Bela-Bela is back
WOOLAVINGTON winner BelaBela begins her Cape campaign in earnest at Kenilworth on Saturday week. She is in both the Jet Master and the Victress Stakes but also has the option of a 1 400m fillies conditions plate where she could come up against Silver Mountain.
“We have been waiting for this day for a long time,” says Justin Snaith who complained earlier in the season that there were no suitable races for the star filly. “She is doing well.”
The Joey Ramsden-trained pair A New Dawn and I Travel Light were yesterday supplemented for Saturday week’s Grand Parade Cape Guineas as was Tuesday’s Vaughan Marshall-winner William Longsword.
Bernard Fayd’Herbe returns from Mauritius and will partner Craven for Brett Crawford.
Last Saturday’s Fillies Guineas winner Just Sensual has been raised 17 points (8.5kg) to a new merit rating of 109 while runner-up Safe Harbour has gone up 11 to THE Greyville turf is looking in magnificent shape at present and there are innovations afoot which aim to have it in as good condition during the winter months from now onward.
The city course’s turf track copped plenty of criticism during the last SA Champions Season, which takes place in the depth of winter in May, June and July.
Gold Circle’s new Racing Executive Raf Sheik revealed the full “spring treatment” given to Greyville every year would from next season onward take place in January and February.
He pointed out currently the treatment takes place nine months ahead of KZN’s main season, meaning the track is already worn by the time this world class three month 108, but third-placed Querari Falcon has been left on 104.
A little surprisingly Green Point winner Legal Eagle has been upped three to 123 – many observers felt the Horse of the Year simply ran up to somewhere near his best. But Marinaresco, beaten less than half a length, is only on 115 after going up five points.
This is because five is the maximum the handicappers were allowed to give him. However Abashiri (fifth) has been dropped 2kg to 113 despite his well-documented travel problems.
Search Party
Crawford is going to aim Cape Merchants gamble Search Party (upped seven to 103) at the Betting World Cape Flying Championship on January 28.
He said: “I will also nominate him for the Diadem on January 14 but I am not sure that he will run.”
Grant van Niekerk has worked out what to do with his three separate seven-day interference suspensions – precisely nothing. Because of the holiday period the Review Board is not due to sit again until February and so, if the jockey does not festival of racing begins. Furthermore, there are changing seasonal patterns all over the globe, including in Durban.
Two best months
January and February are now probably Durban’s two best months of the year for growth, as the climate during this period combines warmth with moisture.
In future there will also be plenty of turf racing at Greyville after the SA Champions Season.
Depending on the condition of the track, it will either be rested in August for up to five weeks, or turf racing will continue unabated at Greyville appeal or state when he wants to take the bans, the Board will rubber stamp the suspensions at a time when all the big Cape races are over.
Suspensions
But Van Niekerk is aggrieved that the suspensions, three in eight days, have been given such prominent treatment in some sections of the media.
“When I am riding at a meeting I am in almost every race, and I am often riding animals that can’t keep straight, so I am bound to get suspended from time to time,” he said.
“It’s very much part and parcel of job.”
In-form Richard Fourie rode the 1 000th winner of his career when scoring on Step Out for Glen Kotzen at Kenilworth on Tuesday.
The decision to increase the stakes for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate by 50% will be widely welcomed.
The minimum value of any Grade 1 is now R1 million (a sum, incidentally, that is dwarfed by many sales races) and it is only right that the country’s premier mile event should stand apart. right through until the end of the year. Meanwhile, there is a plan from next season onward to have two separate “spring treatments” for Scottsville. The aim is to have either the Inside or the Outside track open at any given time.
This will ensure there is turf racing in KZN throughout the year.
When the Scottsville inside track is being treated, there will only be racing down the straight at Scottsville on the Outside track.
In order to achieve the two separate Scottsville Spring Treatments, their pull-up areas will have to be separated.
Plans are in motion to
Expert advice
the achieve this.
The Scottsville Spring Treatments will take place in and around the month of October every year.
Sheik said the secret to the current top class condition of the Greyville turf track included bringing in expert advice during the Spring Treatment. Furthermore, torrential rain caused the cancellation of the earliest intended turf meeting, and this allowed the track an extra month of unhindered growth.
Early next year there will be full turf meetings at Greyville on January 1, January 22 and February 19.
Thereafter the track will be closed for six weeks in order to give it a “light treatment.”
This should ensure it is in good shape for the 2017 SA Champions Season.