Gregorian Chant, his form boosted by Caballo Blanco’s win last Saturday, can start the afternoon on a winning note at Kenilworth today.
The Dean Kannemeyer colt divided Le Harve and Caballo when the latter pair made their debuts last month and he probably has most to fear from Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount Cream Soda Green who went close first time.
“I thought Cream Soda Green had a good chance that day but we weren’t 100% sure,” recalls Harold Crawford. “He has improved a bit since and they are going to have to be quite good to beat him.”
Dean Kannemeyer
All but five of the 16 runners are newcomers but watch out for R2 million buy A New Dawn, an Australian son of Epsom Derby winner New Approach. “He is a very nice horse,” says Joey Ramsden, “although I’m four weeks behind where I would like to be with him.”
A New Dawn opened at 10-1 with World Sports Betting who went 33-10 Cream Soda Green, 4-1 Gregorian Chant, 9-2 the once-raced Moonrise Sensation and 6-1 the Vaughan Marshall newcomer Always In Charge.
Half the 14-strong field in race two are unraced with 11-2 chance Don’t Stop Dancing (a Dynasty daughter of Majorca winner Sarabande) among the most expensive at R900 000. Trip The Willow (3-1 favourite) and 4-1 shot Rock On Wood have the right credentials, and Justin Snaith’s booking of in-form Grant van Niekerk for the former looks significant.
Arctic Blast has proved expensive and frustrating, starting favourite or second favourite in his last four starts. He has often shown tremendous early speed only for something to cause him to fade. Three races back part of his breastplate broke and last time MJ felt there was something wrong although the racecourse vet reported only “poor recovery.”
Mighty Hash (13-2) is an obvious danger in the Itsarush.co.za Maiden but Arctic Blast looks worth one more chance at 16-10 even though Vaughan Marshall cautions: “He is a very light-framed horse. He will win a maiden but he is not very good.”
Ramsden, with a string of two-year-olds ready to run, has two in each of the first two races and pits four against three-year-olds in races three and four. “Everything was coming back sore but now the rain has come I’m running them. I’m fully aware that it [racing them against older horses] is not the right thing to do.”
The weights are against them. They should be receiving between 8.5kg and 9.5kg according to the weight-for-age scale but they get only 3kg in race three and 4kg in race four.
Even so, many punters will want to side with Moonsaballon (33-10) after the filly was nominated as a horse to follow on Winning Ways, particularly if Trip The Willow franks her form by winning race two. “I worked her quite hard to get her where she was first time,” Ramsden points out.
She certainly looked useful but then she is going to need to be and prudence suggests 5-2 favourite Peonie Rock in particular, and Variance at 9-2, may prove better value.
By Michael Clower
