Joe Ramsden can continue his recent domination of the Cape Town two-year-old races by taking the opening Maiden Juvenile Fillies at Kenilworth today with Lily Theresa.
Donovan Dillon’s mount was beaten over six lengths when only sixth on debut but 12 ran that day and this R1.2 million purchase (she is by Var out of a half-sister to the Golden Horse Casino winner Contador) seems sure to have improved.
Just Sensual (Liesl King)
Strictly on the book Regal Ruby has her measure – she finished three and a half lengths in front of her in that January race which is still best remembered for the eclipse of the much-touted Miss Frankel – but it was her second run so she does not have the same scope for improvement.
World Sports Betting makes Regal Ruby favourite at 7-2 and has slightly shortened the Ramsden filly from 5-1 to 9-2. The Justin Snaith newcomer Angel’s Trumpet is next on 11-2 and the Glen Kotzen first-timer Heart Of Legend is on 13-2.
All but two of the 16 runners are appearing for the first time and it is worth noting that all the last nine two-year-old races at Kenilworth were won by a horse who had already had a run. That said, there has been significant market support for Candice Bass-Robinson’s Public Prosecutor (14-1 to 13-2) and the Brett Crawford-trained Delia’s Delight (16-1 to 15-2).
Seven of the 12 in race two are newcomers and Ramsden is responsible for two of them – Bayeto (an Oratorio half-brother to Nocturnal Affair who won the Byerley Turk and also the Portland Handicap at Doncaster in Britain) and True Words, a R2 million Byword colt whose dam was second in the SA Fillies Classic.
“They are two really nice horses but I couldn’t prefer one above the other,” says Ramsden. “Their chances depend on what else is in the race but it is hard to win over six furlongs first time at Kenilworth.”
Why Wouldn’t Yew, fourth to Al Mariachi and Kasimir on the second of his two starts, has the best form and opened joint favourite at 7-2 with Crawford’s newcomer Captain Ram and Snaith’s debutant Fritz Nobis. True Words is on 11-2 and Bayeto on 15-2.
The Conglomerate (Liesl King)
However the one that makes the most appeal is Strategic Power. This already supported 13-2 chance carries the Mayfair colours and started third favourite when ridden by Anton Marcus on debut in January. He managed only 11th of 15 but the reason soon materialised – “he pulled up very shin-sore,” explains Vaughan Marshall.
Emerald Gal, backed from 4-1 to 28-10 for the Racing Association Maiden, wears blinkers for the first time and this should enable her to finally get her head in front. Early bookmaker prices suggested she should not beat Lindleys Lane or Le Claire who was a head in front of her last month but the Darryl Hodgson filly makes real appeal.
Race Four, the 1 400m maiden, is wide open and you can find valid reasons why each of the seven runners should not win. Strikeitlikeamatch was far from disgraced in the Sophomore and, with Aldo Domeyer on board, he gets a wholly tentative vote. But make a note of Richard Fourie’s mount C’Est La Vie as this lightly-raced gelding was yesterday backed from 6-1 to 9-2.
By Michael Clower
