De Melo On Fire, Now Leads Championship
Keagan de Melo has shot in to the lead in what will be an intriguing race for the National Jockey Championship this season.
De Melo won the first four races at Durbanville today, which was the first meeting of the Hollywoodbets Spring Country Series, and then won the sixth race too to make it five.
That took him to 28 winners for the season, four clear of second-placed Muzi Yeni.
De Melo has strong support in three centres, KZN, Johannesburg and Cape Town, and has ridden more winners this calendar year than any other jockey in the country.
He must now be the strong favourite for the title.
If Muzi Yeni becomes Paul Peter’s official first call rider he will be a threat.
Richard Fourie is already 22 wins behind De Melo, so it will be tough to make up the leeway even if he starts traveling.
In the second race all eyes were on the Grade 3 Langerman winner, the big Justin Snaith-trained Light Speed (Gimmethegreenlight), in a competitive Graduation Plate event over 1600m.
Snaith confirmed before the race Light Speed is one of the yard’s best three-year-olds.
The plan was to take him to the front as he is a big galloper and Durbanville is on the tight side.
His wide draw allowed De Melo the time to get him to the front.
In the straight his big stride kept him clear of the closers, although the Piet Botha-trained Baratheon (Jackson) and the Vaughan Marshall-trained Scalini (Pomodoro) were making inroads late on.
Light Speed held on by 0,40 lengths.
Snaith said he would now put him away for a bit before bringing him out for the big Summer Season features.
It was a good performance from Baratheon, considering he was the only other horse besides the winner carrying topweight of 60kg.
Scalini also caught the eye and should progress.
The win gave Gimmethegreenlight a quick double as De Melo had got up in the first race over 1250m on the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Gimme’s Lassie.
De Melo won the third over 1250m on the Snaith-trained Tough Terrain (Querari) and this horse was impressive. He apparently has a bit of a mouth issue but the powerfully built gelding led, cornered well and then drew further and further clear in the straight being ridden hands and heels. He was six lengths clear in the end and looks to be an exciting prospect.
In the fourth race over 1250m the unstoppable De Melo took the bull by the horns again and took the Greg Ennion-trained Wyag (What A Winter) to the font from a wide draw of nine. He held on to win by 0,75 lengths from Carriacou with the Snaith-trained favourite Aussenkehr third. Ennion confirmed this big horse was still a big baby and has plenty of scope for improvement.
In fifth place, running on well was Kingdom Of Heaven, a Drakenstein Stud-bred Snaith-trained Dynasty colt who is out of a Bernadini half-sister to former Equus Horse Of The Year Oh Susanna. He clearly has as much promise as his pedigree suggests.
The next race was fittingly won by the Hollywood Syndicate-owned Metar (Soft Falling Rain). It is the first meeting since the course became known as Hollywoodbets Durbanville. The filly is trained by Brett Crawford and came from last under Luyolo Mxothwa.
The sixth saw the once promising Glen Kotzen-trained Jasmine (Futura) bouncing back to form with a powerful, winning finish under De Melo over 1600m.
Bass-Robinson’s classy Grade 3-winning Grade 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes runner up Trip Of Fortune won the next race, a MR 106 Handicap over 1400m under Gareth Wright, his first outing for four months and his first as a
gelding.
The eighth was won by the Piet Botha-trained Sonic Burst (Elusive Fort) under Corne Orffer.
The last race saw a dead-heat between Sandile Mbhele on the Andre Nel-trained Superior Leader (Vercingetorix) and S’Manga Khumalo on the Justin Snaith-trained Beerenberg (Erupt).
Bortz Proves Himself A Doer
There is a saying that there are three types of people in life, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened.
South African racing is lucky to have Greg Bortz, who clearly fits in to the first category of person.
Bortz has done very well in business and it was recently revealed he had made his money by taking on failed businesses in the USA and turning them around.
He has now provided an insight into how he did it.
Cape Town racing a few month ago was on rocky ground.
Enter Bortz and within a few weeks he and his Cape Racing team, with the help of new sponsors Hollywoodbets, have turned it around into a centre with an exciting future.
“Greg Bortz is a doer”, said Hollywoodbets Brand and Communications manager Devin Heffer in a radio interview earlier this week.
Bortz’s big words were accompanied by big action and today the first meeting of the first of the “festivals”, the Spring Country Series, by all accounts had the atmosphere usually reserved for feature events.
The course was presented in immaculate condition.
The facilities for both the public and for owners, trainers and jockeys had all been given a make-over and were all in pristine condition.
The field sizes were bigger than usual and the turnover was encouraging.
This is just the beginning but this isn’t a business Bortz intends selling after he has turned it around – he has admitted being “sick for racing” and his passion for the sport and his business nous should see racing going on an upward curve.
Who Wins The 2022 Cazoo St Leger At Doncaster Based On Previous Trends?
by Matt Rennie (Racing Post)
The Cazoo St Leger (16H30 SA Time Saturday) is the final Classic in Britain this year and one of the standout races this weekend. We have looked back at a number of factors to see who may win Saturday’s Group 1 highlight.
Ratings
In the last ten years, only two winners have had a rating below 110. Harbour Law was rated just 102 when he caused a shock in 2016, while a year earlier Simple Verse was rated 108 when she dramatically won the race following an appeal.
The last five winners have been rated 115 or higher, with both Hurricane Lane (2021) and Capri (2017) the highest-rated on 120.
Distance
Only three horses in the last ten years had won over 1m6f or further before they faced the 1m6½f trip of the St Leger.
Kew Gardens (2018) and Simple Verse (2015) both scored over 1m6f, while 2013 winner Leading Light had won over 2m when the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot was still run over that trip.
Eldar Eldarov, Hoo Ya Mal and outsider Giavellotto are three who are currently engaged in the race to have won over 1m6f this season, although Zechariah did win the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury over 1m5½f on his last start.
Class
Group 1 efforts do not guarantee St Leger success, as six of the last ten winners struck on what was their first attempt at the highest level.
That could benefit the like of favourite New London and leading filly Haskoy, while none of the runners who have previously raced at the top level have been successful.
Odds
Such is the quality a Classic usually provides, shocks are rare and the last five winners have all gone off at single-figure odds with three of those sent off favourite.
Encke was the biggest shock in the last ten years when denying Camelot’s Triple Crown bid at 25-1 in 2012, while Harbour Law scored at 22-1 in 2016.
Verdict
Plenty go in with hope in search of St Leger success, but the trends make it hard to ignore odds-on favourite New London from giving Charlie Appleby, William Buick and Godolphin successive wins in Britain’s oldest Classic.
The three-year-old was last seen winning the Gordon Stakes from subsequent Great Voltigeur winner Deauville Legend at Glorious Goodwood and, while he is yet to race over this trip, he meets the ratings threshold to win it off a mark of 115.
It looks a below-standard St Leger and should give New London a great opportunity to hit the mark at the highest level.
Betfair Sportsbook: 5-6 New London, 4 Eldar Eldarov, 13-2 Hoo Ya Mal, 8 Zechariah, 12 Bluegrass, 14 French Claim, 20 bar
Ryan Moore: ‘You’ll See A Better Version Of Luxembourg On Saturday’
By David Jennings (Deputy Ireland editor Racing Post)
Ryan Moore is convinced the best is yet to come from Luxembourg and thinks a superior version of the highly regarded colt will be revealed in Saturday’s Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes.
Luxembourg will need to be just that given most of the big guns stood their ground at Tuesday’s five-day forfeit stage, most notably the two who fought out a thrilling finish in July to the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown in Vadeni and Mishriff.
There is a real international flavour to the €1 million contest at Leopardstown as Grand Prix de Paris winner Onesto, from the Fabrice Chappet stable, looks set to join Vadeni to form a powerful challenge from France. The William Haggas-trained Alenquer and Mishriff are the two British challengers remaining in the field.
Luxembourg spent all winter and spring at the head of the Derby market before injury ruled him out of the Classic and bookmakers were not impressed by his return to action in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh last month, with Paddy Power pushing him out to 5-1 (from 4) for the Irish Champion immediately after his narrow win at odds of 2-9.
However, Moore, who won last year’s race on St Mark’s Basilica, is expecting a much-improved performance on Saturday. He said: “It obviously hasn’t been a straightforward year for Luxembourg. He had a lovely two-year-old campaign and then a lovely run in the Guineas but, unfortunately, he wasn’t right after that race.
“He needed his run at the Curragh last month. He got the job done but we’d be hopeful he can come forward from the Curragh. A mile and a quarter around Leopardstown with a bit of rain around shouldn’t be a problem for him. He needs to improve on what he’s done this year but I think you’ll see a better version of him on Saturday. Hopefully he runs a really big race.”
Moore added: “It was his first run for a while. He still felt a little bit raw. He picked up very well, but was a bit idle in front. When the second horse came to him he found plenty. It was a good starting point back.”
Luxembourg has been nibbled back into 4-1 as Aidan O’Brien attempts to win the Irish Champion Stakes for a record-extending 11th time and a fourth year in a row. Vadeni is Paddy Power’s 11-8 favourite with Mishriff next best at 7-2. Onesto is 6-1 and it is 10-1 bar.
Moore agreed with Vadeni’s position at the top of the market, saying: “He beat the older horses in the Eclipse and he’s entitled to be favourite, although maybe Mishriff was a bit unfortunate that day. He’s still open to improvement and Jean Claude-Rouget has a good record in the race and he likes to target the Irish Champion Stakes.”
Homeless Songs was the star name among the 13 remaining in the Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes, but Moore thinks Tenebrism could be a dark horse in the line-up and believes Leopardstown will suit her style of running. He did admit it will be hard to reverse Prix Rothschild form with the Jane Chapple-Hyam-trained Saffron Beach, however.
Moore said: “It was a good run from Tenebrism in France. She had won the Jean Prat and I think going back to Leopardstown will suit her, although it will be hard to turn around the form with Saffron Beach, I suppose. Tenebrism’s still a three-year-old filly and she’s still getting better.
“She was still a little bit green when she went to Ascot, then she won in Deauville but the last day didn’t go quite as smoothly as I would have liked it to have done. Hopefully we can get closer to Jane’s filly this time.”
Kyprios will not meet old rival Stradivarius again in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger at the Curragh on Sunday after the evergreen John and Thady Gosden-trained stayer was not supplemented.
The Gold Cup hero will face a maximum of 12 rivals, which include the Joseph O’Brien-trained pair Raise You and Cleveland, and Moore is looking forward to the challenge.
Moore said: “Kyprios has done nothing wrong this year, he’s four from four. I’ve been very happy with him on all his starts. A mile and six at the Curragh is a different test but I think it will suit him well. He’s an uncomplicated horse who is a pleasure to ride.
“He has a big engine and stays very well. He has plenty of class for those staying races. Everything you ask of him, he comes up with an answer. He puts his head down and fights.”
It is a big weekend for the Ballydoyle juveniles with some high-profile names putting their reputations on the line.
The unbeaten Albany Stakes winner Meditate will bid to make it five from five in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, while Aesop’s Fables, Auguste Rodin, Cairo and Hans Andersen are all among the nine possibles for the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes. Both races are at the Curragh on Sunday.
Moore said of the two-year-old brigade: “Meditate is a high-class filly who won both her starts before she went to Ascot. I was happy with her in the Debutante. She was having a look at a few things there and didn’t like the cameraman on the way back. I’m very happy with what she has done so far this year.
“I’ve always liked Aesop’s Fables. He started off early at Navan and won comfortably. Unfortunately he had a minor setback and we couldn’t get a run into him between then and the Futurity. He was really good inside the final furlong in the Futurity.
“He was green at halfway but once I asked him, he dug in and picked up very well. I was impressed by him. He’s a very well-made, strong colt. In the paddock before the Futurity, I thought he really stood out.
“Hans Andersen is a really good colt with a super attitude. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stepped forward again. These horses are all still improving and it’s early days. We’re still getting to know what suits them best. I think he’ll be a really nice colt next season.”
Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (3.45 Saturday, Leopardstown)
Paddy Power: 11-8 Vadeni, 7-2 Mishriff, 4 Luxembourg, 6 Onesto, 10 La Pettite Coco, 20 bar
Motherly Love At Winterbach Stud
These charming pictures of mother and foal were taken by Romi Bettison at Winterbach Stud.
Today’s Question
What are the claims to fame of the 19th century stalwart racing brothers John and Bill Scott?
Picture: Bill Scott (portrait by John Hayes)
Turffontein Inside Fields
Today’s Question Answer
John Scott, born in 1794, and know as “The wizard of the North” trained the winners of 40 British classic races, including a record 16 St. Legers.
His British classics record was only broken this year when Tuesday gave Aidan O’Brien his 41st classic victory by winning the Epsom Oaks.
Bill Scott rode many of John Scott’s classic winners and his 19 British classic wins include a record nine St. Legers.
Picture: John Scott with the Triple Crown winner Western Australian, Frank Butler up (Painting by Henry Hall).
