THE latest Irish import to burn up the South African turf is Buffalo Bill Cody who has so far won three out of four for Mike de Kock including a mile handicap at the Vaal last week when he romped home more than five lengths clear.

The Redoute’s Choice three-year-old was bred by Dermot Cantillon’s Tinnakill House Stud and partners and is out of the Sri Pekan mare Buffalo Berry, a four-time winner who was trained by Aidan O’Brien.

She finished third to Fasliyev in the 1999 Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes and fourth to Rossini in the Anglesey. She later went to America where she won a Grade 3 at Monmouth.

She has produced seven winners including the American Grade 3 scorer Chattahoochee War who was third in the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington. Cantillon sent the Redoute’s Choice yearling to the 2016 Newmarket October Yearling Sale where he was purchased for £335,000 by Form Bloodstock’s Jehan Malherbe on behalf of Mary Slack. The colt races in the famous black, scarlet cap colours that were carried by Royal Palace and were bequeathed to Mrs Slack by Jim Joel.

“We think Buffalo Bill Cody is a smart horse,” said De Kock’s son and assistant Matthew who reckons there is more improvement to come. “Definitely. He is six months behind the South African horses and he is still a bit mentally immature.”

Cantillon, understandably well pleased, added: “We loved him as a yearling and all he can do is improve.”

The two Group 1 races at Greyville last Saturday were somewhat overshadowed by Made To Conquer’s win in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup because this was the Dynasty four-year-old’s sixth success in his last seven starts and he is now to be supplemented for the Durban July. He is out of a mare by Casey Tibbs, who was trained by Dermot Weld, and has been a consistent success, particularly when the ground turns soft.

Made To Conquer is trained by Justin Snaith who is odds-on to be champion trainer for the second time. He revealed after the race that the gelding is one of four he laid out for the Durban campaign, saying: “All four are just under the radar and they are coming right at the right time.”

The other three are the Durban July favourite African Night Sky, who runs in the Cup Trial at Greyville today, Platinum Prince, and Strathdon, whose target is the Gold Cup and who finished second to Made To Conquer.

Snaith also won the Woolavington with Oh Susanna but she only scraped home by half a length, partly because this was her first race since winning the Met at the end of January but also because there was no pace.

Snaith’s younger brother Jonathan is the stable’s master strategist and he has been warning for some time not to back her for the Durban July even though she was quite close up in the betting and she was scratched on Monday.

“There are better weighted horses in the race and 56kg was a hard ask for a three-year-old filly,” he reasoned.

Surcharge tumbled in the July betting after beating several of the big race hopefuls in last Saturday’s Daily News but trainer Stuart Pettigrew promptly ruled him out, saying: “This is the best I have ever trained, or ever will train, and you won’t see him again this season. He has done his job and he will now rest.”

Also out is the unbeaten Rainbow Bridge who won both the Winter Guineas and Winter Classic in Cape Town. “I felt that running him in the July at this stage might cook his mind,” explained trainer Eric Sands.

“He has had a sheltered life and then had three starts in seven weeks. At the races he comes off the horse box sweating and in the Winter Classic last time he also raced like an immature horse. I am going to give him a working holiday, bring him back in September and aim him at the Queen’s Plate and the Met.”

Serious injury

GUNTER Wrogemann, who won on Surcharge, took a bad fall at Turffontein the following day and is in intensive care in a Johannesburg hospital after breaking several bones in his face, including his jaw.