Susanna in the spotlight
SNAITH Racing has supplemented last Saturday’s ultra-impressive Cartier Paddock Stakes winner Oh Susanna for the R5 million Sun Met on 27 January.
Jonno Snaith said yesterday: “At this stage she is an intended runner but antepost punters should be cautious. We would suggest they do not back her until she has been confirmed a definite runner. Drakenstein has still to make a final decision and this will be based on an assessment of the weights.
“But she has come out of Saturday’s race amazingly well. She was on the beach this morning and she looked superb. We are very happy with her.”
Justin Snaith added that the filly’s draw, which will not be known until Thursday of next week, could also have a significant bearing on the decision.
Cascapedia
Mike de Kock has supplemented the Irish-bred filly Cascapedia whose win in the London News Stakes at Turffontein on Sunday was her fifth in six starts. But Mike Azzie has scratched Hat Puntano and Abashiri. Edict Of Nantes has also been officially removed from the lists.
Betting World has installed Oh Susanna at 8-1 and Cascapedia at 9-1 but it’s Last Winter who is the market mover. Dean Kannemeyer’s hope is now clear favourite at 15-4 with Legal Eagle out to 4-1, the same price as Marinaresco.
Eyes Wide Open, slashed from 80-1 to 16-1, after bouncing back to form in the Glorious Goodwood Peninsula Handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday, could be even better than his performance suggested.
Glen Kotzen explained: “There is a respiratory bug going around and he wouldn’t stop coughing. We had to back off and it was touch and go whether we would get him to the race.”
Ante-post favourite Horizon, who finished fourth, came back lame on his near fore while Black Arthur (last) suffered an epistaxis and has been suspended for 60 days.
The pace-setting Milton was found to be not striding out on his right front after dropping out in the closing stages.
Heineken Chairman’s Cup handicap winner Our Emperor will step up to a conditions event in the Western Cape Stayers on Met day even though a strong performance could prejudice his chances of a decent weight in the eLan Gold Cup at the end of the season.
Brett Crawford reasoned: “They have dropped the Gold Cup to a Grade 3 so the Met day race could be a better option.”
Strathdon
However Snaith is deliberately nursing the handicap mark of the improving Strathdon who has won his last four (including the Cape Summer Stayers) and he has put the four-year-old away until the Durban season.Candice BassRobinson, who won last year’s $500 000 CTS 1200 with 8-1 chance Live Life, has the probable favourite this time in Magical Wonderland who won last Friday’s Cartier Sceptre Stakes with scarcely believable ease.