Monks Hood, beaten less than a length in the Gr1 Premier’s Campion Stakes on the final day of last season, warms up at Greyville on Sunday when he runs in the Itsarush.co.za Pinnacle Stakes over 1200m.

Alistair Gordon has pencilled him in for the Gr2 Dingaans to be run over 1600m at Turffontein on Summer Cup day come the end of this month so he is unlikely to be fully tuned for Sunday’s sprint but he made a cracking seasonal debut earlier this month when finishing strongly behind the well fancied Di Mazzio over 1200m on the poly track.

Monks Hood is an obviously talented gelding and in spite of racing over a trip short of his best, with Anthony Delpech up, his class could carry him through.

“Anthony was happy after he galloped him on Tuesday,” said Gordon

“This is his warm-up run for the Dingaans but he is well and he should be competitive,” Gordon confirmed.

However, distance is a concern and the Duncan Howells pairing of Amazon King and Lunar Rush make a lot of appeal.

Stable rider Keagan de Melo has kept faith with Amazon King who has cracked a better draw at four as opposed to his 12 out of 13 last time out.

Lunar Rush is a smart filly who is over what is possibly her best trip. She was game when touching off the smart Isingamoya two runs back and far from disgraced when finding the Greyville short cut a tad too quick for her. This trip is right up her alley and she comes into the race well weighted.

Mark Dixon saddles Scent Of The Tiger who jumped from a wide draw when a close-up sixth to Mr Roy last time out. Speaking at a chilly Summerveld yesterday, Dixon said, “He has a better draw this time and with Ashton (Arries) taking one-and-a-half off his back he should be right there.”

Dixon also has a chance of ending off the meeting with Edge Of Glory that has been improving nicely at recent starts and looks primed for the Follow Gold Circle on Facebook Qualified Maiden. “It’s not a great field, it’s a qualified maiden after all, but he’s doing well although he does have a bad draw.”

World Dreamer, a beaten odds-on shot last time out for Dennis Bosch, is likely to start at the top of the boards again and will be out to add a win to his current CV that boasts places in his last five starts.

Delpech is unbeaten in two aboard Roy Had Enough for Frank Robinson and is back in the saddle for the MR 80 handicap. Both wins were over 1900m and he was touched off over 2000m last time out. The mile could be a tad on the short side in a competitive line-up but he is drawn in pole, always an advantage over the Greyville 1600m be it turf or poly. King Django and the progressive Cool At Heart are likely dangers but that list is a long one.

The meeting kicks off with the first of the recently introduced Barrier Trials where five runners will be put through their paces prior to the first race.

It is hoped that these trials will give punters some insight into a first timers ability and also the relative fitness of horses returning from lay-offs of over 120 days.

There is no betting on the trial as the only criteria is that a horse completes the 1000m in 70 second or less.

By Andrew Harrison