Captain Chaos, who has his first race of the season at Durbanville on Saturday, is due to return there for the R250,000 Grade 3 Kuda Matchem Stakes over 1400m on Saturday 3 October.
He is the highest merit-rated of the 26 entries and veteran trainer Ronnie Sheehan has been carefully mapping out a plan of campaign for last season’s Cape Of Good Hope Nursery (Grade 3) winner.
The Matchem, confined to three and four-year-olds, has been won by some high-class horses in recent years, most notably Variety Club in 2011 and Capetown Noir two years later. Justin Snaith, successful with Changingoftheguard three years ago, has the biggest entry (eight) and these include the provenly useful Heartland, Alpha Pegasi, Krambambuli and Charles Lytton.
Variety Club’s trainer Joey Ramsden has entered six, including the talented three-year-old Hard Day’s Night and Tar Heel, who started odds-on for the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery in June but failed to reproduce the form he showed when winning the Listed Somerset 1200 previously.
The Mike Bass stable, whose most recent successes came with Thundering Jet in 2008 and Rushing Wind 12 months later, have five entered including Sail For Gold who takes on Captain Chaos this Saturday.
The draw will be of supreme importance with the bend from the back straight into the straight beginning so soon after the pens open and those drawn high will be at a disadvantage, particularly if the field reaches double figures.
Inara, who completed a notable Grade 1 double in January in the Maine Chance Paddock Stakes and the Klawervlei Majorca, heads the 21 entries for the Lanzerac Diana Stakes over the same course and distance and on the same day as the Matchem.
She also runs at Durbanville this Saturday and the Mike Bass stable’s present plans are to go from there to the Diana which they won with Hammie’s Hooker two years ago. Their other wins in this race include the high class Sun Classique in 2006.
Alexis, winner of last season’s KRA Fillies Guineas, may represent Brett Crawford. Glen Kotzen has the best recent record with four winners in the last 15 years and he has entered three while Snaith has the biggest entry (six). He has won three of the last six runnings, most notably with the Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas winner Ebony Flyer in 2011.
There is a supplementary entry stage for both races next Wednesday (23 September) and declarations are on Monday 28 September.
Entries and draws for the Kuda Matchem Stakes (Grade 3) over 1 400m at Durbanville:
| 1 | Heartland | (4C) | 58 | 97 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 17 | Krambambuli | (4C) | 57 | 98 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 3 | Alpha Pegasi | (4G) | 57 | 97 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 6 | Arniston | (4G) | 57 | 96 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 11 | Sail For Gold | (4G) | 57 | 96 | A | Mike Bass |
| 4 | Charles Lytton | (4G) | 57 | 95 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 21 | Door Of Deception | (4C) | 57 | 95 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 12 | Line Break | (4G) | 57 | 95 | A | Mike Bass |
| 22 | Master’s Eye | (4G) | 57 | 93 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 14 | Sheer Trouble | (4G) | 57 | 93 | A | Mike Bass |
| 26 | Tomba La Bomba | (4G) | 57 | 93 | A | Mike Bass |
| 16 | Catkin | (4G) | 57 | 92 | A | Joey Ramsden |
| 10 | Blackmore | (4G) | 57 | 86 | A | Dean Kannemeyer |
| 8 | In The Cruise | (4G) | 57 | 85 | BA | Joey Ramsden |
| 2 | Captain Alfredo | (4C) | 57 | 83 | A | Dean Kannemeyer |
| 18 | River God | (4C) | 57 | 82 | AT | Vaughan Marshall |
| 13 | Captain Chaos | (3C) | 51.5 | 100 | A | R G Sheehan |
| 19 | Prince Of Thieves | (3C) | 51.5 | 95 | A | Joey Ramsden |
| 24 | Tar Heel | (3G) | 50.5 | 98 | A | Joey Ramsden |
| 20 | Captain Swarovski | (3C) | 50.5 | 92 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 7 | The Stone Thrower | (3G) | 50.5 | 92 | A | Joey Ramsden |
| 15 | Hard Day’s Night | (3C) | 50.5 | 90 | A | Joey Ramsden |
| 5 | Lord Marshal | (3C) | 50.5 | 89 | A | Dean Kannemeyer |
| 9 | #Marinaresco | (3C) | 50.5 | 87 | A | Mike Bass |
| 23 | Eighth Wonder | (3G) | 50.5 | 84 | A | Greg Ennion |
| 25 | Victorious Jay | (3C) | 50.5 | 82 | A | Vaughan Marshall |
Entries and draws for the Lanzerac Diana Stakes (Grade 3) over 1 400m at Durbanville:
| 17 | Inara | (4F) | 60 | 108 | A | Mike Bass |
| 8 | Alexis | (4F) | 59 | 106 | A | Brett Crawford |
| 7 | Jet Set Go | (4F) | 58 | 99 | A | Vaughan Marshall |
| 21 | Sensible Lover (AUS) | (4F) | 58 | 96 | CA | Darryl Hodgson |
| 5 | Real Princess | (4F) | 57 | 100 | A | Dean Kannemeyer |
| 9 | Come Fly With Me | (4F) | 57 | 98 | A | Mike Bass |
| 2 | Cuvee Brut | (4F) | 57 | 98 | A | Brett Crawford |
| 16 | Eros’s Girl | (4F) | 57 | 92 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 15 | Harvard Crimson | (4F) | 57 | 91 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 14 | Jeweller’s Joy | (4F) | 57 | 88 | A | Glen Kotzen |
| 12 | Goldandsilver | (4F) | 57 | 86 | A | Glen Kotzen |
| 4 | Fear Not | (4F) | 57 | 85 | A | Adam Marcus |
| 20 | Aliysa’s Prize (ARG) | (4F) | 57 | 83 | CA | Glen Kotzen |
| 3 | Topless (AUS) | (4F) | 57 | 80 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 18 | Petala | (3F) | 51.5 | 93 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 19 | Jo’s Bond | (3F) | 50.5 | 94 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 11 | Sublime Lady | (3F) | 50.5 | 92 | A | Mike Bass |
| 6 | Victoria Lavelle | (3F) | 50.5 | 92 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 1 | Just Felicity | (3F) | 50.5 | 90 | A | Greg Ennion |
| 13 | Varumba | (3F) | 50.5 | 90 | BA | Vaughan Marshall |
| 10 | #Fromafar | (3F) | 50.5 | 87 | A | Dean Kannemeyer |
– TABNews
Picture: Inara (Liesl King)
