Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

De Kock takes aim at Cape Guineas

Brendan Pather
Laverna, last season’s champion juvenile filly, heads a strong list of final stage acceptors for the R750 000 Grade 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas to be run over a mile at Kenilworth racecourse on Saturday, December 5. The final field is due to be announced on Thursday.
The Parade Leader filly had a blow out over 1 400m at Turffontein earlier this month. Her trainer, and part owner, Mike de Kock expected the strong galloper to need the outing and she ran accordingly.
De Kock has also kept Sidera, the unbeaten daughter of Galileo who bolted home in the Listed Starling Stakes last month, in the reckoning for a crack at the Guineas and it would make for an intriguing matchup if both his fillies made the final field.
De Kock has not won the Cape Guineas since running first and second in 2003 with Emerald Beauty and Ilha Da Vitoria respectively.
He came within a whisker in 2004, when Fair Maiden was nabbed by Shadow Dancing, and again in 2007, when Gilded Minaret just failed to grab Captain’s Lover.
De Kock would have had the Guineas in mind in terms of Laverna’s preparations this season and she should be close to her best for this race.
Her best performance to date was in the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes at Clairwood in August when she gave a top class field a serious galloping lesson to win by 4,25 lengths.
Anything close to that sort of form would give her a big chance of getting De Kock back on the Cape Guineas winners’ roll.
My Kazzie, second to Laverna in the Gr 1 Thekwini and All Afire in the Gr 1 Golden Slipper, will be looking to go one better this time.
Her trainer, Mike Azzie, has never been short of praise for the daughter of Western Winter and it will be interesting to see if she has improved this term.
Anticipated rematch
Another Highveld-based contender, Quiet Alone, from the champion trainer Charles Laird, would be an interesting runner.
The Australian-bred daughter of Elusive Quality beat Laverna at level weights over 1 500m at Clairwood in July and impressed in winning her pipe-opener at the Vaal last month.
She looks an improved filly this season and her rematch with Laverna is eagerly anticipated. Justin Snaith’s Townsend and the Eric Sands-trained Secret Pleasure, who fought out a tight finish to the Odessa Stud Fillies Championship earlier this month, head the long list of Cape-based entries.
Fabiani’s win in the Green Point Stakes last week reiterated the fact that you ignore the Glen Kotzen yard at your peril this term. They’ve lined up Captain’s Call for the Guineas and the daughter of Captain Al impressed in her comeback effort in a Handicap last month.
Besides hometown advantage, the locals also seem to have had better luck with the draws which should bring the likes of Dean Kannemeyer’s Strawberry Ice and Joey Ramsden’s Possible Dream into closer contention.

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