Scotia on the weekend.

Good afternoon to the Clan and hope you are keeping warm in sunny SA.

The weather might be cold but the racing is again hotting up, we had some great coverage from Epsom last week and should be the same from next Tuesday the 14th where Royal Ascot runs for 5 days to Sat 18th.


Sweet Sanette

Day one should be a cracker where SA horse Sweet Sanette should run in a rather weak looking King Stand, Star Witness will probably start fav. The Queen Anne is where the fun should start with Canford Cliffs and Goldikova fighting out the finish.
St James Palace where the mighty Frankel should be out to stretch his legs.

The 15th we have the Prince of Wales without Workforce and the race has been gifted to So You Think.
Gold Cup day is on the Thursday where Fame and Glory 3/1 and Rite of Passage 5/1 top the boards, note that an old favourite Geordieland could also line up at 25/1.


Workforce

The Coronation is on the 17th and the meeting will close on the Sat with the Golden Jubilee without Rocket Man, who will probably line up in the July Cup on the 9th (don't ask what month).

The King George on the 23rd of July could see So You Think, St Nicholas Abbey and Workforce clash.
Coral Eclipse is on the 2nd of July where Workforce and So You Think could also meet?

27th July is the Sussex stakes and Frankel, Canford Cliffs, See You Think are all possibilities but at this stage nothing cut and dry as far as who will meet and when but should be some mouth watering clashes ahead.

One race that is set in stone is the Belmont on Saturday and we wish Barry and his team all the best and I will be having a bet on Animal Kingdom to get back on winning ways, on the subject of Winning Ways remember to watch the Interbet sponsored show on Monday nights for a "Good" "Laff".


Animal Kingdom out for revenge

The ARC should be an interesting race with Pour Moi, So You Think, Workforce, St Nicholas Abbey, Carlton House and the one that caught the eye last weekend Baraan.

On the home front July fever has hit the site, my bet is on Igugu and looking forward to a trip to the coast.
I have to admit the July is in a league of its on as far as hype and well done to the Gold Circle team for all the press releases, the bookies for the early betting, the July log to get the tongues wagging.

On the local scene (weather permitting) we are racing at Clairwood and some very competitive fields Past Master 33/10 and Bravura 7/2 top the boards for the Rising Sun, The Cup Trial where Galileo's Destiny is 9/4 and a good looking swinger for the Tibouchina Stakes should be Covenant 5/2 and Headstrong 4/1, best bet of the day should be What a Winter (well named for this time of year)

Forum going strong, some of the highlights from this week

What was your favourite July winner?

Animal Kingdom for the Belmont.

July fever.


Bird arrested at Spar

Good punting and may your God be with you

scotia

CANFORD CLIFFS geared up for his titanic Royal Ascot clash with Goldikova by working "super" at Kempton on Thursday morning.

The pair are set to meet in Tuesday's Queen Anne Stakes - the opening race of the royal meeting - and Canford Cliffs was sent to Kempton to put the finishing touches to his preparation.

KING'S STAND STAKES favourite Star Witness put in a "super impressive" barrier trial before boarding the plane from Australia and will take plenty of beatingat Royal Ascot on Tuesday if back to his best form, trainer Danny O'Brien said on Thursday.

THE presence of So You Think in Wednesday's Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot has scared off his rivals with just 11 possibles left in the 1m2f race at the six-day stage.

AS if anticipation for next week's Royal Ascot meeting was not enough, news emerged on Thursday that Black Caviar, the unbeaten wonder mare of Australian racing, is on her way to the 2012 meeting.

What they say about the Belmont:

TJ Comerford, assistant to Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Master Of Hounds

"He's been training very, very well since the Derby. He'd never actually run on the dirt before he cantered around on the dirt at Churchill Downs and at least he has practice of that kickback. He'll definitely put up a good show here. The mile and a half will hit him on the head - it will be no problem - and the form is there. He's knocking on the door; he deserves to be here."

Tom Albertrani, trainer of Brilliant Speed

"How far off the pace he is would depend on how quick they go. If they're going fast, he could be 10 lengths off the pace; if they're going slow, I'd like to see him closer

Steve Asmussen,trainer of Nehro

"We feel good about his training since the Derby - if anything, his last work at was as good a work as he's ever put in. We felt going into the Belmont, it was what he needed. He's acting his usual, easy-to-be-around, professional self here. We like our chances in the Belmont, but we also hope that there's plenty left in the rest of the year. That's one thing that's changed a lot for three-year-olds. It used to be the Triple Crown and the Travers, but now there's several other financial destinations out there for a 3-year-old."

Graham Motion, trainer of Animal Kingdom

"It's remarkable - he's taken everything in stride and hasn't gotten worked up about anything. Physically, I think he's handled it great. I was worried about him after the Preakness, but it was more because I thought, visually, he'd had a tough race. But he never gave me any indication he'd had a tough race, and he recovered very quickly."

Dale Romans, trainer of Shackleford

"We may have gone too slow in the Derby, because everyone came home so fast and we couldn't hang on; the Preakness was different and they struggled a little bit at the end, and we had the stamina to finish. I think if he can get a nice, slow, rhythmic pace, it would be perfect but we don't want to go too slow. Fast or slow, they're going to be getting tired at the end. The post position isn't that important but with post position 12, he'll be the last one in and the first one out. Hopefully, he'll be able to clear the field. He's not getting the respect he deserves - every race he's run in he's been a longshot."

The Double So You Think and Frankel works out at just over 11/10 (tu)

Stealing money

My horse to follow for the year is running against So You Think

Planteur winning the Prix Ganay