Andre Nel has a 20% strike rate at Kenilworth this season – only Shane Humby, with six winners from just 30 runners, can match that – and Sabine Plattner’s private trainer can strike with Kampala Campari in the Racing.Its A Rush Handicap tomorrow.
This colt won first time out on New Year’s Eve and was beaten only half a length when pitched into handicap company three weeks later. True, the assessors hit him with a 2kg rise for that but the extra two furlongs here may swing the balance.
Richard Fourie (Liesl King)
Punters are beginning to take a jaundiced view of Kapteinspandiseile after two successive defeats, both times starting hot favourite, but the Mike Robinson runner should be a better price in the mile maiden (race four).
On the day after last time’s disappointing fifth at 6-10 the trainer reported to the stipes that the horse returned with a distended off-fore fetlock.
“He was trotting sound but his joint was slightly swollen,” the trainer explains. “But he is a big-striding horse and he fought for his head in the race. I feel he would have done better had he been allowed to stride on. You will see a different horse on Saturday.”
Richard Fourie, who had the mount on the last two occasions, has preferred to partner what he hopes is the aptly-named Perfect Choice who finished a fifth of a length the better last time but the Kaptein is taken to score for Donovan Dillon.
Herodus, third to subsequent Kuda Sprint winner Bold Respect, is the only raced runner in the opening Juvenile Maiden. That form should be good enough despite Victorious Captain (fifth) failing to frank it last Saturday. However R500 000 buy Valedictorian gets the vote.
The Fillies Maiden 35 minutes later looks wide open and it could be worth taking a chance with newcomer Straat-Kind to give Nel his 38th winner of the campaign.
By Michael Clower
