Sean Veale’s mount produced a tremendous turn of foot to get up close home in the Laisserfaire over 100m further last time and has been a steady 33-10 favourite in the World Sports Betting book for the past week. She escapes a penalty – which could be a deciding factor – and she is reported in good shape.

“She is fine,” says Dennis Drier, adding: “She is a nice filly who will give a good account of herself.”

Dennis Drier

Jo’s Bond, who has to give her a kilo for winning this 12 months ago, is having her first run for more than six months but she is particularly effective over this trip and her stable is on fire with nine winners at the last two Kenilworth meetings. She looks the danger, particularly with Bernard Fayd’Herbe also on a roll.

“She has been ready for a long time but there have been no suitable prep races,” says Justin Snaith. “I have done what I can with her and she has been working well. She is tough and game.

“I am in form at the moment whereas some yards are not and I am trying to take advantage,” he adds – with Casual Diamond (12-1), Nordic Breeze (22-1) and Angel’s Trumpet (25-1) also in the stable line-up.

Jo’s Bond shares 15-2 third favouritism with Just Sensual – fast enough to take second in the South African Fillies Sprint but surely not the winner with a 2kg penalty and a five month absence- and the once-raced maiden winner Shufoog.  If she was with any other trainer you would dismiss this one as shooting at stars but Mike de Kock has not got where he is today by over-evaluating his horses.

According to the bookies the big danger to Sommerlied is Green Plains at 7-2, even though the handicappers reckon she should finish no closer than sixth. The Sean Tarry filly was second in the Allan Robertson and went close on her return in Power Grid’s Progress Plate.

Live Life (9-1) would probably prefer a furlong further but she is better than recent form would suggest. “She choked up a bit last time and she is doing well at home,” says Candice Bass-Robinson.

There is a lot of interest in the first Cape Town two-year-old races of the season. Vartanium (19-10) looks the part in race one where Snaith says that Captainofthesea (28-10) is “probably the most precocious” of his three.

By Michael Clower