DAVID THISELTON

THE Turffontein Standside meeting today features the Listed Swallow Stakes over 1160m and two up and coming sorts could dish it out to some more experienced rivals. 

The Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained What A Winter filly Celestial Love returned from a layoff to obliterate a maiden field by 6,25 lengths over this course and distance in early December and her time was a full second quicker than the first race over that distance on the same day, despite winning easing up. So, she could be the one to beat off a nice galloping weight of 55kg. She is officially 8kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse, Anna Capri, but she is still unexposed and should rise above her current merit rating. 

Bequest is unbeaten in three starts and is a big strong filly who could also be anything, so the fact that carrying 59kg puts her 8.5kg under sufferance with Anna Capri should not be too much to be concerned about as she is also still unexposed and on the up.

Ecstatic Green has proven class having been a narrow runner up in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m last season and she won the Grade 2 Debutante over 1200m easily. This season she was narrowly defeated by the top class War Of Athena at level weights over 1200m and then finished fourth in a Grade 3 over 1400m, a trip which stretched her. In her last start in the Grade 3 Magnolia Handicap over 1160m she was all the rage carrying just 52kg, but horses drawn high that day were not going through with their runs and she was one of them. She can bounce back on Sunday and should be a big runner.

Sweet Sensation has substance and although officially 6.5kg under sufferance with Anna Capri she beat the latter by a head in her penultimate start over 1000m when receiving just 2kg.

Anna Capri would likely prefer 1000m as she is capable of blitzing a field and she might attempt the same here over this quick 1160m, but she is going to be vulnerable late. 

Zimbaba made a fine debut when beaten just three-quarters of a length by the talented War Room over 1000m, who was exported as an unbeaten winner of three starts. Zimbaba returned after a eight month layoff to win a maiden over 1200m and there have been six winners out of that race. However, she needs to bounce back from a lacklustre effort over 1100m in November when beaten 11,50 lengths in a handicap over 1100m off an 89 rating. 

Rapid Fire was precocious, winning impressively first time out, but she did not progress and her next win came off an 84 rating in an uninspiring field. However, she did win easily so it heralded a form return and she is not completely out of it.

They are selected in the order mentioned.

DAVID THISELTON

BELGARION is the most forward horse in today’s L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and looks set to add a second Grade 1 victory to his ever impressive CV.

Meanwhile, Summer Pudding is in fine fettle to increase her unbeaten run to ten ahead of the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes, although she has never faced a horse as classy as the defending champion Queen Supreme and her current price of 7/10 is likely to drift.  

Rainbow has not yet shown any sign of decline as a six-year-old, but he is not going to be getting any better.

Belgarion, on the other hand, put up the best performance of career in his last start in the Grade 2 Green Point Stakes when beating Rainbow Bridge at level weights by 0,40 lengths and looks to be on the up.

He won a tad cosily after running on powerfully from last.

Both he and Rainbow Bridge would have come on from that run as it was their first outing of the season.

However, Rainbow Bridge has shown a tendency to run a bit flat in his second run after a layoff.

That is certainly not a problem Belgarion has as he won the Vodacom Durban July in his second start after a five month layoff. 

Cirillo was beaten only 0,45 lengths in the Green Point but that was his third run of the season. Furthermore, his career record shows him to be consistently just behind the best. 

Whilst Do It Again’s overall performance declined last season, his form in the second half whilst in KZN was a lot better than his earlier Cape Town form.  This was due to an ulcer problem which had led to poor eating habits during the Cape Summer season being treated and cured. This year Do It Again comes into the Queen’s Plate fresh as it his first outing of the season. As a four-year-old he won the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge after an identical layoff of just over four months so he is going to be the dark horse. Can he reproduce his best form? 

The time is ripe for a newcomer to burst on to the scene but on form Silver Opreator does not look close to as lively a competitor as his Adam Marcus-trained stablemate Vardy was at this time last year. Silver Operator is held by all of Belgarion, Rainbow Bridge and Cirillo on a line through all of Captain of Stealth, Wild Coast and African Night Sky.

A more likely candidate for an upset is Jet Dark. He flew up from well back in the Grade 1 WSB Cape Guineas for a 1,65 length fourth. The three-year-old male crop’s reputation took a hammering in that race because a 100/1 shot won but there is no doubting the ability of the race’s runner up Linebacker. Jet Dark has beaten Line backer once and finished just 1,45 lengths behind him in the Guineas. He still looked a touch green too so can improve again.

Sovereign Spirit has a tough task at the weights being rated 28 points lower than Rainbow Bridge. However, quickened well off a crawl to win the Grade 2 Campanajo 2200 on Vodacom Durban July day, so it will be interesting to see what he is capable of against this opposition off a likely quicker pace over a shorter trip, but he does strike as one who will be capable of raising his game.  

Hurricane Harry, who is one of four Justin Snaith-trained runners, looks outgunned but as a handy to front-running sort drawn in pole he could ensure a decent pace.

In the Paddock Stakes Paul Peter is not concerned about Summer Pudding’s wide draw as this will give her freedom to travel at her own pace rather than being boxed in. She has clearly come back stronger this season and was super impressive when destroying the Summer Cup field carrying 59.5kg. She will be using that big action to power home today again, although the ground will be faster so she won’t be able to afford the flat spot she hit at the top of the straight as a three-year-old. The handicappers raised her to 129 after the Summer Cup, three points clear of Queen Supreme. 

However, Queen Supreme is Northern Hemisphere-bred so has effectively matured six months into a fully grown mare since winning the Paddock Stakes last year. She was impressive in her last two runs on the Highveld and when winning her last race by 4,25 lengths against decent opposition it was clear that she oozed class. She has a good draw, so it could well be a thriller.           

Clouds Unfold is not out of it either. She does have a stamina doubt though, although trainer Candice Bass-Robinson said jockey Aldo Domeyer believed she would get the trip. He will be bringing her from off the pace as usual so the two principles will be wary of going too early as this could play into her hands. 

Princess Calla is a fascinating runner too as she is still progressing and has always struck as one who was looking for this trip.

The same could be said for Chat Ching and Dazzling Sun, who were just behind Princess Calla in the Cape Fillies Guineas.

Silvano’s Pride is always dangerous from the front over this trip and they won’t be able to let her go too far ahead.

Driving Miss Daisy is hard to assess as one who is lazy at home but she was runner up last year and herself and Hearstwings, who is thriving in the Cape, can’t be ignored for the quartet.

The remainder, Miyabi Gold, Kelpie and Sing Out Loud are no slouches either in what is a vintage renewal.

The Grade 2 Glorious Goodwood Premier Trophy looks to be at the mercy of the top class Golden Ducat.

ANDREW HARRISON

SOME fascinating match-ups add loads of spice to the second day of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Racing Festival at Kenilworth tomorrow.

Between Covid 19 and AHS, South African horse racing walks a tightrope of lockdowns and jockeys, trainers and their owners have had to use a crystal ball to plan campaigns. With the Western Cape offering boosted prize money for their season, but more pertinently, important Black Type features like tomorrow’s Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Gr1 Cartier Paddock Stakes, it was always going to be a lure for the top horses.

A small but quality field is due to line up in the Queen’s Plate with Rainbow Bridge looking to turn the tables on Belgarion with the front-running Cirillo there to once again keep the field honest and former winner Do It Again looking to regain his best form.

Belgarion is unbeaten since Justin Snaith and owners Gillian and Alec Foster decided to geld the son of Dynasty and although his paddock value was terminated, it was the correct decision as far as the racecourse was concerned.

Belgarion is in line for his seventh straight success since stepping out two-stones lighter, races that included the Vodacom Durban July but more importantly, the recent Green Point Stakes.

He was the best weighted horse in the July as Snaith did a masterful job of getting his charge into the race on favourable weight terms so his win was hardly surprising. More importantly, in the Green Point he met Rainbow Bridge at level weights but still disposed of him in emphatic fashion.

Rainbow Bridge was handy for most of the race as he gave his new pilot, apprentice Luke Ferraris an arm-stretch, while Richard Fourie had Belgarion settled at the tail of the field.

Once Fourie released the handbrake, Belgarion strode past in majestic fashion, leaving no doubt that he is primed for tomorrow afternoon.

The ever game Cirillo made most of the running and while having no answers to Belgarion’s finishing burst, he fought a titanic battle with Rainbow Bridge with the latter edging him out on the line.

Cirillo ran his heart out in his usual fashion but there is a question mark over Rainbow Bridge. Eric Sands will no doubt have left some meat on the bone for tomorrow’s race and what was encouraging is that Rainbow Bridge looked dead-and-buried a furlong out but came back at Cirillo.

Whether he can make the necessary improvement, only the race will tell but given the ease of Belgarion’s victory he has the wood on both rivals.

Former winner Do It Again missed his intended warm-up in the Green Point and with his current form having tailed off, he could prove a better proposition in the Met.

As a mouth-watering appetiser to the Queen’s Plate, Horse of the Year Summer Pudding puts her unbeaten nine-race winning streak on the line in the Gr1 Cartier Paddock Stakes.

Trainer Paul Peter and owners Jess and Stephen Jell could well have taken the safer route and left Summer Pudding with the easier pickings of the Highveld autumn season but they showed in electing to make the trip to Durban for the Woolavington 2000 after a testing Tripe Tiara campaign that they have a filly of rare talent and they are not keeping her wrapped in cotton wool.

With the Paddock Stakes and a likely tilt at the Met on the agenda, Summer Pudding will be fully tested, no more so in her clash with the highly rated Mike de Kock mare Queen Supreme. The Irish import appears to have some temperament issues but on her day is supremely good.

Like Summer Pudding, she makes her Cape Town debut, but as she races in the same silks as Summer Pudding the connections are covered either way.

It is seldom that the local contingent play second fiddle in the market to raiders but Candice Bass-Robinson has not been shy to pit Clouds Unfold against the best males around, taking them on in the Gold Challenge and the recent Green Point Stakes. Just how Summer Pudding and Queen Supreme fare against Clouds Unfold should give us an indication as to just how good the two Highveld raiders are.

ANDREW HARRISON

THE two-day L’Ormarins Racing Festival kicks off at Kenilworth this afternoon and while tomorrow’s meeting is the festival highlight with the running of the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queens Plate and three other Graded features including the Gr1 Cartier Paddock Stakes, there is a lot to look forward to today.

Celtic Sea is as game and sound as they come and she will be in short order to defend her title in the Gr2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes.

With jockey’s locked in to the province of their choice for this month, Gavin Lerena has elected to team up with Sean Tarry’s Cape Town raiders and Celtic Sea should get his month off to a winning start.

Celtic Sea seldom runs a bad race and all things being equal she should prove difficult to beat in a race where she has much in her favour. In spite of giving weight to all of her eight rivals, she is still 3kg to the good given that this is a WFA contest plus penalties.

Versatile, winning from 1000m to a mile, today’s 1200m is arguable her optimum trip and the manner in which she disposed of the top class and distance suited Run Fox Run over 1000m in her seasonal Cape debut, only an unusual ‘off’ day will get her beaten.

A likely threat could come in the form of Brett Crawford’s filly Pretty Young Thing but on current form she looks held safe by Celtic Sea. After showing good pace in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, she folded quickly at the business end as Celtic Sea got the better of Run Fox Run in a desperate finish. That was not the case in the Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m where she finished alongside Celtic Sea beaten a neck, both behind surprise winner Temple Grafin.

Pretty Young Thing could prefer it a furlong further which should again give Celtic Sea the edge.

Of the balance, Glen Kotzen has a knack of priming his runners for the big occasion, Temple Grafin springs to mind, so one can expect a forward showing from both of his runners with Third Runway with stable rider Morne Winnaar aboard the likely pick.

Justin Snaith dominates with numbers and none of his trio can be written off lightly but in the final analysis it should be a scramble for the minor money behind Celtic Sea.

David Thiselton

Eric Sands will give Rainbow Bridge his final sprint up ahead of Saturday’s Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate this morning (Thursday).

Rainbow Bridge’s equally high-profile stablemate and half-brother Golden Ducat had his final sprint up yesterday morning (Wednesday) ahead of the Grade 2 Glorious Goodwood Premier Trophy over 1800m.

The ride on Rainbow Bridge is retained by Luke Ferraris, who finished a narrow second in his first ride on him in the Grade 2 WSB Green Point Stakes over 1600m. 

National champion jockey Warren Kennedy takes over the ride on Golden Ducat from Donovan Dillon.

Kennedy opted to be located in Cape Town for the month of January according to the lockdown restrictions and this was chiefly in order to maintain his partnership with Equus Horse Of The Year Summer Pudding.

Dillon had a hard decision to make as he adores Golden Ducat but he informed Sands timeously of his decision to remain in KZN, where he gets plenty of rides. Dillon still travelled to Cape Town to gallop Golden Ducat last week.

On the same day Rainbow Bridge galloped with a sprinter.

Sands said, “He never quite got to the sprinter but finished full of running.”

He added, “Golden Ducat galloped on his own and in retrospect I should have maybe galloped him with a companion as he loafed a little.”

Sands continued, “After his sprint up today Golden Ducat’s recovery showed him to be not quite at his peak but he has come on in leaps and bounds since his comeback run (December 2 1600m).”

He added, “It is pretty much the same with Rainbow Bridge but we are wary of his second run back in the past tending to be a bit flat.”

The Queen’s Plate has eight runners and Justin Snaith has half of them which some might view as giving him a tactical edge.

However, Sands said, “He has four runners but he can’t have four winners, only one horse can win.”

Sands said he would keep his tactics under his hat but elaborated, “I will look at the field and assess what will go to the front and what will go handy and then make a decision.”

He will do the same for the Premier Trophy. 

Golden Ducat was beaten in his comeback run and Sands disagreed that he should have been taken to the front.

He said, “He would have tired in his first run back over a mile carrying a lot of weight. He looked a blinder but they must enjoy their first run back, you cannot be too hard on them.”

Golden Ducat is odds-on to land the Premier Trophy, which is over the same trip as the Grade 1 Champions Cup, where he beat a number of big guns at the end of last season.

Sands said, “He does have to give weight away but is very capable and will give a good account of himself.”

He concluded about the Queen’s Plate, “It is a very tough field with the like of Belgarion and Do It Again running and Cirillo is not out of it either.”

Rainbow Bridge, whom Sands believes is at his best over 2000m, has finished third in both of his attempts at the prestigious weight for age mile.

Sands also has a runner in the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes, Driving Miss Daisy.

He said, “She finished runner up last year but the defending champion Queen Supreme is Northern Hemisphere-bred so is effectively six months more mature this year. Driving Miss Daisy wasn’t given the best of rides in my opinion in her last two starts in KZN although it is easy to be a grandstand jockey. She is hard to assess as she doesn’t give away a lot at home, she is a lazy cow, but she does have the ability.”

Both Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat jump from draw five.

Driving Miss Daisy jumps from draw eight and Morne Winnaar rides.