Shimmering Leaves is one of three horses in the race that has had  eight runs or more, so at first sight she looks quite exposed. However, in her three-year-old career she has raced only twice and performed with noteworthy merit on both occasions.

In her reappearance on October 1 she was slow away from a wide draw in a MR 68 Handicap over 1000m at Durbanville against older fillies and mares, running off a merit rating of 80. She ran on well from near the back to finish only 1,5 lengths back in second to House Of Lorraine. However, it was in her next start over the 1400m course and distance of Saturday’s big race that she showed she could be a fair sort as she finished third in a Progress Plate and was only 0,75 lengths behind the promising 101 merit rated filly Grey Light. She also had the Listed winner and Gr 2 placed four-year-old Star Jet behind her.

There is only one horse in Saturday’s field, Belong To Me, who is merit rated over 100, so on paper Shimmering Leaves has a chance. Sands had put her in that Progress Plate last time because he felt she had already done enough to qualify and she then went and proved that she could well be better than her 83 merit rating. Furthermore, in her last start as a two-year-old she finished just 6,75 lengths behind one of the best males in the land, Act Of War, at weight for age terms. She was at one stage leading in the straight in that race before being swamped, so the 1400m trip is probably more to her liking.

Sands said, “She is well in herself and her preparation has gone well. She has run a very good race already last time out and I would like to think she has improved from that outing. She is a decent filly and really fights.”

As a versatile type in terms of where she is positioned in the running, her perfect draw of four will give her several options. Greg Behr rides and while she probably won’t be one of the fancied horses in the betting she could run into the money.