Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

SA Fillies no two horse race

David Thiselton
Saturday’s big Golden Horse Casino Sprint Day at Scottsville is looming large in the minds of Champions Season enthusiasts and it augurs well for the Clairwood-based trainers that horses from this training centre appear to thrive at this time of the year. Sean Tarry will travel Captain’s Gal, Mythical Flight and Essential Oil down from Johannesburg on Friday and they will stay overnight at Ashburton, while Lady Bequick and Captivating Party have both been staying at Clairwood. Scott Kenny, Tarry’s assistant, said, “Everybody’s talking about the SA Fillies as a two horse race. But Captain’s Gal showed early pace in the Camelia Stakes over 1 160m and Pierre Strydom eased her down before the line - she could have won by further. Val De Ra hasn’t been tested over 1 200m this season, but Captain’s Gal has won a Graded race over a mile with ease so the tough 1 200m will suit her.” He said of Mythical Flight, “All his best form has come on fast ground. He hasn’t had the conditions that suit him since returning from overseas. He should get them at Scottsville. He has lost some of the blistering speed he had as a younger horse and Sean feels 1 200m will suit him better now. “He should have won his last start but was squeezed at the start and then had another horse run across him. He has been starting slowly lately but if getting into the race he will have a chance considering he nearly won with top weight as a three-year-old, only just caught by Kildonan.”
Charles Laird sends out the Grade 1 winning sprinter, Warm White Night, in the Golden Horse Casino Sprint over 1 200m. He disappointed in his last start when sent out as odds-on favourite for the Computaform Sprint over 1 000m at Turffontein, finishing last. The going was very soft on that occasion, but Laird, asked yesterday whether this had been the reason for the run, could not offer an explanation. “He is doing fine. We gave him his final grass gallop last week at Clairwood. He has won at Scottsville before so knows the track.”
A line can probably be draw through the son of Western Winter’s Computaform Sprint run and he should be a leading contender having won the Gold Reef Resorts Medallion over the course and distance as a juvenile two years ago.
Another Laird horse who can have a line drawn through her last start is the Australian-bred two-year-old Street Cry filly, Hollywoodboulevard, who runs in the Allan Robertson. “She also ran in the mud on Champions Day,” said Laird. “Anton (Marcus) said she was changing legs throughout. She is normally a very nice moving filly.” Hollywoodboulevard beat a weak field by seven lengths on debut after being backed into 1-4. Laird said it was always difficult to judge the two-year-olds until they had run against each other, but added that his two-year-old Jet Master colt, Sports Coach, who won by 9,25 lengths on debut in slightly soft going, was doing very well. He rated him better than his other Medallion contender, The Assayer, at this stage and said the latter would be better when going over seven furlongs to a mile. He said tongue-in-cheek that he would be “very excited” if Pagan Dance, a three-time winner from five starts, ran fourth in the strong Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint. He added, “Gibraltar Blue and Val De Ra are both exceptional. The way Gibraltar Blue won the Guineas coming from draw 14 she looks something special. Val De Ra has done nothing wrong and has hardly come off the bit.” Anton Marcus has ridden Gibraltar Blue in both her South African starts to date and felt she would be fine over the shorter trip. Anthony Delpech will ride her this time as Marcus is contracted to Laird. Laird also runs Imperial Gesture in the Golden Horse and said, “It will be too sharp, but there is nothing else for him to run in.”

\| All information on these pages are (©) Copyright Gold Circle Pty (Ltd) 2002 \| site map
(This site is best viewed at 1024 X 768)