Trainer Mike Bass will fancy his chances of making it a hat-trick of wins in today’s R400 000 Gr2 Tibouchina Stakes. After winning it the last two runnings with the high quality Hammie’s Hooker he sends out a quality coupling and holds a strong hand.
Time flies – the first leg of Bass’ Tibouchina double was achieved at Clairwood!
But that’s history – we are here in the now.
The Tibouchina Stakes race is run at weight-for-age plus penalties and the top weighted Inara enjoys the distinction of being the highest rated filly in the race.
Inara won the Gr1 Empress Club
Like Hammie’s Hooker, a daughter of Trippi, Inara has enjoyed a terrific run of success this term – blotted only by an inexplicably poor run in the Premier’s Champions Challenge. She was blowing after running 22.50 lengths behind Legal Eagle in the worst run of her illustrious career.
At her penultimate start she had showed her true ability with her emphatic victory in the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes at Turffontein and if sufficiently recovered from her Gauteng exertions, could bounce back to her best on Saturday.
Her highly vaunted stablemate Silver Mountain ran below expectations when slow away and five lengths behind Bela-Bela in the Daisy Guineas.
Silver Mountain
That was Silver Mountain’s first start since a gallant runner up finish in the inaugural CTS Million Dollar in January and it is possible that her fitness levels were underestimated by her connections.
She jumps from a nice 2 draw under Bernard Fayd’herbe and will have many followers.
Brett Crawford has enjoyed a reasonable Champion Season to date and is another Cape trainer that may fancy his chances of walking away with the silverware in this event.
Alexis
His Dynasty filly Alexis was an emphatic winner of her opening Champions Season start over the course and distance last time after a disappointing effort in the Poinsettia – but she still has some work to do to pace it with Inara at the weights.
Anton Marcus rides her stablemate Cuvee Brut who comes out of a hard race when running fifth 3.45 lengths back to Talktothestars in the Tsogo Sun Sprint last Saturday. Marcus won the Gr3 Prix Du Cap on the daughter of Count Du Bois and while he has a wide draw to overcome, he will probably be aspiring to place money if things go his way.
It is good to see Anthony Delpech taking a Mike de Kock ride and the old proven combination team up with the Australian-bred multiple stakes winner, Entisaar.
Entisaar – Gr1 winner
The classy daughter of More Than Ready has not quite gone on with the form that saw her beat Princess Royal in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship last year. That said, she has not had a lot of racing and could be a lurker from the 1 draw.
The Sean Tarry trained Bichette has shown flashes of good ability and proved her wellbeing with a very decent 4th in mixed company behind Pivotal Pursuit last time out.
She faces a stiff challenge at the weights.
The Australian-bred Sensible Lover has been unlucky with two storming run places – the first in the Sycamore and then an eyecatcher in the Empress Club when a length second behind Inara.
Well drawn with Weichong Marwing in the saddle, she looks capable of another big effort – if things go her way off a decent gallop.
Cosmic Light returns to the scene of her greatest triumph but has had her problems and was unsighted when possibly needing the run behind the promising Real Princess in the Poinsettia.
Duncan also has Littleblacknumber in the race and the year older daughter of Black Minnaloushe meets Alexis on 2.5kgs better than when beaten a length by her last time.
She was also unplaced in the Poinsettia and strikes us as being a little outclassed in this company.
The Dynasty filly Olma, a Vodacom Durban July entry, was unplaced behind Inara in the Empress Club Stakes and looks held by the Bass runner on that. Olma has also drawn wide which will not be in her favour but on the plus side has Strydom in the irons.
Olma – needs further
Dennis Drier’s Eventual Angel is a very lightly raced daughter of Right Approach and may well be able to produce something better than her MR of 95 suggests. There is not much to choose between her and Alexis and she could be another to include as a quartet kicker.
Joburg visitor Silver Class has a host of reasonable placings to recommend her but has only won twice in 27 starts and runs off an MR of 87. That suggests she has a tough task here, although she is more than game and could run into the back end of quartets.
Mike Bass has the two best fillies in the race and it would come as no surprise to see Inara and Silver Mountain fight this out.
Of the balance, Alexis and Cuvee Brut are both capable, while Entisaar is a Gr1 winner – and Sensible Lover has surprise written all over her.
