Garth Puller has been cautious and down-played Georgina Rose after her recent wins. Unbeaten in both, she was a tad lucky last time with runner-up Accidental Tourist finding traffic but apprentice Luke Ferraris picking a clear run up the outside rail. But just where Georgina Rose is headed over the next few months could be answered on the turf at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday.

Both of her victories have come over 1200m, but judged on pedigree the step up to 1600m on Sunday could prove closer to her optimum trip. Michael Roberts and Lezeanne Forbes have contributed to keeping the Group Wreck International Non-Ferrous Beach Beauty Mile alive, saddling two and three runners respectively in the seven-horse field.

The pick of the Roberts pair could be Jack’s Bird. She has been rested but ran a cracker in a strong feature at the end of last season and will be a big runner even if short of a run. Stable companion Winter Season has smart form to date. She has also been rested and steps up in trip and must also have a chance.

Two of Forbes’s runners are making their debuts in a high-class field and given that they are both declared in steel shoes, the exposed Mary O is the obvious stable elect. Mary O was narrowly beaten last start and although she does face a little stronger this time around, she is having her third run after a break and that could give her the edge on the Roberts runners.

Tony Rivalland’s stable has turned the corner of late and Exclusive Quantity is on track for his fourth victory after running the progressive Ultra Mahnus to within two lengths at his last start.

He does step up in trip but has smart form in useful company and is well weighted in this contest. His two biggest dangers could come in the form of Twice As Smart and Arianos Shadow.

Wendy Whitehead’s yard is also in good form and Twice As Smart has useful form in strong company. She is both course and distance suited and jumps from the best draw. Arianos Shadow showed signs of her best form last outing and from a good draw could finally get off the mark for Frank Robinson.

With most of his roadblocks seemingly out of the way, Duncan Howells is starting to turn the corner with a treble last month and the Ashburton trainer put it into perspective. “On any given day there are over 120 runners, so the chances of winning one race, let alone three takes a lot of luck.

He will be hoping that his luck holds for the last two on the card.

Love Theme has been much improved with cheek pieces and with a stronger rider aboard this time around she can go one better but at least should be right there again. If Love Theme cannot oblige then maiden winners Mystic Dreamer and Soiree from the Corrine Bestel yard will be threats along with Bling A Ding Ding and Coyote Girl who made a fair local debut and boast steady Highveld form.

Howells saddles Rocket Fire who was a touch disappointing last run. He looks held of form but he races in a tongue-tie for the first time which could make a difference. Mutawaary had to play second fiddle to the Howell’s trained Coldhardcash last week but has been holding form and could be thereabouts again.   Of the balance, Blaze Of Silk comes form an in form stable and goes well over course and distance while Royal Rustler has shown his best form on the poly but has not been far back of late.          

By Andrew Harrison

Bwana could be the answer to tomorrow’s Tellytrack.com Pinnacle Stakes and at a rewarding price.

Such races are notoriously difficult to predict – most of the horses are using it as a warm-up and many have been off for a long time – and the Durbanville draw bias adds to the uncertainty. Remember how Pacific Trader made a mockery of it a fortnight ago?

Bwana comes from the same stable and is drawn even worse but it is much in his favour that he often races prominently and that the Philippi yard is on fire at the moment.

“The way the track is running he doesn’t have to be in front,” points out Brett Crawford. “If he turns for home two or three lengths off them that should be close enough.”

Corne Orffer’s mount has drifted slightly, from 5-1 to 6-1, and he should be fit after running a 2.4 length-sixth to Pacific Trader in his first race since May.

Elusive Trader is the one that the early money has come for and by yesterday morning he was favourite at 4-1. There is no denying the form claims of the Greg Ennion runner, and he is going to pop up one of these days, but he finds it hard to win – he has only done so once out of the maidens – and he has cost this column too much to justify going for him again.

Of the others Sergeant Hardy (9-1) is theoretically the best in at the weights but stable companion Green Jacket’s chance is as good and Photocopy is smart round here.

The TAB Telebet Conditions Plate has also attracted some class horses, notably Canukeepitsecret who has 4.5kg in hand on adjusted ratings. But she has not raced since trailing in 18 lengths behind the winner in the Olympic Duel and Vaughan Marshall voices a note of caution, saying: “She might just need it. She took a bit of a dive during the winter and I went easy on her.”

Pretty Young Thing, yet another in-form horse from the Crawford stable, is clear favourite at 3-1 but it just might pay to take a chance with 9-2 shot Too Phat To Fly who also comes from a stable in form and has a much better draw.

Justin Snaith can again start the ball rolling by winning the first two races but I prefer Bollinger to Richard Fourie’s mount Lead Singer in the first while Queen’s Club may have improved enough to account for the superior form claims of Caribbean Sunset in the next.

By Michael Clower

The Turffontein Inside track nine race meeting tomorrow should attract plenty of interest as there are some good horses turning out.

The three-times Grade 1-winning miler Soqrat makes his seasonal reappearance in the seventh, a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1600m. He is comfortably the best weighted horse according to official merit ratings but does have a welter 62kg to carry and is drawn wide in eleven. However, he is an easy ride, being one who can be switched on and off, and doesn’t look like one who will need a lot of work to reach his peak, so his class, coupled with his good turn of foot, should pull him through. 

Barahin never got going in the July when quietly fancied and the blinkers are now on. He is well drawn and has the class to go close. Unagi is enigmatic but this is by far his favourite course and distance, bringing him four wins, two seconds and a third in eight starts. He finished three lengths behind Soqrat in the weight for age Horse Chestnut Stakes over this distance and now faces him on 3,5kg better terms than weight for age so on that form he has a shout from pole position.

Lake Kinnaret keeps on improving and is capable of a strong finish so could place here despite officially being 4kg under sufferance with Soqrat and having a tricky draw. Roy Had Enough would prefer further but is versatile and possesses a good turn of foot, so with Strydom up he can earn.

The meeting starts with an interesting maiden over 1450m. Exion should come on from his debut when handy behind a strong pace and finding no extra. However, he could be vulnerable to any useful first-timers and the one who makes appeal is Arminus, a Vercingetorix half-brother to Grade 2-winning Kangaroo Jack. If his turn of foot is half as good as Kangaroo Jack’s he should be able to mow this field down after being dropped out from a wide draw. 

In the second race over 1450m Illusion won well on debut considering he was green. He has a speedy pedigree being by Var out of a Grade 2-winning sprinter but has substance and class and from a plum draw with a 4kg claimer up this class could pull him through. Category Four is knocking on the door and although he strikes as one who would prefer further he is capable of running on well. He has a tough draw but the 1,5kg claim of Jason gates will help. 

In the third over 1200m Solar Flare was caught wide on her seasonal debut and now has a plum draw so should improve on that showing and should enjoy the step up in trip.

Impressive Duchess wasn’t disgraced in the Grade 2 Debutante and should have improved since then being by Duke Of Marmalade, although this is her return from a layoff. Eskimo Kisses has ability and Ponchielli and League Of Her Own are also worth considering in this tricky race.

In the fourth over 1200 Cockney Pride has class and is the best in at the weights and is well drawn so she can beat the equally classy Eden Roc.

In the fifth over 1200m Hartleyfour has always been well regarded and from a good draw can continue to progress over his best trip. What A Joker and Bridge Of Spies look to be the dangers. Snow In Seattle and Baahir also have to be included in the Pick 6 and Jackpot.

In the sixth over 1600m Virginia is starting to fulfill her potential and from a good draw is marginally preferred to the classy Queen Supreme, who has a tricky draw. Saints Alive should also be in the shake up from pole position.

In the eighth over 1600m Summer Pudding will appreciate the step up in trip and although this is her return from a layoff she could outclass them. Charmz Luck is drawn in pole and looks to be the other one to consider in a generally uninspiring field.

The last over 1600m is an uninspiring maiden and Zodiac Princess should have too many guns for them from a good draw. If she fluffs her lines Starting Line and Midnight Top are the one who could pick up the pieces.

By David Thiselton

One World and Front And Centre stole the headlines at Durbanville last Saturday but another horse who can be taken out of the meeting with equal optimism by punters is the the three-year-old African Warrior.

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Vercingetorix gelding was facing the like of Undercover Agent, in the Grade 3 Matchem Stakes over 1400m, on 8kg worse terms than he would have in a handicap and was unlucky to not get closer than his 2,25 length fifth.

He was the only three-year-old in the field and was dropped out to last by Keagan de Melo from a wide draw.

De Melo elected to go down the inside rail in the straight.

African Warrior once again displayed his devastating turn of foot but had to weave out and in to get around the struggling Bishops Bounty.

It is an ultra tough race for a young three-year-old and to have suffered the traffic problems and still get within 0,60 lengths of the former Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and Grade 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes-winner Undercover Agent was a fine feat.

Kannemeyer chose a conservative route with African Warrior last season after he had won the Grade 3 Godolphin Barb over 1100m and finished an unlucky fifth in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion.

He avoided both the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m and the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m in favour of the KZN Yearling Sales Million and the Grade 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m respectively. He won both of the latter races to be named KZN Champion three-year-old colt.

Kannemeyer has an enviable record in the Cape Summer Season classics and this horse looks up to bringing him more silverware.

He is quite temperamental but this is not apparent during a race as he relaxes beautifully in the running and it appears he can be switched on and off easily. This and the fine turn of foot he possesses are two normal credentials of top racehorses.

He will likely go for the Grade 3 Cape Classic over 1400m next before facing the country’s best three-year-olds in the Grade 1 Cape Guineas.

By David Thiselton

Front And Centre, who made a winning return in last Saturday’s Diana Stakes, has a Paddock-Majorca Stakes double as her ultimate target this season.

Brett Crawford, in fine form with three winners yesterday, said: “It’s a question of picking the right races for her before then. We will sit down and work it out.”

Stable companion Bwana has opened 5-1 joint favourite with the Greg Ennion-trained Elusive Trader for the Tellytrack.com Pinnacle Stakes at Durbanville on Saturday.

Green Jacket, trained by the in-form Justin Snaith, is next in the market at 11-2.

Snaith was at the country course yesterday to upset hot favourites in the first two races and, despite being on crutches, nipped up and down the staircase a good deal quicker than most people manage – “Certainly I can still move faster than the three-quarters of the trainers!”

 Duchess Of State was backed down to 3-4 for the opening maiden and Callan Murray’s mount was travelling like a winner pretty well everywhere except where it mattered and she went down by a neck and a short head to 10-1 shot On The Scent in the Team Valor colours.

Murray reported: “My filly led and led comfortably – and I felt that there was nothing to say that she wasn’t going to win – but she didn’t produce much of a kick.

“It was disappointing.”

Snaith, though, revealed that he had had his fair share of disappointment with the Richard Fourie-ridden winner: “We had been quite bullish first time out but she needed the penny to drop.

“She will come on again from this.”

Many punters expected to get their money back on Track Attack in the next and backed the Dynasty colt from 2-1 to 5-4 accordingly. Keagan de Melo rode a waiting race and early in the straight it looked all over when the gaps opened up like the Red Sea. Sadly, this particular Moses was unable to take full advantage.

He got to the front alright but he couldn’t quicken clear and he was run out of it by the Snaith 14-1 second string Anderson, enterprisingly handled by Robert Khathi.

Dean Kannemeyer, disappointed but quick to see the positives (what else can you do when you train racehorses for a living?), said: “I would like to have won the race but I was pleased with the way he switched off and the way he quickened. “In fact I thought he had it won but, don’t forget, his game is going to be 2 000m.”

Rio Querari was most impressive under Fourie in the last and the owners, somewhat understandably, now have Ready To Run ambitions.

By Michael Clower