Candice Bass-Robinson started the new feature season where she left off last season with a fine win in the Grade 3 Matchem Stakes over 1400m at Durbanville on Saturday with Our Mate Art and she also looks to have a possible Grade 1 WSB Fillies Guineas prospect in Magical Wonderland.
Bass-Robinson became the first lady trainer to win the Vodacom Durban July earlier this year and did it in her first season as a licensed trainer having taken over the reins from her legendary father Mike.
The latters greatest horse was Pocket Power and Our Mate Art carries the same blue, white and pink colours of the yard’s most loyal owner Marsh Shirtliff.
Our Mate Art is a rangy Australian-bred four-year-old gelding by the twice Grade 1-winning miler-to-1800m USA-bred Artie Schiller.
The big bay looked to always be in control of the race on Saturday once he had found cover in a handy position after a good start. He duly ran on resolutely to get the better of Table Bay, a classy sort who could well be at his best over that 1400m trip.
Bass-Robinson said, “It was the perfect race for him, a good distance and not quite against the top, top horses.”
She referred to the like of Legal Eagle and Marinaresco when qualifying the last statement.
Glen Kotzen, trainer of Gold Standard, might have had something to say about that, considering his Gold Standard finished in front of Marinaresco by 1,25 lengths in the Sun Met last year, albeit on 2kg better terms than weight for age.
Kotzen believed Gold Standard, who was having his first run since the Met, would have won on Saturday had he not been cramped between Table Bay and the rail. However, he was delighted by his 1,65 length fourth, especially in light of none of the Western Cape trainers having racecourse grass gallops available to them at present. Kotzen considers grass gallops as a vital aspect of his training program and said all of his horses had gone into Saturday’s meeting short of such a gallop. However, he was pleased that his big guns like Eyes Wide Open, Pack Leader, Too Phat To Fly, Princess Peach and Final Judgement had all pulled up well after running on a surface he described as “beautiful”.
Earlier, Bass-Robinson’s What A Winter filly Magical Wonderland turned it on in eye-catching fashion to easily win a strong Progress Plate for three-year-old fillies over 1200m.
On pedigree she will have a stamina doubt as she is by champion sprinter What A Winter and is a half-sister to the like of Grade 3-winning sprinter Magico.
However, Bass Robinson pointed out she had switched off nicely on Saturday at the back and possesses “a big turn of foot”. She believed she could get away with a mile against her own age group at this stage, just as her sire had when winning the Grade 2 Selangor Cup. However, she concluded by saying her Grade 1 WSB Fillies Guineas participation would be decided upon after her next intended run in the Grade 2 Choice Carriers Championships over 1400m at Kenilworth on October 28.
Meanwhile, Bass-Robinson’s July winner Marinaresco is in full training after enjoying a holiday at Soetendal Estate and would be taking the traditional top-horse route of Green Point Stakes, L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and Sun Met.
Our Mate Art would also be considered for that route, although reading between the lines Bass-Robinson does not rate him quite as good as Marinaresco at this stage.
By David Thiselton
Photo: Candice Robinson (hamish NIVEN Photography)
