Macduff needs further – Alson Ndzilana

Cape-based trainer Joey Ramsden has a seven-horse string based at Randjesfontein in the care of his valued assistant Alson Ndzilana.

The horses have been settled in trainer Mike de Kock’s yard since 2 September, and Ndzilana celebrated his first win on the Highveld last weekend with Tabreek winning over 1600m.

Ndzilana (40), who grew up in the Eastern Cape and has “always wanted to work with horses”, will saddle three runners on Grand Heritage Day at the Vaal on Saturday, with Macduff representing the stable in the R750,000 topliner, the World Sports Betting Grand Heritage. Donovan Dillon will ride all three of his runners.

“The 1475m is short for Macduff - he needs further - but his preparation has been going well and I think he’ll run a good race,” he said of the Street Cry colt, who is a 33-1 chance with Betting World.

Macduff, winner of the Darley Arabian over 1600m at Greyville on July Day, is going for bigger prizes than this later in the spring-summer season, like the Charity Mile and the Summer Cup. He did not enjoy his introduction to Highveld racing 11 days ago, when ninth behind Bulleting Home in a 1450m race on the Turffontein Inside track.

Ndzilana, not expecting fireworks this time either, was willing to excuse that effort. “That was his first run on the tight inside 1450m, he was drawn wide and wasn’t 100% fit,” he commented.

Ramsden’s charge The Stone Thrower made a promising Highveld debut in a 1200m race at the Vaal, finishing third as favourite behind Aggressive, and will run in the WSB Heritage 1200 Handicap.

Ndzilana rates him his best runner on the day.

“He has a very good chance because last time out he went to the front and got only tired in the last 150m. That race brought him on. We’ll go very close this time.”

The stable’s third runner is Tar Heel in a 1000m Pinnacle Stakes. He has run on the Highveld before, when unplaced in the Computaform Sprint, and on ratings has a bit to find with Trip Tease, Doing It For Dan and Splendid Garden.

Plus the assistant, who was the man in the hot seat before The Conglomerate won this year’s Vodacom Durban July and knows his horses well, says: “I think he’ll need this run.”