A HECTIC WEEK-END AWAITS..by Leon Setaro

A HECTIC WEEK-END AWAITS..
By Leon Setaro

Get ready for the long haul this weekend with 10x graded features races spread across all three corners of racing SA! On Saturday Phumelela puts up the lion's share with 3x grade1s and 5x grade2s making up the Champion's day card and on Sunday Gold Circle has the grade3 Poinsettia Stakes in KZN and the grade3 Winter Guineas and (listed) Winter Fillies 1400 in Cape Town. With some of SA's top performers out to play this is an extravaganza not to be missed and you can follow all the latest news from behind-the-scenes right here with Interbet. In light of the hectic program and no racing in KZN tonight, it's still a bit early to cover everything in one offering so the regular KZN weekly column will be split across 3 articles this weekend ie. one-a-day until Monday.



Dancer's Daughter photographed this morning at Clairwood. Get the full story and all the latest trainers' comments from the KZN training tracks on Interbet's facebook news site (see link below)

To keep updated, link direct to our racing news site by clicking Here ..or send a blank message to leon@intetbetsa.co.za and we'll keep you updated via email

Still to come this weekend via our FACEBOOK community network - from Clairwood news on superstars Dancer's Daughter and Pocket Power as well as comments on the weekend's runners Sparkling Gem, Consensual and others. From Summerveld the redhot Glen Kotzen chats about his champion 3yr old sprinting filly Lady Windermere who runs in the Poinsettia Stakes and we take a look at the KZN contingent heading to to JHB for the wall to wall offering of big stakes prizes on Champion's day.

Click HERE for more..

Abc wish to thank leon and interbet

Back ALPE D`HEUZ . Got a feeling going to run a huge race tommorow.

25/1 you can't get hurt.

At the risk of getting egg all over my face, I think he should be 50/1

A case of the KZN contingent on Champion's Day
by
Leon Setaro




KZN is represented by five raiders from Summerveld KZN on Champion’s Day at Turffontein and after watching those Tellytrack panel-peacocks brush the local boys’ chances aside like veg peelings, I’ve decided to go the other route and dedicate some space to Dylan Cunha, Craig Eudey, Mark Dixon and Dave Goss for their efforts to raid - go friends and long live the KZN smirks all round should you guys do the damage..


Gilmore Girl (pic last week) and stable companion Cameron’s Kingmaker left for JHB early Thurs.

Dylan has always spoken highly about Gilmore Girl.. going back to before her maiden win and so far he’s been on the money. She has a rock solid recent formline and continues to improve all the time with her work being excellent leading into this race. In a nutshell, she couldn’t be better for her first real test at grade2 level and this is the ‘hope meets reality’ moment that every owner must face when they have a promising one. Being a small, compact filly going against her own 3yr old age group over 2400m, she's likely to have the edge in terms of maturity over the taller, leggier ‘staying’ types. Looks to have the best chance of winning out of the KZN raiders.


Cameron’s Kingmaker

Cameron’s Kingmaker has already shown that he can raid JHB successfully when finishing 3rd in the Aquanaut stayers 2 months back against much the same type of field he meets here in the Gold Bowl

Both the Cunha runners’ recent formlines have been franked repeatedly in KZN, making them as good a choice as any to represent the strength of their KZN counterparts (in the relevant divisions) against JHB competition. The pressure is on!

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Thandolwami heading up for JHB with Surfin’ USA at 04h00 this morning. (pic last week)

Thandolwami is another who has shown he can travel to JHB and be competitive; a shorthead 2nd behind Likeithot in the November Handicap puts him right in the thick of things (on collateral form). I’ve been keeping an eye on him over the last couple of months and he’s had a perfect build up. Improving steadily and looking better and better by the day as he comes to peak, a top run is assured and it's now a matter of 'Is his best good enough to beat the JHB mob in their back yard..'


Surfin’ USA (pic thurs)

Surfin' USA A quality individual and only a few lengths off the best on his day. Mark Dixon reports he’s never one to show much on the training tracks but is doing very well at the moment. A niggling issue of concern is that the stable was last to recover from the recent flu virus at Summerveld and the horses lost 3 weeks of work.. not ideal


El Padrino departed for JHB at Friday midnight (file pic)

El Padrino is another from KZN that is currently in exceptional condition. He’s grown into an impressive looking animal this year and there’s lots more to come from him. Personally I can’t see him getting the testing Turffontein 2000m; he’s a massive, powerbuilt individual likely to be best as a sprinter/miler. In the deep end in the Champion’s Challenge but watch him back in KZN, he’s going to win his fair share and will be feature race competitive.

Leon,I notice you never give a mention about noble heir and connections.They performed best for k.z.n.You always seem to concentrate mainly on cunhas horses and most of the time they flop.

An oversight and poor showing on my part to miss the Bosch factor.. only realised when watching the race.

Hi Leon, thanks for the lovely post again. We were a bit dissapointed by the showing of our filly Gilmore Girl. Dylan and Donavan both felt that the altitude may have gotten to her as she never had her usual kick. However she was only 2 1/2 lenghts behind the winner. The race was also run in a reasonable time being very similar to the Derby. Dylan was extremely upset as he felt she should have won, but that's racing. These 3 year old features only come along once a career and if you don't have a ticket you don't have a chance.

With Dylan, in my opinion, being an excellent trainer will have her back to best for the KZN winter season and I am sure we will have a lot more fun with her.

Thanks Leon for your response and apology.