TOP SPRINTERS LINE UP FOR POST MERCHANTS

Noble Heir - Computaform Sprint (Grade 1)
(Photo : JC Photographics / Summerhill Stud)

POST MERCHANTS (Grade 2)
Greyville, 1200m, 18 June 2010 

Winter has arrived with a vengeance in sub-tropical KwaZulu-Natal, but tonight’s racing action at Greyville promises to be sizzling hot. A full field of tip top sprinters go head to head in the Grade 2 Post Merchants, where Dennis Bosch’s grey Noble Heir (Kahal) will attempt to add her name to those of Sunera (1986) and Marie Galante (1992) as only the third filly in the past 25 years to capture this 1200m sprint.

The race had its first running back in 1936 and was won in that year by one of the all time greats of the South African turf, the Syd Garrett-trained Moonlit, who won the Met in both 1936 and 1938, carrying 145Ib (65,77kg) in the latter. Two other great horses that won the Merchants were 1952 July winner Mowgli and 1968 Met winner William Penn.

The 1979 July runner up, Sun Tonic, 1987 SA Guineas winner, Sloop, and the 1970 Cape Guineas winner, Shah Abbas, are three other versatile types to have won the Merchants. In fact even last year’s winner, Sharks Bay, could be considered a sprint-miler having finished third in last season’s Grade 2 KRA Guineas.

A noted frontrunner, who has recorded all eight of her wins over the minimum trip, Noble Heir came from off the pace to beat the boys in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint, which suggests that the extra 200m should be well within her scope. She has won twice at the track and on current form, has strong claims to add a third Graded win to her record.

Kitalpha gelding Moroccan caught many by surprise when third to JJ The Jet Plane in the Grade 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint last time out and a repeat of that effort could bring him right into the picture. Despite a wide draw, Moroccan is not without a chance.

Former Champion Sprinter Mythical Flight (Jet Master) has yet to visit the winner’s box since his return from an overseas campaign. He showed his customary pace in the Golden Horse Casino Sprint before running out of steam in the closing stages to finish about seven lengths off the winner.

Amazingly, this will be Mythical Flight’s first run at the Durban track, but he is well drawn and always merits respect.

FINAL FIELD

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
2	GAULTIER	60.0	109	4	B Fayd’Herbe	Mike Bass
3	THUNDER KEY	60.0	109	5	I Sturgeon	Glen Kotzen
4	CASEY COOL	59.5	108	9	K Shea	Darryl Hodgson
5	EXTINCT	59.5	108	13	M Yeni	Colin Scott
6	INTELLECTUAL	59.5	108	8	R Danielson	Herman Brown
7	IVORY TRAIL	59.5	108	12	P Botha	Joey Ramsden
8	MYTHICAL FLIGHT	59.0	107	2	G Lerena	Sean Tarry
9	NOBLE HEIR	59.0	107	3	A Delpech	Dennis Bosch
10	RED FLYER	58.0	105	18	S Randolph	Alistair Gordon
11	CYBER CASE	57.0	103	10	A Marcus	Charles Llaird
12	CLEARLY SILVER	56.5	104	15	A Forbes	Dennis Drier
13	BUSH PIRATE	56.5	102	14	K Teetan	Joey Ramsden
14	MOROCCAN (ZIM)	56.0	101	16	F Coetzee	Weiho Marwing
15	GALANTHUS	54.5	100	7	*D Mansour	Tyrone Zackey
16	MR TOP (ARG)	53.5	96	1	K Zechner	Sean Tarry
17	TWO TONE	53.0	97	11	-	Wendy Whitehead
	Late Scratchings
1	FORT VOGUE	60.0	109	17	* Domeyer	Mike Bass
	Reserve Runners
18	COOL SPENDER	52.5	94	6	Reserve 2	Sean Tarry

NOBLE HEIR : SMALL... BUT LIGHTNING FAST

Noble Heir - Computaform Sprint (Grade 1)
(Photo : JC Photographics / Summerhill Stud)

NOBLE HEIR
COMPUTAFORM SPRINT (Grade 1)

David ThiseltonNoble Heir, the small but lightning fast grey filly, has come a long way since the day she was laughed at by South Africa’s current Champion Jockey, Andrew Fortune. It was her first appearance at Greyville in a D Division over 1000m.

Trainer Dennis Bosch smiled yesterday as he recalled the race, “I said to Andrew in the parade ring, ‘She’s very capable. She will win as she likes.’ Then he took a look at the filly and started laughing.” Fortune recalled, “I was going down to the start and she was tiny. She had a thin little neck and was going down like this,” he said while demonstrating a short, choppy action. “I thought to myself, what is this I’m riding. But when the gates opened she flew out so quickly I nearly got left behind. I have never gone around the Greyville turn so quickly. “I had tears in my eyes from the wind. She still had her head in her chest and when I pressed the button she leant forward and found more. I got off and said wow … this is a good filly!”

Noble Heir has been taking it easy since arriving home at Clairwood after her highly successful Johannesburg campaign that culminated in her brilliant win in the R1million Computaform Sprint (Grade 1) over 1000m at Turffontein last Saturday. Bosch was unsure of her next target and said he would be discussing it with the owners. Bosch has been around the block a few times in this game, first as a heavyweight jockey who was once well clear in the National Championship before an untimely suspension and consequent weight problems, and latterly as a trainer. “There’s talk of the SA Fillies Sprint, but firstly it’s over 1200m (the shorter the better for her) and secondly it’s at Scottsville which has a reputation as a graveyard for good horses.”

“She’s also had a tough campaign and probably deserves a couple of weeks off.”

The Computaform Sprint was the second Grade 1 win of Dennis Bosch’s training career, the first being with Mighty Crystal, who won the Administrators Champion Futurity for two-year-olds over 1600m at Greyville in 1991. He recalled the day he bought Noble Heir, who is by Kahal and bred by Connington Stud, at a Clairwood Sale for a mere R50,000. “She was very well balanced. I like the Kahal’s and I knew the mother, Irish Honour, very well.” Noble Heir showed a lot from the beginning. “She had tremendous pace and finished less than a length behind On Her Toes (subsequent winner of the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship) over 1200m on debut,” he continued.

“She has matured and gets better every year. She is also lightly raced. She had a high merit rating from the start so we had to earmark every race for her very carefully.” Besides Fortune’s high praise, Johnny Geroudis once told Bosch after he had ridden Noble Heir work that it was a long time since he had ridden such an “awesome filly.” Anthony Delpech added credence after Saturday’s race, describing it as one of the easiest five furlong wins of his career.

Bosch said he had targeted the Computaform Sprint after her win in the Grade 3 Tommy Hotspur against “the boys” over 1000m at Turffontein on February 16.

She travelled up to the Vaal three weeks later for the Bauhinia Handicap and finished a 0,5 length second with top weight of 60,5kg. Bosch then asked Stuart Pettigrew to look after her at Randjesfontein until the Computaform Sprint. He is most grateful to Pettigrew and said, “I used to phone him everyday and tell him what to do and I went up to see her regularly.” A month before her win in the Computaform she finished second in the Grade 2 Senor Santa Handicap over 1160m at Turffontein.

Extract from Gold Circle

PEAR SHAPED ISN’T THE WORD; BUT IT’S A TOPSY-TURVEY WORLD

Left : Noble Heir - Computaform Sprint (Grade 1)
Centre : Waywest Goddess - The Fillies Nursery (Grade 2)
|Right : Winning Leap - Gold Bowl (Grade 2)
(Photos : JC Photographics)

OF TRIPLE CROWNS, CLASSICS AND CONSOLATIONS

On a weekend in which the hot favourites for the Kentucky Derby and the English 2000 Guineas were up-ended, Pierre Jourdan’s attempt at the Triple Crown as the first since Horse Chestnut, was the best performance from those who were backed to take their country’s major classics.

One of the hottest-priced fancies for the first of the English Classics, St Nicholas Abbey was a spent force entering the dip at Newmarket, signalling a warning to the connections of his American counterpart, Lookin At Lucky that favouritism was no guarantee for success in any Triple Crown event. And that’s the way it turned out, neither of them making the frame.

In Pierre Jourdan’s case, the reason was simple. He failed to see out the trip, made all the longer by the sticky going, and while he challenged gallantly all the way to the line, he was no match for Mike de Kock’s Irish Flame, who looks to have the KZN version of the Derby (at least,) and maybe the Daily News 2000, at his mercy.  We use the word “maybe” advisedly, as the outcome of the KRA Guineas (Gr2) run at Greyville Sunday, followed a stirring  performance from Noordhoek Flyer, and if he gets the 2000m of the Daily News journey, (which he didn’t do in the Cape Derby (Gr1) in January), we could be in for one helluva race.

There were three Classics on the weekend in South Africa, the third being the SA Oaks, and quite amazingly, in what might be considered an unlucky weekend for Summerhill, we had the runners-up in each of them. Besides Pierre Jourdan’s 2^nd in the SA Derby, Havasha was an encouraging pursuer of Noordhoek Flyer in the Durban version of the Guineas (he was gelded after the SA Classic, and obviously didn’t have the best of preparations), while Salutation looked a winner with a hundred to go in the SA Oaks. Coming from last in the mud was one step too far for her, the effort in making up the ground and hitting the front at the 200, sapping her of the energy to sustain her run.

Consolation came in several forms. Way West’s first crop daughter, Waywest Goddess, gave the juvenile fillies a galloping lesson in The Fillies Nursery (Gr2), as she strode away regally by two lengths, and while there will be those that will argue that the underfoot conditions accounted for more than one upset result, as things stand right now, she’s queen of her realm. In another telling blow for the Summerhill stallions, Noble Heir gave Kahal his second Gr1 heroine in just over a month, putting paid to the aspirations of three other Gr1 winners, Warm White Night, Mythical Flight and Private Jet, in the R1million Computaform Sprint (Gr1).

While we may have been dejected at the failure of Pierre Jourdan’s Triple Crown bid, and felt a little hard done by with three seconds in the three Classics, there was consolation in the last of the Group races on Saturday, when Winning Leap stayed on like a trojan in the second richest marathon on the South African racing calendar, the R500,000 Gold Bowl (Gr2). Winning Leap is another powerful stayer by the unlikely stamina source, Labeeb, who besides being a dual Gr1 winner to a maximum of nine furlongs in the United States, was also highly effective as a sprinter. His influence however, has been principally over the longer distances, which bodes well for the prospects of the genuine middle distance racehorses occupying the Summerhill barn as we write, Admire Main, Mullins Bay, AP Arrow and Solskjaer. Recent Champion sires Fort Wood and Al Mufti, remind us of this imperative.

On the technical side, Winning Leap is yet another sterling product of a Northern Guest mare, his mother hailing from the fabulous Aga Khan family of champion sires Nasrullah, Royal Charger and Kalamoun.

NOBLE HEIR BLITZES COMPUTAFORM SPRINT

Click above to watch Noble Heir winning the Computaform Sprint (Gr1)
(Image and Footage : Tellytrack)

R1,000,000 COMPUTAFORM SPRINT (Grade 1)
Turffontein, 1000m, Turf
1 May 2010

Michael Clower Racing PostNoble Heir sprang a 10-1 surprise when blitzing the opposition in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint at Turffontein on Saturday.

The two market leaders, Warm White Night and Private Jet, both flopped and were the last two home.

Anthony Delpech’s mount lost ground at the start but she was on terms two furlongs out and soon drew away to beat 18-1 shot Intellectual rather more easily than the one and three-quarter length verdict would suggest. The 2007 winner Mythical Flight was half a length away third.

Delpech reported: “Things didn’t work out to plan when we jumped but maybe that worked in my favour because they went very fast - possibly we have found a new way to ride her. She may be on the small side but all you need is a big heart and the will to win.”

Durban-based trainer Dennis Bosch added: “Noble Heir is just a bomb. It is difficult to fly horses up and down from Durban to Jo’burg so she has stayed up here with Stuart Pettigrew and much of the credit must go to him.”

Warm White Night started at 11-20 but rider Anton Marcus looked decidedly uneasy even before halfway. He accepted the situation in the final furlong as the favourite dropped right out to finish last.

Last year’s winner Private Jet (9-2) was fastest away and appearedto have every chance two furlongs out but he soon faded and was only one place in front of the favourite at the line.

Extract from Racing Post

NOBLE HEIR (Kahal x Irish Honour)
4 Year Old Grey Filly
Owners : Sean Franken, A Hadden and D Holder
Trainer : Dennis Bosch
Jockey : Anthony Delpech
Breeder : Connington Stud
Win Time : 57.44
Career Record : 8 Wins, 10 Places, 24 Starts
Career Earnings : R1,262,140

RACE RESULT :

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	NOBLE HEIR	57.5	105	8	A Delpech	Dennis Bosch
2	1.75	INTELLECTUAL	60.0	110	6	R Danielson	Herman Brown
3	2.25	MYTHICAL FLIGHT	60.0	113	11	J Geroudis	Sean Tarry
4	2.50	SOUTH COUNTRY	60.0	106	9	B Fayd’Herbe	Gary Alexander
5	2.55	STRIKE PARADISE	60.0	105	7	B Lerena	Dominic Zaki
6	3.00	ESTEREL	55.5	101	2	F Naude	Dianne Stenger
7	3.25	LAUREAL MAN (BRZ)	58.0	92	3	D David	Brett Webber
8	3.50	OPENING NIGHT	60.0	95	5	M V’Rensberg	Clinton Binda
9	4.25	LIGHTNING LECTURE	60.0	102	10	S Khumalo	David Nieuwenhuizen
10	6.00	PRIVATE JET (ARG)	60.0	115	4	P Strydom	Geoff Woodruff
11	7.50	WARM WHITE NIGHT	60.0	114	1	A Marcus	Charles Laird

For more information please visit :
www.summerhill.co.za

2010 CHAMPIONS DAY UPDATE

Geoff Woodruff - quietly confident about Private Jet
(Photo : Summerhill Sires Brochure)

CHAMPIONS DAY
Turffontein, 1 May 2010

NICCI GARNER : Pierre Jourdan’s bid for Triple Crown glory on Champions Day has had to be postponed for a week due to the weather and many punters are wondering what impact the delay may have on the runners engaged for the richest day in South African horseracing.

Champions Day was first postponed until Tuesday and then to this coming Saturday after some 70mm of rain in the last 10 days, so the nation’s racing fans are still holding their breath in anticipation of watching the star colt with the Roman nose try to make history by becoming only the second horse to win the SASCOC SA Triple Crown.

Pierre Jourdan, who is currently on offer at 11-10 for the third and final leg, the R1.5million SA Derby, will not be inconvenienced by a soggy track and the new beach training track at Turffontein has proved a boon for his trainer Gary Alexander and other trainers there, allowing them to work their horses through the wettest summer in some three decades.

At this stage the track is not drying as fast as was hoped because of the cold and overcast weather and weather tipsters’ forecasts for the next few days differ significantly. For instance, the SA Weather Service predicts Friday and Saturday will be “partly cloudy with showers and thunder showers’’ and estimates that 8mm of rain will fall on the two days. On the other hand www.accuweather.com predicts Friday will be “sunny and nice’’ with maximum temperatures in the region of 22 degrees Celsius and Saturday will be “partly sunny and pleasant’’ with a high of 21 degrees Celsius. If the latter forecast is correct, the track will get the chance that it needs to dry and racing should definitely be able to go ahead.

Trainers of the big runners also have differing opinions about how much the postponement will affect their runners’ chances.

Those who will be most affected by the delay will be the visiting horses from KwaZulu Natal because of altitude issues. The rule of thumb for coastal horses raiding on the Highveld, where the air is more rarefied, is to bring them up a month before the race so they have a chance to acclimatise or to travel them as close to the race as possible.

Durban-based Herman Brown has two runners carded, 33-1 chance Lion’s Blood in the R2million Champions Challenge over 2000m and Intellectual in the R1million Computaform Sprint. His runners arrived at Turffontein on Friday last week, primed to the minute.

“While neither will mind soft ground, I’m not too optimistic,’’ Brown mourned yesterday. “They are unlikely to run to their best form after a week away from home, but funny things do happen. There are no fixed rules in this game and we’ll take our chances. “The delay will affect Intellectual less over the 1000m distance than it will Lion’s Blood over the 2000m,’’ he confirmed. “But Lion’s Blood does like Turffontein and runs well there.’’

Champion trainer elect Mike de Kock, who needs only three more winners to reach the 2000-winner milestone, will saddle the favourites in the Champions Challenge (Rudra) and the SA Oaks (Here To Win as well as second favourite Alderry).

He is philosophical about the postponement: “We’re all in the same boat,’’ he said. “The horses are all very fit and there’s not much more we can do with them. Providing they get some exercise to stretch their legs, they won’t fall off in a week. Anyway, sometimes having a couple of days off does them the world of good!’’

Charles Laird, who fields Computaform Sprint favourite Warm White Night, as well as Champions Challenge second fancy Smart Banker and several other short-priced runners, is fuming about the double postponement.

“If a race meeting cannot take place on the scheduled day or the day after, it should be put off for a week,’’ he said. “These three-day postponements (Saturday to Tuesday, for instance) wreak havoc because you can’t work the horses in between. These are not motor cars that you can just take out the garage whenever you need to - and you can’t give them hard work 24 hours before a race meeting. They do need to get out and stretch their legs. And the Randjesfontein sand tracks are under water! I understand that we’ve had an unusually wet season, but the Turffontein track staff should be experienced enough to make an early call and not mess us around.’’

Vaal-based Geoff Woodruff is quietly confident about Private Jet, who won last year’s Computaform Sprint. He believes his runner has only Warm White Night to beat.

The Vaal has not had quite as much rain as Turffontein and Randjesfontein and the affable trainer is happy to continue his “maintenance programme’’ with the defending champ, who beat Rebel King and Warn White Night in a thriller a year ago.

“Of course he was prepared to run last Saturday and we’ve lost one fast work-out and a pace work-out, but I don’t think it’ll inconvenience us too much,’’ he said.

Extract from Racing Express