The dogs are barking about Duc D’Orange, the Duke Of Marmalade colt who makes his debut with Bernard Fayd’Herbe in the irons in the 1 200m Woodhill Racing Maiden at Kenilworth on Saturday.
But Glen Kotzen, who sponsors the race, is making it clear that – much as he likes the colt – he does not expect him to collect on this occasion.
He said: “Duc D’Orange is very smart and very talented but this will be too short for him. However he is one of the better ones and definitely one for the future.”
Bernard Fayd’Herbe (Liesl King)
World Sports Betting, though, were taking no chances yesterday, opening him second favourite at 2-1 and 1-4 for a place. Gimmetherain, second at Durbanville on his only two starts, heads the market at 11-10 with Anton Marcus’s mount Northern Spy (5-2) the only other quoted at less than 12-1.
Kotzen intends changing tactics when Western Cape Fillies Championship runner-up Temple Grafin goes for the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas on 15 December.
He said: “We will probably give her a bit more of a chance and let her run on at the end but she pulled up great and I was delighted.”
The Woodhill trainer, who won the Cape Fillies Guineas with Princess Victoria seven years ago, will also run Coral Bay and neither filly will race again before the classic.
He said: “Coral Bay ran a cracker last Saturday. She got left in the pens but she flew home to finish fifth.”
Clouds Unfold, raised 4.5kg by the handicappers to a new mark of 106 for winning the race, and third-placed stable companion Santa Clara (up 1.5kg to 97) will also go straight to the Fillies Guineas but the disappointing Nous Voila (ninth) will miss the race.
Candice Bass-Robinson said: “We are putting her back up the straight because she doesn’t handle the turn. There is a progress plate coming up and she will run in that.”
Justin Snaith, who will be bidding for his sixth Cape Fillies Guineas in 12 seasons, confirms that Juniper Spring (“She had to be chased up but she still finished fourth”) will be in next month’s Grade 1 line-up. But he says that 20-1 shot Made To Conquer now has only a ten per cent chance of making the Sansui Summer Cup four weeks on Saturday.
He explained: “Going to PE last weekend has put a bit of a dampener on my other travel plans. The travelling there was very hard and hot and it took a lot out of Magnificent Seven. He only scrambled over the line in the Algoa Cup. I will go every easy on him in the Cape summer season and then have him for something in Natal.”
By Michael Clower
