Our Destiny, beaten only by Silver Mountain in last season’s Cape Fillies Guineas, looks good for the Macsteel Graduation Plate at Kenilworth tomorrow.
Richard Fourie’s mount ran a cracker to take third on her return in the Laisserfaire 18 days ago and she has 4.5kg (nearly four lengths) in hand on adjusted merit ratings.
“My old mentor Ralph Rixon is a part-owner and he told me ‘You have got to run her in a graduation – her merit rating is too high,’”says Glen Kotzen who has also put the filly in Saturday week’s Southern Cross. “That comes a week too soon but, if she wins this, we would have to consider it.”
Kotzen also runs the hat-trick seeking Miss Malbec and Trip To India who finished sixth in the Laisserfaire after coming from some way back, although she is now 3kg worse with Our Destiny. “She definitely has a chance and so does Miss Malbec who is working exceptionally well,” adds the Woodhill trainer.
Live Life, only ninth in the Laisserfaire, is 5.5kg worse with Our Destiny but it might not be wise to judge her on that run as she got very stirred up in the pens.
However the biggest danger is almost certainly La Revere who won first time and was then third in the Debutante despite being slowly away. She looks potentially much better than an 80 rating and it could be significant that Dennis Drier has booked Anthony Delpech.
Indeed she opened 2-1 favourite on Monday with World Sports Betting but since then Our Destiny has shortened to the same price from an opening 5-2. Live Life and Miss Malbec are both on 3-1 while Trip To India is the outsider of the party at 11-2.
Delpech comes for three rides and Piere Strydom for seven including Cape Derby winner It’s My Turn who runs for the first time since his Durban July fourth in the Market Toyota Culemborg Allowance Plate. “He chipped a fetlock in that race and he has only had one grass gallop since,” cautions Justin Snaith. “He is being aimed at the Sun Met, this is a prep race and he will be given a chance.”
He opened at 28-10 and, a little surprisingly perhaps, has since shortened slightly to 5-2. Snaith has booked Delpech for 7-2 chance Star Chestnut (“he has raced a lot but I think he has the form”) and also runs 7-1 shot Krambambuli (Bantam) and 12-1 outsider Heartland (Dillon ) – ‘He is not settling in his races so I want to see him settle this time and then run on nicely.”
Surprisingly the only other trainer with a runner is Brett Crawford who trains across the road from Snaith at Philippi. Not a single Milnerton horse in the line-up.
Midnite Zone (11-2) comes out top on adjusted ratings but the vote goes to 2-1 favourite Whisky Baron who was second to Marinaresco in the Winter Guineas and Classic and made a winning return five weeks ago.
Michael Clower
