Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)
Confidence about Fort Noble
David Thiselton
The Summerveld tracks have not been fully workable since last Thursday and this might have an affect on the performance of runners at Greyville on Saturday night.
The Paul Lafferty yard is bullish about their chances of having two winners on the night.
Lafferty said that Fort Noble in the second, a maiden over 2 000m, would be “hard to beat” and the form suggests the same. He is drawn widely but has done well from a wide draw in the past.
Kumaran Naidoo said Summer Dot Com pulled his way to the front with first time blinkers last time, so he expects him to bounce back to his best in this race with blinkers removed.
Lafferty also felt that Born In Space would be a “big, big runner” in the seventh, a handicap over 1 600m.
“She found it a touch too far last time,” he said about her last start over 1 800m.
The formbook would suggest Born In Space’s optimum trip is 1 600m.
Tea Break ran a cracker in the Flamboyant and poses a big threat in that race, and Naidoo said she is “fairly fit” despite the lack of tracks.
The Mike Miller-trained Smangaliso is right up with, if not slightly ahead, of Tea Break on her Flamboyant run.
The Dennis Drier yard has a good horse in Rise Again turning out in the fifth race, a fillies and mares handicap over 1 000m.
Stuart Ferrie, Drier’s assistant, gave her the thumbs up, but added, “She is a massive filly, so might just, just need a run. But that doesn’t mean she can’t win.”
Rise Again won impressively in her second start over 1 200m at Scottsville and did well in her first handicap start when just 0,7 lengths back over the Clairwood 1 200m in a field packed with above average horses as it fell in the middle of the Champions Season.
In this off-season event she should have a great chance despite a seven month break, although she doesn’t have an easy draw at 10.
The Julie Dittmer-trained Sunset Beat won well over 1 000m last time in a maiden and could be the main danger.
Super Sunday from the Gavin van Zyl yard is another horse who featured when the fields were stronger. So she could be the horse to beat in the third, a maiden over 1 400m despite returning from a four month break. Her best trip looks to be 1 600m, but she is well drawn in two.
Detectorist finished second in a weak maiden last time in very soft going, and Tracy Woolard, caretaker trainer for Paul Matchett at Summerveld, was concerned about the lack of recent tracks to work on.
The preferences to fight it out with Super Sunday would be the Herman Brown-trained Enrichment and the Mike de Kock-trained Minwa. Enrichment finished a narrow second to the Bart Rice-trained Western Gem last time and it is worth noting that Rice rates the latter a lot better than Bycullah, whom Enrichment faces on Saturday.
Nathan Kotzen, assistant to De Kock, said that he expected improvement from Minwa who finished a narrow second in a moderate maiden over 1 200m on debut.
This does not augur well for the more experienced Carlas Wisdom, who finished just behind her then, although Rivalland does rate her as his best runner on the night.
Clairwood have not missed many days of training and Deshone Steyn, assistant to Sean Tarry, said Omega Warrior had been working well. However, with Omega Warrior’s raise in merit rating, all of Norse Sky, Big Light, Night Time and Frost Bound could beat him.
Tropical Empire runs well fresh and the Greyville 1 400m is possibly his favourite course and distance, so he’s the one to beat in the fourth, but don’t discount Thandolwami with the jockey who knows him best, Raymond Danielson, back on board.

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