Mike de Kock’s leading troops for the Festival Of Speed meeting at Scottsville on Saturday have all eaten up well and are in fine fettle after traveling from Johannesburg to Summerveld on Wednesday.

His Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint contender Moofeed was prepared out of Summerveld and the rest, Alboran Sea, Muwaary, Entisaar and Shaama, were all prepared out of Randjesfontein.

De Kock’s Summerveld assistant Nathan Kotzen said about Moofeed, who was punished five points for a narrow second in the Listed In Full Flight Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville last time out, “He has had two recent gallops in company and did well, but it’s a strong field.”

Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint contender Alboran Sea is on her way to being named Equus Champion Sprinter, having won both the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships and Gr 1 Computaform Sprint, both over 1000m. She is just as effective over 1200m as she won the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville as a two-year-old last year. She recorded a blistering time despite the slightly soft going in the Computaform Sprint and can use her early pace to overcome her tricky draw of nine under Anthony Delpech.

The Australian-bred Muwaary was not very well away on debut but still sauntered to a hand and heels nine length victory in an excellent time over 1200m at The Vaal. The only downside is that the form has not been franked. He has a plum draw of five in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and Delpech rides.

Australian-bred Entisaar didn’t beat a vintage field when winning the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein, but the impressive point was that she jumped from an unfavourable draw and went through the worst going yet still won emphatically in the slightly soft going. She hasn’t raced on fast ground before, but her only defeat was in very soft going so she will probably appreciate a firmer surface. She jumps from a draw of eight, but interestingly Johnny Geroudis replaces chief stable jockey Anthony Delpech, who will be aboard Shaama.

Shaama is also an Australian-bred and showed good cruising speed from a favourable draw in the Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m, before fighting on doggedly to go down by a length. Her time was just over a second quicker than Entisaar’s, although she did carry 2,5kg less. She jumps from a tricky draw of 12.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Alboran Sea (Nkosi Hlophe)