Van Zyl upbeat for Champions Day
GAVIN van Zyl, with eight feature race runners, has another strong hand for Champions Day at Turffontein on Saturday. He found it difficult to identify his best runner and mentioned Franny, Cherry On The Cake and Shogunnar as having “definite chances.”
Shogunnar runs in the Grade 1 R2 million President’s Champions Challenge over 2 000m and Van Zyl said, “He is in good shape. He has improved in his work and will be competitive.”
The four-year-old Solskjaer gelding finished a half-length second in the Grade 1 Sansui Summer Cup over the same course and distance, but faces a bit of a harder task at the weights here as this is a conditions event as opposed to a handicap.
He is 1kg better off with E-Jet for a 2,55 length beating in the Grade 2 Colorado King Stakes over course and distance, but is drawn better than the latter this time and he now also has the services of Piere Strydom.
What A Winter
Van Zyl said he had been reluctant to run Franny against What A Winter in the Computaform Sprint as she was only a three-year-old, so she lines up in the Grade 2 Matekor Camellia Stakes over 1 160m instead.
He said the very quick Trippi filly had not been affected by having to miss her last race, about a month ago, due to a bout of pharyngitis. “She is doing nicely and I expect her to be competitive.”
Her style of racing would suggest she is better over 1 000m but she did win the Grade 3 Magnolia Handicap over Saturday’s course and distance.
Furthermore, Anthony Delpech said after her last win over 1 000m that he reckoned she had learnt to go at her own comfortable pace in the running suggesting she would stay further. Brandon Lerena rides her on Saturday. Cherry On The Cake, a fiveyear-old Strike Smartly mare who is a half-sister to the brilliant Cherry On The Top, has come into her own this season, culminating in a win in the Grade 3 Jacaranda Handicap over 1 800m at the Turffontein Standside track last time out. She led all the way and found extra when challenged late, so she has a chance of staying the 2 000m trip on Saturday. Van Zyl said, “She has found her best form of late and has been working well. She’s not out of it.” Strydom has kept the ride.
Van Zyl has two runners in the Grade 1 SA Derby over 2 450m, the improving Fort Wood gelding Balse and the Greys Inn gelding Gray’s Champ.
Van Zyl pointed out that Strydom had chosen Gray’s Champ but he emphasised that Balse, who will be ridden by Brandon Lerena, was the yard elect. He said, “Balse has been working very well. He is in good form and we know he stays the trip. He ran a good race in the Derby Trial.”
Balse won over 2 600m in his penultimate start and then ran a good 1,8 length fifth last time out over 2 000m in the Listed Derby Trial, despite the jockey having dropped his whip at the 350m mark.
Strydom, interestingly, has ridden Gray’s Champ three times before, including winning on him over 1 600m. This gelding, who is officially rated eleven points higher than Balse, has never been further than the 2 000m of the Investec Cape Derby, where he ran a 5,3 length ninth.
Lavender Landscape
Van Zyl runs the Antonius Pius colt Lavender Landscape and the Stronghold colt Buffalo Bill in the SA Nursery over 1 160m. He said, “The two-year-old form isn’t established so we are taking our chances, although I think they will both be better when they go over 1 400m to a mile.”
The yard’s stalwart stayer Seal runs in the Grade 2 Gold Bowl over 3 200m. The Silvano five-year-old gelding, a former winner of the SA Derby, has carried weights of 60kg, 63kg and 60kg to victory over 2 200m, 2 450m and 2 600m respectively this season.
Seal has to carry 61,5 kg on Saturday and has regular pilot Strydom in the irons. Giving 9kg to the likes of 2011 Canon Gold Cup third-placed Knight To Remember is not going to be easy and Van Zyl said, “He’s going to have his work cut out, but is well.” JACKSON, who heads the 28 entries for the Drill Hall Stakes, will miss Saturday week’s Greyville race and instead run later that month.
Brett Crawford said: “We only put him in the Drill Hall to have a look.
He leaves for Durban this week and there are two possible races for him later in May [both pinnacle stakes], one over 1 200m and the other over 1 400m. He will then go for the Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Clairwood on June 8.”
The four-year-old has not raced since starting favourite and finishing fifth in the J & B Met.
The handicappers dropped him three points for that and his L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate second. His new mark of 113 means that he is likely to share Vodacom Durban July top weight with last year’s winner Pomodoro. VAUGHAN Marshall, who has won more Cape Town two-yearold races than any other trainer this season, may add to his tally with Silk Road in the second of the two juvenile plates at Kenilworth tomorrow.
The dual winner has to give weight all round but his form is strong and he opened 22-10 favourite with Betting World yesterday.
He would have won the Somerset last time but for having the misfortune to come up against the brilliant Red Ray and he holds Kremlin Captain on that run
Muskets ‘N Roses (4-1) has also chased home Red Ray and his good debut effort was boosted by the subsequent win of fourthplaced Playingtheenemy.
“It was a good run but the horse didn’t take it too well and he was off his feed for a few days afterwards,” reports Billy Prestage.
“Christopher Puller would have preferred him to go over 1 200m again but I’m happy with this trip.”
There has been money for Snaith newcomer Trapped In Ice but Keen On Magic remains 7-2 second favourite.
Darryl Hodgson, who says the colt has improved since his debut, adds: “1 000m is now a bit short but I want to run him in the Nursery so I need to get a bit more experience into him.”
Letas Bonnet
The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Letas Bonnet has the form to beat Durbanville winner Moulin Royale in the first and is evens favourite.
However there are good reports about Trippi newcomer Abyssinia, an 8-1 chance. “She may just need it but she is a nice filly and she will go well,” says Brett Crawford.
Vogue Idea, who ran well in a modest maiden on her debut, is an understandable 22-10 favourite for race three but 7-2 chance Cotton Country’s claims look every bit as strong. She would have finished a fair bit closer on her first start but for breaking so slowly and her trainer says she has come on.
Maria’s Daughter makes each way appeal at 7-1. She showed improvement last time and in the in-form Riaan van Reenen explains: “I told Glen Hatt to give her a chance and that is exactly what he did.
“Hopefully Karl Neisius will be able to do the same and, while we are not sure she will get the trip, perhaps she will if she is ridden to do so.”
Triple Rhyme (8-1) is blinkered for the first time. “She wore them at home and worked a hell of a lot better,” says Jonathan Snaith.
La Tigresse is 5-2 favourite for race four but the Eric Sandstrained filly has been off for over four months and so Miss Saigon (11-2) is a confident choice. She has been a little unlucky recently but keeps running well.
Maximum Jet (10-1) is on a hat-trick but this is her first run since J & B Met day and she needs further. “She is going for the Fillies Winter Series and the first leg is over 1 400m so I want to give her an outing over this 1 200m,” explains Paddy Kruyer. “I will be happy if she runs a place.”
Finally Sir Robert is deservedly odds-on to break his maiden tag in the last and Brett Crawford believes that the extra furlong this time will be just what the doctor ordered.