Sporting Post Sprint - 20 April 2022 by Sporting Post

ANTE-POST BETTING KOMMETDIEDING

6/1

REUNION

66/1

LINEBACKER

10/1

CAT DADDY

66/1

SAFE PASSAGE

12/1

CRIMSON KING

66/1

DOUBLE SUPERLATIVE

14/1

DIVINE ODYSSEY

66/1

HOEDSPRUIT

14/1

FIREALLEY

66/1

POMP AND POWER

14/1

MARIGOLD HOTEL

66/1

SPARKLING WATER

14/1

NATIVE TONGUE

66/1

RAIN IN HOLLAND

16/1

NEBRAAS

66/1

JET DARK

20/1

PERFECT WITNESS

66/1

WARRIOR

20/1

SALVATOR MUNDI

66/1

ARAGOSTA

20/1

SILVANO'S TIMER

66/1

BELGARION

20/1

SOVEREIGN SPIRIT

66/1

DO IT AGAIN

25/1

SUPER SILVANO

66/1

COSMIC HIGHWAY

25/1

TRISTFUL

66/1

ZAPATILLAS

25/1

JOHNNY HERO

75/1

AL MUTHANA

25/1

SHANGO

75/1

MK'S PRIDE

25/1

ONE WAY TRAFFIC

75/1

SECOND BASE

33/1

SHANGANI

75/1

PUERTO MANZANO

33/1

FUTURE PRINCE

75/1

ZEUS

33/1

LYRICAL DANCE

75/1

ZILLZAAL

33/1

MASTER REDOUTE

75/1

MARINA

40/1

MOTOWN MAGIC

75/1

PACAYA

40/1

RUSSIAN ROCK

100/1

RED SAXON

40/1

BINGWA

100/1

LITIGATION

40/1

CROWN TOWERS

100/1

NETTA

40/1

CHOLLIMA

100/1

OUTOFTHEDARKNESS

50/1

FLYING BULL

100/1

ASTRIX

50/1

MARCHINGONTOGETHER

150/1

FLYING CARPET

50/1

CALIBRE CREST

150/1

WATERBERRY LANE

50/1

DECORATED

150/1

PAISLEY PARK

50/1

GREAT AFFAIR

150/1

SPRINKLES

50/1

NAVAL GUARD

150/1

NEVER ENDING RAIN

66/1

ORIGAMI

150/1

SENSO UNICO

66/1

PASSAGE OF POWER

150/1

3 Betting courtesy of Hollywoodbets. Ante-post betting rules apply. Betting is subject to change. E&OE.

The stampede in 2021 – both winner Kommetdieding (Gavin Lerena) and runner-up Linebacker (Grant van Niekerk) could be back! Third-placed Got The Greenlight (Muzi Yeni) is now at stud in KZN

With a star-studded first entry announced earlier today, Mzansi is on track to welcome the crowds back to Hollywoodbets Greyville in Durban as the countdown has begun on the yellow brick road to horseracing fame and fortune in the R5 million Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July.

Appropriately billed as Africa’s Greatest Horseracing event, the 126th renewal of the 2200m championship will be held at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday 2 July, and will be run for the richest stake in the famous race’s proud history. As regulations currently stand, the 2022 renewal will welcome

crowds back to the premier horseracing and social spectacular for the first time since 2019! Announcing the 68 first entries – an increase of 28% on the 2021 subscription – Gold Circle’s Graeme Hawkins described the list of equine stars who will bid

Candiese Lenferna

‘The lady trainers have rewritten the turf history books in recent times, with Marinaresco (2017) giving Candice Bass-Robinson the honour of being the first female to saddle a July winner in over a century. Then Michelle Rix did it again in 2021…’

for a place in the final field of eighteen as the who’s who of South African thoroughbred horseracing. First-up entries for Africa’s richest graded stakes race, sponsored this year for the first time by South Africa’s international sportsbook operator, Hollywoodbets,

include representatives from all three major racing centres nationally. “The announcement of the first entries today for the Hollywoodbets Durban July is a milestone in the build-up to Africa’s premier raceday. The enthusiastic response from owners and trainers via

the 68 entries has shown that the prestige of the race, combined with the bolstered incentive of the R5 million stakes pot, is a major drawcard. It’s a great honour and privilege to have the Hollywoodbets brand associated with an iconic horseracing event that is recognised across

the globe. We have already seen major interest in the ante-post betting market, and there will be some value to be found amongst the first entries. The real fun commences in a matter of weeks as Champions Season gets underway,” enthused Hollywoodbets Brand & Communications Manager, Devin Heffer. Gold Circle’s Racing Executive Raf Sheik has expressed his delight with the quality of entries received for the R5-million Hollywoodbets Durban July, “The response from owners and trainers across the country has been phenomenal. The 68 entries received include 13 individual Grade 1 winners as well as 3 former winners of this great race. The depth of talent amongst the early entries is most pleasing and it will be exciting to follow their progress over the next two months.” As stated, the glittering galaxy of stars hosts a trio of past winners in Do It Again (2018/2019), Belgarion (2020) and popular defending champion, and current SA Horse Of The Year elect, Kommetdieding. The latter, widely hailed as the ‘People’s Horse’, is currently campaigning in Gauteng, where he is due to compete in the Gr1 Premiers Champions Challenge at the end of this month.

Reigning SA Champion trainer Justin Snaith, who bids this year to join the legendary Terrance Millard with six winners and just one behind horseracing folk hero Syd Laird - who holds the July record of a scintillating seven winners - has shown he means business with a powerful entry of twelve.

generation are on a double after Kommetdieding’s thrilling victory in 2021, we have to go back to Do It Again (2018), Pomodoro (2012), Bold Silvano (2010) and Big City Life in 2009, for the other stars of that age group to grab top honours this century.

Snaith, who said earlier that Hollywoodbets’ injection of cash into the stakes pot had been a ‘game changer’, could well find his national title defence aspirations hinging on the outcome of the 2 July extravaganza.

Past Durban July winning trainers with a possible runner in 2022 include Mike de Kock (5 entries), Sean Tarry (8 entries), Dean Kannemeyer (4 entries), Glen Kotzen ( 4 entries ), Candice Bass-Robinson (2 entries), and Michelle Rix (1 entry).

His Turffontein counterpart Paul Peter, who saddled the Jackpot at the Vaal on Tuesday afternoon, has nine representatives, including his Tuesday Vaal winner Flying Bull, who is priced up at 100-1 in the Hollywoodbets Durban July ante-post market.

The lady trainers have rewritten the turf history books in recent times, with Marinaresco (2017) giving Candice Bass-Robinson the honour of being the first female to saddle a July winner in over a century.

Also in the Peter class of 2022 is the never-say-die MK’s Pride, who recently won the Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes for passionate first-time owner, MK ‘Koos’ Nkale. The Pretoria resident is a lifetime Kaizer Chiefs fan, and a victory for the warrior in the black and gold silks would reverberate across the nation. The presence of 24 three year olds is an encouraging sign, and while the sophomore

Michelle Rix, who trains out of Milnerton in partnership with her former jockey Dad Harold Crawford, repeated the feat just four years later with Kommetdieding, before she went on to saddle the Cape star to script her own piece of history and win the Gr1 Cape Town Met presented by World Sports Betting. Randjesfontein-based Hollywoodbets sponsored trainer Candice Dawson (Perfect Witness) and leading Vaal lady conditioner Ashley

Fortune (Sovereign Spirit) make up a powerful quartet. The last time a filly won the Durban July was in 2011, when the superstar Igugu produced the magic for Mike de Kock and Anthony Delpech. The fairer sex entry this year numbers eight, and Mike de Kock will be looking to add to a quartet of July winning trophies in his sizeable trophy cabinet with another filly in recent Colorado King Stakes placer Sparkling Water, a daughter of multiple SA champion sire Silvano, who races in the instantly recognisable silks of

Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift.

July victory in 1999.

Another top-notch fairer sex candidate is Drakenstein’s 2022 SA Triple Tiara princess Rain In Holland, who will bid to give former multiple SA Champion trainer Sean Tarry his third victory in the race.

Besides the four-legged champions, Africa’s Greatest Horseracing event is synonymous with trackside glamour and fashion, and Durban’s social event of the year attracts the A to Z of the continent’s professional and once-a-year fashionistas.

Summerveld-based Robbie Hill (Passage Of Power) enjoys the unique distinction of being the only trainer in the 2022 entry list to have ridden a Durban July winner. Hill was aboard the tough as teak dual winner El Picha, when the Argentinianbred gelding scored his first

There is already a ‘buzz’ – pardon the pun – around the 2022 theme, Show Me The Honey, and the broader fashion community and student designers have responded with enthusiasm

to the new incentives put in place for the Hollywoodbets Durban July Young Designer Award presented by Durban Fashion Fair competition that kick-starts the raceday fashion programme. The Hollywood Foundation has stepped in to offer an extra R100 000 in incentives to the students that emerge in the top three places of the competition. The structure of the buildup to the big race over the next ten exciting weeks will see racing fans making use of the regular big race logs published by the racing operator and handicappers as a handy reference tool when considering their

Hollywoodbets Durban July ante-post betting options. Looking ahead, first declarations for the big race close at 11h00 on Monday 9 May, with owners and trainers being given another opportunity to realise a dream as first supplementary entries close at 11h00 on Tuesday 10 May. • Second declarations by 11h00 on Monday 30 May. • Final supplementary entries close at 11h00 on Tuesday 14 June. • The big race weights will be published on Tuesday 14 June. • Final declarations close at 11h00 on Monday, 20 June.

• The announcement of the Final Field and Barrier Draws will take place on Tuesday, 21 June. • The Hollywoodbets Durban July public gallops will be held at the host venue on the morning of Thursday 23 June. Watch the media for news of ticket sales and get ready to Show Me The Honey on 2 July! Keep pace with the R5 million Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July on www. hollywoodbetsdurbanjuly. co.za

Chase Liebenberg Chase Liebenberg

Cover Image Candiese Lenferna captured the stampede and finish of the 2021 Durban July

Cape star Real Gone Kid could be a massive runner on Champions Day

Real Gone Kid Eyes Gr1 The visitors have a fighting record in the R1 million Gr1 Computaform Sprint, which will be contested over 1000m at Turffontein on Saturday 30 April.

While the slightly out-of-sorts Rio Querari will not be back to defend his title later this month, 4 of the 23 entries received earlier this week for the speed duel are raiders.

Over the last decade, the hometown hopefuls have had to watch in awe as Val De Ra (2011, Dennis Drier), What A Winter (2013, Mike Bass), Copper Parade (2014, Yvette Bremner), Attenborough (2018, Joey Ramsden), Pacific Trader (2019, Brett Crawford) and Rio Querari (2021, Justin Snaith) have dashed off with the spoils.

Candice Bass-Robinson has entered African Rain (113) and Mr Cobbs (113), while Summerveld-based Kumaran Naidoo looks to have an optimistic ticket in Faustino (86). But the away hopes look to lie largely with Brett Crawford speedball Real Gone Kid (112), who went into the Gr1 Pongracz Cape Flying

Championship off four straight victories. The beautifully-bred son of multiple Australian champion sire Snitzel has won 6 of his 11 starts and was only a length off shock Joburg winner Bohica in the Cape speed flagship on Met day. With his having furnished into a magnificent specimen as a 4yo, there has already been hints of a career on the illustrious Ridgemont Highlands stallion roster. A Gr1 victory looks well within the scope of the flyer and this could be his big chance.

An interesting entry is 2021 Computaform Sprint runnerup Bohica (125), who won the Cape Flying Championship at any price at his penultimate start. There was some prerace concern at his last outing, where trainer Adam Azzie expressed concerns that the son of Capetown Noir was ‘not himself’. Despite the reservations, he showed plenty of toe and ran a fair 2,10 length fourth behind True To Life in a Pinnacle on Derby Day. Man O’War Sprint winner Master Archie (5-1) currently tops the Hollywoodbets ante-

post betting boards, with Real Gone Kid quoted at 8-1. Cape star and SA Horse Of The Year elect Kommetdieding is one of 14 first entries for the R2 million Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge to be run at Turffontein on the same day. Kommetdieding recently stepped out for his first run on the Highveld and finished a well beaten third behind MK’s Pride and Puerto Manzano in the R1 million Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Gr1 Horse Chestnut Stakes. He is likely to strip a more serious threat over the 2000m

on 30 April and takes on both MK’s Pride and Puerto Manzano again. MK’s Pride has proven to be a model of consistency and it will be interesting to see whether his connections take their chances over the trip. Supplementary entries close at 09h00 on Friday 22 April. Declarations are by 11h00 on Monday 25 April. The draws and final field announcement will be made at a live event on Monday 25 April 2022 at a venue and time to be advised.

Chase Liebenberg

Candice Bass-Robinson and Aldo Domeyer will tackle the WSB Gr3 Variety Club Mile with Sugar Mountain on Sunday

CAPE PLAYS SECOND FIDDLE TO ROYALS The postponement of last Saturday’s Royal Raceday has meant that the Kenilworth meeting scheduled for Saturday 23 April has been moved to Sunday 24 April. The decision has been met with some unfavourable reaction from Cape stakeholders, who say that little consultation was undertaken. 4Racing stated that due to insufficient jockeys being

available, an agreement was concluded with Cape Racing and Gold Circle that the Kenilworth meeting - featuring the first legs of the Winter 3 year old Series - would move to Sunday, alongside the Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting. The Sporting Post will be canvassing some reaction on the aspect with 4Racing please visit www.sportingpost. co.za for more later today.

In a media release issued on Sunday afternoon, 4Racing advised that their decision to postpone last Saturday’s HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco Empress Club Stakes race meeting at Turffontein to coming Saturday was not taken lightly and it certainly isn’t the norm to make such an early call. The recent weather patterns have been anything but normal and after a period of heavy rain the previous

weekend and earlier in the week, the water table remains extremely high. Even though there had been some respite from the rainy weather when the decision was taken on Friday, the weather forecast for Saturday proved accurate as the rain started at just after 10:30am and continued unabated through the day. Over 20mm was recorded by early afternoon and the total for Saturday was just under 40mm. As advised in 4Racing’s Friday press release, the track, whilst raceable on Friday, still had plenty of moisture in it. Penetrometer readings taken at lunch-time on Friday averaged 25 and with anything from 18mm to 40mm forecast for Saturday,

4Racing took the decision to postpone the meeting in the best interests of all concerned. 4Racing’s Racing Executive, Patrick Davis, and his track team were unanimous in their assessment that the track would not handle any meaningful rain on Saturday. Numerous calls to the SA weather service were made to confirm the various forecasts of 100% chance of significant rain on Saturday. It’s worth adding that had the forecast predicted a chance of missing the rain on Saturday, 4Racing would have delayed the decision until Saturday morning. Further, as the forecast was for the rain to continue overnight on Saturday and into Sunday/

Monday, a postponement to Sunday or even Wednesday night were ruled out. Had 4Racing decided to proceed with the race meeting, at very best they might have got through the first couple of races before the track would have become unsafe to continue. This would have ended up costing all stakeholders dearly financially, as well as in wasted time and effort. 4Racing will always act in the interest of the wellness and safety of all role players and now looks forward to the Gr1 HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco Empress Club Stakes raceday taking place on Saturday 23 April – when hopefully conditions will be favourable.

Mauritzfontein Celebrate Mauritzfontein’s exciting new stallion Digital Age hails from a truly outstanding family and his female line was yet again to the fore yesterday when promising two-year-old Carmela made a stunning, winning debut at Yarmouth. A first ever winner for her sire Tasleet (who like Digital Age hails from the Green Desert male line), Carmela broke well and was always travelling strongly in the five-furlong heat. It took only a shake of the reins from jockey Richard Kingscote for her to surge clear of her

rivals, and she eventually won by a cosy two and a quarter lengths. Her trainer Dave Loughnane holds Carmela in high regard and he plans to run her next in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot. The filly sports legendary racemare Time Charter as her fourth dam, with that brilliant mare also fifth dam of Digital Age. One of the finest racemares to race in Britain in the 1980’s, Time Charter was Britain’s Champion 3yo Filly 18 of 1982 and Britain’s top-rated

older filly/mare for both 1983 and 1984. Her descendant Digital Age, a son of outstanding sire Invincible Spirit, showed top-class form on the turf, with his victories headed by a win in the 2020 Gr1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes -a race won previously by such stellar performers as Manila, Lure and subsequently highly successful sire English Channel.

Pauline Herman

Richard Fourie has Follow The Star in front as Ancient Epic stays on under Kaidan Brewer

FAIRER SEX REIGN SUPREME Glen Kotzen owns and trains the moneyspinning slightly built chestnut stayer Follow The Star. While she is nothing much to look at, the lady has a heart the size of Paarl Rock. On Friday she picked up a deserved maiden stakes victory when she registered a hat-trick for the fairer sex in the R175 000 Listed Glenlair Trophy. While the 2800m feature was not run in covid-ravaged 2020, it was won by the subsequent East Cape Champion Stayer Onesie (Ideal World) in 2019, and in 2021 by Duke Of Marmalade’s daughter Miss

Orange, who returned in her title defence on Friday, but couldn’t find the money. After topweight Master Supreme had set an honest pace for a long way, stablemate Ancient Times moved up dangerously under progressive apprentice Kaidan Brewer, only to be outgunned late by the pocket rocket Follow The Star. Richard Fourie rode a confident race on the popular winner who started at 11-10. She is a model of consistency and went on to beat Ancient Times (33-1) by 1,25 lengths in a time of 181,17 secs.

Another Smith charge in Find Me Unafraid (10-1) stayed on for third, a further 2,50 lengths back in third. Bred by Scott Bros, Follow The Star is a daughter of the deceased multiple SA Champion Silvano (Lomitas) out of the six time winning Galileo mare, Dance To The Stars. A winner of 6 races (including two non-black type features) with 12 places from 26 starts. Follow The Star has earned R492 050 and is racing with plenty of zest at the age of 5.

‘The prejudice by breeders against staying mares when they go to stud is all too well known, and is primarily dictated by commercial considerations’

Greg Ennion’s Sangria Girl wins the Reserve Stayers under Karl Neisius

LADIES WHO STAY ALL DAY Follow The Star's fluent win in the Glenlair Trophy continued the stranglehold of the fairer sex on the Fairview race. The Silvano mare, who already had the Listed East Cape Oaks on her resume, is the third consecutive female winner of the 2800m marathon won by the now Ridgemont Highlands-based Onesie in 2019, and in 2021

by Duke Of Marmalade’s daughter Miss Orange. The Covid pandemic put paid to the 2020 race. Top female stayers are a neglected species in this country for the simple reason that our racing programme does not cater for stayers in general, and older female stayers in particular. To the writer's knowledge, the Gr3 Track and Ball Oaks and the

Listed Spook Express and River Jetez Handicaps are the only black type races reserved for older staying fillies and mares, which leaves them no option but to take on their male counterparts. Yet history shows that in recent years, a number of fillies and mares have proven more than capable of holding their own in the country's top

staying races. Let's take a look. Dean Kannemeyer-trained mare Colonial Girl rang in the new millenium with a career high victory in the 2000 Gr1 Gold Cup at Hollywoodbets Greyville, a feat which earned her an Equus award as the season's Champion Female Stayer. Nineteen years were to go by before another filly, the four-year-old Dynasty's Blossom, landed the country's premier staying race, in the process leading home a onetwo for the late Dynasty.

As a five-year-old, she also won the Gr3 Gold Vase, her victory coming a decade after Mike de Kock-trained Equiparada showed her male rivals a clean pair of heels in the 3000m race. Also third in the Gr2 SA Oaks, this Argentinian-bred out of a halfsister to the mighty Empress Club, Epoque and Ecurie, was sadly lost to our gene pool when sent to Australia for broodmare duties. Another Champion Female Stayer, the New Zealand-bred Lady Of The Turf, became the first of three female winners

of the two-mile Gold Bowl by defeating future dual Gr1 winner Young Rake in 2000. Fourteen years later, Fort Wood's daughter Magic Smoke landed the 3200m race, with third place going to the filly Rodeo Sioux, who as a broodmare would achieve fame as the dam of this season's Gr1 SA Classic winner Red Saxon. Silvano's daughter Sunshine Silk rounded out the trio when adding her name to the honour roll in 2019, this after winning the Gr3 Caradoc

Pauline Herman

The game Onesie wins the 2019 Glenlair Trophy Gold Cup over 2850m. Trained by Geoff Woodruff for Ashley Devachander, she is the only female winner to complete the double. Eight years earlier, SA Oaks victress Arcole landed the Caradoc in some style, coming home smoking to score by no less than four lengths. Her victory was no surprise since her female line oozes stamina. She is one of three Oaks winners produced by Star Of Arcole, who won up to 2500m, while grandam Arcole landed both the Natal Oaks and Gold Vase. Arcola's half-sister Princess

Of Light, a daughter of sprinter Var, won the Natal Oaks, ran second in the Gr1 Gold Cup and third in the Gold Bowl and another sibling, Drill Sargeant, boasted a win, a second and a third in the Port Elizabeth Gold Cup over 3600m. The Eastern Cape's Champion Stayer of 2019, Onesie reserved her place in history as the only female to complete the Glenlair Trophy/Port Elizabeth Gold Cup double. She is also the last winner of South Africa's longest race, as the distance was reduced to 3200m in 2020. The J&B Reserve Stayers, a popular staying race which

traditionally brings down the curtain on the Met meeting, has been won four times by fillies in recent times. The first was Champion Female Stayer Almah, who ran out an easy winner in 2002. An own sister to Caradoc Gold Cup winner Zambomba, this daughter of Al Mufti also placed in the Gold Vase, Caradoc Gold Cup and Gold Bowl and went on to score three times over the sticks in the UK. Sangria Girl won the Reserve Stayers not once, but twice for Greg Ennion, claiming victory in 2009 and 2010. Like Princess Of Light, she

A youthful Dean Kannemeyer and Glen Hatt (far right) in the Gold Cup winner’s circle in 2000 is somewhat of an anomaly, her sire being Al Mufti's half-brother Wolfhound, a European champion sprinter. The most recent female winner is Snapscan, who won the race in 2019, a daughter of the versatile Oratorio. Finally, the prejudice by breeders against staying mares when they go to stud is all too well known and is primarily dictated by commercial considerations. That is probably a discussion for another day, yet, off the top of my head, successful broodmares Exeter Chimes, Devon Air and Festive Forever all won the Gold Cup.

Furthermore, of those covered in this article, Colonial Girl has bred Gr3 winner and SA Oaks third Peggy Jay, while Arcola is the dam of Gr2 Fillies Guineas winner and Gr1-placed Fiorella as well as the multiple Zimbabwean stakes winner Verdier. Almah's Australian-bred daughter Sensible Lover found her way to South Africa and unlike her dam, showed plenty of zip to win the Gr3 Three Troika Stakes for Weiho Marwing, in addition to which she ran third in the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes.

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Pauline Herman

Craig Zackey has Bye Bye Bombshell flying

BORTZ BOMBSHELL WOWS THEM Trying the 2000m for the first time in her career, the Lammerskraal Stud-bred Duke Of Marmalade filly Bye Bye Bombshell registered her maiden stakes success when finishing strongly to win the R150 000 Listed East Cape Oaks at Fairview on Friday. The R300 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale graduate is trained by SA Champion Justin Snaith and races in the interests of Greg Bortz & Gina Goldsmith. She proved a touch too strong for her eight rivals as she moved up from some lengths off the gallop, and stormed clear at 33-10 under Craig

Zackey to beat the gallant longtime leader Monashada (33-1) by 1,50 lengths in a time of 126,28 secs. The winner’s stablemate Peut Etre Moi (15-4) appeared to run in snatches and was a further 1,25 lengths back in third. The talking horse, and eventual tote favourite, Winter Scout (2810) plodded when it counted and ran a modest fourth. The Lammerskraal Studbred winner is a daughter of Drakenstein’s deceased Danehill stallion Duke Of Marmalade out of Dubai Gina, who was acquired privately by Lammerskraal boss Pieter Graaff in an upgrade

of the champion nursery’s broodmare band. By leading broodmare sire Dubai Destination, Dubai Gina won four, including the Listed Sun Classique Handicap. She also ran third to Lammerskraal’s own Viva Maria in the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 of 2012. Dubai Gina, whose dam is by the great Sunday Silence, is out of a half-sister to the dam of 2016 Gr1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere winner National Defense. Bye Bye Bombshell has won 3 races with 3 places from 10 starts for stakes of R244 575.

Pauline Herman

Whatever Next (Greg Cheyne) stays on powerfully to beat Evie’s First (Lois Mxothwa) in an exciting finish

WHATEVER NEXT WINS FLYING FIVE A dual stakes-winning Nursery winner of his year, Whatever Next produced a sustained finishing effort to win the non black-type Fairview Flying Five at Fairview on Friday. The son of What A Winter was always in the firing line in the 1000m merit rating bands weighted speed duel, and tracked the pacy Stranger Danger for much of the trip. While he didn’t have things all his own way late in the race, Greg Cheyne kept the 3yo well balanced to

stave off challenges from tote favourite Evie’s First (9-2) and the late finishing joint topweight Pleasedtomeetyou (9-4) to win by half a length in a nippy 56,96 secs. Stranger Danger just faltered late and was run out of the Place Accumulator to finish a 1,35 length fourth. Trained by Alan Greeff, Whatever Next was winning his first race on turf as a 3yo and went off at 9-2. Now that he has found his confidence, he can hopefully

go on and fulfill his early promise. Raced by Anthony Williams and the Greeffs, Whatever Next was bred by Alec Foster and is a son of Equus Champion Sprinter What A Winter (Western Winter) out of the thrice winning Captain Al mare, Petala. A R100 000 buy from the 2020 CTS Ready To Run Sale, Whatever Next has won 5 races with 4 places from 12 starts for stakes of R363 750.

Pauline Herman Chase Liebenberg

Gavin Smith and his hundredth winner Ferrari Ice

SMITH’S FASTEST CENTURY Eight-times East Cape champion trainer Gavin Smith has well and truly buried the memories of a covid-ravaged 2020 and registered his fastest ever century of winners for the season when Ferrari Ice won the final race at Fairview on Friday. The 55 year old Hollywoodbets-sponsored trainer, who is holding a commendable fifth position on the SA national log, was enjoying the moment having ‘a cold one’ with his family at Fairview when he spoke to the Sporting Post.

“Things are ticking over nicely and it’s a massive team effort. One can’t do it without the horses, the owners and the staff. I am fortunate and we will enjoy today and it’s back to work early on Saturday,” he said. When asked about the prospects of winning the local championship again – Gavin is ten winners ahead of arch rival Alan Greeff – he laughed and said in typical Naas Botha ‘the Currie Cup is not won in May’ style, that the season had many months to run and that he and the team would keep their heads down and foot on the pedal.

The former Dean Kannemeyer-trained Ferrari Ice won a cracker under Kaidan Brewer to give the promising young Gautengbased apprentice a double on the day. The gelding’s victory in the eighth race rounded off three winners on the afternoon for the Smith Racing Team. The next racemeeting in Gqeberha is on Friday 22 April. The Listed East Cape Nursery heads the programme, with Gavin Smith and Alan Greeff saddling 6 of the 7 runners between them.

A Nursery Of Stars In a relatively short space of time, Drakenstein Stud has firmly established itself as one of the leading thoroughbred stud farms in South Africa. Among the ever growing list of stars bred by Drakenstein are champions such as Jeppe's Reef, Jet Dark, Kasimir, Rain In Holland and Horse Of The Year Oh Susanna. The farm, situated just outside of Franschoek, also pulled off a notable coup recently when the

Drakenstein bred and owned pair of Rain In Holland and Safe Passage won the Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas and Gr2 World Sports Betting Gauteng Guineas on the same day! The pair went on to subsequent win the Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic and finish second in the Gr1 World Sports Betting SA Classic respectively. Remarkably, Drakenstein Stud's record improved when Rain In Holland went on to capture the third leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara.

A daughter of Drakenstein's late sire Duke Of Marmalade, Rain In Holland joined a select band of fillies, namely Igugu, Cherry On The Top, Summer Pudding and War Of Athena, to claim the Triple Tiara when she went on to score a historic win in the recent Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks. Drakenstein Stud is home to a fine line up of stallions, headed by veteran champion sire Trippi, the highly successful What A Winter, former Horse Of The Year Futura, popular Met winner

One World and Trippi's Selangor Cup winning son Gold Standard. In 2016, Drakenstein, as Agent, consigned a colt by Twice Over out of the talented racemare Sweet Virginia to the National Yearling Sale. Knocked down to bloodstock agent John Freeman for R1 000 000,the colt, subsequently named Do It Again has gone on to enjoy an illustrious career. South Africa's Horse Of The Year in 2018-2019, Do It Again has earned in excess of R9 000 000, with the charismatic gelding's five graded wins headed by victories in the G1 Vodacom Durban July in both 2018 and 2019.

Drakenstein Stud will be offering a three-parts brother (Lot 205) to Do It Again at this year's National Yearling Sale, with that Twice Over colt just one of a number of blue blooded yearlings to grace Drakenstein's 2022 National Sale draft. This imposing draft is made up of yearlings sired by all of Duke Of Marmalade, Gimmethegreenlight, Master Of My Fate, Querari, Silvano, Trippi, Twice Over, Vercingetorix and What A Winter. Drakenstein will also be offering a number of yearlings sired by their sadly deceased G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winning War Front horse Lancaster Bomber.

They include Gold Gunner (Lot 189), a half-brother to Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint winner Chimichuri Run, Landseer (Lot 283), a half-brother to champion Kasimir and fellow Gr1 winner Afrikaburn, and Land Of Heaven (Lot 303). The latter is a colt whose dam is a winning Bernardini halfsister to the Drakenstein bred champion Oh Susanna. All the yearlings mentioned above can be viewed in blocks D, E and F.

Pauline Herman

MJ puts another subject on the spot! Ascot Stud bred the fifteen-time winner Global Drummer

HEAVENLY BLUES AND GLOBAL VIEWS Situated just outside Port Elizabeth, the Parker family's Ascot Stud has long ranked among South Africa's top thoroughbred breeders. The farm was started in 1966, with Ashley Parker taking over and running the operation after qualifying as a veterinarian.

It has gone from strength to strength over the years, with Ascot Stud boasting an impressive list of past alumni. Among the equine stars bred by the Parker family are Ascot's former resident sire, and globetrotting champion, Bold Silvano, and such Gr1 winners as Bold Respect, Coral Fever, Elusive Gold, Gulf Storm and Pacific Trader. The farm

also bred current East Cape champion Global Drummer who took his tally of wins to 15 when he won the recent Listed East Cape Sprint Cup. Ascot also bred the brilliant Rock Opera, a champion filly who went on to make her mark on the international stage as a broodmare. A daughter of the farm's Seeking The Gold sire

Lecture, Rock Opera was South Africa's Champion 2YO Filly of 2004-2005, with her wins headed by a score in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship. Rock Opera, however, proved even more successful at stud, producing Gr1 Criterium International winner, and now Australian sire, Royal Meeting, as well as Heavy Metal, a Gr2 winner both in Britain and in Dubai. Remarkably, Rock Opera was not the only star bred by Ascot to have made her mark in Australia. The Ascot Stud bred Warning Zone, South Africa's Champion 2YO Filly of 2003, produced Australian Gr3 winner Pittsburgh Flyer, and the latter in turn produced current Australian star September Run. The latter recently claimed the Gr1 3 Point Motors William Reid Stakes, with September

Run having also triumphed in the 2020 Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes. The farm has been home to a number of high-class stallions and mares, with its past sires headed by the very influential Al Mufti. The latter, South Africa's Champion Sire of 1999, left behind numerous high-class horses headed by Cape Guineas winner and multiple champion sire Captain Al, as well as the dams of such standout performers as the aforementioned Bold Silvano and fellow globetrotting champion Jay Peg. Remarkably, Ashley assisted in returning the blue blooded Al Mufti back from a suspensory injury to finish second in the 1991 July, despite losing a shoe in the race.

The current roster at Ascot is headed by Galileo's well performed son Global View and Snitzel's Gr1 SA Classic winning son Heavenly Blue. The latter has some very well bred members of his first crop on offer at the upcoming National Yearling Sale, with Ascot set to offer two Heavenly Blue colts at April's auction. This pair is headed by a half-brother to current East Cape star Global Drummer and G1 winning sprinter Gulf Storm. Other standout lots in the Ascot Stud's National Sale draft this year include Stormy Choice (Lot 198), a Querari filly out of a stakes winning daughter of Fort Wood, and Adderley (Lot 269), a Silvano half-brother to Gr1 Computaform Sprint winner Pacific Trader.

KLAWERVLEI – KOMMETDIEDING AND OTHER CONQUERORS

MJ puts another subject on the spot! 44

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MJ puts another subject on the spot! 45

Klawervlei Stud, South Africa's Leading Breeders of 2020-2021, are enjoying another fine season this year. The farm's current flagbearers include none other than Kommetdieding, winner of last season's Gr1 Vodacom Durban July and this season's Gr1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met, multiple graded stakes winner Seeking The Stars, Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery winner Epsom Girl and stakes winners Full Velocity and Vaseem. Situated at Wagenboomheuwel farm on the banks of the Breede River, Klawervlei, which was started as a partnership between Peter Koster and his son John, has become a cornerstone of the South African thoroughbred industry, with the farm churning out top-class horses year in and year out. Among the numerous Gr1 winners/champions bred by Klawervlei are Always In Charge, Carry On Alice, Edict Of Nantes, Just Sensual, One World, and globetrotting sprint star Shea Shea. The farm also pulled off a notable feat in last year's 2021 Gr1 Vodacom Durban July where the Klawervlei bred pair of Kommetdieding and Linebacker finished first

and second respectively. Klawervlei breds also finished a remarkable 1-2-3-4 in the 2021 Gr2 World Sports Betting Guineas.` Klawervlei Stud, foundered in 1953, owes plenty of its recent success to the deeds of the farm's legendary sire Captain Al. The latter, Champion Sire in South Africa in both 2014-2015 and 2017-2018 , left behind more than 100 stakes winners, with the lengthy list of Captain Al sired stars including such Equus Champions as All Is Secret, Always In Charge, Captain Of All, Captain's Lover, Celtic Sea, Cloth Of Cloud, Kasimir and the remarkable, Klawervlei bred, Carry On Alice. The farm's current stallion roster is made up of Captain Al's champion son Captain Of All, the successful July winning sire Pomodoro, Uncle Mo horse Royal Mo, consistently successful stallion Twice Over and the Klawervlei bred Cape Guineas winner William Longsword. The Bonnievale farm made headlines at last year's National Sale when selling a Gimmethegreenlight colt fetching R2 800 000 to the bid from Form Bloodstock's Jehan Malherbe.

Klawervlei will be offering an outstanding draft at this year's National Yearling Sale, with this string made up of yearlings sired by such top-class stallions as Gimmethegreenlight, Querari, Rafeef, Trippi, What A Winter and the Klawervlei bred, champion sire elect, Vercingetorix. A few of the highlights in this draft include a Vercingetorix half-sister (Lot 86) to dual Gr1 winning champion Edict Of Nantes, a Vercingetorix full-brother (Lot 150) to four time graded stakes winner Seeking The Stars, a Gimmethegreenlight filly (Lot 220) out of dual G1 winner Thunder Dance, a Gimmethegreenlight filly (Lot 274) out of Captain Al's champion daughter All Is Secret, and a William Longsword half-brother (Lot 260) to dual Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle. The farm's grooms will also be represented at the 2022 National Yearling Sale, offering a colt (Lot 187) by current sire sensation Rafeef out of a stakes placed, three time winning daughter of Captain Al. Klawervlei's National Sale draft can be found in Block H at the TBA Complex in Germiston.

LAMMERSKRAAL – QUALITY THE KEY The Ceres based Lammerskraal Stud is a farm famed for consistently producing high-quality racehorses. Renowned for its topclass broodmare band, Lammerskraal, originally a wheat-farm, was purchased by the late Mike Rattray in 1983 with the help of John Kramer. Greatly aided by then stud manager Sally Jourdan (now Bruss), the farm quickly become a powerhouse in the South African thoroughbred industry. Much of Lammerskraal's success was owed to their

outstanding, late resident stallion Western Winter. The latter was Champion Sire three times in South Africa, and left behind nearly 100 stakes winners headed by such champions as Argonaut, Bad Girl Runs, Winter Solstice, Yard-Arm and current top-class sire What A Winter. With Lindi Garlicki as Stud Manager, the farm currently stands Gr1 King's Bishop Stakes winner Visionaire, whose progeny include champion Good Traveller and top-class fillies Heaps Of Fun and Takingthepeace.

The honour roll at Lammerskraal is a long and impressive one, and is headed by former South African Horse Of The Year champions Celtic Grove and Yard-Arm, with other equine luminaries to have graduated off the farm including Triple Crown winner Abashiri (a close relative of Yard-Arm), and fellow Gr1 winners Capetown Noir, Hinterland, Ice Cube, Kale, Nania, Rudra, Set Afire, Surveyor, and Viva Maria. In recent years, notable alumni to have emerged from Lammerskraal include G1 winning sprinter Warrior's

Rest, Gr2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes winner Gimme Dat, and Gr2 Cape Merchants victor Vikram. Since 2014, Lammerskraal Stud has been owned by Pieter Graaff. During that time, Pieter has endeavoured to purchase a number of very well performed broodmares to add to an already very impressive band of 60 mares.

The farm will be offering yearlings by a host of different stallions at this year's National Sale, including Erupt, Gimmethegreenlight, Lancaster Bomber, Master Of My Fate, Querari, Var and resident sire Visionaire. A few potential highlights here include an Erupt colt (Lot 245) out of Jet Master's G1 winning daughter Viva Maria, a Visionaire half-brother (Lot 295) to the Gr1 Woolavington

2000 winning Viva Maria and fellow G1 winner Warrior's Rest, a Var half-brother (Lot 392) to the Gr1 placed Ibhayi Stakes winner Fabian, and a Visionaire colt (Lot 428) out of a Gr1 winning daughter of Met winning champion Imperious Sue. The draft can be viewed in Block F at the TBA Complex during the week prior to this year's National Sale.

Supplied

MJ puts another subject on the spot! Bard Of Avon – much loved by trainer Ashley Fortune

Cola Dispersal – Vaal On Thursday A reminder that the dispersal sale of thoroughbreds owned by the Estate of the Late Jumat Cola will be conducted by Cape Thoroughbred Sales (CTS) after the last race at the Vaal racecourse on Thursday, 21 April.

The sale offers three geldings, a colt, and a filly. They are either in training, already racing, or ready to race for the first time, and all but one is based at the Vaal with Ashley Fortune. Top of the list is the lightlyraced and well-performed Bard

Of Avon (VAR), a three-time winner from nine starts and graded-placed up to 1400m. He is a talented performer, with class and scope, and has a good career ahead of him. A share of 33% will be auctioned. Run For The Sun is a maiden

gelding by Pomodoro, who has raced seven times for two places and looks to have a win in him, having run a few fair races. Master Of Change is a threeyear-old gelding by Master Of My Fate, and both he and the three-year-old Where’s That Tiger filly Tsitsikamma Pearl, are ready to beentered for a race. “They are both in full work and doing well, certainly worth a look at” said Andrew Fortune on behalf of Fortune Racing.

The filly is a half-sister to the 121 merit rated Gr1 Mercury Sprint winner, Pearl Of Asia.

Vaal

Also offered is a two-year-old colt by Rafeef out of Peggy Jay (Jay Peg) called Sound Effect.

The Vaal racemeeting on Thursday commences at 11h35.

He was backed last June, and is with Julia Pilbeam at Soetendal Farm in the Western Cape.

There are 8 races on the card with the final race due off at 15h20.

“He is a tall, quality colt with scope, in work, and ready to go into training straight away,” noted Pilbeam.

MJ puts another subject on the spot!

GIVE YOURSELF A SERIOUS CHANCE! One of South Africa's top farms for more than two decades, Maine Chance Farms, is enjoying a magnificent season this year. Not only are resident stallions Erupt, Querari and Vercingetorix all enjoying superb seasons, the farm has enjoyed phenomenal success in 2021-2022 thus far. Alumni of Maine Chance Farms dominated proceedings on Cape Derby earlier this season, where the Maine Chance bred Pomp And Power, a

son of Vercingetorix, won the Grr1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby, fellow Maine Chance bred Cosmic Highway claimed the Gr2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes, and classy Maine Chance Farms bred filly Princess Calla captured the Gr3 Prix Du Cap in facile fashion. Other star gallopers representing Maine Chance Farms in 2021-2022 include star three-year-old, and Gr1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas winner Chansonette and the very promising Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes victress Galla Vanting, with Chansonette a daughter 59

of Vercingetorix and Galla Vanting sired by Querari. Maine Chance Farms was established in the late 1960's by Godfrey Gird, before being sold to Graham Beck the following decade. It is currently owned by Andreas Jacobs, who purchased the stud farm in 2002. The farm has a proud heritage of standing top-class stallions, with past high class sires to have stood at Maine Chance including New South Wales, Jungle Cove, Golden Thatch and Del Sarto.

Sadly, Maine Chance lost their outstanding sire Silvano in 2021 when the latter died at the age of 25, but the latter made an indelilable mark on the South African thoroughbred industry, with his progeny including four Durban July winners and current boom stallion Vercingetorix. Situated just outside of Robertson, Maine Chance will be offering a top-class

draft at this year's National Yearling Sale, with Maine Chance's consignment headed by yearlings sired by Erupt, Gimmethegreenlight, Lancaster Bomber, Master Of My Fate, Potala Palace, Querari, Silvano and Vercingetorix. Other classy lots set to impress in this string include a Master Of My Fate colt (Lot 175) out of the Silvano sired Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas heroine Silver Mountain, a Silvano filly (Lot

241) out of a stakes winning daughter of Captain Al, a Vercingetorix filly (Lot 304) out of Gr1 Golden Slipper winner Bilateral, and a Gimmethegreenlight halfsister (Lot 309) to Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Mighty High. Maine Chance Farms' draft for the 2022 National Sale can be found in Block D at the TBA complex.

Fabulous Families Promising three-yearold Quarantini, who is closely related to talented half-brothers Querari and Quasillo, stamped herself a potential classic contender when she won impressively in Germany last week. The filly is now likely to be aimed at first the Gr3 Schwarzgold-Rennen before possibly being pointed towards the Gr2 German 1000 Guineas. A daughter of Belardo, Quarantini is out of the Lomitas mare Quariana -whose German 1000 Guineas winning dam Quebrada also ranks as the

granddam of both Quasillo and Querari. The latter is having another outstanding season in 20212022 thus far, with the son of Oasis Dream currently sixth on the General Sires List (his progeny have banked more than R8.657 million this season thus far), and he heads the Leading Sires of 2yo’s List. Among Querari’s flagbearers this season are Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes queen Galla Vanting, impressive Gr3 Umzimkhulu Stakes winner Supreme Quest, and Ruffian Stakes heroine River Queraress.

Querari, who shares his sire with current leading 2022 Qipco 2000 Guineas hope Native Trail,has an exceptional draft on offer at the upcoming National Yearling Sale. Among his potential standout lots on the sale are a full-brother to Gr2 Golden Slipper winner Cockney Pride, a halfsister (Lot 128) to Gr3 Prix Du Cap winner Elusive Heart, and a half-sister (Lot 338) to this season’s very promising two-year-old Wecangoallnight.

DON’T BEAT AROUND THE BUSH! 65

Based in Mooi River, leading KZN thoroughbred nursery Bush Hill Stud has been a major fixture in the South African thoroughbred industry for decades. The farm, run by Warwick and Karin Render, has become a consistent source of highclass gallopers, with the equine stars bred or raised by Bush Hill Stud headed by G1 Summer Cup winner Wolf Whistle (victorious subsequently in the G3 Al Rashidiya in Dubai), the G1 winning half-siblings Stellite and Zirconeum, and G1 SA Derby winner Seal.

an exciting line up of stallions, including Dubawi's promising son Willow Magic, prolific source of winners Flying The Flag, and New Approach's well performed son New Predator. The latter, a top-class racehorse who captured both the 2016 Gr2 Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile and 2016 G2 Drill Hall Stakes during his career, has some well bred members of his first crop on offer in Bush Hill Stud's National Yearling Sale draft.

Bush Hill also bred the very talented Gr2 Emerald Cup winner The Mousketeer -who earned over R1 000 000 in prize money.

They include a colt (Lot 32) whose dam is a daughter of Gr1 SA Fillies Classic winner Bambina Stripes, a colt (Lot 87) out of a three-time winning half-sister to Gr1 Dubai World Cup third place finisher Paris Perfect, and a filly (Lot 332) out of Gr3 Yellowwood Handicap runner up Cold Cash.

The stud borders on the Little Mooi River which provides water for the irrigation of the winter pastures, allowing for quality grazing all year round. Bush Hill has also stood a number of highly successful sires over the years including Kahal and Toreador. The farm is currently home to

Bush Hill will also be offering yearlings by all of Hat Puntano, Lancaster Bomber Querari, Rafeef, William Longsword and the aforementioned Willow Magic at the 2022 National Sale, with other potential standouts including the Rafeef filly (Lot 92) whose dam is a half-sister to Grr2 winner The

Mouseketeer, the Querari filly (Lot 215) out of Gr2 The Debutante winner Tempted and the Lancaster Bomber half-sister (Lot 247) to Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes queen Neptune's Rain. Interested parties can view Bush Hill Stud's string at this year's National Sale at block E in the TBA complex in Germiston.

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HKJC

MJ puts another subject on the spot! Golden Sixty can give Zac another Gr1 winner on Sunday

PURTON PRESSURES THE MAGIC MAN While we have all done it, bunking school is generally frowned upon. But 25 years down the line, all has been forgiven as Taxi Driver’s son Zac Purton looks forward to another massive raceday at Sha Tin on Sunday. Now one of the greatest jockeys on earth, Purton’s decision to skip school on a sunny day in 1997 changed his life forever. Instead of walking through the gates of Coffs Harbour High, the slightly built schoolboy went to an RSL

club for a jockey recruitment seminar. Not long after, Zac walked away from the classroom permanently to join a local stable and become a student of horse racing. "I had terrific parents and a good family, but we never had a lot of money," he says. Purton was born in Lismore, New South Wales and lived in New Zealand and South Australia before his parents settled on the NSW mid-north coast. His dad Phil drove taxis while mum Liz took to running a laundromat.

Mr & Mrs Purton soon became worried about their eldest son's development and Zac was diagnosed with delayed growth. He was years behind other kids his age. Even when he started with local trainer Trevor Hardy, he went to scale at 27kgs and was just too weak to control a 500-kilogram thoroughbred around a racetrack. "It definitely hasn't been smooth sailing all the way through," he reflects.

But within four years of his first race, Purton claimed the 2003 Brisbane jockeys' premiership — while still an apprentice. Before long, he was 24 years old and gambling his own future on the glitzy Asian racing hub of Hong Kong. On Saturday at Sha Tin, the rollercoaster tussle for the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship continued when a treble propelled Zac Purton back into the lead Trailing Joao “Magic Man’ Moreira by two wins before the meeting, Purton edged to a 104-103 buffer after success on Red Brick Fighter, Run Run Cool and Blotting Paper.

On FWD Champions Day on Sunday, an emerging wave of talent will square off with Hong Kong’s elite, all vying for a share of the HK$65 million on offer across three stellar Gr1 contests. Zac will partner Sight Success (Gr1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize, 1200m), Cheerful Days (Gr1 FWD QEII Cup, 2000m) and California Spangle (Gr1 FWD Champions Mile, 1600m). He has won each of the three FWD Champions Day features at least once, and is excited about the immensely talented and versatile California Spangle as the rising star prepares to challenge Horse Of The Year Golden Sixty, who has risen to fourth in the latest

edition of the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. “He’s a real dude, that horse,” Purton said of BMW Hong Kong Derby runner-up California Spangle. “Anytime you go out there, he just wants to please and there’s no nonsense – he just stands good in the gates, shows good speed, he knows what his job is now and he’s becoming a more complete and well-rounded horse as time goes on. “He comes back to a mile in a smaller field, which is probably more suitable for him, but he’s going to have to take on the champ (Golden Sixty), though – HKJC

MJ puts another subject on the spot! 73 Purton – one of the world’s best!

it’s going to be no easy feat and especially with Golden Sixty being so devastating at his last run (winning the Gr2 Chairman’s Trophy, 1600m), he’s going to come into the race with a lot of confidence.

Kong in September, 2007. The fans stood up and wondered when he achieved a famous Royal Ascot win for Hong Kong aboard the Danny Shum-trained Little Bridge in the 2012 King's Stand Stakes.

“We’re the young horse on the rise and you’ve got to take on the old dog at some stage and it will be a good measuring stick for us.”

The fast ascending Purton star ended Douglas Whyte's 13-season dominance with his first Hong Kong jockeys' championship in 2013/14 (112 wins) and in earning his second title in 2017/18 he halted Joao Moreira's title streak at three.

It’s been an extraordinary rise for Purton who started his career in Brisbane and was an apprentice sensation, winning the premiership there in 2003. He then moved on to Sydney where he was twice second in the premiership. Then came the next lifechanger – a move to Hong

During his first championship season, the Australian ace raced to what was then the fastest 50 in Hong Kong history and became the second rider, after Whyte, to notch 100 wins in a season.

Purton lost his title when second to Moreira in 2014/15 with 95 wins, a position he filled for the next two terms, including when notching his second century in 2016/17. His second championship was a remarkable effort as he chased down Moreira to take the lead for the first time that term on June 10, 2018. Five weeks later, at season's end, he had outpointed Moreira 136-134 with a win strike rate of 21% to the Brazilian's 20%. Purton tallied a careerhigh 168 wins in 2018/19, a season in which he also became the second jockey in Hong Kong history to ride 1000 winners, and in

which he set a new single season prizemoney record of HK$234,989,515.

for Japan to make him the most successful jockey in HKIR history with nine wins.

Purton took a third consecutive championship in 2019/20 with 147 wins and three Gr1's, his triumph aboard Exultant in the 2020 QEII Cup meant he became the only rider in history to have won every Gr1 race on the Hong Kong calendar.

He also sealed a second LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship title, beating off an all-star cast of rivals at Happy Valley.

Purton's championship winning streak was halted at three in 2020/21 as great rival Joao Moreira reclaimed the title. Still, Purton enjoyed a highly successful campaign with 125 wins, including his second Gr1 Hong Kong Cup triumph, this time aboard Normcore

His accident last December was a shocker. A four-horse pile-up in the HK$20m Longines Sprint saw him suffer a fractured wrist, fractured ribs and a broken nose. While he has come back strong, there have been niggles and with the strict lockdown on personnel movement, Zac was not able to secure his usual medical support.

On 1 April he was granted permission by the Jockey Club to seek external medical treatment after declaring he would sit out the rest of the season if he wasn’t able to obtain the care he needs. The four-time champion said that he had gotten to the point where, without the adequate treatment, he would be unable to ride. “I was in that much pain. I’d been pushing through. I was doing my best but it got to the point where I need proper treatment otherwise I couldn’t have gone on,” Purton said. On Sunday, don’t miss all the action on GallopTv as Zac aims to add to his Gr1 haul!

FWD CHAMPIONS DAY ON SUNDAY

MJ puts another subject on the spot! 76 Golden Sixty – can he set the new standard?

HKJC

MJ puts another subject on the spot! 77

Victory in Sunday’s HK$20 million Gr1 FWD Champions Mile would elevate Golden Sixty to status as the highest prize money earner in Hong Kong racing history and, if his latest win wasn’t convincing enough, trainer Francis Lui has issued an ominous warning to rivals that Hong Kong’s champion is back in a very, very big way. “He seems to have improved his condition, he seems to be back – he showed that,” said Lui of the six-year-old gelding who sauntered to success by two lengths in the Gr2 Chairman’s Trophy (1600m) last start. That triumph earlier this month saw him banish successive defeats with his 20th career win as he ticked over HK$102,000,600 in earnings and an FWD Champions Mile repeat on Sunday would see him leapfrog the current recordholder for prize money in Hong Kong – Beauty Generation, who banked HK$106,233,750. A cheque for HK$11.4 million is on offer to the winner this weekend and it is well within Golden Sixty’s grasp, even second place will get him into top spot for all-time earnings with HK$4.4 million up for grabs, while one of his key threats emerges as

an unknown commodity to the Horse of the Year in the shape of California Spangle, a smart four-year-old with a high cruising speed trained by none other than Tony Cruz. California Spangle – along with Romantic Warrior – has emerged from his four-yearold class with big wraps as a worthy contender to more established rivals this weekend after leading throughout to claim the HK$12 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) before narrowly going down in the HK$24 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) last month. But a level-headed Lui remains unperturbed by his inclusion. “He (California Spangle) will be a good horse and he’s a front-runner, it all depends on the field and the situation but I feel that my horse is the mature horse and he has had more experience,” Lui said. Golden Sixty sits two points of shy of top-spot in the latest edition of the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. The gelding is a fivetime Group 1 winner, four-time Group 2 winner and two-time Group 3 winner from 23 starts. “I am proud, it’s not easy to have a good horse like him,” Lui said. Golden Sixty is aiming to complete the Hong Kong Mile-

Champions Mile double in the same season for a second time, a feat also completed by Beauty Generation (2018 & 2019). On Tuesday morning at Sha Tin, Golden Sixty worked through a gallop on the turf under Vincent Ho, clocking 1m 22.4s (31.1, 28.2, 23.1) alongside a partner horse. “He felt good, he was very relaxed and when I asked him to join up (to the partner horse) he picked up nicely, the other horse travelled quite strongly but we went passed him in a couple of strides,” Ho said. “He definitely felt better today, so I’m happy with that.” Last year, Ho collected a pair of Gr1’s on FWD Champions Day with Golden Sixty as well as Loves Only You in the HK$25 million G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m); this year, the 31-year-old hops aboard Zebrowski for Caspar Fownes in the 10-furlong feature. “It was definitely one of the best days, the Derby with Golden Sixty and December, too, but Champions Day with Golden Sixty in the Champions Mile and Loves Only You in the QEII Cup was something very special, it wasn’t a usual day that’s for sure, it was special,” Ho said. Zebrowski has raced nine times in Hong Kong, winning three times including a pair

of Group 3 contests, the G3 January Cup Handicap (1800m) at Happy Valley and G3 Centenary Vase Handicap (1800m) at Sha Tin. “I think so (to getting a chance), some horses are Group 1 winners or have won the Derby, so it’s a challenge for us but he’s got ability, so let’s see,” Ho said. “He’s still very young and I think he should improve.” Across this weekend’s HK$65 million showcase, Lui will be three-pronged with an even spread across the trio of Group 1s, saddling Cheerful Days in the FWD QEII Cup (2000m) and Lucky Patch in the HK$20 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m). Cheerful Days steps up to 2000m for the first time this Sunday in the FWD QEII Cup – armed with Zac Purton – and Lui remains hopeful that his rapid-riser will successfully see out the trip. “We took off the blinkers and he’s been more relaxed since

then,” Lui said. “His form is also very good, just this time we don’t know how he will run over 2000 metres but I think he will suit the distance.” The Smart Missile gelding has won six races this term, prevailing in Class 4, 3, 2 and 1. “I didn’t expect him to get here so quickly but he’s improving all of the time, he just keeps on winning,” Lui said. Pleased to see the resumption of cross-border horse movement between Conghua and Sha Tin, Lui has Lucky Patch in a bid for Chairman’s Sprint Prize glory in what will be his first outing since his involvement in the 2021 G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) mishap. “If he could have come back earlier for a run it would have been better but this time, I hope he has got his confidence back,” Lui said. “He seems ok, his barrier trial at Conghua looked good.”

On Wednesday night (20 April) at Happy Valley, Ho and Lui will combine in the first section of the Class 3 Cha Kwo Ling Handicap (1200m) with Rising From Ashes, a newcomer to Hong Kong who finished third last start in only his fourth run for Lui. “He’s tall enough but he’s quite skinny, he’s still not that mature yet and in the mornings he’s still very nervy but he has the speed, especially from gate two over 1200 metres and of course, this trip suits him more than 1000 metres – he should run well,” Ho said. Rising From Ashes (119lb) also faces You’remyeverything (131lb), Meridian Genius (128lb), Prance Dragon (123lb), Never Too Soon (121lb) and Triple Triple (120lb). Wednesday’s nine-race fixture at Happy Valley kicks off at 12h45 with the Class 5 Yau Tong Handicap (1800m).

MJ puts another subject on the spot!

1000 GUINEAS – CLASH OF THE ROSES The 1000 Guineas, open to three-year-old fillies, is the second Classic of the season in Great Britain. This season the race runs on Sunday 1st May over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. At present there are 51 nominations from stables not only in Britain, but also Ireland and France. Ante-post favourite, at around 5/2, is the Gosden trained Inspiral for owners Cheveley Park Stud. The daughter of Frankel won her four starts as a juvenile last season,

culminating with an easy two and a half-length course and distance victory in the Gr1 bet365 Fillies’ Mile last October.

Cachet is not certain to get the mile in the Guineas but Boughey is eager to give her the chance.

The form of that feature received a major boost with the third and fifth home that day going on to land Classic trials earlier this month on their seasonal debuts.

“I kept saying at the back end of last year that she was slightly weak, and she did incredibly well over the winter,” Boughey said. “The mile is the question mark, but she loves the track here which is a huge string to her bow. All systems go for the Guineas with this filly.”

Cachet (third home in the Fillies’ Mile) kept on well up the hill to land the Nell Gwyn Stakes over seven furlongs for trainer George Boughey and Highclere Racing.

Godolphin’s Wild Beauty finished a length behind Cachet in fifth place but was

staying on at the finish which is a positive for the red-hot Charlie Appleby yard. Having stayed a mile as a two-year-old, it’s no surprise she got better the further she went in the Fred Darling Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury last week. One of the first to come under a ride before the two-furlong mark, the daughter of Frankel was only hitting top gear at the line. More likely an Oaks contender, she could still line up at Newmarket in a fortnight. The Irish challenge is headed by Ballydoyle with Aidan O’Brien nominating eight potential runners. The unbeaten Caravaggio filly Tenebrism is currently second favourite (around 9/2) after her facile success in the Gr1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket last September.

Slowly away from the start, and with plenty to do 2 furlongs out, she quickened to lead inside the final half a furlong to win comfortably. Her beautifully bred stable companion, Tuesday, is another in the reckoning after a comfortable Naas maiden win over a mile. By Galileo out of the blue-blooded mare Lily Langtry, she was narrowly denied on debut by the more experienced Territories herself a leading contender from Ireland for the race. It will be interesting to see which filly Ryan Moore decides to ride. Homeless Songs for veteran Irish conditioner Dermot Weld was a taking winner of the Gr3 Ballylinch Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial over seven furlongs at Leopardstown at the beginning April. Another daughter of the mighty Frankel, she made rapid headway over 1 furlong out, quickened to lead over the final

110yds and kept on well to the line to win by a length. Malavath and Zellie for top French stables Graffard and Fabre respectively, could cross the English Channel and contend for the 1,000 Guineas. The first two home in the Gr3 Prix Imprudence at Deauville over the straight seven furlongs in early April. If these shrewd French trainers decide on Newmarket instead of ParisLongchamp, the point must be taken. With just under two weeks to go, there look to be many challenges to Frankie Dettori’s mount, the unbeaten star Inspiral.

DOYENNE OF SA RACING WRITERS WILL BE MISSED

85 The late Robbyn Ramsay with Kevin Shea

The media and horseracing fraternity were saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Robbyn Ramsay recently.

was an accomplished rider and while still a schoolgirl competed in Show-Jumping events at the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg.

Robbyn made racing history when in 2000 she became the first female to be appointed as the Racing Editor of a newspaper in South Africa. In her roles as Racing Editor of The Daily News and Sunday Tribune, Robbyn made lifelong connections and was widely respected.

Her father David Walker was a top polo player, and Robbyn’s fascination with all things equine and involvement in the horse world from a young age, was extensive.

The skilled writer grew up on a farm in Kokstad, and while most young kids were riding bicycles, Robbyn preferred horses. She

Her father-in-law Jack Ramsay was a racing editor for close to 50 years. and her husband Stewart was a racing editor and racing TV presenter for over 30 years. It is no surprise that Robbyn achieved in the world of

MJ puts another subject on the spot! 86

horseracing. A love and passion for the horse played a major part in her life. And achieve she did. Her in-depth knowledge of horses and horse racing enabled Robbyn to become one of country’s top racing writers and she was respected throughout a tough, and often unforgiving, industry. Not only was she an exceptional writer, she was also a top tipster and her list of big-race winners was extensive. During her career as a racing scribe she also gained in-depth knowledge

of international racing. In the course of her duties, she visited many of the world’s top racecourses in France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Dubai. Two of hert cherished memories were seeing Cigar win the first World Cup in Dubai and when she watched Dancing Brave win the Arc de Triomphe. After a number of years at The Daily News Robbyn joined Owen Heffer at Winning Form and Sporting Post, before retiring from race writing. She actually attended the roof wetting of the first ever Hollywoodbets outlet.

MJ puts another subject on the spot! Robbyn pictured at Hollywoodbets Greyville with 87 then trainer Craig Ramsay and his team

Robbyn’s involvement in horseracing did not end with race writing. For many years she was a highly successful owner and at varying times had horses with David Payne, Tony Rivaland, Craig Ramsay and Anne Upton.

Robbyn leaves behind her two sons Lloyd and Craig, her daughter-in-law Rusti, and her husband Stewart. Our condolences are extended to Robbyn’s family and friends at this sad time.

MJ puts another subject on the spot! A youthful Graeme Hawkins interviews Robbyn 88

A memorial service will be held later this week.

MJ puts another subject on the spot! 89 Robbyn leads in her winner with Robbie Hill up

results up to: 2022-04-20

TRAINERS Name

Runs 839 895 595 372 899

Mr P A Peter Mr S J Snaith Mr S G Tarry Mr M F de Kock Mr G D Smith

Wins Win%

2nd

3rd

Other Places Place %

164 119 67 71 100

111 109 63 54 93

90 115 67 40 90

179 193 107 75 154

19.5. 13.3 11.3 19.1 11.1

380 417 237 169 337

Win Stake (R)

Total Stakes (R)

45.3 10,727,063 15,358,688 46.6 9,027,775 13,538,338 39.8 6,669,750 9,691,063 45.4 6,333,688 8,796,250 37.5 4,430,625 6,802,063

JOCKEYS Name

Rides Wins Win%

2nd

3rd

Other Places Place %

Mr W B Kennedy Mr R D Fourie Mr S Khumalo Mr K de Melo Mr M A Yeni

1223 702 795 774 1019

185 115 94 115 130

163 96 87 91 120

235 149 159 166 218

208 132 129 124 111

17.0 18.8 16.2 16.0 10.9

583 360 340 372 468

Win Stake (R)

Total Stakes (R)

47.7 11,859,125 18,031,613 51.3 11,017,800 14,521,613 42.8 9,206,888 13,068,025 48.1 7,742,075 12,106,525 45.9 6,529,313 11,025,438

BREEDERS Name

B.T. B.T. Total Runrs Runs AEPR Wnrs Wins Winrs/ Places Winrs Wins Stakes (R) Rnrs %

Wilgerbosdri� & Mauritzfontein Klawervlei Stud Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert) Maine Chance Farms (Pty) Ltd Summerhill Stud (Pty) Ltd

271 1298 323 1591

63,332 129 186 46,113 111 147

47.6 514 34.4 616

11 7

16 8

17,162,925 14,894,463

144 136 130

83,835 64,858 54,851

44.4 295 42.6 277 32.3 260

13 5 3

16 6 4

12,072,275 8,820,638 7,130,663

B.T. Wins

Total Stakes (R)

12 9 2 1 10

9,730,250 9,658,525 9,254,563 9,030,450 8,980,363

691 655 754

64 100 58 88 42 66

SIRES Name Vercingetorix Gimmethegreenlight (AUS) What A Winter Master Of My Fate * Silvano (GER)

Runrs Runs AEPR 139 170 172 172 142

683 804 830 896 657

70,002 56,815 53,806 52,503 63,242

B.T. Wnrs Wins Winrs/ Places Winrs Rnrs % 69 72 73 81 63

96 97 113 111 93

49.6 42.4 42.4 47.1 44.4

290 329 367 401 280

See all the detailed standings - Click here 90

9 8 2 1 8

THE HEARTS WILL BE PUMPING!

What a season we have enjoyed so far in the Premier League. We’ve got a proper ding-dong battle for the title, but we also have a race for Champions League places! A race nobody seemingly wants to win…of course until two challengers meet in a headon collision. This should get the heart pumping early on Saturday afternoon! Arsenal vs Manchester United | Saturday 23 April | Emirates Stadium | 13h30 To Win (90 mins) Arsenal 5/4 Draw 47/20 Man United 43/20 Arsenal To be completely fair – and I say this with absolutely no malice – Arsenal shouldn’t even be in the top four race this season. Now before I get the calvary come after me, what I mean is that they have not enjoyed a positive season and given their patchy results…shouldn’t even be in the conversation. I suppose you could say the same for most teams this year, but Arsenal have done excellently to ensure they make the most of their rivals’ mishaps. Mikel Arteta is proving himself to be more than competent, and I don’t care how many

times I say this, the patience the club showed him should be more widely celebrated than it currently is. Of course, the concern now with the London side is their lack of goals and the rate at which they continue to drop points. Yes, there are flutters of brilliance here and there, but they are not taking games by the jugular and putting them to bed. This is a side riddled with young talent all over the pitch. They have quality and speed and yet the pressure on the players is becoming uncomfortably obvious. Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe in particular, are names who were seen to be driving their side forward, making headlines, bagging valuable league points for their team, and yet now are reduced to headlines which read ‘…forced a fine save’ or ‘…denied from point-blank range’. The narrative around Alexandre Lacazette suggests that the Frenchman sees his future away from the Emirates, a loss which I am sure will not bring too much joy to fans. In my opinion, patience was what allowed us to see the quality which underpins this famous club…and patience is what is required now. It is not as though they are being undone and taken apart, on the contrary it is Arteta’s side which is bossing games

and dominating opposition sides. And yet as the old saying goes – it only counts if it ends up being in the back of the net. Arsenal went on a magnificent run of victories which started in February. They won five on the bounce and in that time scored an average of two goals per game. Since then, they have only secured three points from a possible 18 and scored an average of 0.4 goals per game! Manchester United United find themselves – almost humorously so – on the opposite side of the issue. They can’t keep a clean sheet for jam. Their defending has at times been vague and embarrassing. I suppose the only point of admiration has been the blunt acknowledgement of this issue by Ralf Rangnick, with the German manager constantly calling for more commitment and physicality from his players if they wish to continue their push for a top four finish. I’ve been intrigued by the abandonment of a recognized ball-winner sitting in the middle of the park at United. It is certainly a bold decision, which has seemingly encouraged the team to play

higher on the field. Granted, it has come about through injury, but I wonder if the subsequent experience will influence the approach to games going forward. It would be remiss of me to not comment on the ‘problem at United’, the ‘stat padding player’, the ‘old man’ who has scored 50 hat-tricks in his career and scored a record 807 times…you know, Cristiano Ronaldo. Anyway, the one thing United have managed to continue to do is score goals. The Red Devils have scored on average 1,5 times from their last 10 games. Obviously, they haven’t always gotten anything to show for it due to their poor defending, but you get the feeling they will ask questions of this rather fragile looking Arsenal confidence.

This game will have a say in the race for those Champions League places and so I think we can expect a throwback of sorts to the grittier encounters played out between these two English clubs. Although, I’m sure there are a couple readers hoping for a throwback to the 2011 encounter between these two – you know, a happier time before more recent world events…

doubt over the United win, is applicable to both Spurs and Arsenal – and I suppose you could even throw West Ham into that conversation. The difference here is in the attacking opportunities each side will create and I think with that in mind, you simply must side with the visitors.

The Sporting Post Sprint is interactive. Click on the live links throughout and enjoy the read!

Prediction: Manchester United (43/20) I think Manchester United win this football match. I wouldn’t suggest adding this to any extended multiple bets nor taking office wagers where you might find yourself wearing a rival club jersey. However, the inconsistency which casts

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