Unbeaten! Mike De Kock’s outstanding New Zealand-bred Rumya aims to make it four in a row in Saturday’s Cape Fillies Guineas
The home of fine wines and fast horses plays host to our national feature top billing this weekend. The R750 000 Gr1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas to be run over 1600m at Kenilworth is a race steeped in history and one of the most sought-after trophies on the calendar.
The 2012 vintage carries the tradition with pride and sets the stage for a classic North versus South duel.
The official handicapper would ordinarily be the best point of departure in this level weights contest, where collateral form is generally localised and isolated.
With the top four protagonists only having run twenty-two times between them, factors such as natural improvement, barrier draw and familiarity with local conditions could well combine to tip the scales either way.
At the end of the day, the best filly should win it – but strategy and a bit of luck will play their part as we saw last Sunday at Kenilworth.
King Of Pain’s brilliant victory over the flying Capetown Noir in Sunday’s Selangor Cup, proved that barrier draws can make a major difference over the Kenilworth mile.
With the run of the race from his 1 draw, Ramsden’s grey took the shortest route home and banked the winner’s cheque. The result may have been very different had the top two swapped draws.
Traveller
Mike De Kock travels into the cradle of the birth of South African horseracing with two outstanding fillies, and after last week’s administrative upheaval, he will be no doubt be quietly wanting to prove a point.
Both the unbeaten Rumya and the smart daughter of Kahal, Festival Of Fire were scheduled to line up in last Saturday’s R300 000 Gr2 Ipi Tombe Challenge, before Lady Luck conspired to deal the jokers of a 1 and 2 draw for Saturday’s Gr1 at Kenilworth.
The draws, coupled with a glance at the opposition, and no doubt the lure of a Gr1 credit and more than double the stake cheque were probably the dealmakers that initiated the thumbs-up for a showdown that should have even the most indifferent of Cape racegoers catching the bus to Kenilworth.
The New Zealand-bred grey Rumya came straight out of her dazzling win in the Golden Slipper on July Day to contest a Graduation Plate a fortnight ago at Turffontein.
Obviously needing the outing after an 18 week rest, she showed great fight, courage and maturity under the lights to hold the smart two – time winner Amber Orchid to a short head. Delpech appeared to lose his stirrup iron around the bend, and that impediment made the win even more meritorious.
The second placed Amber Orchid did not exactly frank the form in the Gr3 Fillies Mile at Turffontein on Saturday. But we stress that Rumya’s victory was undoubtedly full of merit.
Rumya also had subsequent Gr1 Thekwini Stakes and Choice Carriers Championship winner All Is Secret comprehensively beaten by 6,35 lengths in the Golden Slipper on Vodacom Durban July day at Greyville. They have both grown and developed substantially since, so that form may prove of little genuine consequence.
Scope! Recent Starling Stakes winner Festival Of Fire has excellent form and just seems to get better with every run
Fuel The Fire
Festival Of Fire steps up 200m to the mile for the first time in her short career , but her relaxed racing style and powerful turn of foot suggest that she will handle the test with her usual aplomb.
She was well weighted to win the Joburg Spring F&M Challenge over 1400m in early October and she did so comfortably. She stepped up to her next challenge a month later by winning the Starling Stakes in grand style beating Blueridge Mountain by a half length.
Festival Of Fire meets the Gary Alexander-trained Blueridgemountain again here and the draw half makes up our mind, with the De Kock filly drawn at 2 and Alexander’s Argentinian-bred drawn at 17.
The Vaughan Marshall-trained Captain Al filly All Is Secret is the second grey in the race and she bounced back from winning the Thekwini on Super Saturday, to score a courageous win in the Choice Carriers Fillies Championship a month ago.
While the advocates of the second run-after-a-rest theory may be ringing the alarm bells, on paper she is the only proven dual Gr1 winner in the race, and that alone makes her worthy of top selection.
Quite A Player! The Mike Bass-trained Hammie’s Hooker may represent some fair value against the more fancied visitors
Bass Trio
Mike Bass’ trio is headed by the smart Cape Fillies Nursery winner Hammie’s Hooker, who is one of four Trippi fillies in the race. Trainer Mike De Kock suggested a few weeks ago that some of the Trippi’s may be limited at a mile.
Hammie’s Hooker could prove that all wrong. A winner of 5 of her 6 juvenile outings, she has had two outings this season and showed that she may be crying out for the ground with a nice running on effort behind Torra Bay over 1000m last time. She is not well drawn, but Karl Neisius should balance that negative somewhat.
Bass’ Butterfly Girl has drawn even worse at 15. The daughter of Jet Master looked dangerous before staying on for a surprise second in the Choice Carriers Fillies Championship and will need some luck from her gate. She could enjoy this trip and is a place prospect.
On breeding Bass’ Intimateconnection should battle over the mile, but she was running on when fourth in that same feature. She needs to prove she is a Gr1 type filly.
Doubtful
A filly that must be considered a doubtful starter is Sean Tarry’s Australian-bred Amber Orchid, who ran a poor race in last Saturday’s Gr3 Fillies Mile at Turffontein. It seems highly unlikely that she will be exposed to a long road trip after that below-par showing.
Justin Snaith is always a man to be taken into the reckoning in these fillies’ features and he also sends out three runners, all of them two-time winners with untested potential. We suggest that punters include the coupling in Pick 6’s.
Earth’s Orbit is the highest of the trio and showed her mettle when staying on for third and 1,30 lengths behind in the Choice Carriers Championship. She set the pace there and this will be more testing from a poor draw again.
She is out of a Rakeen mare though, and could be more comfortable over the 200m extra.
Captainofmysoul has drawn wide out but is a lightly raced two time winner who has won over 1200m and 1500m, and appears to be crying out for ground on her breeding.
Karis Teetan partners Count To Ten, who recently won a MR 76 Handicap beating the lightly weighted Nonki Poo narrowly. She has won 2 of 4 starts and her R1000 000 Cape Premier Sale price tag may be worth bearing as a confidence booster for quartet inclusions.
Progressive! The Mike Robinson-trained Trippi filly Bois De Boulogne was a smart recent winner in Graduation company
Pen Pals
Riaan Van Reenen’s Girl’s Best Friend caught the eye after a shocking start in the Choice Carriers Championship.
Jumping there from the worst of the draw, she was dropped in after losing lengths and stormed through to run into sixth position and only 3,10 lengths behind All Is Secret. She has a ,75 length fourth over the course and distance to Selangor winner King Of Pain to her credit, and is an obviously smart sort who could rattle the cages of the more fancied runners.
Girl’s Best Friend has also cracked a fair draw at 7.
The Drakenstein-based Michael Robinson has very few runners, and it is pleasing to see Gaynor Rupert’s private trainer sending out a competitive Gr1 coupling.
A winner of 2 of 7 starts, Bois De Boulogne won over the course and distance last time when getting up hard ridden to beat the year older Golden Dawn. She has been campaigned out of the limelight, and faces her first serious test on Saturday.
Her stablemate Star Jet won her maiden by 7,25 lengths over the course and distance, but has been slightly lacklustre at her subsequent three starts. She also has to jump from the worst draw.
Dark Horse
Glen Kotzen’s lovely Jet Master filly Jet Aglow was our dark horse choice to run a big race in the Choice Carriers Championship, but after moving forward smartly in the final 300m, she faded late to be just beaten out of the places in fifth. She is placed over the course and distance and may surprise by running into the places.
Dennis Drier’s Jallad filly Murmering Sky has won 2 of 6 but ran a disappointing race in her Cape debut when fading to finish 7,95 lengths behind All Is Secret in the Choice Carriers Fillies Championship. There is no reason to suggest that she has the ability to reverse that form here.
The Choices
A superb contest and a great day’s racing lies ahead.
The might of the Cape on home ground versus the two top Gauteng 3yo fillies.
There is little to choose between the De Kock pair, but, while it may lack imagination, we are opting for the undefeated Rumya to beat her stablemate Festival Of Fire with All Is Secret and Girl’s Best Friend fighting over the minor spoils.
