One of the most important attributes any turf champion possesses is the ability to finish powerfully. Marinaresco has that quality, using awesome acceleration to nail Al Sahem on the wire and win the 2017 Durban July. A tough beat second last year, Marinaresco carried top weight to avenge that loss with a stunning
African Night Sky made a powerful move down the rail under Bernard Fayd Herbe to sweep the Winter Series at Kenilworth. He really is a very good horse, quickening up to pulverise the opposition in the Highlands Stud Winter Derby and repeat a feat achieved by the legendary, Pocket Power. The son of
Mr Winsome (speed score 100) won the "so-called" Derby at Scottsville, open to older horses, to follow up on his figure of 103 in the Greyville 1900 and try stake a claim in the July field. He is one of the fringe contenders to make the line up, after outduelling Sun on Africa (s/s
Captain America (speed score 110) is a truly high class and consistent galloper who garnered another well deserved Group 1 when winning the Gold Challenge at Greyville. He has a long stride pattern and is most effective pressing a strong pace. He was rather headstrong earlier in his career yet has settled down with
Cape based trainer Brett Crawford pulled off both Group 1's at Greyville when Lady of the House (speed figure 98) and Edict of Nantes (s/s 109) won the Woolavington and Daily News. He has taken a potent string up to KZN and after enjoying smooth preps, both entries came to the fore in
Interbet There were four Grade 1 races at Scottsville - all 1200m sprints down the straight. The juvenile contests were run in virtually the same time (68.30 and 68.34), and both the SA Fillies Sprint (67.81) and Tsogo Sun (67.72) for older horses were also run in comparable times. The track seemed fair enough
The exacta returning R711 for the Greyville 1900 featured two horses that had finished stone last at their most recent starts - nobody said this is an easy game! Ten Gun Salute (s/s 106) galloped into the July picture at Greyville, quickening up smartly from the top of the straight. This was a massive turnaround
Fierce weather up North curtailed the racing program so attention switched to Port Elizabeth where Dorset Noble won the EP Derby on Saturday. The Candice Bass Robinson entry is a promising stayer and proved much the best winning comfortably from local hope Story Of My Life. Another Cape horse to waltz in was Captain Alfredo,
Deo Juvente (speed score 107) snuck in between hot favourite Legal Eagle and Nother Russia to score a dramatic victory in the Premier's Champions Challenge at Turffontein on Saturday. This was a deserved change of fortune for Geoff Woodruff's runner who succumbed in a knock down brawl with stable mate Master Sabina in the 2015
Racing action shifted to P'Maritzburg on Sunday where a succession of sprint races were staged in preparation for the upcoming festival of speed down the Scottsville straight. Fans were treated to exciting finishes and can draw some positive early season insights about the smart performances of Attenborough (speed score 106) and The Secret is Out
