3 minute read

Group One star Capetown Noir is set to start his summer campaign at Kenilworth on Sunday.

The Dean Kanneymer-trained Capetown Noir will run a 1200m event after a longer than expected spell due to a setback at the end of the Durban season.

“I had to scratch him from the Champions Cup because he rapped himself in work, bruising his near-fore tendon, and I then confined him to walking for three months,”Kannemeyer said.

“He is a valuable horse and I decided to give him time. Touch wood, he has been fine since.

“I want him to come on so that I have him right for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.”

Kannemeyer will also run Hot Ticket, last season’s Betting World Stakes and Nokia Gold Vase winner, first-up on Sunday after he suffered a setback.

“He had an infection so I had to ease up on him,”Kanemeyer said. “I want to give him a blow over 1200m.”

Kannemeyer is looking for his sixth Cape Guineas in 11 seasons with his leading hopes for this season’s classic at Kenilworth on December 20 being Afrikaburn and Balance Sheet.

Afrikaburn, an athletic colt by Trippi, already has a G1 under his belt having won the Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m at Greyville as a two-year-old.

He caught the eye on his reappearance when second to the older horse Reim in the G3 Kuda Matchem Stakes 1400m and is now set to go to the G2 Selangor Cup, which is considered the chief pointer to the Cape Guineas.

He has drawn 9 out of 17 entries in the Selangor, to be run on the Kenilworth Old Course over 1600m on November 22.

Balance Sheet has won two out of his three starts and has drawn barrier 11 in the Selangor.

• TRAINER Geoff Woodruff has five of the top 10 horses on the current log for the R2 million Sansui Summer Cup at Turffontein on November 29.

Top of the log and the ruling favourite is Woodruff’s crack 4YO Louis The King, ahead of No Worries (Gavin Van Zyl) and Bezanova (Alec Laird).

Woodruff’s other top 10 contenders are Master Sabina (4), Tellina (5), Killua Castle (7) and Rake’s Chestnut (9). He also has Lockheed Jetstar at 11.

Master Sabina, currently second favourite for the Cup, impressed Woodruff in winning his seasonal debut in an 1800m Pinnacle Plate but Tellina is unlikely to run after a poor effort in the recent Charity Mile.

The log is compiled by the National Horseracing Authority handicappers with input from racing operator Phumelela.

The first 20 on the log are the order of preference when the final field is declared on November 18.

The order is subject to change with the G2 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein on Saturday have a bearing on the rankings.

The final field will be decided by the NHA handicappers with input from Phumelela.