Turf Talk Newsletter – 19 May, 2025

The exciting The Real Prince has been labelled as a horse tio follow by Sarah Whitelaw.

Sarah Whitelaw

HORSES TO FOLLOW

The 2024-2025 KZN Winter Season looks to be a cracking one. With many of South Africa’s top thoroughbreds set to contest some of the country’s top feature races, the stage is set, once again, for some exciting racing.

While much of the racing action will act as part of the build up to the G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July, there will be plenty of other thrilling racing to satisfy purists.
Below are just a few horses who could make their mark in KwaZulu-Natal this year.

The Real Prince: 4 g Gimmethegreenlight –Real Princess

It is surely only a matter of time before The Real Prince emulates his full siblings Gimme A Prince and Gimmie’s Countess in becoming a graded stakes winner. A five length winner of the Listed City Of Cape Town Jet Master Stakes back in February, the four-year-old caught the eye when he made his next start. Taking on a top-class field, The Real Prince flew up late for fourth, when beaten just over a length and a quarter by the very classy Gladatorian in the G2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes.

His dam Real Princess has been one of the star producers of the season, with her offspring Gimmie’s Countess, Gimme A Prince and The Real Prince all winning at least one black type race in 2024-2025.

Sail The Seas: 3 c Vercingetorix –Sail

In landing the G2 World Sports Betting Guineas, Sail The Seas emulated none other than his own sire Vercingetorix. While the Guineas field consisted of just six horses, Sail The Seas accounted for two of the best three-year-olds in South Africa this season, in the form of his stablemate Eight On Eighteen and Cosmic Speed. A progressive colt, Sail The Seas should benefit from a trip up from the 1600m of the World Sports Betting Guineas.

Sail The Seas is directly descended in female line from Coaching Club American Oaks winner Marshua, whose other notable descendants include G1 Middle Park Stakes/G1 July Cup winner Ten Sovereigns, the sire of recent G1 American Turf Stakes winner Zulu Kingdom.

See It Again: 5 g Twice Over –Supreme Vision

After a disappointing campaign in Cape Town, See It Again suggested he was no back number when he was just touched off in the G2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes. A horse who does well when fresh, See It Again did well to finish a close up second over a trip short of his best, and, if he can progress off this effort, should be primed for a good KwaZulu- Natal season in 2024-2025.

Selukwe: 5 g Pomodoro –Sovereign Flo

The 2012 July winner Pomodoro has enjoyed a wonderful season through his sons Mount Pilatus and Pomodoro’s Jet, and the son of Jet Master had another good day when his son Selukwe won the G3 World Sports Betting 1900. Somewhat overlooked in the betting, Selukwe made a mockery of his starting price as he drew off to win convincingly by nearly two and a quarter lengths. The five-year-old has done little wrong this season and he could well build on his most recent success.

Shoot The Rapids: 4 g Erupt –Rapid Flow

Runner up in both the G3 DStv Gold Vase and G3 World Pool Gold Cup last season, Shoot The Rapids has been lightly raced since, winning the World Sports Betting Highland Night Cup (Non-Black Type) two starts after his Gold Cup effort.

The gelding was not disgraced when beaten just over four and a quarter lengths in the G3 World Sports Betting 1900, a trip short of his best, and Shoot The Rapids could well make his mark in the marathon events again this season.

Regulation: 3 g Legislate –Riva

This three-year-old is bred to be good –by a July winning son (Legislate) of a July winning sire (Dynasty), Regulation is a three-parts brother to the Dynasty sired July winner Belgarion.
He recently made his first start at Hollywoodbets Greyville a winning one when Regulation stayed on towards the inside to land a Class 4 convincingly by over a length and a quarter.

Spumante Dolce: 3 f Vercingetorix –Espumanti

A courageous winner of the G2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas on just her third start, Spumante Dolce finished second in the G1 TAB Empress Club Stakes (fourth place finisher Let’s Go Now subsequently won the G2 TAB Colorado King Stakes), and G2 World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas, beaten under half a length, in her two most recent starts. It is interesting to note that Spumante Dolce’s champion parts-sister, Sparkling Water, won up to 2800 metres.

Justin Snaith and Richard Fourie can land another big Gr 1 race for Durban owner Nick Jonsson, who is pictured leading in Eight On Eighteen after WSB Met victory. (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Owner Nick Jonsson will have a fine chance of landing the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 for a second time as he has three of the seven runners and all three are trained by Justin Snaith, who has four runners in total in a bid to win this big race for a third time.

Jonsson’s first win in the big race came in 2023 with the Michael Roberts-trained son of Twice Over, See It Again, who is a three-parts brother to the Snaith-trained Do It Again, who was a Daily News favourite for Jonsson and partners in 2018 but could only manage fourth place before winning the July twice in succession.

Jonsson’s runners this year include the favourite, the WSB Met and Splashout Cape Derby winner Eight On Eighteen, a classy and progressive Lancaster Bomber colt who has drawn seven out of seven.

Richard Fourie will be riding Eight On Eighteen, who has opened at 5/10 with Hollywoodbets.

Jonsson also owns the joint second favourite, Okavango, who is quoted at 6/1 despite only being merit rated 105, which he achieved through a 3,20 length fourth in the Gr 3 WSB 1900 when carrying just 52kg. He has otherwise just won one class 5 and two class 4 races from 1600m to 1800m. He is clearly well regarded, but still has a lot to prove. He can’t really use being too far back as an excuse in the WSB 1900, because the winner came from behind him. He was only half-a-kilogram worse off than weight for age with the winner, so this race represents a big step up in class.

The other joint second favourite is the classy Fabian Habib-trained 118-rated  Confederate, who won the Gr 1 TAB SA Classic on March 1 over 1800m at Turffontein Standside, beating the subsequent Gr 1 wfa Premier’s Champions Challenge winner Fire Attack by 0,70 lengths. He has earned second favouritism, but returning from a layoff of close to three months is a little concerning.

The Mike de Kock-trained filly Spumante Dolce is by Vercingetorix and is a three parts sister to Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Sparkling Water. She has plenty of class and this 117 merit rated filly could be a threat. She is a 7/1 shot.

The Snaith-trained Vercingetorix gelding Native Ruler is only a merit rated 103 and was beaten 5,75 lengths by Eight On Eighteen in the Splashout Cape Derby and by 6,40 lengths in the WSB 1900 when carrying the same 52kg weight Okavango carried. He looks up against it on paper, but is capable of better as the 1900 did not pan out at all well.

The Alec Laird-trained Gr 2 TAB Gauteng Guineas winner Parisian Walkway is the second highest rated runner on 121, but this front-running sort still has to prove he stays the trip, although on pedigree he should have a chance being by stamina influence Ideal World out of a mare by the top class miler Mastercraftsman.

Jonsson’s third runner is the Listed winner over 1400m Makazole, who is a twice-winning Trippi gelding. He has never raced beyond 1400m and might be in there to ensure a reasonable pace.

The Highveld Horse Of The Season Fire Attack is unfortunately sidelined due to a foot issue and that has robbed the race of of a best in the north vs best in the south clash.

The field is shown below:

Green Diamond will be one of the horses capable of giving Sean Tarry yet another Gr 1 win at Hollywoodbets Scottsville. (JC Photos).

Sean Tarry is the most successful trainer in Hollywoodbets Scottsville history, having won 20 Gr 1s at the Pietermaritzburg venue.

He has gone close to landing the Festival Of Speed meeting grand slam twice, although the grand slam will now only include three Gr 1s and a Gr 2 as the Golden Horse Sprint has been downgraded to Gr 2 status.

Tarry has entered crack speedsters Green Diamond and One Fine Winter in both the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship and Gr 1 Gold Medallion. Those are his only two-year-olds entered in the meeting and he is likely to split them up.

He has the potentially underrated filly Rodeo Drive in the Golden Horse alongside Dantonfromsandton, Troppo Veloce and Green Sapphire. All four of them will carry 52kg, but all four of them are under sufferance to certain degrees.

Tarry has entered the Gr 1 winner Rascova in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint together with Mia Moo and Mrs Browning, so will have a good chance there.

The entries are shown below:

Alec Laird has had a fine Highveld season and the cherry on the top happened on Saturday night when his three-year-old Fire Away colt Fire Attack walked away with three awards at the Highveld Feature Season Awards, including the coveted Horse Of The Season award.

Fire Away, who won the Gr 2 SA Nursery last season, started off his season with a 1,50 sixth place finish in the Gr 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m in which he was giving 2kg to the rest of the field.

He then ran a 3,20 length fifth in a Graduation Plate over 1400m, so was not looking like a Horse Of The Season at that stage.

However, he then ran three seconds in a row in the Gr 2 Betway Dingaans over 1600m, the Gr 3 Betway Got The Geenlight Stakes over 1400m and the Gr 1 TAB SA Classic over 1800m.

There was still no inkling of him being a Horse Of The Season.

However, his season culminated in a magnificent win in an open Gr 1 weight for age event, the HKJC World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m, in which he just pipped the dual Gr 1 winner Royal Victory under a fine ride by Richard Fourie.

Fire Attack was bred by Applewood Trading (Pty) Ltd T/A Ndoro Stud and is owned by Messrs Gary A Basel, Grant C Cornwall, Lance Clark & Canine Solutions CC (Nom: Mr D C O’Driscoll).

He was purchased for R450,000 at the BSA National Yearling Sale.

KZN-based Grant Cornwall made the speech on behalf of the connections and spoke of how “incredible” it was to him to have won such an award having been an owner for some twenty years, who had become used to minimal success such as winning the odd Maiden Plate or low grade handicap. The turning point came when Gary Basel sat down with himself and Lance Clark and formed a buying strategy aimed at landing bigger races and this saw Grant replacing punting with becoming a more serious owner. Alec Laird was central to their plans and it has culminated in a dream season for the three aforementioned owners as they also are part-owners in the Laird-trained Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup winner Atticus Finch. That means they landed both of Johannesburg’s biggest races. Atticus Finch will also give Grant a probable first runner in South Africas biggest race, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, so that will be another momentous “pinch me” kind of day, especially considering he has a box at Hollywoodbets Greyville. There are more horses to follow for the partners with the like of Laird-trained two-year-old Erik The Red gelding Tenjiku looking promising, among others. It is dream times for “Big Guy”,whom Grant is popularly known as in KZN golfing, social and sporting circles and it is also wonderful to see the Laird name back in lights. Grant spoke highly of Alec in his speech saying, “He learnt from the best and is the best.”

All The Highveld Feature Season Award winners:Equine Award Winners:

Champion 2yo Filly Green Diamond

Champion 2yo Colt/Gelding Esteemed

Champion 3yo Filly Fiery Pegasus

Champion 3yo Colt/Gelding Fire Attack

Champion Older Filly/Mare White Pearl

Champion Older Horse William Robertson

Champion Sprinter William Robertson

Champion 1400-1600 Cosmic Speed

Champion Middle Distance 1800-2000 Fire Attack

Champion Stayer 2400+Legend Of Arthur

2025 Horse Of The Season Fire Attack

Human Award Winners:

Champion Work Rider Phenisile Mongqawa

Champion Apprentice Trent Mayhew

Champion Breeder of the Season Varsfontein Stud

Champion Owner of the SeasonDrakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert)

Champion Jockey of the Season Gavin Lerena

Champion Trainer of the Season Sean Tarry

Just Be Lekker showed her class at Turffontein Standside on Saturday. (JC Photos) 

The Candice Dawson-trained Just Be Lekker booked herself a place in the Hollywoodbets Scottsville Festival Of Speed meeting with an emphatic victory in a MR 103 fillies and mares handicap over 1160m at Turffontein Standside on Saturday.

Her merit rating of 103 was raised to 109, which would have seen her carrying a nice galloping weight of 53,5kg under handicap conditions in the Gr 2 R1 million Golden Horsse Sprint if that had been the choice of race, but the connections look to have opted for a seemingly harder task in the Gr 1 R1 million SA Fillies Sprint, where she is under  sufferance with seven of the other entries and 6,5kg under sufferance with the two highest rated entries Double Grand Slam and Rascova.

On the other hand she is on the up and could prove to be better than her 109 merit rating.

On Saturday Just Be Lekker was drawn five under Serino Moodley in a ten horse field and was carrying topweight of 60kg.

The visiting KZN jockey has been seen to ride some fine faces over that course and distance and he delivered again. The big four-year-old daughter of William Longsword was jostled slightly early and found herself in last position. However, Moodley did not panic and bided his time and sat behind a train of horses who were going down the middle inside of the course. She began to pick them off one by one while still in the hands. He had to switch her slightly inward off the heels of the leader Komati River who was hanging outward, which closed a possible gap. However, a nice gap then opened and Just Be Lekker galloped through full of running and outsprinted the well regarded Irish-bred Fastnet Rock mare Fastnet Filly, who started favourite and to whom Just Be Lekker was giving 4,5kg. Fastnet filly finished a well beaten 2,40 length second and was followed home by her Brett and James Crawford-trained 20/1 shot stablemate Artiste. Ceuta and Komati River were next best respectively.

Candice said the filly showed a lot at home, so was pleased to see her back to her best in her fifth run following a six month layoff for a setback.

Just Be A Lekker is a Ralphs family homebred.

The win saw the completion of a double for the Dawson/Moodley combination, who had won with the promising Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein homebred Buffalo Bill Cody gelding Pumpkin Pie over 1600m earlier. Pumpkin Pie has now won two of his first two starts and Moodley extracted an impressive late surge from him after he had weaved his way through the field having been dropped out to last from a wide draw of eleven.

Moodley completed a treble when winning the last race over 1160m on the Tony Peter-trained Erupt filly Blizzard Snow and his timing was once again impeccable as he came from a handy position and did just enough to hold off a late charge from Roaming Spirit.

Equus Horse Of The Year the Mike and Matthew de Kock-trained Dave The King returned from a layoff of close to six months to win the same race he won last year and he did it just as easily. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Dave The King bounced back to his best at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday when winning the same 1500m event he had won last year on his way to winning the Gr 1 wfa Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge and Gr 1 wfa World Pool Champions Cup, the two races that landed him the Equus Horse Of The Year Award.

Callan Murray took him to the front in the Class A Stakes event and played to his strength, i.e. his long run in, by letting out some rein around the turn. He entered the straight three lengths clear and if close to his best following a layoff of close to six months they were not going to catch him. So it proved and it was left to Hollywoodbets Durban July hopeful, the Nathan Kotzen-trained Royal Victory, to run on for a pleasing 3,20 length second with the former East Cape stalwart Cherry Ano, now trained by Wendy Whitehead, in third. De Kock’s first move after the big Global View gelding’s two well below par runs in Jo’Burg last November was to move him to Summerveld, which he prefers, and he then consulted with a top trainer and veterinarian in the USA, on the recommendation of Gary Barber, about his breathing issue. They worked it out and took it from there. Owners Larry Nestadt, Gary Player and the Ralphs Family can now look forward to another Gr 1 Champions Season campaign.

The first race over 1000m saw another victory for the leading freshman sire, Erik The Red, as his Peter Muscutt-trained son Little Boy Blue ran out the winner under Jabu Jacobs in a field of seven first-timers, beating the second favourite Trajanus (Danon Platina) by 0,40 lengths with favourite African Pride (Rafeef) next best.

In the second, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m, the Duncan Howells-trained Erupt filly Hierarchy built on her good debut to run out an easy 4,30 length winner under Kabelo Matsunyane.

There was a long delay to the third due to some fractious horses. Dean Kannemeyer would not have been pleased as his fancied first-timer Aristocratic loaded fine but eventually became restless when another horse, Indigo Ice, refused to load, leading to his scratching. Aristocratic was unloaded and then refused to load a second time and was also scratched. The race was won by the hard-knocking Glen Kotzen-trained Tripping Thunder (Trippi) under Chad Little. The three-year-old gelding was yet another horse to convert decent Cape Town form into an imediate win in another centre.

The fourth saw a narrow win over 1200m for the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Marsh Shirtliff homebred first-timer Princess Averni, who is by Vercingetorix out of Gr 1 Mercury Sprint winner Fly By Night (Jet Master).

In the fifth the Mike Miller-trained two-year-old One World gelding Brand New World had never placed in three runs against his own age group, but he improved with the step up to 1600m and beat older rivals by 0,30 lengths under Tristan Godden at 14/1 odds with Apache Ag running on strongly for second at 40/1 odds.

In the seventh over 1400m the Stuart Ferrie-trained Oratorio gelding Run To Rio showed tremedous resolve unnder Sean Veale to just get up in a blanket finish.

In the eighth over 1400m the Gareth van Zyl-trained Stars In Heaven (Danon Platina) was taken to the front from a wide draw by Athandiwe Mgudlwa and stayed on well down the inside to just hold on.

In the ninth over 1000m the Glen Kotzen-trained Connery (What A Winter) won five in a row between April and November last year and having dropped three points in five subsequent unplaced runs he got back to winning ways under Jacey Botes with a 1,50 length victory.

The last race over 1000m the Paul Gadsby-trained Vision To Achieve beat the boys under Gavin Lerena in an ultra competitive event.

Which recent Kentucky Derby winner finished last on his debut and was let go in a claimer in his next race?

Picture: The subject of the question is pictured in a workout.