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Joey Ramsden’s hugely-talented Red Ray is reported in fine form for his return in the Golden Horse Sprint at Scottsville on Saturday.
“Red Ray has been doing well and I’m hoping that he won’t prove to have needed the run,” Ramsden said.
“He can be a bit lazy so I am sure he will come on from t but we have got quite a lot of work into him.”
Saturday’s spring will be colt’s first run since his second to Via Africa in the Betting World Cape Flying Championship four months ago when he reverted to sprinting after going close in the Cape Guineas and R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run.
Red Ray and Captain Of All are the highest-weighted three-year-olds in Saturday’s race with 56.5kg.
They will be aiming to extend the great race record of the 3YO age group, having won seven of the last nine runnings.
Meanwhile the Langerman and the Grand Parade Cape Guineas are now prime targets for the exciting Ramsden-trained 2YO Kingvoldt after he spread-eagled the opposition in the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery at Kenilworth on Saturday.
“I believe he is a special horse and he showed everyone on Saturday that he is a very good one,” Ramsden said.
“He is not just a two-year-old and next season I hope he will prove to be a Guineas horse.
“I think he will run in the Langerman (June 8) next. I am not going to take him anywhere else this season.”
Ramsden has won six of the last ten Langermans. His winners have included Variety Club three years ago.
On Saturday jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe sent Kingvoldt to the front shortly after halfway and deliberately pushed him almost all the way to the line to score by six and three-quarter lengths.
“I wanted to teach him to be a racehorse. What I didn’t want was for him to learn to start easing up once he got to the front,”said the veteran rider.
“I was very impressed with him.”
• PRINCESS Ofthesky will run in the Stormsvlei Mile on Saturday week after returning to form in the Happy Hour Graduation Plate foir trainer Mike Bass.
“She is quite a decent filly but she is affected by her wind so she needs to stay racing fit,” Bass said. “She will go well in the Stormsvlei.”
• THE Mike de Kock-trained filly Espumanti booked her place in the Vodacom Durban July with a fluent win in the G2 Betting World 1900 at Greyville on Saturday.
De Kock and jockey Andrew Delpech last combined to win the 1900 in 2010 with Bold Silvano, who went on to win the July.
The July will likely be Espumanti’s next race after she stayed on strongly to win by 2.25 lengths from Puntas Arenas.
• THE connections of the brilliant mare Beach Beauty have kept her in the Vodacom Durban July at the first acceptance stage to keep their options open as they are having reservations about asking her to carry a likely 57,5kg over a trip that will stretch her stamina.
Warren Kidd, for the Shanks Syndicate that lease the Dennis Drier-trained star, said, “We are keeping our options open until after her run in the Gold Challenge on June 7.
“We are not saying that she is not good enough, there is just a doubt that she stays the trip as she is so small and will have to carry a big weight against the boys.
“If she doesn’t run in the July the plan is to run her in the Garden Province and then take on the boys in the Champions Cup over 1800m.”
