Whilst Cape horses are running on bone-jarringly firm ground (pen at 19mm), weekend meetings on the Highveld and in Pietermaritzburg were cut short due to thunderstorms and rain- softened turf considered too dangerous for participants.

Before the meeting was aborted, Return Flight (speed score 83+) romped in by a steeplechase margin at Turffontein and is obviously headed for better things. In the following race, Matador Man (s/s 101) moved through from last to outpoint Glider Pilot (s/s 100) with Shukamisa (s/s 100) and Ghost Town (s/s 99) close up. The winner is very talented, having run as high as 106 in the past. Tardy starting technique has cost this son of Toreador though, who was only a three time winner of 18 starts going into this race.

Two promising juveniles thrashed their opposition at Kenilworth and look up to winning multiple races. Clouds Unfold (s/s 93 +) moved sweetly to comprehensively out-point her capable stable mate, Western Angel (s/s 85) then Twist of Fate (s/s 89 +) dominated the colts equivalent. We’re not far off Nurseries and other tempting juvenile prizes, so some of the better prospects will be seen in action over the next few months.

In International news, the smallest horse with the oldest jockey, (Tiger Roll and Davy Russell), handled an epic slog in the Grand National at Aintree. The historic race over 6600m with 30 fences was run on heavy ground. The winner looked a racing certainty after jumping the last fence and going six clear, then belatedly got a case of the wobbles and just lasted home from Pleasant Company in a dramatic spectacle.

Winx destroyed her Australian victims once again to equal Black Caviar’s record of 25 consecutive wins. In claiming the Queen Elizabeth Stakes she set a new world record, as that was her 18th Group 1 triumph. The Street Cry mare has scored from 1100m up to 2200m, and her ability to blast through a series of sub 11 second spilts when needed makes her practically invincible over her favourite distance from around a mile up to 2000. Bravo!

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Nother Russia has scored as high as 107 in the past, and though she didn’t need to go quite that fast to outrun Al Danza in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes it was still a laudable effort by this remarkably doughty mare. Two weeks ago, she scared Legal Eagle badly in an admittedly false run Horse Chestnut Stakes, and back against her own gender managed to reprise last year’s win in this race.

Exquisite Touch (s/s 99+) has a very good record over 1000m and she swept past outsider Lawdy Miss Clawdy (s/s 97) to win her sixth start from 10 outings. The daughter of Var has a career best rating of 108 and is capable of winning a Graded feature over the short cuts.

Greg Cheyne told me that Juan Two Three might have been able to hold his own against the country’s best sprinters if not for unsoundness. Also sired by Var, Juan Two Three ran a fine speed figure of 105 in the Fairview Flying Five and full credit must go to Alan Greeff in PE for patching up this fickle gelding who has now won half his 18 starts.

Parabola (s/s 99) won the Scarlet Lady staged at Greyville. She proved just too quick in the closing stages for Premier Dance (s/s 98) who was spotting her 4.5kg’s. Both are daughters of Silvano – well established as one of SA’s leading sires.

The other feature races on Sunday both fell to front-runners. Head Honcho (in the Sledgehammer) and Hero Quest (Natal Carbineers) dictated slow tempos around the turns, keeping enough in reserve to fight off challengers down the straight.