The R650 000 Kwazulu-Natal Breeders Mile heads the 10-race KZN Breeders Raceday programme at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday and the former East Cape star, Cherry Ano, looks set to take home the lion’s share of the purse for Owner-Breeder, Henning Pretorius.
Owner-breeder Henning Pretorius will be looking for a big effort from former East Cape star, Cherry Ano (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Cherry Ano, a 5yo son of Cape Town Noir, has won eight of his twenty five starts, with six of these victories coming over 1600 metres. Cherry Ano has had three starts in KwaZulu Natal since being relocated to the Summerveld-based stable of Wendy Whitehead and his last two starts have been most encouraging.
In his penultimate outing, Cherry Ano finished fourth behind the useful Underworld who has subsequently been supplemented for the Hollywoodbets Durban July after running a very close second in the Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Tria.
Then a month ago, Cherry Ano took third spot behind multiple Grade 1 winner, Dave The King, and that level of form is surely strong enough to suggest he will prove a tough nut to crack in this 11-strong field.
| Weather | Fine, 24 Degs, 0% Rain, 10-30Kph South South Westerly Tail Wind | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain Report | May 21mm – June 11mm | ||
| Rainfall | Last 24 Hours: Nil | Last 7 Days: Nil | |
| Irrigation | Last 24 Hours: 5mm (Turf) | Last 7 Days: 25mm (Turf) | |
| Penetrometer Reading | 24 (Turf) | ||
| Track Condition | Good To Soft (Turf) – Standard (Poly) | ||
| False Rail | 8m | ||
Based on official handicappers’ ratings the Sean Tarry-trained Dantonfromsandton would appear the biggest threat to Cherry Ano’s supremacy but the 3yo son of Willow Magic has yet to win beyond 1200m and is not guaranteed to see out this trip.
He was a remote fourth in the Byerley Turk over 1400m in March following which Dantonfromsandton won a very good race over 1200m when beating the talented Quantum Theory at the Vaal two months ago. Sean Tarry has over the years done remarkably well at the annual KZN Breeders’ Raceday but I fear that Dantonfromsandton’s lack of stamina might well be exposed here.
Soldier’s Eye is a useful 4yo daughter of Rabada and she represents the Highveld-based stable of Weiho Marwing with reigning national Champion apprentice Kobeli James Lihaba in the saddle.
Bruce Le Roux bred African Skyline beats Field Marshal in the Fever Tree Stakes in February. African Skyline is a serious contender on Sunday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Sporting the colours of Gerald Kalil, Lihaba rode Soldier’s Eye to victory in her most recent outing over 1600m at Turffontein and she could well finish in the money here. Hat’s Pride has been struggling to find his best form and has not won since 29 September 2023.
However, Glen Kotzen’s charge showed very useful potential earlier in his career, including when finishing fifth in the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas (Gr1) behind Snow Pilot. He is rated 18 pounds lower than Cherry Ano and given that in terms of the conditions of the KZN Breeders’ Mile he only receives 0,5kgs, it is a tall order to expect Hat’s Pride to have a clear winning chance.
A more interesting contender could be the relatively unexposed Legal Counsel from the stable of Champion trainer Justin Snaith.
The 3yo son of Legislate has won three of his seven starts and could prove better than his current rating (98) suggests. Legal Counsel will have no problem with the trip and his last run, when second behind Thisiswhatitmeans just three weeks ago, suggests that Snaith has him in very good shape. Saxon Dynasty is another lightly raced 3yo, having only had four starts to date for two wins.
By Querari, Saxon Dynasty will be ridden by championship-chasing Gavin Lerena but there is every chance that he will find 1600m very much on the sharp side, with his most recent victory having been recorded over 2200m.
As a 5-time winner African Skyline comes into the race with more than just a glimmer of hope.
Trained by Garth Puller, African Skyline won a minor Feature over 1500m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville in February but on the evidence of his last run in May, he should be safely held by Cherry Ano. Noble Tune, stable companion to Saxon Dynasty, has been struggling of late but two years back he ran second in this race behind MK’s Pride and then last year was certainly not disgraced when third behind the brilliant Mrs Geriatrix. He could prove a worthy inclusion in Trifecta and Quartet permutations.
Apache Son, Go Grayson Go and Kaygee’s Delight complete the line-up but it would come as something of a surprise if the winner was to emerge from this trio. In summary, Cherry Ano looks to carry too many guns for the opposition and is a confident selection to provide Henning Pretorius’ Summerhill Equestrian Stud with a Champagne-popping victory.
The first race on Sunday, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1400m, is due off at 11h40 and the popular ‘Win-If-You-Lose’ on-course competition will afford 10 Couples the opportunity to win entrance tickets to the 2025 R5-million Hollywoodbets Durban July on Saturday 5 July.
