SAF) 58.0, Mochachino (SAF) 58.0, Touch Of Tuscan (SAF) 58.0, Promises To Keep (SAF) 58.0, Favourite Island (SAF) 58.0, Lenton Grove (SAF) 58.0, Isabella's Princes (SAF) 58.0

Magnolia Hcp (SAf-G3) (12/5)

Purple Lake took full advantage of a loophole in the handicapping system to retain her unbeaten record with victory in the Magnolia Handicap for fillies and mares over 1160m at Turffontein (standside) on Saturday.

Four scratching – Spring Clover amongst them – watered the field down somewhat for the Magnolia, but astute followers of handicapping would have detected that Purple Lake was running of a rating considerably lower than what it ought to have been. The four-year-old had trotted up on debut at Scottsville in August before easily winning a novice plate at Clairwood the following month, where she was the second lowest rated (70) horse in a field of ten yet slammed the 78-rated Street Cred by 2.5 lengths at level weights. In an unfettered system that might have earned Purple Lake a handicap mark of something in the low 80s, but winners of a plate race (other than maiden races) can only be penalized a maximum of six pounds and as such Purple Lake came to Turffontein rated 76.
This “plate race rule” is the sort of thing that can make nonsense of the handicapping system and purists hate it with a passion, but it creates potential betting opportunities and fans of Purple Lake had clearly done their homework. They supported Kumaran Naidoo’s runner into 19/10 favourite, and were well rewarded when she made all the running to land the honours.
Purple Lake has no shortage of speed and she was soon showing the way in front of Tamara’s Star and second favourite Picadilly Miss, with Bellotto Flash and Captivating Party further back. Picadilly Miss was under pressure and going nowhere fast a good 400m from home, and it was left to her stable companion Worldwise to present the KZN raider with her biggest challenge. Worldwise ran on strongly from the rear of the ten horse field, but Purple Lake had enough left in the tank to deny that older rival and beat Worldwise by three-quarters of a length under Muzi Yeni.
Dixie Lass finished 1.25 lengths further behind the runner-up in third, with Bellotto Flash beaten a total of five lengths into fourth, but last-started Listed winner Picadilly Miss finished with only the Kimberley-trained Summer Tune behind her.

Just what the result may have been had Purple Lake been racing off a mark four or five pounds higher is a matter of conjecture, but her artificially low MR was plainly a big help. Still, she has done nothing wrong, winning three times from as many starts, and her trainer deserves plenty of credit for spotting this opportunity and allowing Purple Lake to make her handicap debut in a valuable Graded race instead of a run-of-the-mill affair back home.
Purple Lake is from the first SA crop of Bluebird stallion Lake Coniston. She is the eighth foal and fourth winner produced from Northern Guest mare Purple Dragon, who won four races over 1400/1700m. However, Purple Lake looks to be every inch a sprinter and has inherited the speed of her sire, who was a Gr 1 winner over 1200m and was indeed the champion European sprinter of his year. Purple Lake was bred by Riverworld Stud and was an R85 000 purchase from the 2007 GrandWest Yearling Sale. She has now earned R184 375 in stakes.

Turffontein, South Africa, December 5, R165.000, 1160m, turf, good, 1.07.32 (CR 1.05.12).
PURPLE LAKE (SAF), 53.5, b f 4, Lake Coniston (IRE) - Purple Dragon (SAF) by Northern Guest. Owner K Singh, Y Naidoo, S Pillai, N Singh, J & N Deokynarain; breeder Riverworld Stud (SAf); trainer K G Naidoo; jockey M Yeni (84.375)
Worldwise (SAF), 53.5, ch m 6, Lavery (IRE) - Cosmo Girl (SAF) by Crown Collection
Dixie Lass (SAF), 53.5, b f 4, Anytime (IRE) - Klondyke Lass (SAF) by Allied Flag
Margins: ¾, 1¼, 3
Also ran:
Bellotto Flash (AUS) 53.5, Kesha (SAF) 53.5, Solar Voyager (SAF) 53.5, Tamara's Star (SAF) 53.5, Captivating Party (SAF) 54.5, Picadilly Miss (SAF) 60.0, Summer Tune (SAF) 53.5

Dingaans (SAf-G2) (11/28)