My Emblem seen beating Just Felicity in the Listed Perfect Promise Sprint
With Anton Marcus travelling from the pleasant climes of KZN to a cold (but beautiful day) in Cape Town, punters may want to include the promising Var filly Varumba for today’s R200 000 Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery. She meets Listed Perfect Promise Sprint winner My Emblem in what could provide an interesting comparison of interprovincial juvenile form strength.
Marcus could well make it another feature double for his owners Ingrid and Markus Jooste, as he rides another Var product in Joey Ramsden’s Tar Heel in the male equivalent on the day.
Speed
Vaughan Marshall – saddles Varumba
Vaughan Marshall saddles the Avontuur bred speedster Varumba, who comes off three quality efforts in Gauteng, where she was a runaway maiden winner at her second start before going third 3,10 lengths to Entisaar in the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery.
It is well documented that Entisaar stamped herself as a top sort when subsequently slamming a top field in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship on the big Scottsville sprint day.
So that makes Varumba’s form look decidedly strong and if she has settled in after her long trip home, she is likely to go very close.
Promising
A natural top choice would be Eric Sands’ gutsy Listed Perfect Promise Sprint winner My Emblem, who beat Just Felicity in a thriller over Sunday’s course and distance just under a month back.
Marcus rode the daughter of National Emblem there and obviously he opted for Varumba ahead of her.
Jockeys – even top ones – have been wrong before, and Greg Cheyne will fancy his chances on My Emblem of giving Varumba a good go for her money.
It is worth noting that My Emblem defeated subsequent dual winner Anglet on her debut and in her four starts is stakes winner, having never gone worse than third.
Just Genuine
Just Felicity wins her second start
Greg Ennion is in top form with his small strong and Just Felicity, narrowly beaten into second in the Listed Perfect Promise Sprint, is a speedy sort who has very good form.
Brandon Morgenrood rides the daughter of Antonius Pius again.
Mike Bass was in thundering form at Kenilworth on Sunday with a feature double and he saddles the Captain Al filly Sublime Lady who shed her maiden over 1400m at her second start.
She was well beaten by over 7 lengths by Petala on debut and looks held by the majority here.
Decent
Dean Kannemeyer – saddles Fromafar
Dean Kannemeyer’s Trippi filly Fromafar could not have been more impressive when making a realtively unfancied winning debut, beating subsequent winner and a stakes runner up last Sunday in Nordic Wind.
Fromafar made up lengths to win over a trip which was expected to be too short for her and while she would have improved, it is likely that the pacy top two could outrun her here.
Justin Snaith saddles a Captain Al coupling of Petala and the more experienced, Victoria Lavelle.
Petala looks like a filly who may prefer further and battled to get into it in the Perfect Promise, when beaten 1,40 lengths into fourth. She did win against weaker on her 1000m debut.
Victoria Lavelle took four runs to win her maiden, but cracked it last time and has her first run over 1200m.
She almost upstaged the likely boys’ Nursery favourite Tar Heel at her second start and looks a progressive sort – rather than a tearaway type who stops.
Bernard Fayd’herbe rides her for the first time.
Marshall
With her excellent collateral against De Kock’s Entisaar and being the choice of Anton Marcus, it is difficult to vote against Varumba.
My Emblem and Just Felicity look the natural chasers – while Kannemeyer’s Fromafar could be anything after her eyecatching debut win.
