Danny Muscutt winning the WSB Cape Town Met on Double Superlative (Picture: Wayne Marks)

WSB Cape Town Met-winning jockey Danny Muscutt has been declared to ride for champion trainer Justin Snaith and owner Nick Jonsson at the SplashOut Cape Derby meeting at Kenilworth on 24 February.

Muscutt’s name is alongside the highly regarded Snaith-trained Jonsson-owned Trippi colt Hluhluwe, who won the Gr 2 Cape Punters Cup over 1600m and was third in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas.

The 28-year-old Muscutt rode 33-1 longshot Double Superlative to victory for Snaith and Jonsson in Cape Town’s premier race last month.

The son of Summerveld-based trainer Peter Muscutt is the UK’s reigning All-Weather Champion Jockey.

HIs father sugggested he come out and ride a couple for him on Met day and when Nick Jonsson heard this news he and the Snaiths were quick to react.

Jonsson said after the Met, “Towards the end of 2022, I had a conversation with William Haggas and told him we needed to bring another Engand-based rider out for the summer because we sometimes have more horses in big races than we have top class jockeys for and I said, ‘Who’s an up and coming young guy who can benefit?’, because the top riders all go and ride overseas during their winter. He said, ‘That is easy … Dan Muscutt is the guy.’”

Muscutt was not available at the time, but Jonsson did not forget the conversation.

So fate had it that Daniel came out to visit family and pick up a few holiday rides and ended up becoming the first overseas-based jockey in history to win the Met.

His professionalism and skills throughout his short stay impressed the Snaiths and Jonsson enormously and appears to have earned him a recall.

Muscutt has also been declared to ride former Equus Champion Sprinter Rio Querari for Snaith in the Grade 2 Diadem Stakes, a 1200m sprint on the same card.

South African horseracing television’s leading service provider Discover Digital has responded to a City Press article published online on 10 February 2024, regarding the company’s contractual agreement with the SABC for the provision of services for SABCPlus.

It was reported late last week that the SABC’s COO Ian Plaatjes and head of video entertainment Merlin Naicker had been suspended, while the public broadcaster’s ad sales boss Peginald Nxumalo resigned when he heard about his impending suspension, following their apparent failure to disclose a 7.5% profit-share deal with Discover Digital that runs the broadcaster’s SABC+ video streaming service.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE DETAILS OF THE DRAMA

MyBroadband contacted Discover Digital managing director Stephen Watson to hear his company’s side of the story, and he provided the following statement:

It is deeply disappointing that City Press failed to approach us for comment prior to publishing its article.

All Discover Digital’s Advertising Video on Demand and Adserver service contracts — including its contract with the SABC — contain an advertising revenue share clause.

This is to cover the associated technology, resource and delivery costs.

The revenue share clause had also already been included in the contract wording at the preceding stage, when TelkomOne had been awarded the contract.

Post launching the SABCPlus service, [the decision-maker] alerted us to their omission of these costs in their internal business plan submission and accordingly that the plan had to be corrected to specifically reference these costs, and for the updated plan to be resubmitted to the SABC’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors for approval.

Discover Digital decided not to bill the SABC for its part of the agreed revenue share until such time as the business plan had been corrected and internally approved by the SABC.

By the time the one-year term of our agreement with the SABC had matured in November 2023, the proposed approval and ratification of the revenue share clause had not yet occurred.

Over this period the SABC for several months had been without a Board of Directors.

Accordingly, Discover Digital did not bill for, nor did it receive any funds from the SABC pursuant to the revenue share clause.

Discover Digital is willing to co-operate in any SABC investigation into the issue, whether through Werksmans Attorneys, the SABC’s own internal audit team or the Auditor-General.

To date, however, we have not received any enquiry or request for comment or to supply supporting documentation.

Sandringham Summit being led in after winning the Gr 2 TAB Gauteng Guineas (JC Photos)

Off The Record with Charl Pretorius

Sandringham Summit, with his speed, agility and remarkable turn of foot, has emerged as the strongest Triple Crown candidate since Malmoos in 2021. He stepped onto the track in impeccable condition for last Saturday’s first leg of the 2024 series, the Grade 2 TAB Gauteng Guineas, and crossed the finish line in eye-catching triumph.

Sandringham Summit’s shiny, black coat and his bright demeanour was a testament to the care and attention of trainer David Nieuwenhuizen and his Turffontein team. Dressed in suits and bowties themselves, they acknowledged the significance of the moment and presented the colt with pride and reverence for his new owners, Varsfontein Stud. The Paarl establishment is the primary partner in a syndicate of high-profile owners and breeders assembled recently by bloodstock supremo, John Freeman.

“Sandringham Summit has had a transformative presence. He is changing lives,” remarked Nieuwenhuizen earlier this week. The 59-year-old trainer has faced challenges, losing key supporters due to the recent relocation of one, and the departure from the sport of another. With just 18 horses under his care, the arrival of this champion has revitalised the stable.

He explained: “I’ve experienced a paradigm shift because Sandringham Summit has brought me to a circle of individuals who are major players in racing. In this sport it helps to get the support from the top-level owners and breeders of the racing community. I am now training Sandringham Summit for the renowned Kalmanson family and Varsfontein Stud, who celebrate 50 years in business this year and are the standard-setters in our breeding industry. I am truly grateful for this.

“Last Saturday I led Sandringham Summit into the winner’s enclosure with Laurence Wernars and Dave Shawe, who are two of the partners in the new Sandringham Summit ownership. I have been amazed by everyone’s support. I have a star colt in the yard and Carl de Vos of Varsfontein has sent us an unraced filly that looks promising. I am also proud to be sponsored by Hollywoodbets.”

Every stride and strategy can make or break a champion, and there were critics who wrote off Sandringham Summit after his narrow defeat to Main Defender in the Grade 3 Graham Beck Stakes and his third in the Dingaans, beaten two lengths by Purple Pitcher.

Nieuwenhuizen commented: “When winning on Saturday I heard a few times, ‘He’s back… Sandringham Summit is back…’. But he was never gone, at all. He fought an extended battle in the Graham Beck with a distance specialist in Main Defender and lost by the bob of a nose. It looked like we had the race in the bag, but we lost it on the line, still truly a great run.” (He was also giving Main Defender 1kg)

“In the Dingaans, there were two incidents that were recorded in the stipes report. Just 200m into the race, Sandringham Summit had to be steadied between Mexican Pete and Fire ’N Flames. He was awkwardly placed, lost his momentum and dropped back. There may have been some traditional tactical race riding there from Gavin Lerena’s rival jockeys. Gavin reported that Sandringham Summit wasn’t travelling well after he’d lost his position. Then, on the bend, the back marker Sovereign State, on our inside, shifted out from the rail and carried Sandringham Summit out.”

“The replay shows it all. Just after they’d turned for home and straightened, Sandringham Summit was three lengths behind the second last horse. He was one of the first to come off the bit. Going through the 500m, the race caller noted that our horse had 13 lengths to find. He was still last with 350m to run, then found his stride again and stormed up late for third. Considering the troubles he encountered in the race, it was a cracking run!”

Will Sandringham Summit stay the 1800m of the SA Classic for a chance to bag the second leg of the Triple Crown on 2 March? And what about 2450m for the third leg, the SA Derby?

Nieuwenhuizen assessed: “I think, on his style of running, the speed and finishing efforts he has shown, there is little doubt that Sandringham Summit will enjoy the 1800m of the Classic. He returned very well after the Guineas and our sole focus is now on the Classic. We’ll take it race-by-race, see how he completes the Classic and then consider the Derby. Naturally the Triple Crown is a tempting consideration, but we’ll let the horse show us what to do when he runs in the Classic.”

“Gimmethegreenlight’s son Got The Greenlight was narrowly beaten in the Derby as a three-year-old and he finished second in the Durban July. Sandringham Summit’s full brother is The Green Gallant, who has placed up to 2400m. While his half-brother Eden Roc (VAR) was a top sprinter and is now a sire, his half-sister Yamoto (Dynasty) won over 2400m. His pedigree supports his staying prospects.”

His Derby hopes aside, Sandringham Summit’s stud promise is all right there in his blood. Sporting Post reported this week that his dam Townsend (Captain Al) is closely inbred to the accomplished French import Jamaico, who won up to 2100m, finished second in the 1968 Prix D l’Arc De Triomphe over 2400m and later sired three Durban July winners. As a broodmare sire, Jamaico produced the likes of Home Honey, South Africa’s Broodmare Of The Year in 1990, and the dam Gr1 OK Gold Bowl winner Honey Chunk (Hobnob).

Before his Guineas win, The LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for three-year-olds and upwards which raced in 2023, rated Sandringham Summit at 115 – the only three-year-old South African-based runner in the world’s top 200 horses. Locally, he is rated 123 by the NHA.

Varsfontein, knowing all this, has already mailed their beautiful Sandringham Summit stallion brochure to prospective breeders, an indication that he may well be called to stud after his three-year-old career.

Nieuwenhuizen said: “Carl de Vos jumped at the opportunity within minutes after he was put up for sale last year. When Gimmethegreenlight retires one day, there will be massive shoes to fill at Varsfontein and Sandringham Summit looks like the one that could do it. But again, his career from here on is a step-by-step thing; everything will be carefully considered. We have the Daily News coming up during the KZN season and the Durban July is always at the back of one’s mind. For now, however, we want to take him to the SA Classic and win it. That’s all that matters.”

In racing, some say, good horses find you. That goes for trainers and breeders. Sandringham Summit was the second choice for Nieuwenhuizen, Zeyn Kirsten and Rakesh Singh when they attended the 2022 National Yearling Sale. Their first pick was Forest God, a grey colt by Silvano that passed through the ring moments before Sandringham Summit stepped in.

“That was crunch time for us in a period of 20 minutes. We badly wanted Lot 226, Forest God, who had a strong stallion’s pedigree and was a super specimen. But we were bidding against the powerful Form Bloodstock and Jehan Malherbe eventually secured the fall of the hammer at R3,3-million.”

“We were not disheartened after trying so hard but failing to match or surpass that bid. When Lot 227 entered the ring, we once again immersed ourselves in the excitement and secured him after another spirited tussle on the TBA’s buyer’s bench, for R1.7 million. This price is beyond what I imagined we would pay for him, but it happened, and here we are. Two years have passed, and much has transpired since then.”

As the paradigm reaches its summit and destiny unfolds, we anticipate fireworks. Let it be.

https://news.4racing.com/off-the-record-14

Pauline Herman took this great picture of Richard Fourie (far side) getting up in today’s first race on the Fairview poly on the Alan Greeff-trained Horsefly (Erupt)  (Photo: Pauline Herman)

Richard Fourie has 169 days left to ride 164 wins this season to reach a new record for a season of 335 wins.

If he keeps up his current rate of rides he will need to improve his strike rate from a current 20.75% to 23.20%.

Otherwise he will need to do even more travelling than he currently is to imcrease his riding rate from a current 4.183 rides per calendar day.

Today Fourie rode a treble on the Fairview poly and that followed his frustrating Monday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth where he had to wait until the last race to ride a winner, despite having been on the favourite in four of his seven rides.

His winner on Monday came on a 14/1 shot, the Michelle Rix and Harold Crawford-trained War Chariot (Pomodoro), who was by far the longest shot he rode all day.

It just illustrates the up and downs of racing, because he had come into that meeting off a treble at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday and a four-timer at Fairview on Friday.

He is now on 171 wins for the season achieved at a strike rate of 20.75%.

Hollywoodbets are rewarding anybody who breaks Anthony Delpech’s record of 334 wins in a season with a R1 million bonus.

Fourie’s chances of breaking the record were pooh-poohed by most analysts at the beginning of the season, but he is still in with a chance.

On the other hand Keagen de Melo had 167 wins at this stage last season, just four less than Fourie now has, and he finished on only 277.

It is hard to keep up the winners chiefly due to suspensions and injury or illness, but also due to flat periods which are probably caused by physical tiredness. De Melo was going at a strike rate of 21.36% at this time last season, but went through one spell towards the end of the season where he had just one win in 70 rides.

By the same token Fourie was only on 115 wins at this time last season and ended the season on 258.

His last 143 wins, which took place from this time last year until the end of the season, came at a strike rate of 23.56%. That is slightly higher than the strike rate he currently requires to break the record, presuming he keeps up the same rides per day rate.

Of course he did not travel nearly as much last season, so would have been fresher in the second half.

Nevertheless, the record chase is starting to bring intrigue to every meeting in which Fourie rides.

Fourie himself reckoned at the beginning of the season 300 wins would be a realistic target.

He will finish the season on 318 wins if he keeps up both his current rides per day rate and strike rate.

A ‘Smashing’ chance for Binda

Jack Milner (4Racing)

Once again, the best bets of the day come up early at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday when they race on the Polytrack.

Trainer Clinton Binda has been having a smashing time raiding in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly races on the Polytrack, and he can get bettors off to a winning start in Race 1, a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1000m.

He sends out Rafeef filly Smashing who only has to take to the surface to win this race. She has only raced four times for a third, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth place but while she might not be a superstar, she certainly looks a cut above her opposition in this event.

She has not always had the best of luck because two runs back her saddled slipped, while last time she was reported to be blowing post race.

She does have good gate speed which is always useful over the minimum trip on the Polytrack and Binda will be fitting her in a set of blinkers for the first time, she is drawn well enough in gate No 5 and will have Richard Fourie in the irons.

A race later trainer Gareth van Zyl sends out True Love’s Kiss and she too looks tough to oppose in this Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1600m. She was narrowly beaten into third place last time but in mitigation, at the time there had been a break in preparations due to ongoing rain.

Like Smashing, she will be having her first run on the Polytrack but she will have the services of Gavin Lerena in the irons this time.

The three-year-old daughter of Gimmethegreenlight has been improving with each start and having smoothly moved through the gears in that last race should have no problem with the surface, especially from gate No 1.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 5 Smashing, 1 Ladies Day, 7 Ribbons ‘N Flags, 6 Sweet Julia

Race 2: 1 True Love’s Kiss, 5 Accumulate, 4 Valli Gal, 2 I’m Devine

Race 3: 4 Electric Storm, 5 King’s Island, 2 Iron Monger, 1 Specmagic

Race 4: 5 Shoot The Rapids, 4 Catch The Tune, 9 Lucretius, 2 African Dusk

Race 5: 4 Lunarcam, 3 Esquevelle, 7 Hithemhardsunshine, 5Donquerari

Race 6: 7 Kennedy, 3 Vision Of Will, 2 Full Of Magic, 4 Hereinafter

Race 7: 3 Red Roses Too, 7 Aspoestertjie, 8 Fort J’Adore, 5 Electra Green

Race 8: 1 William Rufus, 7 Bowie, 6 Last One Standing, 8 Parmenion

BEST BET

Race 2 No 1 True Love’s Kiss

VALUE BET

Race 7 No 3 Red Roses Too

BEST SWINGER

Race 3 4×5

BIPOT

R96

Leg 1: 5

Leg 2: 1

Leg 3: 4, 5

Leg 4: 2, 4, 5, 9

Leg 5: 3, 4, 5, 7

Leg 6: 2, 3, 7

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R168

Leg 1: 1

Leg 2: 4

Leg 3: 4, 5, 9

Leg 4: 3, 4

Leg 5: 2, 3, 7

Leg 6: 3, 7, 8

Leg 7: 1, 6, 7

PICK 6

R2048

Leg 1: 4, 5

Leg 2: 2, 4, 5, 9

Leg 3: 3, 4, 5, 7

Leg 4: 2, 3, 4, 7

Leg 5: 3, 5, 7, 8

Leg 6: 1, 6, 7, 8

JACKPOT 1

R256

Leg 1: 2, 4, 5, 9

Leg 2: 3, 4, 5, 7

Leg 3: 2, 3, 4, 7

Leg 4: 3, 5, 7, 8

JACKPOT 2

R256

Leg 1: 3, 4, 5, 7

Leg 2: 2, 3, 4, 7

Leg 3: 3, 5, 7, 8

Leg 4: 1, 6, 7, 8

God’s Window winning on debut (Sky Sports)

The Cayton Park Stud Ltd John and Thady Gosden-trained homebred Dubawi colt God’s Window is a best-priced 25/1 for the 2000 Guineas, for which he holds an entry.

Cayton Park Stud Ltd is owned by Drakenstein Stud’s Gaynor Rupert.

As a two-year-old he won a Maiden at Doncaster over a straight mile on debut in comfortable fashion and in his only other run he finished a two length third in the Gr 1 Kameko Futurity Trophy Stakes over the same course and distance.

The winner of the latter race, the Charlie Appleby-trained Dubawi colt Ancient Wisdom, is fourth favourite for the 2000 Guineas at a best of 14/1.

The 2000 Guineas favourite is the unbeaten Aidan O’Brein-trained Justify colt City Of Troy, who won the Gr 1 Dewhurst by 3,50 lengths.

City Of Troy has been called by some “the next Frankel.”

Meanwhile, Cayton Park Stud Ltd have a homebred entry for Lingfield’s all weather meeting on Monday, the Andrew Balding-trained No Nay Never colt Never Mind Me, who made a fair debut at Wolverhampton in November.

American Dream (Jay Peg) (far side) just pips Gunsmoke in today’s 6th race to give both Gavin Smith and Lyolo Mxothwa trebles at the meeting. (Pauline Herman Photography) 

Gavin Smith had a treble on the Fairview poly today, two of them ridden by Luyolo Mxothwa, who also scored a treble on the day.

Richard Fourie rode a treble for Alan Greeff.

Fourie is now on 171 wins for the season achieved at strike rate of 20.75%.

Mxothwa is on 52 wins at 11.26%.

Gavin Smith is on 74 wins at 12.15%.

Greeff is on 67 wins at 14.66%.

Bosra Sham was bred in the United States and trained in the United Kingdom by Henry Cecil. In a career which lasted from August 1995 until August 1997 she ran ten times and won seven races. Bosra Sham won several important races including the 1000 Guineas and the Champion Stakes in 1996, a year in which she was awarded the title of European Champion Three-Year Old Filly. Her big race wins should also have included The Eclipse, in which Kieran Fallon was boxed in in the straight and which the great jockey himself always referred to as “The Bosra Shambles.” She was one of the highest-rated fillies of modern times. Timeform only rated her 132, but in their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Bosra Sham the tenth-best filly trained in Britain and Ireland in the 20th century and the best British filly of the 1990s. Trainer Henry Cecil also said in 1999, “The best I’ve ever trained… and that includes the colts”

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE GREAT BOSRA SHAM