African Night Sky can lay the jinx on Winter Classic winners in the Highlands Stud Winter Derby at Kenilworth tomorrow.

In the last decade seven of them have attempted the double and all found the 2 400m trip beyond them. And, just to underline how difficult and demanding this race can be (for punters as well as horses), only one of the last nine favourites has been successful.

Unlike many of those that have gone before him, though, the Justin Snaith runner has the pedigree for the job. “He doesn’t give you the feel of a stayer – he is not a plodder and he does have a turn of foot – but he is bred to stay and so he should do so,” says Bernard Fayd’Herbe, successful on Liquid Mercury two years ago and of course on the legendary Pocket Power in 2006 – but, ominously, well beaten on hot favourite Whisky Baron 12 months ago.

African Night Sky (Liesl King)

The threat to a Winter Series clean sweep comes from Newlands, officially the best horse in the race and in receipt of a kilo from African Night Sky, but not guaranteed to stay. Although he is by High Chaparral, his dam did not win beyond a mile and is by the Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus who was essentially a ten furlong horse.

Anton Marcus’s mount has only once been as far as that when he was fourth to Edict Of Nantes in the Cape Derby. This is the best form in the race and, while he wasn’t exactly staying on strongly at the end, he wasn’t weakening either.

Joey Ramsden, successful three times in the past 14 years, says: “I think his chances of getting the trip are quite good. His pedigree has more stamina than most South African horses.”

Our Mate Art, second in both the Winter Guineas and Classic, is not bred to stay- he is by a Breeders’ Cup mile winner and the dam’s side does exactly shout stamina. “I’m not sure whether he will get the trip but it’s not a strong field of staying horses. We will have to see what the pace is like,” says Candice Bass-Robinson. “But Ollivander should get it and he is very well.”

Loadshedder, third in the first two legs, was putting in his best work at the end last time but he is not bred to get the extra and at least one of the lesser lights is intent on stretching him and the others at the top end. “They are going to feel every metre because we are going to test them with Soaring Past to see if they really do get the trip,” warns Riaan van Reenen.

The rest have almost certainly too much to do at the weights: Desert Wisdom looks a longshot, Paddington stays well and the best of the outsiders is almost certainly Mangrove who loves the trip and won very easily last time.

Silver Coin may beat the equally highly regarded Tap O’Noth in the Langerman, Elusive Heart appeals in the Irridescence and Ngaga in the Ladies Mile.

By Michael Clower