Turf Talk Newsletter – 12 August, 2026

Picture: A Case Of You looking a picture of well-being

The Drakenstein Stud Stallion Day is always well attended and will have a famous member of a famous Australian racing family attending the event on Thursday (August 13).

Gai Waterhouse, the iconic Australian trainer, is in South Africa and will be attending the popular Stallion Day.

Patrons will be introduced to a top class band of exciting stallions.

Most of them are young and full of promise and it sure is exciting times for Drakenstein with a number of the stallions yet to have their first runners.

The Drakenstein stallions are:

A Case Of You (IRE) (Hot Streak (IRE)), winner of the Gr 1 Prix de l’Abbaye and Gr 1 Al Quoz Sprint;

Charles Dickens (Trippi), rated by the iconic Bass yard as the best horse they have ever trained, he won the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas, the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge and the Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate and he was ranked 7th in Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings upon his retirement;

Futura (Dynasty), a four-time Gr 1 winner and Equus Horse Of The Year, he did the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and Met double and also won the Champions Cup twice. He is the sire of the Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Note To Self;

Jet Dark (Trippi), he won five Gr 1s including the rare feat of winning two open wfa Gr 1s as a three-year-old, the Queen’s Plate and the Champions Cup, and he went on to repeat his wins in both races and he added the Met;

One World (Captain Al) was a Met winner and was crowned Champion Freshman sire, with his record-breaking 30 individual first crop winners.  He also equalled the record for the highest number of 2YO winners in a season, both records previously held by his sire Captain Al. One World is sire of dual Gr 1 winner One Stripe, who has made a big impact in the USA;

Oriental Charm (Vercingetorix) is the son of a stallion phenomenon and his biggest win was of the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July;

Sharp Frank (GB) (Frankel) is a son of global sire-sensation Frankel and half-brother to South African Horse of the Year Oh Susanna, he has a world-class pedigree;

Snow Pilot (Lancaster Bomber) is by a late sire who has had five Gr 1 winners from just two crops to race, including Equus Horse Of The Year Eight On Eighteen. Snow Pilot won the Gr 1 Cape Guineas and is out of the Gr 1 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Snowdance (Captain Al), who hails from the Mystic Spring family, one of the most successful families in the South African stud book;

What A Winter (Western Winter) a four-time Gr 1-winning Champion Sprinter, who has sired six Gr 1 winners. His progeny are versatile and dependable.

There will be plenty to say about these nine fine stallions.

Gai Waterhouse visited a very chilly Randjesfontein on Wednesday morning alongside her assistant, Emma Coleman, and was shown around at De Kock Racing by Monique de Kock and ‘Chaperone-to-the-famous’, JJ van der Linden of Global Bloodstock Logistics.

Monique said: “We spent a lovely morning together and what an honour it was to meet Gai. We took her to the track and to our stables and enjoyed a good amount of time chatting, a privilege indeed!”

Waterhouse has trained no fewer than 164 Gr 1 winners, with Australian legends like Sebring, Pierro, Desert War, Descarado, Grand Armee and Alligator Blood passing through her yard.

She won the Melbourne Cup in 2013 with Fiorente.

Gai is the daughter of the Australian Hall Of Fame trainer legend Tommy J. Smith, who won two Melbourne Cups (Toparoa and Just a Dash), four Caulfield Cups, seven W. S. Cox Plates, six Golden Slippers, and thirty-five derby winners across Australia. In all Smith trained 246 Group One winners and his best horses included the legendary Kingston Town.

Waterhouse flew to Cape Town on Wednesday afternoon for dinner with Mike and Mathew de Kock, and they’ll be attending the Drakenstein stallion day on Thursday.

Waterhouse trains in partnership with Adrian Bott and they have a few South African clients, including Larry Nestadt and Gary Player.

One of the Australian-based horses Nestadt and Player have shares in is the Waterhouse/Bott-trained Gr 2 Brisbane Cup winner Alalcance, who is currently paying Aus$26 in the Melbourne Cup betting.

Picture: A Tic Tac man signaling prices to the vast number of bookmakers who used to set up their stalls at the races before the advent of smartphones

What would Jeffrey Bernard have said?

By Mike Moon (The Citizen)

A sozzled writer’s take on bookmakers.

Bookmaking and betting firms are getting a bad rap since they came out of the closet, as it were, and started advertising their products loudly and garishly. There is much tut-tutting about the social ills of problem gambling and the vulnerability of poor people to financial temptations.

If only the poor could be lifted from poverty so that everyone could enjoy a better quality of life under a healthy pace of economic growth … but that’s an argument for economists, politicos and alchemists, maybe.

Meanwhile, racegoers, which in stereotypical thinking are supposed to loathe bookmakers because the greedy blighters siphon off all the money, are actually thanking their lucky stars (or fish?) for the so-called pencil men. For betting firms have ridden to the rescue of horse racing in South Africa by bailing out operators who were sinking under the pressures of taxation, publicity-starvation, unmanaged competition and gormless popular culture.

So, this is probably a good time to turn to the “wisdom” of Jeffrey Bernard, a popular British columnist of the late 20th century, who made a name for himself with epic drinking and an unhealthy interest in horse racing – among other dissolute activities.

This is what Bernard once observed about bookies – unusually at the time:

“I spent a day at Sandown Park once and lost money all day long on all six races. After the last race, which cleaned me out, I approached [bookmaker] John Bank and asked if he could please lend me the train fare back to Waterloo… He just motioned to his clerk to give me a bundle of money and said, with a friendly shrug, ‘Have a taxi all the way.’

“The bad image of bookmakers is largely outdated. These days they are pretty straightforward businessmen and, with very few exceptions … are decent, honest people.

“Victor Chandler Senior … was a particularly decent and honest example… I used to approach him and say, ‘Hello Victor, let’s have a drink,’ I would hear him muttering, ‘Good news boys, here comes the lunch money’.

“I once owed Victor about 20 quid, a fortune for me then and nothing to him. I’d been avoiding him for weeks. One day I saw him come into the Members’ Bar at Newbury so, like an idiot, which I was, I pretended I’d dropped something and hid under the table. After three minutes a hand appeared bearing an enormous whisky. Victor’s face followed and met mine: ‘I thought you might be thirsty, Have a drink, Jeff.’

“He was a good man. One Christmas, a man from his firm came round to my flat and delivered me an entire crate of Louis Roederer Crystal. I said to my then wife, ‘What a marvellous man Victor is. Fancy sending me a crate of champagne of that quality.’ She said: ‘You bloody idiot. That crate probably cost you £5,000’.”

Cheers to the scribblers.

Oviedo after his impressive debut win as a two-year-old (Ed Bethell Racing)

A horse who finished a 1,25 length fourth in the £103,000 Cambridgeshire as a three-year-old and who as a two-year-old won on debut before finishing third in the Gr 3 Acomb Stakes to subsequent Gr 1 Dewhurst winner Chaldean, won a handicap at Ffos Las on Wednesday by 12 lengths having dropped to an Offical Rating of 49.

Oviedo, who is by Lope de Vega out of a Galileo mare, moved from the Ed Bethell yard to Alexandra Dunn’s yard last year and had never finished better than third last in nine starts for her until Wednesday.

That poor run of form saw his rating plummet from 95 to 49.

The main reason for the poor form must have been his breathing issues because he had wind surgery after joining her and had a 317 day break.

He came into Wednesday’s Class 6 handicap over a mile off a 75 day layoff, which followed a 126 day layoff before his previous start.

Dunn tried a few new things.

Oviedo was firstly ridden by five pound claimer Millie Wonnacott, whose 48 career wins have come at a strike rated of 11.74%.

He went down to the start early wearing a hood and was later mounted in the chute.

Wonnacott managed to get him covered in a one out position three back in the running and he relaxed beautifully with neck arched.

Turning for home she switched him out and he moved up smoothly before pulling clear effortlessly.

He started at odds of 13/2, despite his long run of poor form.

However, were he to find his best form he would have been a 1/10 shot and that is exactly how he won.

Kudos must go to trainer Dunn, a dual purpose  trainer who has now had three wins on the flat this season and three wins over jumps.

It will be interesting to see how the handicapper assesses the run.

Will Oviedo repeat the run?

The wind surgery next to his name will always be a worry as results afterwards can be hit and miss.

However, one fact is that horses often require several outings after wind surgery to adjust or regain confidence before performing at their true capacity.

Oviedo has had eleven starts since his wind surgery and if his win was simply a signal that he had regained his confidence then he will be an interesting horse to follow.

However, how will the handicapper assess the run?

In South Africa, the handicappers restrict the maximum raise for a winner of an ordinary handicap to 8 merit rating (MR) points.

In Britain, the British Horseracing Authority has no strict numerical ceiling cap; a horse’s rise is based entirely on the handicapper’s assessment of the length-winning margin and the strength of the race, though massive hikes are rare unless the victory is exceptionally dominant.

Zihnal wins the Gr 3 West Virginia Derby (Coady Media)

Moutonshoek’s in-form stallion The United States hails from one of the best families in the stud book.

The son of Galileo’s wonderful family received yet another boost when classy three-year-old Zihnal won the G3 West Virginia Derby

Augustin Stable’s homebred Zihnal, with only a maiden victory on his record in four starts, broke through in a big way with a strong victory in the $400,000 West Virginia Derby for 3-year-olds Sunday at Mountaineer.

Zihnal broke well from the middle of the starting gate and stalked front-running Wayne’s Law through moderate fractions until the far turn in the 1 1/8-mile race. He took over on the turn and extended his lead to 6¼ lengths at the finish in 1:52.47 for the distance.

“He got a very good ride, a Johnny V(elazquez). ride,” trainer Jonathan Thomas said. “We always thought highly of Zihnal, and he showed some of that tonight. He was ridden the way we had been wanting him to be ridden.”

When asked what could be next for the lightly raced Zihnal, Thomas said:

“We’ll keeping scouting out races for him. We may look at the (G1) Pennsylvania Derby (Sept. 19 at Parx Racing).”

A son of Quality Road, Zihnal’s fifth dam is legendary producer Mill Princess, the fourth dam of G1 Ranvet Stakes winning sire The United States.

The latter was responsible for six black type winners in South Africa including the G1 winners Kingdundee and Tin Pan Alley. Kingdundee, winner of the 2026 G1 World Pool Cape Flying Championship, is set to continue his career overseas.

The United States has 14 lots on offer at the August Two Year Old Sale.

Luke Ferraris after winning on Dancing In Paris, which earned him the Ride Of The Day (Picture: HKJC)  

Jerry Chau, Luke Ferraris celebrate Ascot breakthroughs as Team Great Britain & Ireland wins Shergar Cup

Declan Schuster (HKJC)

Jerry Chau and Luke Ferraris enjoyed dream debuts in Great Britain last Saturday (8 August) at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup with breakthrough wins from their first rides, while Team Hong Kong fell valiantly short of overall success behind Team Great Britain & Ireland.

Chau, 26, patiently guided Tuco Salamanca between runners to strike his landmark win in the Shergar Cup Dash Handicap (1000m) before Ferraris, 24, pounced late aboard Dancing In Paris to capture the Shergar Cup Stayers Handicap (3190m), with both victories lifting Team Hong Kong to an early lead with 15 points awarded for each triumph.

Chau said: “I’m so excited now. I’m very happy I could win the first one then Luke won the second for our team. It’s a lovely feeling to ride at this track. It has uphill and downhill, and it is a very different experience to Hong Kong. I’m very happy I can ride with top jockeys.”

Trained by Ollie Sangster, Tuco Salamanca settled off the pace as Chau bided his time. Let loose late, the four-year-old gelding sailed past a defiant Gold Star Hero – rated an outsider in the race at 19/1 odds – under Team Hong Kong’s captain, Vincent Ho, by one and a half lengths in a winning time of 58.61s.

“He was a very calm horse down to the gates and I was pretty confident with him because he saved a lot of energy before the race. He jumped pretty good and I just let him follow – which (is what) they told me to do. After the 400 (metre mark) I knew he could win – he gave me a very good finish,” Chau said. “They trained him very well.”

Hugging the inside rail behind the leader, Ferraris peeled the Ian Williams-trained Dancing In Paris into clear space over the final 200m to edge a length in front of Shrimp Shady and Ryan Moore in a time of 3m 29.38s, earning the award for the Shergar Cup’s Ride of the Day.

Ferraris said: “It definitely lived up to expectations, walking through the archway when it’s for you is very special. It’s great to be representing Hong Kong and hopefully doing them proud.”

“I was a bit worried it was going to catch him out that last bend, but he got a great tow up the hill. When he got inside the final furlong (200m), he still had gears.”

Remarkably, the race was Ferraris’s first outing at Ascot. Perhaps even more surprisingly, it was his first competitive race over a marathon distance.

“I do not think I have ridden in one of those (staying) races in my seven years, so it was a bit of a change. But I could not have done it in a better spot. It has always been a dream to ride at Ascot; for the first one to be a winner has started the record off well,” said Ferraris in the hallowed winners’ circle.

Ferraris rode Rainbow Bridge to victory in the June 2021 Gold Challenge (Grade 1, 1600m) at Greyville on the eve of his departure for Hong Kong – but never tackled the prestigious 3200m Gold Cup at the Durban venue.

The 24-year-old did not look out of place for a single yard of the 3195m of Saturday’s Stayers, sitting in his countrymen’s favoured “box seat” for most of the journey aboard 17-2 shot Dancing In Paris, tracking 11-10 favourite Shrimp Shady and Ryan Moore, the world’s No 1 jockey.

“Dancing In Paris was in great order, so well done to the trainer and connections because he did not leave me alone from the time I left the barriers.”

“It really is fantastic … really special to have my family here and some of their friends; it is amazing, so we will be celebrating accordingly tonight.”

Winning trainer Ian Williams said: “Dancing In Paris got a great ride. He was keen early and our biggest worry was that he would not settle. It looked as if he might get tapped for a little bit of space inside the final furlong, but the jockey got him out. It was a nice, professional ride.”

Four-time LONGINES World’s Best Jockey (2014, 2016, 2021 & 2023) Ryan Moore, making his first Shergar Cup appearance since 2006, won two of the programme’s six races to help Team Great Britain & Ireland secure first prize.

Moore got the best out of the Dylan Cunha-trained Asgard’s Captain in the Shergar Cup Challenge Handicap (2392m) before driving Archers Bay for Marco Botti – trainer of Sha Tin Group 1 winner Giavellotto – to victory in the Shergar Cup Classic Handicap (2392m).

Saffie Osborne – team captain of Great Britain & Ireland – middled Moore’s brace aboard Red Spells Danger for trainer Tim Easterby in the Shergar Cup Sprint Handicap (1200m), defeating race favourite Thunder Call and Chau, who rallied gamely into second place.

Great Britain & Ireland led 71-62 over Team Hong Kong heading into the finale, the Shergar Cup Mile (1594m), which was won by jockey Frida Valle Skar aboard the Jane Chapple-Hyam-trained Crown Board for Team Europe, who were first and second in the contest to match Team Hong Kong’s 62 points, but placed third at the conclusion following a countback due to Team Hong Kong’s two wins.

Great Britain & Ireland boosted their tally to 81 points following Moore’s third aboard Ozat in the closing race, while the Rest of the World team were fourth overall on 39 points. Moore secured the Silver Saddle having accumulated the most points for his team.

Ho said: Overall, I’m really happy and I am really with the team. A winner each for them and some placings as well, so it was really good. Ascot is a great racetrack to race on, and the atmosphere is always great. Also, with all of the top jockeys in the world everyone raced super clean and tidy. Everyone performed really good.”

Ho will next ride at Deauville in France on Sunday, 9 August, where he’ll partner Group 2 winner Ponntos in the Listed Prix du Cercle (1000m).

Azaleas For All has been tipped to win the fifth race over 1800m under Gavin Lerena (JC Photos)

The Vaal Classic track has an eight race meeting today (Thursday) and the highest rated race, a MR 81 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1800m, could be won by the Fanie Bronkhorst-trained Azaleas For All, who has the advantage of Gavin Lerena aboard.

Two runs ago the Captain Of All mare was 1,5kg under sufferance in a race over this distance, although that was alleviated by the 1,5kg claim of Mickaelle Michel. She was beaten 0,40 lengths by Scarlett O’Hara in that race and if apprentice claims are ignored she is 1kg better off for a 0,40 length beating. However, if apprentice claims are taken into account she is 2,5kg worse off. Azaleas For All has run once since the aforementioned race and ran a good close up third from a wide draw, running on well from off the pace in a slow run race over 2000m. Lerena has won on this horse before at this course and he should ensure she goes close over an ideal distance. Scarlett O’Hara is a talented sort, having won three times in seven starts, and she has the advantage of being less exposed than Azaleas For All. She has the accomplished 4kg claimer Divesh Ramkhalawon aboard to help alleviate the 64kg she has been set to carry and she has the advantage of a fair draw of three out of eight, while Azaleas For All has to jump from draw five. It should be a humdinger and there is not much between those two and Surprise Party on form either. The latter should give another good account of herself from draw four over the distance of her last win back on New Year’s Day at Turffontein Standside. She is five points higher in the ratings since that last win though.

In the first leg of the Pick 6, a Maiden over 1600m for three-year-old fillies, Be The One was staying on last time over this trip and has a fair draw so should be in the shake up. Royal Rant gave the impression he would enjoy a step up to this trip and being by stamina influence Heavenly Blue will help his cause. Erik The Red filly Northern European has some fair form over shorter and as her dam won over this trip, so she should enjoy it, although she has to overcome a wide draw.

In the second leg of the Pick 6 over 1600m Skitt Smiling caught the eye last time when dropped out from a wide draw over this trip and running on from way back in eyecatching fashion. This time he has a middle draw of four out of seven and his big stride should carry him close. Crimson Ranger has run two good races over this trip and looks to be the main danger. Verdandi ran a fair race against a good sort last time when running on well over 1400m and she looks to be improving. Craig Zackey is an eyecatching booking.

In the sixth race over 1000m Tromp L’Oeiel was most unlucky last time out to remain unbeaten after two starts as he was cleaned up at the start by the horse who went on to repel his late challenge. He was left out of his ground by the earlier incident and did well to finish within a length of the winner. He has plenty of substance and looks to be a decent horse in the making, so can make amends with Gavin Lerena now up and being drawn on the right side over this suitable 1000m course and distance will also help. Lonely As A Cloud is in good form and will be dangerous with 4kg claimer Ramkhalowon up. Ice Dragon was narrowly ahead of Lonely As A Cloud last time but will not have the advantage of a claimer up.

In the seventh over 1450m it is interesting to note that a Vercingetorix half-brother to Turbo Power fetched R2,4 million at the Klawervlei Dispersal Sale on Monday. Turbo Power won well last time over 1160m when producing a late burst and should stay this trip, but he does have a tough draw of eight. However, Sea Shanty is preferred as he has caught the eye running on well over this trip before. He can be dropped out from a wide draw and mow them down under Calvin Habib. Longsword is also a half-brother to Turbo Power and this somewhat inconsistent William Longsword gelding is capable of running on well over this trip. Keagan de Melo aboard means he has to be seriously considered. Fair Proposal is capable of better than last time. After Hours is a must include in this open race too as he has shown in his last two starts that he is still competitive at the age of nine.

In the last race over 1450m Elusive Red ran a cracker over this trip last time and a repeat with Gavin Lerena up from a good draw should see him going close. Tracksuit Dave won well last time and if able to overcome a tricky draw could be right there as the form of that race has worked out well. Frere Jacques is well drawn over an ideal trip and has a shout, despite having been given eight points for his 5,50 length win in his penultimate start. He has had one well below par run at Hollywoodbets Scottsville since and could make amends back on the Highveld.

In the first race over 2400m Epidaurus has enjoyed the step up to 2000m and should go close over this trip under the astute Kyle Strydom. The chief danger could be Clairwood Breeze who has just 1,30 lengths to make up on Epidaurus on 2000m form and being by Futura he should be improving.

In the second race over 1000m The Batchelorette went close on debut and is a lot better than her last start, so she could have benefited from a layoff and does not have much to beat here. Corasaro Super is the one that makes most appeal of the others in an uninspiring event.