Glen Kotzen has a strong hand in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m at Scottsville on Saturday and he might well have the dark horse in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint over the same trip.

Kotzen’s Captain Al filly Princess Royal is a half-sister to a previous Allan Robertson winner Princess Victoria and is held in high regard. Kotzen took her to Scottsville to show her the course for her Champions Season pipe opener in the Gr 3 Strelitzia Stakes over 1100m and she put up a decent effort without having any kind of luck. She played up a bit in the preliminaries and was a bit unsettled very early in the race.

She then became hopelessly boxed in near the rail when looking to have plenty of running in her and finished two lengths behind her stable companion Royal Pleasure at level weights. Her only previous defeat was against the boys in the Listed The Sun International Juvenile Stakes over 1000m, where she was far from disgraced when finishing 4,25 lengths back in fourth to the speedy Buckinghampshire, whom she had to give 0,5kg. Her two victories include the Listed East Cape Fillies Nursery over 1200m. Stable jockey Greg Cheyne has always ridden her and believes she is top class. Kotzen said she hadn’t put a foot wrong in her work. She jumps from a tricky draw of nine, considering the low draws are usually favourable.

The Visionairre filly Royal Pleasure was purchased for just R30,000 and has realised a dream for her part-owners, the popular 3A Racing syndicate, who have done a lot to promote racing to KZN’s youth. She is full of precocious speed and Kotzen described her as a beautifully balanced and strong filly. She tends to put it in when working, so the yard have just kept her ticking over since the Strelitzia by working her alone. She has landed a plum draw of four and Anton Marcus has retained the ride. She will likely be the filly they are all going to be chasing late in the race. Her second dam Taineberry won over 2400m and produced Jalberry, a stakes-winning sprinter who finished third in the Gr 1 Golden Slipper over 1400m, so Royal Pleasure should see out the trip.

The yard have kept their Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint contender Jet Belle fresh since her four length romp in the Gr 3 Poinsettia Stakes over the course and distance, her second successive victory in this race. This versatile five-year-old Jet Master mare has also won a Gr 2 over 2000m, which emphasises her class. In November last year she beat Saturday’s likely favourite Alboran Sea by 2,75 lengths over 1160m at Turffontein. However, she was facing the three-year-old on 3,5kg better terms than weight for age that day and Alboran Sea subsequently performed to a much higher level in three sprints over 1000m, which included wins in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championships and Gr 1 Computaform Sprint. Jet Belle has landed a plum draw of two and her regular pilot Cheyne is aboard.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Royal Pleasure (Nkosi Hlophe)

Highveld trainers Mike Azzie and Paul Peter both have a couple of Gr 1 contenders at Saturday’s Festival of Speed meeting and all of them are being prepared out of Summerveld.

Azzie said he had withdrawn one of his best juveniles Frosted Honey as he didn’t want to risk her from a bad draw ahead of her chief target, the Gr 1 Golden Slipper over 1400m on Vodacom Durban July day, although he admitted he now ran the risk of her being drawn badly in the latter race too.

His Allan Robertson contenders Mella Maria and La Strada have both “worked nicely” in the build up, but he revealed that the former was the better of the pair and had improved a lot from her 4,9 length fifth in the SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m. She was drawn on the wrong side that day and also in her previous start when getting within 0,5 lengths of subsequent Fillies Nursery winner Entisaar in the Gr 3 Pretty Polly Stakes over 1100m. The Australian-bred filly is by Star Witness, whose Justin Snaith-trained son Lineker was one of the most impressive two-year-old debut winners seen out this season, running on strongly to win over 1200m at Scottsville. Mella Maria will run in first time blinkers but she has unfortunately drawn unfavourably high in barrier 15. The underrated Ian Sturgeon rides. La Strada got off the mark at the third time of asking in a Workriders Maiden Juvenile Plate, so will need a lot of improvement but she is at least drawn on the right side in barrier one and has champion jockey S’Manga Khumalo aboard.

Paul Peter is hoping for a place with Miracle Rising in the Allan Robertson. This Judpot filly was a touch unlucky last time out in the Gr 3 Strelitzia Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville as she was slow away by about two lengths and was then boxed in on the rail so had to be switched to the centre. The jockey then dropped the whip five strides from home and she only went down by 0,75 lengths. However, she will now be 4kg worse off with the winner Royal Pleasure. She beat Royal Princess by 1,75 lengths that day, but the latter was unable to find a clear run and was the unluckiest horse of the race. Miracle Rising will also be 4kg worse off with Royal Princess. Miracle Rising is drawn on the right side in barrier two and Muzi Yeni will be aboard. Peter admitted she would be up against a very strong field and rated the Mike de Kock-trained Entisaar as a top horse.

Peter was also hoping for a place at best with his Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion contender Just Africa. This Just As Well colt finished four lengths behind subsequent Gr 1 SA Nursery winner Arabian Beat on debut over 1000m and then won his maiden next time out by four lengths also over 1000m. Peter said, “He has a lot of gate speed but it is his first time beyond 1000m.” His sire was a middle distance horse and his damsire Stratum won Australia’s most prestigious two-year-old race, the Gr 1 Golden Slipper over 1200m, so there might be a mixture of stamina and precocious speed. Just Africa is drawn eight in the ten horse field with Keagan de Melo aboard. Peter said both horses had been doing well.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Mike Azzie

Alistair Gordon runs the two-year-old colt Beat The Retreat in the Gold Medallion at Scottsville on Saturday.

Beat The Retreat is by the disappointing sire Argonaut but Gordon pointed out that he was a sound horse and came from “a serious family,” which includes the like of Gr 1 winners Rabiya and All Is Secret. Gordon said, “He is doing very well and his prep has been good. He had a good gallop on Saturday on the grass and it went very well, I’m very happy.”

Beat The Retreat won by 3,5 lengths on debut over 1000m and finished just 1,5 lengths behind Seventh Plain in the Godolphin Barb at level weights in his second career outing. Gordon is not concerned by his very outside draw as it is only a small field of nine and he will likely get a clear run as opposed to being boxed in on the inside by horses moving over to seek the better going.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Beat The Retreat (Nkosi Hlophe)

Brett Crawford runs Gulf Storm in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m on Saturday.

This four-year-old Sail From Seattle gelding earned bold black type for the first time in his 19^th career outing last time out when winning the Listed In Full Flight Stakes over 1100m at Scottsville, so Crawford appears justified in being stunned by the handicapper’s decision to raise him nine merit rated points. That is the equivalent of 4,5kg, meaning he will now have to carry second topweight and give two Gr 1 winners 2,5kg each.

He hoped that he would be proven wrong on Saturday. Gulf Storm appeared to relish the tough Scottsville track in that last run and Crawford said, “He is doing very well, is fresh and fit and he has a nice draw.” Crawford’s Dynasty gelding De Kock “pulled up alright” after his disappointing tailed off last finish in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 and the yard are “running bloods to try and find anything wrong, as it wasn’t his run.” However, he added that it could have just been a case of him not staying the trip.

Meanwhile, KRA Fillies Guineas winner Alexis is on track for the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 on Saturday week and impressive recent winner Maybe Yes is doing well ahead of the Tibouchina on her way to the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Gulf Storm (Nkosi Hlophe)

Cape Trainer Joey Ramsden was happy with the preparation of his Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint contender Brutal Force ahead of Saturday’s Festival Of Speed meeting at Scottsville and also revealed that his top class three-year-old colt Act Of War had travelled “exceptionally well” from Cape Town ahead of his engagement in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge on June 6.

Ramsden said that Brutal Force had already been fit from his two Kenilworth runs over 1400m and 1000m in April and early May respectively. In the first of them the three-year-old  Western Winter gelding had “travelled a bit hard from a wide draw” but still ran a good second and he then came out and won a “really nice race” over 1000m, beating the useful older horse Castlethorpe on weight for age terms by 2,25 lengths.

The big horse subsequently travelled well from Cape Town, arriving at Summerveld about two weeks ago, and has been working well at Summerveld. Brutal Force was gelded after his win in the R1 million Cape Thoroughbred Sales (CTS) Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth on January 24 as he weighed over 600kg. He touched off the promising Zambezi River in the CTS Stakes and Ramsden believes that, although he gets 1400m, the 1200m is likely his best trip.

The powerful chestnut has a tricky draw of 14 to overcome on Saturday, just one inside of the draw of 15 that his full brother Red Ray carried to second place last year. However, his 52,5kg weight is 4kg less than Red Ray was asked to carry. Greg Cheyne, fresh from his win in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900, rides. Brutal Force is sure to be fine tuned in his third run after a layoff and gelding.

By Dave Thiselton