Horse-of-the-moment Power Grid goes for his third win in five weeks in the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap at Kenilworth tomorrow and he makes a lot of appeal at his forecast 5-1.
The colt is something of a freak physically. Daytona Stud considered his legs so bad that they didn’t even bother to send him to the sales, electing to lease him instead, and trainer Andries Steyns says: “He has surprised me because he has only got one front leg that works. I don’t know how he does it but he just swings the right one.”
However he has the pedigree to perform. By Queen’s Plate winner and first season success story Gimmethegreenlight, he is a half-brother to Six Blue Notes who was third in both the Golden Slipper and the Thekwini for Glen Kotzen in 2010.
He certainly impressed on his handicap debut over a furlong less than this a fortnight ago. Although one of the last away, having to be ridden early and then kept up to his work most of the way, he really surged in the final furlong when he finished much faster than anything else. Indeed Grant van Niekerk was able to ease him before the line.
Admittedly this is a much hotter contest but he receives weight from most of the others, the handicappers have been lenient – raising him just 2kg, and the way he won over 1 000m suggests he will relish the extra.
Joey Ramsden (Nkosi Hlophe)
Saint Donan, beaten over three lengths, is unlikely to be able to bridge the gap on just 3kg better terms but the likes of Fire Master and Lord Balmoral (4-1 joint favourites in the TAB sheet forecast) look much bigger threats.
Fire Master made all in the Pinnacle over this trip two weeks ago and has been raised 2kg. He is 2.5kg worse with Northern Corner (6-1) for a length and a quarter so he will need to put his best foot forward if he is to confirm the placings.
Lord Balmoral looks a potential class act. The Australian-bred won his maiden by four lengths at 1-3, coming right away in the final 300m and winning easing up. True, he hasn’t raced for three months but that didn’t stop stable companion William Longsword last Saturday and Vaughan Marshall can be relied upon to have him at least pretty near right.
Joey Ramsden, 48 tomorrow, can celebrate with Arctic Green in race three. She doesn’t have the best of draws but likely dangers Fort Ruby, Lady Of The House and Possibly Me have fared far worse. Donovan Dillon’s mount is better than suggested by the bare form of her last run when she was last until 300m out and then had to be switched.
Michael Clower
