Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Nocturnal Affair in with a big shout

David Thiselton
Greg Ennion has one of the best outsiders,
the 20-1 shot Nocturnal Affair, in the Grade 1 Bloodstock SA Cape Guineas on Saturday, although he doesn’t consider the Victory Moon colt to be an outsider at all.
Nocturnal Affair has never missed a cheque in ten starts. His first win came in his third start when he landed the Grade 3 Cape Nursery over 1 200m, beating another Guineas contender, the Joey Ramsden-trained Lion In Winter, by 1,25 lengths.
Since then he has won one more race, an Allowance Plate over 1 200m, but has placed in three Grade 3 features, including an excellent effort against older horses in the Grade 3 Matchem Stakes when less than a length back in third from a wide draw over 1 400m.
In his last two starts, Noctural Affair has finished a 1,5 length second to Captain’s Secret in the Cape Classic over 1 400m and a 2,85 length fifth to Past Master in the Grade 2 Selangor over 1 600m, but in both starts he had wide draws to contend with.
On Saturday he is perfectly drawn in stall two.
“He is very well and everything has gone right, said Ennion. “He put in an exceptional gallop on Tuesday in his last serious work for the race.
“The Guineas will be the first time in his career that everything will be in his favour. He is a huge colt who weights 540kg and wasn’t suited to the heavy going he had to contend with in his two starts around the turn as a juvenile.
“In the Selangor he had to be chased around horses. The two horses that kept him out ran last and second last, while he ran on for fifth.
“Felix (Coetzee) has stayed with him which is significant. Felix worked him twice a week before going to Hong Kong for the weekend and is very happy with him. There is no doubt whatsoever that he will stay the 1 600m. Nothing has ever gone his way before, now he has everything in his favour and I wouldn’t be running him here if I didn’t think he could win.”
Ancestral Fore is very well
Alan Higgins said that his Guineas contender, the Dynasty gelding, Ancestral Fore, is “very well” and that if he “can get over from his wide draw he has a good chance.”
Ancestral Fore finished 4,6 lengths behind Captain’s Secret in the Cape Classic over 1 400m, after having to be switched at the 100m mark.
He then ran on well in the Selangor when a 2,6 length fourth to Past Master, despite having jumped from the identical draw he has in the Cape Guineas, stall fourteen.

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