Final Fields Drill Hall and Guineas

The colts Guineas has actually been a cracking trial race and pointer to future champions

Legislate and Big City Life won before going onto the July (both in the last 6 years)

Vercingetorix
Variety Club
imbongi
Solo Traveller

all become international winners

KRA Fillies: Alexis, Trophy Wife and Inara.. Alexis should come on from her last run behind One Fine Day, she was running on nicely, 1st run after a rest and 1st run at Greyville, she can only improve, Trophy wife and inara the danger, one fine day won nicely over 1400, not sure whether she gets the 1600.. If it rains, Ataab comes right into it ..... Alexis (Eachway) ..... KRA Guineas: No secrets! JAYYED without a doubt, I have a ton of cash on the july antepost so need him to go close here, hell of a draw but he lost 2lengths at the start when running 2nd to harry son and still ran on, his finish that day was electric and needs to produce the same, saddle slipped at the jump at vaal last time when beating that maiden field, by 1.75 lengths, so we yet to see the best, Delpech says they considered him their best 3yo before the breathing problem, well if u consider how good Majmu is, then how good is Jayyed? Exciting I tell u ... Drill Hall: Really like King Of Pain but hasn't won around the right hand turn and puts in his best runs at Kenilworth and Clairwood, either that or he loves the longer clairwood and kenilworth straight as opposed to Greyville.. Much like Gold Onyx around a left hand turn.. Horses for courses.. A place chance for me.. Chekelli's runs beating Halve The Deficit over this distance, twice, looks good enough to me having seen halve the deficit put in a decent performance the weekend, drawn widest of all but if he can find the lead against some undercooked opposition, could be difficult to peg back, eachway..

BY DT


The Gr 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m at Saturday’s Champions Season opening meeting could virtually be called the Mike Bass Stakes as he has five runners in the twelve horse field. Bass looks to hold the trump card in an earlier event, the Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas, with the dual Gr 1-winning Trippi filly Inara.



The masterful Cape trainer’s assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe has relocated from Johannesburg to Summerveld for the Champions Season and said that the Drill Hall would be used as a preparation event for all of Helderberg Blue, Ashton Park, Night Trip, Ze Kaiser and Mountain Master.



However, he was more bullish about the chances of Inara. He said she had been “doing alright” and “would be quite fit, although she might just need it a little”. The yard gave her “a bit of a holiday” after she had won both the Gr 1 Maine Chance Paddock Stakes over 1800m and the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m in January. Fayd’Herbe admitted that she was not easy to judge because “she shows nothing at home.”



Inara and fellow Vodacom Durban July entry Helderberg Blue, who ran an excellent second in the J&B Met, were certainly looking pictures of health at Summerveld on Tuesday morning. The temperamental Helderberg Blue has a new friend, the recently retired Epic Tale, who accompanies him wherever he goes to the extent that he walks alongside him when ringing in the mornings. The nervous Jet Master gelding won his maiden over 1400m, but Fayd’Herbe confirmed that the Drill Hall trip is a little bit on the sharp side for him these days.



Ashton Park has won six times over 1400m and looked a bit of an unlucky loser over this distance in his penultimate start in the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes when charging home to lose by just 0,75 lengths after taking too long to find a clear run. He is a bit of a headstrong sort and pulling for his head early cost him in his next run in the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes. He is now back to his favourite trip, but a big downside is that he is drawn eleven which will be a particular disadvantage for one who either needs cover from off the pace or needs to be in front.



Fayd’Herbe regards Night Trip as at his best from 1400-1600m. The yard have often lamented how good he would be if he reproduced his homework. His last win was in the Listed Darley Arabian over 1600m on the Greyville Polytrack, so he does enjoy tight tracks and from draw two he has a chance of earning if putting his best foot forward.



Mountain Master is the third of the Bass July entries and has won over course and distance before, but that was off a merit rating of 77 in a handicap and in this class he would be much better suited to 1800m and upward.



Ze Kaiser is the joint lowest merit rated horse in the Drill Hall. However, he has been climbing the ladder since the yard farrier found a solution to his foot problems. He has a fine turn of foot so could earn from a draw of seven over a suitable course and distance

By DT



Glen Kotzen has two further chances of success in Saturday’s KRA Guineas meeting at Greyville having started his Champions Season campaign in fine style at Scottsville on Sunday by winning both the Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes and the Gr 3 Poinsettia Stakes.



Kotzen runs the progressive Western Winter colt Light The Lights in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas and described him as “a proper horse”.



He said that Light The Lights had been “a bit above himself” in his Champions Season pipe opener over 1400m at Greyville, so it was not surprising that he fought for his head early when caught wide in a slow-paced race. However, he was seen to be doing pleasingly strong work late in the race. Kotzen added that Light The Lights had worked “very well” on Tuesday morning at Summerveld. He was looking forward to seeing how the colt would do from a good draw on Saturday as he has always regarded him as one who would come into his own in the latter part of the season.



Light The Lights will follow the same path as the yard’s Vodacom Durban July winner of 2009, Big City Life, although he has big shoes to fill as Big City Life won both the KRA Guineas and the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, having arrived in KZN on the back of a win in the Gr 1 Cape Derby. Light The Lights looks fair value in the ante-post July market at 150/1 for a win and 30/1 for a place, although off a merit rating of 102 he will need a couple of big runs just to get into the big race.



Kotzen runs Cathy Specific in the Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas, a Royal Air Force filly who is part-owned by his son Kuyan. He said, “It is a tough ask as she is a bit out at the weights, but we will take our chances. She needed her first run here and ran a good race and has come on a lot from it.”



Cathy Specific won her debut over 1000m at Kenilworth on January 10 in impressive style after a slow start and she was then not disgraced in a competitive handicap over 1000m on J&B Met day when a 1,65 length fifth behind the useful Balkan. She followed up by finishing a 3,25 length fourth in the level weights Listed Breeders Guineas at Fairview on March 12 from a wide draw. In her Champions Season pipe opener at Greyville she produced her usual strong finish to win a fillies and mares Progress Plate over 1600m by a short-head. The runner up was the promising Zante, who needs further and was flying late. Zante will have a 6kg weight swing in her favour on Saturday, so Cathy Specific will have to have improved a lot from that last run. Cathy Specific is only an 81 merit rating at present, but looks to be an unexposed, progressive sort who should rise above that figure in time. This is her first big test and she will have to prove well above average to feature in a classic race contested by some of the best fillies of a vintage crop.

rolands song wrote: @Mac

i will take some 60s on ICE MACHINE , my bet for the day :evil:

The bookies have priced up Ice Machine 3rd favourite at 7/1. Apart from Marcus up, I cannot for the life of me, conjure this. I hope it runs well for you Roland's Song.

Mac wrote:

rolands song wrote: @Mac

i will take some 60s on ICE MACHINE , my bet for the day :evil:

The bookies have priced up Ice Machine 3rd favourite at 7/1. Apart from Marcus up, I cannot for the life of me, conjure this. I hope it runs well for you Roland's Song.

He ran second in this race before, is drawn 3 , had a great opening run in Kzn, Stable and Jock in form. Massive runner