A disappointingly small field lines up for Sunday’s Hollywoodbets Greyville non black-type 3yo fillies feature.
With a healthy R75 000 first cheque up for grabs, the race carded on the supposedly preferred surface of the turf, and a mile to cover, one wonders if the programmers or the trainers need a prod?
Beach Beauty – champion daughter of Dynasty – Sunday’s feature is named in her honour
The Beach Beauty Mile field of seven includes five horses from two stables and two first-timers.
Trainer Lezeanne Forbes, who fields three of the runners, defended the poor support position from her professional perspective and suggested that the forward 2yo’s, who raced in the last few months of last season, would be resting having had their innoculations and vaccinations.
Lezeanne Forbes – saddles Mary O (photo: Candiese Marnewick)
“It’s a decent stake that’s on offer, so nobody is going to purposely sidestep the race with a suitable horse. I have taken a chance with my two first-timers as they are ready for a run, the experience will be invaluable to them, and I’d like to try and qualify them for the million rand maiden race. So it’s a multi-faceted approach,” she said.
She confirmed that she felt that the SP top-rated Jack’s Bird, a good fifth behind Gabor in the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes last term, was the horse to beat.
“There is no collateral form with Jack’s Bird but she holds us at level weights on her rating, and we must respect her chances. But our Mary O is a lovely filly and I’m expecting a big effort from her. She really should run a big race. She has a wonderful temperament, is relaxed and is bred for further – so the mile will be no issue at all.”
Mary O beats Electric Surge at Hollywwoodbets Greyville in May (Pic – Candiese Marnewick)
Lezeanne’s two first-timers Burnt Paper Sky (Duke Of Marmalade) and Marmalade (Just As Well) are likely to both need the outing. We asked if they were both staying types – thus the reason they were starting out over 1600m?
“To the contrary, I feel they would both be good enough to win a maiden over 1200m. So they are not dour staying types. It just suits our requirements to run them here and the cheques for the minor places are not to be snuffed at if we happen to enjoy some luck in running.”
She confirmed that Burnt Paper Sky would run in alumites, as she had been shod on Tuesday.
Marmalade will run in steels, as declared.
Garth Puller -rates his filly
Hollywood sponsored trainer Garth Puller, whose yard has been in fine form, sends out the unbeaten Georgina Rose, another daughter of Just As Well. She has won her first two starts over 1200m – on turf and all weather – in good style.
“The field cut down and I decided to take our chances. She won a week ago. I have had her on the turf for her debut win, then the poly just two weeks later – and now we are stepping up to the mile. That’s a bit more pressure than I would ordinarily apply, but she has taken her racing in her stride and is well. I think Mary O is the horse to beat,” added the veteran horseman in a chat with the Sporting Post.
Winter Sun is the second of the Muis Roberts runners. She has been rested 11 weeks since a running on third to Montreal Mist in the Gr2 Debutante. That makes her a serious runner.
Electric Surge was beaten by Mary O on the Forbes’ runner’s debut. She shed her maiden certificate on the polytrack two runs later. She gets the services of Warren Kennedy and boasts the form and experience to challenge.
We are leaning towards the fitter Mary O to take Jack’s Bird all the way to the wire, with Winter Sun the danger.
Note that the false rail is set at 2m.
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