Allie’s Hilaria can prove a point
MOHAMMED Allie has a point to make with the diminutive Hilaria and he reckons he can do so in the last at Durbanville tomorrow.
This filly, who weighs only 367kg - almost 100kg less than most of the opposition, is running for the 13th time and she has a clear chance on form after finishing second on her last three runs.
“However she performed way below that when she went to Durbanville earlier in the season.
“We were having problems with another trainer's wife at that time,’’ Allie relates.
“I am not going to mention names but she was causing big trouble saying that Hilaria was too small to run, and I nearly handed in my licence because of it.
“I am going to prove her wrong. I bought the horse from Klawervlei and I've seen smaller although if she touches 15 hands that’s the lot."
Allie, 61, trains four horses at Philippi and has a general-dealer shop in Tyger Valley. He numbers the Durbanville Cup among his triumphs but ill-health forced him to stop training for several years.
“I got thrombosis in both legs and it's difficult for me to move around but my nephew persuaded me to start training again and I won with Master Chi (at 50-1!) at Kenilworth two seasons ago.’’
Sean Cormack got off Hilaria last time and promptly said that he would like the ride when she ran next time. She was second to Provenance who franked the form by winning again last Saturday.
Betting World opened Cormack’s mount as 6-4 favourite yesterday and made Caesour’s Ides next best at 5-2 with Dance In The Woods at 3-1.
Galaxy King has the dreaded coffinbox draw in the opening maiden juvenile but his two good runs make him well-nigh impossible to oppose even though his trainer voices reservations.
“He has seen the course but the draw is such a big thing here,’’ Ronnie Sheehan points out. The first four in the two-year-old race on Saturday were all drawn 1-4.’’
Justin Snaith’s new patient introductory policy has resulted in only one of the 15 two-year-olds he has run in Cape Town this season winning first time out but he says of Emerald Rose and Victoria Lavelle: “They are two nice fillies who won't be long winning a maiden and they will run well.’’
Cormack rides Victoria Lavelle but seemingly Mike Stewart is the reason for his surprise visit. “I asked him to ride Promicing Polly in the Racing. It’s A Rush Handicap and I rate her the best of the three he rides for me,’’ says the Noordhoek trainer.
Carmina looks good for race two even though she is another with a dreadful draw while Harry hope it happens, hampered last time, should win the next. Richard Fourie, who rides Carmina, may also win race four on Eternal Winter.