Turf Talk Newsletter – 09 June, 2025

Mike The King Gets Dave The King Back To His Best

Dave The King’s big stride carries him to Gr 1 wfa glory for the third time. (Picture: Candiese Lenferna).

The Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Dave The King is back to his best and defended his Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge crown at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday in fine style, while Oriental Charm confirmed himself a worthy stallion in the making and Gladatorian confirmed he is the most improved horse in training.

Dave The King will be attempting to make it four wfa Gr 1s in succession at his favourite stamping ground when he lines up in the Gr 1 Champions Cup at Hollywoodbets Greyville on the last weekend of the season.

He didn’t look likely to scale these heights after his two lacklustre runs at Turffontein at the beginning of the season, which saw him beaten 19 lengths and 12 lengths respectively.

However, Mike de Kock is a world class trainer and with the help of his son and partner Mathew and the team they got to the bottom of the problem.

Dave The King came back like his old self at Hollywoodbets Scottsville over 1500m, the same race he had taken in last year, and then on Saturday he confirmed his well-being.

After breaking well and taking the early lead The big Global View five-year-od gelding ended up in the box seat behind pacemaker Oriental Charm with Cafe Culture on his outside keeping him in, which was not ideal for him because he likes to get going at about the 600m mark and on this occasion he had to wait until the straight.

However, the pace was at least decent which allowed him to use his big stride.

Callan Murray steered him expertly around the final turn, meaning he got an immediate split on the inside of Oriental Charm coming off the false rail.

His massive stride had carried him into the lead by the 300m mark.

Cosmic Speed looked the chief danger as he had headed Oriental Charm.

However, the Vercingetorix colt has gained a reputation for never throwing in the towel and he fought back to overtake the younger Cosmic Speed and he then challenged Dave The King all the way to the line.

DaveThe King’s big stride carried him home and did find some extra when it counted.

Oriental Charm had earlier pinged the gate and had to go hard to get ahead of Dave The King.

He then appeared to set decent and consistent fractions, which allowed the field to stride out behind him, so to find extra after being overtaken by two horses once again showed how big his engine is and how much courage he has.

He failed by a neck to add a valuable Gr 1 wfa Mile to his stallion CV (he is already being advertised by Drakenstein Stud).

Meanwhile, the Stuart Ferrie-trained five-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Gladatorian was dropped out from a tricky draw of eight out of 12 and was able to get cover in a one out position with only Great Plains behind him.

He was able to maintain a fair rhythm behind the decent pace, although he would have preferred it to have been quicker.

He went through two gaps, but it is clear from the overhead shots that he only really got going when he saw daylight ahead of him at about the 200m mark.

He still had more than three lengths to make up at that stage, but he stretched out beautifully and it was a gallant effort to get within 0,30 lengths of the winner.

Cosmic Speed was beaten 0,85 lengths into fourth place.

See It Again was jostled when attempting to get past William Robertson, who was going nowhere, at the top of the straight, as Gladatorian went straight for that same gap, as he was enititled to do.

See It Again had to be eased before getting a run and that cost him any chance and he could ony manage a 4,45 length fifth, but a line can be drawn through that run.

Oriental Charm, Gladatorian and See It Again will likely clash at level weights in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July as it looks likely that the former pair wll join See It Again on a 127 merit rating and they will thus all three be the joint topweights with 60kg.

Dave The King will wait until the Champions Cup and his relative freshness coupled with his class will give him a fine chance of landing a double double.

It was a second Gr 1 win victory in successive weekends for Callan Murray, whose career has been rejuvenated in the last few weeks as he has been given some good rides since returning home from Australia, where it was not easy to get going.

He is tall for a jockey, but looks much more comfortable in his frame now than he did when still going through a growth spurt, so it looks likely that he is now going to fulill the enormous promise he was said to have had by many when at the South African Jockey Academy.

It was a first Gr 1 win for Mike and Mathew de Kock as official partners and it was obviously an emotional moment for the family.

Relief could also have been one of the overriding emotions. Mike revealed that it had been a pressure filled preparation because they had to hold their breaths everytime Dave The King went out to work, hoping that his issue did not resurface.

Dave The King was bred by Gary Player, who races him in partnership with Larry Nestadt and Ralphs Racing. He is now a winner of 8 races with 8 places from 25 starts for stakes of R5 782 394.

Cousin Casey Among July Scratchings As 29 Stand Their Ground

Cousin Casey was runner up in last year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July, but was among a number of significant scratchings from the big race this morning. (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

The Hollywoodbets Durban July final field panelists have had their task made easier by a spate of significant scratchings from the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

The Justin Snaith-trained Sail The Seas was number three on the first Hollywoodbets Durban July log, but has had some issues.

He was scratched on Monday morning alongside his log incumbent stablemate Pacaya, who was number 18 on the first log, but whom ran disappointingly in Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial over 1800m.

A big scratching on Monday was last year’s runner up Cousin Casey, who was tenth on the July log, and his absence from the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Chllenge on Satuday indicates he must have an issue.

Fiery Pegasus was number 12 on the July log and was scratched a while ago.

Mike and Mathew de Kock have likely signalled their intent to go for the Gr 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes with the crack filly Spumante Dolce, who was 13th on the July log, by scratching her from the July on Monday.

The Lucky Houdalakis-trained Gr 1 SA Derby runner up Wild Intent, who was number 15 on the July log, also failed to fire in the Cup Trial and true to what Lucky had said about not just wanting to be “a field maker”, he was duly scratched on Monday morning alongside his stablemate Musical Score, who was a disappointing sixth in the Gr 3 4Racing Jubilee Stakes over 1800m on Sunday at Turffontein Standside.

A surprise scratching was the Roy Magner-trained Olivia’s Way. She was among the horses on the outside looking in on the first log having won the Gr 2 TAB Igugu Stakes to add to her Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic second and Gr 1 SA Derby fourth. She finished a cracking second in the traditional July pointer, the Jubilee Stakes on Sunday, so would likely have been a strong consideration for the final field.

The Sean Tarry-Let’s Go Now ran disappointingly in the Jubilee and was also scratched on Monday.

Scratched earlier were Parisian Walkway, Marauding Horde and Shoot The Rapids, who were all among the outside looking in horses on the fist log.

Another Snaith-trained scratching on Monday morning was Regulation, who was 4,5kg under sufferance in the Cup Trial and could only plug on steadily from a position backward of midfield. This Legislate gelding is a three-parts brother to July winner Belgarion and is one to watch next season as he is progressive and is likely to blossom as a four-year-old just as Belgarion did.

Other July entries who could not enhance their chances in the Cup Trial were Hotarubi, Zeitz and Winter Games and they are all among the July scratchings.

Navajo Nation could only manage fifth in the Jubilee and is among the July scratchings.

Madison Valley Books A Hollywoodbets Durban July Berth

Madison Valley stayed on resolutely from a handy position to win the Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphns Cup Trial over 1800m. (Picture: Candiese Lenferna Photography).

In the traditional Hollywoodbets Durban July pointer, the Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial over 1800m, the Frank Robinson-trained Madison Valley had excuses for his relatively poor run in the WSB 1900 and his 40/1 odds on Saturday in the Cup Trial were not reflective of his ability.

It was still a surprise to see him able to get into the box seat from draw eight as he is a long strider who stays two miles and he is usually held up. That was an expert bit of riding by Muzi Yeni who was only given the ride on the morning of the race.

Madison Valley then used his long stride to stay on resolutely and beat Underwold by 0,30 lengths with July entries On My Honour and Litigation beaten 0,30 and 0,35 lengths respectively. Winter Games was next best beaten 2,45 lengths and Politician Stakes winner Zeitz was beaten 2,45 lengths.

Madison Valley ran off a 113 merit and will be hoping to not get more than two points for the win.

He has likely booked his place in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and if he comes in with a 115 he will carry the minimum weight for an older male of 54kg, presuming See It Again, Oriental Charm and Gladatorian will be topweights all with 127 merit ratings.

A R220 000 BSA November 2yo Sale graduate, Madison Valley was bred by Clifton Stud and is a 4yo son of deceased Kingmambo stallion Mambo In Seattle out of the five-time winning Al Mufti mare Valdovino, who raced for Verna Roberts.

He is owned by Sid Moodley and this solid middle distance to staying type has now won 5 races with 5 places from 19 starts for stakes of R942 125.

Drakenstein Within Grasp Of Their Own SA Record As Gimmethegreenlights Deliver

Green Sapphire powers home to victory in the Gr 2 HKJC World Pool Tibouchina Stakes despite the race having not panned out well for her. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Two progeny of Gimmethegreenlight, the Sean Tarry-trained three-year-old filly Green Sapphire and the Justin Snaith-trained two-year-old colt Malmesbury Missile, became the latest stakes winners produced by Drakenstein Stud and that took the leading stud farm to 20 individual stakes winners of 26 races for the season, which is one short of their own South African record of 21 stakes winners in a season.

It looks likely to become the fourth season in succession Drakenstein have set a new South African mark in this category.

Tarry’s charge ran in the Gr 2 HKJC World Pool Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m and was surprisingly long in the betting at 25/2 as her only failure had been over a mile and she had won a Gr 3 over this course and distance in addition to her good sprint form on the Highveld.

The old feature partnership of Tarry and Smanga Khumalo combined and Green Sapphire produced a fine win, especially considering she was nearly brought down when there was some early jostling and she was then caught wide without cover.

The writing seemed on the wall when she turned for home with still a few lengths to make up as horses had not generally been coming from off the pace on the day and those two aforementioned happenings would have surely eaten into her reserves.

Instead she steadily crept closer and then when Khumalo changed whip hands at the 200m mark she changed legs and let herself down very well.

She accelerated to a catch Callmegetrix and win by 0,40 lengths.

Minogue flew up from the back to be be just a further shorthead back and they were followed home by Oxalis Gold and Sovereign Grant.

Green Sapphire should pay to follow as this race did not pan out at all well and yet she still won.

Bred and owned by Drakenstein Stud, Green Sapphire has won 5 of 10 starts for 4 places and stakes of R764 938.

Green Sapphire is out of the Trippi mare Sapphire Gem, and is thus bred on the same Gimmethegreenlight-Trippi cross as the Gr1 winners Gimme A Prince and She’s A Keeper, as well as the graded stakes winning fillies, Green Diamond and Gimmie’s Countess.

Earlier, Malmesbury Missile was a fitting winner of the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m as the race is ponsored by the Hollywoodbets Sharks and the horse is named after Springbok rugby legend Pieter-Steph du Toit.

The long-striding colt came from way off the pace and simply outclassed the field under Richard Fourie to win by a length from Aversator, Count Rouen, Tenjiku and Porridge Boy.

Malmesbury Missile started at 28/10.

Market rival Tenjiku did not get a good break and was caught too far back for his handy style, but should bounce back in the Gr 1 Premer’s Champion Stakes over 1600m, a step up in trip he will enjoy.

A clearly progressive 2yo son of champion sire Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready), the good-looking Malmesbury Missile was bred by Drakenstein Stud and is out of the 2018/19 Equus Champion 2yo filly Gabor, a daughter of the late Kingsbarns.

Now a winner of 2 races with 4 places from 6 starts and stakes of R488 438, Malmesbury Missile originally fetched R900 000 at the 2024 CRS Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

Sandy Arundel of Itssa It and Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd chose him at that Sale for his good looks and also because he was Lot 17, which is the date of her birthday.

He was subsequently purchased for R2,2 million by Jonathan Snaith at a short-notice partnership dissolution sale out of the Glen Kotzen yard in February this year.

He then transferred to the Snaiths with World Sports Betting partnering with original co-owners, Itssa It & Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd.

QuickstepGal Notches Up Another For Vercingetorix

The smart Tienie Prinsloo-trained Vercingetorix filly QuickstepGal makes it three on the trot in the Listed Ridgemont Devon Air Stakes. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

South African Champion Sire elect Vercingetorix’s progeny ran second and third in the big one of the day on Saturday at Hollywoodbes Greyville, the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, and earlier he had accumulated yet another stakes win when the Tienie Prinsloo-trained two-year-old filly Quickstep Gal won the Listed Ridgemont Devon Air Stakes over 1400m under Kabelo Matsunyane.

It was her third win on the trot and second stakes win.

The recent Tote Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes winner opened the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge day feature programme with a smart victory in the R200 000 event.

In the face of plenty of support for Dean Kannemeyer’s impressive recent debut winner Educator who went off at 7-10, Vercingetorix’s daughter Quickstepgal was easy to back at 11-2 and didn’t put a hoof wrong as she soared past pacesetter Vanakkam and drew away to register an eye-catching win, clocking 86,78 secs for the 1400m.

The Prinsloo powerhouse under regular pilot Kabelo Matsunyane beat Sean Tarry’s Tina Lovelace (25-1) by 2,60 lengths, with Captains Envy (11-2) shading the favourite Educator out of the Place Accumulator.

A R450 000 KZN Yearling Sale graduate, the winner is raced by KZN owner Rakesh Singh and was bred by the Greenacres Trust.

She is out of the three-time winning Jet Master mare, Victoriana.

Now a winner of her last 3 races from 4 starts, Quickstepgal took her stakes earnings to R344 376.

Which Borderline Horses Will Sneak Into The Hollywoodbets Durban July Final Field?

Picture: Rainbow Lorikeet is one of only three females still standing their ground in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and might sneak into the final field. (Picture: Wayne Marks).

The Hollywoodbets Durban July final field panelists always have a tough task, but with only 29 horses standing their ground four weeks befoe the big race, it might be a touch easier than usual.

This article takes a look at some of the performances on the weekend that will have a tellling impact on the final field choices.

Son Of Raj was among the horses just outside of top 20 looking in on the first Hollywoodbets Durban July log and he did not enhance his chances of making the July final field for the third time in succession by finishing a 3,75 length seventh in the Gr 3 4Racing Jubilee Stakes over 1800m on Sunday.

Pomodoro’s Jet was number 20 on the July log and was scratched from the Cup Trial, but he still remains among the big race entries.

Purple Pitcher was a well beaten 7,60 length ninth in the Gr 1 wfa Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, but this 122-rated twice Gr 1 winner was number seven on the log on the back of his consistently top class middle distance performances at Turffontein, so he should be safe.

The horses who were outside of the top 18 of the first July log and who definitely enhanced their chances of moving into the top 18 over the weekend were the respective Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial and Gr 3 4Racing Jubilee Stakes winners, Madison Valley and Immediate Edge.

My Best Shot won over 2000m at Fairview on Friday, his sixth successive easy win and he should either be in the final field or be right on the edge of it.

On My Honour ran a good 0,35 length third in the Cup Trial and might be considered for the final field considering he is a three-year-old who carried 59kg, meaning he was running on 1.5kg terms worse than weight for age with Madison Valley, so he actually performed better than him.

Litigation was not disgraced in a 1,75 length fourth in the Cup Trial.

Confederate was near the top of the log but was beaten in the Egoli Mile by the smart Erico Verdonese-trained Querari gelding Choisaanada. However, as the winner of the Gr 1 SA Classic that will not affect his standing.

The 29 horses are listed below in order of preference by the writer:

Eight On Eighteen
Oriental Charm
Gladatorian
See It Again
Royal Victory
Confederate
Atticus Finch
Legend Of Arthur
Purple Pitcher
Madison Valley
Selukwe
The Real Prince
Okavango
Native Ruler
My Best Shot
Immediate Edge
Mucho Dinero
Rainbow Lorikeet
On My Honour
Future Swing
Litigation
Pomodoro’s Jet
Beating Wings
Magic Verse
Holding Thumbs
Joy And Peace
Son Of Raj
The Equator
Thunee Playa

NB the above is not an official Hollywoodbets Durban July log.

Soqrat Relative Lands 4Racing Jubilee Stakes

Immediate Edge is a comfortable winner of the Jubilee Stakes and could have booked a berth in the Hollywoodbets Durban July (JC Photos).

Cape Breeders

Sandown Stud’s high-class sire Soqrat received a handsome boost to his female line on Sunday.

Classy three-year-old Immediate Edge, whose dam Anhaar is a three-parts sister to Soqrat, showed his class when romping home to land the G3 4Racing Jubilee Stakes at Turffontein.

Trained by Mike and Mathew De Kock, the Vercingetorix gelding picked up his biggest win with a fluent performance in Sunday’s R250 000 contest.

Under Kabelo Matsunyane, Immediate Edge pulled clear in the closing stages to land the Jubilee Stakes by a widening two and a half lengths.

In the process, Immediate Edge accounted for such graded stakes winners as Olivia’s Way, Atticus Finch, and Son Of Raj.

Bred by Shadwell Stud, the gelding has won four of just six starts, with Immediate Edge’s previous victories including the Listed World Sports Betting Hawwaam Stakes.

His dam Anhaar is a Commands three-parts sister to Soqrat, Equus Champion 2YO Colt 2017-2018, and winner of all of the G1 Premiers Champion Stakes, G1 Cape Guineas and G1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes.

From the same female line as Linamix, Hyperion and Sir Tristram, Soqrat is enjoying a fine season with his flagbearers led by Listed World Sports Betting Sledgehammer winner I Salute You.

Today's Question

How many Irish-trained horses have won the Epsom Derby this century?

The picture gives a clue to the answer

FIELDS, Wednesday, 11 June

Hollywoodbets Greyville Poly

Today’s Question Answer

Fifteen of the 26 Epsom Derbys this century have been won by Irish trainers with Aidan O’Brien accumulating eleven, John Oxx two, Dermot Weld one and Jim Bolger one. British trainers have won ten of them (Sir Michael Stoute four, Charlie Appleby two, John Gosden one, Peter Chapple-Hyam one, Marcus Tregoning one, John Dunlop one, Michael Bell one) and France trainers have won one (Andre Fabre).