Crawford aims for R2R double
HILLIPPI-based trainer Brett Crawford enjoyed a halcyon day at last year’s Lanzerac meeting, winning the R2 million Ready To Run (R2R) Stakes with Captain America and the Selangor Cup with De Kock, and he has a chance of another feature race double at this year’s meeting on Saturday.
His impressive Dynasty filly Alexis is a leading contender in the Ready To Run Stakes over 1 400m and both Captain America and Gr 1 winner Futura have a chance of winning the Gr 2 Lanzerac Le General Green Points Stakes over 1 600m.
Crawford said about the athletic filly who could maintain his unbeaten record in the Ready To Run Stakes, “Alexis has won both of her last two starts well and she shows us a lot at home. It will be a tough test against the boys but she is drawn well and is fit and well, so we are expecting a good run.’’
PShe showed a fine turn of foot first time out of the maidens in a MR 79 handicap over 1 200m against some useful older fillies and won by 2,25 lengths, despite having been awarded an 85 merit rating for her facile maiden win over 1 300m at Durbanville.
On pedigree Alexis will have no problem with the trip at all as she is out of a half-sister by Parade Leader to the stakes winning Winona, who won from 1 600m to 2 600m.
She is drawn superbly in barrier two with Corné Orffer up and should be doing her best work at the finish.
Fillies receive 2,5kg from the boys and have a fine record in the country's big sales races, having won half of the eight renewals of Turffontein's lucrative Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup. Crawford said about the Captain Al gelding Captain America and the Dynasty colt Futura, who are both making their seasonal reappearances, "They are both very well and have come on beautifully.
“It's obviously their
first run but both are exactly where I want them to be and they are going to be competitive on Saturday."
Orffer, who has filled in for the sidelined Glen Hatt as Crawford’s stable jockey, is aboard Captain America and Crawford explained, “Corné knows that Futura is Glen's horse so he would rather stick with Captain America than be replaced when Glen returns.’’
Bernard Fayd’Herbe rides Futura from a wide draw of ten and Captain America hasn’t fared much better in barrier 9. However, both horses have a tremendous turn of foot and will likely be running on.
Futura, third in the Vodacom Durban July and winner of the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1 800m, is merit rated 113, just one point below Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate, who also lines up in the Green Point. Captain America, who is a twice Gr 1 runner up, enjoyed no luck at all in the July and is merit rated 106. He is a big horse and will likely enjoy being back on his home, left-handed course.
Crawford mentioned some of his other runners on the day, “Secret Society will run well and Prescient has a chance. Zacharias has a big weight, but is doing very, very well. She likes running fresh and over the tough Kenilworth 1 200m should be in the shake up.’’ GLEN Kotzen has two of the lowest rated runners in the respective R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes and Lanzerac Le General Gr 2 Green Point Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday, Jeweller's Joy and Light The Lghts, but the best has not been seen of either of them yet and both have winning chances.
Kotzen said about the Trippi filly Jeweller's Joy, who has already won two races but is nevertheless the lowest merit rated horse (82) in the Ready To Run Stakes, "She is a progressive filly and gets better and better every week. She is not a tearaway at home and we are excited as she is one of the few horses in the race that has gone the trip and more, so will have no problem staying it. The draw should not be a worry as she came from off them last time."
Jeweller's Joy won her maiden on October 18 over 1300m at Durbanville and two weeks later she downed the useful Gr 2 placed older mare Earth’s Orbit in a MR 76 fillies and mares handicap over 1 600m at Kenilworth.
She didn't appear to let herself down in that one length win over 1600m and Kotzen confirmed, "She had a ton in hand at the line. It is quite hard for a three-year-old to beat older horses first time out of the maidens, so I was proud of her." Kotzen gives her a definite "shout". He said, "It is very open but in my opinion three horses, Belong To Me, Alexis and Jeweller's Joy, will fill three of the first four places and you can choose any of the rest for the other placing. Belong To Me ran a solid fourth behind Harry's Son over this trip at Turffontein and that puts him in the picture. Alexis looks really smart and will have no problem with the trip on pedigree."
Jeweller's Joy has a tricky draw of eleven.
Light The Lights
Kotzen thinks highly of his three-year-old Western Winter colt Light The Lights and his program for the season is mirroring the one he gave to the probable best horse he has ever trained, the Vodacom Durban July winner Big City Life.
Like Big City Life, Light The Lights won the Listed RA Stakes over 1600m at Fairview in the October of his three-year-old year. He then burst into the public eye when running second to the great Pocket Power in the Green Point Stakes.
Kotzen said, "We have always seen Light The Lights as a July horse. Running in the Green Point he will be up against horses that are coming off long layoffs which will make them vulnerable, as opposed to The Selangor which is contested by threeyear-olds that are tuned up. He was immature as a two-year-old and will only really come into his own next winter. He is a really smart horse and is a half-brother to In The Fast Lane so has a lot of potential and could still be anything."
Light The Lights took a bad bump in the RA Stakes half-way down the straight, which a lot of horses would not have recovered from.
However, after finding his balance he showed an exceptional turn of foot, although he was admittedly very well weighted under the conditions of the event.
He will be carrying a lightweight of 53kg on Saturday in the weight for age race as the three-year-olds receive 7kg from older males at this time of the year over this distance. Furthermore, he is drawn in pole position which should allow him to settle nicely and use that superb turn of foot in the straight.
Of his other runners on the day, Kotzen regards his Silvano filly Goldandsilver as having a good chance in the last race, a MR 75 handicap for fillies and mares over 1200m.
All three of the horses mentioned will be ridden by stable jockey Greg Cheyne, who was the same rider that drove Big City Life to his famous July win in 2009.