Roman Agent and Winds Of Change will renew rivalry on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth (Picture: Waayne Marks)

The Gr 3 City Of Cape Town Cape Of Good Hope Nursery over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday sees a clash between three of the best two-year-olds in the land and they look types who are likely to be even better as three-year-olds.

The highest Ability Rating given by Karel Miedema’s raceform to any two-year-od this season has been the 96 he gave to Roman Agent for his win in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1100m on WSB Cape Town Met day.

It was the Justin Snaith-trained Vercingetorix colt’s third career start, all of them in features, and his second win.

He is a half-brother to two Gr 1 winners, All Is Secret and The Secret Is Out.

He was a touch unlucky when second on debut in the Non-Black Type Commonwealth Plate over 1000m and he followed up by winning the Non-Black Type Trippi Stakes over 1000m and then the Summer Juvenile.

In the Trippi Stakes the Vaughan marshall-trained One World colt One Stripe was beaten 1,95 lengths into fifth.

However, he came out and won his next start over 1200m by six lengths. Miedema gave him a 90 MR for that run, but he looks to be a progressive sort.

In the Summer Juvenile the Mike and Adam Azzie-trained What A Winter colt Winds Of Change was beaten just 0,40 lengths into second and Miedema gave him a 95 AR.

That was his debut, while Roman Agent was having his third run and had already won, so it was a commendable performance.

Winds Of Change is an exciting colt because he is a half-brother to the Gr 1 winner Safe Passage, which means he is likely to improve continually and possibly be a classic contender next season.

Hollywoodbets make Roman Agent the 3/1 favourite, One Stripe is 4/1 and Winds Of Change looks good value at 5/1, having already been backed in from 7/1.

Mark van Deventer of Cape Racing wrote the below preview for the race.

Mark van Deventer (Cape Racing)

13 precocious babies will load up for the City of Cape Town Cape of Good Hope Nursery, which is carded as Race 3 of the SplashOut Seafood and Jazz Racing Festival on Saturday, 24 February at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth – off time 13h15.  

Given how tricky it is to compare youngsters right at the start of their careers on scant evidence, exotic bettors will be grateful that it does not form part of the Jackpot or Pick 6, though PA players must navigate a difficult opening Leg. 

Here are short profiles on each entry in the card/draw order, with principal candidates for the 1200m G3 dash listed in CAPITALS:

1. Commanding, who placed twice after racing prominently at three starts, has tended to weaken out near the finish, so, game as he is,
   will need to boost his closing sectionals to have any hope.
   
   
2. SYMPHONY IN WHITE is bred in the purple being a What a Winter filly out of the outstanding race mare, Snowdance.
   She romped on debut and is clearly smart. Candice Bass-Robinson is the conditioner.
3. Captain Nacho is a first timer by Captain of All ex-Clifton Sunset.
4. Whistle the Tune went go-to-whoa on debut but has weakened tamely out the money at her two subsequent outings.
5. LITTLE BALLERINA raced handy then kicked at the right time to win the lucrative Cape Racing Sales Cape Slipper over the course and distance for trainer Candice Dawson. That is turning into a key form line as Prom Queen and Makazole, trounced six lengths out the money, have won their follow up starts.
6. ONE STRIPE went missing on debut when heavily backed, then made amends at his second try. He cleared off into a different time zone after leading
   from the jump and this One World colt trained by Vaughan Marshall shows real promise.
7. HANDSOME PRINCE has more experience than most after three starts. He has a couple of lengths to make up on Little Ballerina,
   though based on their CRS Cape Slipper clash when a beaten favourite.
8. BANFF won in some style on debut after a slow start. He, like so many here, is hard to assess, yet it seems worthwhile keeping Eric Sands’ entry onside.
9. WINDS OF CHANGE ran on to challenge Roman Agent when debuting a month ago. As horses often make dramatic improvement second up
   Adam Azzie’s colt merits respect after such a solid, foundational effort.
10. ROMAN AGENT from the formidable Snaith Racing team, has won two of three starts, being supported each time. Another potently bred individual by Vercingetorix from the famous Secret of Victoria female line, he likes to race handy then sustain a strong gallop – optimal tactics in turf sprints.
11. Sweetie Darling won on debut, but the Royal Mo filly has since twice been seen off by Roman Agent.
12. Golden Destiny was backed on debut to beat One Stripe but was never a factor. He might improve with the benefit of that experience.
13. LION RAMPART has a win over Roman Agent to his name, despite running all over the show due to greenness. Richard Fourie sticks with the Marshall
    runner despite an unplaced last start flop when smashed in the betting. 

Gavin Lerena after the first of a treble at Turffontein Inside today (JC Photos)

Gavin Lerena is nearing 100 wins for the season and is in the middle of a purple patch which has seen him ride ten winners in the last three meetings at a strike rate of 38.46%.

He has had 26 rides in the last three Highveld meetings for ten wins, five seconds, three thirds and a fourth for a place strike rate of 73.08%.

He has actually kept up that high place strike rate for the whole month and those who have followed him would be laughing all the way to the bank.

In February he has had 54 rides to date for 17 wins at a strike rate of 31.48% and a splace strike rate of 72.22% including ten seconds, seven thirds and five fourths.

A R1 win bet on each of his rides in February would have returned a handsome profit of R24.

His stakes earnings this month have been R1,995,188.

Only Richard Fourie has had more wins with 26 in February, but his win strike rate has been 26.53% and his place strike rate 62.24%, while his return for a R1 win bet has been 7.90%.

Gavin Lerena is clearly delighted when scoring for the seventh time on the gallant old galloper Nordic Rebel (JC Photos)

The gallant Erico Verdonese-trained ten-year-old Rebel King gelding Nordic Rebel had his 81st career start today at Turffontein Inside and recorded his 12th career victory.

It was the seventh time Gavin Lerena has won on him.

The Normany Stud-bred miler now has earnings of R1,140,825.

His previous win was exactly 17 months ago on 22 September, 2022, although he has had four second place finishes since then.

Nordic Rebel’s first win, under Gavin Lerena on May 11 as a three-year-old, was over 1200m at the Vaal and he powered in by 3,75 lengths having been backed in fro  4/1 to 3/1.

His wins since then have been between 1400m and 1600m, with 1600m being his most common winning distance (6 wins).

He has always been well regarded as is evidence by his debut in which he was backed in from 4/1 to 16/10 over 1200m at Turffontein Inside and finishing a 0,90 length third under Piere Strydom.

He won at the fourth time of asking.

He had a couple of disappointing runs after his maiden win when still a three-year-old and he was consequently rested for three months and gelded.

The highest merit rating he has won off has been a 90 in a MR 90 Handicap over 1600m at the Vaal on January 30, 2020, beating Finchatton by 0,75 lengths under Gavin Lerena.

In July and August of 2020 he placed second twice off a 95 merit rating, the highest rating he has ever reached.

Nordic Rebel was coming off four successive unplaced runs in today’s Classified Stakes race over 1500m. However, he was never further back than 3,50 lengths in his last three runs.

He was only 1kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse under today’s Classified conditions, the filly Count Your Chances.

Nevertheless, he drifted out from 6/1 to 16/1.

He was drawn four out of the ten runners.

The race panned out welll because Nordic Rebel found himself in seventh place one out with cover.

He turned for home about five lengths off the pacemaker Mitch Got His Wish.

Lerena kept him nicely covered up and got to work at the 400m mark.

He ran on well and the stick was kept away other than just a backhander to straighten him late on.

He ran out a cosy 0,30 length winner from Willlow Express and Fast Duty with Bushveld and Sage King next best.

Bushveld was carrying the hopes of a Hollywoodbets Punters Challenge player who had successfully selected the first seven winners on the day.

Gavin described the gallant Nordic Rebel as a “special, special horse” and praised Erico Verdonese for a “phenomenal training feat.”

He said he was quietly confident after the gelding had given him “an exceptional feel” going down to the start.

In fact Gavin’s wife Vicky, who was the pundit accompanying presenter Cecil Mthembu for the day, had asked the producer to show his canter down again and commented that “he looks like a two-year-old.”

“He is moving so well and is such a happy horse,” said Gavin, who’s partnership with the Verdonese yard goes back many years.

“All credit to my trainer,” he concluded.

Erico said, “It’s nice when you get horses like this. From day one he has given us a lot of pleasure and he never runs a bad race, he is never far behind.”

He said there were so many signs he could win today.

He explained, “He normally performs at Turffontein, he doesn’t like it here for some reason, but today he took it in his stride.  I’m sure Vicky had something to do with it, because she’s always there to help us in the morning, which is great!”

He added, “When you see a horse like this coming through the pack it is something else! It was a lovely ride from Gavin once again.”

He concluded, “And well done to Bev and Eric, they have been sitting with him for many years.”

Erico owns Nordic Rebel in partnership with Mr and Mrs ER Grace and DD Savadier.

Nordic Rebel’s groom Jose Sithole is appropriately nicknamed “Life”.

He has done a fine job keeping Nordic Rebel’s zest for life going and there could be more racing to follow judging by today’s performance.

One Fell Swoop, hidden, is touched off by Troppo Veloce in the Listed Betway Swallow Stakes but due to a race condition that limited placed horses’ merit rating increases in that race, he comes in potentially well-in in the Gr 3 Betwayu National Currency Stakes on Sunday at the Big T (JC Photos)

The handicappers are the target of much criticism in SA racing, but the most vehement critics have often not attempted to grasp the ins and outs of the merit rating system or considered the reasons why it is in place.

The system is not easy to apply in South Africa because the horse population here is not big and there are not many venue options, unlike England where the top class horses usually remain separate from the handicappers from day one. In South Africa the top class and those who are destined to be handicappers often clash in the early part of their careers and this can leave certain horses in no man’s land i.e not quite good enough to be competitive at the highest level and too high in the merit ratings to be placed easily.

But something probably unique the handicappers also have to put up with here are the conditions attached to certain races, which make it virtually impossible to handicap the population accurately.

This was seen recently when Barbaresco finished a close second to the 121 rated Main Defender in the Gr 3 Got The Greenlight Stakes, a race which carried a condition that the winner could not incur more than six points and placed horses could not incur more than three points.

Barbaresco was thus raised three points to 94, while the horse he beat by 3,25 lengths was raised three points to 98.

Had they subsequently met in a handicap, Hotarubi would have been 2kg worse off with Barbaresco despite having been beaten easily by him.

The same anomaly now happens on Saturday in the Gr 3 Betway National Currency Sprint.

In the Listed Swallow Stakes over 1160m, which is a level weights race for three-year-olds plus penalties, there was once again a condition that placed horses could not get more than a three point merit rating increase.

As it happened the Tony Peter-trained 96 merit rated runner up One Fell Swoop beat the Brett Crawford-trained third-placed Cullinan Blue by 0,80 lengths at level weights.

They were more than five lengths clear of the 95-rated Moving In.

One Fell Swoop was duly raised three points to 99 and Cullinan Blue was raised three points to 106.

The pair now clash in the Gr 3 Betway National Currency Stakes over 1100m on Sunday at Turffontgein Standside and Cullinan Blue, despite having been beaten 0,80 lengths by One Fell Swoop, is now a whopping 4kg worse off with him!

They are up against the potential superstar Lucky Lad.

The latter is officially the best weighted runner, but he nevertheless has to concede lumps of weight to the opposition and has not run for seven months.

One Fell Swoop is no doubt the value being potentially many kilograms well-in, just as Barbaresco was when cruising to victory in a handicap on February 10. In early prices she is as big as 5/1, although on the downside she has a low draw of three, which can sometimes be a disadvantage down the Turffontein Standside straight.

The race conditions have good intentions i.e to ensure that plenty of runners are entered without the fear of being severely punished for finishing close to a good horse.

However, it sure makes it difficult for the handicappers … and it does provide for some betting opportunities for sharp amateur handicappers.

Joseph O’Brien Interview

Exclusive interview with Joseph O’Brien: I’m sure my dad Aidan would love to have Jumps horses again, my Cheltenham Festival runners, Willie Mullins dominance and Ireland punches above its weight in all sports

Speaking to DAZN Bet, horse racing trainer Joseph O’Brien has outlined what the Cheltenham Festival means to trainers as he seeks to balance his focus between Jumps and Flat racing. O’Brien also spoke about what it might take for his family to compete with the Mullins clan in the future, assessed his Cheltenham Festival runners next month and what racing needs to do to attract a younger audience

Q. Didn’t your father (Aidan O’Brien) start out in the Jumps game? It must have some importance to your family, would he ever come back to take on Willie Mullins?

JO: “Absolutely, both mum and dad were both National Hunt trainers in Ireland at different times, so National Hunt is really in our blood and that’s why we’ll continue to have a presence in National Hunt racing.

“I don’t know if he’ll come back to have a go at Willie – I’m sure he’d love to have some National Hunt horses in the future but I don’t think that’s on the horizon right now.”

Q. In recent times, you’ve talked about reducing your National Hunt string – what is the reasoning behind this, is it financial?

JO: “The fact of the matter is that, for the bottom line, it makes much more sense to train Flat horses.

“We’ve been lucky in recent seasons with some of the Flat horses who have competed internationally with our operation getting bigger and bigger.

“For that reason we made the decision to focus more on the Flat and expand that side of the business rather than the National Hunt

“That being said, we fully intend to have representation in National Hunt racing going forwards, I love Jumps racing and will always be passionate about it. We will always have National Hunt horses, but maybe not quite on the same scale as what we had a few years ago.

Q. Ireland appears to be having an amazing time right now in sport, what do you think has contributed to this?

JO “Ireland has probably punched above its weight in sport, but I suppose Irish people are synonymous with horses and horse racing from generation to generation.

“We have great breeders in Ireland who breed fantastic horses, and there’s so many good horse people in Ireland who work on stud farms and training yards throughout the country.

“Ultimately, it’s the horses who perform on the track not only in the UK & Ireland, but also on the world stage.”

Q. What about the racing dynasties in Ireland, what is completion like between the families?

JO: “With racing, horses dominate the conversation and we’ve been very lucky that we’ve grown up in horse racing in the environment that we did.

“It was all-encompassing and all of my siblings are very passionate about the industry. We all get on very well and my cousins as well, with JJ Slevin, who’s a National Hunt jockey, and our wider family who work in the industry – we all get on very well.

“We compete with and against each other on a weekly basis.”

Q. With Cheltenham coming up, how is your hand looking? It looks a smaller cast list for you this year

JO: “In recent seasons, we’ve been concentrating more on our flat horses and, as a result, we don’t have as many jumps horses training at the moment.

“We still have a select few nice horses for Cheltenham, and that team will be headed up mainly by Banbridge who has been one of our flag bearers in recent times.

“Home By The Lee is intended to run in the Stayers’ Hurdle, and we’ll have a horse called Nurburgring who will run in the Triumph Hurdle.

“Lark In The Mornin will either run in the Triumph or the Fred Winter. We’ve got a couple more handicappers, with a horse called Solness who will run in the handicap and another called Busselton who will go in one of the handicaps as well.”

Q. What does Cheltenham mean to you? You’ve had an amazing career on the flat but does it still have a special place in your heart

JO: “Cheltenham is one of the best racing spectacles of the year – it’s been called the Olympics of horse racing many times and that’s really what it is.

“Whether we’re competing there or not, Cheltenham is a week we look forward to every year. I would absolutely go there even if I didn’t have any runners.

“The attendance is huge every year and the atmosphere is fantastic every day, with top class racing and it’s a special event.”

Q. In terms of the Anglo-Irish rivalry, particularly at Cheltenham, is it just cyclical?

JO: “In every sport there’s a dominant force, obviously Willie Mullins is particularly strong at the moment, but he’s come from taking runners over to the UK many years ago just trying to win one race.

“Now, he’s winning more than ever, so you have to take your hat off to him and recognise that it’s just the nature of sport.

“It is incredible, every year that goes by, he just seems to get stronger. It’s tough to compete with him in Ireland, but you’ve got the likes of Henry De Bromhead and Gordon Elliott and these people are doing very well, but ultimately Willie is the dominant force.”

Q. What’s the big thing you’ve learned from your father? Is there much of a rivalry when you compete?

JO: “Everything that I’ve learned about racing has been through them, and I suppose that work ethic is extraordinary, as well as his attention to detail.

“We compete on the track every week in Ireland but when dad wins we are very happy for him. We win occasionally and they’re happy for us, so it’s very much a case of what happens on the track stays there with everyone doing the best they can to win.

“Sometimes we win and usually dad wins.”

Q. Is it difficult being the son of such a famous trainer as you make your own way in the industry? There are lots of examples in sport where it’s hard for children to emulate their parents but you seem to have done that

JO: “I’m very fortunate to be in the position I’m in, with the grounding I’ve had and it helps to have dad at the other end of the phone at any time.

“I feel like I’m very fortunate to be in what is a very privileged position, and we work as hard as we can and make the best of whatever opportunities we get.

“His success is extraordinary really, the performances all season on the track are so strong, so we’re lucky to have grown up in that environment.”

Q. Will you be looking to emulate the scale of your father’s operation in the future?

JO: “We probably have a couple of hundred horses in work at the moment, and like any trainer I’ll aim to grow the quality of the stock we have and more winners.

“Then, you want more winners on the big stage and some years you have more than others. The hope is that every year, the following one will be the best one yet and that’s no different as we head into 2024.”

Q. How increasingly important is it to compete overseas?

JO: “It is, the world is a smaller place nowadays and there’s competitive flat racing with very good prize money all around the world which we can compete in throughout the year.

“We’re all keen to make the most of the opportunities we have with our horses if that means competing in the Middle East, Australia or America. Wherever in the world the races are, we’re always willing to give it a go.”

Q. Australia and the Middle East are buying up a lot of middle-distance horses, is that a concern?

JO: “I don’t know if it’s a concern, our best horses are kept in the UK and Ireland to race at least until the end of the three-year-old season.

“It’s fantastic as it creates a really good market for those horses as they compete on the track and showcase their ability.

“Ultimately, it’s the standard of the racing in the UK and Ireland which makes these horses sought after internationally. It’s been seen all over the world that if a horse can win a Maiden in Ireland, then that will translate to at least as good a performance anywhere else in the world.”

Q. What might you change to attract a younger audience to racing?

JO: “That’s the million dollar question for those running the sport, not only in Ireland but across the world as well.

“I think really good efforts are being made, in the last five years or so I’ve really noticed the amount of young people who are going to racing, particularly at the big Festivals like Cheltenham and Royal Ascot.

“The Dublin Racing Festival earlier this month at Leopardstown there were a hell of a lot of young people and even a lot of people coming over from the UK.

“Ultimately, showcasing these Festivals and big events is the best way to bring young people into the sport. Seeing the cream of the crop and the best of the best racing against each other is how we can attract a new generation into our sport.”

Q. What would be your dream winner and where would it be?

JO: “There is something special about Royal Ascot and competing there is arguably one of the best race meetings anywhere in the world.

“My ultimate ambition every year is to win Group 1 and Grade 1 races, competing at the top level domestically and internationally and getting better every year.”

The progressive sprinting filly Time For Orchids amde it a hattrick today and looks to be going places (JC Photos)

Gavin Lerena rode a treble at Turffontein Inside today, two of them for Johan Janse van Vuuren, and Ryan Munger also rode a treble.

Lerena is now on 94 wins for the season achieved at a strike rate of 18.76%.

Munger is on eleven wins at 16.18%.

He is based in Canada and is riding here during the off season.

Janse van Vuuren is on 34 wins at 13.93%.

Potoooooooo (also spelled Pot-8-Os, Pot8Os, Pot8O’s or Pot 8 Os in various sources) was one of the greatest thoroughbreds of the 18th century.

He was a chestnut colt bred by Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon, in 1773. He was sired by the undefeated Eclipse. He was the first foal out of Sportsmistress, who was sired by Warren’s Sportsman and traced to Thwaites’ Dun Mare from family number 38 on her dam’s side.

The origin of his name has several different versions. According to the most common, Bertie intended to call the young colt “Potato” and instructed the stable boy to write the name on a feed bin. The stable boy spelled the name as “Potoooooooo” (Pot followed by 8 “o”s; that is, a failed attempt at spelling phonetically), which so amused Bertie that he adopted the spelling.

Subsequent writers have used a variety of spellings that reflect the intended revised pronunciation, “Potatoes”. In The Jockey Club’s online database equineline.com, the name is spelled as Pot8O’s. The General Stud Book uses Potoooooooo.

Potoooooooo accumulated from 28 to 34 wins and sired three Epsom Derby winners.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT POTOOOOOOOO