Live Life back in form
LIVE LIFE, having bounced back to form to take third in the Betting World Cape Flying Championship, could take on the likes of Trip To Heaven again in the Computaform Sprint at Turffontein on 5 May.
Candice Bass-Robinson (pictured) said: “I feel Live Life could have finished even closer than she did and, while I will play it by ear, she will either go for the Computaform or the South African (City of Pietermaritzburg) Fillies Sprint at Scottsville three weeks later.”
Dutch Philip and Magical Wonderland, first and third in the CTS 1200, are both earmarked for Scottsville’s quadruple Grade 1 day.
Mrs Robinson said: “They have gone to the farm for a short break and will be back in three weeks.
“Dutch Philip will run in the Tsogo Sun Sprint and Magical Wonderland in the Fillies Sprint but they won’t go to Durban – I will raid from Cape Town.”
Crawford
Brett Crawford is toying with the idea of giving the Durban season a miss with CTS 1600 winner Undercover Agent and he explained: “The problem with going to Durban with a three-year-old colt is that there is only the one good race to go for (Daisy Guineas) before you have to go a trip or take on the older horses.
“He is rated 97 so it wouldn’t make sense to do the latter.
“I will have to think about it and talk to the owners (Greg Bortz and Braam van Huyssteen) but I might keep him in Cape Town and go for the Winter Guineas.”
High class stable companions Captain America and Sail South will be aimed at the Rising Sun Gold Challenge (9 June) and the Champions Cup (28 July).
Captain America won the former last season and was second to Sail South in the Champions Cup.
Crawford also has charge of Charles, the Trippi colt bought by Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier for a record-equalling R6 million at last year’s CTS Premier Yearling Sale – “He is still some way off a run but he was on the grass last Thursday and is doing everything right.”
Last week’s Tattersalls February Sales generated some much-needed funds for Mayfair Speculators and the racing company’s bankers.
Derby hopeful Willie John set a record for the sale when bought by trainer Roger Varian for 1.9 million gns (nearly R34 million).
The Dansili colt cost little more than a sixth of that.
However second-hand horses are like cars in that their value tends tend to drop sharply the minute they leave the showrooms and the five mares also partly owned by Markus Jooste that made a total of 1 770 000gns (R31.5 million) cost virtually twice that figure when purchased as yearlings
The number of trainers involved in the NHA’s caffeine-contaminated feedstuffs investigation is now known to be at least 13, three domiciled in Cape Town and five each in Johannesburg and KZN.
Bloomberg
All have engaged Robert Bloomberg to act for them.
There were at least 18 positives in July, August and September.
The most high profile case is believed to be a horse that ran prominently in the Durban July.
No date has yet been set for the hearing.