Duncan Howells has already been planning the Champions Season assaults of four of his best horses, Same Jurisdiction, Cosmic Light, Ten Gun Salute and Sylvester The Cat.
Howells said there could be no excuses for Same Jurisdiction’s defeat in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, she was simply beaten by the better horse on the day, Inara. However, he said it had provided further proof she was more suited to Greyville and added, “If the Kenilworth straight had been shorter, she wins the race. She has a good burst but appears to have a short run in.”
He would therefore be centering her Champions Season around Greyville, the tight course with a relatively short straight where both of her career Gr 1 wins have been achieved.
Her likely route will be the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m, the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m and the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m.
Howells will not be sending any horses to campaign in Johannesburg this season, so the progressive three-year-old colt Ten Gun Salute, who was an impressive winner of Sunday’s Listed Michael Roberts Handicap over 1800m at Greyville, will be targeted at three-year-old Champions Season features. Sylvester The Cat, whose Cape Town campaign was ruined by his starting stall woes, might also be.
Howells said, “Sylvester The Cat has been gelded and re-schooled. The one race in which he did jump in Cape Town he needed and it was a strong race, so it was a good effort (1,8 length sixth in a Graduation Plate over 1200m behind the useful Ernie), especially considering he had already begun haemo-concentrating.”
Sylvester The Cat has jumped without a problem on the training tracks since being re-schooled and the gelding should solve his haemo-concentrating issues. However, Howells does not yet know what his limit is, so he still has something to prove.
Howells described the Gr 2 The Debutante winner and Gr Sceptre Stakes runner up Cosmic Light as well above average and the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint would be one of her chief targets.
By David Thiselton
Picture: Same Jurisdiction (Nkosi Hlophe)
