World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge (Group 1)

THE Summer Cup winner Royal Victory earned an 8/1 quote for the Durban July after justifying favouritism in the World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge at Turffontein’s big day last Saturday – and according to rider Muzi Yeni the performance was far better than it looked.

“The race didn’t go according to plan,” reported the jockey. “Puerto Manzano got in front of me and, although I thought he was the right horse to follow, he nearly put me out of the race.

“I was really out of my ground and I thought I might run out of gas. But I was lucky that I was on a really smart horse who got me out of jail with a kick that put the rest to bed.”

The winner, by the former Jessica Harrington-trained Pathfork and a R90,000 (€4,458) National Yearling Sale purchase, is trained in Durban by Nattie Kotzen and will have the added advantage of not having to travel for the big one.

Last year’s July winner Winchester Mansion was beaten half a length into second so it will be interesting – and informative - to see to what extent the handicapper takes Yeni’s comments into account when calculating the weights.

TAB Empress Club Stakes (Group 1)

Jonsson Workwear Computaform Sprint (Group 1)

TAB SA Derby (Group 1)

THERE were four Grade 1s on the card and the first two had a predictable look to them with the odds-on Mike de Kock-trained Gimme A Nother (by Gimmethegreenlight out of star mare Nother Russia) readily extending her unbeaten run to seven under J.P. van der Merwe in the TAB Empress Club Stakes and Thunderstruck justifying favouritism in the Jonsson Workwear Computaform Sprint.

This Rafeef colt is out of a mare by Var, Clive Brittain’s Prix de l’Abbaye winner and gave trainer Sean Tarry his fourth Computaform success. It was the third for rider Richard Fourie who is running away with the jockeys’ championship.

SA Classic winner Purple Pitcher took a strong hold in the TAB SA Derby, led two furlongs and fought like a tiger to hold on under Kabelo Matsunyane by just a quarter of a length from the Fourie-ridden Pure Predator.

The son of Australian-bred New Predator is trained by Robyn Klaasen who admitted: “I always thought he would stay but all the talk was that he probably wouldn’t – and that made me doubt him as well!”

THE European Union has finally relaxed its 13-year ban on the direct import of horses from South Africa, so paving the way for the top horses to race in Europe and also providing a new market for shuttle stallions.

The change of heart has come about following years of refusing to take no for an answer on the part of the South African Equine Health and Protocols group and, as in the past, the pre-export quarantine period will be spent at Kenilworth racecourse.

There have been relatively few South African-bred horses racing in Europe over the years but those that have been sent include the Sean Tarry-trained National Colour who was only beaten a length by Borderlescott when second in the 2008 Coolmore Nunthorpe.

There is a view (shared by the writer) that the absence of shuttle stallions has had an adverse effect on the quality of the South African racehorse in the last decade but doubtless the likes of Coolmore will be keen to help put this right.

Leading bloodstock agent John Freeman pointed to the expected boost to the domestic market, saying: “Imagine the impact that this will have on yearling sale prices!”