Big run expected from Al Hawraa
DISTANCE: LAIRD’S CHARGE LOOKS GOOD BUT IS UNKNOWN OVER THE TRIP
B Twenty One stands out as the main threat.
Racing is back on the Turffontein Inside track tomorrow but while there appear to be some good bets on this 10-race card, most of them do not come into the exotics. Most of the Pick 6 legs look particularly competitive and as a result one will have to take a chance somewhere if you are to catch this lucrative bet.
Although handicaps for fillies and mares are notorious for upsets, the best opportunity could come up in Race 7 where Alec Laird sends out Cidada to contest a FM 73 Handicap over 2600m.
On form this beautifully bred daughter of Galileo has this field well beaten. In January, over 2000m on the Standside track, Cidada had Silken 5.50 lengths behind her,
B Twenty One was another 0.50 lengths back with Cranberry Crush eight lengths off Laird’s filly. Silken is 4kg better off, B Twenty One has a 2.5kg swing in her favour while Cranberry Crush, thanks to a 2.5kg claimer, is 6.5kg better off.
On that run only Silken has a chance of getting close enough to reverse the result. In addition, on their run behind Balalaika over this course and distance on 26 February, Silken has the beating of Dalley, Cranberry Crush, Caitlin’s Answer and Vision Of Dahlia. The one exception is B Twenty One who finished 0.75 lengths behind Silken and is now 3.5kg better off for a 0.75 lengths defeat.
If you look at the quality of field in which Cidada has raced lately it is far higher than that of her opposition. Three runs back, when a flying 0.30-length second behind Seal My Fate, the average merit rating was 74. In her penultimate race where she won again over 2000m on the Standside track the average was 68 while in her last race, the Allez France Handicap (Non-Black Type) over 2200m at this track, the average was 80. The average in this race is just 56.
In that race she finished 4.50 lengths behind Patchit Up Baby but she became unbalanced during the running and had to be eased which affected her chances.
The main concern is whether she will handle the distance. That should not be a problem on breeding but one never knows until she has proved it in a race.
Apprentice Calvin Ngcobo has ridden her in most of her starts and is back on board.
B Twenty One handles the course and distance and Mike de Kock’s charge looks the runner to follow Cidada home.