Caballo Blanco should get Kenilworth punters off to a winning start in the opening maiden juvenile tomorrow.

His first run three weeks ago was packed with promise (Mike Bass: “He got left a little bit but he is a smart horse”) and the form of his third place was boosted when the fourth, Dancer, won last Saturday. He already holds both Starflash and Telamon.

However things are not so straightforward from this point on. Bass and Grant van Niekerk should, in theory at any rate, follow up with Cold As Ice’s half-sister Live Life who was backed from 5-1 to 18-10 favourite when second on debut. But China Pearl was only half a length away despite starting at 35-1 and costing less than an eighth of her rival’s R2.5 million. Who is to say she won’t have come on by at least that margin? Gypsy Beauty also has good first run-based claims.

Joey Ramsden throws a potential spanner in the works 35 minutes later by pitching two superbly bred juveniles against the three-year-olds in the All To Come Maiden. Red Granite is a half-sister to Guineas winner Act Of War and R900 000 purchase Arctic Green is a daughter of Allan Robertson heroine Silver Arc.

Both are bred to be much better than tomorrow’s opposition but it’s worth pointing out that they meet the three-year-olds on terms 5.5kg (more than four lengths) worse than weight-for-age and also that it is difficult for Milnerton trainers to get horses ready to win on debut.

Dark Chocolate is the form horse and is tentatively preferred despite the way she ran last time suggesting that she needs further than this 1 200m.

The Racing.It’s A Rush Allowance Plate is even more tricky. Sceptre winner Princess Royal would appear to stand out, and is the forecast favourite, but she comes out level with longshot Sapsan when you adjust for the weights and weight-for-age while Night In Tahiti is only a point behind.

It just might pay to side with Captain’s Flame even though she has 2.5kg to find. She has won two of her three starts and was described by Andre Nel as “pretty talented” when she scored over the trip three weeks ago.

Keegan de Melo, who won on Black Arthur for Justin Snaith in November, flies in for six rides for the former champion trainer. The best of them could be Prince Of Wales in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap but Snaith is cautious, saying: “He is a horse to follow but this 1 400m is a bit on the short side. Also he is coming back from gelding so he may just need it.”

The biggest danger is probably Silver Snaffles who came home 3.5 lengths clear when making all over this trip four weeks ago.

By Michael Clower
Picture: Keegan de Melo rides at Kenilworth on Saturday