Impressive Cape Nursery winner Captain Chaos will be the focus of much attention at Durbanville tomorrow but he has it all to do to beat Sail For Gold in the Gold Circle Graduation Plate.
This is his first race for over three months and he has never been to Durbanville before, not even for a gallop. And, perhaps even more important, he has nearly three lengths to find with the older horse when you adjust their merit ratings for weight-for-age.
“He has been doing well but he might just be lacking fitness and I think he is going to be short of a gallop,” says Ronnie Sheehan.
“I didn’t run him in the Langerman and instead I put him away because I had a different programme in mind. He will now probably go for the Matchem, the Cape Classic and then the R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run. At the moment he is second on the log for that.
“I could have taken him to Durbanville for a gallop but I didn’t want him peaking too soon and he has to go there for the Matchem. This time Sail For Gold could be a hard horse to beat.”
The top weight has to concede only 2kg compared to the 7.5kg of the weight-for-age scale and he has the benefit of a recent run – and a good one at that. River God could also pose a threat. He was only caught close home a fortnight ago and he is a course winner.
The Mike Bass stable should also win the Gold Circle Allowance Plate with the high class Inara who in January became the first three-year-old this century to win both the Paddock and the Majorca in the same season.
She has over three lengths in hand on ratings and, although she has been off since Durban July day, she should be up to the task. “She had a break after Durban but she galloped at Durbanville with Come Fly With Me last Thursday,”says Candice Robinson. “They will both run in the Diana Stakes after this.”
Midnight Breeze, well backed on debut only to suffer a slipping saddle, stands out in the first but her ten draw is surely the kiss of death. Jets-A-Blazing could be the one (she was forced to ease 100m out when a close-up fourth on debut) at the expense of Stockade who showed improvement last time.
BLOB Donovan Dillon must wonder whether he is coming or going since his move to Cape Town. He was criticised for riding Aspara to the line last Saturday and now the NHA’s Inquiry Board has suspended him for ten days for not riding a horse to the line!
This was Captain Swarovski who the Inquiry Board reckoned could have got fourth instead of fifth – and the ban has been imposed even though the course vet reported that the colt was blowing hard after the race.
By Michael Clower
Picture: Inara (Liesl King)
