Rose In Bloom is hard to oppose in the Vasco Prix Du Cap at Kenilworth’s Prawn Festival meeting tomorrow and she should become the race’s third consecutive winning favourite.

Robert Khathi’s mount has an outstanding chance on her third in the Klawervlei Majorca and on adjusted ratings she has a minimum of 4kg (three and a half lengths over this trip) in hand over all bar Goodtime Gal.

Goodtime Gal (Liesl King)

Three-year-olds have only won three of the last ten runnings but, significantly, all three were trained by Joey Ramsden. The obvious danger is another of the same age group, Miss Katalin, who is on a hat-trick.

The Justin Snaith filly justified favouritism in a conditions plate last month and on her previous start she won the valuable Lanzerac Ready To Run. She could well be still on the upgrade and was 15-4 second favourite with World Sports Betting yesterday.

Elusive Heart, the third three-year-old, is an 11-2 chance and it is perhaps worth noting that she was only one place behind when Rose In Bloom ran sixth in the Fillies Guineas.

Goodtime Gal, so effective earlier in the season, seemed to have lost her edge in the Paddock and Majorca so it is far from certain that she will run up to her best and she is a 17-2 shot.

Love To Boogie (7-1) is the shorter priced of the Andre Nel pair and Captain’s Flame (11-1) has to give her a kilo but it’s worth noting that the latter would have done much better last time had she not over-raced early.

Aldo Domeyer is the only jockey in the race to have won it before (or at least since 2003) but 10-1 shot Whose That Girl has it do. Also she is drawn on the outside although, as this is the smallest Prix Du Cap field in the last 14 years, that may not be such a handicap as in previous seasons.

Brett Crawford, successful with Cuvee Brut in 2016, has each way prospects with Seattle Gold (9-1) and Louisiana (15-1) who were seventh and ninth in the Majorca.

The Kepu Trading Jet Master Stakes is pretty much a handicap with just 2.5kg separating the best from the worst on adjusted merit ratings and the betting reflects this – 9-2 favourite Summer Sky and no bigger than 8-1 any of the others with the exception of Mac De Lago (25-1).

Waiting For Rain is in form, and so are his jockey and trainer. This is a step up in class but he looks reasonable each way value at 7-1.

By Michael Clower

There have been questions from many quarters about the value of Barrier Trials but there is little doubt that those punters who take the trouble to make notes will be rewarded.

A specific National Horse Racing rule is that no trainer may gallop his horse against a horse from another stable in training.

Barrier trials negate that rule and there are always horses that need the experience of a racecourse gallop and what better way than a ‘competitive’ gallop in a trial race.

Not only do the horses experience the atmosphere of a race day, but also the starting regime.

Just Rap

Just how they perform is unlikely to disguise any obvious ability but one can draw a line through many that even in the gentle introduction of a trial, will likely take time to come to hand.

The opening race at Greyville tonight sees two recent trialists, Mr Bombastic and Zagara, in the line-up. Mr Bombastic has had two outings for Gavin van Zyl while the filly Zagara put in a forward showing in her trial. Of those that have had a race proper, only Kirav’s Tune looks a likely contender and he was beaten all of eight lengths at his third outing.

Aegean Aire, given an easy introduction in a trial, found plenty of traffic in his first race and with Anthony Delpech in the irons one can expect major improvement.

There are only seven races on tonight’s card but punters will be tested. The card is headed by the 6Bar Construction Handicap where the recent addition to the Dennis Bosch yard, Duzi Moon, could be the one to side with.

He arrives with some decent Highveld form to stronger and even though he makes his poly debut she should at least be competitive.

Stable companion Subtropical, bidding for a winning hat-trick, and Fullfillyourdream are obvious contenders but a must inclusion in all bets is the Des Egdes-trained Just Rap.

Des has decided to take a break from training after over 30 years in the sport and will be looking to go out on a high as he hands in his trainer’s brief at the end of this month.

Just Rap is over his optimum course and distance.

By Andrew Harrison

Experienced Gauteng-based jockey Gunther Wrogemann has landed the ride on the unbeaten Paul Peter-trained star Majestic Mambo for the Grade 2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas and former South African Champion Jockey Gavin Lerena stays aboard Peter’s star filly Folk Dance for the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas.

Peter is more confident of Folk Dance’s chances than Majestic Mambo’s due to the distance of the two races and the respective quality of the opposition.

Gavin Lerena (Liesl King)

He said, “Majestic Mambo would prefer further, but we have to take our chances because it’s the first leg of the Triple Crown. But, I think it will be the hardest leg for him. He is doing very, very well and the draw is not a problem because he comes from off the pace.”

He added, “The colts race has a lot of hard-knockers. There is Big Bear and Mike de Kock has a lot of good horses and Monk’s Hood is a definite danger, but please God things go our way, because he does stay well and the next two legs will be easier for him.”

The Mambo In Seattle colt cost, just R40,000 at a CTS Ready To Run Sale and has put daylight between himself and the opposition in all three of his starts, all over 1800m. He won his maiden by 5,5 lengths, his second start (in a Novice Handicap off a merit rating of 83) by 4 lengths and then the Listed Sea Cottage Stakes by 2,25 lengths. In the latter race he showed a devastating turn of foot from last place. Anthony Delpech rode Majestic Mambo in his last two starts, but is retained by the owners of Monk’s Hood, Wilgerbosdrift Stud.

Peter said of Folk Dance, “She is very well. She has a wide draw but she has a lot of gatespeed and has a quick turn of foot. She is ideally course and distance suited.”

This classy Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Stud-bred Tiger Ridge filly was bought for R100,000 at the National Yearling Sale. She has won four of six starts, including the Grade 3 Fillies Mile by three lengths in her last start on Sansui Summer Cup day. Lerena has ridden her in her last two starts.

Peter regards the De Kock pair, Fish River and Silver Thursday, as the chief dangers.

He runs Fort Ember in a Pinnacle Stakes event on the day and said she was very well.

He also runs the progressive Imperial Stride gelding Pera Palace in the Grade 2 Hawaii Stakes and thinks he will handle the step up to 1400m, so is quietly confident.

By David Thiselton

Featured Image: Big Bear (Candiese Marnewick)

Majorca third Rose In Bloom has been installed 2-1 favourite to extend Joey Ramsden’s strong record in the Vasco Prix Du Cap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

World Sports Betting seems to think three-year-olds will dominate the race because it opened Justin Snaith’s Lanzerac Ready To Run winner Miss Katalin second favourite at 15-4 while Richard Fourie’s mount Elusive Heart is next on 5-1.

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Summer Sky is 4-1 favourite for the Kepu Trading Jet Master Stakes on the same card with Milton, Mambo Mime, Perovskia and Waiting For Rain all on 6-1.

Donovan Dillon has postponed his return from injury and Corne Orffer takes his place on Milton. Orffer, who also rides Louisiana in the Prix Du Cap, is taking part in a panel discussion on the race to be shown on Tellytrack at 6.30pm today. Waiting For Rain’s trainer Piet Steyn is also on the panel.

By Michael Clower

Last year’s Sun Met winner Whisky Baron faces nine opponents on his Dubai debut under Colm O’Donoghue in the Zabeel Mile at Meydan today and the race has a strong South African flavour because the nine include the Mike de Kock trained pair Janoobi (Jim Crowley) and Noah From Goa (Christophe Soumillon).

Janoobi’s triumphs include last year’s Gauteng Guineas while Noah From Goa won the 2015 Cape Guineas. Whisky Baron runs for the first time since the Shadwell Joel Stakes at Newmarket last September and will be Brett Crawford’s first Dubai runner. The race is live on Tellytrack at 6.50pm.

By Michael Clower

Featured Image: Janoobi (JC Photographics)