Mercury Sprint raceday

1 CAPTAIN OF ALL 60.0 120 (120) 7 A S Cormack Dennis Drier
2 LEGISLATE 60.0 117 (117) 8 A R Fourie Justin Snaith
3 DARING DAVE 60.0 107 (107) 4 A T W Marwing Justin Snaith
4 WILLOW MAGIC 60.0 107 (107) 3 A P Strydom Sean Tarry
5 MOOFEED 60.0 103 (103) 10 A A Delpech Mike de Kock
6 AL DON CUMARCO 60.0 99 ( 99) 1 A L Funeka Yvette Bremner
7 TRIP TO HEAVEN 59.5 109 (108) 2 A T R Danielson Sean Tarry
8 ISPHAN 59.5 102 (101) 9 B A G Lerena Mike Azzie
9 FLY BY NIGHT 57.5 111 (111) 5 A A Marcus Mike Bass
10 AFRICAN DREAM 57.5 101 (101) 11 A K de Melo Mark Dixon
11 CARRY ON ALICE 57.0 115 (114) 6 A S Khumalo Sean Tarry

It’s all happening at Greyville Racecourse in Durban on Saturday, 18 July 2015, with an action-packed programme of needle-match competition, fun and entertainment for the whole family.

It is Mercury Sprint Day featuring the R750 000, Grade 1 Mercury Sprint where the best speed horses in the country come together to determine the “champion of speed” in the top weight-for-age sprint in the land while 12 of the best riders in South Africa will fight it out in the inaugural Interprov Rider Cup, the country’s first inter-provincial jockey challenge.

Three four-man teams of riders will compete over four races that include two feature events for total prize money of R100 000 and bragging rights in the Interprov Rider Cup with the KZN Falcons representing KwaZulu-Natal, the Highveld Hawks representing Gauteng and the Western Cape Eagles seeking glory for the south.

For racegoers there will also be plenty of action and entertainment with Race and Win prizes to the value of R32 000 up for grabs including a stay at the Cascades Sun City and Spar grocery vouches.

The Kidzone for the youngsters will be in operation along with the popular Braai Zone and Lightning Shot Bar with the entertainment for the day being by Khaya and Friends.

Legislate with his speed must be very hard to beat imo

Craig, just looking at the merit ratings versus weight, they can start now and they still shouldn't beat Captain Of All. Whilst Legislate's merit rating is not far off, it must be remembered that was not achieved over the sprint distances.

Carry On Alice will make them run

I think it is a prep for Legislate - so it lies between Captain of All and Carry on Alice - with Willow Magic the main danger to those - hopefully the Captain and Alice can run 1st and 2nd and revive my faltering Charity Turf challenge

anyone know if natal is turning down the international jockeys day again this year ?cannot see it in the program of meetings

The 2014 Vodacom Durban July and recent Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner Legislate is taking on some of the country’s top sprinters in South Africa’s premier speed event, the R750 000, Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1 200m at Greyville on Saturday.



For whatever reason, Cape trainer Justin Snaith is pitting the reigning Horse Of The Year against winner of the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint winner Captain Of All from the Dennis Drier stable at level weights over the tight Greyville track adding an unexpected element to the famous sprinting event that will be run at the central Durban venue for the first time since the closure of Clairwood.



The field for the country’s top weight-for-age sprint has trimmed down to a fascinating mix of speed and stamina with the versatile sprinter-miler Willow Magic from the Sean Tarry stable included among the 11 runners.



Legislate is a miler with plenty of toe as he showed when smashing the Kenilworth 1 600m record when winning the Green Point Stakes and Snaith’s decision not to run him in the Vodacom Durban July which he won last year but put him up against the speed horses in this 1 200m race is an interesting development. Snaith is reported as saying that if he comes out of this race without a problem, he will run him in the Champions Cup at Greyville over 1 800m the following week.



Captain Of All won the Grade 1 Tsogo Sprint at Scottsville in fine style stamping himself as a contender for the EQUUS Sprinter Of The Year award and a win in Saturday’s race could well give him an edge over Alboran Sea that beat him in both his “away” races, the Betting World Cape Flying Championship at Kenilworth and the Computaform Sprint at Turffontein.



Saturday’s field for the country’s top weight-for-age sprint also includes the first and second past the post in the Post Merchants, Daring Dave and Moofeed, the winner of the City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint Carry On Alice and the versatile sprinter-miler Willow Magic that finished second in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge and third in the Post Merchants.



It is an interesting and exciting field that heads an entertaining meeting where racegoers can win a share of R32 000 in Race and Win prizes including a stay at the Cascades Sun City and Spar grocery vouchers.

I see 5 to 2 captain of all very generous price

By David Thiselton


The Dennis Drier-trained dual Gr 1 winner Captain Of All will stake a claim to be named the best sprinter in the country at Greyville on Saturday when lining up in the weight for age Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m.

The four-year-old Captain Al colt carried top-weight to an impressive victory in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m last time out and worked like a bomb in his final serious preparation gallop on the top sand track at Summerveld yesterday under his big race rider Sean Cormack.

Drier said, “He’s come out of his last run like a dream. His final sprint up this morning (Tuesday) was out of the top drawer and let’s hope we can pull it off and send him off to stud on a high note. He’s an absolute gentleman, he’s an easy horse to ride and in the Gr 1 Premier’s Championship over 1400m (which he ran in as a two-year-old after winning the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1200m at Scottsville) he was beaten by a short-head, short-head in the soft, nothing wrong with that performance, so I’m sure Greyville will be no issue for him at all.”

Drier also regards his barrier position of seven in the eleven horse field as a “fantastic draw”.

The bay is quite tall and is powerfully built, a really good looking specimen, and on weight for age terms he won’t be easy to beat.

Captain Of All is competing for Equus Champion Sprinter with the two three-year-old fillies Alboran Sea and Carry On Alice. The former has been retired and the latter is running in The Mercury. Captain of All failed by a whisker to catch Alboran Sea in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championships over 1000m, with Carry On Alice third, and was beaten 4 lengths and 3,3 lengths respectively by the pair in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m. His subsequent Tsogo Sun win over 1200m was a fantastic performance, but interestingly Carry On Alice’s time in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint on the same day over the same trip, in which she beat Alboran Sea, was run in a time 0,07 seconds quicker than Captain Of All’s. Furthermore, she will now be receiving both an age and a gender allowance, which together add up to 3kg, so on paper she is the main danger.

Drier runs the four-year-old Solskjaer filly Red Label in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes over 1600m on the polytrack. She was beaten 1,75 lengths over the course and distance by Euphoria last time out and will now be 1kg worse off because the suppressed, banded merit-rating handicap conditions of this race favour the higher merit rated horses. Furthermore, she has landed a wide draw, although in her favour is that she clearly loves the poly. She is effective over this trip and stayed on well last time, although she might possibly prefer 1400m.

Mike Azzie was not bullish about the chances of his three-year-old Tiger Ridge gelding Isphan ahead of the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Greyville on Saturday.



He said, “He’s very well and in good shape but it’s a very, very strong field and I will be happy if he places.”



Isphan was caught wide early when running a decent 2,6 length fifth in the Gr 2 Post Merchants over the course and distance. However, he faces all three of the horses that finished over two lengths ahead of him, Daring Dave, Moofeed and Willow Magic, on only 0,5kg better terms, while other even classier sorts like Captain Of All and Carry On Alice are also now in play. Furthermore he is drawn wide in nine in the 11 horse field. Last time out he was well beaten over 1200m on the poly on Vodacom Durban July day, but his regular rider Gavin Lerena is now back aboard.



A few of Azzie’s runners appeared to run a bit below par on July day, but they all returned normal.



Included among them was Frosted Honey, who now runs in the Gr 2 Debutante over 1200m on Saturday and will then go for the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m a week later.



Azzie said, “I was a little disappointed with Frosted Honey’s run (4,8 length 12th in the Gr 1 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m), I would have expected her to run better, but in saying that she did have a setback when she got to KZN and I think we were chasing the eight ball with her all the time. She has come on a lot from that run and will be in better shape for her next start.”



He said, “Deputy Jud wasn’t given the best ride, it was probably one of Corne’s (Orffer) worst rides ever, to go that pace in a July handicap is absolutely ridiculous, you can’t set those fractions and expect a horse to find, so his July run can be written off, he’s a much better horse than that and I’m sure he’s going to bounce back. He’s definitely going to run in the Champions Cup, but in saying that the weights don’t suit him, but he will be right there.”



He was very disappointed with Hot August’s run in the KZN Yearling Sales Million and said, “He might have to be gelded later on, I’m going to take him home and have a look at him and see where we are with him. That run is not what he shows us on the track.”



Rock Me Var was another disappointment on July day and will be taken home to the Highveld and given his African Horse Sickness vaccinations.



However, Azzie will have a strong hand in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m on Super Saturday (July 25) with the outstanding prospect Rabada and the exciting Abashiri, as well as High Game, who improved to win his fourth start, over 1400m at Scottsville, by seven length

DD to run a cracker....