Turf Talk Newsletter – 26 August, 2026

Esteemed wins with authority at Hollywoodbets Scottsville (Race Coast)

The Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Rafeef colt Esteemed makes his seasonal reappearance at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday night in a strong A Stakes race over 1400m on the turf and interestingly his half-brother makes his debut on the same night for Peter Muscutt.

Mike de Kock explained after Esteemed’s last win, an easy 5,30 length victory over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville in just his third career start, that the reason a lot of money had been spent on “multiple surgeries” and why Esteemed had also been given plenty of time to recover by Ridgemont and the Heffer family was because “he is a Gr 1 horse.”

He had continued, “There was no questioning the judgement. Let’s hope he pulls up sound and they will be rewarded if he does. He is an absolute machine to work with, an exciting horse, he has been from day one. It’s unfortunate things went pear and he had to have this long layoff, but he is a horse with whom we look forward to races like the King’s Plate.”

De Kock added, “You can be the best judge on the planet, but if you don’t have the owners to back you and spend the vast sums of money on vet bills, then you’re nothing. The owners can take a bow as they have made the trainer’s job and the team’s job a lot easier.””

De Kock also saluted veterinarian Manfred Rouwer and the Baker and McVeight veterinarian practice.

De Kock revealed they would be out to make a stallion of the big horse, so the first Graded target for him would be the Gr 2 Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Milke followed by the L’Ormarins King’s Plate.

He faces a strong field on Friday night.

However, if he is as good as they think he is then carrying 55,5kg off a 105 merit rating should make him the one to beat.

The De Kock yard also run the talented Greaterix in the race. He never got going in his four-year-old season after returning from a long layoff. He returns from another layoff of over six months, but he is drawn in pole over his probable optimum trip.

The Alyson Wright-trained Position Of Power has been in devastating form over shorter and this is his acid test to see whether he has the option of a career over distances up to a mile. He has a wide draw, but he does have a terrific turn of foot and Keagan de Melo is aboard again.

Thisiswhatitmeans is not far off Position Of Power, but is also drawn wide.

Malmesbury Missile loves this course and distance and would be a fitting winner one day before the man he is named after, Pieter Steph Du Toit, gets his 100th Springbok cap. However, he also has a tough draw.

Go Grayson Go, Narina Trogon, Imposing, Future Variety, Kaiboy and Madison Valley all have some class, while the only female in the field, That’s My Baby, gets a handy gender allowance and loves Hollywoodbest Greyville.

Esteemed has been priced up as 8/10, but it should be a humdinger of a race.

Esteemed’s half-brother by Real Gone Kid, Clever Kid, is owned by Hollywood Racing and makes his debut in the first race, a maiden over 1400m on turf. He jumps from draw seven out of eleven and Peter Muscutt said, “He is progressing nicely. Despite being by a sprinting influence stallion I think he will stay. He is a little bit soft heading into his debut and I expect him to be fairly green, but I also do expect an encouraging first time at the races.”

Picture: Nathan Pillay (left) with friends and family at Summerveld 

Owner Nathan Pillay’s first horse was the decent four-time winning 99-rated Admire Me, a Clifton Stud-bred Capetown Noir filly who was purchased for just R20,000 at the KZN Yearling Sale of 2019 by Garth Puller.

After that early ownership success, Nathan now views owning shares in horses as a great stress reliever away from the demands of business.

Puller was the sole owner for Admire Me’s first three runs, all in the maidens.

Nathan was then invited to take a share and the filly ran a close fourth first time out for him.

She then reeled off three wins in a row, before being rested and coming back to run third next time out off a 93 rating.

Nathan explained, “I was good friends with Dennis Bosch and later met Garth Puller and we also became good friends. Thereafter he asked me if I would like to start owning horses from his yard and I said yes. He suggested I should start with just a small share and that’s what I did and today I am very, very happy to be with Mr Garth Puller. I had been a small time punter, but my involvement in horseracing is really all about the passion I have for horses. Mr Puller is a real sportsman, someone you can trust and I really enjoy owning in his yard. We have had about eight to ten wins so far. My first share was in Admire Me and she won three times in the space of a couple of months. There are owners who can go two years without a win, so I was lucky to have achieved this.”

Nathan’s first run with Admire Me was on 20 September 2020 and by December 11 of that year she had already won three races for him. She then had a rest until May and finished third in her comeback run. She was then sold out of the yard and went on to win one more race in Johannesburg.

The bug had bitten and Nathan said, “I now have shares in about eight horses. So far I have had four winners and they have won about eight to ten races between them.”

Nathan was at Summerveld on Wednesday to hear about the horses Garth had bought at the BSA August Two-year-old Sale and he was possibly going to select one or two to buy shares in.

Garth picked up two horses at the Sale according to the BSA price list, a Camargue Stud-bred Declarationofpeace filly out of a one time-winning Spectrum mare who is a half-sister to July winner and decent sire Pomodoro, and a Riethuiskraal Stud-bred Master Archie colt, who is out of a four time-winning Imperial Stride mare. The third dam of the latter colt is the decent six-time winning Elliodor mare Kokkewiet.

Nathan said the pair Garth had bought were the right sort of price for him, so it will be interesting to find out whether he had left Summerveld with another couple of shares.

Nathan said about the current stallions in South Africa, “Obviously I would love to own a Vercingetorix! But of the more affordable ones I like Hawwaam.”

Nathan would recommend owning horses and said, “I wish people could get into this sport. It is very exciting, but before you come into this sport make sure you have the passion for horses and don’t think you are going to win every time. Obviously we do all like to win though.”

Asked on what he liked best about horseracing, Nathan said, “It is a stress reliever. And you also meet a lot of good people. The people in racing are very friendly.”

Nathan does not have much free time owing to his businesses and said he visited Summerveld about twice a month.

However, he never misses his horses running whether the races are at Hollywodbets Greyville or Hollywoodbets Scottsville.

He said, “It is a nice day with Mr Puller. I enjoy his company and he always teaches you a lot about horses and horseracing. He is also a very honest person, so you can put your money down for him to train and care for the horses and can always trust him.”

At Hollywoodbets Greyville Nathan usually spends the day in the Saddler’s Arms or in the box of his friend Mr Quintus.

Nathan has applied for a box himself and hopes he will be able to get one this season.

His friends and family were enjoying their day at Summerveld, as it is difficult not to be relaxed when surrounded by horses, and watching the racing from a box would likely appeal to them too.

This Or That makes it a third win in three career starts, albeit by a hair’s breadth, and gives Richard Fourie and Allan Greeff a treble and owners Ridgemont and Devin Heffer a double (Pauline Herman Photography)

Richard Fourie began his season on the Fairview poly today and got off to a fine start, riding a treble.

All three of his wins were for Alan Greeff and two were for owners Ridgemont and Devin Heffer and one was for the ASSM Syndicate.

Chad Little rode a double for Juan Nel on the day, while Waye Agrella rode a double for Tara Laing.

Fourie is operating at a strike rate of 42.86%.

Chad Little has had five wins and has done it at a strike rate of 12.82%.

Agrella’s double were his first two wins of the season and he is going along at a strike rate of 10.53%.

Greeff has had 14 wins for the seaso27.45%.

Nel has had three wins at 11.54%.

Laing has had two wins at 9.09%.

Karel Miedema is one of the foremost intellectuals of South African racing and his ratings are always worth referring to.

Last season his highest rated performance was by Buffalo Storm Cody in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, a win Miedema awarded him 119 for.

The best mile performance of the season he gave to Tin Pan Alley for his win in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes which he rated 118.

His best middle distance performance went to Eight On Eighteen for his win in the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup which he rated 116.

His best stayer’s performance was 106 for Holding Thumbs in the Listed Cape Summer Stayers Handicap over 2500m.

Interestingly, his best two-year-old performance was not by Haute Couture when winning the Gr 1 God Medallion, which he awarded him a 113 for, but by Heath House’s win in a handicap over 1000m at the Vaal on June 18, which he gave him 114 for.

Click here to see Karel Miedema’s highest raceform ratings for last season

Grooms percentage of stakes has been raised from 1% to 2% in both Race Coast and 4 Racing jurisdictions 

By Mike Moon (The Citizen)

Racehorse owners are always being asked how much money they make out of the game. In reply, they often murmur, “not as much as rumoured”, but, if they were truthful, most would confess to making no profit at all. Zilch, zippo, sweet FA … indeed, most make losses.

It should be remembered that owning horseflesh for competitive racing is seldom seen as a profit-driven business enterprise – in the way, say, owning long-haul trucks or hiring out DJ gear might. Horses are a hobby, whatever the taxman might suspect, and most hobbies cost money to enjoy – some a lot more than others.

Losses are the price, or premium, an owner pays for experiencing the singular exhilaration of his or her nag occasionally winning.

A while ago, in the last century, a rule-of-thumb had it that prize money for winning a maiden race would cover a racehorse’s keep for a year. Nowadays, a first-prize cheque might cover a few months’ feed and nurture – and that’s before the vet invoices arrive.

Yes, there are big-money races like the R10-million Hollywoodbets Durban July or the R6-million Betway Summer Cup, but only a handful of the thousands of horses in training ever get a sniff of that rarified air.

Consider, too, a lot of well-endowed races are won by expensive, choicely bred horses owned by a small coterie of uber-rich people.

But don’t think these wealthy folk make massive profits out of racing, either. Most of them run vast strings of horses – perhaps hundreds of the blighters in the desperate hope of finding a good ‘un. Many of these “hit and hope” critters are just as speed challenged as the cheaply bought rest-of-the-herd and deliver more bills than trophies.

The moneyed elite are in it for fun and games, too, and are just lucky to be able to absorb the premium more comfortably than hopefuls further down the food chain.

Rich or less rich, all thoroughbred owners will have welcomed recent news of stake-money increases by South Africa’s racing operators.

Race Coast hiked purses by an overall 20% in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape; 4Racing phrased its announcement differently but will boost prize money by similar amounts at its racecourses on the Highveld and in Eastern Cape.

Both companies raised grooms’ share of stakes from 1% to 2%.

The average punter won’t bother much about how owners are remunerated for their part in “putting on the show”, as it were, but an example of the changes is Highveld in-season maiden race total stakes going up from R120,000 to R170,000. Eastern Cape contests in the same category go from R84,000 to R100,000.

“This is a massive investment in the future of racing,” said Patrick Duff, CEO at 4Racing. “Owners are a key stakeholder in the industry, and we want them to see tangible reasons to buy, race and stay in racing. This is about giving owners more chances to earn, coupled with a better overall experience in racing.”

Race Coast official Kurt Felix said: “Increasing stakes strengthens the racing programme at every level, while doubling of stakes earnings for grooms recognises the vital role they play in the success of every horse and every stable.”

The important thing is not that anyone will suddenly get mega-rich, but that “smaller” owners might be able to stay in the game longer and that new entrants might be allowed breathing space to establish small (or large) strings of runners. Such people are important parts of the foundations of the sport of kings and paupers.

Trip Of Faith has been tipped to win the 7th (JC Photos)

A MR 90 handicap for fillies and mares over 1450m is the highest rated race at today’s meeting at the Vaal Classic track and it could go to Trip Of Faith, although she will need a bit of luck from a tricky draw.

She won well over 1200m last time, leading from start to finish from draw two on the Turffontein Inside track and winning by 3,60 lengths. She was given a seven point raise, but looks like she can progress further. The last time she went this course and distance she was caught one wide without cover in a handy position when jumping from draw eight and was beaten 4,20 lengths. That was her first run out of the maidens and she has improved since then. However, she now has draw six, so it won’t be easy to get to the front or to find cover. However, Muzi Yeni is a jockey strike compared to that last attempt at this course and distance and there is nobody better than him when it comes to overcoming draws. This progressive sort should love this trip being by Master Of My Fate out of a Trippi mare, School Run, who was ideally suited to 1400m.

The main danger could be topweight American Beauty, who was only just run out of it over 1600m last time. She was given a two point raise, but her last two wins have all been over this trip category and she has another good draw.

Lady Elliot makes most appeal of the rest as she has found a bit of consistency. She is only half-a-kilogram under sufferance and has a fair draw over an ideal trip.

The first leg of the Pick 6 is a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1600m and the one to beat could be Elisa Mbali. She relaxes well in the running and has substance. She wears headgear, so that could sharpen her up, but her wide draw of ten is a concern. Sword Of Light has 2,20 lengths to make up on Elisa Mbali from a 1700m race , but she has scope for improvement and has a good draw. Empress Of Peace should be in the shake up if able to overcome a wide draw. Calvin Habib is back aboard which  will aid her cause.

In the first leg of the Jackpot over 1600m Bay Empire goes for a hattrick and from a good draw looks to be progressive enough to overcome a five point raise for his last win. Eight Hats won well last time when trying this trip for only the third time and it could have signalled a new lease of life for her. She has a plum draw and should be right there. The Mightiest is 4kg better off with Bay Empire for a half-a-length beating, but does have a tricky draw.

In the sixth race over 1600m Spirit Of Gabz is a progressive type who is going for a hattrick. He was given three points for his last win, but won’t mind the step down in trip and a tricky draw did not bother him last time. Satyagraha has been in good form and looks capable of following up on his last win which was over this course and distance. He is only three points higher and now has a better draw than he had then. Craig Zackey replaces Keagan de Melo. Prince Of Kildare is in fine form and is a versatile type who is effective over this shorter trip. He does have a tough draw though. Mount Darwin is effective over this trip and should be running on from a fair draw. Sky Pilot is capable of better than last time and is now 3,5kg better off with After Hours for a 1,25 length beating over this trip.

In the eighth over 1450m Lightinthewoods won with authority last time and looks capable of handling an 84 merit rating over this ideal trip. Muzi Yeni stays aboard from a draw he should manage to overcome. Delware River has run well with cheekpieces on before, so is interesting with blinkers on from a good draw. Can’t Catch Me sneaks into the handicap with the minimum weight and has the form to be a contender, She has to overcome a wide draw, but this is an ideal trip.

In the last race over 1200m Late Bloomer showed some fair form in the strong centre of Cape Town and won on her Highveld debut despite returning from a five month layoff, so she looks capable of going close from pole position off a 74 rating. Elusive Red tries a sprint for the first time since his debut and considering his good 1400m form he should handle it. He should be involved from a nice draw. Blindfire ran a good race over this trip last time and can earn if able to overcome a tricky draw of seven out of nine.

In the third race over 1600m Wartrax Blaze looks the one to beat on form and jumps from a fair draw over a suitable trip. Royale Jacket looks to be the danger.

In the second race over 1000m Gallic King hasn’t run since January, but might hold too many guns here. The Batchelorette and Autograph make most appeal of the rest.

The first race is a workriders maiden over 1000m and Astrophile makes most appeal.

Rumstar winning the Coral Charge at Sandown (via youtube)

Nunthorpe third would need supplementing for the Curragh contest.

At The Races

Jonathan Portman is keen for Rumstar to be supplemented for the Flying Five Stakes in Ireland following his fine effort in the Nunthorpe last week.

Since successfully defending his title in the Coral Charge at Sandown in early July, the six-year-old has finished a half-length second to American Affair in the King George Stakes at Goodwood and third behind American ace Bacio – beaten just a nose into second by Starlust – at Group One level at York on Friday.

“He’s come out of it really well, thank goodness,” said Portman.

“It would have been lovely to have been second, having run that well. The American was probably too good for us all, but we were delighted with the run and you can run well in those sort of races and still only finish 10th, so we were very happy with what we could get.

“He’s in a good place mentally and physically at the moment. We just hope that lasts for a bit longer.”

Rumstar is not entered in Flying Five at the Curragh, but connections do have the option of adding him to the field on September 8 at a cost of €40,000.

Portman added: “I’m trying to persuade the owner at the moment to make sure he is in the Flying Five. We’ve got another week for him to see what is in his piggy bank and that is something we’d like to do if the owner is up for it.

“There are so few options for these sprinters. We didn’t overlook it at the entry stage, we just took a view that the programme we’d mapped out for him is what we wanted and we didn’t have Ireland as part of that, but seeing him run so well at York that was probably a mistake, hence we’re thinking of doing a Plan B.

“He’s in the Abbaye. The ground tends to go for that, but he is in the Abbaye, so we’ll still keep that in mind.”