Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Smanjemanje to breath fire

David Thiselton
Clairwood hosts an intriguing meeting on Sunday with the main race being the Listed KwaZulu-Natal Breeders 1600, but there are also two interesting juvenile races and a Pinnacle Plate race that sees a few Vodacom Durban July entries making a final appearance before the big day on July 31. An interesting runner in the KZN Breeders is the Tyrone Zackey-trained Smanjemanje. He is full of ability but has a problem with a displaced soft palate, which affects his breathing. He was fitted with a cornell collar last time but still choked up. However, the collar appears to have worked better in a gallop at Summerveld on Tuesday. If it works this time in the race he could be the horse to beat, drawn well with Anton Marcus aboard as on official merit ratings he is one of the better weighted horses. Gary Alexander raids with Superfederation who will make a last gasp bid to get into the July. He is very much distance suited, his last two wins having come over this trip and he has a fair draw with Derreck David aboard. The Kumaran Naidoo-trained Al’s Deputy showed incredible improvement to run third and fifth respectively in the Grade 2 KRA Guineas and the Grade 1 Daily News 2000. His subsequent merit rated raise makes him the official best weighted horse in this race. He ran in the Gold Circle Oaks just a week ago and the concern would be whether this race has come too soon. The Dennis Drier-trained Secret Babe is the third best in at the weights and this is her probable best distance. She does have a very wide draw to overcome though. Henchman has plenty of ability and as a horse that tends to be a bit headstrong, jockey Kevin Shea is perfectly suited to him with his fine hands. It is noteworthy that Shea has stayed aboard after partnering him last time. The concern is that he is not very well treated at the weights but he does look ideally course and distance suited. The Mike de Kock-trained Va Va Voom showed vast improvement with blinkers last time, so although merit rated only 78 he could be the surprise package in this field. He is widely drawn but has Anthony Depech aboard. DJ Detzky is a three-year-old Announce gelding from Port Elizabeth and has already won five times. He is widely drawn but can’t be ignored over a suitable distance. Spanish Wisdom doesn’t have it easy at the weights but is well drawn and distance suited. Askari beat Henchman by a length the last time they met over course and distance, but is now 1,5kg worse off. He does have pole position draw though so can’t be ignored. Shield The Sheik is unbeaten in two starts over 1 600m, but this is a big rise in class and he will need to improve significantly again. East Coast Gold is well drawn over a suitable distance but the question is whether he prefers Greyville. Thanks Dad is capable if things go his way, but he isn’t well drawn and probably prefers 1 400m. His best performances have come on right hand tracks too. Aim High was a promising juvenile but has been disappointing this season and will need to bounce back to his best. The selection is Smanjemanje to win from Superfederation with Al’s Deputy, Secret Babe and Henchman next best. The Pinnacle Plate race earlier on over 1 800m sees the July entries Fort Vogue, Lizarre, Aslan, Rudra, Flying Tristram and Saluki taking their places. Lizarre, who has his first run for the De Kock yard makes the most appeal. De Kock likes him a lot and if he can improve on this horse, as he normally does, he will be right up with the best horses in the country.

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