Fabulous and Fast! The Trippi filly Franny goes for a fourth straight win but will have to be at her best to hold Alcanina
The brilliant daughter of Trippi, Franny, carries the famous black and yellow flag on Champions Day, and looks to have the R200 000 Gr2 Camellia Stakes at her mercy on her return to Gauteng. But the Man O’ War Sprint winner Alcanina could be the joker in the pack.
Fillies and mares races are generally minefields of uncertainty. The top class Franny and the unbeaten Alcanina stand out with a fit again She’s A Stunner presenting the danger value.
Smart
The Highlands Farm bred Franny is a very smart 3yo sprinter who has registered 3 of her 5 victories at Turffontein. This includes wins in the Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes as a 2yo and the Gr3 Magnolia Handicap this season.
Franny missed her scheduled prep run in the KZN Stakes at the end of March when she was scratched with Pharyngitis, but has run well when coming out fresh previously.
Brian Wiid’s undefeated Mogok filly Alcanina was a smooth and impressive winner of the Gr3 Man O’ War Sprint at the end of March, when she disposed of some talented male sprinters in good style.
She is way behind Franny in terms of exposure and thus looks to have a very tough task on paper. But, that said, Alcanina is going about her business in a most professional manner and should continue to up her game. We will know a lot more about her after this race.
Stunning
Anton Marcus sticks with Sean Tarry’s new inmate She’s A Stunner, who ran a cracking second in the Gr3 Sycamore Sprint behind Kinematic Countess.
That was a good effort after a break of two months and she comes in with a 6kg weight turnaround for a two length beating, which should be a strategic advantage of note. She’s A Stunner has won 5 of 22 starts, and should strip a much fitter horse here.
Tailed
Louis Goosen’s Gardenia Handicap winner Variometer was tailed off at her last run when not striding out and pulling up lame. Prior to that, she ran a fair fifth behind Royal Zulu Warrior in the Lobelo Sprint and is a very capable sort on her day.
Roy Magner’s 4yo Kinematic Countess scored a shock win in the Sycamore Sprint, but will find this much tougher with a big weight turnaround against her.
Quartet
Stan Ferreira sends out a four way coupling made up of Kalaam, Eastern Greeting, Cosmogenic and Three Nations. While she has not won since June last year, the Kahal mare Kalaam is a fairly consistent sort who could run a place at best.
Eastern Greeting is another daughter of Kahal, and after winning two in a row, went down 4 lengths to Kinematic Countess in the Sycamore Sprint. She enjoys a 3kg turnaround in her favour with Kinematic Countess here.
Lightly Raced
Cosmogenic has won 3 of her 9 starts, and as a lightly raced 4yo still has scope for improvement. Three Nations bolted in the Sycamore and ran unplaced in an MR 86 Handicap at the Vaal last Tuesday.
Alec Laird’s Spectrum filly Amazing Grace is a fairly consistent sort who may be more comfortable over slightly further than what she tries on Saturday. A winner of 3 of 17 starts, she probably lacks the class and pace to match strides with Franny and would have place prospects at best.
Leon Erasmus and Sherman Brown team up with the former Justin Snaith trained Pleasure Jet, who has her first run in Gauteng. The daughter of Jet Master has only managed one win from ten starts and comes off an extended dry spell.
Trio
It looks a straight sprint out between Franny, Alcanina and She’s A Stunner. Franny is consistent and the class in the race. She will have to be at her best to hold off her challengers. But then we know exactly what we are getting when Gavin Van Zyl sends them to post.
