Rainbow set to shine bright

Undefeated Rainbow Bridge goes for the second leg of the Cape Winter Series tomorrow when he contests the Grade 3 Winter Classic over 1800m at Kenilworth.

This Ideal World gelding won impressively on his sprint debut. But second time out he marked himself down as something special with a stunning finish from way off the pace in the Winter Guineas.

He made six of the nine rivals he meets here look rather ordinary in the process, and Richard Fourie’s mount appeared to become turbo charged in the closing stages on that occasion, leaving Graded winners like Rocket Countdown and Doublemint trailing in his wake.

The fact that Fourie has chosen to stay in Cape Town on a day where four Grade 1 races take place at Scottsville speaks volumes, and he has never hidden the high regard he has for Rainbow Bridge.

He jumps from a wide draw, as he did last time, and carries 1kg more as a penalty for winning the Winter Guineas.

Those should only prove minor irritations, and Eric Sands’ stable star is confident selected to confirm the impression that this is an extremely serious racehorse.

Rocket Countdown makes most appeal of the rest, followed by Ancestry, Doublemint and Spring Man.

There are also a couple of Listed events for females on the day. Joey Ramsden’s Call To Account looks hard to beat in the Olympic Duel Stakes over 1200m.

One question mark is her inside draw, as last weekend the better going was on the outside, which could complicate her task.

The Stormsvlei Mile seems an open affair. Justin Snaith’s Platinum Class would be a narrow first choice, but the fillies Made In Hollywood and Fresnaye are both serious contenders.