OFF THE RECORD #137
Inside The Trainers’ Big-Race Plans
As Gauteng moves into its 2026 spring/summer racing season, we caught up with trainers across the 4Racing regions for a brief update on their principal feature contenders and the plans being mapped out for the months ahead. They reveal some interesting information – and, for astute punters, a few names worth putting in the notebook.
There is no better place to hear about the actual ability of horses than from the trainers themselves. Those closest to the coalface often provide clues that don’t necessarily appear in the form guide – and for those who listen with intent, that information can be particularly valuable when assessing race prospects and structuring exotic bets.
We’ll start with Turffontein-based Tony Peter, presently third on the National Log with a 28% winning strike rate from his first 60 runners. Peter and his father Paul have made recent appearances on Racing Today’s Saturday morning tipping show, where their insights into their runners have proved most useful to punters.
Peter’s Equus Champion Sprinter, Buffalo Storm Cody (Buffalo Bill Cody), has not had his season officially mapped out for him, and this is quite interesting because there is a chance that we’ll see him racing up to 1600m.
Peter explained: “Richard Fourie and Gavin Lerena are both adamant that Buffalo Storm Cody will be at his best over a mile, so a race like next season’s Horse Chestnut Stakes could become our prerogative to build towards this term.
“Option two is to follow the pure sprinting route, like we’ve done effectively over the last few seasons, culminating with the sprinting features during the KZN Champions Season.
“The third option would be an overseas campaign, which could include a sprint and a 1600m race in Dubai.
He added: “Considering Buffalo Storm Cody’s prowess in sprints, I remain sceptical about trying him over further, but we are in discussion with his owners and we’ll come to a decision in due course.”
Buffalo Storm Cody’s talented counterpart, Taxi To The Moon (Vercingetorix) won last season’s Grade 3 Lebelo Sprint and the Grade 2 Golden Horse Sprint and Peter has those and several other Graded sprints, to choose from in 2026/7.
Among his other older horses, Money Heist (Gimmethegreenlight) is a Grade 3 Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile contender, while the hard-knocking mares Kisshoten (Erupt) and Tomyris (Vercingetorix) also have options available, including races like the Listed Betway Summer Pudding Handicap and the Grade 3 Victory Moon Stakes. Perfect Miracle (Hawwaam) is fast, maturing well at four and a contender for the sprint features, which may include November’s Listed Carry On Alice Stakes over 1160m.
Peter said he was excited about two three-year-olds, Noble Saint (Fire Away) and Sands Of Valhalla (Erik The Red). “They’re both maturing and showing plenty of promise. I only noticed the other day that Sands Of Valhalla is a half-brother to the current Mauritian champion, Cumbre Vieja, so the pedigree is proven. He’s a 1400m-1600m prospect, the Grade 3 Graham Beck Stakes is a possibility for him.
Peter’s Turffontein colleague Weichong Marwing will be relying on WSB Listed Hawwaam Stakes winner, Diogenes (Hawwaam) to compete for a bigger prize this season, and said: “He had a fair pipe-opener recently and I’d like to get him back to his best for a race like the Grade 3 Victory Moon Handicap. The handicapper hammered him after his Listed win, so our options are limited.”
Marwing has been competitive with a small string of runners and recently was given his first chance to train a runner for Mary Slack, for whom he won many Grade 1s as a jockey. Slack’s Brief Encounter (Buffalo Bill Cody) finished fourth over 1200m on his debut and is expected to make natural improvement. Scented Alley (Flower Alley) earned a third-placed cheque on her debut and American Red Ray (Red Ray) finished eight lengths off on his first visit to the track.
Marwing said: “They all need further so we were happy with what we saw first time out. They have the scope to win races this season and this could give us some momentum.”
At Randjesfontein, Sean Tarry has started putting his big guns through their paces, with gradual build-ups in mind. He said: “We’re starting slowly this spring, with an eye on finishing strongly into the second half of the season, and we’ll look at raiding Cape Town with a few suitable runners in summer. But as we’ve seen, one can’t go to Cape Town with horses who won’t be competitive, so we’ll assess how things develop over the next few months.”
Tarry is hoping to start off his highest-rated older runner, Tin Pan Alley (The United States), in the Grade 2 Joburg Spring Challenge on 3 October, a race he won as a three-year-old last year en route to his stunning victory in the Grade 1 Horse Chestnut Stakes.
Tarry has particular strength among his three-year-old fillies, where last season’s smashing stakes performers Alice B Toklas (Master Of My Fate) and Get Up (What A Winter) stand out, but with the back-up of others including Griselda (Erik The Red), Secretary Bird (Rafeef), Within Reach (Malmoos) and Perfect Sky (Vercingetorix).
He said: “We’ll be starting Alice B Toklas in the Grade 3 Starling Stakes over 1400m at the end of October, and may enter Get Up for that race too. Within Reach is a promising sort who could target the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic, while Perfect Sky will be kept to sprinting.”
Among his three-year-old colts and geldings, Tarry said he is hopeful of good campaigns this season from Egremont (Skitt Skizzle), Status Symbol and Gimme A Vodka (Gimmethegreenlight). “They’ve all benefitted from being gelded and could realise their potential.”
Race Coast Slipper winner Turn It Up (Querari) looked like one of the best of his generation before his two-year-old campaign was interrupted by injury. Tarry noted: “He is back in light work following a procedure, and doing well.”
Tarry’s 2026 Grade 1 HKJC World Pool SA Classic winner, Grand Empire (Vercingetorix), rested since June, will be back racing soon and is being aimed at the Charity Mile.
The father-and-son team of Corné and Xander Spies have started their partnership with a bang, saddling a winner per week in the first six weeks of the season and reporting high energy in their Randjesfontein barn.
Xander is very pleased with their progress and said that the Spies machine is firing nicely on all cylinders. They hope to keep their strike rates high with several runners coming through the ranks, including Trompe L’Oeil (Gimmethegreenlight), who ran a close second in open company during the week and can atone soon. “He is a good sort with the 2027 Grade 3 National Currency Sprint as his long-term mission.”
Bisou Bisou (Querari), a good second to Fish Tales in the Grade 2 World Pool Bet With Tote Umkhomazi Stakes, will be making his seasonal debut in a handicap over 1200m at Turffontein on Saturday and Xander said: “He is a top-class gelding. We will restrict him to races up to 1400m, with the Graham Beck Stakes as our first objective.”
Life In Colour (Malmoos) may also go for the Graham Beck Stakes, but he will be comfortable over 1600m and the Grade 2 Betway Dingaans is his potential target. “He is a quirky horse, still learning, but has plenty of ability and good collateral form from his two-year-old career.”
Spirit Of Gabz (Chimichuri Run) has already won up to 1800m and Xander said: “He has already won two handicaps as an early three-year-old. He may have to step up one more notch, but he’s a game gelding and won’t be too far out of his depth in Graded company.”
The Spies stable is most excited about lightly-raced High Fidelity (Vercingetorix), and here’s another runner for punters’ ‘little black book’, as he is still a maiden and unlikely to be such for much longer. “High Fidelity is a talented horse. We expected him to win his last start (Vaal 1400m, June 2026) with no fuss, but he returned with a twisted testicle, so you can draw a line through that. He is one we have high expectations for this season.”
Top filly Hazy Dazy (Act Of War) took on the best male runners in the land and the end of last season, but the stable will be keeping her to features for fillies and mares in 2026/7.
Xander said: “She’s doing nicely and we look forward to a good season. We’ll build her prep into a race like December’s Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m.”
The elder statesman, William Robertson (Rafeef), now eight years old and with 17 wins to his name, is not a spent force yet and Xander said: “He loves his work at home as much as ever. He tends to go sour when he’s done a lot of racing, like we saw last season, but he comes back to himself after a two- or three-month break. He is enjoying life and we think he can win again this season.”
William Robertson’s full-brother African Pride is a sprinter capable of a potentially similar streak of wins, and his aim in 2026 will be the Grade 3 New Turf Carriers Merchants Sprint over 1160m. “He ran below his best in the Listed Umgeni Handicap on Gold Cup Day, but was perhaps given too much to do under a big weight. He bounced back with a third place in a competitive Pinnacle Stakes. He is a high quality horse and sprinters normally come into their own at four.”
Up the road from the Spies family at the North Rand Training Centre are Mike and Mathew de Kock, who have firepower among their three- and four-year-olds, and confidence that they can take a number of top prizes during the season.
Among the classic crop, their smart and unbeaten Grade 1 Gold Medallion winner Haute Couture (Rafeef) is being aimed at the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas, and his road to the major December showpiece will start in the Graham Beck Stakes and may or may not include the Dingaans.
Joining Haute Couture in the Graham Beck will be the stable’s new acquisition, Fish Tales (Heavenly Blue), also unbeaten in two starts and winner of the Grade 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m.
World Attraction (One World) was impressive down the straight in two of three runs last season – winning the Listed Storm Bird Stakes over 1000m – and was given time off since April. He has class and ability, is also considered to be a Graham Beck prospect and it will be interesting to see how his career develops. The period of rest would have done him the world of good.
Gimme A Fireball (Gimmethegreenlight) will make his first appearance in Gauteng in a strong sprint handicap for three-year-olds on Saturday. He is held in high regard and is another that could possibly put his hand up for something bigger.
A recent impressive maiden winner was Sparrow Man (Gimmethegreenlight), who is considered a Derby-type, with the Grade 1 Lucky Fish Cape Derby a possible aim during the 2027 Autumn Feature season. Trojan Horse (Malmoos) is another whose spring preparation will be geared towards the Derby.
De Kock Racing’s band of three-year-old fillies include Flower Island (Rafeef), who will make her seasonal debut in the Joburg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge with December’s Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas on her radar. Good Day Sunshine (Vercingetorix) has the Grade 2 Starling Stakes pencilled in for her and staying filly Drumnadrochit (Rafeef) has a number of options, including the Listed Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m.
The smart-looking Greek Heritage (Rafeef), has been rested since her Maiden win last April, and she is in line for the 2027 Triple Tiara. Her runs this summer may include an appearance in the Grade 3 Betway Fillies Mile on Betway Summer Cup Day.
Among the older runners, there are a number of outstanding prospects, starting with Jan Van Goyen (Master Of My Fate). The former Equus Champion Two-Year-Old raced below his best in the second half of the 2025/6 season, but could be recapturing his old sparkle. “He has picked up weight and is looking good. We’ll see how he goes back on the racetrack. Our long-term aim is the 2027 Horse Chestnut Stakes,” said Mathew de Kock.
Speedy Constellation (What A Winter) took on older sprinters with some promise last season and is expected to be a strong contender as a four-year-old in 2026/7. He is a Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship and Grade 1 Computaform Sprint contender. Yippee Kiyay (Buffalo Bill Cody) and Miami Mountain (Canford Cliffs) are others likely to feature prominently in races down the straight.
I’m A Fireball (Vercingetorix) impressed with his win over 1450m on the inside track at Turffontein last week and will be a factor in the Joburg Spring Challenge over the same course and distance. One Eye On Vegas (Buffalo Bill Cody) is another talent who could be seen in action in this feature.
Splittheeights (Vercingetorix), sparingly campaigned due to soundness issues, will have his races cherry-picked and Mat said: “He is doing fine, we have the 2027 Autumn features in our sights for him, with the Horse Chestnut Stakes one of the races that will be considered.”
The stable has a few strong Charity Mile hopefuls. Captain West (One World) races at Turffontein for the first time on Saturday and is one to watch, and the talented but erratic Greaterix (Vercingetorix) impressed in his first run after a long rest recently.
A possible third Charity Mile contender is Immediate Edge (Vercingetorix), well-performed before being sidelined since July 2025. “He is in full work and making good progress,” said Mat.
One not to forget is Aladdin’s Lamp (Master Of My Fate), below expectations in the 2026 Hollywoodbets Durban July but expected to be a factor in races back on his favourite track, Turffontein, and being prepared for a tilt at the 2026 Betway Summer Cup.
Next week, we interview several other trainers for the latest news on their feature prospects.