The fillies sprinting division suddenly has a strong look to it around the country and this is emphasised by the field which lines up for the Gr 2 World Sports Betting Southeaster Sprint over 1000m at Kenilworth on Saturday.

The new sprinting sensation Little Genie was travelling down to Cape Town yesterday and her Vaal-based trainer Dominic Zaki felt the key to her race would simply revolve around how well she travelled because her preparation had gone very well. The four-year-old Judpot filly has won her last five in a row and proved in no uncertain terms last time out in the Listed Gardenia Stakes over 1000m that none of her exceptional speed is “cheap”. Her usual brilliant gatespeed enabled her to find the front in that race and she then used her tremendous early pace to open up a lead. However, when the Gr 1-winner Carry On Alice ranged up alongside her she found another gear and got up to win by a head. She was running off a mere 97 merit rating to Carry On Alice’s 115, yet was receiving only 1,5kg. She now faces Carry On Alice on 0,5kg better terms and the tough Kenilworth course should suit her down to the ground as she has won over 1200m with ease before.

Carry On Alice will have had the advantage of having been down in Cape Town for three weeks, having travelled the day after her meeting with Little Genie on November 14. She took it easy for a week upon arrival and has been doing well since. She is also suited to the Kenilworth track as one with high cruising speed, a range of gears and the ability to stay up to a mile. In her only start over the course and distance in last season’s Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship over 1000m she had to wait for an age in the stalls due to a horse breaking through the gates, while some of her rivals were allowed to be unloaded, yet she still finished a fine 1,55 length third to Alboran Sea.

The Mike Bass-trained Fly By Night is one of the other horses in the field who carry a 2kg penalty and will do better than her seasonal reappearance in a Conditions Plate over course and distance in which the front-runner Jo’s Bond went to the front before pulling away. She is six-years-old and Candice Robinson said, “I struggled a bit to get her ready at the beginning of the season and she then proved more in need of that last run than I originally thought. Hopefully we have got her ready this time, she is certainly working well, but it is a strong field and she has usually been better over 1200m.”

Robinson also lamented Kenilworth running very fast at the moment meaning the front-running speedsters often prove hard to catch and if that proves the case on Saturday Little Genie will have an advantage.

Fly By Night’s stablemate Lanner Falcon showed her speed and class in the same Conditions Plate Fly By Night ran in last time as she was still able to make up ground at the finish. She is also well and Robinson expected a good race, but pointed out the 1000m was very much too sharp for her and she didn’t know whether she was up to beating some of the best in the race. She concluded by saying Fly By Night would be the stable elect if at her best.

The Mike de Kock-trained Entisaar is the third of the Gr 1 winners in the race. The yard have opted for this race instead of the GR 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas so likely believed she would not stay the mile, having been caught last time out by Silver Mountain in the Gr 2 Choice Carriers Championship over 1400m. She showed good pace throughout when winnning her previous start, the Gr 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m at Scottsville before finding a late kick. She could be a threat as she also showed good early pace when winning the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein, which she won easily despite a tardy start and jumping from the wrong side.

Another horse with both speed and class is the Brett Crawford-trained Alexis, who won the Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas against a strong field and subsequently beat Carry On Alice when running fifth in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m. This four-year-old Dynasty filly has only had nine starts and has won twice over the Kenilworth 1200m. This will be her first start over 1000m and the Crawford yard are known for having them fit first up, so she could be the dark horse. Alexis’s stablemate Cuvee Brut is a fair sort but looks a bit outclassed here.

The Duncan Howells-trained Querari filly Cosmic Light is the only unbeaten runner in the field and is another with both speed and class, but she had a slight injury setback upon arriving in Cape Town which delayed her progress and she has consequently missed her main aim the Cape Filllies Guineas. Howells felt that due to it being too sharp for her, coupled with the strength of the field, he will be happy if she finished three or four lengths back.

The Glen Kotzen-trained Princess Royal was unlucky in the Allan Robertson and has had the benefit of one run under the belt. She is notoriously temperamental and is another whose plan to run in the Fillies Guineas has been abandoned in favour of this sprint. She is a half-sister to the brilliant Princess Victoria and her speed and class make her a factor.

The Justin Snaith-trained Jo’s Bond showed what she is capable of last time and won’t be under-estimated again by the rest of the riders. This race will show just how good she is, although the CTS Million Dollar is likely her main target.

Rock On Baby is the lowest rated horse in the race but shouldn’t be underestimated as she was only 2,5 lengths behind Jo’s Bond last time at level weights (if the apprentice claim on Jo’s Bond is included) and Dennis Drier’s horses have all proved in need of their first runs in Cape Town.

Real Princess has always been highly rated by Dean Kannemeyer and with one run under her belt, when running on for third to Jo’s Bond, she could earn despite officially having it tough at the weights.

Priceless Jewel is a sprint-miler with speed and class but this trip proved a touch sharp for her last year.

The draw is also going to be a factor and recently retired top jockey Karl Neisius provided some insight into the factors which decide which side of the course they go.  The southeaster headwind blows from the left, from the jockeys’ perspectives, and tends to see them going to the outside because sitting to the right of a horse’s quarters provides a wind shield and the outside horses then tend to quicken better. However, Saturday’s wind as a mild South Wester of ten knots will come from the jockeys’ right, so they may well stick to the inside. It can also depend on where the speed in the race is, so with Little Genie drawn ten, it is anybody’s guess which side they will go.

The prevailing fast going will suit Little Genie. However, Entisaar is given the nod from Carry On Alice and Little Genie, with Alexis and Princess Royal next best.

By David Thiselton

Chevauchee is the big attraction at Kenilworth tomorrow. The Australian-bred with a tall reputation and a pedigree to die for was odds-on to beat Fillies Guineas second favourite Bela-Bela three weeks ago and yesterday she opened as short as 7-10 for the Property Pride Graduation Plate.

However she ran as if she needed further last time and, as this is 200m shorter, she could be worth opposing.

Victoria Lavelle just might be better value at yesterday’s 3-1 (with Betting World) despite having to give weight all round and having little chance on adjusted merit ratings. She was far from disgraced in the Choice Carriers and could be better than that run would suggest.

“She is a good filly but the race wasn’t run to suit her,” says Chris Snaith. “She was drawn badly, her rider had to use her up too much early on and she didn’t like it.”

On ratings 10-1 shot Folk Law has 4.5kg in hand and the Irish-bred was returned not striding out when disappointing on her first start here. “Maybe she was a bit fatigued – she hadn’t run for over a year – but she has never been lame,” says Brett Crawford. “However I have always thought that her rating was suspect and that’s why I put her in this plate race.”

Elusive Stars (7-1) is next best on ratings – she comes out 3.5k better than Chevauchee – and Ronnie Sheehan is putting blinkers on, saying: “I could have run her in the 1 400m but she was drawn wide. She has run some very good races over this distance.”

Forever Alert’s much-improved last run makes her the form horse in the opening International Police Association Maiden (Paul Reeves: “She was getting herself in a tizz. I gave her a nice break and she came back a better horse”). She is a big price at 7-1.

Don’t ignore Midnight Spy (5-1) who was found to be coughing after disappointing when favourite at Durbanville but the favourite this time is Oli Miranda who ran way above expectations on debut ten days ago.

“She had never been on grass and for the first 800m she had no idea what was required of her,” reports Greg Ennion. “Then she flew home. She surprised me, particularly as her dam stayed all day.”

Yesterday’s 18-10 is much too short with so many others having good chances – and the Crawford newcomer New Found Glory is 5-1 joint second favourite – but hopefully MJ Byleveld’s mount will ease to a price that makes her worth backing.

Sheehan is also putting blinkers on 10-1 chance Kwando for the first time in the Ahmen & Hammon Attorney Maiden but stable companion Elusive Empress (8-1) makes more appeal and 3-1 favourite Florrick may beat them both.

Playboy Buddy has started favourite on the last two of her three starts and gone close every time. The Dean Kannemeyer-trained filly again heads the market (at 5-2) and may finally get her head in front in the concluding IPA Westcoast Maiden.

By Michael Clower

Captain Chaos, decisive winner of the Cape Nursery and third in the Lanzerac Ready To Run, is doubtful for the Grand Parade Cape Guineas.

Ronnie Sheehan said: “I wouldn’t say a definite no but at this stage I don’t think he will run. I felt the 1 400m of the Ready To Run proved to be a little bit too far for him.”

> Kenilworth is inviting racegoers to help themselves to free money at Saturday’s World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas meeting.

There will be a draw for losing Tote tickets and the winner will be allowed to put his or her hand into a money shower bubble and take as much as they can grab in 60 seconds.

Those lunching in the Somerset Room (R300 including champagne) will take part in a similar draw and the winner will also get 60 ultra-valuable seconds at the bubble.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Ronnie Sheehan (Hamish Niven Photography)

Geoff Woodruff, still reveling in his SANSUI Summer Cup one-two on Saturday with Master Sabina and Deo Juvente, became the first trainer to win one of South Africa’s big three races thrice in succession with different horses since his father-in-law Terrance Millard achieved the feat in the Vodacom Durban July between 1988-1990. His dominance of the Summer Cup over the last three years can also be compared to Millard’s dominance of the July in the late 1980s up to 1990. In 2013 Woodruff had a strong hand and the fourth favourite at odds of 8/1, Yorker, won the race followed by the 5/1 favourite Master Sabina, while the 12/1 shot Tellina completed the trifecta. In 2014 his popular triple crown winner Louis The King converted favouritism at odds of 18-10, just getting up in time to beat his 66/1 shot stablemate Killua Castle. On Saturday Master Sabina, despite having only his second run after a layoff of a year, was heavily backed into 13/2 joint second favourite and just pipped stablemate Deo Juvente, who drifted out to 15/1.

The Summer Cup Tote exacta on Saturday paid R158.40, last year it paid R158.30 and in 2013 it paid R72.10, which perhaps shows that punters are slow to learn. The trifecta in 2013 paid R1080.20. Woodruff also had the 5th horse home in 2013, so nearly clinched the quartet.

Millard had the July one-two-three in 1986 with Occult, Fool’s Holme and Enchanted Garden, and repeated the feat with Illustrador, Olympic Duel and Jungle Warrior in 1990, having won the race in 1988 with Royal Chalice and in 1990 with Right Prerogative.

Woodruff has won the July twice in succession before but with the same horse, El Picha, who became only the second horse in history to retain his July crown in 2000. However, those remain Woodruff’s only two wins of the country’s premier race.

Master Sabina’s win could well be one of Woodruff’s best training feats due to the long layoff he had to come off.

However, he had to survive an objection from Deo Juvente, who jumped from draw 18 compared to Master Sabina’s plum draw of five.

Woodruff has won five Summer Cups in all, while Millard won six Julys.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Geoff Woodruff

Top KZN jockey Sean Cormack only had one ride at Turffontein’s big meeting on Saturday and came oh so close to victory in the day’s headliner, the Gr 1 R2 million SANSUI Summer Cup over 2000m, when Deo Juvente was touched off by his Geoff Woodruff-trained stablemate Master Sabina.

Cormack then objected on the grounds of interference in the concluding stages.

He explained yesterday he had come from about a length-and-a-half back and felt he was starting to get the better of Master Sabina approaching the 200m when the latter “nudged” him and carried him out. He added that, whilst there was not a lot of movement on the TV replays, had the huge Deo Juvente been smaller he would probably have been “turned around”. However, the end result instead was that the incident in his opinion “unsettled” the horse and he consequently lost momentum. However, he was then still able to get back on terms. He said he had objected not simply because he had lost but because he had grounds for objections and apparently most of his weighing room colleagues agreed there were “huge” grounds. He also felt that considering it was a R2 million race the owner Markus Jooste and his racing manager Derek Brugman would likely have questioned a decision not to object.

Cormack knew it would be a 50/50 call. The stipendiaries did not deliberate for long before deciding Deo Juvente would not have beaten Master Sabina and overruled, although Cormack’s deposit was refunded.

Cormack said he had not been disappointed as his mount, a four-year-old Trippi gelding, had run “an absolute blinder”. Deo Juvente had jumped from a wide draw of 18 which saw him caught two wide throughout, but this had not bothered Cormack, who said, “Yes you would prefer to be one away from the rail, but he is big striding horse and was okay where he was. He was never cramped or uncomfortable and had a smooth passage throughout and then I got a nice run down the outside.

The outside did look to possibly be the marginally better going down the straight on the day.

Deo Juvente had certainly been one of the picks of the canter past and has a bright future as one who has come into his own. He had won the Gr 2 Victory Moon Stakes in his previous start to book his place in the Summer Cup.

Cormack also only had one ride on the day when he won the Gr 1 SA Classic on the Paul Lafferty-trained Lovestruck in 2013.

However, the waiting does not bother him and, as a jockey who so often brought home “the meeting banker” during his association with the great Beach Beauty, his days of being a bundle of nerves are long past.

Meanwhile, he said his guv’nor Dennis Drier’s string were doing exceptionally well down in Cape Town. He confirmed they had all needed their first runs.  They should have come on plenty for the runs and Drier is as always a yard to follow as the Cape Summer Of Champions Season enters December.

By David Thiselton