SP Sprint – Wednesday 27 May 2026

GRADE 1!

On the cover Emotions ran high at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday when Hollywood Racing flagbearer Asiye Phambili registered an overdue Grade 1 success in the SA Fillies Sprint. Photographer Julia Marnewick caught an elated Sean Veale returning on the magic mare.

WHY YOUR HORSE STOPPED RUNNING

THE LONG READ: SCIENCE BEHIND THE OUTCOME OF RACES

Did the horse actually try? Was the ground helping or hurting? Did the pace of the race create a genuine contest, or did everyone coast until the final 300 metres and sprint for the line?

Every race produces a rating, Raceform’s AR. A number that says how a horse ran, adjusted for weight and the quality of the opposition. It’s neat, it’s simple, and it’s incomplete.

A rating tells you ‘what happened’. It doesn’t tell you why. And if you don’t understand the why, you can’t predict what happens next.

Over the past few months, Raceform has built a system that looks behind the rating. It uses bioenergetics — the science of how energy is produced, stored, and spent in a living body — to ask questions the form guide never does.

Questions like: did the horse actually try? Was the ground helping or hurting? Did the pace of the race create a genuine contest, or did everyone coast until the final 300 metres and sprint for the line?

Our system has six phases. Each one peels back a layer.

Phase 1: Was the race a real test?

Not all races are created equal. A horse can post a rating of 85 in a race where the field crawled for the first 800 metres and then sprinted home, and the same horse can post an 85 in a race where an honest tempo was set from the start. Those two 85s are not the same. So our first phase grades every race from A to D, based on the pace shape — how the speed was distributed from start to finish.

An A-grade race has honest, evenly distributed effort. The field is well strung out at the finish, which means the pace separated the good from the ordinary. The ratings from these races are bankable.

A D-grade race is a crawl-sprint. Slow early, fast late. The field finishes in a bunch because nobody was tested until the last couple of furlongs. Ratings from these races are unreliable — you don’t know who had more to give.

When we ran the numbers on South African racing, 40% of races with sectional timing data turned out to be crawl-sprints. That’s a lot of unreliable form.

Our system doesn’t just look at internal pace — it compares every segment to the benchmark time for that track and distance.

A race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth over the straight 1200 metres starts uphill, goes down from the 1000m, then hits a rise at the 400-metre mark. The internal pace shape might look like a crawl-sprint, but if every segment was faster than the benchmark, the race was genuinely run. The terrain created the illusion.

Phase 2: Has the horse reached its distance limit?

Every horse has a distance at which it performs best. That’s not news. But how do you detect it before the horse fails over an unsuitable trip?

The answer is in the final 200 metres. Every horse decelerates at the end of a race — every single one, without exception. The ‘kick’ you see from a closer isn’t acceleration; it’s the horse decelerating less than the others.

Physics makes genuine late acceleration almost impossible at racing speed. Aerodynamic drag scales with the cube of velocity. To speed up at 60 kilometres per hour requires more power than the biological system can produce.

What matters is how much a horse decelerates relative to the field. If a horse wins by two lengths, but its final-segment deceleration is steeper than the field average, it was at its distance ceiling. It won on class, but the fuel gauge was on empty. Step it up in trip and it’s vulnerable.

Conversely, if a horse finishes mid-field but decelerates less than the field, it had battery left. The distance was within its range — maybe even shorter than ideal.

We tested this on Questioning before the Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. At 1200 metres, the data showed battery remaining: -2.9% deceleration versus the field average.

At 1600 metres in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate the time before, the signal flipped: +1.6% above the field. The horse’s sweet spot was 1200-1400 metres. It won the Diadem by 0.60 lengths, ran 2nd in the King’s Plate (1600m). Then won the Drill Hall (1400m) in a tight finish.

Phase 3: What will the pace be?

If Phase 1 tells you whether the last race was a genuine test, Phase 3 tries to predict whether the next one will be.

We classified 2 116 horses by running style from their sectional data — front-runner, stalker, midpack, or closer — and found that South African racing has remarkably few front-runners. Only 6% of profiled horses are genuine pace-makers. The consequence: more than half of SA races are run at muddling tempo, and a significant proportion are outright crawls.

When you know the running styles of the field, you can predict the pace before the race is run. Three or more front-runners? Expect fast tempo — closers benefit. No front-runners and at most one stalker? Expect a crawl — the speed horses and stalkers hold the advantage because nobody is pressuring them to run their battery flat.

We back-tested this on 300 races. In the races we predicted as crawls, closers were disadvantaged 61% of the time — the strongest signal in the model.

The insight that surprised us: in genuinely run races (honest tempo), running style barely matters. The best horse wins. The form is reliable precisely because the pace created a fair contest. Pace scenario only distorts form when the race isn’t genuinely run — which is 40% of the time.

Phase 4: How big is the fuel tank?

This is the hardest phase, and the most rewarding. It draws directly on Dr Bob Wilkins’ bioenergetics model of thoroughbred locomotion.

Every horse has two energy systems.

The first is aerobic — sustainable, steady, fuelled by oxygen. Think of it as the cruise speed.

The second is anaerobic — a finite battery that provides the burst above cruise speed. In exercise physiology, they’re called Critical Power (CP) and W-prime (W).

When a horse runs faster than its CP, it draws on W-prime. When W-prime hits zero, the horse can only run at CP. That’s why horses ‘stop’ in the final stages. They haven’t given up. They haven’t lost heart. They’ve run out of anaerobic fuel. The legs are still going, but only the aerobic engine is driving them.

The deceleration curve at the end of a race is the W-prime depletion curve. By measuring it, we can estimate how big the battery is and how fast it drains.

We profiled 2 667 horses and classified them:

• Diesel — barely fades; has either a large W-prime or an efficient aerobic system. These horses are predictable. They grind out their rating run after run.

• Standard — normal fade pattern. The majority.

• Short Fuse — fades notably. High peak speed but it doesn›t last. Dangerous in sprints, vulnerable over a trip.

• Sprinter Fade — dramatic deceleration. Pure speed with no stamina reserve. Over their trip, they’re brilliant. Step them up 200 metres and the battery dies.

The critical finding: Diesel horses outperform when the pace is honest. They’re the ones with battery remaining when everyone else is running on empty. Short Fuse horses outperform in crawls — because nobody forced them to burn their small battery early, so they still have enough to sprint home.

That interaction between battery type and pace scenario is where predictions start to sharpen.

Phase 5: What was the ground doing?

Going — the state of the racing surface — affects race times. Everyone knows that.

But in South Africa, the going is recorded based on readings from a penetrometer - a stick poked into the ground.

So we threw out the going record and measured it directly. For every meeting, we compared the winning time of each race to the long-term average for that track, distance, and surface. If the whole card runs two seconds slower than the standard, the ground is doing it (and check how much the false rail is out wide around the bend). You don’t need a penetrometer reading — the clock tells you.

We indexed 2 170 meetings across five years. The seasonal patterns were exactly what you’d expect. Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in the Cape winter (July and August) runs 3.5% slower than standard — soft ground from winter rain. Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in the Cape summer runs 1.5% faster — firm, fast ground. Turffontein on the Highveld barely moves all year. The Polytrack at Hollywoodbets Greyville and Fairview shows a smaller effect — the synthetic surface absorbs weather better than turf, which is the whole point of it.

Here’s what matters: when we measured the relationship between going and ratings, we found a 10-point AR swing from fast ground to soft ground. Horses racing on fast-ground days averaged AR 67. Horses racing on soft-ground days averaged AR 57. That gap is not fully accounted for in the current ratings.

We calibrated the correction by comparing the same horse’s performances on different ground — 6 243 horse-distance comparisons — and found the true sensitivity is 1 AR point per 1% going deviation. Part of the raw 10-point gap is explained by better horses running on better days, but even after controlling for that, the going effect is real and significant.

What this means in practice: a horse that ran AR 90 on a day when the card ran 2.5% faster than standard? That 90 is inflated. Adjust it down to 87. A horse that ran 82 on a day when the card ran 2% slower than standard? That 82 is genuine — perhaps more like 84.

Phase 6: Putting it together: the Predictor

Each phase answers one question. The predictor stitches them together.

For every runner in a race, it builds four layers:

Base Rating. Not just the last run or the best run — a weighted average of recent going-adjusted performances. Recent runs count more than older ones, and each run is corrected for the ground that day.

Reliability. How consistent is this horse? A horse with an AR standard deviation of 5 is predictable (it runs to within 5 points of its average most of the time). A horse with a standard deviation of 12 is volatile — capable of anything. The system also applies the patterns we›ve quantified from the data: after a career-high rating, expect a regression of about 6 points. After a win, only 15% of horses run to the same rating next time. A layoff of more than 180 days costs roughly 5 AR points. Stepping up in distance adds about 1.7 points. These aren›t rules of thumb — they›re measured from tens of thousands of SA race runs.

Race shape. What›s the likely pace scenario, given who›s in the field? Is this horse›s running style advantaged or disadvantaged? Does its draw help or hurt on this track and distance?

Energy budget. Is this horse a Diesel or a Short Fuse? Does its battery type suit the predicted pace? Is it at its distance ceiling?

The output isn’t a single number. It’s a range — low, mid, high — with a confidence rating and flags explaining what’s helping or hurting. Because the whole point of this exercise is that a single number hides too much. An AR of 90 means different things depending on whether it was earned on fast ground in a crawl-sprint or on soft ground in an honestly run race.

What we found along the way

Some findings were expected. Some weren’t.

The going effect was bigger than we anticipated. A 10-point rating swing based purely on ground conditions — largely unaccounted for in current ratings — means that every time you compare two horses and one ran on fast ground, you’re looking at a distorted picture.

The prevalence of crawl-sprint races in South Africa — 40% of sectional-timed races — explains a lot of form reversals. A horse that runs 85 in a crawl might genuinely be a 75 horse that benefited from a soft pace. Next time, when the pace is honest, it “drops back” to 75 and everyone wonders what went wrong. Nothing went wrong. The first rating was unreliable.

The battery classification is new. We don’t think anyone has systematically profiled South African horses by their anaerobic depletion curves before. The interaction between battery type and pace scenario is the most promising predictive edge in the system.

And the distance ceiling detection — measuring whether a winning horse was actually at its limit — has immediate practical value. Trainers and owners may have thoughts about their horse’s best trip. The deceleration data can flag, before the race is run, that a horse is already running on fumes at its current distance. Going further would be brave, not backed by the data.

The limits

We’re not rubbing a crystal ball. Horses are athletes and athletes have bad days. The system doesn’t know about injury, temperament, training changes, or the thousand intangibles that make racing unpredictable.

The biggest data gap is running style profiles. For the Pace Scenario Engine and Battery Budget to be effective we need sectional times.

There’s also a philosophical limit. Ratings are retrospective. They tell you what a horse did. Prediction is about what a horse ‘will do’, and that involves uncertainty. The system handles this by giving ranges rather than point estimates, and by flagging when its confidence is low. A horse with volatile form, an untried distance, and an unpredictable pace scenario gets a wide range and a caution flag. That’s honest — more honest than pretending you know the answer.

If you buy yearlings, the going correction alone changes how you read a sale catalogue. A horse’s page might show a full sibling that ran 95 — but if four of those runs were on fast-ground days at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in January, knock 4-5 points off and see if it still looks impressive. If you train horses, the distance ceiling data is directly actionable. Before you step a horse up in trip, check its deceleration profile at the current distance. If it’s already fading more than the field average, the trip is wrong.

If you bet, the pace scenario and battery interaction is where the value lies. Everyone can read a rating. Not everyone can tell you that a crawl pace disadvantages that horse’s running style and its short fuse battery type means it needs an honest pace to be at its best.

And if you simply love racing, this is what’s happening under the skin when a horse “stops” in the straight or “flies home” from last. It’s not courage and it’s not cowardice. It’s fuel. The horse that finds the line is the one that managed its energy — or had it managed by the pace — most efficiently.

The rating is the answer. This system shows the working.

*Analysis by Raceform, from 219 000 horses, 1.4 million race runs, and the bioenergetics framework of Dr Bob Wilkins. Sectional timing data from where published in public domain. Find Raceform on www.raceform.co.za.

DURBAN JULY ENTRIES IN ACTION

The R10 million Hollywoodbets Gr1 Durban July melting pot continues to simmer as we count the weeks down to the 4 July spectacular.

The running of the R2 million Gr1 Daily News 2000 and the R500 000 Lucky Fish Gr2 Woolavington 2000 this coming Saturday will turn the heat up as the two features host eleven entries for the big race.

Note To Self, Jan Van Goyen and recent Guineas winner Star Major are the three toprated sophomores amongst eleven runners accepted for the Daily News, and which includes Corne Spies’ Highveld star and Gr1 winner Hazy Dazy, who will again be ridden by Trent Mayhew as she makes her debut in KZN.

Justin Snaith has won the Daily News three times and saddles a powerful three-way coupling, while Sean Tarry will be looking to add to his sole credit – French Navy in 2015 –with the low profile Master Spy.

The Lucky Fish Woolavington 2000 has attracted only seven runners, with Snaith’s dual Gr1 winner and recent WSB Gr2 Fillies Guineas victress Wish List the exciting standout, under regular pilot Andrew Fortune.

Highveld visitors Callmegetrix and Minogue make up the trio of Hollywoodbets Durban July entries in the Woolavington.

Find all the latest news on www.sportingpost.co.za

Hollywoodbets Durban July entries for Saturday

• Curious Girl – Listed Lonsdale Stirrup Cup

• Callmegetrix – Lucky Fish Gr2 Woolavington 2000

• Minogue – Lucky Fish Gr2 Woolavington 2000

• Wish List – Lucky Fish Gr2 Woolavington 2000

• Chronicle King – Gr1 Daily News 2000

• Happy Verse – Gr1 Daily News 2000

• Hazy Dazy – Gr1 Daily News 2000

• Jan Van Goyen – Gr1 Daily News 2000

• Master Spy – Gr1 Daily News 2000

• Note To Self – Gr1 Daily News 2000

• Star Major – Gr1 Daily News 2000

• Viva’s Liberte – Gr1 Daily News 2000

R3 Million Pick 6 Projected

A Pick 6 carryover of R500 000 on Saturday’s mixed surface Hollywoodbets Greyville racemeeting is likely to boost the pool to R3 million!

The first leg is the fourth race, which is off at 14h55.

GR1 DAILY NEWS 2000

2026 FINAL FIELD

LUCKY FISH GR2 WOOLAVINGTON 2000

For the pedigree boffins out there, this year’s race could be one for the history books

A STAR EFFORT NEEDED

TO BEAT THE BOYS!

Avid racegoers who have been anticipating a mouthwatering clash between three-year-old fillies Wish List and Hazy Days will have to wait a while longer.

Both Gr1 winners will be in action at Hollywoodbets Greyville this weekend, where the former, a smashing winner of the Cape Derby, looks to have the Gr2 Woolavington 2000 at her mercy.

In contrast, her counterpart, a winner of the Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic, has opted to take on the males in the Gr1 Daily News 2000.

That’s a tall ask, given that no filly has managed to win this defining classic since 1991, when Star Effort capped a formidable seven-win streak with her half-length victory, which came on the back of success in all of the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas, Gr1 Topsport Bloodline Guineas and Gr1 SA Fillies Guineas.

Trained by Geoff Woodruff, this outstanding filly suffered defeat just once in eleven career starts.

By the way, Star Effort was the third successive Daily News 2000 female winner in as many years.

Roland’s Song initiated the treble in 1989 and fully justified her 2-1 starting price by coming home clear of her rivals under Gavin van Zyl. She was saddled by co-owner Jean Heming, who, to this day, is the only female trainer of a Daily News 2000 winner.

Twelve months later, the honours again went north for in a female one-two finish, Ormond Ferraris-trained SA Oaks winner St Just came from off the pace to defeat Olympic Duel on the post.

Incidentally, Olympic Duel’s own brother Dancing Duel would avenge his sibling’s loss three years later in 1993, as would Olympic Duel’s Foveros son Flying Duel. He cruised to

a facile victory in 1998 and like Dancing Duel, was trained by Tony Millard.

Olympic Duel is one of four fillies who have had to settle for the runner-up spot.

Poetic, who lined up for the inaugural running back in 1982, had won the Gr2 John Skeaping Trophy, so was no stranger to defeating her male rivals. However, she found one better in the David Payne-trained Prince Florimund, who claimed victory by a length and a half, having thumped Wolf Power by three lengths in the Gr1 SA Guineas.

The mighty Empress Club lined up for the 1992 Daily News 2000 as a short-priced favourite, deservedly so, given that she was coming off a seven-win streak which included five Gr1’s: the Cape Guineas, Topsport Bloodline Classic, Administrators Cup, SA Guineas and SA Fillies Guineas. Victory in the Daily News looked a mere formality, but as the adage goes, there’s no such thing as a racing certainty.

In a slow run race, she was dropped out to last and having used her devastating turn of foot, she managed to reach the front, but she had shot her bolt and in what was probably the biggest upset of the season, was beaten a short head by Fluent Stride.

As recently as last year, Spumante Dolce attempted to become trainer Mike de Kock’s sixth Daily News winner, however, she proved no match for Eight On Eighteen and finished second, almost four lengths behind the colt, who would go on to be crowned Horse of the Year at the end of the season.

Given the dearth of female winners, full marks must go to the Spies stable for having the confidence to pitch Hazy Dazy against colts.

For the pedigree boffins out there, this year’s race could be one for the history books and for two reasons.

We may witness a third-generation Daily News 2000 winner on Saturday. Both Hazy Dazy and likely favourite Note To Self are grandchildren of Dynasty, himself a fluent two-length winner of the 2003 race for Fieldspring Racing and trainer Dean Kannemeyer.

One of three Horse of the Year recipients sired by the iconic Fort Wood, he followed in his father’s footsteps and proved himself one of the pre-eminent classic sires of the modern era, in addition to which he has left an indelible mark on the race.

First-crop son Irish Flame won the 2010 renewal and after Run For It was beaten a shorthead by The Apache twelve months later, Dynasty registered a second winner when Jackson cruised home by 3.75 lengths. Legislate made it a treble for his sire with a shorthead victory in 2014. Dynasty was

deprived of a fourth winner in 2016 when It’s My Turn failed by a diminishing neck to reel in Rabada.

Ironically, Hazy Dazy and Note To Self are by sons of Dynasty who did not contest the Daily News, the filly being by Cape Guineas winner Act Of War, while the latter is a son of J&B Met and (then) L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate hero Futura.

Should Note To Self emerge victorious, he will also be the first Gr1 winner for his Drakenstein-based sire.

Coincidentally, it’s a shame that Futura’s daughter Curious Girl is missing from the Woolavington 2000 field - not surprising though, given that the race has lost its Gr1 status, as has the SA Derby, which she won last month.

In her absence, Wish List looks to have the race in the bag and being by Legislate, could become yet another third-generation classic winner for the Dynasty sireline.

CATCHES EYE SON OF WOOLAVINGTON WINNER

Saturday sees the 2026 renewal of the Lucky Fish Gr2 Woolavington 2000 and the worth of past winners was further underlined at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday when the blue-blooded Aquae Calidae ran out an impressive winner of the first race.

The son of Vercingetorix is out of Bela-Bela (by Dynasty), Equus Champion 3YO Filly of 2015-2016, and winner of the 2016 Gr1 Woolavington 2000 and is trained by Eric Sands for Khaya Stables.

One of eight Equus Champions for her sire, Bela-Bela won seven of 14 starts including the aforementioned Woolavington 2000 and both the Gr1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes and Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes in 2017.

To date, the grey has produced four winners including Gr2 Western Cape Fillies Championship winner Ciao Bella (Gimmethegreenlight).

The impeccably bred Bele-Bela was one of seven stakes winners produced by outstanding broodmare Mystic Spring (Royal Academy). The latter also ranks as the ancestress of such stars as Horse Of The Year Eight On Eighteen, Snowdance, Snow Pilot, All Is Secret and The Secret Is Out.

Mystic Spring also ranks as the granddam of Sunday’s Listed Pocket Power Stakes winner Future Free, whose sire Futura, like BelaBela, was sired by Dynasty.

Aquae Calidae, who is bred on the same Vercingetorix/Dynasty cross as Equus Champion Gladatorian, is also yet another exciting prospect for his champion sire.

Vercingetorix has also enjoyed previous success with descendants of Mystic Spring, with the Maine Chance Farms resident’s Race Coast Sales Big Cap winning son Roland Garros having been produced by Mystic Spring’s stakes-winning granddaughter Amy Johnson.

Vercingetorix’s Listed World Sports Betting Summer Juvenile Stakes winning son Roman Agent, a half-brother to champion All Is Secret and fellow Gr1 Allan Robertson

Championship winner The Secret Is Out, is out of Mystic Spring’s multiple graded stakes winner Secret Of Victoria (Goldkeeper).

Vercingetorix, who is set to be crowned South Africa’s Champion Sire for a second time this season, has had another magnificent spell in 2025-2026.

The champion son of Silvano went close to having yet another graded stakes double on Saturday where Vercingetorix gelding Taxi To The Moon won the Gr2 Golden Horse Sprint and daughters Double Grand Slam and Princess Of Gaul ran 2-3 in the same day’s Gr1 South African Fillies Sprint.

Perhaps key to Vercingetorix’s star is the consistent level of success that he has achieved. His first crop yielded no fewer than 11 stakes winners, with his second and third crops producing seven and eight black type winners apiece.

To date, Vercingetorix’s most successful foal crop, in terms of stakes winners, is his current crop of five-year-olds, with this crop having unleashed 16 stakes winners, led by Gr1 winners Double Grand Slam, Mia Moo, Mrs Geriatrix and Oriental Charm.

Understandably, Vercingetorix’s consistent success has made his progeny hugely sought after in sales rings around South Africa.

At the 2026 Premier Yearling Sale, Vercingetorix yearlings made up to R4,5 million and averaged R1 498 864.

The National Yearling Sale saw more of the same, where Vercingetorix colt Red Trix made R5,25 million to head that auction.

Vercingetorix’s National Sale yearlings grossed R46,2 million and averaged an impressive R1 593 103.

DAVE AIMS FOR A THIRD GOLD

The 55th renewal of the R2 million Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge will be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville on 6 June and has attracted a first entry draft of eleven, headed by defending champion and former SA Horse Of The Year, Dave The King, who goes for his third successive victory in the prestige weight-for-age mile.

In 2025 Dave The King became the third back-to-back winner of the premier mile this century after Rainbow Bridge (2020/21) and Variety Club (2013/14). Kannemeyer star Free My Heart also won the Gold Challenge twice in 2000 and 2002, with his streak punctuated by Celtic Grove in 2001.

Whether Dave The King is still up to taking on the best around at the age of 6 is a point of debate, and he could face the likes of 2025

Hollywoodbets Durban July top two The Real Prince and Eight On Eighteen, as well as the consistent Questioning.

Six of the twelve entries are Hollywoodbets Durban July hopefuls.

Supplementary entries close at 11h00 on Friday 29 May, with declarations due by 11h00 on Monday 1 June.

Hollywoodbets Gr1 Gold Challenge

GRADE1! SHE’S GOT HER

South Africa’s top two rated mares conspired to script a grandstand finish to the R1 million Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday, with Sean Veale producing the magic to get the 6yo Asiye Phambili up in the last stride to beat his senior colleague Andrew Fortune on the year younger Double Grand Slam.

The 1200m feature, brought to us by the 180 year old Pietermaritzburg institution – and South Africa’s oldest continuously published rag – The Witness, appropriately penned the fairytale of the 2026 Golden Horse Speed Carnival for SA Champion owners Hollywood Racing and Summerveld veteran, Duncan Howells.

A racing career that commenced in the KZN Capital on 27 August 2022 has seen the never-say-die Hemel ‘n Aarde Stud product –whose name means ‘moving forward’ – gallop her way into the hearts of her connections, and the racing public, winning 11 of her 32 starts with 11 places, and banking stakes of R2 321 489.

On Saturday,Sean Veale and his favourite mare were back to erase the memory of the narrow defeat of the 2025 renewal, where she was beaten by Mia Moo, after a luckless late passage.

And what a five-star performance it was!

Switched out, with 300m to run, and the champion Double Grand Slam (18-10) already powering home and looking well nigh impossible to stop, the charismatic Sean

Veale rode as if his life hinged on it – and things went his way, as he extracted reserves out of the magic mare, to collar the Snaith star on the line and clock 67,55 secs, finally getting that elusive Grade 1 success on her cv.

Kannemeyer’s 3yo Princess Of Gaul (71) came out of the scrum to grab third a further 2,40 lengths back, with the winner’s stablemate Hierarchy (66-1) capping the quartet.

The Sporting Post-sponsored Veale paid tribute to all those that had supported him, including Hollywood Racing Manager Anthony Delpech, who had made the decision to keep him on.

The loyalty paid dividends, in circumstances where the temptation may well have been to go for a bigger name!

The Hollywood Racing team celebrated a special moment – with even their toughas-teak winning trainer Duncan Howells succumbing to the emotion of the occasion.

A R500 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale book 1 graduate, the winner is a daughter of four-time Gr1 winning stallion and champion sprinter What A Winter (Western Winter) out of the six-time winning Rambo Dancer mare, Cast A Spell, who in turn is out of American import Flying Magic.

Sent to South Africa by the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, the daughter of Hansel boasts a top drawer pedigree, being out of the Danzig mare Magic Gleam, who was rated amongst the top three-year-old fillies of her generation.

A winner of the Gr2 Child Stakes, she ran her finest races in defeat when second in the Gr1 Coronation Stakes and Gr1 Prix Jacques Le Marois.

Flying Magic was a prolific mare, producing no less than 13 foals, the best of which being Cast A Spell, who raced in the Eastern Cape

with marked success, winning six races, including the Listed Breeders Guineas.

As a broodmare, Cast A Spell has made a name for herself as the dam of an impressive six black-type earners from nine winners.

With her daughters doing broodmare service for some of the country’s leading studs, and visiting top stallions like Vercingetorix, Master Of My Fate and One World, the influence of Cast A Spell is likely to mushroom in the future.

The Ridgemont team must have already opened their doors in the hope that Asiye Phambili, who should make for a sensational broodmare, heads to Robertson at the end of this season.

But there could yet be another Gr1 assignment before that time arrives!

– DUNCAN HOWELLS ‘SIMPLY INDESCRIBABLE’

Under four months away from his 60th birthday, and with a lifetime of experience around horses, Duncan Howells has got the proverbial t-shirt, read the book, and seen the movie –a few times.

But despite the ample silverware and battle scars of his 27 years as a trainer, he concedes that his ninth Grade 1 winner at Hollywoodbets Scottsville last Saturday was ‘simply indescribable’.

Talking to the Sporting Post after some of the dust had settled on an extraordinarily emotional victory by Hollywood Racing’s trojan 6yo mare Asiye Phambili in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint, brought to you by The Witness, Duncan admitted that he was on edge and a ‘tad tense’ in the build-up as this was three years in the making.

“It is well documented that we tried in 2024, when Rachel came down at the start. Then last year she had no luck and was narrowly beaten by what was a fitter filly on the day. So Saturday was the moment – and we are talking now in the warm afterglow of victory and with the comfort of hindsight,” he laughs as he explains that he kept reminding himself that there was little he could have done differently.

“Sean (Veale) put in the work and my team, including Asiye Phambili’s Groom Wanda Mvila, were confident. We don’t call Wanda ‘ATM’ for nothing – every horse he works with turns to gold. He is the smallest guy in the team and would have made a great jockey I think – but he doesn’t ride any work, ironically!”

In further irony, Duncan watched Saturday’s race off a TV standing next to Sean Tarry –the man with whom Asiye Phambili started her career, and the very trainer who saddled Mia Moo, who pipped her in the same race in 2025.

“When they flashed past the post, I thought Double Grand Slam had beaten Asiye Phambili. I thought, no ways- this is terrible

luck. I shook my head – Sean Tarry and Warren Lenferna were standing there and said ‘stop being so bloody negative – you got it!’ I was stunned – I just grabbed Sean and lifted him up. That’s not my usual style of gregarious behaviour – but this was three years of amazing in the making!”

Duncan explained that beating the best mare in South Africa was no mean feat.

“Yes, things generally went Asiye Phambili’s way, although she was caught out of her ground at the 800m. She is a 6yo and has naturally lost some of her speed. I thought we were in trouble at that stage. And Andrew Fortune rode a tactically brilliant race on Double Grand Slam – go watch the replay! But Sean (Veale) kept his cool and we got there first. That’s what matters. We all need some luck,” smiles Duncan.

While it was an uber special occasion, winning elite level races in the KZN Capital City isn’t exactly new – in fact, Duncan has a fine record on the Golden Horse Speed Carnival day.

His first Gr1 winner Zeeno won the Gold Medallion under the late Alec Forbes in 2006, and his champion Via Africa won the same trophy collected in cavalier fashion by Asiye Phambili on Saturday, all the way back in 2013 and 2014.

Duncan adds that he hasn’t experienced a winner where the whole world seemed to be behind the horse.

“Devin Heffer said to me that when the result went up, there was a reaction from the crowd on the stands that he hadn’t experienced. Amazing stuff. I am so glad for her and for Hollywood Racing – a richly deserved success and the cherry on top of an illustrious

career for a girl who will make a great broodmare, when that day arrives.”

Duncan Howells was born into a racing family. His father was a jockey and trainer as well as two uncles.

He credits Andy Smith, Roy Curling, Eric Sands and David Payne, as having the biggest influence on his career.

He became an assistant trainer in the early 80’s and started out with Eric Sands in Cape Town.

He took out his licence in 1999, with the late Avison and Mary Carlisle his first owners.

Duncan’s first runner on 1 August 1999 at the then Greyville was Whispering Magic, who was steered to victory by Robbie Hill in a dream start.

Duncan currently has 24 horses at Summerveld. He is content and happy with his lot in life.

“You know, when we are young we just want expansion and a big yard - and expect to win everything under the sun. My present string is balanced and I have some great loyal clients who understand and love the game. A few more horses would be great, but I couldn’t ask for more at this stage!”

Duncan started at Summerveld with David Payne and left Ashburton in 2023.

“Returning there was something of a circle of life moment. I have no complaints about Summerveld. It’s well managed, and we are fortunate to be able to train out of there,” he adds.

And the future for Asiye Phambili?

“That’s up to Hollywood Racing. She’s sound and on Monday she was playing in the paddock as if she hadn’t run. A remarkable mare. We’d all love five of her in our yards!”

TWO TOP JUVENILES –WHAT A RACE!

The first Grade 1 contest of the 2026 SA Champions Season, the R1 750 000 Gold Medallion at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday produced a thrilling finish with the Highveld raider Haute Couture storming home late to catch the outstanding Cape visitor Rich Man’s World.

Mike de Kock’s last winner in the Gold Medallion was Carndadore, who won it under Weichong Marwing all the way back in 2005.

A runaway maiden winner at Turffontein two weeks earlier, the athletic Haute Couture was thrown in the deep end and came out on top, producing a sensational first Grade 1 success for the Murugasa family.

With Rich Man’s World (4-10) looking to maintain his unbeaten record, the dashing son of One World led the charge alley, Richard Fourie riding confidently, albeit with a target on his back.

At the 250m, Callan Murray gave Haute Couture (4-1) the office and the duo had the crowd on their feet as they raced to the line, the Highveld raider getting the verdict by 0,30 lengths in a time of 67,13 secs.

Rich Man’s World will be back and a rematch in the Cape summer is a mouthwatering prospect.

“Two weeks ago he hadn’t run. To take on Mr Marshall’s horse today was something. Thanks to Mr Marshall for being such a sportsman. We will probably keep him now

and aim him at the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas,” said Lucky Fish-sponsored Mat de Kock.

SplashOut jockey Callan Murray said that the track was rock-hard and he knew speed would be an asset, but was happy to take a seat ‘just off them’.

“He turned it on when I asked him. And he produced the goods,” added Murray.

The Ridgemont kingpin Rafeef (Redoute’s Choice) has sired 27 stakes winners over the wide spectrum of trips in his first six crops of racing age, including Gr1 winners Aragosta (SA Derby), Master Archie (Computaform Sprint), Thunderstruck (Computaform Sprint) and William Robertson (Computaform Sprint) – and now adds Haute Couture to his cv.

His son is out of the one-time winning Var mare, Isle de France (from the family of Ilha Da Vittoria) and was bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritfontein.

The winner cost owner Preshalin Murugasa R2 million off the National Yearling Sale and is now unbeaten in two starts, taking his stakes earnings to R1 113 302.

ON FIRE! RAFEEF

Eleven winners in a week and a Grade 1 success last Saturday! That’s the redhot form of Ridgemont’s Redoute’s Choice kingpin Rafeef, South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2020/ 21 and perennially among our leading sires –with versatility the key to the treasure!

The Rafeef flag is carried in all shapes and sizes, from both sexes, all ages, and distances of a wide range, on both surfaces.

His Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein bred son Haute Couture raised his flag again with a scintillating victory in the Gr1 Gold Medallion at Hollywoodbets Scottsville last Saturday.

In the space of seven days from Thursday 14 May to Thursday 21 May, Rafeef sired 11 mixed-sex winners, including four juveniles, a 3, 5,6 and 7yo, over distances from 1000m to 1800m.

• 7yo mare Juliet Tango won over 1800m at the Vaal on 14 May

• 3yo filly Lovable won over 1000m at the Vaal on 14 May

• 5yo mare Enchanting Choice won over 1800m on Fairview Polytrack on 15 May

• 6yo gelding Black Egret won over 1000m on Fairview Polytrack on 15 May

• 5yo gelding Ziyasha won over 1100m at Turffontein on 16 May

• 2yo filly Sparkling Star won over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on 16 May

• 2yo colt Reef Runner won on debut over

1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on 16 May

• 3yo filly Raffish Trend won over 1500m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on 16 May

• 2yo filly In Hot Water won over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on 19 May

• 2yo colt Bachata won on debut over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on 19 May

• 3yo filly Miss Fantastic won over 1200m at the Vaal on 21 May

Rafeef has sired 26 stakes winners in his first six crops of racing age, including Gr1 winners Aragosta (SA Derby), Master Archie (Computaform Sprint), Thunderstruck (Computaform Sprint) and William Robertson (Computaform Sprint) – and now his latest, Haute Couture!

He has sired Grade 1 winners over trips ranging from 1000m to 2450m, and his black-type winners to date include 16 Graded stakes winners, with progeny earnings of over R64-million.

At the 2026 Cape Premier Sale, Rafeef was responsible for the R4 million top lot on Day 1, whilst his 21 yearlings sold averaged an impressive R1 278 571.

Rafeef had an equally successful 2026 National Yearling Sale, with 29 yearlings selling for R26 325 000 at an average of R907 759 (third highest overall). Ten yearlings sold for seven figures, the highest of which fetched R3 400 000.

Rafeef stands at Ridgemont, in the same stallion barn as his exciting dual Gr1-winning son, Thunderstruck.

His new season service fee will be announced soon.

TONY PETER’S TAXI TO THE MOON

With the Gauteng raiders boasting a 70% strike-rate in the feature over the past decade, trainer Tony Peter held the flag high at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday when Taxi To The Moon scythed between runners late under a driving ride by Tristan Godden to claim the honours in the R1 million Gr2 Golden Horse Sprint.

A rider growing in stature, Godden rode a perfectly judged race on the 2025 TAB Gr3 Lebelo Sprint winner, who raced relaxed down the inside five lengths off the leaders King Of The Gauls and Ziyasha.

Into the final stages the well-backed duo of Café Culture (20’s to 6-1) and One Eye On Vegas (10-1 to 9-2) looked set to fight things out, until Godden bravely pushed the Kestorm Investments-owned Taxi To The Moon (10-1) through a narrow gap between the two.

At the line, Taxi To The Moon had done enough to beat Café Culture by a quarter length in a time of 67,07 secs.

The Hollywood Racing trio of One Eye On Vegas, the fast-finishing Kaalvoet (14-1) and Ziyasha (20-1) filled the next three positions.

Winning jockey Tristan Godden said it was quite fortuitous that the engagement had fallen into his lap after he had called trainer Tony Peter to declare his availability.

“He keeps on improving since the gelding. Thanks to Dennis Bosch who accommodated us and our sponsors Interbet,” said assistant trainer Tony Peter.

The Oldlands Stud bred Taxi To The Moon was a R1 million Cape Premier Yearling Sale buy for Kenneth Pillay’s Kestorm Investments, who had a fan club on course to enjoy the exciting victory.

The 4yo gelding has now won 8 races with 7 places from 22 starts and stakes of R1 613 094.

By Vercingetorix (Silvano), the winner is out of the once winning Indigo Magic mare Earn A Moon, a half-sister to Mike De Kock’s former Dubai stakes winner Lucky Find and the wellperformed PE stakes performer Pay The Piper. Both won 8 races.

Tristan Godden holds the silverware aloft after a great ride! | Credit: Chase Liebenberg

DAUGHTER OF SHOWS HER CLASS WHAT A WINTER

Reigning SA champion jockey Gavin Lerena registered his first win in the R750 000 Gr2 Allan Robertson Championship courtesy of the Drakenstein bred and raced Get Up, who gave trainer Sean Tarry his fifth success since his maiden victory in the contest with Give Me Five in 2009.

The 2yo fairer sex contest opened the speed jackpot at a buzzing Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday, and was a favourable result for punters with the recent TAB Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes winner always in the mix, before drawing clear in fine style at 2-1 to beat the 9-2 Flower Island by 3,40 lengths in a time of 67,40 secs for the 1200m.

The winner’s stablemate Ocean Mistress (251) stayed on for third a further 1,40 lengths back, with Dean Kannemeyer’s recent maiden debut winner Palace Of Arvernia (14-1) showing good promise to cap the quartet.

Trainer Sean Tarry said it was a last minute call by Drakenstein Stud Racing Manager Kevin Sommerville to run the smart filly in this race rather than the Gold Medallion against the boys.

“These are proper races and what a shame it’s now a Grade 2,” lamented Tarry, whose record on this day is quite remarkable.

Gavin Lerena opened his Allan Robertson account with this win, bemused by the fact that he had waited until the feature had been downgraded to a Grade 2.

A Daughter of What A Winter (Western Winter), Get Up is a half-sister to the wellperformed Snaith galloper Malmesbury Missile and is out of the Gr1 winner Gabor, a daughter of the ill-fated Kingsbairns.

Now a winner of 3 races with a place from 4 starts, Get Up took her earnings to R698 221.

RCIS PAYOUTS 2025 / 2026 SEASON

RACE COAST KWAZULU-NATAL PAYOUTS 2025 / 2026

AUG 25 - MAR 26

RACE COAST WESTERN CAPE PAYOUTS

TOTAL PAYOUTS 2025 / 2026

MILE MAGIC BY SON OF ERUPT

While the graded level sprints naturally dominated the action at the Golden Horse Carnival Of Speed held at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday, there were some impressive performances in the minor contests.

Two of the three races around the turn were staged over 1600m and in the faster of these, the Gimme A Prince (2023) Class 4 , victory went to the Tony Rivalland trained MAGMA MAGIC, a Riverton Stud-bred son of Erupt, who is clearly in fine fettle.

Allowed to drift right out to 14/1 from 7’s at the track, the 5yo raced second for most of the journey just a length off a decent pace set by the 33/1 shot I Am Invictus.

The frontrunner found extra when Magma Magic moved up to challenge 300m out, and after a thrilling tussle all the way to the wire, he only got the verdict by the narrowest of margins.

A great ride by Tristan Godden, who was to go on later in the day and show his skills down the straight on Taxi To The Moon, a late dash winner of the Gr2 Golden Horse Sprint

After only managing to win one of his first twenty outings, Magma Magic has now won three of his last four!

The fastest finisher in the race was the wellsupported second favourite Master Bomber (5/1 into 7/2).

Positioned 13th of the fifteen some eight lengths off the pace turning for home, Stuart Ferrie’s charge ran on best of all after switching out around runners early in the straight and flying at the finish was only beaten a half-length into fourth.

The Gr2 Allan Robertson Championship (2yo f) was the first of the four 1200m graded races to be run and here we saw a very smart performance from the favourite GET UP (7/2 into 2/1). The daughter of What A Winter (brush left hind) got away well when the gates opened and led for the first 400m.

She was headed by Lady Nancy at that stage, but ridden under a tight hold, Sean Tarry’s charge regained the lead at the halfway mark without jockey Gavin Lerena having to move a muscle.

She began to assert her authority going through the 400m and although the previously unbeaten second favourite Flower Island chased hard in the closing stages of the race, she won without any anxious moments by almost three and a half.

A facile winner of the Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes at Turffontein last time out, Get Up has now won three from four and clearly has a very bright future ahead of her.

In terms of prize monies, the Gr1 Gold Medallion (2yo) over 1200m topped the bill and in what proved to be an absolute thriller, the Rafeef colt HAUTE COUTURE (5/2 out to 4/1) narrowly kept his unbeaten record in-tact.

Run in a time 0,27 seconds faster than the Allan Robertson, and just 0,29 seconds outside the course record, the facile winner of his three previous racecourse appearances Rich Man’s World (13/20 into 4/10) made the running whilst Mike & Matt De Kock’s charge raced just a length away in second.

A very easy winner by ten in his only previous start, Haute Couture moved up to challenge passing the 300m marker and battle quickly commenced. Both gave their all as they drew six lengths clear of the remainder, with just a neck separating them at the wire.

Track Conditions:

Going: Good (both tracks)

Penetrometer: 23 (both tracks

Rain: Last 7 days Nil

Irrigation: Last 24 hours Nil – Last 7 days

False Rail: 3m

Wind: 10-15km/h North Easterly cross wind

Course Variant: 1,31s fast (straight) –0,82s fast (bend)

The Gr2 Golden Horse Sprint over 1200m was next up and in an even tighter finish the 4yo TAXI TO THE MOON registered his eighth career victory. Fifteen went to post after the late scratching of Fox On The Run and although they raced across the width of the track there was always very little between them.

Indeed, going through the 400m barely two and a half lengths covered the vast majority.

The 6yo Café Culture (later reported coughing by the vet) was the first to make a move and on striking the front 150m out Lucinda Woodruff’s charge looked to have done everything right.

Never more than a length off the pace though, the Vercingetorix gelding steadily began to edge closer below the distance and in a race where just two and a half lengths covered the first ten home, he got up in the dying strides.

The runner up in both the Gr2 JJ The Jet Plane Stakes and Gr1 Computaform Sprint in recent outings, Taxi To The Moon has now won 8 of his 22 starts to date and has amassed stake earnings of R1,6M. Won in a time of 67,07 seconds, this was the fastest of the four 1200m graded races and was just 0,23 seconds outside of the course record.

The Gr1 South African Fillies Sprint over 1200m was effectively priced up as a boat race at the off between the hat-trick seeking Double Grand Slam (even money out to 18/10) and last season’s runner up ASIYE PHAMBILI (5/1 into 2/1).

The winner of both the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes and Gr1 Majorca Stakes in her latest two starts, Justin Snaith’s charge raced the closer to the pace. She had just three and a

half lengths to find at the halfway mark, but as they approached the 300m marker she became badly baulked for a run.

The Hollywood Racing flagship meanwhile raced just a length and a half behind her in eleventh and seeing the danger in the tightly bunched field approaching the 400m pole, jockey Sean Veale switched her out around runners.

She struck the front shortly after passing the 200m marker and with the benefit of first run, she held on by a head from the faster finishing favourite. The time of 22,16 recorded

by Asiye Phambili over the final 400m was the fastest for that segment of the afternoon.

Duncan Howells’ charge has now won 11 of her 32 career starts and has amassed stake earnings of over R2,3M. Although this was the slowest of the four graded races, there was only 0,48 seconds between the winners of all of them, which effectively is less than 3 lengths.

Fastest Times:

1200m (6) Taxi To The Moon

1400m (2) Magma Magic

400m-finish Asiye Phambili

NHA CALENDAR

22 MAY 2026

The Sporting Post presents the National Horseracing Authority calendar per 22 May 2026.

The calendar is a summary of the past week’s penalties and registrations and is an easy-read snapshot of information.

Please click on the image below:

SON OF FUTURA COULD BE DESTINED FOR HONG KONG

On Saturday afternoon Andrew Fortune endured a long drive back to Durban from Pietermaritzburg after being pipped in a Grade 1 in which he appeared to believe he could not get beaten.

On Sunday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, the former SA Champion jockey averted a repeat ‘disaster’ when he got Eight On Eighteen’s Futura half-brother Future Free home with a top ride to win the R350 000 Listed Pocket Power Stakes.

“As much as I am happy for Hollywood Racing and Sean Veale, and it’s a great story, it’s a long way home after getting unlucky in a Grade 1. But I believe God has a purpose,” added the charismatic 59-year-old in a reference to Asiye Phambili’s dramatic late dash to pip the Snaith star Double Grand Slam in Saturday’s Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint.

On Sunday, South Africa’s oldest jockey was almost given a repeat swipe at a lower level, this time by our French lady rider, the SplashOut-sponsored Mickaëlle Michel, who earlier on had broken the ice at only her second ride at the Cape Southern Suburbs venue.

On a memorable first afternoon at the historic track, Ms Michel’s 6 rides delivered a winner and 4 places, including a near miss at what would have been the Candyman’s expense, on 6yo Otto Luyken, who gave the younger winner 5kgs in the feature.

The son of Flower Alley loves the give in the ground and ran a cracker to be beaten a nose by Future Free.

The winner, who blew from 15-10 to start 4-1, clocked 122,83 secs for the winter course 1950m.

“Imagine if I had been beaten here – I can’t even speak French,” mused a relieved Fortune as he said that the winning performance by the 3yo, was his best to date.

Fortune was fined R6 600 for crop-related offences in the feature. Doing duty for the champion yard, Jono Snaith said that gelding had been the tonic for the bay, who races in a partnership of Bernard Kantor and Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud.

“He is Mr Kantor’s only horse with us and I believe there are plans in the pipeline for

him to race in Hong Kong,” added Justin’s younger brother, who turned 48 on Tuesday this week.

Future Free has now won 4 races with 4 places from 11 starts for stakes of R469 896.

As mentioned, he is out of the Captain Al mare Sempre Libre and thus a half-brother to reigning SA Horse Of The Year, Eight On Eighteen.

Ridgemont-sponsored Richard Fourie was the star of the day, riding 50% of the eight-race card, including the heavily backed Tunguska, who came in from 10’s to 16-10 to win the sixth for Ricky Maingard.

The next Race Coast Cape racemeeting is on Sunday 31 May at the same venue. The Listed Somerset 1200 heads the card.

GAMBLE LANDED ON MAINGARD GALLOPER

They raced on the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth winter course on Sunday, and as is always the case, tactics change considerably against those used on the summer course.

However, the most striking thing about this meeting is the fact that all three of the races on the straight course were run considerably slower than the class average time which you would expect given the going.

However, the five races around the turn were all run faster than the class average. Perhaps, understandably, the winter course did not receive as much irrigation as the summer course in recent months. Food for thought.

Run in a time almost a second faster than the feature race was the only other 1950m event on the card the Normandy Syndicate C Stakes and here a major gamble was landed by the Ricky Maingard trained TUNGUSKA.

Backed throughout the day into 33/20 favourite from 10/1, the 4yo son of Var raced third just four lengths off a decent pace set by Phantom Man.

He was ridden to lead going through the 300m and although Scottish Links challenged strongly at the business end of the race, he did look to have that one held at the wire.

Tunguska was the third of four winners on the card for jockey Richard Fourie.

The Listed Pocket Power Stakes over 1950m topped the bill and in what proved to be a very false paced affair, the 3yo FUTURE FREE registered his fourth career victory from just eleven starts.

Just seven went to post, three of which were trained by Justin Snaith. There was no pace on in the early stages of the race and whether or not by design, the lesser fancied of Justin’s runners, Magic Verse made the running and was allowed a very soft three lengths advantage.

The pace remained sedate and going through the 300m barely three lengths covered all. The son of Futura had raced third and after taking up the running 200m out, he kept on strongly in the sprint to the line to hold off a determined challenge from last year’s winner Otto Luyken by the narrowest of margins.

Jockey Andrew Fortune was fined R5600 for striking Future Free more than 10 times (12) and a further R1000m for striking the horse in consecutive strides.

Track Conditions:

Going: Good to Soft (both tracks)

Penetrometer: 26 (both tracks)

Rain: Last 24 hours Nil – Last 7 days 3mm

Irrigation: Last 7 days Nil

False Rail: Original position from 1700m with 2m spur at 550m

Wind: 10-15km/h South Westerly cross wind

Course Variant: 1,63s slow (straight) –0,91s fast (bend)

Three of the afternoon’s eight races were staged over 1200m and surprisingly the fastest of these was the opening HWB Kenilworth Welcomes You Maiden Juvenile

Plate won by the best bet on the card for many AQUAE CALIDAE. A runner up to the highly regarded Kalahari King in his only previous racecourse appearance, Eric Sands’ charge found strong support and eventually left the stalls deep in the red at 7/20 (op 17/20).

Taken straight to the front by champion jockey elect Craig Zackey, the Vercingetorix colt was three lengths clear at the halfway mark, and that without any real effort. Ridden gently with just hands and heels he steadily extended that advantage and went on to score by five despite being eased down over the final 60m.

Two of the three remaining races were staged over 1400m and in by far the quicker of these, the Lucky Fish Aviator Class 5 event , the Rafeef gelding SIGNOR DANTE gained a well-deserved third career victory. Beaten less than half a length by the subsequent Listed Pocket Power Stakes winner Future Free in his penultimate start, James Crawford’s charge was taking a drop-in class here.

He was soon positioned in the box seat just a length off the pace set by Givethatmanabells and was ridden to lead coming off the bend. He ran on strongly in the short home straight and although the friendless Devil A Saint (25/2 out to 25/1 – overreach left front) tried his best to make a race of it, he went on to score going away by two and a half.

Fastest Times:

1200m (3) Aquae Calidae 74,32

1400m (2) Signor Dante 85,65

1950m (2) Tunguska 121,85

- A LUCKY ESCAPE FOR JODHEE! CONCUSSION AND BLACK EYE

Mauritius-born apprentice Varun Jodhee is likely to be out of action for at least two weeks after an incident in the ninth race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth last Tuesday (19 May).

Varun, riding the 6-1 Street Outlaw for Ricky Maingard, was attempting to take a gap down the inside rail alongside eventual winner All About Al, when he tumbled heavily.

The Stipes reported that they have adjourned to review an incident in which Jodhee was dislodged at the 200m. In this incident, Galactus was steadied briefly and directed outwards to avoid the fallen rider.

Jodhee was attended to on course by the paramedics and was later transported to hospital.

SAJA Cape Town Riding Master Colinda

Austin told the Sporting Post that Varun was in good spirits back at the Academy, and that a CT Scan had come out clear.

“Varun has a concussion and black left eye. He is due to return to the doctor on 2 June for a follow-up,” confirmed Colinda.

Together with Sfiso Bungane and Brevan Plaatjies, Varun, a late starter at 22, joined the Cape Town satellite of SAJA eight months ago. He has ridden 6 winners this term.

A strong, athletic colt by exciting young sire Digital Age, a Gr. 1 winning son of Invincible Spirit.

HORSES IN TRAINING

This filly is a smart, racy type with exciting potential for the future.

Desert Island is a powerful, scopey colt by Group-winning sprinter Erik the Red.

Backed by class and consistency, this colt by ELUSIVE FORT is bred to make his mark.

A beautifully balanced, athletic filly with a pedigree that combines early speed and the scope to develop further with maturity.

A well-bred colt from a top-performing family with serious racing potential

CATALOGUE NOW ONLINE! CATALOGUE NOW ONLINE!

The 2026 KZN Yearling Sale Catalogue is now online and can be viewed by visiting the Bloodstock South Africa website .

Graduates of this always popular auction have enjoyed a great deal of success of late, with current and recent stars of the sale including such graded stakes winners as Just Reckless, Querari Dancer, Quickstepgal, and champion Quid Pro Quo.

This year’s BSA KZN Yearling Sale is set to take place at Suncoast Casino in Durban on Thursday, 02 July.

Many of South Africa’s top stallions will be well represented at this year’s sale, with

such sires as Act Of War, Buffalo Bill Cody, Fire Away, Futura, Legislate, Master Of My Fate, One World, Querari, Rafeef, The United States, Vercingetorix and What A Winter all having at least one yearling on offer.

The catalogue also offers buyers a chance to buy yearlings from the first crops of such notable Gr1 winning stallions as Digital Age, Eden Roc, Jet Dark, Kommetdieding and Master Archie.

Below are just a few of the choice lots to be found on offer at the 2026 KZN Yearling Sale:

• Lot 13: a Malmoos filly out of top racemare Fort Ember

• Lot 15: a Vercingetorix filly from the family of champion filly Lady In Black

• Lot 20: a Rafeef filly whose dam is a half-sister to multiple Gr1 winner Gypsy’s Warning

• Lot 26: a One World half-sister to the smart Buttercup Baby

• Lot 27: a What A Winter filly out of Gr3 winner Hot Affair

• Lot 31: a Master Archie half-sister to this season’s high-class two-year-old Red Spice

• Lot 39: a Rafeef colt out of a Gr2 winning daughter of Silvano

• Lot 52: a Danon Platina filly out of East Cape champion Madame Speaker

• Lot 58: a Buffalo Bill Cody filly out of Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes winner Maverick Girl

• Lot 59: a Jet Dark filly whose dam is a half-sister to two Gr1 winning sires

• Lot 63: a Hawwaam colt out of a Gr3 winning daughter of Querari

• Lot 65: a Soqrat half-brother to Gr3 winner Choisaanada

• Lot 77: a One World colt out of smart racemare Perfect Tigress

• Lot 79: a Danon Platina half-sister to Gr1 winner Vernichey

• Lot 87: a full-brother to Gr2 winner Jerusalema Rain

• Lot 88: a Legislate filly closely related to Gr1 winner and successful sire Act Of War

• Lot 94: an Act Of War colt out of a stakes winning daughter of Jet Master

• Lot 99: a Danon Platina colt out of East Cape star Santa Therese

• Lot 104: a Hawwaam half-sister to Gr3 winner Saartjie

• Lot 120: a Digital Age half-sister to the stakes placed Daffodil Delight

• Lot 136: an Eden Roc filly out of Gr3 winner Tropic Sun

• Lot 137: a Rafeef colt out of a half-sister to champion Whisky Baron

• Lot 140: a Fire Away half-sister to Gr1 winner Quickstepgal

• Lot 147: a Malmoos half-brother to Listed Golden Loom Handicap winner Bold Ransom

• Lot 167: a Rafeef colt whose dam is a half-sister to champion Heavy Meta

FOR ERIK THE RED FILLY FIRST STAKES SUCCESS

Course-and- distance specialist Danish Dynamite put her best hoof forward under national log-leader Craig Zackey at Fairview on Friday to win the R150 000 Listed Milkwood Stakes and register her maiden stakes success in the process.

Going off at 2-1, the Dean Smith-trained and Varsfontein Stud-bred daughter of Captain Al stallion Erik The Red was always in the firing line and asserted her authority late to get the better of the 5yo Virgin River (5-1) by three quarters of a length in a time of 57 secs for the 1000m on the polytrack.

Richard Fourie and the pacy 3yo Hot Sauce set the early fractions but faded in the straight as Danish Dynamite and Virgin River took

up the cudgel, with Song Of Myself looking dangerous.

The fancied Cape raider She’s My World (3320) was never going well and found herself out wide as they came for home – that from her pole position gate.

A half-sister to the very accomplished local star My Best Shot (Fire Away), Danish Dynamite is out of the Fort Wood mare Gypsy Madonna. Now a winner of 5 races with 4 places from her 11 starts, Danish Dynamite has earned R361 297.

The next Fairview racemeeting is on the turf on Friday, 29 May.

MAKING FOR FAIRER AND SAFER RACING!

The label ‘racing incident’, which is often used when multiple jockeys are involved in cases of bumping or interference, will be seen less in Stipendiary reports after the National Horseracing Authority recently implemented a variation of policy.

It has been the case in the past that, where at least two riders are involved in the same incident, the subjective nature of assessing and apportioning culpability would often lead to the Stipes declaring it a ‘racing incident, as individual blame could not be found, and often lay on both sides.

In an attempt to encourage jockeys to exercise greater prudency and care, and avoid incidents of bumping or interference, the Stipes will now treat any such incidents as a singular event, and the same penalty will apply to both riders involved.

This was confirmed by NHA Executive Chief Stipendiary Steward Ryan Hutcheson, who told the Sporting Post on Sunday that the move was made with the input and support of senior jockeys, and would ultimately be to the benefit of all riders and was intended to lead to fair and safer racing.

“The playing field in terms of accountability is now levelled, and we have addressed the jockeys and look forward to their co-operation. Naturally where the individual jockey is clearly more to blame, or even the instigator, the traditional assessment policy would continue to apply,” added Hutcheson.

We saw the revised variation being applied in the Fairview seventh race, the Listed

Milkwood Stakes, on Friday where the Stipes reported that at the 200m, ONE DANCE had to ease for a number of strides when awkwardly placed between SONG OF MYSELF, which shifted inwards away from the crop and SPORTS FAN, which shifted outwards.

In this incident, both ONE DANCE and SPORTS FAN made contact on a number of occasions leaving the 100m.

Both Calvin Habib (Song Of Myself) and Chase Maujean (Sports Fan) were charged with a contravention of Rule 62.2.7 in that they were individually and severally assessed to have failed to ensure that they did not cause interference to ONE DANCE leaving the 200m. Both riders signed individual admissions of guilt and given warnings.

In the fourth race at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday, the Stipes reported that in the concluding stages CLEARTHERUNWAY was steadied when squeezed out between JP’S PALACE, which shifted out and DIANI, which shifted in.

Both Rachel Venniker (JP’s PALACE) and Chad Little (DIANI) were individually charged with a contravention of Rule 62.2.7, in that they respectively failed to ensure that they did not cause interference to CLEARTHERUNWAY (C Habib) when shifting out, when insufficiently clear in the concluding stages.

Both Ms Venniker and Little signed an admission of guilt and were suspended from riding at one race meeting, the respective dates of which are to be advised.

MALMOOS FILLY MARCHES ON UNBEATEN

Kelly Mitchley’s top-class Malmoos filly Marchland followed up on her Listed East Cape Nursery success to maintain her perfect three-from-three record with a facile victory in Friday’s R150 000 Listed Lady’s Slipper at Fairview.

After a switch from turf to the polytrack, the 1400m feature retained its full house of seven runners and it was no surprise to see the Lammerskraal Stud-bred Marchland (15-10), in her first start beyond the sprints and on the new surface, register a facile win, beating Obsidian Star (5-2) by 3,25 lengths in a time of 82,16 secs.

Returning from a ten-week break, her winning margin for her victories is an now an aggregate of 12 lengths! Muzi Yeni has been in the proverbial armchair at all her three starts.

A flagbearer for her Ridgemont-based SA Triple Crown winning sire Malmoos (Captain Al), Marchland is out of the Western Winter mare Marcheline.

Raced by Mervin Govender, she was a R450 000 buy from the 2025 Premier Yearling Sale and is now unbeaten in three jumps took her stakes bank to R227 407.

HEAVENLY BLUE’S SON A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY!

A winner of 6 of his 9 starts in the Eastern Cape, Alan Greeff’s Heavenly Blue gelding Zinovi – formerly based with De Kock Racing on the Highveld – was a facile winner of the R175 000 Non Black-Type Fairview 1400 on Friday.

The ASSM Racing Syndicate-owned 5yo ‘did everything wrong’ in the words of the Ridgemont sponsored Richard Fourie, who took him around his field from last into the 900m, before he exploded through at 5-4 down the centre to beat Lanciafiamme (6-1) by 3 lengths in a time of 81,02 secs for the all-weather 1400m

Bred by Danika Stud, the winner is by Ascot Stud’s Snitzel stallion Heavenly Blue out of the one-time winning Jallad mare, Zayna.

A R200 000 National Yearling Sale buy, Zinovi took his stakes earnings to R977 653 with his 10th win and 9 places from 27 starts.

Heavenly Blue sired another good winner at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday when the Owloon Horses-bred Hero’s Journey, a 2yo colt trained by Vaughan Marshall, shed his maiden at his fifth start.

A MAGICAL CAPE TOUR!

Time sure flies! It’s been close on a fortnight since the KZN Breeders visited the Cape for a week of travelling over 900km, viewing beautiful farms, meeting equine professionals with years of expertise, admiring exquisite stallions, enjoying camaraderie, laughs – and, of course, the world-class food and wine!

The general consensus in the happy touring group was that it was an excellent opportunity for breeders to see many stallions in the flesh, some of which they have been using or considering for the upcoming seasons.

Most tend to look at sires and mating selections for mares from pedigree analysis and photos, while seeing the individuals live often gives a very different perspective.

It is also valuable for breeders to have experienced different farms and shared opinions and processes; there is so much to consider when one sees it practically, and it was reportedly fascinating to see how different things work on different studs.

Given the timing, the KZN Breeders were very active in the market at both the online, and RSC Mixed and Black Swan reduction sales during the week.

There will be mares travelling from most KZN Studs to visit stallions in the Cape, but hopefully with a slightly more informed perspective this year with so many of the horses now fresh in our minds.

A huge aspect of the tour was to build on friendships and camaraderie in a more relaxed atmosphere, and to continue working on bringing

the industry, as a whole, together for the good of all.

Warwick Render said that the KZN breeders were so grateful to all their counterparts in the Cape for welcoming them and sharing so much in a special few days.

“We were blessed to have visited before the devastating storms hit and our thoughts and well wishes go out to everyone affected by this disaster,” concluded the Bush Hill boss.

Bruce Campbell felt that, although he enjoyed viewing many magnificent stallions in the Western Cape, one of the highlights was meeting many of the Cape breeders and getting to know them better and enjoying their company and hospitality and sharing experiences with them.

Gary De Klerk was pleased to see ‘the old man’ Flower Alley. “He was very impressive; he didn’t look a day older than 16. What a champion!”

The group view echoed by Warwick Render was that the hospitality shown by everyone on the trip was unbelievable. “It really showed how everyone embraced this aspect and culminated in a wonderful evening at Duncan Barry’s Riverton Stud,” concluded Warwick. “At the same time, we would like to support our generous sponsors for their kind support of a very worthwhile initiative.”

Klawervlei was a popular choice | Credit: Pauline Herman Photography

ON 04 JULY! A STAR-STUDDED LINE UP

The musicians are among a star-studded line up who will be entertaining at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse in Durban, where guests can look forward to a winning combination of world-class horse racing, high fashion, music and entertainment.

Micasa are a celebrated house band with a brace of best-selling albums and industry awards under their belts. It was recently announced that the trio will be representing South Africa later this year at the Fifa World Cup.

Chart-topping Will Linley is among a new wave of young singer-songwriters helping to redefine local music.

And DJ and vocalist Tamara Dey is a bighitter in the electronic dance scene with more than 25 years in the business to her credit.

Apart from the big stage performances, the three acts will also be entertaining an exclusive audience at the Hollywoodbets marquees.

Confirmation that Dey, Linley and Micasa are among the day’s headline acts comes hot on the heels of news that Anlia

Etzebeth will be performing the national anthem at the be Hollywoodbets Durban July.

A celebrated performer on screen and stage, Anlia has delivered standout live moments, including a powerful rendition of the South African anthem at Cape Town Stadium in 2022 when Springbok Eben Etzebeth marked his 100th test cap with a Man of the Match performance.

This year’s theme is “Country Allure”. It’s an invitation to designers, fashion-lovers, and racegoers to draw inspiration from our country’s dramatic, rural landscapes and the elegance of our equestrian culture.

Tickets are now on sale for general admission, picnic sites and VIP hospitality packages, and parking via Ticketpro

For more information, visit the official Hollywoodbets Durban July website

– HERE’S THE LATEST KHUMALO INQUIRY

The Inquiry into Jockey S’manga Khumalo reconvened before an appointed Inquiry Board on 25 May 2026.

The following charges were put to Mr Khumalo:

Charge 1: Corrupt / dishonest practice –improper communication of non-public race information

Alleged contravention: Contravention of the NHA Rules relating to corrupt or dishonest practices and/or conduct detrimental to the integrity of racing (Rule(s) 72.1.1 and 72.1.19)

Particulars: The Respondent, being a licensed Jockey under NHA jurisdiction, is alleged to have on or about the period October 2025 to 27 February 2026 at or near various racecourses in the Republic of South Africa, improperly communicated

Charge 2: Corrupt receipt/acceptance of money or benefit (gratification) connected to race activity

Alleged contravention: Contravention of the NHA Rules relating to corrupt or dishonest practices and/or conduct bringing the sport into disrepute (Rule(s) 72.1.2 and 21.5).

Particulars: The Respondent, being a licensed Jockey under NHA jurisdiction, is alleged to have on or about the period October 2025 to 27 February 2026 at or near various racecourses in the Republic of

to Noor Iqbal (an unlawful/unauthorised betting person and/or associate) non-public information relating to a race and/or a horse, including but not limited to intended riding tactics, stable instructions, horse fitness/ soundness, and/or expected performance in circumstances where such communication is intended, reasonably likely or understood to be used for betting purposes and/or to undermine the integrity of racing.

• Jockey Khumalo pleaded guilty to Charge 1.

• The Inquiry Board found him guilty of Charge 1.

South Africa, directly or indirectly requested, agreed to receive, and/or received from Noor Iqbal a sum of money of approximately R128 000.00 as consideration for (i) furnishing the information described in Charge 1 and/ or (ii) riding, or agreeing to ride, in a manner intended to affect the performance of a horse and/or the outcome of a race for betting purposes.

• Jockey Khumalo pleaded guilty to Charge 2.

• The Inquiry Board found him guilty of Charge 2.

Charge 3: Conduct affecting the performance of a horse / failure to ride on the merits (race fixing)

Alleged contravention: Contravention of the NHA Rules relating to (i) corrupt or dishonest practices, (ii) conduct affecting the performance of a horse, and/or (iii) conduct prejudicial to the interests/integrity of racing (Rule 72.1.26).

Particulars: The Respondent, being a licensed Jockey under NHA jurisdiction, is alleged to have on or about the period October 2025 to 27 February 2026 at or near various racecourses in the Republic of

South Africa, intentionally and dishonestly failed to ensure that the horse was ridden on its merits and/or acted so as to affect the performance of the horse and/or the result of the race for an improper purpose, (including without limitation) by: restraining the horse; failing to obtain the best possible placing; deviating from instructions without reasonable cause; and/or otherwise riding in a manner inconsistent with a bona fide attempt to achieve the best possible placing.

• Jockey Khumalo pleaded not guilty to Charge 3.

• The Inquiry Board found him guilty of Charge 3.

Arguments were made in respect of penalty, and the Inquiry Board reserved its judgment on sentencing, and the matter has been adjourned and will resume on 29 May 2026.

Mr Khumalo’s interim suspension remains in place pending the finalisation of the Inquiry.

• Media release by the NHA on Monday, 25 May 2026.

Ed – The NHA have advised that, due to logistical considerations, the Inquiry Board will reconvene on 10 June 2026 for judgment on sentencing and the matter.

Mr Khumalo’s interim suspension remains in place pending the finalisation of the Inquiry.

UNNAMED HORIZON x

BREEDING HOPES, BUILDING DREAMS

Life has changed dramatically for Suzette and Basie Viljoen since they traded the dusty, unrelenting landscapes of the North West for the mountains and green valleys of the Western Cape in pursuit of Suzette’s dream of owning a stud farm.

Their entry into the notoriously challenging world of commercial thoroughbred breeding has brought its fair share of obstacles, but through persistence, sacrifice and plenty of hard work, Hopes And Dreams Stud is steadily growing into an operation with genuine promise and momentum.

The farm was originally named Arc-En-Ciel, a tribute to owner Shirley Pfeiffer’s Rainbow Chickens empire, and was developed as a stud enterprise by breeder Jan Mantel between 1989 and 1996.

Shirley’s runners were trained by Chris Snaith, who helped her to acquire the property, which consisted of two adjoining

wine farms. In 1991, Snaith won the then Rothmans Durban July for the jubilant Pfeiffer team with Flaming Rock (Ballad Rock), who stood as a stallion at Arc En Ciel when he retired and was buried in a marked grave under one of the oaks near the stallion barn.

Ironically, Chris Snaith pointed Suzette and Basie to the very same farm almost 40 years later. By 2023, Arc-En-Ciel had undergone a few face lifts. When Mantel left, Craig and Amanda Carey occupied the farm for 17 years and housed stallions including Cordoba, Stage Call, Alado and, for a short while, Elusive Fort.

While Arc-En-Ciel lacked the firepower to compete with the big players at sales, the farm quietly prospered. The vegetation matured, the land found its rhythm, and Carey bred and raised the champion racer and current leading stallion Act Of War (Dynasty) from a Cordoba mare.

When the Carey family moved on in 2013 –five years after Pfeiffer’s passing – Arc-EnCiel reinvented itself as a game farm. Her daughter, Suzanne Rueda, and her husband removed the paddocks and established a game breeding operation comprising both exotic and commercial species, together with game camps and specialised fencing.

When Suzette and Basie moved into the manor house on their new farm midway through 2023, their first task was to reconstruct the paddocks to accommodate their 100-plus broodmares and foals –reviving the stud farm Arc-En-Ciel once was and shaping it into something even better.

Their first challenge came not from the horses, but from nature itself as they received an immediate baptism into the Western Cape’s unpredictable weather patterns. “It started raining,” Suzette remembered. “The heavens opened and we were told it was the heaviest rainfall in 50 years. Then, the following year, that record was beaten again!”

The property was redeveloped with an emphasis on creating an aesthetic experience and was successfully operated with exclusive game drives and picnics for the public.

So far this rainy season, there have been no indications of even higher rainfall figures, although Suzette said the power of nature was recently felt again when the Limiet River, which runs through the farm, came down in flood and carried driftwood and debris from the mountains, damaging the bridge linking the property to its 5km entrance road.

The original wooden structure of the bridge remains strong and sound, according to Suzette, but repeated flooding has a habit of breaking through at the old repaired sections.

It is the same bridge where former resident Craig Carey narrowly escaped disaster after his Toyota Prado was nearly swept away in floodwaters powerful enough to threaten carrying him all the way to the Berg River and out towards the Atlantic Ocean.

Suzette said: “We were truly weather-beaten and somewhat overwhelmed in those first

few months as we found our feet, but all our neighbours and fellow breeders have been welcoming and supportive.

“One day our neighbour, Julia Pilbeam from Soetendal Farm, arrived at our gate with her husband, Deon. She said she had seen me in a supermarket in Wellington and thought I looked down and out. “They arrived with a bottle of wine and a few encouraging words, and it meant more to us than they probably realised.”

Now, however, things are beginning to take shape and the Viljoens have added a further 110 hectares from an adjoining property to their existing 150-hectare operation.

Click on the image below to read the full story…

WALLER HITS 200 GR1 WINNER MARK

Becoming just the third Australian trainer to record 200 individual Gr1 winners, joining the great Tommy Smith and Bart Cummings, Chris Waller saddled three runners in Saturday’s A$1m Gr1 BRC Doomben Cup (2000m), with Birdman (IRE) recording a facile victory for connections.

Jumping the favourite off his narrow second behind Pride Of Jenni last time out in the Gr2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast, the James McDonald ridden Birman settled with just two behind him as Ciaron Maher’s multiple Gr1-winning mare went many lengths in front.

With Pride Of Jenni 12 lengths clear approaching the 700m mark, none of the remaining six jockeys had started to make a move, and the questions were clearly starting to be raised… who would make the first move…could the leader be caught…will she run out a strong 2000m?

One of the first to make a move approaching the 600m mark was Chris Waller’s last start Listed Gosford Cup winner Asterix (NZ) before McDonald asked Birdman for an effort as he came four-wide to chase the mare.

It was clear Pride Of Jenni was on tired legs as she galloped past the 200m pole, and it wasn’t long before Birdman ‘flew’ past to pull clear and win by just shy of two and threequarter lengths.

Pride Of Jenni, gallant as always, finished in second, with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Vauban (Fr) doing his best work late to come from last to finish third.

“The man behind the operation, he is just an absolute master and it’s a privilege to be part of his team,” McDonald said post race.

“How he ‘preps’ these horses is incredible, and he deserves all the accolades he gets and all the records he breaks, because he’s a one of a generation sort of trainer and we’re lucky to be in his bubble.

Surprisingly having not beaten Pride Of Jenni all that often, Waller was pleased to get a victory over the mare.

“He was peaking today. Obviously, we want to win the race and take it the right way, but I said, ‘ride him to run second. If Pride Of Jenni fails, we’ll win the race, but don’t take her on at the 800m because we won’t win,’” he said.

“Pride Of Jenni, we were all worried about her. She was the talking point and that’s what sells racing. Well done to Tony (Ottobre, owner), Ciaron (Maher, trainer) and his team.

“It’s a shame she wasn’t right there. I don’t beat her very often. She’s beaten Via Sistina, she’s beaten Fangirl, she’s beaten a lot of our better horses, and she’s been my nightmare.”

Waller was quite emotional when paying tribute to Birdman’s late owner and his close friend, Mark Timms, who sadly died in March.

“We lost a good friend, Mark Timms, six weeks ago. He was in the horse, and his wife Leah is here today. He was a beautiful man, so it’s a pretty touching win,” Waller said. “I wish Timms was here, it’s as simple as that.”

When speaking about his achievement of 200 Gr1 winners, Waller highlighted his team.

“With Tommy Smith, I was embarrassed to be around him; I used to be in awe of him,” Waller said. “And Bart, I had a good relationship with him, and he was an amazing man.

“I think what I’ve done is show that anything is possible. I’ve got a good team and respect that team. Anything is possible when you’ve got confidence and good horses.”

With six wins and five placed efforts from 22 starts with earnings of A$1,785,072, the Windflower Overseas Holdings Inc-bred Birdman is the lone stakes winner amongst three winners for the Acclamation mare Carol, from the extended family of Champion Filly Snow Fairy (Intikhab), a winner of six individual Gr1 races.

Birdman is the lone Gr1 winner amongst 16 international stakes performers for the High Chaparral stallion Free Eagle (IRE), who shuttled to South Australia’s Cornerstone Stud for three seasons where he covered 171 mares.

A winner of the Gr1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Free Eagle now stands at Ireland’s Anngrove Stud.

www.breednet.com.au

MURUGASAS CELEBRATE

GR1 BREAKTHROUGH

Jayson and Preshalin Murugasa realised their longcherished ambition of owning a Gr1 winner when Haute Couture (Callan Murray) defeated Rich Man’s World in a scintillating finish to Saturday’s R1.75-million Gr1 Gold Medallion over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.

The build-up centred heavily on a potential showdown between two promising juvenile stars and, having prevailed in such a fiercely anticipated contest, made the Murugasas’ long-awaited Gr1 breakthrough even sweeter.

Preshalin Murugasa explained that the family’s ownership journey began in 2017 when his father, Jayson, played a round of golf with trainer Brett Crawford and decided to test the waters by joining Advocate Koos Pieterse’s Cigar Syndicate. Their horse was Gimme A Cohiba, a colt by Gimmethegreenlight.

After Gimme A Cohiba had won three races, father and son decided they would derive greater enjoyment from racing horses under their own banner and began assembling a team to carry the Murugasas’ green and blue silks.

They have raced near 60 horses since, enjoying a fair measure of success along the way, but it took almost a decade to finally break through at the highest level.

“We won the Betway Summer Cup

Consolation with Alladin’s Lamp on Summer Cup Day in 2025, and then Splittheights gave us a real taste of top-level success by winning the Gr3 Got The Greenlight Stakes and Gr2 Gauteng Guineas before running third in the Gr1 SA Classic,” said Preshalin. “The feeling was that our big day was coming, and eventually it did. It was incredibly exciting for us.”

They now have 40 horses in training with Mike and Mathew de Kock at Randjesfontein and Summerveld, and Preshalin noted that there will be more talented youngsters coming through the ranks. “We are waiting for a few other good ones to step out. Haute Couture’s win may have opened the floodgates.”

Mike described the Murugasas as being “loyal, with hearts of lions” and there were emotional scenes as the team and owners celebrated in the winner’s enclosure.

Haute Couture cost R2-million at the Bloodstock South Africa National Yearling Sale and, according to Mat, had been a priority target from the outset. “He was a striking individual and sat right at the top of our shortlist. Preshalin was at the sale and Jayson was on the phone. We went hard to get Haute Couture because we really liked him, and they supported us every step of the way.”

Mat confirmed that Haute Couture would be rested for the remainder of the 2025/2026 season.

“With a horse like this, you have to target the Gr1 races everyone wants to win, races like the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas,” he said. “Haute Couture is still young and immature. He now has his Gr1 on the board, so we can afford to be patient. We’ll probably follow the Graham Beck Stakes–Dingaans route into the Guineas.

“He still has to prove that he is effective beyond 1200m, but he has a good mind and settles well, which is already a major advantage when you start stretching them out over further.”

Haute Couture is by Ridgemont’s super stallion Rafeef (on whom Callan Murray won the Gr1 Computaform Sprint) out of the onetime winning Var mare, Isle de France (from the family of Ilha Da Vittoria) and was bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritfontein.

Preshalin commented: “We enjoy studying pedigrees and following the progress of our runners, but we leave the training side entirely in the hands of Mike and Mathew.”

Preshalin himself was captivated by racing after attending the Cape Town Met in 2016.

“I loved everything about the spectacle of the day and that was when it became my dream to win the Met one day. My dad’s ambition is to win the Hollywoodbets Durban July. Hopefully, one day, we can win both.”

While Preshalin is deeply involved in the family’s Gauteng-headquartered

businesses, Jayson now spends much of his time at their farm near La Mercy in KwaZulu-Natal.

The family works alongside Smith & Nephew in the distribution of medical technology products across South Africa and also owns the Core Capacity Training Academy, which specialises in BBBEE education and skills development initiatives.

“I live close to Randjesfontein, so I get to see the horses often and spend time with Mat and the team around the braai,” said Preshalin. “The racing life is good!”

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GSTAAD GRABS THE GUINEAS!

Gstaad, the 4/11 favourite, produced a dominant performance under Ryan Moore to win the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas by three-lengths on Saturday.

An easy winner over a mile in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar last season, the Ballydoyle colt had to settle for second at Newmarket behind the impressive Bow Echo on his seasonal return.

There were no mistakes back home at the Curragh as the Starspangledbanner colt could be called the winner over a furlong out.

“He’s a lovely, uncomplicated horse and Ryan gave him a beautiful ride,” said O’Brien.

“Ryan said he was a little bit lazy through the race but when he got him opened up, he went to the line very well.”

That laziness was evident when the ninerunner field galloped past the three-furlong pole as Moore, who had settled the winner in a share of third from his wide draw, began to urge him forward at a time when most of his rivals had not been asked any serious questions.

Once he moved past the Karl Burke trained Alparslan who had lead throughout until the final furlong, he claimed the far rail before clearing away from his rivals to win readily.

Godolphin raiders Distant Storm, third at Newmarket, and his stablemate Pacific Blue finished second and third.

Distant Storm stayed on for second, confirming the form from Newmarket while Pacific Avenue made steady heady way from the rear of the field to finish four lengths behind the winner.

The prospect of a rematch with Bow Echo in the St James’s Palace Stakes at the Royal meeting looks likely and will be worth the wait.

The girls got their chance on Sunday in the Tattersalls 1000 Guineas.

Again, Ballydoyle dominated the betting with their 1000 Guineas winner True Love, the well-backed 4/6 favourite and her stablemate Precise, next best at 4/1. They dominated the finish but the race did not play out according to the script.

Ryan Moore’s decision to switch mounts and ride the brilliant 1000 Guineas winner played its part as the No Nay Never filly shortened from 6/4 to 4/6.

Precise, like Gstaad also sired by Starspangledbanner, had five lengths to make up from her Newmarket seventh. She did that and then some finishing best from the rear of the field to beat her more fancied stable companion by a widening two and a half lengths.

In doing so, the remarkable Aidan O’Brien has won the 2026 English, French and Irish 1000 Guineas with Diamond Necklace too good in Paris a fortnight ago.

O’Brien has been telling us she is unique, and she could try to do something that is almost impossible. No Ballydoyle-based filly has won the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks since Imagine did the double 25 years ago, but there is every chance Precise will bid for the quickfire double at Epsom on Friday week.

“Obviously, the lads will make the decision with regard to running in the Oaks and we’ll see how she comes out of today. There is a good chance she’ll run and Ryan felt today that she was running with a view to going on to the Oaks. It’s very exciting and she has an incredible pedigree.”

On Moore picking the wrong one again, O’Brien added: “It’s very difficult on Ryan and we discussed riding arrangements before declaration time. It was very hard for him not to ride True Love. He didn’t ride her at Newmarket because we weren’t sure she would get a mile, but she proved that she did there.”

“Precise was only beaten five lengths at Newmarket, which isn’t that much for this type of filly, but she is a serious one and is as good as we’ve had. It looks like she’ll have no problem going further.”

HOME AFFAIRS FILLY WEANLING SALES TOPPER

A half-sister to Group One winner Madame Pommery by first season sire sensation Home Affairs topped Sunday’s Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale when selling for A$680,000.

Offered by Coolmore Stud as Lot 251, the beautiful chestnut filly was the subject of intense interest from potential buyers before being knocked down to SP Bloodstock.

The much-admired youngster is the seventh living foal of Earthquake’s twice-winning sister Cancel – a mare who has already produced four winners including Thousand Guineas heroine Madame Pommery and the New Zealand based Group performer Moet Down.

The filly helped propel Coolmore Stud’s Home Affairs to clear top spot on the leading sire table for the sale with his nine offerings all selling for a gross of A$1.95 million.

“It’s a horse I couldn’t leave the sale without,” SP Bloodstock’s Stefan Pardi reported. I think if you play up there, at the higher level, it rewards you nine or 12 months later.”

‘This particular horse fits that model. She fits the Equine Growth Fund model and also fits my own bloodstock model. When you look at the page of this filly she’s a half to a Group One winner. She’s a filly, she isn’t a colt, so that residual value will always be there.”

“The stallion I believe, next year in 2027, will be the hottest stallion in Australia,” Pardi added.

Coolmore Stud purchased Cancel from the 2018 National Broodmare Sale for A$400,000 and she has quickly established herself one of the farm’s leading producers.

“Any time you bring a filly like this to a sale it’s a collector’s item,” Coolmore’s Racing Manager John Kennedy said. “She’s a beautiful filly. She showed herself off very well this week and credit to Magic Millions –they had all the right people here at the sales complex.”

“She was phenomenally busy and she has all the upside of Home Affairs. There were multiple bidders when she hit the market and we wish the owners the very best of luck with her.”

“I’m sure she will be a standout yearling next year,” Kennedy added. “Home Affairs is the gift that keeps giving – we’re very lucky to have a stallion with his credentials at stud at Coolmore.”

Late in the day Tasmania’s Grenville Stud made a major impact when they went to A$500,000 to secure Baramul Stud’s lovely Zoustar colt from Grandstraand.

The colt is the first foal of an unraced I Am Invincible daughter of Group One Oakleigh

Plate winner Mrs Onassis. His family is packed with black-type winners.

“He was certainly the horse we wanted,” Grenville’s Bart McCulloch noted. “Quality horses like that, you have to expect to pay for them. He’s a Zoustar and he’s a standout type. They are the sort of horses you are wanting to be taking to sales that everyone is going to love.”

“We think he’s a lovely horse and a great investment,” he added. “We saw him on the first day of inspections and really loved him.”

Not far behind the Zoustar colt for prices achieved on the day was the Extreme Choice-Boomstress colt who was presented by Kingstar Farm and purchased by China’s Sheng Geng for A$480,000.

“It means a lot,” Kingstar Farm’s Adam Cook said. “The Extreme Choice factor has helped us out massively. With his results this year I thought it was a very good opportunity to bring him up – realising he would be the only one on offer.”

“They’re all rare commodities and when they’re put together right they’re even rarer. It was a very solid day’s trade,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. “To have the numbers very much in line with last year is very pleasing.”

“The clearance rate is a touch higher than last year and it should continue to improve overnight. We had 62 six figure weanlings on the day, it was almost a mirror image of last year. We just had a few more withdrawals and a few less horses catalogued – so we’re delighted.”

“The vendors here that brought quality lots were well supported by buyers. I understand the vetting was up on last year – so there was great demand. At different times today there was a really good atmosphere and some really strong, solid bidding and good competition.”

“There was a good amount of end users here and obviously the traders were here in force. I think both of those markets were strong and complemented each other,” Bowditch added. “It was a really solid market.”

To view the results of the National Weanling Sale or to make an offer on a passed in lot click here .

Sale Stats (2025 in brackets)

• Lots Catalogued: 360 (371)

• Lots Sold: 203 (223)

• Lots Withdrawn: 88 (64)

• Lots Passed In: 69 (84)

• Sale Gross: A$15,918,500 (A$17,687,100)

• Top Price: A$680,000 (A$550,000)

• Average Price: A$78,461 (A$79,314)

• Median Price: A$50,000 (a$44,000)

• Sold %: 75 (73)

Top Sellers

• A$680,000 – Home Affairs-Cancel filly (Lot 251)

• Vendor: Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / Buyer: SP Bloodstock (Aust) Pty Ltd (NSW)

• A$500,000 – Zoustar-Grandstraand colt (Lot 326)

• Baramul Stud / Grenville Stud (Tas)

• A$480,000 – Extreme Choice-Boomstress colt (Lot 245)

• Kingstar Farm / Sheng Geng (China)

• A$400,000 – Ole Kirk-Oxford Angel filly (Lot 78)

• Rosari Farm / MyRacehorse/Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing/Belmont B’stock (NSW)

• A$400,000 – I Am Invincible-Renaissance Woman colt (Lot 105)

• Attunga Stud (As Agent) / Fernrigg Farm (NSW)

Leading Buyers (ranked by total spend)

• A$950,000 – Grenville Stud – 4 lots

• A$745,000 – SP Bloodstock (Aust) Pty Ltd – 2 lots

• A$710,000 – Fernrigg Farm – 4 lots

• A$520,000 – Shane McGrath Bloodstock –4 lots

• A$497,500 – Linsheng Zhang – 4 lots

Leading Vendors (ranked by gross)

• A$1,715,000 – Amarina Farm – 21 sold

• A$1,711,000 – Coolmore Stud – 11 sold

• A$1,421,000 – Aristia Park – 11 sold

• A$1,237,000 – Three Bridges Thoroughbreds – 10 sold

• A$1,231,000 – Baramul Stud – 14 sold

Leading Vendors (ranked by average – 2 or more sold)

• A$310,000 – Kingstar Farm – 2 sold

• A$220,000 – Kulani Park – 2 sold

• A$176,666 – Attunga Stud – 6 sold

• A$155,545 – Coolmore Stud – 11 sold

• A$129,182 – Aristia Park – 11 sold

Leading Sires (ranked by average – 2 or more sold)

• A$350,000 – Zoustar – 2 sold

• A$216,667 – Home Affairs – 9 sold

• A$195,000 – Harry Angel – 2 sold

• A$166,250 – Anamoe – 4 sold

• A$150,000 – Wootton Bassett – 4 sold

CLASSIC GLORY FOR

STARSPANGLEDBANNER COLT

Gstaad (3c Starspangledbanner – Mosa Mine, by Exceed And Excel) added Classic glory to his name with a comfortable win in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday.

The Ballydoyle-trained colt was a top-class juvenile last year, landing the Gr2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and supplementing Gr1 placings in the Prix Morny, National Stakes and Dewhurst with a win in the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar.

He finished second on his seasonal reappearance in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket this month.

Ridden by Ryan Moore, the Maywood Studbred Gstaad was positioned prominently and moved up into second from two furlongs out. He led with a furlong left to run and went clear to score by three lengths.

Aidan O’Brien said: “He’s a lovely uncomplicated horse and Ryan gave him a beautiful ride. He’s very straightforward and genuine.All the team around him do a great job, there are so many people involved with him and thanks to them. Obviously, he was in Coolmore as well from the time he was a foal.

“He’s a lovely horse and we always thought that he would end up even getting a bit further than a mile.Ryan was very happy today, he

said he was a little bit lazy through the middle of the race but when he got him opened up he went to the line very well. We’re delighted.”

He added: “He got beat in three Group 1s last year and we felt that he was a little bit unlucky in the three. We were delighted that he held on to go to America, and he won his Group 1.

“Sometimes when that happens horses don’t get it back, but we felt there were circumstances every day he got beat.

“He’s very straightforward, he just needs a little bit of room to get going. Sometimes if it gets too tactical or if he gets caught up in pace that wasn’t strong early. He’s probably stronger now and the Curragh was lovely.”

“Ryan was drawn wide, and you’d say that would be a disadvantage to some horses, but it was lovely for him because he was going to get a clear run and the pace was nice.

“Ryan said the best feel he ever gave him was when he won the Coventry, so you’d hope that he’d be very happy to go back to Ascot.”

IRISH GUINEAS DOUBLE

Precise (3f Starspangledbanner – Way To My Heart, by Galileo) completed a fantastic weekend for Starspangledbanner with a clear-cut score in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Sunday.

Last year’s Cartier Champion TwoYear-Old Filly was making her second start of the campaign and stepped forward from her outing at Newmarket to claim Classic laurels in comprehensive style.

The Whisperview Trading-bred filly had landed a brace of Group 1s last year in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies’ Mile to be crowned champion juvenile filly. In claiming her third Group 1, Precise was completing an Irish Guineas double for Starspangledbanner following Gstaad’s victory on Saturday.

Ridden by Wayne Lordan, the Ballydoyletrained filly settled towards the rear on the outer and began to make headway from two furlongs out.

She hung right a furlong out but stayed on well to score by a ready two and a half lengths. In second was True Love (by No Nay Never), a winner of the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Aidan O’Brien said: “She really stepped forward today and Wayne gave her a beautiful ride. In Newmarket, Ryan was on the ‘wrong’ side and when he made his move, she got tired, needed the run and Ryan looked after her in the last half-furlong.

“Roger [Quinlan], who rides her every day, said this morning that she was a different filly than the one going to Newmarket. Wayne gave her a beautiful ride and we’re over the moon.

“We were talking on the way to the races and Annemarie said how much stamina is in the pedigree and she’s out of a really good and genuine Galileo-mare. Obviously, the lads will make the decision regarding running in the Oaks so we’ll say how she comes out of today. There’s a good chance she’ll run and Ryan felt today that she was running, to go to the Oaks.

“It’s very exciting and she has an incredible pedigree.”

SHUM’S WARRIOR CLINCHES

HONG KONG TRIPLE CROWN

Sealing his place among Hong Kong’s pantheon of equine immortals with triumph in the HK$13 million Gr1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup run over 2400m at Sha Tin on Sunday – and becoming only the third horse to clinch the Triple Crown – Romantic Warrior will be given a wellearned spell before trainer Danny Shum decides the champion’s racing future.

Speaking immediately after Romantic Warrior claimed a record-extending 15th Group 1 by a Hong Kong horse under James McDonald, joining River Verdon (1993/94) and Voyage Bubble (2024/25) as a Triple Crown winner, Shum said: “I’m such a lucky guy, lucky trainer – because I can train Romantic Warrior.

“Before the race we already set up the plan – put him to sleep, let him relax, and try to hit the front. He hit the line in the last 400m, so James has done a great job, he’s top-class jockey.”

Claiming a HK$10 million Triple Crown Bonus, Romantic Warrior boosted his world-record prizemoney earnings to HK$288.7 million for owner Peter Lau after the eight-year-old overcame Numbers by half a length with Deep Monster a further length-and-a-half away in third in 2m 26.67s – the same time Voyage Bubble recorded last season.

The Triple Crown comprises the HK$13 million Gr1 Stewards’ Cup, HK$13 million Gr1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup and today’s Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup.

Settling fourth behind Numbers and Romantic Thor, Romantic Warrior worked into the race under the unflappable McDonald before the reigning LONGINES World’s Best Jockey stoked up the eight-year-old deep into the straight and overhauled Numbers at the 50m mark before edging clear.

Numbers fought tigerishly to hold off Deep Monster as Romantic Warrior rattled home in 22.77s, extending his winning range at Group 1 level from 1600m to 2400m.

Shum is considering sending the Hong Kong International Sale graduate to Conghua for the first time before identifying next season’s targets with the winner of 24 races from 31 starts.

“The plan is to give him a break. I will think about whether to send him to Conghua, same as Ka Ying Rising – Ka Ying Rising is very happy (there). So, I might send him to

Conghua, give him a little break, and then see how he goes,” Shum said.

“We’re happy because we have a very good team and stable. Peter (Lau) always makes the right decisions and James McDonald is a very good jockey.”

Danny Shum celebrates G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) success.

McDonald said: “He’s a Triple Crown winner, he thoroughly deserved it. I read an article, the boss (Mr Winfried Englebrecht Bresges’s CEO blog) said he was already an immortal and I totally agree with him.

“He didn’t need to win this to be that. I think this is the cherry on top – he should be Horse of the Year this year and I think he stamped that by winning the Triple Crown.”

Zac Purton edged closer to the 2,000-win milestone with a treble, striking on David Halltrained Flying Amani (135lb) in the Class 5 Standard Chartered Digital Assets Handicap (1600m), Jimmy Ting’s Come Fast Fay Fay (120lb) in the Class 4 Standard Chartered Sustainable Finance Handicap (1400m) and Shum’s Packing King (131lb) in the Standard Chartered Corporate & Investment Banking Handicap (1200m).

“It was alright. I was hoping to ride one or two today, so three was better than expected,” said Purton after notching his 1998th Hong Kong win.

Shum’s double boosted his seasonal tally to 56 wins, leading Caspar Fownes (54), Mark Newnham (52), Francis Lui (50), David Hayes (49) and John Size (46) in the race for the trainers’ title.

Fownes remained firmly in contention for the Hong Kong trainers’ championship with Hong Kong International Sale graduate Monarch County’s (132lb) runaway win under Joao Moreira in the Class 4 Standard Chartered

Priority Banking Handicap (1400m) while Hayes scored with three-year-old My Mars (128lb) in the Class 3 Standard Chartered Renminbi Business Handicap (1200m) under Brenton Avdulla.

Dylan Mo piloted Ricky Yiu’s Mighty Strength (113lb) in the Class 3 Standard Chartered Wealth Solutions Handicap (1800m) as Craig Williams combined with Cody Mo to land the Class 4 Standard Chartered Greater Bay Area Handicap (1200m) with Zousain threeyear-old Conrad Patch (135lb) before Jamie Richards-trained Big Return (133lb) made it three wins in a row with victory in the Class 4 Standard Chartered Priority Private Handicap (1600m) under Alexis Badel.

Badel sealed a double when Douglas Whyte-trained Six Pack (128lb) swept home to land the Class 2 Standard Chartered Global Private Bank Handicap (1400m) before The Red Hare (125lb) closed the card impressively with victory for Frankie Lor and Matthew Poon in the Class 3 Standard Chartered SME Banking Handicap (1400m).

TRAINERS

JOCKEYS

BREEDERS

SIRES