Quid Pro Quo easily wins the Gr 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

The Barend Botes-trained fairytale horse Quid Pro Quo, a Gerald Kalil-trained homebred by little known sire Lance, is out to make history by becoming the first horse to win all of the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m, the Gr 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m and the Gr 1 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes over 1600m.

She was backed in from 6/1 to 3/1 before winning the Allan Robertson and from 5/1 to 28/10 before winning the Golden Slipper, so it is little wonder bookmakers are taking no chances before the Douglas Whyte Stakes to be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville on July 28 and have her at even money.

Trainer Barend Botes said about her well-being, “She’s very well and her work is good. She jumped a shadow in that last race according to S’Manga, so he was a bit worried about her soundness thereafter, but she came back sound and is doing well.”

Quid Pro Quo is drawn 12 out of 13 and Barend said, “It is a problem  because you don’t know how the field’s going to stretch out and how many lengths you’ll have to make up. But that’s Smanga’s job and he’s good at it.”

Asked whether she relaxed well in the running, he replied, “Last time it looked like she was keen in the early parts of the race, but I think it was just people pulling back for positions and the way the field strung back. I asked S’Manga the question, because I was concerned, and according to him there’s nothing to worry about.”

He said about the step up to 1600m, “We never expected her to be a 1200m horses, this is more her trip.”

He said about her fairytale status, “Let’s hope it carries on! You just believe in her. She’s got the capabilities and after the Allan Robertson, knowing the Golden Slipper would be more her distance, when she saw daylight it was as if you just knew it was all over. She’s got an unbelievable turn of foot and you expect it of her.”

Asked whether he had rated her from day one, he said, “As a youngster, she showed quite a bit of ability. Maybe we ran her a bit too soon the first time out, but it was also with the idea of moving to Durban. But also our lives changed the day we put the blinkers on. She was quite green her first couple of start, but the day we put the blinkers on she was a different horse. It was not something you would want to do with a two-year-old, but we did not have much of an option.”

See It Again and Piere Strydom out to land a third Gr 1 together (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

See It Again will be hoping to go one better than last year in the Gr 1 weight for age HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on July 28 (Sunday) and he is in fine shape at Summerveld.

He is the best weighted horse in the ten-horse field off his 131 merit rating, but for the second year in a row he has to overcome a wide draw, although there is one less runner in this year’s race.

Trainer Michael Roberts is bullish and said, “He has done very well since the July. We’re very happy with him. He did a bit of work on Saturday morning and it’s all systems go.”

Asked for his take on the Hollywoodbets Durban July, in which he was impeded late in the race, he said, “It’s a difficult one, it was obviously disappointing, although it was no fault of Piere’s (Strydom) or the horse. Unfortunately, the winner shifting in and the second placed horse shifting out a wee bit cost us third place.”

Roberts did not believe an earlier incident at the halfway mark had any effect on See It Again’s chances.

He said, “I think we missed most of it. There was a little bit of movement there, but I think we were lucky … we just got away from it.”

Asked whether he had considered objecting, he said, “I went to view the film and I was considering objecting in the back of my mind, but I know what the rules say. If we were third, I definitely would have objected, most definitely, but we’ve finished fifth and unfortunately we couldn’t jump the other horses.”

Roberts said he was happy to be drawn ten out of ten for Sunday’s big race.

He said, “I just hope we get a clean run race. He’s well, my horse, and all things being equal they’ve got to beat us.”

See It Again had a tendency to jump just a touch slowly last season, which saw Piere Strydom having a choice in last year’s race of dropping him out well back or being caught wide. See It Again ended up having too much to do and couldn’t catch Princess Calla, although it was ceratinly no disgrace finishing 1,30 lengths back to a top class filly who had a 2,5kg gender allowance.

Reminded of this Roberts said, “In the July he jumped on terms and, although he’s no speed machine at the starting stalls, for a stayer that’s good enough for me.”

Asked whether he would want to be handier this year, he said, “It all depends on the pace. You can’t start saying where you want to be in a race and then the pace changes. But, I think the danger, and you can’t give him too much leeway, is Dave the King, as he is a strong galloper and will most definitely be on the pace.”

He mentioned Cousin Casey as another danger.

The yard run Sun Blushed in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint from draw seven out of 13.

Michael said, “It’s a tough race on our rating, but his run in the Golden Horse was a good run. We weren’t beaten far so we had to take our chances. He was in the Post Merchants but I scratched him because he was drawn on the outside. I was prepared to do that. We know he loves Scottsville, but he has run some very nice races at Greyville as well.”

Sun Blushed is officially 5,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted Golden Sickle, but on Golden Horse Sprint form he faces the favourite Lucky Lad on half-a-kilogram worse terms for a 1,50 length beating, although Lucky Lad as a three-year-old would have theoretically made close to 1kg improvement since then.

S’Manga Khumalo (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

Some are saying the two week suspension and R54,500 fine handed to S’Manga Khumalo for a crop misuse offense is harsh, but in a day and age when  racing is being put in the spotlight by animal abuse organisations few would be able to argue against Khumalo being a repeat offender.

His latest transgression also took part on South Africa’s biggest stage of all, although it is not known whether that influenced the decision.

The NHA press release on the matter stated:

The National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa confirms that at an Inquiry held in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday, 21 July 2024, Jockey S Khumalo was charged with a contravention of Rule 58.10.2 (read with Guideline M in Appendix E on the use of the crop).  The particulars being that he misused his crop by striking COUSIN CASEY more than twelve times (15) which was not warranted when considering the circumstances of the race, during Race 7, Hollywoodbets Durban July (Grade 1), at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse on 06 July 2024. 

Jockey Khumalo pleaded guilty and was found guilty of the charge.  

The Inquiry Board, after considering the mitigating factors presented, Mr Khumalo’s recent record pertaining to this type of contravention and the status of the race, ruled that he be suspended from riding in races for a period of fourteen (14) days, and a fine of R54 500 (fifty-four thousand and five hundred rand) was imposed.  

Jockey Khumalo was given the Right of Appeal against the penalty imposed.

Cousin Casey’s last win in the Gr 2 Punters Cup at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in November 2022, 20 months ago. (Picture: Wayne Marks).

A sequence will be kept going if Cousin Casey wins the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup on Sunday (July 28) at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

Brett Crawford won it with Sail South in 2017 and with Captain America in 2018, Eric Sands won it with Rainbow Bridge in 2019 and with Golden Ducat in 2020 and Justin Snaith won it with Jet Dark in both 2021 and 2022.

Sean Tarry won it last year with Princess Calla and will keep the sequence of trainers having two successive winners going if Cousin Casey wins it on Sunday.

Furthermore, Richard Fourie has ridden one of the winners in all three of those aformentioned doubles and he rode Princess Calla last year, so he would have to lose on Dave The King on Saturday to keep that particular dimension of the sequence going.

Cousin Casey has not had the best of luck with draws in Gr 1s this season, drawing eleven in the Betway Summer Cup, 13 in the Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes, 12 in the Premier’s Champions Challenge and 15 in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July.

However, he did draw well in two in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge and made the most of it, finishing a 2,20 length second to Dave The King.

He is now drawn in pole and the distance should be right down his alley, considering he finished second in all of the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m, the Gold Challenge over 1600m and the July over 2200m.

Dave The King, on the other hand, is probably at his best over a mile as he does take quite a hold.

Cousin Casey does well under S’Manga Khumalo, who rides him for the fourth time in succession, and he is third favourite with Hollywoodbets on 5/1 behind See It Again (18/10) and Dave The King (4/1).

Grazingthegrass winning recently under Richard Fourie (Pauline Herman Photography)

It was likely his dam Candy Singer which prompted the naming of Grazinginthegrass – he is likely named after the top hit song sung by legendary jazz musician Hugh Masekela (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SONG GRAZINGINTHEGRASS)

Grazinginthegrass the horse is a rangy type who always struck as one who had the scope to win a few races, but he lost his way on the Highveld after his maiden win.

However, after being sent to the East Cape he was transformed into a prolific winner.

He has won another 14 races down there, including rattling off a six-in-a-row sequence from December 2022 to September 2023.

Charl Pretorius wrote about this transformation in his Off The Record column last weekend.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT GRAZINGINTHEGRASS’ TRANSFORMATION

Tower Of London storms past longtime leader and stablemate Grosvenor Square to win the Curragh Cup
Credit: Patrick McCann

Tower Of London returns to form as he storms home to land Curragh Cup

Conor Fennelly (Racing Post)

Tower Of London gave Aidan O’Brien successive victories in the Group 2 Comer Group International Curragh Cup in thrilling circumstances as Ryan Moore galvanised his mount to reel in runaway leader and stablemate Grosvenor Square late in the day.

Jockey Gavin Ryan made his intentions clear from the start of the 1m6f contest as he sent Grosvenor Square into a sizeable lead and found himself ten lengths to the good at halfway. His advantage increased thereafter and he spun into the straight with a seemingly unassailable lead, while 11-8 favourite Vauban led the chasing pack with Tower Of London further back.

The leader kept on finding and was still in splendid isolation at the furlong pole, six lengths clear. However, Moore began to get serious on 13-8 shot Tower Of London and he shot past Vauban before changing into a different gear to mow down the weary leader, eventually running out the victor by a length and a quarter.

It was a welcome return to form for the winner, who had a productive early-season campaign when landing a Group 3 handicap at Riyadh and the Dubai Gold Cup, but he was below par when fifth of six in the Yorkshire Cup in May when last seen.

Both the winner and runner-up could have Australia in their sights come the autumn.

O’Brien said: “Ryan gave him a peach. He stays well, has got a great cruising speed and is able to quicken. He’s a very good horse and can travel anywhere. We might look to space out his runs a bit and he could be back here for the Irish St Leger. He could be a Melbourne Cup horse. The runner-up loved the distance and he could be a Melbourne Cup horse as well.”

It completed a double for O’Brien, who landed the opening 7f maiden courtesy of newcomer The Lion In Winter.

Believing gains deserved success

The British sprinters exercised their authority over the Irish once again as Believing ran out an authoritative winner of the 5f Group 2 Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes for George Boughey.

Already a three-time Listed and Group 3 winner, the four-year-old was sent off an even-money favourite after two cracking runs at Royal Ascot where she twice made the frame Group 1 company in the space of four days.

Ridden by Ryan Moore, she produced a scintillating turn of foot inside the furlong pole to dash a length and three-quarters clear of Beautiful Diamond, with Makarova completing a 1-2-3 for the British raiders.

Moore said: “She has been in very good form this year; she won well at Haydock and had two very solid runs in Group 1s at Ascot. She was probably entitled to win this and is very straightforward.”

The Charles O’Brien-trained Big Gossey landed his sixth success at the Curragh in the 6½f David Power Memorial Premier Handicap as he powered a length and a quarter clear of Greek Flower to win at odds of 12-1.

The seven-year-old has been a magnificent servant to connections, this being his 61st start and his 33rd at this track, while he has also accumulated more than €350,000 in prize-money.

Winning rider Robert Whearty said: “He’s been great for my career and is after getting me going really well in the last six or eight months and I’m very grateful. I was delighted to see the rain. He handles quicker ground but thrives on easier going. He loves it here.

Two for O’Brien and McMonagle

Joseph O’Brien and Dylan Browne McMonagle combined for a double on the card, which was kicked off by Rudi’s Apple, who stormed to an impressive success off top weight in the 6f nursery, while Puturhandstogether justified 5-2 favouritism in the 1m2f handicap in the colours of JP McManus.

Congratulations to Melusi Gamede from Mondlo in Vryheid for winning the 2024 Dundee July main race with his horse Mbayi Mbayi. He earned a whopping R350 000 cheque.

Picture: Poet’s Word (James Doyle) (far side) gives Sir Michael Stoute his sixth victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot (Image: Boardsmill Stud) 

Sir Michael Stoute has won the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Britain’s most prestigious open-age flat race, six times (Shergar (1981), Opera House (1993), Golan (2002), Conduit (2009), Harbinger (2010), Poet’s Word (2018))