Flying High: Cliffie Miller’s unbeaten Space Girl goes for her third straight win
Fresh off his sensational Greyville July day Gr1 success, trainer Corne Spies packs his well-travelled bags for the unfashionable and dusty plains of Flamingo Park in Kimberley on Monday. While Spies saddles six of the fifteen carded acceptances for the R90 000 Kimberley Nursery, local man Cliffie Miller may still hold the trump card with his unbeaten Alado filly, Space Girl.
Corne Spies appears to have one of his strongest juvenile strings in many years with the likes of Golden Horseshoe winner War Horse, and Golden Slipper runner-up Straight Set, at the forefront of a powerful team of youngsters.
His sextet that will contest Monday’s non-black type feature probably won’t be amongst the stable stars,but the coupling certainly warrants Pick 6 inclusion in terms of pure numbers and, in some instances, on recent sand form.
What A Girl
Cliffie Miller holds the ace though with the only two-time winner in the field, and an unbeaten one at that too.
Space Girl is a two year old daughter of Arc En Ciel Danzig stallion Alado. She races for the colourful trainer and his partner, Heather Reddie. Not yet given much opportunity, Alado is a good-looking stallion who never raced due to injury and was the first foal of dual Champion Stakes winner Alborada. He is owned and was bred by Kirsten Rausing’s Lanwades Stud.
Space Girl has won both her starts over the Kimberley 1200m with impressive ease. At her last outing she had Chocolate Symphony and Oh So Var beaten by 4 and 5,25 lengths respectively, when receiving 2,5 kgs from them. She is 2kgs closer to the two boys here, but it is difficult seeing them reversing things – even over the extra 200m.
Space Girl’s dam Cyber Toy won 4 races up to a mile, and she looks like she will easily get this trip. She was an astute buy at R10 000 on the National Two Year Old Sale, and we suggest she will be good enough with the added benefit of a favourable draw, to retain her impeccable record.
Sporty
Her stablemate Sport’s Kitten relocated recently from the Mike Miller yard in KZN, and didn’t run a bad race when making her Kimberley debut and running fifth and seven lengths behind Space Girl over 1200m. Her 9 turf efforts were really quite poor though, and she will have to show further improvement to have a shout here.
Corne Spies’ six include the unraced reserve runner Cougar Rock.
Based on the engagement of jockey Fransie Naude, the well drawn Oh So Var must be considered the stable elect and this son of that brilliant Avontuur stallion ran a great race when running on well for fourth behind the seemingly promising Heavenisaracehorse on July Day at Turffontein.
But, and it is a big but – he is carded to race again at the Vaal on 12 July as we go to press. That means three different racecourses in nine days for a youngster that would be having his eleventh run in six months. Spies’ father, well known yearling selector, Tobie Spies, owns this very fit two year old. He must be a danger to the Miller filly.
The second of the Spies string is the Requiem gelding Chocolate Symphony, who ran on well late, when beaten 4 lengths by Space Girl last time out. He is not well drawn, but could be dropped in and should appreciate the extra 200m on his breeding, as well as what he has shown to date.
Peace Plan
Ewert Pfeiffer rides the maiden Defender Of Peace, and this son of Fort Boyard made a fair debut when 5,75 lengths behind Golden Horseshoe contender, Sabadel, over 1200m on the Vaal turf last month. He is well drawn, and could be anything.
Tobe’s Jet has four rather moderate turf efforts to his credit and tries sand here under Bennie Dean. He started his career in Cape Town, before his last run when showing pace before fading to 5 lengths behind the capable Placido over the Fairview 1400m.
Five Rings is a Windrush filly, who has her eleventh career start and the first on the sand.
She has run places at her last five turf starts from 1200m to 1800m.Fransie Herholdt rides this pacy sort from the 9 draw, and Marco Van Rensburg will have to keep a close eye on her if she takes to the sand, as she has shown plenty of speed and courage.
Gavin Lerena and Clinton Binda team up with the Lundy’s Liability gelding Leap In The Del, who shed his maiden in runaway fashion in January over 1000m at this track. He has struggled to assert himself since back in Gauteng on the turf, but did run third and five lengths back to the Dubai-bound Soft Falling Rain on Valentine’s Day. Gavin Lerena makes a rare visit to Kimberley in his quest to ride winners for his title chase, but will have to conjure up some magic to overcome the 14 draw.
The Gypsy
Gypsy Fair
Leon Lotz’ Gypsy Fair is the only other candidate to have won. She shed her maiden at her penultimate start over 1200m at this track when winning easily by 4,50 lengths. She then showed pace at her last start before dropping right away to finish 15 lengths behind Space Girl. That was not good enough for her to have any chance here.
Vernon Rugg and Sherman Brown are a lethal combination on the Kimberley sand and they were the successful trainer-jockey combination in this feature last year. Oddly enough, the winner there, Sir Newton, has never won another race in the ensuing twelve months. They team up with the Imperial Stride gelding Giant Strides, who like Sir Newton, is a former Natalian having his first run on the sand.
His extreme outside draw is against this youngster, who has not finished too far off the action at his last three starts. His 5,15 lengths and 6,75 lengths behind two fair sorts in Victory Cruise Indaba My Children at his second and third starts, are bizarrely potentially close to winning form here.
Coerie Lensley, who jumped to into the public eye when producing King’s Temptress to win the SA Fillies Nursery at Turffontein at end of April, has a coupling in this race.
Falkland Sound has run 3 places from his 7 Kimberley starts, but finished 14,75 lengths off Toyboy when trying this trip at his last outing. He is no star and shows little fight when the chips are down. He would be a shock winner.
The second of the Lensley runners is the poorly drawn Peslier, who has shocking form in 4 runs to date. He has a 4kg claiming apprentice up, and 50-1 should be readily available.
Go With The Girl
Beyond the talented Space Girl, this race is an extremely tough puzzle, with many sand first-timers in the field, and form generally sketchy. More than half of the carded runners are also yet to win a race and the prospects of an upset result cannot be lightly discarded.
Corne Spies may hold the tactical upper-hand with 40% of the field under his direction. But Cliffie Miller’s unbeaten Alado filly has the favourable draw and natural pace to set her own fractions out front. And the manner of her first two wins indicates plenty still to come.
We are siding confidently with Space Girl to win this from the very fit Oh So Var, with Leap In The Del and Chocolate Symphony making up the quartet.
