Yellowwood looks Cascapedia's for the taking

It’s odd in a handicap to see a horse weighted to win, but that is the case with Cascapedia, who is six months younger than her four-year-old contemporaries and has been given a break by the handicappers in the R250,000 Yellowwood Handicap (Grade 3) over 1800m at Turffontein tomorrow.

On official merit ratings the Ireland-bred daughter of High Chaparral should be carrying 1kg more than the 52.5kg she was allotted.

She is well drawn, loves the Turffontein Standside track, has masses of scope for improvement in only her fourth career start and seems to have everything in her favour.

Cascapedia won her first two starts impressively, beating Knysna Rose by 1.30 lengths over 1400m at this track in April and then scorching to the front to beat Defy Gravity by two lengths going away in a Novice Handicap over this course and distance in September.

She was a trifle disappointing when fourth behind Sylvan On Fire over 1800m on the Inside track in her last start but that tighter track might not have suited her and the going was yielding.

Strangely, trainer Mike de Kock has reached for the blinkers this time and that is the only terror her supporters should harbour because sometimes horses do not reproduce their best form when fitted with headgear for the first time.

For my money, though, she will be hard to beat.

Ignore Banking April’s last two starts, the most recent following a layoff, and her form in this kind of company is good, while Guns And Roses is on a winning roll, having won her last five of six career starts.

However, she will have her work cut out from No 14 draw against tougher opposition than she’s met before.

She was in such hot form before being given a short break that she is not one to discard lightly, though.

Runalong ran badly in this race last year but has not been beaten far in her three 2017 starts and 100% fit now in her third run after a layoff, should be right there when the camera starts flashing.

Suggested bets: Cascapedia Win; Multiple Trifecta (R42)/ Quartet (R210) 13 to win with 4x6x7x8x9x11x12 for second/ third/fourth.