Super Saturday-Stable comments

David Thiselton



Mike Bass rates a chance of a win in all of the big races he contests on Super Saturday at Greyville Racecourse this weekend.



In the Grade 1 Canon Gold Cup over 3200m he prefers the chances of the well drawn improving three-year-old bottom weight Jeppe’s Reef, despite the compressed handicap not being in his favour.



His other runner is the five-year-old Golden Parachute, who finished unplaced off a six point higher mark last year and is drawn eleven.



Bass said, “Both are doing well and there wasn’t much between them in the Gold Vase. Jeppe’s Reef was a bit out of his ground and couldn’t get going in a slow run race. We are still learning about him, but Golden Parachute is definitely distance suited.”



Bass has five runners in the Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m, including the probable pacemaker.



Their versatile four-year-old Captain Al gelding Captain’s Secret is the joint best in at the weights.



He finished third in the Mercury Sprint on July 16 despite having to be checked late.



Bass said, “The jockey felt he could have finished second. He came out of the race well. In this company he might find it easier over 1200m, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he won at this level over 1800m.”



Captain’s Secret finished a narrow runner up to Past Master at level weights in the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m in his first start at Greyville this Champions Season and later finished fifth with near top weight in the Grade 2 Post Merchants.



As far as stamina goes he finished just 4,6 lengths back from a wide draw in last season’s Investec Cape Derby.



Bass added, “He also finished a close fifth when running four wide the whole way in last season’s Bloodstock SA Cape Guineas. He can’t be ignored as he has been there all season.”



Captain’s Secret, drawn nine, is 33-1 on some of the ante-post books.



Bass’s three-year-old Castlethorpe is only 0,5kg under sufferance and is the 6-1 second favourite.



He was severely hampered in the Vodacom Durban July and that run can be ignored.



He has Anthony Delpech aboard and is drawn eight.



He was gelded after finishing unplaced in the Cape Derby and this sorted out a haemo-concentrating problem which would have effected his ability to stay.



He reeled off a hat-trick straight after the gelding including the Grade 3 Winter Guineas and then ran a fine fourth in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over a mile at Clairwood when hitting the front early in the straight in sticky going. He now faces the winner Dancewiththedevil on 5,5kg better terms for a three- length beating.



Hold up tactics, which was the intention in the July, might suit him better than the handy tactics in the Gold Challenge.



Bass said, “He will have forgotten that last run so shouldn’t be upset by it. Hopefully things go his way this time and we will have a better chance to see whether he stays. I think he should get the 1800m. Greyville is a tricky track, but I think he will run well. He has an alright draw.”



Bass’s six-year-old sprinter to 1800m horse Blue Tiger carries 56,5kg and is only 0,5kg under sufferance, but is the rank outsider at 50-1.



On his day, he is a very effective front runner and failed by just 0,45 lengths to win this race at Clairwood two years ago, but he has only run over shorter at Greyville before and has a very wide draw to overcome.



Bass said, “He is bound to set a good gallop. He is coming to the end of his career and I’m not sure how he’ll go at Greyville. You never know with a horse like that.”



Bass’s Grade 2 Cup Trial winner over 1800m, the four-year-old Super Storm, is 3,5kg under sufferance and drawn wide.



He is course and distance suited and Bass said, “He was a bit keen in the July and was interfered with and was too far out of his ground. I don’t think he’s got the class at this level, but he’s in with a chance if he runs to his best.”



Bass’s Cup Trial runner up and Thukela 1600m winner Brown Penny is 8kg under sufferance and widely drawn.



Bass said, “We can’t expect too much, but he might get lucky.”



Bass’s Grade 2 Gold Bracelet 2000m contender Croc Valley finished a running on fourth in the Listed Off To Stud Handicap over 1800m at Scottsville on Sunday.



Bass said, “The two races are unfortunately close together and she is up against the better rated fillies, but she might get a place.”



Regarding the Listed Umgeni Handicap he said, “The 1000m might be a bit sharp for Rushing Wind, but from pole position he could get the run of the race. Gaultier won this race last year and always runs well at Greyville.”

The KwaZulu-Natal yards of Gavin van Zyl, Dennis Drier and Ivan Moore have all won Grade 1 races this season and all have chances in the big features in the Super Saturday meeting at Greyville on Saturday that features the Grade 1 Canon Gold Cup together with six other features, including three Grade 1s.



The ground is expected to be soft on the day.



Van Zyl runs Dingaans and Daily News winner and Vodacom Durban July fourth-placed The Apache in the Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m as well as July fifth placed Bulsara.



The Apache was unlucky in the July losing some two lengths or so during the serious jostling incident down the back straight and this might have cost him a place or two.



He is ideally suited to Greyville as he can make up ground quickly in the straight and then has a devastating late kick.



He does have a Grade 1 penalty to carry though and is also drawn wide in 14.



He ran in very soft going in the KRA Guineas and finished a fair fourth, although that was his first outing for six months and he clearly needed it.



Bulsara must have a big chance on paper.



He ran on well in the July to finish just 2,2 lengths back.



Considering he didn’t quite seem to get the 2200m and was carrying 1,6kg more than his carded weight, he has to be a runner.



He should enjoy the going having won a Grade 3 race over 1800m in slightly soft going.



However, his draw of 11 as opposed to his pole position in the July is the downside.



Van Zyl is very happy with The Apache’s work at the moment and said that he had gone better than Bulsara in a gallop last Thursday on the grass.



He said, “The Apache has come on from the July and his work has been better than in the past. Bulsara has come out of the July well and will be more suited to the 1800m as he ran out of steam late in the July. “



Of the dangers, he said, “I think The Apache, Castlethorpe, who was unlucky in the July, Dancewiththedevil and Solo Traveller will make up the quartet.”



Van Zyl has the Brazilian-bred four-year-old filly Ireland running in the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m and said, “It’s a tough race, but we just want to see where she is in the bigger scheme of things.”



The Drier yard have a good chance in that race with the top class three-year-old filly Beach Beauty, who put up one of the best finishes on July day when coming from way back to finish second in the Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes over 1600m.



She won the KRA Fillies Guineas in very soft going so will love the expected ground.



Stuart Ferrie, the yard’s assistant trainer, said that she had come out of her July day run very well and had been doing very well at home.



The yard also has Secret Babe in the Gold Bracelet.



Three of her four wins have come at Greyville including two over 1900m, but she does have a tough task at the weights.



The yard also has a fine chance in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m with Miss Ipanema.



She went around the turn for the first time over 1400m at Greyville last time and won very impressively in a very good time, leaving a fair field strung out like the washing, which is usually the sign of good form.



She has a similar draw this time of seven and the yard is also very pleased with her well-being.



The bookmakers have shown her plenty of respect, making her the 4-1 third favourite, while it is interesting to note that her time for the Greyville 1400m was nearly a second quicker than the favourite Ilha Bela’s, although she did carry 1kg less.



Drier runs Dance At Daylight in the Canon Gold Cup.



He has never gone beyond 1900m before but is from the family of the Gold Cup runner up Golden Peak and usually runs well at Greyville, while his only feature win came in slightly soft going.



Drier contests another feature, the Listed Umgeni Handicap over 1000m, with a newcomer to the yard Saint Pierre, who is 1kg under sufferance.



Ivan Moore said that both of his charges for the Premier’s Champion Stakes, the Grade 1 Golden Horseshoe 1400m winner, Fighting Warrior, and the twice winner from three starts, Surruptitious, were doing well.



The former is drawn 14 and the latter five and Moore said, “I would have preferred to have their draws the other way round. The 1600m shouldn’t worry Fighting Warrior. He is very well and very full of himself. I think Surruptitious will make a very good three-year-old. He has improved tremendously since his last start and I think he is up to this class.”



He regarded the whole field as “the dangers”, adding, “In racing you need luck in running.”

Mike de Kock has the favourite in Saturday’s Grade 1 Canon Gold Cup, Ilsanpietro, a four-year-old Brazilian-bred by Mark Of Esteem, and has some big runners in the other big features on the day.



The ground is expected to be soft on Saturday, which should suit Ilsanpietro.



In a staying race campaign between October 2010 and April 2011 on the Highveld from distances of 2450m to 3200m, Ilsanpietro won four times and finished second twice and one of those seconds was when he was demoted after an objection.



On March 26 he lost to Arcola by four lengths in slightly soft going over 2850m, but then thrashed that horse by eleven lengths in the Grade 2 Gold Bowl over 3200m in very soft going.



The horse who was promoted above him in the Gold Bowl, Herod The Great, is not running in the Canon Gold Cup on Saturday.



The Sean Tarry-trained former Summer Cup winner Aslan finished third, 4,5 lengths behind Ilsanpietro in the Gold Bowl, and will now be 2,5kg better off.



De Kock also has Captain’s Wild and Safwan in the Gold Cup.



Captain’s Wild reportedly knocked his nose on the starting stalls in the Vodacom Durban July and returned streaming blood, so the yard reckon that run can be ignored.



He has to carry top weight, but his dam won over 2400m.



De Kock’s Summerveld assistant Nathan Kotzen reckoned he would definitely stay, but was doubtful over his suitability to Greyville, as he has a long run in.



Safwan was held up in the July and finished very strongly.



His Canon Gold Cup jockey Kevin Shea reckoned he would be a “big runner” if he stayed the trip.



Safwan finished fifth in last season’s Gold Circle Derby over 2400m, 6,8 lengths behind Irish Flame, but was only merit rated 80 at the time and has improved to a 103 merit rating. However, he will have to carry second top weight together with Ilsanpietro and In Writing.



Nathan Kotzen fancied Ilsanpietro as the one to be with and pointed to the excellent preparation he had enjoyed in Durban, having run on very well in two races over 2200m and 1800m respectively.



He will be ridden by Anthony Delpech, who will be desperate for winners in order to claim the National Jockeys Title from his fierce rival Anton Marcus.




In the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m de Kock has Ilha Bela, the daughter of the Equus Horse Of The Year, Ilha da Vitoria.



She is unbeaten in two starts including one at Greyville last time over 1400m.



The yard felt that the last win was very impressive from a wide draw against older fillies of the like of Legal Account, who finished third in the KRA Fillies Guineas and whom she beat by 1,45 lengths despite receiving only 4kg.



She now has a plum draw of two with Delpech up again.



The yard described their other Thekwini contender, Amanee, as a “nice filly.”



She will relish the step up to 1600m, especially when considering her penultimate start over 1450m at Clairwood in which she finished very well to win in very soft going.



It would be no surprise to see her reverse form with some of the horses that beat her on fast ground over 1400m on Vodacom July day in the Golden Slipper in which she was dropped out from a wide draw before running on well from near last.



This time she has a better draw of eight.




The yard has three runners Mushreq, Ginepri and Silver Flyer in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stake over 1600m and said, “All three are very nice and will all run well.”



Mushreq is the mount of Delpech and is drawn in pole position.



He improved in his last start to just be touched off in the Grade 1 Gold Horseshoe on July day, so must have a big shout.



Silver Flyer by Silvano was very impressive when winning a maiden juvenile in his second start over the Greyville 1400m and was subsequently supplemented for this race. He could still be anything. He is drawn in eight with Kevin Shea aboard.



Ginepri, an Argentinean-bred, finished a 2,65 length eighth in the Golden Horseshoe and now has a very tough draw of 15 to overcome.



De Kock has the Kahal four-year-old filly Fisani in the Grade 2 Golden Bracelet over 2000m.



She finished a 2,25 length fourth in the Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes over 1600m on July day, but having won a Grade 2 over 2000m this season she should prefer this trip these days.



However, she will have to reverse form with Beach Beauty, who beat her by 1,5 lengths in the Garden Province and should enjoy this trip.



The yard were not too bullish about Fisani’s chances as she is nearing the end of her career, but she surely can’t be ignored.



by DT

Gold Cup will be a swimming contest! Will be moved to its proper date 1st weekend in August

Morning Al are you guessing or official?

scotia Wrote:

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> Morning Al are you guessing or official?

As far as I know, no decision will be made until lunchtime today, with Sunday 31st July the first choice of alternative dates. Failing that, then I guess it would have to be the following weekend. I can't see them running this meeting on a week day, and you cannot run it at night because the lights only go as far as the 2000m mark.

txs for update Magic

Huge storm moving in in the Hillcrest/Cato Ridge area, and pissing down with rain!

Hi all

Can anyone post trainers/owners comments about Power Lord.

thanks.

Scotia - Guessing

Its starting to look like a good guess!