Royal Aussie (Picture: Wayne Marks).

Royal Aussie Represents Value In HWB Gold Challenge

The Justin Snaith-trained Royal Mo colt Royal Aussie is the highest earner in the land this season thanks to his win in the R7.5 million Gold Rush.

He avoided the big three-year-old races to run in that and so probably has a suppressed merit rating (112).

However, the formlines show he beat Dave The King over 1600m in the Gold Rush, a race in which he also in fact beat See It Again, although the latter ran well below his subsequent runs.

Dave The King has subsequently beaten Cousin Casey over 1600m in the WSB Guineas.

Therefore the sponsor appears to have erred in offering Royal Aussie at 40/1 odds for Saturday’s big weight for age mile and Cousin Casey at 12/1, even if the latter did need his WSB Guineas run.

Royal Aussie’s draw of seven out of ten makes it tougher.

However, he has always had an impressively uncomplicated action and relaxes well in the running too.

This allows him to use his good turn of foot to maximum effect.

If JP van der Merwe can place him well he could well run into the money.

The 40/1 odds of course just represent each/way value with the major portion put on the place, because Charles Dickens is going to be hard to beat.

The superstar colt will have come on from his last start when easily winning the WSB Guineas.

He has a good draw of four and can exact revenge on his L’Ormarins King’s Plate conqueror Al Muthana.

Ricky Maingard will leave no stone unturned in getting Al Muthana to his peak, so he is likely to run a cracker from draw five out of ten.

Trip To Fortune has landed a good draw of three and has been in fine form so should be in the shake up under the underrated jockey Gareth Wright.

Cousin Casey has a new jockey aboard, S’Manga Khumalo, as former incumbent Grant van Niekerk will be aboard Al Muthana. Cousin Casey has a tremendous turn of foot when at his best and from pole position has to be respected especially under the twice SA Champion jockey.

Rascallion has class and will have still needed it when beaten 3,50 lengths by Trip Of Fortune in the WSB Green Point Stakes over this trip last November, which was the last time he ran over a mile. That was his second run after a layoff of eleven months. He should have come on from his Champions Season pipe opener in the WSB 1900 and will be finishing strongly from draw two.

Zapatillas produced a good finish to win the WSB Guineas over course and distance last year, but he has a tough draw of ten out of ten.

Do It Again has won this race before but this is likely to be seen as a preparation run for the Hollywoodbets Durban July, where he will make history by being the first to run in the big race six times and he will also be out to be the first to win it three times.

Bingwa is capable of a top drawer performance over a mile, but does need things to go his way and he has a tricky draw of eight.

Safe Passage ran a shocker in the IOS Drill Hall Stakes here over 1400m but improved next time out. This race will show whether he is still as good as he was as a three-year-old when winning both the Gr 2 WSB Dingaans and Gr 2 WSB Gauteng Guineas, among other races.

It will be an intriguing race and perhaps the sponsor is justified in making Royal Aussie a 40/1 shot, but he does look to be the least exposed horse at this level in the race and it will represent something of an acid test for him.

Gimme A Prince has been raised to a merit rating of 130 after winning the Gr 1 Golden Horse Sprint at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday. (Picture: Chase Liebenberg).

Handicapping Ratings Update

Golden Horse Sprint (Handicap) (Grade 1)

GIMME A PRINCE has had his merit rating raised from 125 to 130 after he captured the Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint (handicap) over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday 3June. The Handicappers were of the unanimous view that 4^th finisher BARTHOLDI made for the most suitable line horse here, which leaves him unchanged on a mark of 119.

There were also raised ratings for runner-up THUNDERSTRUCK, who was lifted from 115 to 117, and for 3^rd finisher SURJAY, who is up from 117 to 119. The only other increase was for 5^th placed PEARL OF ASIA, who was 8 pounds or 4 kgs under sufferance at the weights and who accordingly goes up from 105 to 112.

No fewer than six horses were given a rating’s drop. SEEKING THE STARS is down slightly from 124 to 123, UNDER YOUR SPELL is down from 114 to 113, FULL VELOCITY drops to 108 from 110, TAIKONAUT is down from 117 to 115, GOOD TRAVELLER drops to 110 from 113, and lastly AFTER THE RAIN was trimmed from 105 to 104.

SA Fillies Sprint (Grade 1)

PRINCESS CALLA, who was highest rated on her 127 rating, remains unchanged on that mark following her success in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint for fillies and mares over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday. It was in fact PRINCESS CALLA herself who was deemed to make for the ideal line horse when assessing this event, which is the reason for her unaltered rating.

The only ratings increases were for 4^th placed COLD FACT, who is up from 112 to 115, and for 6^th placed IPHIKO, who goes up from 107 to 109 to at least make her one pound higher than the 108-rated 8^th finisher WHOA WHOA WHOA.

There were ratings drops for three horses. AMEENA is down slightly from 112 to 111, STIPTELIK drops from 108 to 107, and lastly AUNTY LIZZY is down to 100 from 102.

The diminutive Beach Bomb is promising and can hopefully follow in the footsteps of her diminutive five-time Grade 1-winning mother Beach Beauty (Picture: Wayne Marks).

Beach Beauty’s Second Filly Is Not Only A Look-Alike

Beach Beauty’s Lancaster Bomber daughter Beach Bomb lived up to her name in testing going at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday when powering clear to win by 5,25 lengths in her second career start under Aldo Domeyer.

The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Beach Bomb strongly resembles her diminutive Dynasty mother Beach Beauty and has a strikingly similar action too.

The small filly then showed she has inherited Beach Beauty’s chief weapon, her devastating turn of foot.

She was sked for her effort at the 200m mark and shot clear of the favourite Epikleros to win easing up.

Domeyer said she feels bigger in the running due to her action and was confident she would go further.

The win was reminiscent of Beach Beauty’s first win at Clairwood on October 17, 2020, where she showed an exhilarating burst of speed late in a 1450m contest to win by three lengths.

Beach Beauty has already produced two stakes winners, Wild Coast, a colt by Trippi, and Amamzimtoti, a filly by Trippi, as well as stakes placed stayer Rex Union (Duke Of Marmalade).

Narina Trogon, a gelding by Silvano, is threatening to add to that list.

However, Beach Bomb, due to the strong resemblance to her mother might be the most exciting prospect of all of her runners to date.

The two-year-old filly is a Drakenstein Stud homebred.

The next Beach Beauty in line to run is a yearling filly by Gimmethegreenlight, which is exciting considering the pair clashed in the 2012 Met with Gimmethegreenlight finishing a commendable third as a three-year-old and Beach Beauty just 0,80 lengths behind him in fifth place with the race being won by the great Igugu.

Lucky Lad gave Gimmethegreenlight his first Gr 1 win at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and the country’s leading stallion later made it two Gr 1 wins in Pietermaritzburg with Gimme A Prince (Picture: Wayne Marks).

Gimmethegreenlight’s Two Gr 1’s Take Him Further Clear

After yesterday’s racing Gimmethegreenlight (Aus) led the national sires championship on stakes earnings by his progeny this season of R18,927,338.

In second place was What A Winter on R14,289,263

In third place is Vercingetorix on R13,697,525

In fourth place is Master Of My Fate on R12,174,075

In fifth place is Querari (GER) on R10,894,919

Gimmethegreenlight, Vercingetorix and the late Dynasty are neck and neck in stakes race success for the season.

All three have had ten individual stakes winners and Gimmethegreenlight’s individuals have accumlated 14 stakes wins between them, Vercingetorix’s have accumulated 13 and Dynasty 12.

Gimmethegreenlight had his first ever Gr 1 winner at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday when Lucky Lad won the Gold medallion and he later made it a second Gr 1 win at the Pietermaritzburg track when Gimme A Prince won the Golden Horse Sprint.

Gimmethegreenlight has now had seven individual Gr 1 winners of 22 races.

He has had three individual Gr 1 winners this season of 4 races.

Gimme A Prince has won the wfa Pongracz Cape Flying Championship and Golden Horse Sprint.

Bless My Stars has won the Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic.

Lucky Lad has won the Gold Medallion.

The Apache in his racing days (raceform.co.za)

The Apache Deserves Better Support

Gregg Clarke

At the 2009 BSA Emperor’s Palace National 2 Year Old Sale he was knocked down for a mere R80,000 and at the end of his career 4 years later in 2013 had amassed R17million in 20 appearances across 4 countries.

In SA he raced 15 times for 6 wins including the G2 Dingaans, G1 Daily News 2000 and the G1 Champions Cup and 7 places including a very respectable run through the field to place 4th in the 2011 Durban July behind Igugu, Pierre Jourdan and English Garden.

He was trained by Gavin Van Zyl who recalls that “he was very sound, had a wonderful temperament and neatly put together…..nicely structured young horse…..but unimpressive in his work”. Van Zyl realised he had something on his hands after his 3rd run.

Such was the talent of this horse that he was shipped to Dubai, racing for the powerful De Kock Racing Stable, where he won the G2 Al Rashidiya and placed 2nd in both the G1 Dubai Duty Free and the G1 Jebel Hatta before a 4th place run. Thereafter he ran 2nd in the G2 York Stakes in the UK before going trans-lantic for his final appearance in the US Arlington Million where he crossed the line 1st only to be relegated into 2nd for interference in the latter stages. A remarkable record for any horse.

By Mogok out of Apache Rose (Dolpour), bred at Scott Brothers Highdown Stud in the Fort Nottingham District of Kwazulu Natal, there is much that confirms that THE APACHE was a top quality SA bred racehorse.

Foreign- Based Winston Chow who bought him at the 2009 Sale and now owns him outright says he has been extremely disappointed in the lack of support for THE APACHE however that he is looking forward to what he believes his mares may offer in breeding because of the valuable Coup De Folie in the pedigree. Mr Chow has a deep understanding of pedigree, arguably an expert level of understanding, which guides his thinking and refuses to accept that THE APACHE offers nothing to breeding saying that he has already identified some very nice nicks of substance for his mares.

Former Multiple Champion Jockey Anthony Delpech remembers the horse very well having ridden him in his first 4 starts as a 2 year old for a 4th, 2nd and two 1st’s. “I thought he was a very smart horse……he always showed the potential of being a good horse….and what he did in Dubai and the States proved he was a very smart horse”.

Raymond Danielson piloted him in his last 11 races in SA and had this to say “The Dingaans stood out for me because that’s where I learned how to ride him. He always liked to be towards the back of the field and then had a very good turn of foot but I had to wait till late to send him. In the Dingaan’s I rode him exactly like that and he ran through the field with ease and won a very easy race. That’s when we knew he was special.” He ran a credible 4th under Danielson in the 2013 Durban July who reckons “if he had stayed here another season he would have won the July the next year”. He added that he showed nothing during work but was very different on the track.

Tyrone Zackey currently trains 4 of the progeny and says they are very nice distance horses with good temperaments but can take a while to come on.

It is puzzling to understand just why the market has not been kinder to THE APACHE and its equally difficult to understand what more could be expected from a Sire. Sire’s do not choose their covers and so it would not be grossly incorrect to dismiss any Sire especially one that carries both the racing and the bloodline credentials THE APACHE does. This athletic individual has a proven race record of high quality and as the only son of Mogok in SA with the heralded Coup De Folie in his pedigree there remains much untapped and untested potential in his blood.

http://www.kznbreeders.co.za/News20032014.html for more info

A workrider puts a Ready To Run lot through his paces (Picture: Cape Racing Sales).

RTR Sales Race And Sale Brought Forward To 21/2 October

Cape Racing Sales (CRS) have advised a change of dates for the Cape Racing Ready to Run & 2yo Unbroken Sales Race and the 2023 sale itself. The race has been brought forward from 4 November and will now be staged at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday, 21 October. The Sale will take place at the same venue on Sunday, 22 October 2023.

Buyers are reminded that horses bought at the Bloodstock SA Sales and then resold at the RTR Sale in October will be eligible for two bonuses, the BSA R100,000 Bonus and the CRS R100,000 – therefore qualifying for R200,000 when they win their first Juvenile Races.

“We’ve decided to bring the sale forward as part of our Juvenile Programme, and so our first Juvenile race over 800m will be brought forward from the end of November to 18 November, two weeks sooner. With the sale also being held earlier, this give graduates enough time to qualify and get ready for the first juvenile race,” said Justin Vermaak, Racing Operations and Bloodstock Executive for Cape Racing.

For sale related queries, please contact:
Justin Vermaak (justin@caperacing.co.za)
or Robyn Collyer (robyn@caperacing.co.za)

ENDS

Richard Fourie after winning the first of three Gr 1’s at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday for the Sean Tarry yard. The horse is the Vercingetorix filly Mrs Geriatrix (Picture: Chase Liebenberg).

Nothing Fishy About Fourie’s Fantastic Five

Ace jockey crowns red-hot form at Scottsville speed fest

Mike Moon (The Citizen)

When Richard Fourie is booked to ride at a race meeting, fish in the Indian Ocean breathe a metaphorical sigh of relief.

When he’s out in a ski-boat, riding the sea swell, his fellow jockeys are the ones audibly exhaling.

The keen angler has hooked into rare form in recent weeks, culminating in him landing five winners in nine races at Scottsville’s sprint festival on Saturday. Three of those victories were in Grade 1 races – a feat very few jockeys in the world have matched.

That came on top of four winners the previous day at Fairview, making his tally 13 in a week and 26 in three weeks. Those 26 came from just nine meetings, for an average of nearly three per meeting.

Fourie will finish runner-up to Keagan de Melo when the South African jockey championship wraps up on 1 August, but if he maintains this form and ups his travel itinerary in the new season it’ll be hard for any colleague to deny him his first national title.

Interviewed after winning Race 1 on Saturday, Fourie was asked about his Eastern Cape foursome the day before. “That was yesterday. Let’s focus on a new day,” was the slightly nervous reply.

You couldn’t blame the ace for trying to manage the pressure of having to ride a handful of highly fancied horses on the Scottsville card. And with each successive winning interview, viewers could discern rising excitement and tight lines losing their tautness.

The first of his Grade 1 triple for trainer Sean Tarry was diminutive juvenile filly Mrs Geriatrix in the Allan Robertson Championship and festive scenes in the winner’s circle – with a gaggle of happy women from the Magic Lady Syndicate of owners and breeder Peter Blythe proud as punch with his second Grade 1 in a long career – blew away some tension.

Then it was the extraordinary performance of the colt Lucky Lad in the Gold Medallion, who was drawn wide, raced green, hung inwards and still beat the country’s best two-year-old runners by more than five lengths.

“He has the feel of a quality animal,” observed Fourie. “I was in front early and he pricked his ears. I feared the worst, but he just kept up the momentum. He’s a beautiful horse.”

Those were thumping victories, but the best was to come. Princess Calla galloped away from a strong field in the SA Fillies Sprint and the triumphant jockey declared later that she was the “easiest” of the lot.

Fourie had a chance for an unlikely Grade 1 four-timer, but his mount Rio Querari flopped in the Golden Horse Sprint – as principal rival De Melo raced home aboard the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Gimme A Prince.

This gave De Melo a third winner on the card, meaning the two top jockeys won eight of the nine contests.

Announcements about what these stars will ride in the Hollywoodbets Durban July is eagerly awaited.

Auguste Rodin and Ryan Moore on top in the 244th Epsom Derby on June 3. (courtesy britishchampions.com)

Derby Caters For FA Cup Clash, World Pools Plunge

Takings plunge 36% due to the earlier start time at Epsom to avoid a clash with the FA Cup final

Racing Post

World Pool betting on the Betfred Derby dropped 36% on Saturday, with the 1.30pm start time at Epsom put forward as a reason for the fall.

Last year’s derby, won by Desert Crown, attracted the biggest pool of 2022, with £6.7m bet into a single Tote pool by punters across multiple nations, including Hong Kong, Britain, Ireland and the US. This year the figure dropped to £4.3m, while the total figure bet into the World Pool on Saturday was the lowest in the three years the product has been available for the derby.

A combined £25.5m was bet across the eight races at Epsom on Saturday, a reduction of 12% from last year’s £28.85m. A total of £26m was bet into the World Pool on derby day in 2021.

This year’s derby was run at its earliest-yet time to avoid a clash with the FA Cup final, which kicked-off at 3pm and was broadcast on ITV’s main channel after the Derby coverage was completed. The remainder of the action from Epsom was shown on ITV4.

It had been hoped by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), which created the World Pool, and the Tote, which operates the pools in Britain and Ireland, that the earlier start time would drive an increase in turnover with the lion’s share of the money bet into the World Pool derived from Hong Kong.

That punters were unable to place all the bets available to them in two races [the Diomed and Princess Elizabeth Stakes] at Epsom due to there being fewer than eight runners — one more race than last year — which was also flagged by the HKJC as a potential reason for the drop in turnover.

Sam Nati, HKJC head of commingling, said: “We were very pleased with how World Pool went at Epsom. The earlier start time of the derby was always going to have an impact on turnover and there were a couple of races with just six runners, but it was a really entertaining card with a nice mixture of group races and competitive handicaps.

“We now look forward to Royal Ascot in a few weeks where World Pool will be in operation for the fifth year.”

The Derby was the third World Pool day held in Britain this year after the 2000 Guineas and Lockinge cards. In total, 18 days of British and Irish racing will have World Pool betting on them in 2023, up from 17 last year.

The product is seen as a valuable income source to the sport, with racecourses receiving £500,000-£800,000 per World Pool fixture.

Though 30 people were arrested by the Surrey Police, the planned animal rights protest at Epsom fell flat. Those arrested were charged on suspicion of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance.

One man was remanded in custody but the remainder were released on bail.

Clive Davies, chief superintendent of policing at the Derby meeting, said: “I am incredibly proud of every officer, staff members and volunteers who worked into the run-up to the event and the event itself.

“They played a vital role in protecting the public and preventing and responding to criminality.

“We absolutely respect people’s rights to peacefully protest, but we differentiate between this and unacceptable criminal behaviour,” he added.

Raven Black (Master Of My Fate) returns from a ten month layoff to win at the Vaal today and give Kabelo Matsunyane and Brett Crawford the first leg of a double (JC Photos).

Matsunyane/Crawford Double, Lerena Double, Nieuwenhuizen Double

Kabelo Matsunyane and Brett Crawford scored a double together at the Vaal today and both Gavin Lerena and David Nieuwenhuizen also scored respective doubles.

Matsunyane goes to 94 wins for the season at a strike rate of 9.39%.

Crawford is on 92 wins at 13.59%.

Lerena goes to 78 wins at 15.32%.

Nieuwenhuizen is on 8 wins at 6.40%.

A Durban July of many years ago.

Today’s Question

The Durban July winner of 75 years ago was sired by a stallion who was the last to be champion stallion in South Africa without being resident here. Who was that July winner and who was the sire?

Question answer at the bottom of the newsletter

Hollywoodbets Scottsville Fields, Wednesday

MONTROSE (1930: Coronach – Accalmie by Pilliewinkie) won 13 (16 places) of 40 starts in England. He was the third, but most successful, non-resident sire to top the South African Sires List which he did in 1950/51. He was in the top 3 over four consecutive seasons from 1947/48. He sired the winner of four “July’s” and six Durban Gold Cups. Thirty nine of his sons were imported into South Africa with thirty seven winning 163 races (southafricanracehorse.wordpress.com)

ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION

The Ted Shaw-trained Monasterevan won the 1948 July in a field of 26 horses.

Ted Shaw was a renowned Cape trainer and this was his third July winner, following Petersfield II in 1936 and Silver Phantom in 1942.

Monasterevan was sired by Montrose, who was the July-winning sire for three successive years, because he was also sire of the dual July winner Milesia’s Pride who won in 1949 and 1950.

Montrose also sired the 1944 July winner Monteith.

Montrose was one of four sires who won the SA Championship without being resident in SA.

He won the title in the 1950/51 season.

The others to win it while not resident in SA were Matchmaker (1905/06), Greenlawn (1906/07) and Cameronian (1939/40)

Turf Talk Newsletter – 6 June, 2023