The Robbie and Shannon Hill-trained Camphoratus could well defend her crown in the weight for age Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein on April 18 but it will depend on the draw she lands.

The Byword mare went on last year to finish a fine 2,60 length sixth in the Vodacom Durban July and that race might once again be on her program too, although the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes on the same day is another possibility.

The Hills will give her one more run, or a gallop, before the Empress Club.

That run might be in the Listed Kings Cup over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on March 22, depending on the draw.

Robbie did not feel the athletic five-year-old’s performance had declined this season.

He said in her chief target for the first half of the season, the Grade 1 Gauteng Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein, she had been left “way out of her ground” from a wide draw and had only finished 3,10 lengths back.

He said she is a filly who needs to be left alone and added, “If you use her she doesn’t finish off.”

Camphoratus ran pleasingly at Hollywoodbets Greyville last Sunday.

In the 1400m Pinnacle event she ran on well from last to finish second to the exciting prospect True To Life.

Gareth Wright rode her in both the Empress Club and July last year and was back aboard on Sunday. 

Robbie said Wright would stay aboard as he clearly gets on well with her.

-goldcircle.co.za  

Rob and Michele Pickering’s bred and part owned #kznbred Byword filly, Camphoratus, didn’t buckle from a fight and flew past the much touted Oh Susanna to win from another #kznbred filly by Brave Tin Soldier, Summerhill’s Running Brave who finished a close second.

Both fillies cost a combined R80 000 at BSA sales, and both have earned their owners over R1,7-million in combined stakes.

KZN only breed 15% of South Africa’s racing stock and these sort of results reinforce that horses produced in KZN are not to be ignored.

It was race filled to the brim with quality, and the Byword filly gave the trainers Rob and Shannon Hill their jockey, Gareth Wright their first Grade 1 winner!

Byword, who initially started his career in KZN before being sold to Mauritzfontein, stood at Rob and Michele Pickering’s Middlefield Stud after a glittering Gr1 winning race career in the UK.

Camphoratus, out of a Horse Chestnut mare Wild Camphor, sold for just R50 000 off the 2016 KZN Yearling Sale and won the Gr3 Flamboyant on Boxing Day at 36/1. She has now earned over R1,1-million in stakes with five wins and six places under belt for owners Messrs L J Muir, S Manicom, G R Sadleir and Mr and Mrs Rob Pickering T/A Middlefield Stud.

Summerhill Stud’s Running Brave flew up for second place for trainer Paul Matchett and came very close to becoming the 4th Gr1 win for The Fort Stud’s Brave Tin Soldier.

Owned by Messrs F Bronkhorst & H L Neethling, has had 7 seconds amongst her 9 places from 2 wins. Running Brave sold for just R30 000 off the 2017 National 2YO Sale and has earned almost R700 000 in stakes – both above horses have given their owners superb returns on their investments!

Movingandgrooving has a Capetown Noir yearling on offer at the upcoming National Yearling Sale.

KZN have approximately 70 horses headed to the Nationals – they will be easy to spot with #kznbred signs on their doors.

Congratulations to all concerned.

#kznbred Dawn Assault has snatched the Gr3 London News Stakes from favoured Al Danza and Pietro Mascagni (a R2,3-million yearling). Second to Tilbury Fort in the Gr1 Summer Cup, Dawn Assault is yet another feather in the cap for owner / breeder / trainer St John Gray.

St John has had a fantastic season and has another special horse on his hands with the talented #kznbred Ronnie’s Candy, a Gr2 and Gr3 winner.

Graystone Stud boast phenomenal stats – with a 37% winners to runners percentage, 12 wins for the season and 86 places, with a very impressive average earnings per runner figure of over R70 000.

Ridden by Karl Zechner in a brilliantly judged ride, this is the second time in recent history this race has gone to a #kznbred – prior 2017 winner Romany Prince (bred by Rather), who nearly came down in the race with Luke Ferraris aboard, got back on his feet and steadied himself but finished unplaced.

Dawn Assault, by St John Gray’s stallion Call To Combat out of Cayman Ridge by Al Mufti, is now a 7-time winner and has won R1,115,425 in stakes. A previous winner of the Drum Star Handicap, Dawn Assault as a 5yo entire is getting better with age.

Born and raised by Cathy and Jonathan Martin of Hadlow Stud who manage St John Gray’s breeding operation within their own, they also stand the brilliant 5-time Gr1 winner Dancewiththedevil, again bred, owned and trained by St John Gray.

In other recent KZN related news, Gr1 winner Lady In Black trained by Dennis Drier finished powerfully with a courageous run behind the brilliant Oh Susanna (AUS) in yesterday’s Gr1 Cartier Paddock Stakes. Rathmor Stud stand her dam Mystery Dame, who has a Noble Tune colt on offer at the upcoming Nationals in April.

Bush Hill Stud’s Irish Flame got Black Type win his daughter Just My Style placed third in the Lady’s Bracelet (Listed) at Fairview for trainer Sharon Kotzen. Out of a Jet Master mare, Just My Style has won 3 times and placed 7.

Bush Hill also had a very impressive debut winner yesterday with Gareth Van Zyl’s imposing King’s Chapel filly Daidala. A race that could have gone the way of any of the horses in the first three, she flew up on the railing in facile fashion to snatch victory by a quarter of a length from Frosty Princess.

Well done to all concerned.

The #kznbred King Of Kings chestnut Ronnie’s Candy is making a habit of producing the surprises on the big days.

Last season the St John Gray bred, owned and trained galloper won the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery as a twice raced maiden at any price on Champions Day.

On Saturday at Turffontein, having her first run as a 3yo, she scythed through the middle from off the pace to register an impressive victory in the R250 000 Gr3 Starling Stakes.

With five lengths to make up at the 350m marker, the racy chestnut grew wings under Corne Orffer to put 2,20 lengths between herself and the 10-1 Nafaayes, with the runner-up’s stablemate Ghaalla (a R5-million graduate off the National Yearling Sale) staying on for third.

The winner’s time was 83,23 secs.

A Graystone Stud home-bred, Ronnie’s Candy is by the ill-fated King Of Kings (Sadler’s Wells ) out of the three-time winner Bennie And the Jets (Jet Master). Ronnie’s Candy is a half-sister to winner and Gr3 and Listed Placed Mogok Master.

Her record now stands at 2 wins with 2 places from 6 starts and stakes of R437 500.

Her dam Bennie And The Jets was purchased by St John at the 2015 KZN Mare & Weanling Sale for just R40 000.

Cathy Martin has welcomed a smart Bezrin filly half-sister to Ronnie’s Candy this season for breeder St John Gray. Ronnie’s Candy is a nominee in the Champion 2YO Filly category of the upcoming KZN Breeders Awards, taking place 1 December at Fordoun.

St John has had phenomenal success over the years as a breeder, owner and trainer, his biggest success with five time Gr1 winning Dancewiththedevil.

Congratulations to all concerned.

-extract sportingpost.co.za

More Energy produced a strong finishing burst to overhaul favourite Supply and Demand in Saturday’s Listed Parramatta Cup (1900m) at Rosehill. The six-time winning son of More Than Ready is a half-brother to Bush Hill sire, Redoute’s Promise – both out of the superb South African-bred international Gr1 winning racemare, Perfect Promise by Caesour.

Despite the starting price, the win came as no real surprise to trainer Jason Coyle who thought all the gelding needed was a bit of luck.

“He has been flying since his first start,” Coyle said. “All his runs have been good, but we’ve just been waiting for that ideal draw.

“We’d drawn poorly in a few starts and nothing had panned out for him but today he had drawn soft and he got the right run in transit and he was nice and strong at the finish.

“This time last preparation he ran second in a Group II in Queensland so once he is fit and going he will keep running big races so we’ll go to the Randwick City Stakes in a couple of weeks.”

Jess Taylor gave the seven-year-old a text-book ride, stalking the race favourite and leader Supply And Demand throughout before peeling off his back to nail the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained galloper on the line, who was game in defeat.

“This was the first time I’ve sat on this bloke, so it is one start for one win which is great,” Taylor said.

“I knew Gai’s horse would take me into the race and when he got a bit of room he just let down so well.

“He just kept going, I had trouble pulling him.”

More Energy will line up again at Randwick in the Listed Randwick City Stakes (2000m) on March 10.

Redoute’s Promise, the first son of Redoute’s Choice to retire to stud in South Africa, should see his first progeny step onto the tracks in 2018. His handsome first yearlings which had plenty of strength and quality, were welcomed at the KZN Yearling Sale in 2017, where John Freeman purchased a colt for R110 000.

The Scott Bros’ well performed young stallion Crusade was represented by his first stakes winner when his progressive daughter Covered In Snow captured the Listed Swallow Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday.

Bred by the Clifton Stud, and owned by Peter White, the Dianne Stenger trained three-year-old made it three wins from just four outings when victorious in the Swallow Stakes, defeating a host of high class fillies in the process.

Covered In Snow, who was ridden to victory by Muzi Yeni, has now won her last three races in a row.

Peter Blyth of Clifton Stud said he was very excited about the result and “delighted all round – just what the doctor ordered!” Peter was very pleased to note that the dam Blue Nevada is currently in foal to Crusade once more. He ended off with saying, “hold thumbs we get a smart full to Covered In Snow!”

Blue Nevada by Anytime – a 5-time winner herself by a good stallion that sadly died prematurely, has a thorough Clifton damline, descending from the same family as Clifton-bred Gr2 winner, Glenrossal.

Blue Nevada, out of Crystal De Roche mare Sierra Blue has produced three winners from three runners. Her 2016 foal is by Jackson, whilst her filly currently at foot is by Ideal World.

Purchased with the assistance of the KZN Breeders Premium Scheme and owned in a syndicate by the KZN Breeders Club, sire Crusade won the Gr1 Middle Park Stakes, one of the most prestigious 2yo races in Britain, and a race won previously by sire greats Oasis Dream, Diesis, Petingo, Djebel and Sharpen Up.

Stuart Crawford, the secretary of the Crusade Syndicate commented on the great result: “Judging by the quality of his stock and the number of winners, we were confident  that he will get his share of Black Type progeny.”

Slightly Scottish, by Crusade and trained by Dean Kannemeyer, has been entered for the upcoming Michael Roberts Listed, and looks on course after placing at Scottsville yesterday behind Redeemer.

Crusade is one of more than 60 stakes winners sired by Gone West’s Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner up Mr Greeley.
The latter is also responsible for star fillies Finsceal Beo and Saoirse Ab, G1 Sussex Stakes winner Reel Buddy and Gr1 winner and successful sire El Corredor.

Crusade is out of the brilliant Johannesburg mare La Traviata, who won the Gr3 Victory Ride Stakes by nine and a quarter lengths.

La Traviata is also the dam of  Gr1 Irish/Yorkshire Oaks winner Seventh Heaven, the earner of more than £1.6 million in prize money, as well as last season’s high class Irish 2yo Coat Of Arms.

The latter, runner up in the Gr2 Futurity Stakes last year, holds an entry for the 2018 G1 Investec Derby.

Look out for his next crop on offer at the upcoming National Yearling Sale in April 2018 – including a full sister to 2x time winner Subtropical (and half-sister to Gr1 placed Matador Man), the first foal out of a full sister to The Apache, a half-sister to multiple winners Cannes, Runalong and The Rising Legend, a half-sister to Angel’s Power, half-brother to African Dream and to D’Arrivee.

-extract bsa.co.za (Sarah Whitelaw)

Bloodstock South Africa is proud to announce an extension to its added value stakes program. In addition to recognizing their qualifying Graded Stakes Winners, all qualifying Bloodstock South Africa 2017 Graduates who win a Maiden Juvenile Race during their Two Year Old career will receive an added stakes bonus.