“Those two weekends were never part of her program and she will likely be running in the Diadem and will then run in either the Queen’s Plate or Paddock Stakes and then the mile on Met day.”

The races Bass was referring to were the Gr 2 Khaya Stable Diadem Stakes over 1200m on December 27, the Gr 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate over 1600m or the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over 1800m on January 10, and the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m on J&B Met day January 31.

He added that he had deliberately planned a fairly light Cape Summer Of Champions season campaign for Hammie’s Hooker (pictured) in order to keep something “in the tank” for a possible big race campaign in Johannesburg, where he currently has a small satellite yard. The Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes over 1600m on April 11 would be her most obvious target on the Highveld, although races like the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m on February 28 and the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m on March 28 could also be options.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe is the regular rider of Hammie’s Hooker and said recently that she was the horse he was most looking forward to riding this season, an indication of her class. The merit rated 110 mare certainly looks to have a few big races at her mercy now that her nemesis Beach Beauty is retired.

Hammie’s Hooker has only had one race this season to date and finished a fine 0,85 length third to her stablemate Tevez on November 16 in the Gr 2 Cape Merchants over 1200m, despite giving the winner 2,5kg.

Bass has one runner in Saturday’s Gr 2 Vasco Premier Trophy over 1800m, the talented but temperamental Jet Master gelding Heldeberg Blue. He has won his last two starts, both over this distance, in good style and Bass said, “We have done a lot of work with him and he has settled down a lot, he is almost normal. We will see how he shapes on Saturday to see whether he runs in the J&B Met, although I don’t think he can beat a horse like Legislate in the Met. Saturday’s race is not cut and dried, but he is doing well and I think he will run well.”

The yard run the four-year-old Trippi filly Shingwedzi and the three-year-old Australian-bred Authorized filly Lucky Tuesday in the Victress Stakes.

Bass felt that the well-drawn hard-knocking Shigwedzi had a reasonable chance in this race, but said Lucky Tuesday would be “thrown in the deep end”, especially from her wide draw.