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HANDICAP: LAIRD’S CHARGE IS BY FAR THE BEST WEIGHTED RUNNER IN ASSESSMENT PLATE
Sweet Red looks doubtful after having been withdrawn from yesterday’s meeting.
It is over a year since Cashel Palace has paid a visit to the winners’ enclosure but that could change at the Vaal tomorrow when she lines up in an Assessment Plate for fillies and mares over 1800m.
For the record, Cashel Palace was built in Ireland in 1730, turned into a hotel and is currently being refurbished by developer John Magnier.
Cashel Palace – the horse – won two successive races last year after which trainer Alec Laird aimed his charge at a string of Graded races.
She contested the Grade 3 Fillies Mile, Grade 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas, The Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic and the Grade 2 SA Oaks over 2450m.
She finished third behind Folk Dance in the Fillies Mile but then had a few shockers in the three Triple Tiara races. Laird rested her from May to September and brought her back to race in a FM 91 Handicap over 1600m on the Turffontein Inside track, where she finished a 2.10-length third behind Being Fabulous.
From there she went straight into the Grade 3 Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m in which she finished sixth, but only 3.15 lengths behind Sylvan On Fire.
She comes into this Assessment Plate with at least a 5kg handicap advantage over her opposition and that is going to make her very hard to beat. Raymond Danielson takes the ride.
Her opponents are made up mainly of lightly raced runners who are one-time winners. They could be better than their ratings but that we will only learn from this race.
Sweet Red looks an interesting runner as she came back from a rest in September to win her maiden over 1700m at this course by nine lengths. That was only her fourth start. She was, however, carded to run yesterday at the Vaal but was scratched with “increased AST levels” cited as the reason.
While not an expert on equine science, digging around on the internet indicates that this has something to do with the liver which may, or may not be serious, depending on how elevated the levels may be and for how long this goes on. As a result, Sweet Red has to be considered very doubtful for this race as well. That would probably make Cashel Prince even a better bet and Laird’s charge looks to be a banker in all bets.
Traffic Jam has only raced twice for a fourth place on debut and followed that up with a 2.80-length victory over Andiamo. However, no winners from nine runners have come out of that formline so once again it all points to Cashel Palace as a good bet on the card.