Sunday Tribune

Silva’s Bullet set to fire

- ANDREW HARRISON

BIG yearling price tags don’t guarantee that a horse can run and the history of the sport is littered with record priced yearlings that battled to get out of their own way let alone win a race.

But all eyes will be on the expensive yearling buy Silva’s Bullet at Scottsvill­e today.

He has already shown that he has what it takes to win – the question is whether he can go further. However, he can go a long way to recouping some of his R2.1 million purchase price when he lines up in the BSA August Million Colts & Geldings.

Zen Arcade

This race, along with the filly’s equivalent, the BSA August Million Fillies, is weighted according to purchase price so it’s no surprise that Dean Kannemeyer’s runner shares top weight with the unraced Louis Goosen runner Zen Arcade who went through the ring at R550k, with Broadway Trip getting 2kg relief for the R300k that secured him for Peter White and Mickey Gerber.

But in the case of Silva’s Bullet, the signs are promising.

A son of champion sire Silvano, he was a late starter, only making his debut in the first week of the new season over the Scottsvill­e 1 400m, but is a really smart, well-balanced individual who promises much. His victims on debut will not get their names on jam tins with third-placed War Demon, also in today’s line-up, making major improvemen­t and beaten less than a length.

However, it was the manner of victory that stamped Silva’s Bullet as a horse to follow.

Anthony Delpech was ‘at him’ from the jump and the top of the straight the favourite looked to have blown any chance of winning.

“He was lost halfway down the straight, I thought we weren’t going to get there, but he got going in the last 50m.

“He is smart, he needs further but he wanted to win. He’s got every little thing about him that tells me he’s going to be a decent horse,” commented Delpech post-race.

Kimberley Star

It is a little surprising that a race with a R1 million stake has a field littered with unraced horse and maidens but it was enough to tempted Alan Greeff up from Port Elizabeth with Kimberley Star.

The colt, meanwhile, has twice won over the distance and yet to finish further back than second.

He is obviously a smart colt but there is no collateral form to go on and the opposition is likely to prove stronger than what he has met in his home town, so his ability must be taken on trust.

The fillies event could well rest between Spring Breeze and Mind Your Business.

Spring Breeze is the first semi-feature event to be saddled jointly by the father and son combinatio­n of Michael and Adam Azzie and it may well prove to be a winning debut. The daughter of Querari has been racing in strong feature company, finishing two lengths of Desert Rhythm in the Golden Slipper and a similar distance behind Princess Peach and Neptune’s Rain in the Debutante Stakes on the last day of the season.

Newly crowned KZN Champion Trainer Duncan Howells will have a line on Spring Breeze through Neptune’s Rain and is fairly confident of his chances with Mind Your Business.

“I think I only have one horse to beat; that one of Azzie’s,” he said.

Mind Your Business landed an inspired gamble second time at the races, getting going late to beat Dame Commander and giving the impression that tomorrow’s trip will be more to her liking.

However, Pearl Glow and Make Me Happy, come from powerful yards in Mike de Kock and Kannemeyer respective­ly and both showed up well on debut.

They both have to give weight to fillies with a relatively proven track record that may prove difficult but it would be foolish to write off their chances.

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 ?? Picture: Candiese Marnewick ?? EDITH’S ROSE has come good at her last two starts and from a good draw is a contender in today’s BSA August Million Fillies at Scottsvill­e. Craig Zackey rides for Glen Kotzen.
Picture: Candiese Marnewick EDITH’S ROSE has come good at her last two starts and from a good draw is a contender in today’s BSA August Million Fillies at Scottsvill­e. Craig Zackey rides for Glen Kotzen.

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