Favour’s Pride for a winning PE debut

TWO runners who will be making their Port Elizabeth debuts hold the key to the Listed Milkwood Stakes over 1 000m at Fairview tomorrow.

Favour’s Pride and Nordic Breeze, trained by Corné Spies and Justin Snaith respectively, seem to be the likely pair to fight it out for the winner’s cheque of R93 750. However, they will have to beat local star Easy Street, who is eyeing a fourth consecutive victory.

Favour’s Pride comes to PE with good Gauteng form. The three-year-old Harry Hall filly is a three-time winner from 30 starts. She has also finished runner-up on 10 occasions with three third places.

She is a decent sort and has already earned R428 625 at such a young age. She must be a huge contender with Marco van Rensburg in the saddle. She also won her last race in Gauteng where she defeated Pool Party by 0,75 lengths at Turffontein on May 20 with Van Rensburg the pilot.

Nordic Breeze, who will have Karl Zechner in the irons, was reluctant to load in her last start, finishing a disappointing seventh behind talented Live Life, but she did win her penultimate race in fine style when defeating Trip The Willow over 1 200m at Kenilworth. The daughter of Windrush has won three races from 10 starts and will jump from pole position.

But local eyes will be on Easy Street and JP van der Merwe, who takes over the ride from Liam Tarentaal. Tarentaal guided her to all three wins since April. Easy Street is a six-time winner from 19 starts and can make it four in a row for the Gavin Smith yard.

Fly Peg Fly is another danger in an open race. The former Paul Gadsby runner will line-up at Fairview for the fourth time and already has chalked up one victory for the Smith stable.

Ryan Munger takes the ride. It will be his first time aboard the mare.

Natural Tan and Fresh also have the ability to win. Natural Tan, who will have Greg Cheyne in the saddle for the crack Alan Greeff yard, is a far better horse than her last race suggests and will be chasing a fifth career win for owner Mary Slack.

Fresh, who is also from the Spies yard, will have her third run in Port Elizabeth and she showed improvement in her last outing.

In the final analysis the vote goes to Favour’s Pride to make a winning debut, followed by Nordic Breeze, Easy Street and Fly Peg Fly.

The meeting starts at 1230 with a Juvenile Plate for two-year-olds over 1000m. A Swinger with Dickensian and Pinnacle Peak can see punters off to a winning start.