Return Match. The Aloe Handicap dead heaters Arrow Heart and Winter Fantasy (inside) clash again on Friday
The Fairview Valentine’s Day action sees the R80 000 Breeders Guineas Plate being run over the turf 1400m on Friday. The eleven strong field of 3yo fillies includes Justin Snaith’s smart Lift Off. Richard Fourie rides the daughter of Trippi, who faces some decent locals.
It may be Valentine’s Day across the world, but there will be little or no love lost when Justin Snaith heads up the coast with Lift Off after her impressive victory on Met Day. The Sabine Plattner owned filly has won 3 of her 9 starts over distances ranging from 1200m to 1400m and looks a little above average.
Strategically it is important also to note that Lift Off won on the Fairview polytrack in October last year, so will be familiar with the surroundings. She beat Miss Imperial there and the latter won well at Fairview again on Monday for her third victory on the trot. Lift Off scored an impressive win over Woodland Gem in an MR 82 fillies Handicap at her last start, with a late effort that spoke of better things to come.
Aloe Girls
The Aloe Handicap dead heaters Winter Fantasy and Arrow Heart meet again. They were lengths ahead of the pack and now look to step up again on the turf. That race was run over 100m shorter and on the polytrack, but there could be some valuable collateral.
Winter Fantasy is well drawn but carries 4kgs more than the Wilmot filly. Greg Cheyne once again partners the beautifully bred East Cape Nursery winner who appears to have furnished into a lovely specimen. While she is yet to win over the distance on the turf, she showed plenty of resolution in the Aloe Handicap to suggest that Friday’s cut will be well within her scope.
Heartfelt
Arrow Heart was a runaway maiden winner and after a flat run behind Star Jet in the Lady’s Bracelet, she came out steaming to dead heat with Winter Fantasy. She has a technical 3kg pull at the weights and could prove very competitive. Mitch Wiiese’s Titlee is something of a head case. The smashingly bred daughter of Giant’s Causeway is also a little in and out and may be more suited to a longer trip at this stage.
Stamina
Yvette Bremner sends out the Mogok filly Distiller, who won her maiden on the poly over the 1000m. She never really got into her last race when running four lengths behind Variety Star. She is out of a Concertino mare and may enjoy the increased test of stamina. New trainer Renate Du Plessis who took over from Corne Spies, sends out her first feature runner in the Rebel King filly, King’s Summit. While consistent, King’s Summit is still a maiden and could struggle to assert herself in this company.
Claimer
Gavin Smith sends out the Sail From Seattle filly Typhoon Tess, who shed her maiden at her fifth start three weeks ago. She tries the 1400m for the first time and from the widest of the draw, but has a handy mathematical advantage in the 4kg claim of promising apprentice Nicolas Patel.
Jacques Strydom’s Lundy’s Liability filly Bursary ran second to Winter Fantasy in the East Cape Nursery as a maiden and eventually recorded her first win over Friday’s course and distance. She appears to be battling but is one of the joint bottomweights who could run into the back end of the quartets.
Poor Draw
The second of the Bremner runners is the Captain Al filly Summer Solstice, who won her maiden at her second start. Her post maiden effort was not the worst effort in the world, and she now steps up in ground. She is poorly drawn and her stablemate is preferred. The Argonaut filly Cradle Of Firth is nicely drawn and has a handy galloping weight.
That said, she shed her maiden at her seventh start on the polytrack and could battle against some of the top rated turf fillies. Maroofa is still a maiden and ran a poor race from the front on the polytrack this past Monday. That is not good enough to win here.
Analysis
The difficulty of assessment of form lies again with the visiting filly. Lift Off has improved smartly and she comes in fit and well. If she has travelled well, she should go very close to winning this race with Richard Fourie up. Winter Fantasy is a proven turf and poly performer who has a stamp of class about her. She has the benefit of a pole position draw and is a fit filly. Arrow Heart could be best of the rest. She is highly thought of and her connections will expect her to be in the action.
