Marinaresco can shine
DURBAN July winner Marinaresco is second favourite for Saturday’s Sun Met as he was 12 months ago when it all went pear-shaped. “He had a nice position on the fence but Grant said he wasn’t happy there and pulled him off it,” Candice Bass-Robinson recalls.
The end result was that his mount got too far back and managed only fifth. Expectations are high after the gelding’s encouraging, and not totally trouble-free, run in the Queen’s Plate.
His trainer said: “He is doing really well and we are confident of a big run assuming all goes well in the race.
“He is drawn 13 so he is not going to be up with the pace but in any case he likes to be ridden with a chance.”
Mrs Robinson
Mrs Robinson won last year’s CTS 1200 with Live Life and Magical Wonderland is 14-10 favourite to collect after the way she toyed with the opposition in the Sceptre. “I thought she had a winning chance that day but I was surprised how easily she won – and she has taken the race well.”
Stable companion Dutch Philip has been backed from 6-1 to 9-2 second favourite and seemingly punters would be well advised not to take his Diadem flop at face value.
“I am not 100% sure but I think that the little saddle Aldo was using was uncomfortable for him and was pinching him,” his trainer explains.
“Going down to the start he didn’t even want to take hold of the bit. With Grant riding him on Saturday he will have a proper saddle.”
Talk Of The Town is 2-1 favourite for the CTS 1600 but it is surprising to see stable companion Ancestry as big as 16-1. After all he is the one with Grade 1 form.
“They are two totally different horses but everything that could have gone wrong with Ancestry this season has gone wrong,” says Joey Ramsden.
“What I can tell you is that I cut him straight after his last run and he has been doing exceptionally well since.”
If it wasn’t for Snowdance Ramsden would have the favourite for the Klawerveli Majorca in Just Sensual despite last season’s Fillies Guineas winner’s below par effort in the Sceptre.
Her trainer takes the blame for that and explains: “I did as bad a job with her for that race as I did a good job when she won the Southern Cross on her return in her previous race.
“I now think that I might have done too much with her.” AN MR 87 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1 200m head the ten race card on the Vaal Inside track tomorrow and Movie Show is the one to beat.
The five-year-old Atso mare represents the flying Paul Peter yard and is in a fine vein of form.
Last time she finished five lengths behind Alfolk over 1 000m, receiving 3kg, and the weight for age Grade 1 Cape Flying Championships on Saturday could prove how good that form is because Alfolk could win it.
Movie Show would also prefer this 1 200m trip as she ran on strongly in her penultimate start to win a fillies and mares handicap over this distance.
She is only two points higher in the merit ratings and goes well for Muzi Yeni. Furthermore, she has draw one which is usually the favourable side on this Inside track.
The main danger could be the consistent Shivering Sea, who has only been in the first three over this course and distance ten times in 14 attempts.
She also has a nice low draw and Strydom is up.
Takingthepeace has class but will have to bounce back to her best after a most disappointing run last time.
Delpech has brought out the best of her and replaces JP van der Merwe.
If she reproduces her best this big, rangy filly will go close.
French Legend should beat Shivering Sea on the form of their last meeting when she bounced back to her best over 1160m, but her high draw might be against her.
Let It Flow was Grade 2-placed as a two-year-old over 1 400m and she returns to the course and distance of her only win, so can also be involved.
Fragrant Miss
The best bet on the card could be Fragrant Miss in the fourth race over 1 700m, provided she settles early. Last time over 1 600m she was a bit keen early, but was still unlucky not to finish third as she was cramped in the closing stages.
She is strengthening and improving and if she relaxes early she should turn it on the closing stages and emerge winner.
The back ups are the consistent Tigerlace and Gottalottaluv, who has been runner up in all three starts from 1 400-1 800m and Strydom stays aboard.
The value bet of the day is Coriander Queen over 1 700m in the fifth and this is based on the hope that she settles better than she did last time.
She might not have liked racing under the lights then, but still turned it on in the early stages of the straight in that 2 000m contest.
She now has a plum draw and on the evidence of that last run will relish the step down to 1 700m, so off a merit rating lowered five points should go close.
Rose Water is beat her last time by 2,75 lengths and is now 2kg worse off, but she does have another tough draw to overcome.
However, she ran on well in that last 2 000m race and is also effective over this trip.
In the next race the good-looking Loyal Lieutenant is interesting in his first outing as a gelding and stepped up to 2 000m. He looks to be a classy sort in the making and was not disgraced when setting the pace in the Dingaans.
Alssakhra
However, it is an open race and Alssakhra will go close too. Arlington, American Indian and Forafewdollarsmore also have to be included.
In the next race over 1 000m Pillaroftheearth is a well regarded sort who has his third run as a gelding, having not been disgraced against two fair sorts in his last two starts.
He can fight it out with Manx Park and Like Astair.
In the eight race Fort Vodka caught the eye in her maiden win over 1 200m and the form has been franked so she can go in off just a 72 merit rating, although Ninjara and Nightmare look capable of winning too.