Turf Talk Newsletter – 19 October, 2026

Justin Snaith and Nick Jonsson must be a short price to claim a fifth WSB Met in succession together such was the obvious well-being of the 2025 winner and 2024/2025 season Equus Horse Of The Year Eight On Eighteen at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday. Jonsson owns the Drakenstein Stud-bred Lancaster Bomber entire in partnership with Johann Rupert (Picture: Wayne Marks) 

The former Equus Horse Of The Year Eight On Eighteen pulled off a fine comeback victory in an A Stakes race over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday and there were a number of other notable performances on the day.

Eight On Eighteen gave 4,5kg to the progressive Dean Kannemeyer-trained four-year-old Hawwaam gelding Hah Lah Lah and as they entered the final 150m it looked like it was all over with Hah Lah Lah half-a-length clear and not stopping over his probable optimum trip. However, Eight On Eighteen was then given a couple of backhanders by Richard Fourie and he literally cruised past Hah Lah Lah. He was eased by Fourie late, which allowed Hah Lah Lah to get within a short-head. The Justin Snaith-trained superstar’s victory was ominous and his rivals for the Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate and Gr 1 WSB Met would have taken note with trepidation.

That was a second race in succession Kannemeyer and Craig Zackey had lost by a hair’s breadth. In the previous race the Rafeef first-timer Royal Eagle had made a bold bid to hold on from the long odds-on favourite Bullet Tooth Tony (Hawwaam). However, the latter, trained by Lucinda Woodruff, just got up on the headbob.

However, Kannemeyer has plenty to still be excited about this season. He later sent out Continue To Dream to win with ease in a C Stakes race over 1400m, forging 3,25 lengths clear of Ferryman from a handy position and doing it effortlessly under Zackey off an 89 merit rating. It was the clash of the progeny of respective Equus Champion Broodmares, because Ferryman is a Vercingetorix half-brother to the multiple Gr 1 winners Rainbow Bridge, Hawwaam and Golden Ducat, all being out of Jet Master mare Halway To Heaven, while Continue To Dream is a Gimmethegreenlight full-brother to the multiple Gr 1 winners Gimme A Prince and The Real Prince, all being out of Trippi mare Real Princess.

Continue To Dream, now unbeaten in two starts, looks likely to follow in the footsteps of his full brothers, while Kannemeyer and owner/breeder Khaya Stables will have a fine chance of adding yet another Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas to their list of achievments. Kannemeyer has won that iconic sire-producing race six times and done it twice for the owner of Khaya Stables, Lady Christine Laidlaw, with Noordhoek Flyer in 2009 and Capetown Noir in 2012. The pair not only have Continue To Dream in their Guineas bow this season, but also Viva Asterix, a Vercingetorix full-brother to the talented Hollywoodbets Durban July fourth-placed Viva’s Liberte. Viva Asterix is also unbeaten in two starts after winning impressively over 1250m on Wednesday at Hollywoodbets Durbanville over a trip which is likely well short of his optimum and he did it off a 92 merit rating in just his second career start.

Kannemeyer, Khaya Stables and Zackey also won another race on Saturday. Their promising Vercingetorix filly Getorix Princess, who is out of the Gr 1 wfa Jonsson Workwear Garden Province-winning mare Zarina (Master Of My Fate), was sent off as 17/10 favourite in the third race, a maiden for fillies and mares over 1250m and she won cosily by 0,70 lengths. It was her second career start and she could have classic pretensions too.

Justin Snaith had a treble on the day and all of them were with Drakenstein Stud-bred horses. In the second the Futura filly Sauterelle, who is part-owned by Gaynor Rupert’s daugher Caroline, converted 17/10 odds to win her second career start over 1250m by a comfortable two lengths under Fourie, although her time was slower than Getorix Princess’s.

Later, Snaith won with Drakenstein-homebred Verse For Suzanne. This regally-bred filly by Vercingetorix out of former Equus Horse Of The Year Oh Susanna made it two wins in three starts when winning a Class 4 handicap over 1600m by 2,50 lengths off an 83 merit rating as the 5/2 second favourite,. The win gave JP can der Merwe a double as he had won the first race on the Glen Kotzen-trained What A Winter gelding Premier Winter.

Adam Marcus has been in good form and his nine-year-old soldier All About Al, whom he also owns, won for the ninth time in the class 4 eighth race over 1000m off an 87 merit rating under 2,5kg claimer Sifisokuhle Bungane.

The last race saw yet another successful comeback to race-riding for 59-year-old Andrew Fortune. It was his first meeting for more than two months after being injured in a fall and in the last three races, his only three rides on the day, he finished second, third and first. He won on his wife Ashely’s charge Axis Power, a five-year-old Flower Alley gelding, who won a D Stakes race by half-a-length.

Richard Fourie salutes as Anotherdanceforme lands Alan Greeff his first “Gqeberha July”, the Algoa Cup (Picture: Pauline Herman)

The Listed Algoa Cup is Gqeberha’s biggest race and Richard Fourie was understandably animated when crossing the line first on the second favourite Anotherdanceforme as it was his guv’nor Alan Greeff’s first win of the race often known as the “Gqeberha July.”

That would be an amazing fact for many, because Greeff has been a dominant trainer in the region, winning the East Cape trainers title no fewer than 17 times.

However, it must be remembered that raiders from the country’s strongest jurisdiction, the Western Cape, have dominated the race in recent times.

It has now been won by an East Cape trainer for the last three years in succession, but before that it was not since 2009 that a local trainer had won it.

Another reason for Fourie’s celebration salute would have been that the Varsfontein Stud-bred Peter Moor-owned Master Of My Fate filly remains unbeaten in the East Cape after no fewer than 12 starts. She has had three starts in other centres and won one of them.

“I crown her The Queen of the Course here at Fairview,” he quipped after the race.

Anotherdanceforme was only the second female to win the Algoa Cup this century, the previous female winner being the Glen Kotzen-trained Escapology in 2006. Escapology was by Jet Master, who interestingly is the sire of Anotherdanceforme’s sire, Master Of My Fate.

Western Cape and national champion trainer Justin Snaith was chasing a sixth Algoa Cup win and his raider Prairie Dawn started 15/10 favourite despite officially being 1,5kg under sufferance.

The four-year-old The United States gelding had been stepped up in trip in his last two starts to 1950m and 2000m respectively in the Listed Pocket Power Stakes at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth and the Listed Settlers Trophy at Hollywoodbets Durbanville and proved himself suited to the trip, finishing a 0,55 length third and a 0,75 length second in those two races.

Unfortunately, the Algoa Cup meeting had to be switched from poly to turf for the umpteenth time this season and it was going to be Prairie Dawn’s first run on the surface, while Anotherdanceforme’s three runs on the surface had yielded three comfortable victories, including winning the Listed East Cape Derby by 7,25 lengths.

Anotherdanceforme also had a draw advantage of four against seven.

However, it was not surprising Prairie Dawn started favourite because the success rate of Cape Town horses making their debuts in other centres is high as the superior class of horse in Cape Town tends to keep merit ratings relatively suppressed and Prairie Dawn was receiving 7,5kg from Anotherdanceforme.

The Dean Smith-trained Zatara Magic went off at 20/1 having won it from start to finish last year off a 108 merit rating and now running off a 113. He tried to repeat last year’s feat and immediately took up the running under trainer Dean Smith’s stable jockey Craig Zackey, who was out to win the race for a third time in succession having also won it on the Jacques Strydom-trained Fireallay in 2024. The latter also ran on Sunday and started at 66/1.

Zatara Magic set a steady pace followed by Firealley running one wide and the 10/1 chance Bad Medicine was in the box seat on the rail.

Enchanting Choice was next best on Bad Medicine’s outside and Prairie Dawn sat behind him in a one wide wide position with cover, while Anotherdanceforme sat behind Parairie Dawn.

When they swung for home Anothedanceforme still had eight lengths to find.

However, the top class Fourie correctly assessed that he could go accross the rapidly fading no-hoper San Quintin and grab the inside rail as they turned for home.

This was the winning move as Anotherrdanceforme has a tremendous turn of foot and within a matter of strides she had hit the front down the inside.

The path Fourie took allowed his mount to steal a march on Prairie Dawn, who went for his run down the outside.

This proved vital to the outcome because the 59,5kg weight began to tell on the filly, whilst the 52kg Prairie Dawn carried saw him running on strongly in the closing stages.

Fourie produced another master class in the last 200m, changing whiphands twice, which helped her change legs in the first instance and straightened her the second time as she had begun to hang inward.

It was the fourth time Fourie had won the race, but he was clearly thrilled his guv’nor had finally done it and he aimed his victory salute at him as he crossed the line.

She won by half-a-length with Zatara Magic third, 2,25 lengths behind runner up Prairie Dawn.

“To give the Boss his first Algoa Cup winner was pretty awesome,” Fourie said afterwards.

He described Anotherdanceforme as “special” and said with the big weight on her back she had dug down deeper than she had ever done before.

He gave special accolades to her groom Oyitanda Sikiti and to her workrider Xola Jacobs as he said she was “a handful”.

“Xola makes me look good all the time,” he added.

Greeff invited Xola on to the winning stage and said, “He works her everyday and without him this filly would not be where she is today.”

Pictures: Garrix ran on well from well back in the field (HKJC)

The SA-bred Vercingetorix gelding Garrix made his debut in Hong Kong today (Monday) and ran a fine third in a class 3 event over 1400m at Sha Tin under Luke Ferraris.

Garrix is now owned by Dr Andreas Jacobs of Maine Chance Farms fame, which is interesting considering Mary Slack was only the second non-resident to become a Hong Kong horseracing owner in 2022.

Garrix is trained by Douglas Whyte and sat in ninth place of the 13 horse field. He was on the fence after Ferraris had dropped him out from a draw of eight.

Ferraris switched him into the centre coming off the turn and a nice gap opened which enabled the strongly built chestnut to run on very well.

Despite starting at 40/1 odds he was beaten only a neck running off a local rating of 82, which meant he had to carry 132 pounds, one more pound than the winner Baby Shakura (Tagaloa), an Australian-bred four-year-old who clinched a hattrick and his fifth career win overall.

Earlier, the Brett Crawford-trained classic hopeful Mr Incredible (Toronado) finished second in a class 3 handicap over 1200m running off a local rating of 80.

He jumped from draw 11 under Karis Teetan, who dropped him out to last.

He ran on in eyecatching style in the straight and looked set to convert favouritism.

However, the lowly drawn Grand Eagle, who is rated 68 and was getting 14 pounds from Mr Incredible, had traveled well throughout on the fence and burst through the centre under Jerry Chau to win by half-a-length.

Mr Incredible should enjoy a step up in trip and will be an exciting horse to follow.

His record is now five starts for three wins and a second.

Click here to read a report on the entire meeting 

Cape Breeders

Ridgemont’s Triple Crown winning sire Malmoos has come up with a real star in his first crop in the form of unbeaten filly Marchland.

The latter made it five wins from five starts when running out a good winner of the Listed Konica Minolta SA ROA Stakes (1600m) at TAB Fairview on Sunday.

Trained by Kelly Mitchley, Marchland had won all four of her starts at two, with her juvenile campaign culminating in a facile win in the G2 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes (1600m).

Making her three-year-old debut on Sunday, the daughter of Malmoos made no mistakes in the R300 000 contest.

Under Muzi Yeni, the only rider to have ridden Marchland thus far, Marchland hit the front full of running and stayed on well to claim Sunday’s Listed race by three-parts of a length.

Bred by Lammerskraal Stud, the unbeaten star, who is owned by Mervin Govender, has won four black type races already and looks on course for a big season in 2026-2027.

Out of the Western Winter mare Marcheline, Marchland was a R450 000 buy from the 2025 Premier Yearling Sale.

Her Captain Al sired sire Malmoos was South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire in 2025-2026.

From the immediate family of high-class sires Erik Dubois and Master Of My Fate, Malmoos has five lots on offer at the October Two Year Old Sale.

Tempted just holds on from a hard-ridden Ka Ying Rising (HKJC Photos)

Chad Schofield, son of the Durban-born jockey Glyn Schofield, finished third in this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July on the Gareth van Zyl-trained King Pelles and he had the biggest win of his career on Saturday when winning the world’s richest turf race, the AUS$20 million The Everest over 1200m at Randwick on the Ciaron Maher-trained Tempted, a four-year-old filly by Street Boss.

Tempted pulled off what some have called one of the biggest upsets in Australian racing history, holding off a huge late charge from Ka Ring Rising.

Although she was the second favourite, the Hong Kong-based Ka Ying Rising was considered virtually unbeatable as the defending champion and as one who had built up a sequence of 21 wins in succession, including lowering Sha Tin course records on numerous occasions.

Ridden by Chad Schofield on his Everest debut, Tempted led by two lengths with about 200m of the Randwick track to go, before Ka Ying Rising and Headwall mounted a huge charge down the outside, with Joliestar on the inside.

Tempted tired, but just managed to hold on to win by about a head over Ka Ying Rising and Joliestar.

“The impossible may have happened! We’ll talk about this race forever and a day,” said legendary sports presenter Bruce McAvaney.

Trainer Ciaron Maher was fighting back tears.

“Amazing … I thought she’d run a PB today. Thrilled,” said Maher.

“We knew we had to take position. Chad knew what he had underneath him. She had to be phenomenal, and she was.”

Schofield said he knew he had to push her from the start of the race, rather than wait to kick at the end like he might normally have done.

“I normally just ride her to relax and trust her to be far too good late,” he said.

“But it was a different race today. We had obviously the world’s best sprinter, world’s best horse in it.”

“I had eyes for him. I knew he wasn’t up there and I sort of held my spot and kept him deep … I had a perfect trip.”

Ka Ying Rising started as the best-backed favourite in Everest history, with 70 per cent of money invested.

He started at $1.35 favourite, with Tempted the next best at $7.

Ka Ying Rising trainer David Hayes – who watched the race from Caulfield – blamed the barrier draw.

“If we have to take a positive out of it, he was in front just past the post,” Hayes said on Seven.

“He was brave. I love the way he finished, but I hate the result.

“The ground was perfect. It was the barrier. We thought it could be a bonus for us, but it wasn’t.”

It was a brilliant ride by Chad.

Tactically he put the horse in the race by taking her forward as opposed to her usual sit and sprint style.

Zac Purton smiles in the pre-race parade on Saturday (HKJC Photos) 

Australian jockey Zac Purton has fired back at critics after facing a wave of online abuse following superstar horse Ka Ying Rising’s shock defeat in The Everest.

The Hong Kong champion was sent out as the overwhelming favourite in Saturday’s $20 million race at Sydney’s Randwick, but finished second behind outsider Tempted in a result that stunned racing fans and punters.

The defeat ended Ka Ying Rising’s remarkable 21-race winning streak, with the champion sprinter falling just half a neck short of victory.
But much of the backlash was directed at Purton, with some punters questioning his tactics after the horse was held back early before making a late charge.

Purton defended his ride, arguing that the wide barrier draw and the blistering early pace left him with few options.

“That’s Australia; everyone has an opinion,” he said. “They shoot from the hip before they digest it properly.”

The jockey also suggested the outcome could have been different with a better starting position, saying the barrier draw had played a major role in the result.

Ka Ying Rising had drawn barrier 11 and was forced to race wide, while Tempted enjoyed a much more favourable run from barrier one under jockey Chad Schofield.

Despite the defeat, Purton maintained his mount had performed strongly and said he would not have changed his approach.

The result was particularly painful for punters who had backed Ka Ying Rising as the final leg of multi bets, with the short-priced favourite widely expected to win.

Sources: Nine News

Last week Turf Talk carried an article about the the work being done to care for equines which has been brought to the public through a heart-warming, documentary series, Equine Welfare – A Life Worth Caring For, which premiered on 8 October 2026.

The four-part series has been screened on YouTube, Gallop TV, and the Hollywoodbets blog, and was made possible through the support of Hollywood Foundation, Hollywoodbets, and Race Coast.

Click here to read that article

Hollywoodbets have now published all of the episodes based on each of the organisations involved in the equine welfare drive.

The organisations are:

• Coastal Horse Care Unit – KwaZulu-Natal;
• Highveld Horse Care Unit – Gauteng;
• Eastern Cape Horse Care Unit;
• Tom Ro Haven – Western Cape;
• BlindLove – Eastern Cape;
• South African Riding for the Disabled Association Durban, KwaZulu Natal; and
• Hollywoodbets Life After Racing – Ashburton, KwaZulu Natal

Today Turf Talk puts the focus on The Coastal Horse Care Unit in KZN

Click here to watch the episode about The Highveld Horse Care Unit