Justin Snaith made a clean sweep of the first three two-year-old races of the Cape season and he can strike again with Soweto Moon in the opening Maiden Juvenile Plate at Kenilworth tomorrow.
This Australian-bred colt was cheaply bought by Hassen Adams for AUS$17 000 at last year’s Magic Million Sale and Snaith says: “He has only been on the grass once and out of the pens once but he is a powerful horse and he could be interesting.”
The former champion trainer, who has had just two reverses on the two-year-old front this term (they were second and fourth), also introduces Gimme Green in the Adams colours but riding arrangements point to the stable companion who opened at 8-10 with World Sports Betting on Monday. Gimme Green was 7-1. By yesterday afternoon, though, the firm had removed the race from its betting list.
Dancer, bought by owner Martin Wickens for R275 000, is out of a mare that won twice at 1 400m and is Joey Ramsden’’s first juvenile runner of the season. He opened at 7-2.
Paul Reeves has been busy with his two-year-olds and his pair have both run once and shown promise. They are obviously capable of improvement. Moulina was the shorter-priced at 33-10. Stable companion Navarone, who started favourite on debut and was reported striding short behind when disappointing last week, has gone lame and been scratched.
Andre Nel is making a big success of his new role as Sabine Plattner’s private trainer. He has a strike rate of virtually 20% at Kenilworth (12 wins from 61 runners) and he can land a double with Weskus Klong and Leisure Trip.
The former would have finished closer to second-placed Castlewood on debut three weeks ago had he not thrown away valuable ground at the start. Castlewood was due to oppose again in the Racing.It’s A Rush Maiden but has unfortunately fallen victim to the cough and, as a result, Weskus Klong is now a prohibitive 3-10.
“Leisure Trip has done pretty well and has improved,” says Nel. “However I would like the form of her debut second to have worked out better.”
He is referring to Oli Miranda and My Cherry, third and fourth when Leisure Trip was second, managing only fifth and sixth behind Hilaria in the first last Saturday. That certainly casts a slight doubt and is probably why Leisure Trip opened at evens rather than odds-on for race four. She has since been backed to 8-10. Vaughan Marshall’s Queen At War (15-4) looks the alternative.
Boomtown Belter receives weight all round in race two and can justify 2-1 favouritism. “I am bringing her back from 1 200m and she will like that,” says Adam Marcus who is hoping that the gallop will be a strong one. “She likes a good pace and to chase them.”
By Michael Clower
