GUINEAS DAY

Bouquet Garni will find his form again now that he goes back over 1800m with the ground on top.He patently hates give in the ground and is perfectly distance suited.Hardly the type of race to be having a on-the-nose punt on,but I think he makes a very nice roving banker for the tote.

God help me if Royal Rez wins. Karel Miedema will come after me and a certain trainer pal of mine with two AK 47s. We may have to go into hiding in the Brazilian jungle, hee hee. Only kidding- I hope!

found this on a uk site, dont know if it helps?


Preview: South Africa, Saturday 2.20pmGMT

Turffontein: SA Classic (Grade 1) 1m 1f, turf, 3yo

CHARLES Laird won the Gauteng Guineas at Turffontein with Oracy four weeks ago and the Johannesburg trainer believes he has a big chance of following up at his local track with Always - even though this gelding managed only seventh in the Guineas.

"We were quite excited about Always going into the Guineas but things didn't quite work out for him," said Laird.

"He lost his position and turned for home stone last. But his prep has been good and he's a big runner."

Always is one of four 6-1 ante-post favourites with Betting World, whose book suggests that this SAR2 million (£147,000) race, the richest three-year-old prize in South Africa, is as wide open as the Gauteng Guineas, when only a neck separated the first four.

Mount Hood and Captain's Table, fourth and fifth in the Guineas, are also 6-1 chances, as is Disa Leader who sidestepped that race.

"He would have run had he had a good draw but I tried to win over a mile at the Vaal with him instead," said trainer Geoff Woodruff.

"He ran into trouble and just failed. He's a useful horse."

The Mike de Kock-trained Forest Path comes out best on official ratings and there has also been support for Royal Rez, who might well have won the Guineas had not S'manga Khumalo fumbled with his reins in the closing stages. The talented Gavin Lerena takes over here.

Also on Saturday

Turffontein: SA Fillies' Classic (Grade 1) 1m 1f, turf, 3yo fillies (1.45pm GMT)

Mike de Kock's attention may be focussed on Dubai but he will be keeping a close eye on the SA Fillies' Classic because he has won the race four times in the past nine years and he has another outstanding candidate in Zirconeum.

This daughter of the former Peter Walwyn-trained Jallad was an impressive winner of the Gauteng Fillies' Guineas four weeks ago and looks the one they all have to beat.

However she was run out of it close home in the Thekwini Fillies' Stakes last July by Gypsy's Warning, who missed the Fillies' Guineas to take on Dancer's Daughter in the Empress Club Stakes.

"She was beaten five lengths into third by the best mare in the country and that was a good run," said rider Piere Strydom.

"The talk in the jockeys' room is that Zirconeum has been working very well and is improving but I don't think Gypsy's Warning will have to step back for Zirconeum."

have a bet on urban reason ,heard he will run a big one if he dont win will run 2nd

hope u guys ffg. p.a banker paying r4.20 after 1 leg ,not bad.any1 followed

eastexpo, did u have a sneeky feeling about seattle ice running unplc. if so u were right, magic u were wrong about the guineas ,the best horse in the race won n the second best ran 2nd wasnt so diff. as u made it out 2 b.

MIKE De Kock may have endured a whitewash at the Dubai World Cup meeting but he recorded a Grade 1 win at home in South Africa as Forest Path took the SA Classic at Turffontein in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The 13-2 chance was the only Grade 1 winner in the field but he had been most disappointing in the Dingaans and the Hawaii Stakes when he was a little difficult leavingthe parade ring.

Raymond Danielson settled him in fourth as Anthony Delpech on stable companion Bouquet-Garni set a far from exacting pace, but in the final furlong it looked as if Cerise Cherry might finally lose his perpetual bridesmaid tag.

However, Danielson had other ideas and he conjured a flying late bid from his mount to get up inside the last half furlong.

Cerise Cherry (6-1) was second - for the tenth time in 14 starts - with 40-1 shotSporting Boy running on into third.

Forest Path's win was a triumph for veteran owner Bridget Oppenheimer, known affectionately as the Queen Mother of South African racing.

She also bred the winner at her Mauritzfontein Stud where she stands the colt's sire Fort Wood who won the 1993 Grand Prix de Paris for Andre Fabre.

Ten years ago she and De Kock combined forces to win the S A Classic with the legendary Horse Chestnut who returned to South Africa earlier this month after standing at Claiborne in Kentucky.

Also on Saturday

Turffontein: SA Fillies Classic (Grade 1) 1m 1f, turf 3yo fillies

De Kock also hoped to win the SA Fillies Classic with Zirconeum but the 5-2 second favourite proved no match for Gypsy's Warning, who tracked stable companion Sweet Theresa until going on a furlong and a half out to beat Zirconeum comfortably.

Indeed Piere Strydom was able to take a pull on the 15-10 favourite before the line.

Strydom said: "Gypsy's Warning is easy to ride - you can get her into a nice position and she gives you a real good kick.

"But I must say well done to the kid on Sweet Theresa (Karis Teetan). It was going to be an absolute crawl but he used his brains and went to the front to set a decent gallop. That helped me get cover and get into a winning position."

The winner carries the colours of Barry Irwin's Team Valor and is trained by Ormond Ferraris who admitted to concern when Teetan took it up.

He said: "It wasn't intended. I just wanted him to lie up handy and I was worried that he might set a hell of a hot pace. But it worked out okay, and that's the main thing!"