Casual Diamond ready to sparkle
CASUAL Diamond and Bernard Fayd’Herbe can start the ball rolling at Kenilworth tomorrow when the pair have a favourite’s chance in the opening Juvenile Fillies Plate.
This Var filly looked as if she wanted further when winning over this 1 000m two and a half weeks ago – she was ridden from two furlongs out and only got up with 50m to run – but Justin Snaith is adamant that the trip will present no problems – “Her brother was fast and she will be fine for this,” he says. “She is doing well and she will be ready.”
Stable companion Lacerta, who also won over the trip last time, is an obvious danger but watch out for Namibia.
The Glen Kotzen runner has been off since the Listed race on Met day but she won first time and strictly on the book has superior form to the Snaith pair.
Regal Ruby
There is also Regal Ruby who was considered good enough to run in the Perfect Promise and, although she only beat one home, there were excuses – she returned with a mouth injury and her rider reported that she was making a noise.
“She has had a break since then and has been doing well at home,” reports Greg Ennion. “But we haven’t been able to work her and she is nowhere near her peak.”
This is a common theme in the trainer comments for this meeting and is the reason why Snaith is uncharacteristically cautious about the chance of Cot Campbell in race two, the Tabonline Maiden Juvenile.
This R3.3 million Trippi colt out of the mighty Ebony Flyer was all the rage for his debut in April but lost six lengths ambling out of the pens and finished out of the frame. He looked one to be on next time but Snaith says: “We expect him to run into the money but we are not overly bullish. Although he has come on he has had no grass gallop.”
Fool Proof also caught the eye first time and Winning Ways recommended backing him when he stepped up to this six furlongs.
“From a greenness perspective he should be better,” says Candice Bass-Robinson, “But it’s difficult to say (whether he has come on) because we haven’t had the best tracks to work on.”
Cot Campbell
Cot Campbell gets a tentative vote but there is also another factor to bear in mind. He and Foolproof – along with the potentially useful True Words, have all been drawn on the stands side which is now running slower than the inside.
The penetrometer at last Saturday’s meeting indicated that those coming down the inside have a six per cent advantage and tacking across in a field of 19 would be suicidal.
Andre Nel has called up his old compatriot Aldo Domeyer for the so far rather disappointing Lady Li Lay in the Racing Association Maiden and stable jockey Grant van Niekerk partners Le Claire for Ennion.
Le Claire is easily the highest-rated but has tended to throw away her chance by getting worked up in the pens. She just might be good enough to beat Bridal Party.
Off Broadway has the best form in the last even though he is on the wrong side of the course. Keep an eye on newcomer Silver De Lange.