Dennis Drier will have three chances of winning his seventh Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion this decade and his eighth overall as he runs Querari colt Immortelle, Master Of My Fate colt Goliath Heron and Byword colt Crown And Country.
Dennis Drier (Liesl King)
The yard also contest the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint with Sommerlied, who holds the Scottsville 1000m course record and won the Grade 3 Poinsettia Stakes over Saturday’s course and distance last time out, and the Grade 1 Allan Robertson with Outlandos D’Amour.
His assistant trainer Stuart Ferrie said about the Medallion, “It’s quite tough this year, there is no stand out of ours, but Immortelle won a very nice race and the other two have run well enough in small feature company, so we’re going in there hoping.”
Stable jockey Sean Veale is aboard Immortelle, whom Ferry said was the one who was open to the most improvement. Ferrie regarded Cue The Music as likely the horse to beat and said if the Drier yard could not win it they would like to see that one win as he is a half-brother to their former SA Fillies Sprint-winner Val De Ra.
Ferrie said about Sommerlied, who had been disappointing down in Cape Town before her good comeback, “That last run was really good and she may possibly have just needed it so I think she has come on. It looks very competitive but she’s a fit horse and loves it here in KZN.”
Outlandos D’Amour won her first start over 1000m at Greyville in good style, although the form was let down when the runner up Charges D’Affaires was beaten yesterday on the poly.
Ferrie said, “She’s a very good filly and her work here yesterday (Tuesday) was really good, so we’re going in there with a good chance.”
Ferrie described her as not a tall filly but well built and nicely put together. He said although she showed pace on debut, that was more out of necessity due to her wide draw. He added, “1200m will not be an issue and if she can sit behind something that will probably be Plan A.” The Captain Al filly certainly possesses a fine turn of foot.
By David Thiselton
