Bantam in the fast lane
CRAIG Bantam (pictured), rattling up the winners with his 4kg claim, could find things more difficult now that he is down to 2.5kg but the way his talent has been shining through suggests he will have few problems bridging the gap and he can strike on Varifast in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap at Kenilworth today.
Bantam won on this filly and over this trip in February and, although the threeyear-old now races off a mark five points higher, she would have gone very close indeed last time had she not lost valuable ground at the start.
She was 7-2 second favourite with World Sports Betting yesterday although it is perhaps worth noting that it is the other Marshall runner Secretariat’s Girl that has been attracting the money.
She opened at 10-1 on Monday but little more than 24 hours later 4-1 was the best available.
She ran better over this trip last time than she had done in her two previous races over a furlong further.
Darryl Hodgson’s bold bid to go for a quick follow-up with last Tuesday’s maiden winner Emerald Gal came to nought when she had to be scratched yesterday after going lame. Hodgson now relies on 92 shot Frosted Honey who faces a stiff task with a five point rise in her rating for her win three weeks ago.
It could be significant that Grant van Niekerk, who rode Emerald Gal, had already committed himself to Elusive Empress who is 3-1 favourite, has been dropped a point and reverts to 1 200m after three runs over a furlong further.
The three Joey Ramsden two-year-olds failed to collect on Saturday but Apollo Star can resume normal service in the first. Donovan Dillon’s mount was second against older horses when he suffered slight interference over 1 400m last time but the stable reckons that he is just as effective over this shorter trip.
Indeed he was fourth in the Kuda Sprint on Met day.
He has already been backed from 5-2 to 18-10.
Supreme Orator (3-1) and What A Summer (33-10) both made the frame first time and are obvious dangers while there has been money for the Snaith newcomer Oratio.
Oh Susanna
Oh Susanna, ponied to the start when second favourite on debut, lost significant ground coming out of the pens but recovered to beat all except surprise fellow newcomer Raya Baya and could prove hard to beat at 15-10 in race two.
She should confirm the placings with 51 chance Evie’s Light (1 ¼ lengths back third) as well as with Daring Jayne, Easy Virtue and Dubai Queen who were all long shots and ran accordingly. Mainland’s debut fourth has been franked by the subsequent win of second-placed Lily Theresa and Aldo Domeyer’s mount is second favourite at 9-2.