Saturday’s Southern Cross Stakes is dominated by the Sceptre and Majorca winner Clouds Unfold, beaten only once in her last seven starts, and Run Fox Run who has won all her four races. Neither has raced since May but sponsors World Sports Betting make it almost a straight fight with 22-10 against both of them. You can get 10-1 and upwards about anything else.

It is Clouds Unfold’s first appearance since chipping the point of her hip when slipping on the grass at Summerveld but apparently she is none the worse.

“She has come on nicely, she has been doing well and she looks great,” reports Candice Bass-Robinson. “She has had two gallops and, while it’s her first run back in a long time and she has top weight, I think she will run well. However they might run her off her feet a little bit over 1 000m.”

There is little danger of that happening with Run Fox Run whose races have all been over sprint distances. “She has had two gallops here in preparation for this and, being a five furlong, I am not worried about her fitness – she will be fit enough,” says Brett Crawford. “I am expecting a very good run.” 

Hawwaam’s absence from the WSB Green Point makes it an all Cape Town race and Vardy’s price has been halved to 9-2 joint third favourite. But is that too short? Not according to the ratings because he has no penalty and comes out equal top with Do It Again when you adjust for the weights. This makes him a kilo better than Rainbow Bridge!

But, before you rush off to back him, listen to Adam Marcus’s words of caution: “He has improved a lot physically and I am excited about him for the season. But he has had a small chip removed from his near-fore knee and this is his first race since the operation. It should be a nice come-on run but, while he is quite well-in, he is not at his peak so I don’t think those one or two kilos are going to help that much.“

Fellow 9-2 shot One World, though, could be quite a different story. He has only been beaten twice in 11 starts and the way he won both the Matchem and the Cape Mile this term suggests he is crying out for the longer run-in of the summer course. Furthermore he has a fitness advantage over the top two.

“He has been doing well since the Cape Mile and he put in some nice work when he galloped on the course last week,” says Vaughan Marshall. “I am very happy with him, he has a good draw and I think he is going to run very, very well.”

Head Honcho, you might think, will ensure a cracking gallop – but apparently not this time. “We will be more patient,” says Andre Nel.  “Also 1 600m is not his best trip but he runs here because I am trying to work in two races before the Met.”

Nel, who believes he can win the WSB Cape Summer Stayers with 15-1 shot Crome Yellow, also runs 80-1 outsider La Favourari. “The jockeys who ride him keep saying ‘Go a mile,’ he is nearing the end of his career so we are doing that before he retires.”

In addition to all the top class racing Kenilworth is laying on a Christmas market and providing treats for children. Burger King is providing 500 meals for them while 150 orphan children have been specially invited and each will be provided with a special first-day-of-school package for next term.

World Sports Betting will have a presence in the first floor Paddock Room as well as their customary spot on the ground floor.

By Michael Clower

With most of the Highveld under water and a couple of wash-outs, one hopes that tomorrow’s Vaal meeting holds up. But we toil on in faith and one puzzle punters will need to solve is whether Basadi Faith is fit or good enough to get the better of Chimichuri Run.

These two look the principal contenders in an otherwise competitive sprint that makes up the fourth race. In Chimichuri’s favour is that Sean Tarry has given him two starts so far this season, beaten less than a length in his seasonal debut over 1450m at Turffontein and then finding Hawwaam a little too classy in a Pinnacle Stakes sprint.

Against him is that he may find the five-furlong short cut on the sharp side and with 62 kg to shoulder he is set to give the filly 10.5kg which is a lot of pudding in anyone’s form book.

Basadi Faith on the other hand, has not been out since finishing down the field in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship and slapped with an automatic three-month suspension after she bled. Paul Matchett extended that break to six months so Basadi Faith’s lengthy lay-off is of some concern.

She was due to have her first race of the season at The Vaal last Saturday but the meeting fell victim to the weather. Given that she won four on the bounce last season, including the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery, the break may not be much of an issue over the minimum trip and a light weight could swing it in her favour.

Track & Ball have priced the pair up as joint 2-1 favourites with Rebel’s Champ, who had excuses for his last showing, on offer at 5-1.

Tobefair and Raqaaby, the only two with any decent form to boast about, should fight out the second, first leg of the PA.

Not so easy is the first leg of the Pick 6. Path To The Stars was one-paced on debut but did find some market support and is sure to come on from that effort. Not much was expected of Malvern on debut as she started at long. She was, however, was doing her best work late and can also make the required improvement. Anne Boleyn is another that featured prominently on debut and like the above two is likely to make good improvement.

With eight of the nine runners priced up at 10-1 and shorter, it goes without saying that the fifth will be a tricky contest. Solar Flare has her third run after a break and should strip close to her peak. She showed good pace before fading late last time out and could go all the way over this shorter trip. Arikel has been in good form over the minimum trip and Strydom stays aboard.

The sixth is another difficult race but Pidgeon Rock is in mustard form as is his rider and they should at least contest the finish. Tokolosh at 12-1 looks fair value as the gelding is quick and has been racing in fair company since shedding his maiden. With a light weight he could pinch it. Bockscar along with Pidgeon Rock give Tarry a strong hand in the race. He tends to get going late but under Gavin Lerena he should be closing late. Fitzwilliam has come good for his new stable and cannot be overlooked with any confidence.

The unbeaten Querari Ferrari, in spite of being something of a tricky customer, does have plenty of talent and won well first up out of the maidens Gallic Princess has her third run after a break and has been finishing off her races well. She will be a major contender along with Wild ‘N Grey that won well at second time of asking and will enjoy the extra.

The last is another wide-open affair where Ashbaal has his third run after being gelded and showed signs of life at his last outing when tried in blinkers. Waqaas has won over course and distance and is in very good form. A handy weight should see him staying on.

By Andrew Harrison

Hawwaam, odds-on for Saturday’s World Sports Betting Green Point Stakes yesterday morning, will miss the clash with his half-brother Rainbow Bridge and dual Vodacom Durban July winner Do It Again. Instead he will begin his Kenilworth campaign in the 1 800m Premier Trophy a week later and he sets off from Johannesburg today.

Mike de Kock scratched his stable star at lunchtime yesterday and told the Sporting Post: “He was supposed to run at Turffontein last Thursday. We cut back on his work and then the rains came. He is extremely fresh and, given his temperament, I have to consider all the best options – and I don’t believe it is best that he runs on Saturday.

“It’s not ideal but it’s the prudent best course of action right now and on the positive side it gives us a chance to give him a breeze on the left-handed Kenilworth track in advance of raceday. And we are on course for the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate (January 11).”

The Green Point sponsors responded by cutting Do It Again from 33-10 to 15-10 and halving Rainbow Bridge’s odds to 5-2. Other prices are 9-2 One World, Vardy, 10-1 Undercover Agent, 14-1 Head Honcho, 28-1 Pack Leader and 35-1 La Favourari.

By Michael Clower

According to the handicappers the local hopes won’t get a look in when it comes to Saturday’s World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas. The Johannesburg-based Magnolia winner True To Life is rated seven points clear of the next best, Cockney Pride, who is also trained at the Vaal.

“They say that every year,” says Glen Kotzen dismissively. “What I say is let them come.” The Woodhill trainer, successful with Princess Victoria eight years ago, trains a quarter of the 16 runners including Third Runway who won the Western Cape Fillies Championship (often the best trial) in some style and was many people’s idea of the likely winner until the draws came out. But on Saturday she will line up with only two outside her and confidence considerably diminished.

“I am not going to moan because Brett Crawford has two wider than me,” Kotzen says philosophically. “She is really well and absolutely flying at home but obviously we are going to have to get lucky. She needs to get out and be handy but that’s never easy in a Group 1 when a lot of them are going to chase.

“The good news is that she has beaten a lot of the Cape Town fillies and our other three are also really smart. Castellano only ran four lengths off them in the Group 1 Thekwini and put up a magnificent gallop the other day. I think she is a big runner. Dynastic Light is working exceptionally well and all Follow The Star has been waiting for is the summer course. She is flying at the moment.”

Morne Winnaar, who has formed a supremely effective partnership with Kotzen in recent months, is the man faced with the task of getting Third Runway across. “I will need a bit of luck because the guys that are drawn well are not going to give up their positions,” he concedes. “But she was well away last time, she is a straightforward ride and you can put her anywhere.”

Third Runway is 15-2 and True To Life is favourite at 7-2 but many people’s idea of the winner is 13-2 shot Kelpie. You couldn’t fancy her on her rating, 9kg behind the favourite, but she has won her last four and she was most impressive on the most recent of them, coming right away in the final furlong to win by over four lengths and with ease. She will be ridden by Anton Marcus who has won two of the last three runnings and is trained by Brett Crawford who has won this twice before.

“I think she is the improver of the race,” says the Philippi trainer with masterly understatement. He also runs two others, both badly drawn. “The one thing in Flame Tree’s favour is that we are back on the summer course with it’s longer straight. We will be able to ride her giving her a little bit of a chance. This is something we are probably going to be forced to do from her 16 draw and I think we have to do the same with Pretty Young Thing (drawn 17).”

Driving Miss Daisy and Larentina were fourth and fifth in the Western Cape Fillies and there are grounds for believing that they will at least finish closer, particularly as Larentina did not get an entirely clear run. “Driving Miss Daisy had an even worse run and they were both drawn wide,” points out Eric Sands who won this with Perfect Promise in 2002. “This time they have good draws (one and three) so we will see how good they are but from the point of view of wellbeing and prep everything has gone 100%.”

Roll In The Hay was two and a half lengths third in the Western Cape Fillies and apparently not too much notice need be taken of her failure in a sprint handicap 11 days ago. “She didn’t want to go through a gap,” says Candice Bass-Robinson. “There is a question mark about the mile but she has a good draw and she has a money chance.”

Robert Khathi rides, Piere Strydom flies down for the mount on Drama Queen and Aldo Domeyer, successful on Silver Mountain four years ago, partners Sailing Ship. “I don’t think you can ignore Drama Queen. She was drawn badly in the Western Cape Fillies and got into a lot of trouble but she didn’t finish too far back. Sailing Ship also didn’t get a great run in that race and, although she is not drawn well at 12, I think she will go well.”

By Michael Clower