Trip To Heaven – lightly raced Gr2 Joburg Merchants winner is in Cape Town
A lightly raced Gauteng-based 3yo colt and a local star sprinting mare should provide the fireworks at Kenilworth on Saturday as the Khaya Stables Gr2 Diadem Stakes brings the feature curtain down on 2014. There is plenty of class in this weight-for-age contest and a host of Gr1 winners will keep our top two very honest.
Joburg trainer Sean Tarry has added plenty of needle and entertainment value to the Cape Summer Of Champions and the inclusion of his lightly raced recent Gr2 Joburg Merchants winner Trip To Heaven throws the cat amongst the speed pigeons.
Lightly Raced
Sean Tarry has a strong hand with Trip To Heaven
The Highlands bred son of Trippi has run only 4 times but has looked a top-flight sort in the making.
He won his maiden over 1200m by 7,75 lengths at his second try and then just tired late for a commendable third in the Gr3 Graham Beck Stakes behind Harry’s Son.
Next time out he came home smartly to win the Gr2 Joburg Merchants. Sure he carried only 52kgs there and this will be tougher – it is, after all, away from home and he runs at weight for age with some top older horses.
Flyer
Mike Bass-trained Fly By Night is a Gr1 winner and has done little wrong of late
First amongst those is Mike Bass’ revitalised mare Fly By Night.
The daughter of Jet Master’s winning run started with a glorious victory in the Gr1 Mercury Sprint at Clairwood in July and since then she has followed up with a fillies conditions plate win and an impressive victory in the Listed Southeaster Sprint over Mike De Kock’s Gr1 winner, Alboran Sea.
Fly By Night will be fit and primed to fire on Saturday and will be partnered by stable jockey, Grant Van Niekerk.
But it won’t be a walk in the park.
In The Net
Tevez is good looking and top-class!
Mike Bass has 3 others to saddle.
Dual Gr2 Cape Merchants winner Tevez finished eighth in this race last year but appears to have matured nicely into a handsome and athletic specimen.
He appeared very late on the scene to get up and win the Merchants at his last start when beating Snaith’s Daring Dave and his stablemate, Hammie’s Hooker.
Tevez now meets the Trippi mare on a 5kg turnaround and it is difficult seeing him turn that around.
Specialist
Hammie’s Hooker is top-class and loves the track and trip
Hammie’s Hooker goes back to her 2yo days as a course and distance specialist and her class and versatility have seen her effective right up to 1800m.
On her Merchants run, she holds all of Copper Parade, Happy Forever, De Kock and The West Is Wide.
The fourth of the Bass quartet is the Battersea Park gelding, Ashton Park, who ran the race of his life to charge on best of the rest behind the champion Legislate in the Green Point Stakes.
He should lack for the toe needed to win a race of this nature and is yet to score below 1400m.
Champion
PE star Copper Parade – ready to strike again?
The East Cape Champion Sprinter and Horse Of The Year, Copper Parade, is saddled by the current leading trainer in his home province, Yvette Bremner.
Piere Strydom again rides the evergreen son of Lecture who is drawn on the outside and is likely to be covered early on from the probable South easterly wind.
He was slow and eased in the Merchants before finishing well for 3,35 lengths behind Tevez.
He meets the Bass runner on 5,5kgs better terms and has every chance of turning the tables with a big showing under a buoyant Piere Strydom.
The Captain
Captain of All – will strip much fitter
Dennis Drier’s 2013 Gr1 Tsogo Sun Medallion winner Captain Of All disappointed when coming out for his opening run of the season in the Listed Souteaster Sprint.
While naturally needing the outing after a year plus break, he showed superb cruising speed before fading late to go 3,10 lengths behind Dressed In Cotton.
The 4yo son of Captain Al is held in high regard by his trainer and is bound to come on lengths with the benefit of that one opening run in the bank.
Futuristic
Futura – second run of season and is all class
The top-class Futura has his second run of the season after a layoff following his outstanding victory in the Gr1 Champions Cup.
He ran on well behind Legislate for third in the Green Point Stakes and while a horse who is probably at his brilliant best at a mile, he did win debut over Saturday’s course and distance and has been a model of consistency throughout his nine run career.
The second of the Brett Crawford pair is the 2013 Selangor Cup winner De Kock, who came out fresh and firing after a nine month rest to win a 1000m handicap.
His subsequent two starts have been disappointing and he jumps 6,5 kgs with his weight impost after finishing 9,15 lengths back in the Merchants.
Go Wide
Vaughan Marshall’s 5yo Western Winter gelding The West Is Wide has shown flashes of good ability but is just too inconsistent to recommend.
He finished 9,25 lengths back in the Cape Merchants and jumps 6kgs in the weights and thus worse off with all of Tevez, Hammie’s Hooker, Copper Parade and Happy Forever.
Priceless Jewel will be right on top of them at best
Adam Marcus’ Priceless Jewel blotted her impeccably consistent copybook when making no show after a four month break in the Tony Taberer Southern Cross Stakes.
She finished 7,60 lengths behind Fly By Night and, while held by the Bass mare, Priceless Jewel may well be a lot better over the extra 200m.
She still has a mountain to climb and her connections would probably be very satisfied with a place.
Unsound
Happy Forever is unsound but loaded with ability
Happy Forever is an unsound son of Var. He ran last in a small field last time out in an MR 106 Handicap.
He ran a reasonable race in the Cape Merchants but is all of 4kgs and 4,5kgs worse off with Hammie’s Hooker and Copper Parade respectively and looks to have plenty to do.
The Glen Puller yard is in great form and the father-and-son combination team up with the Jay Peg gelding, Silicone Valley.
A winner of two of his three starts he gave 1.5kgs and beat Roaring Wind by 2,50 lengths in an MR 78 Handicap over the course and distance last time.
He gets thrown in the deep end off his 82 rating at level weights and needs to prove that he is in this league.
Heavenly
Trip To Heaven looks a very good sort in the making. A free-striding strong galloping sort, he could run them off their feet.
Fly By Night showed her ability with a mixed sex Gr1 WFA win under her belt already and she could repeat the feat.
Copper Parade, Futura and Captain Of All are all Gr1 winners capable of upsetting the odds.
And the big question – the underexposed Silicon Valley from the in-form Puller yard- just how good is he?
We will know more about that on Saturday evening.
