Red Flame  runs in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes with S’Manga Khumalo up and this will be the first opportunity she has had to show how good she is over her probable optimum trip of 1600m as she was eliminated from last season’s Gr 2 KRA Guineas due to a not high enough merit rating.

Bruss said, “She had a good prep run and is really really well. She never runs a bad race, I think the 1800m (fifth in the Gr 3 Victress Stakes) was too far for her and the 2000m of the Woolavington certainly was. She is drawn widest of all so a lot will depend on the pace. If they go slow you can be trapped wide and then they sprint for home. But she will give of her best and will be doing her best work late so I think she will be there or thereabouts. I think she is in the race with some sort of chance.”

Aquila Jet, a promising three-year-old filly also by Jet Master, runs in the first leg of the Place Accumulator, a competitive MR 79 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1400m. Khumalo is also aboard her and they have to overcome draw eleven in a 15 horse field.

Bruss said, “I think she is badly handicapped for a one-time winner. I told the handicapper and he dropped her two points. The 1400m is her optimum trip and she is working well so with luck in running she has a chance.”

Last year the now five-year-old Ashaawes mare came into the race off a fourth in the Gr 3 Victress Stakes and a fifth in the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes, both over 1800m, and the yard have taken a completely different approach this year.

Marcus said, “I just thought that with her form having been so good over sprints in the winter I would put her in the 1000 and the two 1200s so that she would go into the Majorca good and fresh and stepping up in trip. She has had a good prep and her last two fourth places were good performances although with age she is probably finding 1200 a bit sharp now. We were hoping she would be going into Saturday’s race on the up and feeling good and happy and she is doing just that, she is extremely well, we have her at the best she can possibly be and we are confident she will run to the best of her ability. If Beach Beauty was in the field I think she would be very hard to beat and she only beat us by two lengths last year, so we are going to be competitive. Obviously Cold As Ice is up and coming and a potential superstar, but the distance will be a question mark.”

Priceless Jewel jumps from a very nice draw of five and Adam’s Uncle Anton Marcus rides, which is always a plus.

The yard have two other runners on the day, Crystal Cavern, who runs in the third race, a MR 79 fillies and mares handicap over 1400m, and Souk, who runs in the first, a MR 86 fillies and mares handicap over 1000m.

Marcus said, “Crystal Cavern is a very smart filly and showed her true ability in her last win (over course and distance), I was very impressed with that run. However, her wide draw is a concern, I think if she were better drawn she would be one of the fillies to beat. We are hoping she can get in without being used up too much and with luck she will run a decent race.”

“Souk is one of the better horses in the yard, but we gave her a break because of a virus that went through the yard, and this will be a prep run for the Prix du Cap. She is probably the class act in the field and going in fresh we would like to see her running on strongly and going into the Prix du Cap well.”

He was taken to hospital for x-rays as a precautionary measure.

Marcus is engaged to ride the hotpot Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby favourite Act Of War, as well as Priceless Jewel in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, at the J&B Met meeting on Saturday. We will keep readers posted on his well-being.

The Dennis Drier-trained Seventh Plain will be considered by many in the fourth race, the Listed Sun International Juvenile Stakes over 1000m, while both Drier’s Triptique and Darry Hodgson’s Mister Matchett will be a factor in another highly competitive event, the fifth, a MR 80 Handicap over 1200m.

Drier said about the striking Seventh Rock colt Seventh Plain, “I rate him and he hasn’t put a foot wrong. He should run very well, although you are never quite sure how strong these fields are.”

Seventh Plain certainly made a big impression on his debut over 800m. The long striding sort showed high cruising speed and, after having to be pushed to repel a challenge from Buckinghampshire, he took a while to wind up before lengthening beautifully and was pulling away at the line to win by 1,5 lengths.  He will certainly appreciate the extra 1000m and Anton Marcus in the irons is a further plus.

Balkan (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Justin Snaith-trained Buckinghampshire is a speedy type and had to be rushed to join Seventh Plain after losing ground at the start. He couldn’t match it with the latter in the closing stages, but the slow start would have taken its toll and he will also be 3kg better off on Saturday. Jonathon Snaith suggested Buckinghampshire as one of his best bets on the card in a Met panel discussion on Tellytrack on Sunday.

The draw will also play a part in this race and Seventh Plain is drawn one, while Buckinghampshire is in three.

Last Saturday they tended to go down the inside, possibly due to a tail wind on the day.  However, Wind Guru predicts a south westerly wind on Saturday, which will be a head crosswind blowing over the stands. It is difficult to predict where the jockeys will want to go, although the inside horses should have some cover from a wind coming in at that angle.

The fillies always have to be considered in this Listed two-tear-old race as they receive 2,5kg from colts that have had the same amount of winners. Hodgson has entered two well bred first-timer fillies, Emblem Ahoy by Captain Al and Wafiqah, who is by Toreador out of the useful Listed winner Kiribati.

However, he was not particularly bullish and said, “They won’t be disgraced as they are two very nice fillies, but first time out in a Listed race is a big ask. It’s hard to assess as I don’t know how good the others are, but they will have better chances next time out in the maidens.”

Drier’s Triptique is drawn 14 in the fifth while Hodgson’s Mister Matchett is drawn one. Drier said, “Triptique is going very well. It’s not easy to win three in a row, but we are hoping.”

Mister Matchett is bred for further and Hodgson said, “He has won over 1400m but is flat to the boards at the finish over that trip so I brought him back to the 1200m. He was a bit unlucky last time (narrow second over course and distance) as he was all on his own and only rallied when he saw the other horse on the outside.

Drier said that his other two runners on the day, Balkan (1^st race, handicap over 1000m) and Beckedorf (2^nd race handicap over 1200m) were both now in more suitable races where they would have better chances than in their previous races and the latter would also appreciate the step up in trip.

Hodgson runs Putney Flyer in the Gr 2 J&B Urban Honey Stayers over 2800m and said, “On his day he is competitive and finished fifth two years ago, but he lacks that real Gr 1 or Gr 2 class. He won the Listed Kenilworth Cup in November (which had a muddling pace) and that’s the sort of race he can pick up. But he is fit and well and I will be happy if he runs into the money.”