David Thiselton
One of the highest rated events at the nine race meeting at Turffontein Inside today is the seventh, a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1450m, and Under Your Spell will be out to prove a point as a few felt she should have won the Equus Two-year-old Fillies award ahead of her stablemate Rain In Holland.
Under Your Spell is the highest rated three-year-old filly in the land and her 116 merit rating is in fact eleven points higher than Rain In Holland’s. She has only been beaten once, in the SA Fillies Nursery, and was clearly not herself that day and showed it by playing up badly at the start. She has been exemplary in all her other starts including in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m when bursting through the centre and powering away to a 3,80 length victory. One of her victims was the third-placed and otherwise unbeaten Sheela, who is held in immensely high regard and showed why last time when cantering to victory over 1000m in a Juvenile Plate event. Under Your Spell has always given the impression she would prefer further and her pedigree suggests so too because she is by the top class miler Capetown Noir and is a half-sister to the twice Grade 3 Track And Ball Oaks winner Witchcraft although she is also a half-sister to the Visionaire gelding In Cahoots who has plenty of speed and his three wins have been from 1160m to 1475m. Under Your Spell is the joint best-weighted runner tomorrow together with Rouge Allure. The latter is versatile in running style so will make a bold bid from draw three whether dropped out or going handy. However, a bigger threat might come from Anne Boleyn who is 1.5kg under sufferance with the best weighted. She will relish the fast conditions as one with plenty of speed who gets this trip and is drawn in pole. The in-form Now You See Me also has a shout over her optimum trip but does have a tough draw to overcome and is officially 2kg under sufferance. Ululate disappointed last time but is useful on her day and is another one to consider being just half-a-kilogram under sufferance and having a good 1.5kg claimer aboard.
In the other Pinnacle Stakes event, also over 1450, the fairytale horse MK’s Pride looks the one to beat. He stays this trip, has plenty of class and always gives of his best. He has a tricky draw of six out of seven but is not a difficult responds well to a rider’s instructions and wherever he is in the final stages he will almost certainly find another gear when the chips are down such is the size of his heart. ExpressfromtheUS is drawn widest of all but that should be of no concern as he has a fine turn of foot so can afford to be dropped out. His class could carry him home, although he might need this outing, his first run since finishing 14th in the Vodacom Durban July. Those two should fight it out although the consistent Bingwa might have other ideas running fresh over a sharper than ideal distance and jumping from pole position.
Punters should be given a good start to the day by Verolina in he first race over 1200m. She only just failed on debut over this course and distance from a wide draw when beaten by Bon Vivant who went on to finish second first time out the maidens. Verolina now has a plum draw and can beat Back To Formontera.
The third race over 1600m sees an intriguing clash between three promising and progressive sorts, Equillo, Wave Warrior and Motown Magic and they are selected in that order.
The next race is also intriguing and Mike’s Chick is taken to follow up his unplaced run in the BSA Sales Cup for fillies, whose form is turning out to be strong, with a win at the expense of the scopey Kizzmekia.
