Andrew Harrison

VAUGHAN MARSHALL had a relatively quiet Champions Season last year, probably lacking in ammunition, but he has reloaded and arrived with some big guns ready to fire over the next four months. He fired his first salvo at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday as Seeking The Stars got his Champion Season’s campaign off to a winning start, scoring comfortably in the Gr3 Byerley Turk.

After setting the pace and weakening late in the Gr1 Cape Guineas, he was given the perfect lead on Sunday as Storm Chaser set a brisk pace, allowing Anton Marcus to slot in comfortably.

At the top of the straight Vars Vicky tried to make a race of it but Seeking The Stars shook off his attentions a furlong out and came home a comfortable winner. On that showing, the WSB Guineas should be within his compass.

Earlier, Marshall’s striking grey Mirage opened her account with a tremendously game win in the Kwazulu-Natal Stakes (Listed). Favourite Singforafa, sporting blinkers for the first time, was never in the race as Vernichey came out of the pack and looked a likely winner with a furlong to run. However, she was hanging badly towards the inside rail with Richard Fourie aboard Mirage tracking the leader and hot on her heels.

Fourie may have been expecting Vernichey to straighten up at some stage as he followed her but the leader kept lugging in. Quickly running out of runway, Fourie was forced to ease slightly and swing outside of Vernichey but once clear, Mirage cut into the deficit to get up in the shadow of the post.

Princess Calla, only about 80 percent fit according to Adam Marcus, proved far too classy for the opposition in the Gr3 Umzimkhulu Stakes. Always in contention, it did not take any serious urgings from Anton Marcus to get her into gear and she strode clear to win as she liked.

An exercise gallop and a good blow-out for the forthcoming features.

It may be clutching at straws a little but with local horses mostly taking a back seat to the raiders, anything that looks capable of giving them a go gets a boost.

She’s A Keeper only won a MR74 Handicap at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday but she arrived with the expectations of most Pick 6 punters on her shoulders, not to mention those of her connections.

Neither needed to have worried, as She’s A Keeper responded as soon as Warren Kennedy released the handbrake to win as she liked with the opposition strung out like the washing.

This was her third win from four starts and if Gareth Van Zyl can keep her all in one piece, she must have prospects in some of the Champion Season features.

But as Van Zyl explained post-race her late start to her racing career was firstly due to a tendon injury and then a hairline fracture to her pelvis. He has obviously done a superb job in getting the filly as far down the track as she has come but there will always be nagging doubts.

If she pulls up in a good space after yesterday’s run, then Van Zyl has the Scarlet Lady (listed) at Scottsville pencilled in for her next start in a couple of weeks’ time.