Champion! The brilliant Princess Victoria looks too strong in the Gr3 Champagne Stakes
Glen Kotzen’s Equus champion Princess Victoria brings a welcome ray of sunshine to the Cape winter programme on her swan song performance,when she contests the R 150 000 Gr3 Champagne Stakes to be run over 1200m at Kenilworth on Saturday. The daughter of Victory Moon renews her power partnership with Andrew Fortune after a two year break.
While Saturday will herald the end of an era, it will also mark exciting new beginnings,with word on the ground suggesting that the champion mare will be visiting recently crowned champion sire Silvano at Maine Chance.
Winning Wave
Her owners Maine Chance Farms and Peter de Beyer will be hoping for a winning send off and the Princess will not get a better chance to do so. She is also in the best pair of guiding hands of former SA Champion jockey, Andrew Fortune.
Fortune has only ridden the outstanding Princess Victoria twice in her career to date and has a faultless record to boast of in that regard. He steered her to a Gr1 double way back in Champions Season of 2011 when she won the Alan Robertson Fillies Championship and the Golden Slipper.
Princess Victoria makes her farewell performance at the track where she won her second start in Listed company on Met day 2011. Princess Victoria will strip fit after her excellent fourth in the Gr1 Garden Province Stakes on July day when just over 2 lengths behind the dazzling winner Beach Beauty.On the weight for age terms of this race, she looks virtually unbeatable.
Doctor’s Orders
Her stablemate The Which Doctor has improved hand over fist in recent months and has also returned from KZN recently.
The Which Doctor had a terrific season winning two of her five races in runaway fashion.
The Which Doctor was only caught in the last 40m of her last start at Clairwood and while under an apprentice rider there, now gets the more experienced guidance of JP van der Merwe.
Fly For Five! Fairyinthewoods goes for her fifth successive win on Saturday
Forest Fairy (**Fairyinthewoods now scratched)
Darryl Hodgson’s Olympic Duel Stakes winner Fairyinthewoods has won her last four races in a row, and is one of the most improved fillies in the Cape. She beat Fly By Night by just under a half length in the Listed Olympic Duel Stakes and is now 2 kgs worse off with the Bass runner. Fairyinthewoods has answered every call however, and could well be equal to the challenge here.
Snaith Pair
Justin Snaith Earth’s Orbit and Victorian Secret are both top quality daughters of Captain Al. Earth’s Orbit ran a cracking third in the Tibouchina Stakes when staying on well under an unfamiliar rider for a good finish behind the revitalised Louvre. She showed lots of pace in the Gr1 Garden Province Stakes and was only five lengths behind Beach Beauty in the end.
Victorian Secret is very capable and showed plenty of speed to win her last outing in mid June at Clairwood. That was her fourth win from ten starts, for a filly who has shown that she is not far off the best of her age group. If not in need of the run her, she could put in a forward performance under Sean Cormack.
Bass Attack
Classy. Mike Bass’ Fly By Night enjoys the sprint track and needs to be considered as a serious challenger
Mike Bass sends out a coupling of Fly By Night and Mission House. Fly By Night ran a cracking second in the Olympic Duel Stakes (she is 2kgs better off now) and then was unlucky to be caught by a low flying Smart Colleen at her very next start. Mission House is a pacy daughter of Greys Inn, but would probably be better over 200m further.
Sheehan Shake
Smart Colleen and Lola Budd represent the Ronnie Sheehan yard. Smart Colleen flew late to catch and beat Fly By Night last time out. She is 2,5kgs worse off with the Bass runner and looks unlikely to repeat that effort. Lola Budd is a four time winner with multiple course and distance victories to her credit. She was well beaten in the Olympic Duel Stakes and may be outclassed in this company.
Joey’s Trio
Joey Ramsden’s trio of Miss Saigon, Trip Poker and Careful Hiker will have their supporters.
The enthusiastic Miss Saigon is the choice of Glen Hatt and thus the likely stable elect. The daughter of Captain Al won her last start in categorical fashion and now steps up into the big league. She must have serious place prospects.
Trip Poker ran a poor race in the Olympic Duel Stakes after being slow away. She improved slightly at her last outing when fourth over the Durbanville 1400m behind Dumani.
Careful Hiker has her first run since a nine month break and would in any event prefer it further.
Kruyer Crew
Paddy Kruyer’s National Emblem mare La Patineuse is 2,5kgs better off with Fairyinthewoods for a 2,45 length deficit in the Olympic Duel Stakes. While off her peak form of late last year, she is capable of producing a better effort again and must be a reasonable place prospect.
Vaughan Marshall’s Var 4yo Valdivia won the Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes as a 2yo in a three race winning spree. She has gone write off the boil since and while she ran a fair fifth behind Jade Bay in the Umngeni Handicap on Super Saturday, she needs to improve further to challenge the champion.
Eric Sands’ La Tigresse has won 2 of her 9 starts and steps up in class. She was outclassed in the Olympic Duel Stakes at her penultimate start and looks to have too much to do here.
Urge To Surge
Piet Steyn’s six year old Surging River mare Money Surger has lost form and last won over the course and distance at the end of November 2012.
Yvette Bremner brings the Western Winter mare Maxixe down from Port Elizabeth. The beautifully bred Lammerskraal product was formerly trained in the Cape by Joey Ramsden and ran a fair fourth behind Hurricane Katrina in the East Cape Breeders Stakes last time. This will be a lot tougher.
Stephen Page’s Jam Alley mare Abbey Creek has won 4 races, and is something of a 1400m specialist. She looks in the deep end here.
The Tiger Dance filly Kitti Cat has changed ownership and is the only 3yo in the race. The Listed Perfect Promise Stakes winner has not run since finishing fourth in the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery and comes in here off a 3 month break.
Royal Goodbye
The record books don’t lie when they reflect that Princess Victoria is one of the great female racers of recent times. At her peak she was close to invincible and while she may not be at her very best here, we have no doubt that she has all of the attributes required to make it a winning send off.
There are some smart fillies in the race, and if the Princess fluffs her lines, the race is wide open.
