Mike de Kock puts Entisaar’s future on the line in the Choice Carriers Championship at Kenilworth tomorrow when Anthony Delpech’s mount is sure to start a warm favourite.

“The sprint programme in Gauteng doesn’t really lend itself to three-year-old fillies and that’s why I have sent her down,” says the eight-time champion trainer who has had comparatively few runners in this race but won it with Phillipa Johnson in 2003.

“If she gets the seven furlongs here we will have a crack at the Cape Fillies Guineas (December 5) and if she doesn’t there are some nice sprint races for fillies in the Cape season.”

The Australian-bred has not raced since her win in the Allan Robertson nearly six months ago. “I felt there was no point because she had done enough and also I’d been quite hard on her earlier in the season,” explains her trainer. “But I have done all I can with her at home.”

She has eased slightly from Wednesday’s opening 16-10 and Betting World had her at 18-10 yesterday. That is a fair price and favourites have won all the last five runnings. You could say that such an improbable sequence is poised to come to an end but you could have said that last year, and the year before – and it would have cost you dear.

The doubt about her stamina – and on pedigree she looks more likely to get tomorrow’s trip than not – is probably her biggest danger although there is considerable confidence in the camp of 5-1 shot Princess Royal who was a length second in the Allan Robertson.

“She couldn’t get a run that day and I think she should have won,” says Glen Kotzen who won this four years ago with her half-sister Princess Victoria who also came into the race without a run since July day.

“We have given her time to mature, she has definitely calmed down and her quirkiness has gone,” says Kotzen who adds: “She won’t need the run. She is spot on.”

Silver Mountain (on the drift and easing from 10-1 to 12-1) has looked the part in her last two starts but the outside pen has surely put the kibosh on her chance. “It’s a huge problem and it means she’s got a big task on her hands,” says Candice Robinson. “Aldo is going to have to work some miracle.”

Justin Snaith has won four of the last eight runnings and 7-1 chance Petala looks the pick of his quartet. She is race-fit, well drawn, on a hat-trick and appeals more than all except the top two.

Well In Flight (12-1) is also on a hat-trick and has a tall reputation but a 13 draw over this trip is a significant handicap.

Anglet (nibbled at on 14-1 and now two points less) needed the run badly – as Paddy Kruyer said she would – on her reappearance a fortnight ago but the Irridescence winner is a tough battler.

Icy Fire has also been supported from 14-1 to 12-1, possibly because Bernard Fayd’Herbe is on her rather than any of the Snaith horses. But this is because he is retained by the owner and his mount has 3kg, plus half a length, to find with Petala on last time’s form.

Flying Ice (10-1) was a length and a half further back that day but she was good enough to finish fourth in the Thekwini and she should have come on since.

Perfect Promise winner My Emblem has drifted from 14-1 to 16-1 and it’s hard to see her winning but Eric Sands reports that “She is doing very well.”

By Michael Clower