Playingtheenemy looks fit and ready to win again
A brief two meeting Durbanville interlude punctuates the end of the long hot Summer Of Champions season at Kenilworth, with racing returning to the Southern Suburbs venue next Saturday for the UCT RAG Student Race Day. The diehards will be slugging it out today at the country course where a nine race programme looks set to get the punting grey matter working overtime.
Kenilworth has been on the go for five months now and the condition of the course is a tribute to the expertise of Track Manager Dean Diedericks, who performs miracles – a reality endorsed by the fact that no complaints have been forthcoming from jockeys and trainers.
The change of course to Durbanville is inevitably a catalyst to potential form fluctuations.
Australians
The R74 000 MR 86 Handicap run over 1400m heads the card and a quality eight horse field lines up to do battle.
Australian-bred horses could dominate matters and here Darryl Hodgson’s Teofilo gelding Playingtheenemy looks the fit form horse on his first visit to Durbanville.
The fast maturing 4yo has won 2 from 17 starts and was hampered last time when the promising Tomba La Bomba turned the tables on his in a strong MR 92 Handicap at Kenilworth.Playingtheenemy’s last three runs have been promising.
Jump For Joy
Justin Snaith – yard looks back to form again with two winners on Saturday
Another Australian bred and the first of the Snaith duo is the High Chaparral gelding Parachute Man, who enjoyed Durbanville earlier in the season, when winning 2 of his 4 starts here.
He is drawn against the paint and had decent lower-grade handicap form before failing to show in the Cape Guineas and the Gr3 Politician Stakes.
This will be a lot more comfortable for him.
Action Man
Oreo Shake is the third of the Australian-bred progeny and stablemate to Parachute Man. The son of Oratorio has won 4 of his 19 starts and shed his maiden at this course over a mile.
He was outgunned in his last start when running 6,35 lengths behind Captain America but drops in class and has a top jockey engaged.
The 7yo topweight Captive Action has not won since May 2014, but he has not been far off them and has performed well at this course in the past.
Consistent
Dean Kannemeyer – saddles Royal Follow
Dean Kannemeyer’s Royal Folly is a model of consistency and is 2kgs better off with Playingtheenemy for a 2,50 length beating last time.
The son of Count Dubois looks better than his two wins at this point and is bound to be cracking on late in the race.
Recent smart maiden winner Panga Panga steps up in class and has more to beat than the perennial battler Saint Donan.
Course And Distance
Stan Elley’s Doowaley gelding Dogmatism is no star but as a course and distance winner must come into the quartet reckoning.
His last few runs have been quiet affairs but he gets the 2,5kgs allowance of apprentice Xavier Carstens and that will be in his favour.
Surprise narrow recent winner Royal Knockout was beaten 5,50 lengths by Playingtheenemy at his penultimate start but is 3kgs better off with the Hodgson galloper.
Royal Knockout needs to confirm the form of his last run but has won at Durbanville and carries a galloping 52kgs.
