Silver Mountain takes on KZN

Nicci Garner

Top filly Silver Mountain will return to action when she takes on her own sex in the R400,000 Daisy Fillies Guineas ( Grade 2) over 1600m at Greyville on Friday night.

Mike Bass-trained Silver Mountain was all the rage during the Cape’s Sizzling Summer Season and delivered a win in the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas before finishing fourth behind Noah From Goa in the Grade 1 Cape Guineas two weeks later and then running Illuminator to 0.75 lengths in the CTS Million Dollar in January.

Her fans will all have high expectations on Friday night when she bumps highly regarded BelaBela and Negroamaro, to whom she is rated four lengths and eight lengths superior.

Assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe, who is in charge of the Bass stable’s Durban string, is happy with the Silvano filly.

“She’s had a look at Greyville - we gave her a grass gallop there about three weeks ago - and she’s working well. She’s got a good draw, which is a big plus,” he said. “It’s going to be tough, but she’s well and if she’s as good as we think, she should win easily.”

The Fillies Guineas is a preparatory run for the Woolavington 2000 on Saturday 4 June and plans are then to run her in either the Vodacom Durban July or the Garden Province Stakes.

The Bass stable has another two strings to their bow in the race in Taffety Tart and Nightingale.

Taffety Tart finished third behind Silver Mountain in both the Choice Carrier’s Championship and the Cape Fillies Guineas. “She is a nice filly who’s got a bit to do from the widest draw of all but she has had a run here already this winter season,” said Fayd’Herbe.

“Nightingale is also doing well and will be ridden to win from a good draw.”

Fayd’Herbe will saddle Night Trip in The Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m and says: “We’re hoping he’ll give Legislate a little bit of a run for his money. If there’s a chink in Legislate’s armour, we’ll nail him.

“It’s Night Trip’s first run at Greyville, but he always runs his best races fresh and loves a righthand bend - he finished second to Futura over 1600m here last year.”

Thankfully that stable’s talented four-year-old filly Inara, who finished second last in the Premier’s Champions Challenge last Saturday, is trotting sound.