Beloved Betty: Looks ready to make a name for herself in Gr2 Oaks
A marked lack of serious depth makes for an open looking contest in the R200 000 Gr2 Betting World Oaks to be run at Clairwood on Sunday. The race also presents Highlands stallion Spectrum with an ideal opportunity to record his first SA-bred female stakes winner in the very consistent Beloved Betty.
The poser of finding a likely winner is not simplified by the fact that only two of the nine runners have ever tried the trip of 2400m. Is this an indictment of poor planning or simply a lack of a suitable race programme, we wonder? It would be interesting to hear a trainer’s comment on this aspect, but it could just simply be our local distraction of wrapping our young horses in cotton-wool and giving them endless prep runs over distances that are miles too short for them.
Statistics
Adding to the conundrum is the fact that six of the nine have never raced at Clairwood and three have not been on a left-handed turn on a raceday. So does all that statistical trimming make it easier? Probably not.
Glen Kotzen’s Beloved Betty will not get an easier opportunity we believe to record her first stakes win. She put in good efforts in both the KZN Fillies Guineas behind Amani and the Woolavington 2000 behind Viva Maria, and will turn up a fit filly on Saturday. She also has most of these beaten on that Woolavington run.
Beloved Betty has run nine times for two wins but her last four outings were all in feature company. An indication of her versatility is the fact that she won first try over the Kenilworth 1200m and has never run a bad race. Sean Cormack rode her more handily than usual in the Woolavington, and if he gets her to settle her off a reasonable pace, she could be too strong in the final stages.
Her dam Arch Mistress only won up to 2000m for Ormonde Ferraris, but she was very classy and won six of her fourteen starts.
Rose Red
Yogas Govender’s Razzle Dazzle Rose has her fourth Durban start, but did not feature in either the Fillies Guineas or Woolavington, where she finished behind Beloved Betty. She is by Jet Master and her Australian bred dam won up to 1900m, but her best chance appears to be a place cheque.
Mike De Kock’s Australian-bred Tajmeel is an interesting runner. She has won two of her five outings and was only 2,35 lengths off Feel My Love in the Listed East Coast Handicap. Feel My Love was an impressive winner of Sunday’s Queen Palm Handicap, which puts that run into perspective.
Tajmeel is by Nadeem, whose dam won a NZ Oaks and ran 3rd in an AJC Oaks as well 4th in an AJC Derby and Caulfield Cup . She is out of the UK bred Asaleeb, who won up to 2400m. So she should stay, and if she does, could give Beloved Betty a run for her money.
Greg Ennion, who will still be on cloud nine after the back to back feature successes of his Fusaichi Pegasus filly Feel My Love, sends out two runners. Europe To Africa probably earned her place here courtesy of her good win in an MR 80 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1950m at Scottsville last time out. She won going away there beating the year older and consistent Winter Mist by 1,25 lengths when receiving a kilo. That was a fair effort, and this daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar may be better than rated. She jumps from a 1 draw.
Freeze
Her stablemate Hijacked has won two of her ten starts, and ran on late in the East Coast Handicap when finishing 3,60 lengths off Feel My Love. Her last start was a 2,25 lengths third to Atlantic Oak over 1900m. But the De Kock runner then flopped badly on Sunday in the Queen Palm. Hijacked is difficult to assess, and like her stablemate, could be better than rated.
Sean Tarry’s Avenue Of Gold actually ran stone last in the Woolavington, but is a two- time winner who has achieved success at 2600m. That achievement brings her into the reckoning here. Her run, when a seven length third behind Ilha Bela in the SA Oaks was a fair one, and if we ignore the Woolavington debacle, then she must have a shout for place money off her merit rating. She also gets the blinkers to focus her mind on the task at hand.
Anton Marcus rides the other Tarry entrant Final Score, who has battled to win her second race, since winning at her third start. She did run on doggedly at her last start over the Vaal 2200m when four lengths behind Turkish Delight, but even with Superman in tow, this looks quite a bit stronger.
Pace
Duncan Howells’ Misty Morn ran a shocker in the Woolavington and looks to have more than a mountain to climb here as does her stablemate Pintari, who finished behind her there.
There are more than a few no-hopers here to ensure that the race is not run at a crawl, but the pace, or lack of it, could well hold the key to the outcome.
We are siding with the Kotzen runner Beloved Betty, who looks overdue for a black-type accreditation. Mike De Kock’s Tajmeel, and Greg Ennion’s two Crabbia fillies could also come into play. Beyond them, anything for the places.
