African Night Sky and Ngaga can finish the year in style at Kenilworth tomorrow. Both are unbeaten in two starts and look the goods.
The former was described by the sidelined Craig du Plooy as “something special and he turns it on like you can’t believe” after his win in October when he came with a strong run to get up 50m and win convincingly. Justin Snaith thought him good enough to run in the Selangor only for the horse to meet with a setback.
Richard Fourie (Nkosi Hlophe)
“He had an accident at the track,” recalls the trainer who is now eyeing one of the two CTS $500 000 races in four weeks’ time. “It was nothing serious but he had to be scratched and there have been no suitable races since.”
Richard Fourie takes over in the 1 400m handicap and, despite a five-point rise for his last win, his mount should complete a hat-trick.
Ngaga, an AUS$250 000 half-sister to Met winner Igugu, has legs like your dining room table but that doesn’t stop her galloping and Andre Nel reckons that the step up to a mile in the Summer Of Champions Handicap is much in her favour.
Glen Kotzen runs three here and Fourie, who rode all of them last time, provides the key – although not in the way you might think. “He wanted to stick with Party Crasher,” says Kotzen. “But he is retained by Peter de Beyer and Hugo Hattingh so he rides White Rose.”
Mike de Kock has yet to win a Cape Town two-year-old race this term but Captain My Captain should be hard to beat in the opener after accounting for all except Gold Image early last month. He had Henry Tudor (expected to be scratched) 3.5 lengths behind with the slow-starting Why Wouldn’t Yew in fourth.
However it just might be worth taking a chance – at a much bigger price – with the topically-named State Capture who met all sorts of interference when still travelling well first time. “He was just about to hit the front when he was turned sideways,” recalls Darryl Hodgson. “Thank God he didn’t get injured.”
The horse was promptly bumped twice more. Little wonder that he only managed seventh of eight.
Nel’s newcomers have been doing well but the trainer reckons that Q Tibb “needs a lot further” than the 1 400m of race three. However Kampala Campari is expected to go well in the next. He could be worth a few rands.
By Michael Clower
