Post Merchants Final Field

mr hawaii Wrote:

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> SirPuntalot Wrote:
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> > Divine jet!
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> I think you're right - just hope his minds right -
> If so he'll go close to winning

Who the Jock or the horse?
()

Dean321 Wrote:

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> mr hawaii Wrote:
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> > SirPuntalot Wrote:
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> > > Divine jet!
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> > I think you're right - just hope his minds right
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> > If so he'll go close to winning
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> Who the Jock or the horse?
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Horses can't sue you so I'll say the horse

Varikate to take this one

mr hawaii Wrote:

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> SirPuntalot Wrote:
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> > Divine jet!
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> I think you're right - just hope his minds right -
> If so he'll go close to winning


You guys never give up ....do you??

Summerveld trainer Frank Robinson is taking a chance with his improving merit rated 89 gelding Eddie Sweat in Friday night’s Post Merchants over 1200m at Greyville tomorrow evening.

The three-year-old by Imperial Stride showed a fantastic turn of foot last time out over 1000m at Scottsville to beat a fair MR 86 Handicap field by a comfortable 3,5 lengths.

Robinson said on Monday at Summerveld, “That was the first time he showed me what he does at home and there was a good pace in that race. This will be a good test for him and the big thing is that the winner can’t be given more than six points and there is no merit rating increase for placed horses. He has showed as much as Antious was showing and the tongue tie, which he has worn in his last three races, has made a big difference. He can get a bit hot at the course but was relaxed last time. I have the Johannesburg Listed and Gr 3 and Gr 2 sprints in mind for him next year.”

By Tuesday, Robinson had more reason to be bullish as Eddie Sweat’s Post Merchants rider Anthony Delpech had ridden him and was impressed. Delpech returned with glowing feedback and told Robinson that he would be a “big runner.”

Eddie Sweat has won four races from ten starts.

His maiden win was over 1400m, but his last three victories have all been over 1000m, so speed looks to be what he is all about.
Last time out he showed fair cruising speed to sit about five lengths off the pace and when asked the question he made up the ground in a matter of strides before careering away to a comfortable win under Ian Sturgeon.

Greyville favours those with a turn of foot that can close in late and the Post Merchants is usually won by that type of horse. Furthermore, Eddie Sweat has a great draw of three and a top jockey aboard in Anthony Delpech.

On the downside he is 5,5kg under sufferance with the best in, All Is Secret. The conditions of the race generally favour the higher rated horses, especially if they are fillies.



For more information visit: www.championsseason.co.za

Veteran Summerveld trainer Paddy Lunn runs his speedy Mogok gelding Mr Whatever in Friday night’s Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m and gives him a chance, although he lamented the lack of top class 1000m races in KZN for this type of horse before reminiscing about his popular Greyville specialist from the 1980s, The Barbican.

All five of Mr Whatever’s victories have been over 1000m, but Lunn believes there will be one or two other factors in his favour on Friday night.

He said, “He wobbled a bit in the last 100m of the Golden Horse Casino Sprint, but they went very fast and I think he will stay 1200m in the right company. This Post Merchants field is a bit weaker and it is also around the bend and he is well drawn. He is sound and well and his work has been good.”

The conditions of the Post Merchants are based on merit rating groupings, for example merit ratings 105 to 109 carry 60kg and merit ratings 100 to 104 carry 58kg etc, while fillies are given a 2,5kg allowance.

Generally the higher rated horses are at an advantage, especially if they are fillies.

Mr Whatever is unfortunately near the bottom of his merit rated grouping, being rated 101, so is therefore 1,5kg under sufferance with the top-weight Royal Zulu Warrior. Furthermore, he is 3,5kg under sufferance with the best in, All Is Secret.

The first race run to these conditions this season was the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 and was duly won by the classy filly, Espumanti. She exploited her weight advantage, although she also enjoyed the step up in trip and was fit from her Johannesburg campaign.

All Is Secret, Miss October and Varikate are the three fillies taking part in the Post Merchants and all have chances at the weights. Miss October is only 0,5kg under sufferance with All Is Secret and Varikate is 2kg under sufferance with the latter.

All Is Secret was bitten by a spider last November, which set her program back, and she looked to be coming to hand, so her 5,45 length fifth in the Gr 1 City of Pietermaritzburg S A Fillies Sprint was a touch disappointing.

Varikate beat All Is Secret by a head and Miss October by 0,5 lengths in the SA Fillies Sprint and will now be 6kg and 4kg better off with them respectively. She might well have the Post Merchants at her mercy, particularly considering she won at Greyville in her penultimate start, although on the downside she does have a tough draw of eight to overcome.

Lunn finished second in the Merchants twice with The Barbican, in 1985 and 1987, where he was beaten by two top sprinters, Extra Cover and Enforce respectively.

However, the barrel-chested liver chestnut won the Gr 2 Concord Stakes over 1000m at Greyville for three years in succession. Sadly that race is now defunct and there are not many opportunities these days in KZN for top division 1000m specialists.

The Barbican was the ARCSA Champion Sprinter in 1987 and won twelve races in all. The last nine of these wins were all at Greyville, where he was almost invincible from 1000-1100m.

Dean Kannemeyer has his Gr 1 Gold Cup hopeful Hot Ticket in fine condition for Sunday’s running of the Gr 2 Betting World Stakes over 2500m at Clairwood, where he looks the horse to beat, and he also has hopes for Divine Jet over a suitable course and distance in Friday night’s Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m at Greyville.

Speaking from his Clairwood Champions Season base, the stalwart Cape trainer said, “Hot Ticket is doing well and we’re having a full go. He needed his run badly in the Greyville 1900 which was too sharp for him, but the race brought him on tremendously. Last Thursday we worked him over 1800m on the grass at Clairwood and he put up a very nice gallop. He will love the long run in of Clairwood. There is a great possibility that he will be in the Gold Vase on July day as part of his Gold Cup program, but it will depend on his run on Sunday. In Writing ran in the Gold Vase before winning the Gold Cup (2012) and Hot Ticket is really tough and is nearly a five-year-old. He is also a Silvano, so he’s improving.”

Divine Jet is a well-bred five-year-old entire by Jet Master with loads of speed and ability, but he has gained a reputation for disappointing his supporters.

However, he does have a few things in his favour on Friday night.

Kannemeyer said, “He has issues but seems to be doing fine and ran a better race over 1400m last time when he finished on top of them. I’ve been dying to run him at Greyville and at his best he is probably the best horse in the race.”

Divine Jet definitely fits into the profile of a Post Merchant winner. The last five winners of this race, Merhee, Mike’s Choice, Splash Gold, Casey Cool and Sharks Bay, have all been characterised by their ability to turn it on in the straight and produce strong finishes from off the pace.

Only time will tell whether the narrowed turf track will change the nature of this race, but Divine Jet does have a plum draw of five. On the other hand he is not favoured by the conditions and is officially 4kg under sufferance with the best in at the weights, All Is Secret.
Kannemeyer’s first call jockey Karl Neisius rides both of the yard’s feature runners over the weekend.

Kannemeyer and Neisius won the Post Merchants with Splash Gold in 2011 and were desperately unlucky not to win the Betting World Stakes last year with Hot Ticket, although at that stage it was still a race limited to three-year-olds and was called the Betting World Derby.

Sorry the above articles are by David Thiselton

I thought your English was improving Bob

Vaughan Marshall was happy with his three-time Gr 1 winner All Is Secret’s run in the recent City of Pietermaritzburg S A Fillies Sprint, where some of her supporters were a touch disappointed by her 5,45 length fifth, and at the weights she is the horse to beat in Friday night’s Gr 2 Post Merchants over 1200m at Greyville.

Marshall also gave the thumbs up about Tribal Dance, who is a leading candidate for the Betting World Stakes over 2500m at Clairwood on Sunday.

The reigning J&B Met-winning Cape trainer did not believe that All Is Secret had lost any of her speed, but instead said, “She has just taken a long time to get over that spider bite. She is now very well.”

The grey put up the best performance of her career when downing the mighty What A Winter in last year’s Gr1 Mercury Sprint over1200m at Clairwood. However, just as she was set to carry on this season from where she left off, she was bitten by a spider last November, which saw her missing the Cape Summer Season.

She has had three runs in KZN now and judging by Marshall’s comments should now be ready to produce a run that is close to her ability.

The handicappers have certainly not lost faith in her and she remains rooted on 111, the mark she was given for her Mercury Sprint win. The conditions of the Post Merchants are very much in her favour as not only are they based on compressed merit rated groupings, but females also receive a 2,5kg allowance. She is officially only 0,5kg better off with the only other female in the race, Miss October, who is not only widely drawn but appears to be better over 1000m. However, All Is Secret is at least 2kg better off with all of the male runners. Furthermore, she will have Anton Marcus aboard.

All Is Secret is a versatile sort in that she has tremendous early speed, which was displayed in last year’s Mercury as she overcame an unfavourable draw, but she can also be held up if necessary before using her fine turn of foot. The latter asset has been the key to the last few Post Merchants winners and from draw two All Is Secret looks set to exploit it to the maximum. Furthermore, she won the Gr 1 Thekwini over 1600m at Greyville as a two-year-old, proving that she has the stamina capacity to stay all the way to the line.

Tribal Dance stayed on well for fourth after setting a moderate pace in the Betting World 1900 last time out, where blinkers were tried. Marshall had said in the build up to that race that the blinkers had made “a big difference” to the gelding’s work at home.

The five-year-old by Tiger Dance will very much appreciate the step up in trip on Saturday and the race looks to be a classic “boxer versus fighter” type of duel between himself and Hot Ticket. According to merit ratings they are the only two runners in serious contention to win and on handicapping terms Hot Ticket is officially only 0,5kg better in than Tribal Dance.

Tribal Dance settled beautifully in front in when setting a moderate gallop in the Betting World 1900 and was certainly not stopping at the line. It is easy to imagine him setting sail for home at the top of the straight on Sunday and asking Hot Ticket, who is a closer, to come and fetch him.

The only downside to Tribal Dance’s chances are that he has a wider draw than Hot Ticket and this can make a difference, despite the long trip, as the 2500m start at Clairwood is on the turn. However, the small nine horse field should mean that it won’t be a serious factor.

Marshall’s first call jockey MJ Byleveld knows Tribal Dance well and should give him every chance in what should be a contest to savour.

shrek Wrote:

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> Kingston Boy from pole position to win for the in
> form Campbell yard.

Yes looks the right one

I always followed this horse and will continue to follow it (tu)

Me tooo especially in greyville.