B Twenty One looks a blast
CONCERN: DE KOCK’S CHARGE IS A GENUINE STAYER BUT HAS FAILED OVER THE COURSE AND DISTANCE ʂ Eastern Pearl should improve further over this trip.
When a filly is really good she has no problem beating the colts as Enable demonstrated at Ascot last Saturday. Mike de Kock has trained some decent fillies in his time and while B Twenty One might not be one of his best, she is turning into a decent stayer. Named for one of the new sleek long-range stealth bombers developed by the US military, this daughter of Silvano has raced 14 times for six wins and six places and comes into Race 5 at Turffontein on Sunday as the best handicapped runner in this Middle Stakes over 2450m.
She has won four of her last five starts, three of them over 2400m at the Vaal and one over 2600m on the Inside track at Turffontein, but the one reservation is that in her two races over this course and distance, she has only managed to finish fourth.
In January she went off 18-10 favourite in a MR 72 Handicap and finished a 5.25-length fourth behind Silver Stripe and then in her penultimate start, as the 5-2 favourite, was beaten 5.95 lengths behind Let It Rain.
That last run was not bad, considering the winner went on to finish third in the Grade 3 Gold Cup last Sunday. For those not worried about her form on the course she should be a banker in all best but if it is a concern, then it is worth adding Eastern Pearl and Henry Higgins.
Eastern Pearl ran a cracker for the Corne Spies yard on Wednesday on the Inside track when a 1.25-length third behind Inn A Million over 2000m and should be even better over this distance.
Henry Higgins is now nine years old but runs like a spring chicken and has run second four times over this track and trip.