David Thiselton

The Hollywoodbets Scottsville Festival Of Speed meeting has a new anchor leg for the Jackpot, the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint.

The Golden Horse Sprint has always previously been the last leg of the Jackpot, but with that race now being a Gr 2 for the second year running it seems that the SA Fillies Sprint has now replaced it as the most important of the two open events as it is forms the last leg of the always much looked forward to Jackpot of Graded races for the first time this year.

It has the same stake as the Golden Horse, R1 million, and is hence not the most expensive race of the day with the stake for the Gr 1 Gold Medallion now upped from R1.5 million last year to 1.75 million this year.

The Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint is certainly going to be a humdinger this year, although many Jackpot and Pick 6 players will likely be going thin in this leg.

Double Grand Slam and Asiye Phambili are the form horses of the race and reigning champion Mia Moo can be considered too as she did beat both of those horses last year and she also has another important fact on her side i.e. she is trained by Sean Tarry, otherwise known as The King of Pietermaritzburg, having plundered a record 21 Gr 1 victories at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.

Double Grand Slam’s defeat in last year’s SA Fillies Sprint is one of the reasons trainer Justin Snaith has entered her this year, because she was enormously unlucky in that race and Snaith would like to set the record straight.

Double Grand Slam had the number one draw, which was problematic on the day, if not always at this meeting, because the horses tend to drift over from the outside towards the perceived better going towards the inside.

Richard Fourie decided to stick to his stations and it almost worked out because a gap opened just after the 400m mark and she still looked to have plenty in  hand. Unfortunately, it closed as quickly as it opened and after being switched outward the crack filly had nowhere to go and she could only coast home behind a forest of horses to take sixth place, beaten 1,45 lengths.

So it is good news she is drawn ten out of 15 this year, not to mention being in the form of her life.

Her new regular partner Andrew Fortune is back aboard with her rider from her 5,40 length Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes victory, Craig Zackey, now aboard the contender from his guv’nor Dean Kannemeyer’s yard.

Asiye Phambili has also been plagued by bad luck in this race. Trainer Duncan Howells was ultra confident a couple of years ago only to see Rachel Venniker dislodged at the start after the filly pecked badly. Then last year her run came just a fraction too late and she went down a shorthead. If she had stayed straight instead of drifting inward she might have won too.

Asiye Phambili has drawn eight and regular rider Sean Veale is aboard.

Mia Moo came into the race last year on the back of a 2,10 length victory in the Gr 2 Camellia Stakes, whereas this year she comes in off a 2,90 length third in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint.

Interestingly Mia Moo beat Almond Sea by 4,80 lengths in the Camellia Stakes race and beat her by 3,35 lengths in the Computaform, so her form coming in is not actually much worse than it was last year.

However,  it is her who has to contend with draw one this year and ironically Richard Fourie is up.

In an another coincidental twist Mia Moo was drawn 8 last year, which is Asiye Phambili’s draw this year, and Asiye Phambili was drawn ten last year, Double Grand Slam’s draw this year.

Princess Of All should be considered by the risk averse as she has a Gr 2 win over this trip as well as a Gr 2 and a Gr 3 over 1400m.

Perfect Miracle is an interesting runner too as she is by Hawwaam, whose progeny seem to improve continuously, just like his father Silvano’s progeny.

Perfect Miracle is proof of that. She has won a Gr 3 and a Gr 2 in her last two starts and the latter was the Camellia Stakes, which produced last year’s SA Fillies Sprint winner.

In this year’s Camellia Perfect Miracle faced Rodeo Drive on terms 1kg better than weight for age and beat her by 0,75 lengths, so on paper there should not be much between them now on wfa terms.

She was on wfa terms with all of Rachel Wall, Whistle The Tune, One Fine Winter and Almond Sea, whom she beat by 1,15 lengths, 2.05 lengths, 2,30 lengths and 3,80 lengths respectively, so has their beating on paper.

Symphony In White is a previous Gr 1 Allan Robertson third-placed achiever, but was beaten 4,55 lengths in this race last year and is well held by Asiye Phambili this year from their previous meeting.

Elegantrix was second in last year’s Allan Robertson, but ran a shocker last time out although she did win a Listed race well two runs before that over 1200m, so she could be a dark horse.

None of the others make much appeal.