Snow Pilot And Hluhluwe To Run In LKP
Snow Pilot being led in after his Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas win (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Turf Talk
The L’Ormarins King’s Plate first entries are tomorrow but the Justin Snaith yard have confirmed they will have five entries, including Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas first and third finishers, Snow Pilot (Lancaster Bomber) and Hluhluwe (Trippi), and the yard’s 2021 cape Guineas winner Double Superlative (Twice Over).
The other two they are entering are Royal Aussie (Royal Mo) and Speed Machine (Legislate).
JP van der Merwe and Grant van Niekerk will stay aboard Snow Pilot and Hluhluwe respectively.
Homebred Snow Pilot will add to the strong hand Drakenstein Stud will have in the race they sponsor, because of course one of the favourites will be last season’s Cape Guineas winner and LKP runner up, the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Drakenstein homebred Charles Dickens.
Drakenstein have won the prestigious weight for age mile with a horse they have bred, Jet Dark, who won it twice running in the colours of Nick Jonsson (who owned the horse in partnership with Tommy Crowe).
However, Drakenstein have never won the LKP with a horse they have owned.
Charles Dickens and Snow Pilot will give them a double chance this year.
It remains to be seen if they will have other homebreds in the line up.
Their Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas-winning homebred Beach Bomb will probably go for the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes. Another Gr 1-winning homebred of theirs, Trip Of Fortune, is on two month epistaxis suspension. Their Hollywoodbets Durban July-winning homebred hero Winchester Mansion was last seen disappointing in the Betway Summer Cup and might find the LKP too sharp, although if he is going for the WSB Met it might be an option.
The Michael Roberts-trained See It Again, whom they bred, will be in the line up representing Nick Jonsson as will Hluhluwe and Double Superlative.
Jonathan Snaith spoke about Snow Pilot’s win on Saturday.
He said, “It was a fair run race. Their were few with hard luck stories, which is what you wish for in a Group One race. The pace was a fair tempo, it coud have been faster, but it was not slow. Hluhluwe was a little too far back and battled to quicken. He is a serious Cape Derby contender on paper.”
He added, “Snow Pilot looks a serious stallion prospect with his impressive pedigree and excellent conformation.”
Jonathan concluded, “Snow Pilot will run in the L’Ormarins Kings Plate then have a nice holiday before heading to KZN.”
Gimme A Nother Goes To 120, Snow Pilot 116
Gimme A Nother after her scintillating victory on Sunday (JC Photos)
Handicapping Ratings Update
NHA
Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas (Grade 1)
SNOW PILOT has had his merit rating raised from 109 to 116 after winning the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas (Grade 1) over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday 16 December 2023.
The Handicappers were unanimous in their view that HLUHLUWE made for the most suitable line horse here, leaving him unchanged on a rating of 111.
The only filly in the race RED PALACE, who tried to use her sex allowance of 2.5kg to good effect by pinching a break early in the straight, was adjusted from 93 to 108 after looking like a possible winner until very late in the race. GREEN WITH ENVY was increased by 2 pounds, from 108 to 110 having got closer to HLUHLUWE and is now rated a pound lower than that rival here.
HAT’S PRIDE, who was rated to run last and showed marked improvement in this Grade 1 event by running 5th and ZOOMIE were both increased to a rating of 106 from 90 and 101, respectively. This makes both HAT’S PRIDE and ZOOMIE equal to the 106 rated TAIL OF THE COMET, who they beat at level weights in this event.
Only one horse received a drop in ratings here, JERUSALEMA RAIN was dropped by 1 pound from 107 to 106.
Ridgemont Peninsula Handicap (Grade 3)
MASTER REDOUTE had his rating elevated to 102 from 99 after winning the closely contested Ridgemont Peninsula Handicap (Grade 3) over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday. SUGAR MOUNTAIN was considered to be the appropriate line horse here in what was a rough race. FUTURE SWING and the unlucky PACAYA were both increased by one pound each from 98 to 99 and 110 to 111, respectively.
A number of horses were given drops in ratings. OTTO LUYKEN and BARATHEON were both dropped by a pound each from 100 to 99. GEM KING and MONEY HEIST were dropped by two pounds each, from 105 to 103 and 106 to 104 respectively and finally ROCKPOOL was given a drop from 109 to 108.
SplashOut Victress Stakes (Grade 3)
SAARTJIE saw her rating increased marginally from 109 to 110 following her win in the SplashOut Victress Stakes (Grade 3) at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth over 1800m on Saturday. HAPPY CHANCE was considered to be the most suitable line horse in this slowly run affair, she remains on a rating of 109. HOLD MY HAND was given a reassessment after failing to confirm her Grade 1 performance in the 2023 Woolavington on three subsequent occasions and was dropped from 112 to 108.
GOLD POKER GAME was increased to 107 from 102 as she was only beaten by 0.10 by, the now 108 rated HOLD MY HAND, at level weights here. LOVE IS A ROSE was only increased to her previous best figure of 99 despite running to higher here. ROYAL INVITATION was increased from 85 to 95 to make her equal to SILVER LINKS who is rated 95 and who she beat at level weights here.
The only horse to receive a rating’s drop was VIRGINIA SWEET, who was dropped by one pound from 97 to 96.
Mike De Kock Ipi Tombe Challenge (Grade 2)
GIMME A NOTHER had her rating adjusted from 100 to 120 after impressively winning the Mike De Kock Ipi Tombe Challenge (Grade 2) over 1600m at Turffontein on Sunday. Her official pre-rating of 100 (which appeared on the race card) for the Ipi Tombe was misleading and based on an arbitrary cap and not on merit. She actually ran to considerably higher in the Fillies Mile but had to be capped to a rating of 100 due to the specific race conditions that prohibited the Handicappers from adjusting her to her actual achieved figure, this was pointed out by the Handicappers in the Press Release following her win in the Fillies Mile. The 100 Merit Rating she was given after the Fillies Mile meant that she was rated to run 2nd last in the Ipi Tombe (Grade 2).
The Handicappers opted to use MARIGOLD HOTEL’S previous best performance of 107 which she achieved in the 2023 Empress Club (Grade 1), 2023 Poinsettia (Grade 3), 2023 Tibouchina (Grade 2) and the recent Joburg Spring Challenge (Grade 2). The Handicappers felt that MARIGOLD HOTEL did not run worse than her recent best of 107 nor did she run better than that here. Accordingly, MARIGOLD HOTEL was restored to the figure of 107 after returning to her best form on Sunday.
MY SOUL MATE, who appeared to have been caught flat footed off a slow early tempo, finished her race off very well. Accordingly, she was adjusted to 105 from 98.
The only horse to receive a drop in ratings here was HUMDINGER, who failed to confirm her performance behind PRINCESS CALLA in the Garden Province (Grade 1) on four subsequent occasions. She was dropped from 119 to 116.
Enquiries:
The Handicapping Team
Can One World Challenge His Father's Freshman Record?
The Vaughan Marshall-trained Lammerskraal Stud-bred filly Sahara Cat was reminiscent of his sire One World on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth when kicking away from the front to win a Juvenile Plate event over 1000m by a cosy 2,25 lengths under Richard Fourie (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Turf Talk
One World is not only leading the freshman stallion statistics at present but is the early leader in the overall two-year-old stats.
His late sire Captain Al is the record-holder for winners as a freshman stallion. His mark of 22 was set in in the 2004/2005 season, although he was not freshman champion because the late great Jet Master raked in more earnings.
Captain Al also holds the record for the most two-year-old winners in a season. He sired 30 two-year-old winners of 40 races in the 2008/2009 season, breaking his own record. He also set a two-year-old earnings record of R3,02 million.
His son One World’s progeny have been catching the eye in no uncertain terms.
The Drakenstein Stud-based stallion has had seven runners to date and three winners of three races.
The only other stallion with more than one two-year-old winner this season is also by Captain Al, the Klawervlei-based sire Captain Of All, who has had two two-year-old winners of two races.
One World has a runner in the Fairview turf maiden juvenile over 800m on Friday.
Then on Sunday at Hollywoodbets Scottsville he will likely have the favourite in the first of the 900m scrambles in the Mike Miller-trained Fine One, who was heavily backed on debut and lost by 0,75 lengths to the Louis Goosen-trained Captain Of All gelding Ibhele with the rest of the field well beaten.
He has another runner in the second 900m scramble, Jet Lavish, who wasn’t disgraced on debut.
Then in the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth meeting next Wednesday he has a colt called Brooksider running for his old trainer Vaughan Marshall in the first of the 1000m Maiden Juvenile Plates.
In the second of the Maiden Juvenile Plates he has no fewer than three runners.
With his runners coming so thick and fast and with three on the board already he must have a chance of reaching that 22 winners figure.
Richard Fourie called the Drakenstein Stud-based One World a “very exciting stallion” and added “I have high hopes for him” after winning on the Marshall-trained Saharah Cat at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Analysts Have Mixed Feelings About The Cape Guineas Form
Snow Pilot was awarded a lowly 97 AbilityRating for his Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas win by respected racing analyst Karel Miedema (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Turf Talk
Karel Miedema was unimpressed by the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas on Saturday and awarded the winner Snow Pilot an ability rating (AR) of only 97.
Unless mistaken, Miedema is yet to award a Cape-based three-year-old, male or female, an AR of 100 or more this season.
Snow Pilot’s Cape Guineas ATR is 20 points below the 117 high Miedema has awarded for any horse this season, which was given to Highveld-based three-year-old Sandringham Summit for his second place finish in the Gr 3 Betway Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m.
On Saturday Miedema gave four horses AR’s of more than 100 in the Gr 3 Peninsula Handicap, with the fourth-placed seven-year-old Nebraas being given 108, eighth-placed Waterberry Lane 107, third-placed Pacaya 106 and fifth-placed Sugar Mountain 101.
The L’Ormarins King’s Plate will be the acid test for the three-year-old males and also for Miedema’s ratings, which will either be vindicated or proven wrong.
Miedema awarded crack Highveld filly Gimme A Nother 107 for her romp in the Gr 2 Mike de Kock Ipi Tombe Challenge and runner up Feather Boa got 103.
Mark van Deventer was a bit kinder in his speed assessment of the Cape Guineas.
He wrote about the weekend’s racing:
Snow Pilot takes off in Cape Guineas
Snow Pilot (speed score 100) received a perfect steer from JP van der Merwe to win the Cape Guineas at Kenilworth on Saturday, in an adjusted time bang on standard for this class. Plaudits to winning connections; Justin Snaith and Drakenstein Stud – what a loss to the SA industry is the late, lamented sire Lancaster Bomber.
Whilst there was nothing flukey about the potently bred, Snow Pilot’s stalk and pounce victory, the second placed, Red Palace (a filly) so nearly pulled it off from draw 10 racing handy. She missed her two previous outings after being banished for bad behaviour at the start, so came into the Guineas off a two-month break and just ran out of condition the last 100m. She could be hard to beat in the Paddock Stakes.
Hluhluwe and Green with Envy both got figs of 97 – the latter staying on nicely enough from far back. He goes down as a Cape Derby possible.
Earlier Saartjie won the G3 Victress Stakes, outdueling Happy Chance with Hold My Hand again clunking up too late for third spot. The time of this race was 3.7 seconds slower than the subsequent G3 Peninsula Handicap also run over 1800m, won by 33/1 stunner, the stayer, Master Redoute (s/s 107) who suddenly hit a career peak dropped back to a shorter route.
Both Saartjie and Master Redoute are trained by Andre Nel, who had a most productive day, also winning the last race with Axl (s/s 92, has run 96 @ best.)
There are just so many variables to account for in horse racing. For some this makes the game just too difficult and dispiriting; whilst other devotees are fascinated/challenged by all the peculiar angles and try to uncover advantageous betting edges that way.
Nel said afterwards that he took a gamble by basically not working Master Redoute at all in the month before the Peninsula Handicap. This unconventional approach worked – his charge came in fresh, happy horse – and hit a career best figure.
Likewise, jockey JP van Der Merwe said a minor yet significant change to the bit worn by Snow Pilot helped him settle better. He’d been outrun late in his two previous starts after going keenly – this time he sustained his finish better having not wasted energy pulling around the bend.
In all highly competitive sports, such marginal gains can be the difference between winning and losing. That said, there was nothing “marginal” about Gimme a Nother”s romp in the Ipi Tombe Stakes on Sunday. Mike de Kock’s hugely impressive filly powered away from Feather Boa to win by five lengths, in the process recording a speed fig of 107, which, with a sectional upgrade, could go as high as 111.
JP van der Merwe Enjoying Best Of All Worlds
JP van der Merwe with Gaynor Rupert after winning the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas on the Justin Snaith-trained Drakenstein Stud homebred Lancaster Bomber colt Snow Pilot (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The experienced jockey’s decision to move to Cape Town has paid dividends.
Warren Kennedy Gr 3 Win Dampened By Boxing Day Suspension
Picture: Warren Kennedy drives Dionysus to victory in the Gr.3 SkyCity Hamilton Waikato Cup (2400m) at Te Rapa. (Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images))
Turf Talk
Warren Kennedy converted favouritism on the Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained Dionysus in the Gr 3 Skycity Hamilton Waikato Cup over 2400m at Te Rapa in New Zealand on Saturday.
However, that would be small consolation for the five day suspension he picked up for careless riding at Tauranga on Friday which means he will miss a big Boxing Day meeting where he had a number of rides in “major races”.
In what should be a model lesson for SA racing, inquires in New Zealand are heard on the day of the incident.
Jockeys do not have the ability to manipulate the dates of the suspension as they appear to be able to do here.
The first paragraph of the inquiry makes interesting reading:
At the start of the hearing, Mr Kennedy asked whether the charge could be deferred and heard on Saturday 16 December. He indicated that if his request was agreed to, he would admit the charge and with a 10 day deferment, would be able to ride on Boxing Day, where he had a number of rides in the major races. The Stewards advised that while they had sympathy for Mr Kennedy’s situation, Raceday charges must be heard on the day unless there are extreme circumstances, such as witnesses not being available. In this case, it was a routine careless riding charge, there was no justification for the matter to be deferred and there was no precedent for such.
The effect of deferring the hearing would be to, in effect, provide an 11 day deferment from the date of the breach. It is noted that NZTR only extended the deferment time from 7 to 10 days under the Rules (Rule 1106 refers) earlier this year.
As there is no precedent for deferring hearings of this nature and there is no provision in the Rules to do so in such a case, the hearing went ahead and Mr Kennedy exercised his right to defend the charge.
The end of the inquiry states:
After consideration of all the circumstances, a 5-day suspension was imposed.
Conclusion:
The Respondent’s Licence to ride in races is suspended for a period of 5 days commencing after racing on 24 December, and concluding after racing on 30 December 2023.
On Saturday the Ocean Park six-year-old gelding Dionysus was the first leg of a quick double for Kennedy.
It was a welcome double because his chief rival in the New Zealand Jockeys Championship, Irishman Joe Doyle, had scored an earlier double and had closed the gap on the log.
Kennedy’s double took him to 64 wins for the season.
He has done that at a strike rate of 18.8%, or in New Zeland they say it is 5.31 i.e. he rides a winner every 5.31 races.
Doyle is nine wins behind him but is only riding a winner every 7.84 races.
With the scratching of well-fancied runner Aromatic, Dionysus became the prominent public-elect for the Cup on Saturday starting a warm $2.20 favourite, with punters backing Prise De Fer on the back-up closing at $5.30, WRITES JESS DE LAUTOUR OF LOVERACING.NZ.
Dionysus jumped away in his typically tardy fashion, with a prepared Warren Kennedy quickly finding cover and slotting him into a comfortable position third-last in the early stages. The tempo was steady up front with Margaret Jean heading the field, Kennedy stalking Prise De Fer’s every move and had Dionysus travelling beautifully widest on the home turn.
Looming large on the outside, Dionysus moved up to challenge Prise De Fer, and the last 200m became a three-horse war as $27 hope Coruba Jak threatened an upset. Kingsclere’s charge proved too strong in the final bounds to score by a ½ length, with Prise De Fer gallant under the 59kg in second and Coruba Jak gaining a Group placing finishing seven lengths ahead of the remaining runners.
Kennedy regained the ride aboard the son of Ocean Park after claiming the Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) last season, followed by a third in the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m).
“He went absolutely fantastic,” Kennedy said.
“He’s a lovely horse and I think Roger and Robert have really brought him on the right way. He’s super fit at the moment and enjoying his racing, he can be a handful but he did everything right today, bar jumping out of the gates which he never gets right.
“The race didn’t map out as I thought it would, I looked up and saw El Nymph back where I was, so I wondered where the pace would come from, but they keep a reasonable gallop all the way round. I got on the back of Prise De Fer who I thought was probably the next best, he tracked me through and this horse settled beautifully in the run, he was breathing well.
“I wanted to put the horse (Prise De Fer) with the biggest weight under pressure early, so I challenged him at the top of the straight and got a bit of a lead. This horse (Dionysus) was floating around quite a bit waiting for the challenge to come, and when Prise De Fer got within a neck of me, the horse realised he had to go again and kicked on.”
James was complimentary of the Cambridge trainers’ team following the victory, which couldn’t have come at better notice.
“There’s no ‘I’ in team, and we’re fortunate we have a champion team behind us. Days like this reward everybody,” he said.
“Warren had it in his mind that he didn’t want to be snookered on the fence, he’s a class rider and he’d thought of everything we’d thought of. He rode him a treat.”
Smith Four-timer, Khumalo, Yeni, Greeff, Mitchley Doubles
American Dream (Jay Peg) wins the last race to give Gavin Smith a four-timer and Muzi Yeni a double (Pauline Herman Photography).
Gavin Smith had a four-timer on the Fairview Poly today, two of them ridden by S’Manga Khumalo, and Muzi Yeni, Alan Greeff and Kelly Mitchley all had individual doubles.
Smith goes to 48 wins for the season at a strike rate of 11.32%.
Greeff is on 45 at 13.85%.
Mitchley is on 25 wins at 11.11%.
Khumalo is on 51 wins at 15.41%.
Yeni is on 93 wins at 14.76% and is 23 wins behind the national log leader Richard Fourie.
Today’s Question
The horse in question is pictured above (Image: Martin King / Sportpix)
Which elite New Zealand racehorse was suddenly retired last week?
Midweek FIELDS
Hollywoodbets Greyville Turf Fields, Wednesday
Today’s Question Answer
Superstar Prowess retired following hoof disease laminitis diagnosis
