New favourite for Dingaans
The ruling Dingaans favourite Soqrat was scratched from the big race yesterday and the new favourite National Park’s participation hangs in the balance as he is the subject of a pending sale to Hong Kong and will not run if it goes through.
National Park, a big and rangy gelding by Gimmethegreenlight, has been staying at Alec Laird’s Randjesfontein yard and is being looked after by assistant trainer Carl Hewitson.
He has been doing well and trainer Yvette Bremner said, “We have always said this horse does not know how good he is. Even in work when he heads a horses he just canters and he often has to be given a slap down his shoulder just to do his work.
That is why he surprised us when he won so well in Jo’Burg last time.
Yes, he had won his previous race on the Fairview poly by three lengths extending but in Jo’burg we were just expecting a nice run, so we were also blown away.
He is very, very good.
He should have no problem with the mile. In his only previous run over a mile in August it was against older horses and it was a bit soon for him.”
Bremner
If the sale does go ahead Bremner expects it to be concluded by Friday.
National Park won the Grade 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m last time out by 5,80 lengths at odds of 22/1, beating the highly regarded Chimichuri Run despite receiving only 1kg.
Bremner has previously had big race success in Johannesburg with Copper Parade, who was also staying at the Alec Laird yard when winning the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint.
The Dingaans is always a well prescribed race and although it provides a pointer to the Grade 1 classics it is an important classic itself.
National Park’s biggest danger looks to be the Mike de Kock-trained Hawwaam and the Mike and Adam Azzie-trained Reach For The Line, although history shows that less heralded horses can upstage the favourites in this race and two of the KZN raiders, Thanksgiving and Perfect Peter, fit into that category while Samurai Warrior is on the up, Gift For The Gap is a scopey sort who will be improving and Bien Venue is better than his recent form suggests.
Hawwaam is a Silvano colt and is a half-brother to the exciting Rainbow Bridge, who remained unbeaten in five starts after slamming a good field in the Cape Mile.
Hawwaam made a fine debut over 1400m on the Turffontein Standside track on Charity Mile day.
He has similar conformation to Rainbow Bridge, as he is not the tallest but is strongly built, and he showed a fine turn of foot in that race.
Reach The Line is a tall and rangy son of the former Azzie-trained Grade 1-winner Potala Palace and is highly regarded.
He hit the front early in the straight in the race against Hawwaam and stayed on well, but it was a hands-andheels event so he was unable to have the benefit of the whip.
The pair finished well clear of the rest.
Reach The Line has landed a plum draw of two, while Hawwaam has a draw of 14 to overcome.
The Duncan Howells-trained Thanksgiving is a progressive son of Dynasty and did well to stay on strongly for second last time as he was rushed around the field from the back midrace.
He has the first fair draw of his career and this rangy type should relish the long straight of Turffontein Standside.Perfect Peter beat the well regarded De Kock-trained filly Nafaayes last time over 1400 at Greyville with the decent sort Affranchi splitting them. This Judpot gelding is a full-brother to Along Came Polly, who won the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes over the Dingaans course and distance. He has a tricky draw of ten to overcome but trainer Gavin van Zyl won this race from the widest draw of all in 2010 with the hitherto unheralded 40/1 shot The Apache.
The Weiho Marwing-trained Samurai Warrior is a typically improving colt by Ideal World and with firsttime cheekpieces on he bolted in by four lengths over course and distance last time in a Maiden.
He can continue to improve but he has the widest draw of all to overcome.
The Tyrone Zackey-trained Gift For The Gap is a rangy son of Master Of My Fate who has plenty of scope for improvement but he also has a very wide draw to overcome.
The Sean Tarry-trained Bien Venue, a colt by Fort Wood out of an Argentinian-bred mare, should enjoy the course and distance as he has been seen to stay on over 1400m before and was unlucky in his last start.
Atyaab is quite fancied in the betting but has not been as impressive as his stablemate Hayyaam.
He has a rounded action and is one to watch if the going is on the soft side on the day, although that scenario does not look likely at this stage.
The mentioned runners are the ones who make the most appeal.