Crawford has the recipe
BRETT CRAWFORD supplies the vast majority of the key ingredients in the return-of-the-stars Pinnacle at Kenilworth on Saturday. The in-form trainer has booked Piere Strydom for his Cape Derby and Daily News winner Edict Of Nantes who was beaten less than half a length when third in the July.
Corne Orffer sticks with Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner Captain America and Greg Cheyne will be on Champions Cup hero Sail South.
The big three will be opposed by Justin Snaith’s Winter Series winner African Night Sky (Bernard Fayd’Herbe) and stable companion Black Arthur (Richard Fourie) who was only a length off the winner when seventh in the July.
Horizon
Horizon (Aldo Domeyer) finished half a length closer in the July while championship leader Lyle Hewitson has been booked by Joey Ramsden for last season’s Cape Classic winner Table Bay. For good measure, Crawford has thrown Black Cat Back (Sihle Cele) into the mix.
This seven furlong test totally overshadows the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes but the Candice Bass-Robinson CTS $500 000 Sprint winner Live Life heads the weights and will be ridden by Orffer for the first time. Strdyom has five rides – two for Crawford and three for Snaith – while four of Hewitson’s six mounts are for Ramsden including Silver Coin in the last.
Sean Tarry is on the hunt for more rich Ready To Run pickings to add to the R1.25 million collected by Big Bear last Saturday.
The champion trainer has a quarter of the 28 horses yesterday entered for Saturday week’s Kenilworth Lanzerac version including Big Bear plus three of the four top-rated. Top, seven points clear, is Wonderwall who was fourth for Tarry at Turffontein. Tarry won last year’s race with Safe Harbour.
Entries for the Kenilworth Cup were held over from last Friday until yesterday because only ten horses were nominated.
The postponement has attracted an extra three. Mike de Kock, successful with Smart Mart 12 months ago, has entered Kinaan but at this stage Snaith’s Ovidio and Strathdon stand out.
Oratorio, whose bookings were diverted elsewhere when laminitis struck, is recovering so well that he has returned to stud duties, albeit on a limited scale.
Mickleburgh
Avontuur general manager Pippa Mickleburgh said: “It’s wonderful to see him back in action. We believe that he will return to top form over time and it’s a huge relief to have the expectation of some of his quality offspring in the 2018 season.”