One World can make the most of his race fitness and get the better of both Do It Again and Rainbow Bridge in the World Sports Betting Green Point Stakes at Kenilworth tomorrow.
The selection has won both the Matchem and the Cape Mile this season and has only been beaten twice in 11 starts. He has a bit to find with the big two on adjusted ratings but this is his trip and at 5-1 he is a decent price.
You have to go back to Legislate in 2014 to find this race being won a horse having his first run of the season but, as Legal Eagle won the last three runnings as part of a well-executed plan by Sean Tarry, not too much notice should be taken of that particular statistic – and nor of the fact that the favourite has won five of the last eight.
Do It Again almost brought it off 12 months ago and, while Justin Snaith speaks of the dual July winner being only 80%, it was he who trained Legislate and Richard Fourie’s mount is an exceptional horse. He is favourite at 17-10.
Similarly, while old rival Rainbow Bridge has also not run this term, he can be expected to get into the shake-up and is next in the market at 26-10.
But, if you take the view that you are putting too much faith in sheer ability by going for a horse without a run, you are realistically left with only two choices – One World and Undercover Agent who almost did it a year ago and looks a major threat this time. He is a huge price at 10-1. Of the others Head Honcho could do with a bit further but at 28-1 he could be worth considering each way. Vardy is not quite ready according to his trainer and is much too short at 5-1. Pack Leader (40-1) and the sprinter La Favourari (80-1) are surely too far out of the weights to be considered.
Anton Marcus, who has won the last three runnings, will this time be watching from the jockeys’ room, albeit with considerable interest, but the four-time champion may still enjoy a bumper pay day and I expect him to win the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas for the third time in four seasons.
Kelpie, now 7-2 favourite, has a lot to find on ratings but she keeps winning and she looked really special last time. I am not convinced that the Johannesburg horses are better than the Cape Town ones, let alone better by the margin the handicappers assess 4-1 shot True To Life.
Third Runway (15-2) looked the part when winning the Western Cape Fillies Championship – a race that has been won by the subsequent Fillies Guineas winner five times in the last nine years – but she has a lot to do from that wide draw. Too much to do? Well, no surprise if Morne Winnaar lands the biggest win of his 20-year career but Kelpie looks a safer bet.
Driving Miss Daisy (14-1) and 20-1 stable companion Larentina, who both had little luck in running when badly drawn behind Third Runway, have place prospects as does Pretty Young Thing (17-2) despite starting from the widest pen of all.
Roi Querari looked the part for the R.25 million CTS Ready To Run when winning at Durbanville but since then Invidia has put that to bed with his performance here three weeks ago. He should justify 22-10 favouritism.
Clouds Unfold is a formidable proposition in the WSB Southern Cross but Run Fox Run is unbeaten and may prove yet another for Marcus.
By Michael Clower