The Devin Little-trained Highveld raider Fortune Fella is an out and out stayer and might feasibly have a slight advantage over his rivals in the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup on Saturday as the training tracks at his Turffontein base are usable while the KZN tracks are waterlogged with the exception of the Summerveld polytrack.

Little said, “He is an ultra, ultra stayer so will definitely get the trip.”

The four-year-old Mambo In Seattle gelding has to jump from the widest draw of all in the 16 horse field but Little is not overly concerned.

He said, “I will leave it to Craig (Zackey). I prefer to give my horses a chance as they have a turn of foot.” Fortune Fella fits into this mould.

The imposing bay has been aimed at the race since winning the Gr 3 Caradoc Gold Cup over 2850m at Turffontein on April 2. In that race he received 3kg from Arch Rival and beat him by half-a-length. He is now receiving 2,5kg from Arch Rival, so there should not be much in it, so it is interesting to see Arch Rival priced up at 8/1 with Betting World while Fortune Fella is their biggest outsider at 35/1.

Fortune Fella made his first appearance at Greyville on May 28 in the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m and Zackey would have learnt something from that race. Little pointed out the trip had clearly been too short for him that day as it was only in the latter stages of the short straight that he had really got going. He finished a far from disgraced 3,9 length eighth to Balance Sheet, although on the downside he will now be 0,5kg worse off with the latter.

Little concluded he would be happy to see his charge switched off and then be close enough turning for home to be in with a chance of making up the leeway as he was confident the horse would “turn it on” in the straight.

Fortune Fella is one of the dark horses of the race. He was due to travel down to Durban tomorrow (Thursday).

David Thiselton