Turf Talk Newsletter – 09 March, 2026

Trent Mayhew is elated as he lands his first career Gr 1 victory on the fairytale R37,500 purchase Hazy Dazy, who is now on course to become the sixth horse in history to win the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara (JC Photos)

Trainer Corne Spies deserves his success with Hazy Dazy, who is on the cusp of becoming Act Of War’s second Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara winner, because ostensibly he actually bred the smart three-year-old filly.

Hazy Dazy is out of the Eightfold Path mare Rabbedoe, whom Corne trained.

After training her he bred with her and was responsible for putting her in foal to Act Of War.

However, COVID-19 then hit and he gave her away to David Makins prior to Hazy Dazy being born.

Corne’s father Tobie Spies used to train for David Makins and hence the connection.

Hazy Dazy was officially bred by Breedon Stud, owned by David Makins and his wife Martha.

Xander Spies believes Hazy Dazy would always have ended up in the Spies yard anyway, but Corne made sure of it by purchasing her at the David Makins dispersal Sale upon the latter’s passing.

He picked her up for a mere R37,500 and a rags to riches fairytale might now repeat itself, considering Act Of War’s first Triple Tiara winner, the Paul Matchett-trained Act Of War filly War Of Athena, was purchased at a Sale for just R30,000.

War Of Athena won the Triple Tiara five years ago in 2021 and is one of five to achieve the feat alongside Igugu (2011), Cherry On The Top (Tiger Ridge) (2013), Summer Pudding (Silvano) (2020) and Rain In Holland (Duke Of Marmalade)(2022).

Hazy Dazy’s damsire Eightfold Path has a magnificent pedigree, being by “the iron horse” Giant’s Causeway out of the superstar five-times Gr 1-winning racehorse Divine Proportions (Kingmambo), who was European Champion Two-year-old and European Champion Three-year-old,

However, he did not make it as a sire and Xander said, “It’s not a pairing (Act Of War-Rabbedoe) most would have thought would produce something this good, but I guess you can find them anywhere.”

Xander pointed out that although Rabbedoe’s mother Brataloochee was a “proper” racehorse, Rabbedoe’s pedigree page had “nothing” of note to the extent that on the Sales page it went all the way down to the sixth dam.

The yard received Hazy Dazy in the December of her yearling year and he remembered her being quite a runt and looking more like a weanling.

The yard often buys on spec and then puts a syndicate of owners together.

The owners of Hazy Dazy are Mr D Dasrath & Mrs C Dasrath, Messrs R P Macnab, S Poriazis, Vikash Sobaren, X Spies & D Vayapuri

Hazy Dazy has grown into a noticeably tall filly and has a fine action, which has carried her to six wins in eight starts, including a Gr 1, a Gr 2 and a Gr3.

Act Of War is by Dynasty, who was a stamina influence, and  Eightfold Path could possibly bring stamina too being by stamina influence Giant’s Causeway.

However, Hazy Dazy’s first and second dams, Rabbedoe and Brataloochee, were both speedsters.

Rabbedoe only had three runs, finishing fifth, beaten seven lengths on debut, before finishing a 1,25 length second in the Listed Ruffian Stakes over 1000m second time out. She then won a Juvenile PLate over 1160m by 1,75 lengths.

Her dam Brataloochee was by sprinter Cataloochee and in eleven runs her three wins were all over 1200m and her her four places were from 1000m to 1200m.

However, Xander Spies has no doubt Hazy Dazy will see out the Oaks trip,

Hazy Dazy has in fact won over 2000m before and on Saturday her win over the tough Turffontein Standside 1800m course and distance was in sticky going.

Xander Spies said, “There are no indications in my mind that she will not stay the Oaks trip. In fact what is interesting is that all of the horses who had been labelled as ones that would stay actually finished further back in the Classic than they had done in the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas.”

Hazy Dazy’s supporters had a scary moment in the race, because after leading it appeared she had been swamped at the 400m mark.

However, she had soon fought back and established a clear lead before holding on by a length.

Xander said, “I was slightly concerned but Trent (Mayhew) gave a very good explanation. He said the same happens every race, but this was one of the few times she had been in front. So he hadn’t pulled the stick, because she was just cruising and he just waited another 50m, as he would normally do, knowing she had a lot left.”

A big part of Hazy Dazy’s fairytale-like story is that the connections opted to keep apprentice Trent Mayhew aboard when she was aimed at the bigger prizes, despite him only recently have lost his claim.

Hazy Dazy’s first feature success was in the Gr 3 Fillies Mile at Turffontein Standside on Betway Summer Cup day.

Despite starting at odds of 17/2 she won that by an authoritative one lengths from the Alyson Wright-trained Charge It, who is a Varsfontein Stud-hombred Gimmethegreenlight filly who is a full sister to Sucharge, who won a Gr 1 in both SA and in Australia.

Hazy Dazy was supposed to run in the race Charge It won next time out, the Listed War Of Athena Handicap, but she sustained a slight injury and it was decided not to risk it.

She then started at the amazing odds of 25/1 for the Gauteng Fillies Guineas, despite having beaten most of the field in the Fillies Mile.

She won the Guineas in effortless fashion in the end, despite actually looking a bit green. It had appeared that Trent Mayhew was battling to get her going, but once he had got her on to the right leg she took off and passed the others with ease.

The bookmakers were way more cautious on Saturday and she was sent off as even money favourite.

Her aims after the Triple Tiara series is over look to be the Woolavington 2000, but Xander emphasised she would not be going for the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

He said that history had shown that making a full bid for the Triple Tiara took a bit out of a horse and the July would be a bridge too far this year, although it was definitely on the cards for next year.

It was a fine day for the Spies yard on Saturday as they also won the Gr 3 TAB J J The Jet Plane Stakes over 1000m with their sprinting stalwart William Robertson (Rafeef), who is now a 17 time winner and he will be going for the Computaform Sprint next, a Gr 1 wfa event he has won before.

The Spies yard only have 14 horses of three years old or older and yet have won five black type races this season.

Rob Macnab also has a share in William Robertson and both he and Hazy Dazy run in his blue, white crossed sashes, red sleeves and cap colours.

Meanwhile, Rabbedoe was purchased on the same Sale as Hazy Dazy by a bloodstock agent who seeks second careers for horses and it is believed she was subsequently sold to a riding school somewhere in the Limpopo.

Upon hearing that news there might be a Finder Keepers type rush by Breeders to try and track her down!

Three-year-old The United States gelding Tin Pan Alley proved his effectiveness at a mile by winning the Gr 1 wfa Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes, run in sticky going, by 3,75 lengths (JC Photos)

Sean Tarry won two Grade 1s and scored two Listed race exactas at the 12 race World Pool Classic day meeting at Turffontein Standside on Saturday and it was also a fine day for sires The United States, who had a Gr 1 first and third and a Listed winner, and Rafeef, who had a Gr 3 win, a Listed win a maiden win.

Tarry is still a long way behind Justin Snaith in the national Trainers Championship, but he has closed the gap to just over R8 million and this gives him a feasible chance of challenging for the title.

Tarry’s gelding Grand Empire had run on well from some way off the pace in the Gr 2 TAB Gauteng Guineas for a 0,60 length second and was surprisingly easy to back at 11/2 in the Gr 1 HKJC World Pool SA Classic over 1800m.

The SA Classic favourite at 5/2 was the dual Gr 1 winner Jan Van Goyen.

A furious pace was set in the race from a vanguard of three rank outsiders, All Systems Go, Yippee Kiyay and Radio Star.

There was a gap of eight lengths back to Trust, whose jockey Serino Moodley’s pace judgement was later proven to be just about perfect.

Jan Van Goyen sat on Trust’s quarters without cover.

Grand Empire was in the box seat of the main contenders, on the rail behind Trust.

Going through the 400m mark All Systems Go had skipped clear and there was still no move from Moodley, although Craig Zackey on Grand Empire had moved past Trust on his inside.

Trust got going just after passing the 400m mark and One Eye On Vegas was also running on strongly from off the pace.

Jan Van Goyen never looked threatening.

Raymond Danielson had sat in last place on Gauteng Guineas winner Splittheeights and looked to be planning to follow Jan Van Goyen at the top of the straight. When that plan went awry the horse was left with too much to do to catch Grand Empire and Trust.

The pacemaking vanguard were swamped at the 100m mark with Grand Empire being challenged in front by Trust. One Eye On Vegas began wilting and was mastered by the running on late Splittheeights.

The front pair crossed the line as one and it was just the head-bob that gave Grand Empire the win over the luckless Trust.

The result gave the phenomenal sire Vercingetorix yet another Gr 1 winner. Grand Empire was originally bought by Eric Sands for R400,000 at the National Yearling Sale. He was bred by Al Adiyaat and is owned by Mrs H Kuhn.

Had the handicappers’ initial handicapping of the Gauteng Guineas been in place a line horse would have been easy to find for the SA Classic, but they look to instead be in the same boat as they were for the Guineas, i.e. the choice of using a line horse that will either make the ratings too high or one that will make the ratings too low. Using the 118-rated Jan Van Goyen, who was beaten 4,25 lengths, would make Grand Empire about 126 or 127, while using either Trust or Splittheeights will give him a maximum of about 113.

The handicappers might be justified in using the higher rating, because of the result of the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Stakes, in which the Tarry-trained Tin Pan Alley blew away a top class field to win by 3,75 lengths. He was originally used by the handicappers as the line horse for the Gauteng Guineas on 117, while Grand Empire later became the official line horse. Both horses proved themselves better than their respective ratings of 117 and 108 on Saturday.

Jan Van Goyen was viewed as the best three-year-old in the country prior to Saturday and his 9,10 length defeat in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate was excused because he had gone too fast when chasing pacemaker Dave The King. However, there was one nagging doubt created by the King’s Plate and that was that the horse who was together with him in the running at that too fast pace i.e. Legal Counsel, beat him by 4,65 lengths. However, Jan Van Goyen shouldn’t be written off yet because he did have no cover throughout in his one wide position on Saturday.

In the Horse Chestnut Tin Pan Alley found the perfect position in midfield on the rail.

The surprise pacemaker was Fire Attack.

The conditions were sticky on the day and after Tin Pan Alley had powered into the lead down the inside the favourite See It Again, who prefers 2000m, had too much to do coming from midfield on the outside.

See It Again was doing fine work late to pip last year’s runner up Texas Red for second. Fire Attack was fourth and two previous winners of this race, Main Defender and Cosmic Speed were next best.

The Real Prince appeared to hate the conditions and was never in the hunt.

The Moutonshoek-based stallion The United States now has a second Gr 1 winner this season and he also had first and third in Saturday’s race.

Tin Pan Alley, bred by Moutonshoek, is owned by the Wernars Family & D Chinsammy

Tarry’s two Listed wins were with Secretary Bird (Rafeef) and Care Forgot (The United States).

Secretary Bird is put of the five-time winning Captain Al sprinter Secretariat’s Girl and she is a full-sister to the smart four-year-old gelding Tintin.

She was an impressive winner of the Listed Wilgerbosdrift Ruffian Stakes over 1000m, coming from off the pace with a fine finishing burst under a cool-headed Ryan Munger to beat the second favourite and stablemate Griselda (Erik The Red) by 2,25 lengths.

Care Forgot had always shown a touch of class and it was fitting that in her sixth career win she landed black type by winning the Wilgerbosdrift Acacia Stakes over 1600m, when producing a fine finish from off the pace under Munger to beat stablemate Warning Sound by a length.

An interesting fact is the seven black type races on Saturday were shared between only three yards, Sean Tarry, Corne Spies and Mike and Mathew de Kock and the trio are next door to each other at Randjesfontein training centre.

Buttercup Baby is led in by owners Sandy and Eugene Arundel (right) and trainer Wendy Whitehead (left) (Picture: Race Coast)

The main race at the Holywoodbets Greyville poly meeting on Sunday, a Middle Stakes event over 1200m for fillies and mares, saw a comfortable victory for the Wendy Whitehead-trained Buttercup Baby and it brought up a 100th win as owners for Sandy and Eugene Arundel’s Itssa IT and Business Solutions ownership concern.

Buttercup Baby was off an 88 merit rating which did not make her well weighted as she was officially 1,5kg under sufferance with Convocation. However, Rachel Venniker’s gender allowance of 1,5kg brought the pair together at the weights. On the same weight terms Convocation had beaten Butterup Baby by 0,45 lengths over this trip at Holywoodbets Scottsville on February 18, but Buttercup Baby had some fine poly form over this trip and she was duly backed in to 5/2, although Convocation also shortened from 28/10 into 18/10. Buttercup Baby, a four-year-old by What A Winter, was taken straight to the front from the widest draw of seven and got their quite easily, with the tardy start of the well known front-runner Hierkommiebokkie in pole position aiding her cause. Buttercup Baby stayed on well in the straight and fended off the challenge of Sovereign Grant to win by half-a-length, although not before drifting outward and this led to an unlucky Kythera, who was going for a gap between the two front-runners, having to be snatched up late and it probably cost her third place. Back At The George was third and Convocation only managed fifth place.

It was fitting Wendy Whitehead trained the Arundels 100th win as she was their first trainer when they went into the sport in a big way and she picked some of their best horses at the Sales, including Gr 1 winner Rascova and the many-times Graded-placed Minogue, so their were some emotions shown in the winner’s enclosure by both trainer and owners.

Earlier in a C Stakes event for all horses over 1200m, the Glen Kotzen-trained Gimmethegreenlight gelding The Mask scoring a deserved victory after finishing second in his three previous starts. The Mask was actually at the bottom of his merit rating band in this contest so was 1kg under sufferance with the best weighted males and 3kg under sufferance with the best weighted runner, the raiding Highveld filly Dondoyaki, but nevertheless he started favourite at 9/4. Chad Little managed to get him to the front from draw six out of seven and after stealing a march at the top of the straight at the same time as second favourite Ibutho was looking for gaps to open further back, he never looked like being caught and won by 3,20 lengths from Winter Waves with Ibutho next best.

The meeting started with a surprise result as the Gareth van Zyl-trained I Am Invictus led from start to finish under S’Manga Khumalo and held on by 0,60 lengths from Sail The Horizon and Light The Fire to convert odds of 10/1. The good looking Vercingetorix gelding had finished last on debut, but looks a type who can progress.

In the second race, an Open Maiden over 1400m, the hard-knocking Louis Goosen-trained Pomodoro filly Saudi Sweep carried joint topweight of 60.5kg but that didn’t stop her scoring by 0,60 lengths under Rachel Venniker from the odds-on favourite Vaan’s Spirit. She jumped from pole and came from a handy position with a sustained run down the inside.

In the fifth race, a fillies and mares Class 5 over 1000m, the Alyson Wright-trained three-year-old Willow Magic filly Magical Sky was taken to the lead under Damyan Pillay, just heading a horse inside of her,  and she kicked on well under a finely judged ride to win by 1,50 lengths.

In the sixth, a Class 5 for fillies and mares over 1900m, Glen Kotzen and Chad Little clinched a double together as Legislate filly Sesame came from midfield and outfought Sweeter Than Honey under a typically powerful ride by Little.

In the seventh, a D Stakes event over 1900m, the MJ Odendaal-trained What A Winter gelding Takeyourbestshot had just won an Open Maiden off a 61 rating and off a 64 was at the bottom of his merit rating band in this race, but he was nevertheless backed into 18/10 favourite and he led throughout to win by an easy 1,70 lengths under Keagan de Melo.

In the eighth, a Class 4 over 1600m, Fanie Bronkhorst’s journey down with six horses hadn’t looked to be going well, but Erupt mare Boom Boom made it worthwhile as Serino Moodley extracted a strong charge from her to win by a head and a shorthead from Blue Poppy and Prom Queen in a thrilling finish.

In the last race, a Class 5 over 1600m, S’Manga Khumalo managed to get the Vengi Masawi-trained Potala Palace gelding into a handy position with cover from draw five and with the rest of the field being held up by Master Silvano, who was battling to keep up, Khumalo just had to steer Pied Piper straight to chalk up a 1,10 length victory from a closing Basie Raakvat. Hollywood Racing’s Ashburton-based trainer Masawi has now had 14 wins in his first full season as a licensed trainer and he has the highest strike rate in the country at 25.45%.

Brighterdaysahead comes to the Cheltenham Festival in fine form (Picture: Sky Sports Racing)

Comprehensive Guides To Day One Of The Cheltenham Festival

What is it that makes the Cheltenham Festival the greatest of all horseracing meetings in the world, according to the opinion of many?

It might possibly be because it allows non-horsemen the chance to experience the incredible bond between horseman and horse from close up.

The emotions attached to a Cheltenham Festival winner are like no other.

Long hours of training and meticulous horse care go into the preparation of a horse for the Festival.

This culminates in the Festival race itself, when horse and jockey are asked to beat many others in the toughest of tests just to put themselves in contention and finally have to find something extra from deep within to overcome “the hill”, which rises 11.48m in elevation from the two furlong mark to the finish and sorts out the champions from the mere mortals.

The Festival also gives an insight into the passion English and Irish fans have for the sport of horseracing, which can be experienced on course during the day and off course at night as the town becomes vibrant during the Festival characterised by Irish fiddle bands and just a lot of horseracing banter.

It is just hours away from the famous  “Cheltenham roar” as the contestants are sent on their way for the first race, the Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle, (Tuesday 15H20 SA Time).

Below is a comprehensive guide to all seven of the races on the opening day, which includes the day’s championship event, the Champion Hurdle.

At The Races tipster Jamie Codd’s blog on the first day of the Festival includes a couple of strong Grade 1 selections and several double-digit fancies.

Click here to read a comprehensive guide to Day One