Turf Talk Newsletter – 20 November, 2024

Royal Victory drew wide in barrier 15, but he won it from draw 13 last year so it should not be an insurmountable disadvantage. (JC Photos)

The final field for Africa’s richest race, the Gr 1 R6 million Betway Summer Cup, was announced at a venue in Johannesburg on Wednesday evening and the draw ceremony followed.

The favourite See It Again landed a fine draw of six out of 20 and Piere Strydom keeps the ride.

However, the other three KZN raiders all drew wide, with reigning champion Royal Victory having to jump from draw 15, Madison Valley having to contend with draw 19 and Cape Eagle landing draw 17.

In form three-time Summer Cup winner Gavin Lerena will help Royal Victory overcome the draw, while Sean Veale is also in form and will partner the long-striding Madison Valley, who should love Turffontein Standside.

Cape Eagle will be ridden by Serino Moodley.

Cape Eagle was the biggest surprise among the 20 final field horses.

He and Rule By Force were not among the top 20 on the final log, but Rule By Force had won his last start impressively so was expected to take the place in the top 20 left vacant by the scratching of Dave The King.

However, Cape Eagle did not win his last start and was going to have to rely either on a scratching from the top 20 or on one of the top 20 being dropped.

Cape Eagle, who won the Gr 3 Splashout 2200 on Hollywoodbets Durban July day, ultimately took the place of Safe Passage in the top 20.

Safe Passage has been the Summer Cup runner up twice in succession, but has failed to make the frame once in his nine starts since last year’s race.  He was not surprisingly eliminated and Cape Eagle moved up into his place.

Crack colt Main Defender, who is the second highest merit rated horse in the race behind See It Again, will be ridden by Aldo Domeyer and has landed a plum draw of three. The big question is whether he will stay. On the grounds of his last start in the Betway Victory Moon over 1800m he looks to have a good chance of staying the 2000m trip as he moved up well and possibly just lacked the peak fitness to go through with it and he now has his third run after a layoff.

The Gr 2 Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile winner and former Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Winchester Mansion has drawn 13 and Marco van Resnburg stays aboard.

Purple Pitcher is well handicapped in the eyes of some and has drawn well in eight with regular rider Kabelo Matsunyane staying aboard.

Barbaresco has a fine chance carrying 55kg and Raymond Danielson has won this race before, although draw 12 is a bit tricky.

Puerto Manzano is a former winner, but will need to bounce back to his best and has a tricky draw of 14.

Pure Predator is a capable sort who is having his third run after a layoff, but it would have been prefereable if his last run had been better and he has a tough draw of 16.

Frances Ethel has had a fine build up and is a leading player from a good draw of seven over an ideal course and distance with one of the world’s best in Oisin Murphy aboard.

Future Pearl produced a storming finish in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and is a runner from draw four under Richard Fourie if able to produce his best.

Zeus was fourth last year, so is not out of it but does have a draw of 20 under Rachel Venniker.

Beating Wings is in fine form and has a good draw of five.

Silver Sanctuary is a decent Gr 1-winning filly who will relish the course and distance and she has a fair draw of nine. She is in fact a full-sister to twice runner up Safe Passage.

Hotarubi was just a three length fifth in the SA Classic and another horse who was a three length fifth in the SA Classic in the same year as winning the Summer Cup was Royal Victory.

Litigation could earn from pole position and is ridden by Dennis Scwarz, who won this race on the Tarry-trained outsider Zillzaal five years ago.

Atticus Finch comes in off a good third in the Victory Moon and Calvin Habib rides from draw two.

Rule By Force is a dark horse as he was not far behind Royal Victory in the SA Classic and he has a fair draw of ten under Tristan Godden.

My Soul Mate was just 1,75 lengths behind Frances Ethel in the SA Oaks and from a fair draw of eleven could be in the shake up.

Only seven horses are  in the handicap, See It Again, Main Defender, Winchester Mansion, Royal Victory, Purple Pitcher, Barbaresco and Puerto Manzano. The rest are all under sufferance in varying degrees.

It is going to be an intriguing race.

Heather’s Boy looks to be heading straight for the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas (JC Photos) 

The exciting Mike de Kock-trained Rafeef colt Heather’s Boy is a notable absentee from the Gr 2 Betway Dingaans on Betway Summer Cup day, November 30, but he still stands his ground in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas which is to be run on December 14 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

His crack stablemate Greaterix (Vercingetorix) is in the Dingaans line up and also still stands his ground in the Cape Guineas.

Greaterix will be up against a good field in the Dingaans and it includes the record-breaking champion filly Quid Pro Quo, who has a plum draw of three and Piere Strydom gets the ride.

The other two crack fillies who were among the Dingaans entries, Gr 1 winner VJ’s Angel and impressive Gr 3 winner Fatal Flaw, have avoided the race and are going for the Gr 3 Fillies Mile imstead.

The up and coming Olivia’s Way also prefers the Fillies Mile to the Dingaans.

The fields for the Dingaans and Fillies Mile are shown below:

Crack three-year-old colt Greaterix could help Vercingetorix claim his first title (JC Photos)

It has been believed for a few seasons that it is just a matter of time before Vercingetorix is crowned national champion sire and this season could be the one he breaks through in.

He has already carved out a lead of more than R2 million over the reigning national champion sire Gimmethegreenlight and he has plenty of good prospects for the season.

Greaterix, Sail The Seas, Boundless Energy, Chieftan, Taxi To The Moon, Roman Agent, Cymric and Little Ballerina are among the exciting three-year-olds by Vercingetorix and there are those who could still become prospects like Warrior Royale. Garrix, I’m So Pritti, Zeitz, Lucrative, Lady Of Vix, Ladyofdistinction (a full sister to Gladatorian) etc, while he has plenty of older representatives like Double Grand Slam, Rascallion, Gladatorian, Oriental Charm, Cousin Casey, King Of The Gauls, Hotarubi, Seeking The Stars, Surjay, Bereave, Daimyo, Cape Eagle, Celtic Rumours, Marauding Horde, The Grey King, Mrs Geriatrix, Golden Sickle, Thunee Playa etc.

Vercingetorix has had the most winners this season and the most wins.

His 55 winners have had 71 wins between them.

That is from a total of 172 runners, giving him a winners to runners percentage of 32%.

That can be compared to Gimmethegreenlight’s 178 runners for 50 winners of 57 races, a winners to runners percentage of 28.1%.

Vercingetorix also leads the stakes colums with four stakes winners of four stakes with Gimmethegreenlight and Master Of My Fate next best, each with three stakes winners of three stakes races.

Vercingetorix’s total stakes earnings are R7,515,250 with Gimmethegreenlight on R5,510,563 and Master Of My Fate on R5,120,938.

Bacchus wins second time out and went on to finish close to the exciting prospect Heather’s Boy, so he is the one to beat in the last race. (JC Photos).

The Vaal has an eight race meeting and as the outside rail it at zero the high draws, by trends, should be favourable in the races of 1600m and under. Races longer than that are around the turn and low draws are then favourable.

The meeting starts with a 1000m workrider’s maiden and My One And Only gets a 1,5kg advantage because she is being ridden by lady workrider Savanna Valjalo. She is drawn towards the right side and has run two fair races so should be in the shake up. The Tony Peter yard send out first-timer Blazing Beauty, who is by Erupt out of an unraced Var mare, and from a favourable draw under good rider Phenisile Mongqawa she would not have to be a superstar to win. The one who makes the most appeal of the rest is Bilingual. She has some fair form and the champion workrider Anathi Feni is up from the favourable standside draw.

The second race is over 1000m and should be won by  Bourbon Reserve from a nice high draw of six out of seven with Habib up. This What A Winter Drakenstein Stud-bred ran well first time as a gelding last time and the form has been franked.  Tiger Storm does only have a length to make up on Bourbon Reserve and Piere Strydom keeps the ride from draw five out of seven. Green Cherry is a first-timer by Gimmethegreenlight out of an unraced Tiger Ridge mare who is a daughter of the useful Gr 2 winner Carolina Cherry (Fort Wood), so he is interesting from the plum standside draw.

In the third race over 2000m the Futura gelding Santiago’s Pride finished close up when stepped up to 1700m and should enjoy the further step up in trip, so he is the one to beat from a pole position draw. Mo Ment looks to be moderate, but ran an improved race last time from a good draw over 1800m under Jason Gates and the latter keeps the ride from another good draw. Splashlanding has shown some hints of ability, although the currently off form Snow Moon did beat him the only time they met and now has Strydom up, while Lightinthestorm has not been completely disgraced against some useful sorts so could also be involved.

The fourth race over 2000m could go to Gloria Mundi as she has run two quite good races over 1700m in her last two. She is by Met winner One World out of a Tiger Dance mare whose only win was over 1400m, so she will have to prove she stays the trip and she has a tricky draw of seven under Jarryd Penny. She did beat City Lights by 1,25 lengths last time but the latter is proven over this trip. City Lights is drawn well in four and  and this consistent sort should be in the shake up. Instant Attraction improved when stepped up to 1700m last time and finished ahead of Santago’s Pride, so how the latter does in race 3 should be taken note of. However, Instant Attraction does have a wide draw to overcome.

The fifth race over 1400m has some useful sorts running as it is a Graduation Plate event. Jordan is a useful horse on his day but on the downside the trip is a touch on the sharp side and he is not drawn on the right side. He is 3,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted That’s My Baby, according to official merit ratings. Fire Attack is the second best weighted runner and is only 1kg out with That’s My Baby and he is drawn towards the right side. This Gr 2 SA Nursery winner was not disgraced in his first try at this trip last time and he should have come on from that run as it was his first for about seven months. Biofarmer is third best in at the weights, 3kg out with That’s My Baby, but a low draw over this suitable trip is a concern. Don’t Cry For Me has shown ability before but needs to bounce back. Choisaanada won by over 12 lengths second time out and could be anyhthing and Musical Score looks promising, although officially both of them have tough tasks at the weights.

Race 6 over 2400m could be fought out by Royal Mazarin, who has ability as a stayer and a fair draw, To The Rescue, who is starting to get the hang of it and stays the trip, although he has a wide draw, and Nuclear Force who is consistently right there over this course and distance.

Race 7 over 1800m could go to the in form Guy Alexander, who wasn’t disgraced last time off a new merit rating having won his two previous starts. The form of that last tun has worked out well, but he does have a tough draw and defying the handicapper again won’t be easy. Flag Bearer doesn’t have an easy task either after a recent win, but did finish just three lengths behind the exciting prospect Heather’s Boy in his penultimate start over 1600m and he enjoys this trip and has a fair draw. Callaburn has a chance as he is usually thereabouts. Rainy Season can earn over a suitable trip. Perini Palace is not out of it either but does carry 1kg overweight and has to prove she stays the trip. Ambitious Lady ran a shocker first time out the maidens but can do better.

The last race over 1600m could be won by Bacchus, who went down narrowly to a potentially top class sort in Heather’s Boy last time and can deliver under Piere Strydom from a draw towards the right side. Hammies Hero, Hat Trick Or Treat and Vava Vegas could earn too. Eiffel Tower is capable of being involved too if reproducing his best.

The subject is pictured above

What drought did the Epsom Derby winner of 1896 reportedly break?

Picture: Persimmon

The 1896 Epsom Derby winner Persimmon was reportedly the first Royal winner of the Derby for 108 years.

He was owned by the Prince Of Wales, who went on to become King Edward VII, and Persimmon went down in history as one of the all time greats.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT PERSIMMON