Paddock Stakes – the top WFA race for fillies and mares
The Paddock Stakes was first run on 12 March 1960 when it was won by Stanley Greeff and Johnny Cawcutt with Sun Lass. A competitive field of twelve runners line up for this year’s renewal and we chatted to the stables about their charges.
Justin Snaith
Justin Snaith – Bela-Bela is flying, but don’t discount Star Express (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
Snaith Racing field two classy fillies in Bela-Bela and Star Express. The exquisite grey Bela-Bela has had a long break since a very creditable showing in the 2016 Vodacom Durban July and despite not yet being fully fit, disposed of a classy field of fillies – including her stablemate Star Express – with ease on her comeback run on Grand Parade Cape Guineas day. She has drawn 6 for this Saturday’s Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes and has Anton Marcus in the saddle. Jono Snaith commented, “Out of all our horses, she’s absolutely flying. Bela-Bela is a very sound filly, which helps us a lot and she takes everything in her stride. She’s exactly the same as Dancer’s Daughter. She’s in Dancer’s Daughter’s box and she really could be the same horse. She’s got the same temperament in the box – it’s her space and she will put her ears back and tell you so. She’s definitely got a lot of fire and is a little madam. She will run to form and will take a power of beating.”
The 4yo Silvano filly, Star Express has a near faultless record, only failing to earn a cheque once in her entire career, when finishing a little over 4 lengths behind Smart Call in the 2016 renewal of the Paddock Stakes. She was one of the octet to help the Snaiths sweep the boards on J&B Met day 2016, before sustaining a high suspensory injury and having a lengthy layoff. Star Express made her comeback on the same day as Bela-Bela and gave her stable companion a good run for her money to finish in second. Jono Snaith was bullish about their charge saying, “I do think this filly is the biggest danger on Saturday and from a punting perspective, would recommend including her in exotic bets. She’s a typical Silvano and is not the world’s biggest filly, but has got amazing action and covers a lot of ground – a real athlete. She is a high class filly and is not far behind Bela-Bela and will be right in the shake-up.” Star Express has drawn 1 and has Piere Strydom in the irons.
Candice Bass-Robinson
Candice Robinson – Silver Mountain is back to best (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
Candice saddles three runners for Saturday’s race in Silver Mountain, Nightingale and Whose That Girl. Silver Mountain, who runs in the yellow and black silks of sponsor Maine Chance, had a bit of foot trouble up in Durban and didn’t enjoy the best season, but is right as rain again after a spell on the farm.
Mark Bass says, “Since she’s come in she’s got back to where she needed to be quite quickly. She took her last run (a 1400m Conditions plate on Cape Guineas day) very well, despite being a bit out of her ground in a slow run race. She was less that 1.5 lengths off Bela-Bela and we were happy with that. She’s come on from that and we think we’ve got her really really well and think she’s back to her best. Obviously there’s a small question mark whether she gets the trip as she hasn’t tried this distance before, but on pedigree we think she will. If she does, we expect her to be very competitive in a field like this.” Silver Mountain has drawn 3 and Grant van Niekerk rides.
Nightingale is a 4yo Silvano filly, who jumps from gate 10 and has the services of Aldo Domeyer on Saturday. “Nightingale has proved that she can run with the best of them and she’s come well at the right time. She’s had two good preps (a 1400m Progress Plate in November and less than a length off Goodtime Gal in the Victress Stakes), finishing close up and this is going to be her best run. She’s got a couple of very good fillies to beat, but we think she’s up to it and we’re hoping she can have an each way chance.”
Whose That Girl is a 3yo daughter of Gitano Hernando who gets a 4 draw and the services of MJ Byleveld in the saddle on Saturday. Mark says, “She’s really been impressive. She’s a small little filly, but is athletic and has huge heart. She’s really improved a lot and deserves a chance in a field like this. She was very unlucky in the Cape Fillies Guineas and got taken out badly. If it hadn’t been for that, we thought she might have run 3rd there. She franked that by running a good race last time out (winning a 1600m Graduation on Christmas eve). It’s a competitive field, and we’re hoping she can squeak into the back end of the quartets, but feel she deserves a shot.”
Michael Robinson
Mike Robinson – will give them a run for their money (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
Michael Robinson saddles the 4yo daughter of Royal Air Force, Goodtime Gal who has an 11 draw and Gavin Lerena in the saddle. Mike has campaigned the filly impeccably and produced her as a model of consistency, only finishing out of the money once in her 14 starts to date. At her last outing, Goodtime Gal posted former Sorrento inmate, Royal Air Force’s first feature win in the Gr3 Victress Stakes. Mike comments, “It’s a strong field, but if you have a ticket, you have a chance. Unfortunately Richard Fourie couldn’t ride for us on Saturday, but I think we’ve managed to get the next best jockey for her and I’m going in quietly confident. She’s fit, she’s well and she came out of the Victress Stakes very well and I think her prep for this race has been spot on. We’ve got a bit of a wide draw to overcome, but she’s the type of filly that never runs a bad race. It is a strong field, but she’s got the ability and heart to give them a run for their money.”
Brett Crawford
Brett Crawford – in with a chance
Brett Crawford fields two Ridgemont runners including the Aussie-bred with the glamorous name, Chevauchee and Icy Fire. Chevauchee is a 4yo daughter of High Chaparral and another with an impeccable record to date, posting 3 wins, 4 seconds and a 3rd place from her 8 career starts. She had her last 3yo start at the end of June, before a 4 month break and started her Cape Campaign with a sprinting second in the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes over 1100m. She stepped up in trip and braved mixed company in the 1600m in the Listed Jet Master Stakes on Cape Guineas day, finishing 1.75 lengths off Fifty Cents and Horizon in that rather messy finish. Ridgemont Stud’s retained jockey Greg Cheyne takes the ride and they will jump from stall gate 12. Brett comments, “She has had a good prep and she’s in very good form at the moment. I’m happy with the way things have worked out for her. I think it’s a tough race to win, but I do think she’s in with a chance.”
Corne Orffer is on board the other Crawford Racing representative, Icy Fire, who jumps from the 8th berth. The 4yo Western Winter filly also runs in the Ridgemont Stud silks and had a very respectable 3yo campaign, posting a win, two seconds, a third and a fifth from 8 outings, including finishing 2nd to Harlem Shake in the Gr2 Final Fling Stakes last July. After a short break, Icy Fire hit the campaign trail again with a vengeance in November, posting back to back wins in a 1600m graduation and an 1800m Conditions Plate, before finishing a little over 3 lengths behind rival Goodtime Gal in the Gr3 Victress Stakes on 17 December. Brett says, “She’s improving and has strengthened up . She showed good form last time out, but sat just a little too far off them. I’s a big task for her against those types of horses, but we’ll be running to try and get some black type if possible. If we can run into the first three, it will be a big achievement.”
Sean Tarry
Sean Tarry – has healthy respect for Bela-Bela (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
Sean Tarry charge Safe Harbour has an impressive juvenile record of 2 wins, 2 seconds and a 4th in the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes at Greyville on Super Sunday. Back in Johannesburg, she took on mixed company in the Gr2 Joburg Spring Challenge and the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup, finishing out of the money, but not far off them on both occasions. She lost no time after arriving in Cape Town, winning the Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes on Selangor Cup day before a flying second to Just Sensual in the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas. She is drawn 2 and Weichong Marwing takes the ride.
Sean reports that the filly galloped with Legal Eagle last Thursday and says it went ‘pretty well.’ “Look, I think she needed it. She’s had a pretty hard time. It’s been a long season and the main dates are obviously at the end of the month, but she’s done very well. She’s had quite a bit of racing, so I haven’t been hard on her since the last run. She’s looking exceptional and is working well. She galloped well and like I said, might just have needed it, but I hope it’s brought her back to her peak. I have a healthy respect for Bela-Bela, but she’s well.”
Sean’s other runner is the 4yo Silvano daughter, Tahini, bred by the sponsors, Maine Chance Farms. She has mainly performed over shorter, but has shown she is capable of winning up to a mile. She tried the Kenilworth 1800m for the first time in an Allowance Plate on 20 December, finishing 5.55 lengths off Whisky Baron. Sean says, “She’s up against it, but we took the decision to take a chance in this race. Her last run was just to show her the course in a very strong race. I wasn’t unhappy with the run, even though she finished 5.5 lengths back. She will give a good account of herself, although having said that, while her pedigree says she’ll get the trip, I’m not convinced yet. She’s a smallish filly and is all guts, but has to be balanced in a race. If things get a little rough, or she gets pushed all over the place, she can lose her concentration.” Should one draw any conclusions from the fact that S’manga Khumalo gets the ride? “I found it hard to take Weichong off Safe Harbour, so put it this way, the riding arrangements don’t mean a helluva lot. I tried to do the right thing, which may not turn out right on the day. We’ll have to take our chances.”
Dennis Drier
Dennis Drier – first attempt beyond a mile will be tough (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
Dennis Drier stands alongside Stanley Gorton, Cookie Amos and Terrance Millard in having won back to back Paddock Stakes with the same horse, saddling the unforgettable Beach Beauty to victory in the first two runnings of the Paddock Stakes under the Maine Chance sponsorship. This Saturday, he sends out the 3yo Philanthropist filly Sail, who jumps from stall gate 10 with Sean Veale in the irons. Sail showed tremendous promise in her juvenile campaign, finishing less than a length behind Final Judgment in the Gr2 Golden Slipper on July day and a little over a length behind Querari Falcon in the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes on Super Sunday. She had a 3 month break and transferred to Cape Town. Sail has had 3 trips around Kenilworth’s left hand bend finishing less than a length off Ektifaa in the Choice Carriers Championship, beating a classy field of contemporaries in 1400m Progress Plate in November and then finishing 3.5 lengths behind Just Sensual in the Cape Fillies Guineas. This will be her first attempt beyond a mile and Mr Drier was characteristically frank, “She’s doing well, but it’s a big ask for a 3yo filly to take on those old knockers.”
Glen Kotzen
Glen Kotzen – looking forward to it
Woodhill Racing’s Final Judgement looks to be another high quality Judpot filly. After getting her racing ‘sea legs’ in Cape Town, she joined Glen’s Durban string for the KZN season, and thrived on the trip, winning the Gr2 Golden Slipper on July day and finishing mid-field in the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes on Super Sunday. Back in Cape Town and all the better for a short break, she finished 3rd in the Choice Carriers Championships over 1400m before finishing 4.3 lengths behind Just Sensual in the Cape Fillies Guineas. Glen Kotzen reported, “She’s actually doing very well. Everything went wrong for her in the Fillies Guineas – her saddle slipped as she jumped out of the pens, so Piere couldn’t ride her out, then she was badly interfered with by Quick Brown Fox and still ran on at them at the end, so it was not a bad run. This will be her 3rd run since her Durban season, so she should be cherry ripe. I think she’s been crying out for the trip and will thrive on it. It’s WFA, so we’re going to have a crack at it and on her work, I’m really excited for her run. It’s a lovely, competitive race and I’m looking forward to it.”
