Richard Fourie’s mount yesterday opened at 18-10 with Betting World who make Candaleeyah favourite at 16-10. This one was reported to be hanging in from 300m out when third on her last run (Shane Humby: “She needed company – she was all on her own”) and Andrew Fortune rides her for the first time.
Saint Donan is 18-10 favourite for the opening Wilgerbosdrift Stud Maiden although he has a touch of seconditis after finding one too good for him in his last three starts. Panga Panga beat him rather easily three weeks ago and the third and fourth haven’t exactly boosted the form.
However Dolf Maeder has made no secret of his belief that this wasn’t his horse’s running and says: “He is better than that and his recent work is good although this might be a bit tight for him. He wants a mile and I was going to run him over that in a couple of weeks. But the owner is going overseas then so he runs here.”
Seattle Kat just might be a better bet at 5-1. He was less than half a length behind the favourite two races back and last time’s poor run can be excused. He was reported coughing by the course vet. “He did cough a little bit afterwards but it was more that he was choking in the race,” says Mike Robinson. “I am putting on a tongue tie and a stronger jockey. I want Karl Neisius to restrain him.”
The outcome of race two should provide a pointer to Ashram in the Cape Thoroughbred Sales Maiden and Greg Cheyne’s mount is expected to start favourite. “She has had three good runs over 1 200m but she didn’t win so we are going over further,” says Glen Kotzen who adds, significantly: “She is bred to go further.”
She may well prove to carry too many guns for Gauteng and Camara’s Park while the hat-trick seeking Big Ed carries a degree of confidence in the Jonsson Workwear Handicap.
Gareth Wright’s mount has come into his own since being upped to 2 500m (Humby: “He was too immature to go over it previously but now he is over his right distance”) and was only raised 1.5kg for last time’s defeat of Juddering Angel who franked the form by going on to win three weeks later.
