Crown Towers can redeem himself
CROWN TOWERS, who left punters stunned and painfully poorer when beaten at 1-3 five weeks ago, has the chance to redeem his reputation in the Bradbury Finance Handicap at Kenilworth today.
This is the horse who Paul Lafferty said “Could be the Guineas favourite” so impressive was he when winning on debut, yet he proved unable to win a sixrunner Durbanville handicap.
Justin Snaith was as shocked as the horse’s backers that day but he put the defeat down to the colt being caught flat-footed in a tail wind.
Richard Fourie’s mount seems sure to maintain his record of starting favourite each time he has raced – World Sports Betting opened him at 15-10 -but Snaith has reservations and explains: “He is doing very well and I am expecting a big run but he is going to have to be as good as we think he is if he is to win this.
“He was raised three points for finishing second and he has to give 4kg and 3.5kg to the other three-yearold maiden winners (Herodotus and Capoeira).
“Also I have been quiet with many of my horses as I have had a lot of two-yearolds coming in.”
What Snaith means is that two-year-olds are rather like small children going to school.
They pick up every bug that is going and these infections can spread to the other horses.
Three-year-olds are particularly at risk whereas four and five-year-olds have had more time to develop immunity.
Herodotus and Capoeira are joint second favourites at 4-1 with Aldo Domeyer’s mount What A Joker on 9-2.
Brandenburg
However what is suggested is an each way bet on Brandenburg.
He was available at 25-1 yesterday and anything like those odds could prove better value each way than taking a skimpy price about the favourite.
True, the four-year-old took ten races to win his maiden but he made all the running over this trip last time and both Paddy Kruyer and Morne Winnaar are in great form.
Silvano’s Pride in the Astra Maiden is another Snaith three-year-old with losses to recover. She started favourite at Durbanville on the same day as Crown Towers but she ran on too late.
It looked as if Fourie had given her too much to do how could you write such sacrilege, he will say! - but the stipes report’ reveals that his path was blocked for several strides at a crucial stage approaching the furlong marker.
She is 2-1 favourite here and is preferred to both the badly drawn Star Fighter and Vomandla.
Minona
In the last there is precious little to choose between the main Snaith hope Minona and Cantata.
The latter was caught on the line ten days ago and is marginally preferred.
In the Samson Foundation Maiden (race two) 18-10 favourite Almost Captured may have come on enough to account for 28-10 shot Au Revoir who returned from a lengthy absence to run well at Durbanville on Matchem day.