Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Mr. Esplendid looks the part

David Thiselton
The main race at Scottsville on Sunday is the ninth, the Natal Carbineers 155th Anni-versary UmThombothi Han-dicap over 2 000m, and the horse to beat looks to be the Glen Kotzen-trained Mr Esplendid, who has gone close in his last two starts, both over 1 800m. In his last start he ran on well in the Listed Michael Roberts Handicap in soft going on this stand-side course from a wide draw. This six-year-old by former top five Argentinian sire, Numerous, stays long distances and will prefer the 2 000m. He is also well drawn in three.
Sean Cormack has the ride and he has a high strike rate for the Kotzen yard.
Mr Esplendid’s stablemate, Shipwreck, also jumped from a wide draw
in the Michael Roberts Handicap, but managed fourth place just 1,25 lengths behind Mr Esplendid. He will be just as good over the 2 000m trip and enjoys soft ground. He too has a good draw of five. The third Kotzen contestant is Silver Fantasy, who showed what she was capable of on Gold Cup day last year when finishing within 0,3 lengths of the subsequent J&B Met runner up and winner respectively, Mother Russia and River Jetez. In her last start in the Grade 1 Paddock Stakes over 1 800m at Kenilworth, she was beaten 5,6 lengths by Mother Russia and probably didn’t enjoy the crawl that they went at.
She would likely have had to be freshened up since returning from Cape Town so might possibly need this run and is also widely drawn. Robbie Hill aboard is a bonus to her chances though. The Doug Campbell-trained Trail O’ Gold sneaks into the handicap with bottom weight. He was well fancied three runs ago over this course and distance but his saddle slipped badly and he couldn’t be assisted. Trail O’Gold was found to have coughed in his penultimate start, but bounced back to form last time to finish second over 2 000m at Clairwood despite having been cramped. He is widely drawn but Anthony Delpech has the ride. Trail O’ Gold has won in the wet before and has won over course and distance before too. The Duncan Howells-trained Wood Be Magic finished just 1,5 lengths behind Trail O’ Gold last time over 2 000m at Greyville. That leaves him with an outside chance too. He has won over course and distance before, but might prefer faster going. Those seem the principles and the selection is Mr Esplendid to beat home Shipwreck with Trail O’ Gold, Silver Fantasy and Wood Be Magic next best.
One of the most awaited races on the day will be the eighth, a Merit Rated 89 Handicap over 1 200m, in which the exciting Kumaran Naidoo-trained sprinter Purple Lake makes an appearance. She has never been headed in three starts from 1 160-1 200m and won the Grade 3 Magnolia Handicap over 1 160m at Turffontein last time despite being officially 4kg under sufferance. The most impressive aspect of her form has been the way she has left her rivals strung out like the washing behind her, usually the sign of a good horse, so she could probably handle the ten-point raise she has been given and go in again.
In the fifth race, the Gelib Memorial Plate, the Kotzen yard will have a chance with See The Light, who drops back to the more suitable 1600m and has a good draw. He is the best in at the weights and so the two talented three-year-olds, the Herman Brown-trained Absolute Heretic and the Doug Campbell-trained Smart Al, will have their work cut out to beat him, although the former, a 7,25 length winner of his 1 600m maiden at Clairwood, is by one of the world’s leading sires, Galileo, and could still be anything. A word of caution is that the ground could turn up soft with some rainfall expected in the preceding days.

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