A suitably impressed Sean Cormack said: “This was the highlight of my day. She got the job done in a procession and I’ve no doubt she will go a bit further.”

How much further is the $64 000 question. The mile of the Avontuur Cape Fillies Guineas? “That’s highly questionable,” answered Joey Ramsden, “although she doesn’t work like a five or six furlong horse.”

But he has no reservations about asking her to turn her out again for a Grade 2 in only nine days’ time – “Why not? I would have galloped her anyway.”

Richard Fourie, race-riding for the first time for three months, had to be content with a fourth and an unplaced – and dreams of glory.

The last came earlier in the day when he was reunited with Vodacom Durban July winner Legislate in a racecourse work-out and described the four-year-old’s performance as “phenomenal.”  The colt galloped 1 200m with Lion’s Roar (Robert Khathi) and they went a really good clip.

Justin Snaith said: “It was a very good gallop – Lion’s Roar is a good 1 200m horse – and I think they probably broke the course record! Everything was positive.”

Act Of War has gone rocketing up the merit ratings after successfully conceding 4.5kg to Mljet in last Saturday’s Cape Classic and is now officially the joint third-best three-year-old in the country.

The handicappers raised the Ramsden-trained colt by 15 points- or 7.5kg – to 110, the same mark as the Durban Golden Horseshoe winner Afrikaburn and below only Majmu and Guiness who are both on 114. The handicappers left Mljet unchanged on 108 and they also saw no reason to change third-placed Heartland’s 89 rating.

Picture: Liesl King