Vaughan Marshall has a veritable armada of three-year-old talent to go to war with this season – including Grade 1 winners Always In Charge and The Secret Is Out – and William Longsword confirmed at Kenilworth on Saturday that he can be mentioned in the same exalted breath, writes Michael Clower.
Gr1 winner Always In Charge
Marshall said: “He is very good. He has a lot of talent and he will be going places. This wasn’t the strongest field but it was a tough task with 58kg against older horses and he came through it with flying colours.”
The Milnerton trainer added that plans are fluid, not least because the R2.2 million half-brother to Real Princess is eligible for the two CTS $500 000 races on Met day. So too is Always In Charge and all three stars are by Captain Al who Marshall trained to win the 2000 Cape Guineas.
Craig Bantam – rated by the veteran trainer
Saturday’s Quinte Plus Handicap was the colt’s first appearance for three months and Donovan Dillon had little hesitation in sending him on over two furlongs from home, saying: “He was cantering. I like the horse a lot and this was a win full of merit.”
Marshall, incidentally, rates Craig Bantam who led from halfway on Olympian in the 1 000m handicap – “I think he is a kid for the future. He rode a very good race and he did the same on Royal Chian the previous Saturday.”
Although Quine only won the Racing.It’s A Rush Handicap by the width of one of the hairs on her nostrils – amazingly Grant van Niekerk was always confident he was going to get there – Andre Nel is convinced there are more victories to come.
He explained: “The ground was a bit soft for her – she is much better when the going is on top – and we will probably aim her at a feature at the end of October or in November.”
Sabine Plattner – owns the mare
Nel and Sabine Plattner elected to disregard veterinary advice with Eleadora and at the age of five the mare is starting to come good, leading a furlong out to convincingly beat a modest field for the 2 000m maiden.
“When I got to the farm she was a cripple and chronically lame,” Nel related. “We found a chip at the back of a knee and the vets suggested we operate.
“At that stage she had shown absolutely nothing so we thought ‘Is it worthwhile?’ The chip is still there but these days she is very sound.”
Corne Orffer, who rode her, reckons he should also have won Olympian’s race on third-placed Ovar and reported: “I pulled him in behind something whereas I should have let him stride.”
Those who had their fingers burnt backing hot favourite Glorious Goodwood for the second race in succession just might get their money back next time. Unlike last month, his defeat by Volatile Energy in the 1 400m maiden was through no fault of his.
“The horse on my inside (Devout) bumped me and Glorious Goodwood lost his footing. He ran a good race considering,” reported Richard Fourie.
Volatile Energy had losses to recover for the Candice Bass-Robinson stable after managing only fifth when starting favourite four weeks earlier and Van Niekerk said: “He was drawn wide that day, it was in the mud and he never enjoyed one bit of it.”
Grant Behr and his old colleague Karl Neisius
Grant Behr rode Silver Chalice with commendable initiative in the Place Your Bets Handicap, dashing the 14-1 chance into the lead three furlongs out and poaching what proved to be an unassailable lead. The four-year-old is the last foal of Crystal Chalice, dam of 2008 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Sparkling Gem.
Breeder and part-owner Pat Schafer recalled: “Crystal Chalice was 35 days overdue, the foal was huge and ten days after he was born the mare died.”
That wasn’t the end of the drama either because Silver Chalice failed the scope when sent for sale and Eric Sands has had to work round the wind problem ever since, saying: “He was too weak to go over the ground he needs until this year, hence the recent improvement.”
Donovan Dillon – continues to impress
Dillon continues to impress and when Sabrina Fair refused to settle in the last he boldly let her stride on, fully aware that Justin Snaith usually dislikes seeing his horses dashed to the front so early.
The move paid off handsomely and the former champion trainer was also on the mark in the first with Gimme Six who was given a much more conventional Snaith ride by Craig du Plooy.
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