Daily News 2000 race day trainer comments

Great work yet again by David Thiselton

Mike De Kock will have a strong hand in Saturday’s Daily News 2000 at Greyville Racecourse and is happy with all three of his contestants, Vercingetorix, Patriotic Rebel and Rock Cocktail.



He also runs the filly Al Kindi in the Woolavington 2000.



De Kock said that the Silvano colt Vercingetorix, winner of the Grade 2 KRA Guineas and likely favourite on Saturday, was still immature, so would have natural improvement.



He reckoned he would have no problem with the 2000m trip.



He is out of a National Assembly mare that has produced speedy sorts like Never Forever, Trinity House and Allocation, but all three of those horses were by the sprint-miler Captain Al, while Silvano was a 2000m horse.



Those who have ridden Vercingetorix describe him as still a “big baby”, so he has plenty of scope and is in the right yard for an improving horse.



His run in the KRA Guineas took De Kock by surprise.



He finished strongly, despite being caught a bit wide in the running and then tending to hang inward in the straight.



He then held off the late charging odds-on favourite Capetown Noir, so all the signs of a good horse in the making are there, although the proximity of the 83-rated Corredor, who finished 2,3 lengths back in third, is a bit of a concern.



De Kock was bullish about Patriotic Rebel, the former Brett Crawford-trained horse that ran a 1,1 length fourth behind Capetown Noir in the Investec Cape Derby.



In his first run for the De Kock yard last Wednesday at Greyville in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1400m at Greyville, the Stronghold gelding finished last, but was only 7,7 lengths behind the superstar Variety Club, with whom he was 2kg better off than weight for age.



De Kock said, “He is doing extremely well and I like what I see with this horse.”



He had said before that last start that Patriotic Rebel would “need the run badly”.



Yesterday, he said, “I thought he ran a very good race to finish just over seven lengths off Variety Club. He has come on nicely, I’m very, very happy and all is well with him. I think he can run a big race.”



De Kock said that Rock Cocktail was a tough horse, which was one of the reasons he could race him regularly.



He said, “He is a big horse and is hard to keep fit. He might be just short of the best and could be a handicapper, but this run will expose him and give us a better idea of how good he is.”



The Australian-bred colt by Rock Of Gibraltar won over 1800m at Clairwood on May 15 and then ran second in the Grade 2 Betting World 1900 just a week later.



He ran a fine race considering he was cramped on the rail turning for home, which affected his momentum.



The Betting World 1900 was run as a conditions race, meaning placed horses were not given merit rating raises, so he is better than his rating of 90 suggests.



Vercingetorix, merit rated 107, is well drawn in three in the 18 horse line-up that includes two reserve runners.



Patrotic Rebel, merit rated 95, is drawn right out at 17 and Rock Cocktail is drawn beautifully in two.



Al Kindi was a bit disappointing in the Johannesburg features this season after winning a Novice Plate in good style over 1600m last October.



However, she ran over the Woolavington trip for the first time at Clairwood last time out in the Listed East Coast Handicap and ran a fine race, coming from last to finish a 0,25 lengths runner up to the progressive four-year-old Adobe Pink.



De Kock said, “It looks like we’re all running for third (behind Cherry On The Top and Blueridge Mountain), but I think the further she goes the better she will be and in my opinion the firmer the ground the better for her. She is a rock solid filly in terms of soundness.”



Al Kindi is drawn six in the eight horse field.



De Kock scratched Izora from the Woolavington.



He said, “She hasn’t been working as well as she should be.”

Paul Lafferty is currently in Australia at a Magic Millions Sale, so has left his capable assistant trainer Michael Burns to put the finishing touches to his Daily News 2000 contender Love Struck.



The Kahal gelding won the Grade 1 SA Classic over 1800m at Turffontein in his last start on March 30, beating another Daily News contender, Tellina, by a short-head.



Burns said, “He’s doing well, he’s well in himself and his work at home has been promising. This will tell us whether he stays the 2000m. I would think that the Greyville 2000m is right down his alley.”



The tough Turffontein 1800m is probably the equivalent of a Greyville 2000m in terms of stamina, so Burns could well be right in the latter regard.



Love Struck is drawn ten and Sean Cormack rides.



Love Struck, on 103, is rated 3,5kg inferior to the 110 merit rated Capetown Noir.



However, Gitiano, who finished 2,25 lengths behind Love Struck the SA Classic, was only 3,5 lengths behind Capetown Noir when said by the Alec Laird yard to have run a flat race in the Grade 2 KRA Guineas last time out.



The Laird yard have since sent Gitiano for another gallop at Greyville, although the main reason was as a companion to Orator’s Daughter.



After the gallop they decided that Orator’s Daughter would not run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.



Julia Pringle, Laird’s Summerveld assistant, said, “She was green at Turffontein and Greyville is not an easy course. She is immature and it would have been too much for her at this stage. She will make a very nice four-year-old.”



She said about Gitiano, “He is working well and put up a good gallop at Greyville. He travelled down shortly before the KRA Guineas and the travel might have affected him as he ran a flat race. The 2000m is the top end of his stamina capacity. However, he was running on at the end of the Classic and Geyville is a more forgiving course. It’s a strong field, but he is a nice horse and can run a nice race.”



Gitiano is drawn eight and Nooresh Juglall will ride.

Geoff Woodruff is in the unusual situation of having an untested horse, Yorker, at 10-1 in the Vodacom Durban July ante-post market, while his Grade 1 performer Tellina is at 16-1, so he not surprisingly finds them difficult to separate in Saturday’s Grade 1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville.



Woodruff lamented bad draws yet again for two of his top horses in a big race, as Yorker is drawn widest of all in the 16 horse field, while Tellina will come into draw 12 if the two reserve runners don’t come in.



“They are drawn shockingly and it compromises you immediately in a big race. You are jumping off the back foot. It is hard enough to win from a good draw.”



However, he said that both horses were doing well.



Tellina usually works with Do You Remember, who contests Saturday’s Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.



Do You Remember usually just sticks her head out to beat him at home and it was no different yesterday.



Woodruff said that, on the other hand, Yorker had always been an impressive worker.



“He works on his own as he can be a bit keen. He is full of nonsense before a race, but he races professionally. You can put him to “sleep” (relax him) and he doesn’t pull.”



However, he said the problem from that draw would be where to settle him.



He said the impressive looking Jet Master colt was still immature and would be the “finished article” in about six to eight months’ time.



He is a big strapping horse, but Woodruff had no doubt about his turn of foot, which is a vital asset for the tight Greyville track.



“When he won at The Vaal, he cut through the field like a knife through butter and went from about tenth into the lead in the space of about 200m. When he was beaten on the Turffontein Inside track, he actually turned it on too quickly and Robbie (Fradd) got off and said only if he had known him better he would have held him up for longer.”



Anton Marcus is booked to ride Yorker, who is part-owned by Markus Jooste.



Marcus had an operation to repair a snapped tendon in his right thumb on Monday.



A pin, which will be there for six to eight weeks, was inserted and he said he would ride on Saturday if he “feels comfortable.”



Fradd is Tellina’s regular plot and he has always spoken highly about the Silvano colt.



Woodruff said that although Tellina was just an “average track worker”, he had proved himself in Grade 1 company.



He won the Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas and was then touched off by a short-head by Love Struck in the Grade 1 SA Classic after being struck in the face by the jockey of the latter’s whip.



He then ran a somewhat disappointing fourth in the Grade 1 SA Derby over 2450m.



However, Woodruff said, “He jumped from draw 15 in the Derby and to say he was out of his ground is an understatement. We didn’t have much choice, but the field then became strung out. He made up about a dozen lengths, but it was a bridge too far. Some have written him off. However, I believe that, but for the (whip) incident, he would have won the Classic. People might be viewing him differently if he had.”



Woodruff has decided to run Tellina in blinkers to try and get him into the race quicker.



His turn of foot it not in question, as he came from last to win the Gauteng Guineas and also came from off them in the SA Classic.



Woodruff added, “The 2000m will suit him very well.”



He was very happy with Do You Remember, who is also by Silvano.



“She has been working like a little star and is as honest as the day is long. The July favourite is the only filly that beat her in the Triple Tiara races. To have come second in every leg is quite a feat in itself, but Cherry On The Top is top of the July log and Do You Remember is outside the top 20.”



Do You Remember should also enjoy the course and distance.



The top two in the Woolavington, Cherry On The Top and Blueridge Mountain, have both been hugely impressive and look hard to beat, but another of the opposition has also caught Woodruff’s eye.



“The Robbie Sage filly Jet Belle is a big improver and I’ve been very impressed by her.”

A few words or a sentence is the most the press can expect to extract from the legendary trainer Ormond Ferraris, but that is all they really need because it can be virtually taken for granted that his horses will arrive for big races in tip top condition.



“She is fine,” said Ferraris about his Triple Tiara heroine Cherry On The Top, who will likely start favourite for Saturday’s Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.



That is despite the presence of another Grade 1 winner Blueridge Mountain, who has been drawing “wow” comments from around the country due to her run of victories that become even more impressive.



Ferraris’ Champions Season string is based at Clairwood and he was also happy with his Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup contender S’Il Vous Plait.



Cherry On The Top, a three-year-old filly by Tiger Ridge, has all the qualities of a top racehorse.



She has good looks and breeding, can be switched on and off easily, she can turn it on quickly, is versatile in trip and has a big heart.



She will be a tough nut to crack, but Blueridge Mountain is going to provide her with her toughest test to date and Saturday’s race will be one of the highlights of the Champions Season.



S’il Vous Pliat, a five-year-old Silvano gelding, has always been held in good regard.



In January, when merit rated only 93, he beat the 106 merit-rated Ilsanpietro over 2450m at Turffontein, despite receiving only 1,5kg.



He was raised six points for that effort.



However, he has done well in three staying races since and in his last start was a narrow 0,8 length third in the Grade 3 Caradoc Gold Cup over 2850m to Masia Warrior, to whom he gave 1,5kg.



Furthermore, he was beaten just a short-head in that race by the probable best stayer in the country, Seal, despite receiving only 1,5kg.



S’il Vous Plait enjoys the tight Turffontein Inside track, so should take well to Greyville in his first start away from the Highveld.

Nonki Poo will cause some amusement at Greyville on Saturday in her first appearance on a KZN racecourse, but she is a more serious racehorse than her name implies and will be among a field of the best three-year-old fillies in the land in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.



Trainer Paul Reeves said about the Stagelight filly, “She has done well since arriving in Durban. She’s in the deep end, but will give a good account of herself.”



Nonki Poo’s two wins in Cape Town were over 1400m and 1600m respectively.



In her last start she finished a far from disgraced 5,45 length fifth to the brilliant Woolavington contender, Blueridge Mountain, in the level weights Listed Sweet Chestnut Stakes over 1400m for three-year-old fillies.



Nonki Poo is out of the Special Preview mare La Special, who was a one-time winning sprinter.



However, Stagelight, who won the Grade 3 UAE 2000 Guineas, is by the stamina influence Montjeu, so she has a chance of staying the 2000m trip.



Nonki Poo is owned and was bred by Erhard Strooh and was named by his granddaughter Natasha.



Natasha’s favourite song was the Karika Kuizenkamp children’s number Nanki Poo and the first time she clapped eyes on the foal she pointed at her and said, “That’s Nonki Poo.”



Erhard will be at Greyville on Saturday and said, “She’s the lowest rated horse, but in an eight horse field you never know.”

Dean Kannemeyer said that this Saturday’s Grade 1 Daily News 2000 contender Capetown Noir was in “exceptional” form at the moment and he reckoned he had him better than he was before his last run in the Grade 2 KRA Guineas, where he was beaten on the head bob by Vercingetorix.



However, he warned that even if the three-year-old Western Winter colt won Saturday’s race, he would not be a definite starter in the Vodacom Durban July, as he feared that the handicapper might put him “out of business.”



He said Capetown Noir’s July participation would be discussed with the connections after the Daily News and the weight he was set to carry would have a bearing on the decision.



Kannemeyer reckoned that the three-year-olds were being too highly merit rated this season.



He pointed to his sprinter Cape Royal, who had to carry 59kg in the Grade 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint, as an example and couldn’t remember when a three-year-old other than J J The Jet Plane, who carried 60kg to victory in 2008, had been set such a task.



Cape Royal jumped to his left from a high draw on Saturday and then refused to participate in Saturday’s race, a disappointing conclusion for the connections and his supporters.



Kannemeyer, returning to Capetown Noir, said, “He is very tight and this will be another test over 2000m. In the KRA Guineas the jockey lost the stirrup iron and he is then chased. Then he’s okay, but then he runs away from the paint in the straight in his first start at Greyville. But, the winner came past him and he then takes off and just fails. I can’t fault the winner.”



In other yard news he said that Divine Jet had bruised his heel quite badly before the Drill Hall, so he did not know whether he would have him ready in time for the Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1200m at Greyville on June 14.



He said about the July entrant Liancourt Rock, who is also on the injury list, “I don’t think he’s going to make it.”



On the bright side he said the yard had a lot of promising two-year-olds that would make their presence felt when coming out in the next month or two.

Joey Ramsden said early in the week that King Of Pain would be running in the Grade 3 Oceanfresh Seafoods Winter Classic over 1800m at Kenilworth this weekend, as opposed to the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville, where he was also an entry.



Ramsden said that he would see how King Of Pain went in the Winter Classic before deciding whether to take him to Durban.



He is entered in the Vodacom Durban July and is among the ten horses that are just outside of the top twenty on the log.



A win on Sunday might confirm his place in the final field considering that one horse in the top 20, Beach Beauty, is likely to run in the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes on July day, while Thunder Dance might also go the Garden Province route.



King Of Pain, a grey by Greys Inn, was mowed down late by Readytogorightnow in the Grade 3 Tekkie Town Winter Guineas last time out after hitting the front from a handy position, but that was his first run for about three months.

Gavin van Zyl is happy with his Grade 1 Daily News contender No Worries, although admitting he faced a strong field.



He said, “He ran with first-time blinkers in the KRA Guineas and finished three lengths back running from the front. We hope he can turn that around this time by sitting behind and running on.”



He wasn’t sure whether the Kahal gelding would prefer the 2000m trip.



His best run to date has been when finishing a one length fourth in the Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas.



He was unable to repeat that over the longer 1800m trip in the Grade 1 SA Classic, finishing 4,5 lengths back, although that was from a tougher draw.



He will be ridden by Brandon Lerena on Saturday and will come into a draw of ten if the two reserve runners come out.

Blueridge Mountain arrived at Clairwood from Cape Town on Tuesday, a few days before her engagement in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville on Saturday.



Lorenzo Karriem, who is Joey Ramsden’s Clairwood assistant trainer, said that she had travelled very well and was looking in fine shape.



The Giant’s Causeway filly looks to be the most rapidly improving performer on the South African turf.



She arrived for the Cape Sizzling Summer Season on the back of a 1200m win at Clairwood on debut, a narrow defeat over 1160m at Turffontein in a strong Progress Plate and a narrow second to the good horse Festival Of Fire in the Grade 3 Starling Stakes over 1400m.



She started 22-1 for the Avontuur Estate Cape Guineas and ran accordingly, finishing unplaced five lengths behind Rumya.



However, it was discovered afterwards that she had been cut into.



Since then she has reeled off four victories in succession from 1200m to 1600m, including the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m, in which she reversed form with a number of the horses that had beaten her in the Guineas.



In her last start, when winning the Listed Sweet Chestnut Stakes over 1400m at Kenilworth by a widening 3,5 lengths, it was noticeable that she is growing into a lion of a horse.



She went straight to the front in that race, travelled comfortably and won hands and heels.



Her sire Giant’s Causeway had a legion of followers in his racing days in England and Ireland and whenever the subject of favourite horses crops up in those parts his name features prominently.



He was known as “the iron horse” due to his refusal to be beaten and he ended his career with six Group 1 victories.



His famous five-in-a-row Group 1 wins during his three-year-old year were all by margins of less than a length, underlining his courage.



As European Horse Of The Year, he was retired to Coolmore Stud in 2001 and was commanding a service fee of US$300,000 by 2006.



He was the leading sire in North America in both 2009 and 2010.



Three of Giant’s Causeway’s Group 1 victories were over ten furlongs and at stud he has been a stamina influence, which gives a lot of reason to believe that Blueridge Mountain will stay the Woolavington 2000m trip.



She will face the Triple Tiara heroine Cherry On The Top, who destroyed all before her during the Johannesburg Autumn season.



However, the latter has never faced a horse of Blueridge Mountain’s quality and this is going to make Saturday’s Woolavington one of the highlights of the Champion’s Season.



Blueridge Mountain jumps from draw two, which will be ideal for her front running style.



Anton Marcus is booked to ride the Markus and Ingrid Jooste-owned chestnut filly.



Marcus had an operation to repair a snapped tendon in his right thumb on Monday.



A pin that will be there for six to eight weeks was inserted and he said he would ride on Saturday if he “feels comfortable.”

Garth Puller runs the KRA Guineas third-placed Corredor in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville on Saturday, where he will attempt to defy likely long odds again.



Corredor is by a once South African 1000m record holder Cataloochee, so there must be a doubt he will stay the 2000m trip.



Puller said about the Summerhill-bred gelding, “He is doing nicely and we won’t know how he handles 2000m unless we run him. He is a nice type and has done what we’ve asked of him. He has a couple of aches and pains that have to be sorted out. His soundness can always be improved. He is owned by passionate Mauritians (AJ and JW Rousset). If he sees out the 2000m, there is no reason that he shouldn’t be close up. On his Guineas run he looks likely to get the trip as well Capetown Noir will.”



Corredor turned for home in the KRA Guineas from a position behind Capetown Noir and maintained the gap for most of the straight.



He took nine races to win his maiden and then won second time out the maidens.



He then ran third in the Grade 3 Byerley Turk, 3,75 lengths behind Capetown Noir, before finishing a 2,3 length third in the level weights Grade 2 KRA Guineas.



His proximity to the two highest merit rated three-year-old colts in the country in the latter race is either a worrying indication of the strength of the crop or proof that he has improved as significantly as his rise from a once 73 merit rated horse into a 100 rated one suggests.

Mike Bass runs the somewhat disappointing Abercrombie in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville on Saturday and also has two livewires, River Crossing and Jeppe’s Reef, in the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m.



As a two-year-old Abercrombie won his second start over 1200m in good style and then started 2-1 favourite for the Grade 3 Cape Nursery in which he was touched off by the useful The West Is Wide.



A measure of the Trippi colt’s standing at that stage was that he then started odds-on favourite for the Grade 3 Langerman.



However, he finished unplaced behind another horse who is in this year’s Vodacom Durban July field, King Of Pain.



In his last start of an overall disappointing three-year-old campaign to date, he showed signs of progress when finishing just 1,1 lengths back in fifth place in the Investec Cape Derby.



It has to be said that it wasn’t a vintage Grade 1 field, even if the winner, Capetown Noir, is one of Saturday’s Daily News favourites.



In Abercrombie’s first KZN start he finished 2,1 lengths back in a Graduation Plate over 1600m at Greyville and the form of that race has worked out well considering the winner Vercingetorix went on to win the Grade 2 KRA Guineas and second-placed Rock Cocktail finished runner up in the Betting World 1900.



Robert Fayd’Herbe, who runs Bass’ Clairwood satellite yard, said, “He’s doing well and galloped well last week. He has been improving and is coming right. He’s still a big baby, but is starting to mature and is getting better all the time.”



Abercrombie is drawn wide, although he should come in to draw eleven if the reserve runners come out.



Fayd’Herbe said, “He can race from anywhere. We’ve put blinkers on to help him concentrate. But we will leave it to the jockey (Stuart Randolph).”



Abercrombie could land a J&B Met-Vodacom Durban July double of sorts as Martial Eagle appropriately won the former race that had the theme “Made To Fly” and he has the most fitting name for the July theme, “Posh Oh My Gosh”, considering Abercrombie and Fitch is an upmarket clothing range.



However, he is way out at 150-1 in the betting and off a merit rating of 94 will need a huge run on Saturday to get into the final field.



River Crossing, a four-year-old Caesour gelding, is a very consistent staying type and won a Non-Black Type event over 2500m at Clairwood last time out, a win that earned him a six point merit-rated raise to 98.



Fayd’Herbe said, “He’s doing very well. He’s come on since that last run. I thought he would have needed it a little bit, but he’s come out of the run well. He’s improving all the time and is turning out to be a decent stayer. The handicapper punished him a little bit considering some of the top horses he beat needed their runs. It’s going to be harder for him on Saturday.”



Sean Cormack rides.



Jeppe’s Reef, a five-year-old Jallad gelding merit rated 94, is a useful stayer on his day and was only 2,7 lengths back in eleventh in this race last year, despite being 3kg under sufferance off an 89.



Effectively, he is off a one point lower merit rating this year, as he is in the handicap.



His best win came over this trip in a Listed race at the tight Durbanville track and he is usually thereabouts in the Greyville staying races he has contested.





His last start at Greyville over a too sharp 1600m at Greyville followed a three month break.



Fayd’Herbe said, “He needed that last start very badly. I hoped he would be dropped out and run on, but he went handy and wasn’t fit enough to go up like that, so fell in a hole. But he had a good gallop and has come on since then. He is fit and well and this is his game. If he reproduces his Cape Town form he will be right there.”