Warren Lenferna
There will be plenty of thoroughbred talent on show at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth tomorrow and plenty of betting opportunities await. The summer season is well on its way and the Cape is the place to be.
The headliner is the Grade 1 World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas over 1600m and if this line-up doesn’t get you salivating, nothing will. Princess Of Gaul has won three from four, is a quality filly, and is a huge runner once again. Golden Palm, with Keagan de Melo aboard, is top class and comes into this having won her last five. It is her second run after a layoff, and she is an obvious winning contender. Reet Petite has been nothing short of scintillating. She is progressive, possesses serious gears, and her last run when stretched to 1600m was particularly impressive. She will have no shortage of supporters and is clearly on the path to becoming a top-class filly.
An interesting runner is Quickstepgal from the KZN yard of Tienie Prinsloo. Gavin Lerena retains the ride, which is a major plus. Her local debut was eye-catching, she is sure to have tightened up from that outing, and she can be respected for the places.
The fifth on the card is the first of the features, the Cape Summer Stayers Handicap over 2500m, and the form of Ahead Of The Facts was given a boost during the week. The son of Futura, from the Justin Snaith yard, will be ridden by Juan-Paul van der Merwe and carries a light weight. He stays all day, should be cherry-ripe, and has strong winning claims. It is never that straightforward, though, as there are several others with chances. Holding Thumbs is consistent and won this race last year. Congressman is slightly better off at the weights with Ahead Of The Facts on their latest meeting and should go close. Home Reef is in mustard form, travelling from the Eastern Cape, and could make his presence felt. Umfula does jump in class but has caught the eye since the layoff. His last run behind Regulation was good, and he could well be up to the task. Ahead Of The Facts, however, remains the suggested first choice.
The sixth is the Grade 3 World Sports Betting Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m, and what a line-up of talented, quality fillies and mares it is. The scintillating, unbeaten Eastern Cape queen, Direct Hit, should take an absolute power of beating with regular rider Richard Fourie aboard. Asiye Phambili returns from a 27 July break but is classy and capable of going very close; she cannot be excluded from any bets. Green Diamond arrives from the Highveld with tip-top form and was last seen 22 weeks ago in KZN during their Champions Season. She is an excellent filly who merits huge respect, with Craig Zackey riding for Sean Tarry. It promises to be a superb spectacle at Grade 3 level, but they might all need to find a bit extra to deny Direct Hit from keeping her unbeaten record intact.
