One World can keep his unbeaten record in the Cape Guineas at Kenilworth tomorrow when his proven fighting qualities should enable him to again account for Chimichuri Run as well as Soqrat and Cirillo in the smallest Guineas field for 15 years.
The odds-on favourite is trained by Guineas master Vaughan Marshall bidding for win number six and partnered by a big race supremo riding like a man inspired. “We are up against one of the best front-running riders in the country and from the front he very rarely gets it wrong,” is how Joey Ramsden puts it. “He is one of those jockeys that sees you damned if you take him on and damned if you don’t.”
One World (Liesl King)
Chimichuri Run (best-priced 5-1) looks the most obvious danger after going under by only half a length in the Concorde Cup when S’Manga Khumalo felt his mount reached the limits of his stamina. He will delay his challenge much later tomorrow and it’s worth remembering that the Sean Tarry runner appeared to be going the better when he began to close last time.
Stable companion Cirillo (15-2) won the CTS Ready To Run the hard way and with considerable authority. Lyle Hewitson takes over from Marcus and is still widely underestimated. Hardly a day goes by when the champion does not serve up a reminder of just why he was the first apprentice to win the title since Michael Roberts.
Soqrat (4-1) is the only Grade 1 winner in the field and has long been held in high regard by Mike de Kock who is bidding for his fifth Cape Guineas. He should get into the shake-up but he doesn’t make the same appeal as the favourite.
Two of the last five Cape Classic winners have gone on to land the Guineas and Twist Of Fate is a big price at 14-1 to make it three but this race has a proven capacity for producing shocks. Seven of the last ten favourites have bitten the dust and in the last five seasons the winner has twice started at more than 20-1.
If there is to be an upset this time then you might want to consider Majestic Mozart. Long held in high regard by his trainer, Aldo Domeyer’s mount has been backed from 25-1 to 12-1 in the last five days and significantly he will race with a tongue tie for the first time.
Perhaps the bet of the day will prove to be the 11-2 offered by the sponsors against Marcus winning the World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas as well as the Cape Guineas because Front And Centre has looked something special from the start. True, she has never taken on anything resembling this calibre of field but the 2-1 favourite possesses the acceleration of a top class horse.
Furthermore the stats are very much in her favour. Favourites have won four of the last five runnings and since Field Flower sprang a 50-1 shock nine years ago no winner has started at a bigger price than 11-2.
Just about the only pointer against her is that she is not the winner of the Odessa/Choice Carriers/WC Fillies Championship. The winner of that race has gone on to land the Fillies Guineas five times in the last eight years and there is no denying the claims of this season’s winner scorer Clouds Unfold (3-1) who beat Temple Grafin (15-2) with some authority.
Ghaalla (7-1) came into her own when upped to a mile last time. She could make the frame but the local trainers will be surprised and disappointed if she proves good enough to beat all theirs. Justin Snaith has the best record with five winners in the past 11 seasons and Silvano’s Pride (backed from 14-1 to 9-1 this week) is on a hat-trick. She needs to improve again to make the frame.
Brave Move looks the part in the WSB Victress Stakes and maybe last year’s Guineas hero Tap O’Noth can win the WSB Premier Trophy.
By Michael Clower
