Dennis Schwarz was in fine form at Turffontein Standside on Wednesday night, riding a treble, and is all smiles after winning the Non-Black Type Egoli Mile on the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Laguna Verde (JC Photos).

Schwarz Brings Out Best In Laguna Verde

Laguna Verde was the subject of whispers before the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes last year but put in a disappointing finish and jockey Craig Zackey’s comments post-race gave the impression that the horse’s mind was elsewhere.

However, gelding saw him continuing to disappoint in his first three starts as a three-year-old.

This prompted Lucky Houdalakis to put the blinkers on for tonight’s Egoli Mile and it did the trick.

Also in his favour was a drop in the merit ratings to 98 for this race, which was his first start in a handicap.

He did still have to carry topweight though of 60,5kg in the three-year-old Non-Black Type feature, so it was a good performance.

Houdalakis trains out of the Vaal, where the tracks have no clay underneath them so drain better and this might have helped Laguna Verde get a fitness edge over the Johannesburg-based horses, whose work has been interrupted by the heavy recent rains.

The Clifton Stud-bred Gimmethegreenlight gelding jumped from draw two and was given a fine ride by Dennis Scwarz, who rode a treble at the meeting.

Schwarz got him on to the rail within striking distance. He travelled well with the blinkers on and in the straight showed the fine turn of foot he had shown in the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe when coming from last to finish just 2,30 lengths back in fourth despite being carried out.

He wandered across to join the other protagonist Silver Hills and despite giving this progressive well-bred Silvano filly 5,5kg he kept her at bay to win by 0,25 lengths. The third-placed horse, KZN raider Captainofthegreen, was beaten 5,75 lengths.

interestingly, Billy Spellbound, who was beaten only 5,70 lengths in the level weights Gold Rush, was beaten into fourth tonight by 6,10 lengths despite receiving 6,5kg from Laguna Verde.

That points to it being a fine performance by Laguna Verde and the blinkers-strike will be going back into a number of black books.

Houdalakis did not mention the blinkers in the post-race interview, but said rather he might have asked too much of him as a two-year-old and he mentioned he had taken a bad knock in his penultimate start in the Graham Beck and had returned “crippled”, so the first aim was “to heal him” … he was subsequently happy with his comeback run last time out.

He feels 1800m to 2000m races might be the way to program the bay gelding in the near future.

Owner Dave Shawe was on course to cheer Laguna Verde home.

Litigation storms to victory over 1800m at Turffontein tonight ahead of stablemate Nebraas, from whom he was receiving 2kg (JC Photos).

Litigation, Nebraas Could Be July Horses

Sean Tarry had not discounted Litigation (Greys Inn) off as a Hollywoodbets Durban July horse halfway through his three-year-old season and it was also obvious to him and other watchers at the time that he would come into his own as a four-year-old.

Tarry also gets quite irritated by the contention that Nebraas (Vercingetorix) is an out and out stayer and he proved it tonight again by running a fine half-a-length second to Litigation in the 1800m Pinnacle event. despite giving the latter 2kg.

Litigation showed a good turn of foot from a handy position coupled with a resolute finish under Gavin Lerena to beat Nebraas, who came from a lot further back, by half-a-length.

The Hollywoodbets Durban July weights are going to be interesting this year with both Jet Dark and Kommetdieding having retired and the 133 rated Al Muthana having a stamina doubt.

Charles Dickens has a gross merit rating of 132 which will be a nett 128 if he is still on that figure by the time of the July, while the like of older horses Safe Passage and Pomp And Power are on 124.

Litigation is currently rated 110 and can progress further, while Nebraas is on 116.

The Tarry pair will be hoping Al Muthana is not an entry, because that will enable them to possibly be in the handicap with nice galloping weights.

If Al Muthana is not an entry, it will be interesting to see what will happen to Charles Dickens’ weight regarding the minimum weight of 57kg for a three-year-old rule.

Litigation is currently a 67/1 chance and Nebraas 50/1.

Stratospheric gallops to an easy win at Turffontein Standside tonight (Wenesday) (via youtube).

Stratospheric Reaches For The Clouds

Three-year-old What A Winter gelding Stratospheric has always been an eyecatching individual and a move to the Highveld to take advantage of their right-handed galloping courses was always going to be interesting.

It turned out to be more than interesting because the imposing, long-striding individual relished both the course and new front-running tactics to win the second race over 1400m at the Turffontein Standside twilight meeting today by 9,25 lengths.

He did not beat much but stopped the clock in 85,09 seconds, 1,87 seconds better than the class average despite a penetrometer reading of 23, which can not be called fast going.

It not often one sees a horse going fast out in front up the taxing Turffontein Standside hill and still maintaining a gallop all the way to the line.

It is also not often anybody will be excited about a horse who has won at the tenth time of asking.

However, he has only ever once missed the frame despite facing the like of Charles Dickens, Seeking The One, Champion Warrior, Montien etc.

He also relished going right-handed on a galloping course and being allowed to stride out in front and of course it also highlighted how strong Cape Town maidens are.

The big Drakenstein Stud-bred gelding has an excellent pedigree on his side.

He is out of the Jet Master mare Stratos, who rattled off a Graded race hattrick for Mike Azzie in the 2007/2008 season, winning the Grade 3 Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m, the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m and the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes over 1600m in successive races.

At stud Stratos has, among others, produced the useful Graded-placed Abercrombie and the talented but enigmatic Orpheus, who showed how good he potentially was when winning the Listed Sledgehammer over 1800m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly by 6,75 lengths.

Suzette Viljoen is the owner of Stratospheric and will now have good reason to be optimistic about the future for the R800,000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale purchase.

Christophe Lemaire riding Dancing Prince wins the Riyadh Dirt Sprint during The Saudi Cup 2022 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on February 26, 2022. Picture: Francois Nel/Getty Images

A New SA Is Kicking Up Dust In The Desert

Geoff Woodruff Has A Runner On The Saudi Cup Festival’s Friday Card

The global status of Saudi Arabian racing is rising, despite the “sportswashing” jibes.

Mike Moon (The Citizen)

The practice of throwing money at a problem is often frowned upon, but it can work a treat.

Saudi Arabian horse racing is an example. A few years ago, the rulers of the Arabian kingdom decided the glamour and excitement of racing was devoutly to be wished for.

The way elitism and riches are projected at the likes of Royal Ascot – in-your-face, yet with civility and decorum, and with class divisions neatly smoothed over by “the show” – holds much appeal for nominally important people.

Dubai World Cup

The Saudi princes had the example of tiny near neighbours Dubai to envy, too. The emirate gatecrashed global racing by establishing the world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup, in 1996 with a purse of $4-million. Of course, Dubai has had to keep raising the stakes to stay in the limelight, and the current pot stands at $12-million.

Saudi Arabia, much bigger and much, much richer, dug around the back of the sofa and found some small change, trumping everyone in 2020 with the $20-million Saudi Cup. That was just for the main race; quite a few million more were offered in supporting races at the two-day racing festival in late February.

Giants of the racing world took the bait, with America, Britain, Ireland, France and Japan shipping horses to King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh.

The 2020 Saudi Cup was won by US star Maximum Security, trained by Jason Servis and ridden by Luiz Saez. The 2021 renewal went to English galloper Mishriff, saddled by John Gosden and ridden by David Egan, while 2022 saw a local triumph for Emblem Road, trained by Mitab Almulawah and ridden by Wigberto Ramos.

2023 Saudi Cup

The 2023 festival takes place on Friday and Saturday this week.

The two most-fancied runners for the Cup have been flown in by US Hall Of Fame trainer Bob Baffert – last year’s runner up Country Grammar (4-1) and Taiba (2-1), a dominant winner of the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes when last out.

The world’s most famous jockey, Frankie Dettori, in his farewell season, partners Country Grammar.

Dettori who tops the bill at Friday’s International Jockey Challenge, describes the King Abdulaziz track as the best dirt surface in the world.

Geoff Woodruff

The South African racing world probably feels dwarfed and deflated by all this, but it has a tiny flag fluttering in the Arabian sands. Multiple South African champion trainer and all-round good guy Geoff Woodruff has a runner on the Friday card.

Woodruff retired in 2021, but then had an offer he could hardly refuse, from Sheikh Abdulelah Almousa’s new stable in Riyadh. “The Guv” kicked off with a first winner in November 2022 and has since clocked up a further eight, from 34 runs for a brilliant winning rate of 26.47% – way better than even the top local trainer.

Woodruff saddles three-year-old Alia in the Fillies Open Cup, with Panamanian rider Victor Gutierrez aboard.

Of course, the Saudi Cup is part of the kingdom’s very expensive PR and charm offensive of recent years, with LIV Golf currently being the most controversial element.

The killing and sawing up of Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul brought Western opprobrium down on the government in no uncertain terms. The country’s leaders have been desperately trying to bury memory of this dreadful deed – or rather “wash” it away, most notably with sports extravaganzas.

Hosting the popular Dakar rally has been one other such venture.

Some tennis players and golfers have refused to participate in Saudi tournaments on moral grounds. Horse racing tends to be less picky about where it can win money, though there is concern in the US about Saudi sponsorships in the industry there.

CLICK HERE to see the Saudi Cup Festival Cards

The Paul Lafferty-trained Calling All Angels wins first time out under Keagan de Melo to give exciting new sire New Predator his third individual winner (Candiese Lenferna).

New Predator’s Excellent Start Only Getting Better

The KZN Midlands-based sire New Predator, who is standing at Blue Sky Thoroughbreds, had his second successive debut winner today when the Paul Lafferty-trained filly Calling All Angels won the first race over 1100m by half-a-length under Keagan de Melo with the rest of the field beaten by five lengths and more.

Fittingly, Calling All Angels was bred by Bruce le Roux, joint owner of Blue Sky Thoroughbreds, and runs in the colours of Laurence Wernars, who owned New Predator during his racing career.

New Predator has had four runners, two of them have won on debut, one of them won third time out and the other one has had three starts for two seconds and a third.

New Predator’s progeny have not missed the frame to date in eight starts.

The Australian-bred son of New Approach out of a Fastnet Rock mare only received 30 mares last season but that looks sure to change.

Entries open for CRS Mare & Weanling and CRS Winter Sale

Cape Racing Sales will be staging their 2023 Mare & Weanling Sale on 12 June and the Winter Sale on 16 June, at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Racecourse. Vendors are invited to send in their entries for both auctions. Entries are due on 20 March.

The CRS Mare & Weanling Sale is, as always, a place where vendors present bloodstock for shrewd buyers and stud farms, who are given an opportunity to acquire quality mares for their broodmare barns, while astute pickers can find themselves future racing prospects among young, undeveloped thoroughbreds. Entry forms are live and can be downloaded in PDF format, HERE.

The old Farm Sale has been re-invented as the Winter Sale – a Yearling auction open to all vendors and traditionally well supported by buyers. A minimum auction price of R15,000 will apply to all lots.

The annual Farm Sale Race remains a part of the Winter Sale. Buyers will be invited to ‘tick the box’ at a race levy of R5,000, to qualify for the 2024 renewal, for which the date and prize money will be announced.

Note that entries for the Winter Sale will be subject to Cape Racing Sales’ new vendor commission structure – a levy of 5% will be charged instead of 8%, to assist vendors and breeders with their costs. Entry forms, live and in PDF format, HERE

Only horses registered in the General Stud Book of South Africa at the time of sale will be auctioned.

For more information: Joanne Knowles: jo@caperacing.co.za

The Garth Puller-trained Captain Fontane, a five-year-old gelding by Captain Al, had only his second start beyond 1400m today in the Non-Black Type Fever Tree Stakes over 1500m and he came from a midfield position to win by a comfortable 2,50 lengths under Serino Moodley, despite carrrying joint topweight of 60kg. This opens up new options for the classy 106 merit-rated C W Hui and David Ferraris-owned horse, who has now won six races in all (Picture Candiese Lenferna)..

De Melo Treble, Moodley Double, Puller Double

Keagan de Melo rode a treble at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today.

Serino Moodley rode a double, including winning the Fever Tree Stakes on the impressive Garth Puller-trained Captain Fontane.

Puller had a double at the meeting.

De Melo is now on 174 wins for the season at a strike rate of 21.35% and is 57 wins clear of second-placed Richard Fourie.

Moodley is on 43 wins at 13.83%.

Puller is on 48 wins at 12.37% and is 14 wins clear of second-placed Wendy Whitehead in the race for the KZN Trainers Championship.

Celtic Rumours (Vercingetorix) swept through from last to first to win Wednesday night’s ninth race over 1400m, a Novice Handicap, off an 83 merit rating in impressive fashion to give Gavin Lerena and Sean Tarry a double together on the night (JC Photos).

Schwarz Treble, Van Der Merwe Double, Houdalakis Double, Lerena/Tarry Double

Dennis Schwarz rode a treble at Turffontein Standside this evening (Wednesday).

Gavin Lerena rode a double for Sean Tarry.

JP Van der Merwe rode a double and Lucky Houdalakis had a double too.

Schwarz has had eleven winners in SA this season at a strike rate of 13.75%.

Lerena has had 44 wins at 15.88%.

Tarry has had 53 wins at 14.85%

Van der Merwe has had 62 wwins at 9.13%.

Houdalakis has had 26 wins at 15.95%.

Mark Sutherland was the second choice rider for Terrance Millard but such was the latter’s dominance that Sutherland still rode many Grade 1 winners including the July twice on Tecla Bluff in 1983 and Right Prerogative in 1989.

Today’s Question

Why were television viewers up in arms during and after the running of the 1983 Durban July, won easily by the Terrance Millard-trained Tecla Bluff ridden by Mark Sutherland?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

Turffontein Inside Fields, Thursday, CLICK HERE

Tecla Bluff gave Terrance Millard the first of his six July wins, achieved within a dominating period of eight years frpm 1983 to 1990. (Picture: Hamish Niven).

ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION:

Television viewers were able to hear the thunder of hooves but not the commentary during the 1983 July and most were unable to follow their fancy without that usual aid and it also detracted from the excitement of the race.

An SABC spokesman said later the fault had been due to a microphone failure.

Turf Talk Newsletter – 22 February 2023