David Thiselton
Wendy Whitehead has three runners at the KwaZulu-Natal Breeders meeting on Saturday and she is also looking forward to the run of one of her stable stars, Buttercup Baby, on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.
Wendy has the best weighted runner in the eighth race on Saturday, the Captain Of Al Kwazulu-Natal Breeders 1600 on the poly. Her three-year-old filly Limitless Sky is 4kg better off than any other horse. She ran a shocker last time over 1400m on the poly in a Class 3 event over 1400m. However, the on course veterinarian could not find anything amiss. Before that she had run a 4,10 length fourth to Keukenhof in the Gr 3 uMzimkhulu Stakes over 1400m and followed that by not being disgraced when beaten 9.05 lengths by the dual Gr 1 winner Wish List in the Gr 2 WSB Fillies Guineas. She has drawn barrier ten out of ten on Saturday and regular rider Calvin Habib rides.
Wendy said, “Limitless Sky is very, very well. My only concerns are she doesn’t really like the poly track and she is drawn deep, but I am going to try and change her tactics and try and get her to race a bit more handy and maybe that will pay off because I think that is the right race, it is just a pity we are drawn so deep.”
The bookmakers have taken that last run into consideration and Hollywoodbets have her at 5/1, which could be good value if she does manage to produce her best.
First up for Wendy on Saturday is Tee Dog (Act Of War), who runs in the Blue Sky Thoroughbreds KZN Breeders 1900 on the poly. The small size of the field with just eight runners will suit this big gelding as he relishes being in front and will have the opportunity to dictate in a field where there are no other front-running sorts. He is a whopping 9,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted Hat’s Queen. However, the latter has not run since flopping in this race last year when well treated at the weights, only managing a 1,45 length fourth of six. Hat’s Queen will likely need the run after a year’s layoff. The second best weighted runner in the race is Fine Wine (Futura) who is in good form and she has a further advantage of being ridden by the very much in form Mickaelle Michel, whose 1,5kg gender claim is a bonus. However Tee Dog could get the run of the race and will offer good eachway value at 14/1.
Wendy said, “Tee Dog is very well. He just needed that last run of his and has come on from it.”
She runs Dog Soldier (Declarationofpeace) in the Double Superlative Maiden Plate over 1400m on the turf. Wendy reckoned the rider backed off him last time when hampered halfway down the straight, so that run can probably be ignored, Before that he ran a cracking 3,40 length fifth in a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf, despite jumping from a wide draw. Richard Fourie is an eyecatching booking and he jumps from draw six over a trip he should get being out of a Captain Al dam who won three times from 1000m to 1600m. This race will not take a lot of winning. Furthermore, the likely favourite Owner Of Creation is drawn wide. The 7/1 shot Dog Soldier has a chance.
Wendy has entered the 102-rated What A Winter filly Buttercup Baby in the Middle Stakes race over 1200m for fillies and mares on the poly on Hollywoodbets Durban July day and she has everything in her favour. Firstly, she is at the top of the highest merit-rated band, the 99 to 102 band, which makes her the best weighted runner among the entries together with the 106-rated Precocious and the 104-rated Scarlet Macaw, who will get half-a-kilogram for each point they are above the benchmark rating of 102. Secondly she has landed a plum draw of five out of the 46 entries. She was tried over 1400m in the Tibouchina last time but it didn’t pan out at all well as she was caught wide without cover from a wide draw and duly faded after being squeezed out in the straight. Before that she ran a cracking four length third in the Gr 3 Poinsettia over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and followed that with a fine run in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint in which she was beaten just 5,40 lengths. She was raised five points to 103 for that Gr 1 effort, but came down a point after the Tibouchina. She should be a big runner in the Middle Stakes race over 1200m on Hollywoodbets July day.
