Harry Lime is fast and classy
There is a tangible sense of serious summer racing in the air down Kenilworth way and the quality midweek topliner at the Southern Suburbs venue hosts the seasonal debut of Justin Snaith’s exciting Var colt, the Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes winner Harry Lime.
The MR 91 Handicap to be run over the 1000m straight has attracted a speedy bunch of eight. And what a smashing field to lift the midweek action!
Nice Coupling
Justin Snaith has had a quiet time of it in recent weeks, but with the big guns emerging, it won’t be long before the yard starts firing. Snaith saddles a 3yo coupling of Harry Lime and recent Sophomore Sprint winner, Door Of Deception.
The Rathmor Stud-bred Harry Lime arrived on the KZN Champions Season scene with a bang in April when he sauntered home to win the Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes over the Scottsville 1200m on his coconut.
Despite lugging out and running greener than an avocado pear, the R350 000 National Yearling Sale graduate beat another Var in Mike De Kock’s highly vaunted Mastermind by over 3 lengths. The runner-up had won his debut over the same course and distance when starting at a prohibitive 1 to 3.
Commendations
Stable jockey Richard Fourie, who is recovering from an injury and only returned to race-riding this past week was aboard at that win and rides him again on Wednesday.
Fourie was full of praise for the Var colt – calling him a ‘lovely horse with a temperament to be a champion’.
Trainer Justin Snaith was also excited and said that not too many horses could work alongside Arria. He joked that Harry Lime was ‘unconscious at home but woke up at the races.’
But Harry Lime did not live up to the confidence. He had two further starts at Gr1 level against his own age group, and while not disgraced, he failed to feature.
He returns on Wednesday after a 17 week break, and faces some decent older sprinters.
Opposition
Door Of Deception won the Listed Sophomore Sprint
But he needs to overcome his stablemate, Door Of Deception as a first hurdle.
The son of Count Dubois has been consistency personified and shocked the Asstar fans when benefitting from a pearler of a Sean Cormack ride to win the Listed Sophomore Sprint at his penultimate start.
That effort was given a boost when the rather promising Asstar came out to win a cracking Pinnacle Stakes on Saturday – a race described as something on the ‘level of a Gr2’ by the astute Joey Ramsden.
Door Of Deception was hurried off his feet and ran five lengths behind Reim in the Gr3 Matchem Stakes a month back, but may prefer the Kenilworth conditions.
Storm Brewing
Gulf Storm is very capable
Brett Crawford sends the classy Sail From Seattle gelding Gulf Storm out for his opening start as a 4yo after a 14 week break.
He ran a cracking 3 lengths behind the speedy Schiffer in the Listed Umngeni Handicap on Super Saturday to round off a sold KZN campaign.
He showed he is above average when registering a hat-trick, including his maiden win as an early 3yo.
Very Fit
The Mike Bass-trained African Fish Eagle is yet to win over 1000m, but has improved dramatically since taking a while to win his maiden.
The son of Antonius Pius is a fit horse and meets Bad Winter on a half kilo worse terms following his head behind him last time. This will be a different ball-game to the Durbanville 1300m though.
Yogas Govender scored a double at Kenilworth last Wednesday and he saddles joint topweight Bad Winter.
The 7yo is getting on a bit now but ran on for a smart third behind De Kock at his penultimate start over the course and distance.
Specialist
Greg Cheyne – riding like a demon
Vaughan Marshall’s Olympian is a typically speedy son of the ill-fated Scarlet Letter, a sire described by Mike De Kock as the fastest horse he ever trained.
Something of a Durbanville 1000m specialist, Olympian is yet to win at Kenilworth but appears to be maturing nicely and could sneak into minor place money.
Greg Cheyne is riding like a demon at the moment and he jumps aboard the bottomweight Varistar.
The 4yo is very fast and beat Olympian during the winter. There could be little between the two of them.
Go With Harry
The achiever in the field is Harry Lime. Gulf Storm is fast and Door Of Deception doesn’t lack for quality.
There won’t be a lot between them. But Harry Lime is expected to come back flying.
