Charles Lytton – hard to oppose
The Justin Snaith yard are slowly on the way back to their best. With a double at Fairview last Friday and another two winners at Kenilworth this past Saturday, it would make every sense to start including them. The Fairview feature today looks theirs for the taking.
The R150 000 Listed Ibhayi Stakes was won by a Cape horse last year when Vaughan Marshall came to town and took the honours with Horse Chestnut’s smart son, Chestnut’s Rocket.
All things being equal, Snaith looks to continue the away trend in 2015 with Charles Lytton, a gelded son of a teaser with a fairytale story to back up the romance of his athletic ability.
While the tale has been well documented of how the astute Chris Snaith picked Charles Lytton out at Wilgerbosdrift a few years ago, the meteoric and largely unanticipated progress of the son of Thomas Crown on the racetrack, has added meat to the central plot of a feelgood story second to none.
While the Cape Guineas was a bridge too far at this stage of his career, and his only non-earning appearance, Charles Lytton has won 4 races from his 7 starts and earned place cheques at the other two.
Richard Fourie rides Charles Lytton
He won his only start in PE (over Friday’s course and distance) when strolling home in the Sophomore Plate beating the promising local Kalamain, a month ago.
The weights of the Ibhayi Stakes are framed off a base of 52 kgs with 2 kg for each additional win up to but not exceeding 58 kg
Additional penalties accrue for winners of Gr1 races at 4kg for each such win. Gr2 races attract 3kg for each such win, with 2kgs for Gr3 wins and 1kg for Listed wins.
On these terms, Charles Lytton looks a technical penalty kick off a rating of 93 against six local opponents .
One exception to this could be the John Finlayson owned Notting Hill, a son of Horse Chestnut, who has won his last two starts and looks possibly unexposed and progressive at this point.
Ignoring his official rating of 72, he gets only 4kgs from the Cape raider but has shown a good turn of foot and some commendable versatility in winning his only two local starts since relocating from Luchelle Kruger up North.
Notting Hill doddled home to beat little of note at his Novice last time and won his maiden over Friday’s course and distance in good style prior to that.
Wayne Agrella unfortunately cannot do the weight, but Karl Zechner is no second-rate sub.
Gavin Smith – saddles a coupling
Gavin Smith saddles a coupling of Shine Like A Star and the above average Frederick Fox.
Frederick Fox was beaten 3 lengths in the Sophomore Plate and now meets Charles Lytton on 2kgs better terms. A winner of 2 of 14 starts, he must have a chance at best and has a victory over the talented older galloper Principled to his credit.
Shine Like A Star appears to have soundness issues and is another who has generally failed to recapture his best 2yo form. He cannot be recommended with any confidence.
The Listed Dahlia Plate winner Seattle Joe has failed to recapture his 2yo form and looks to have plenty to do. There must be plenty of frustration here for a top trainer as the horse has plenty of ability.
Yvette Bremner’s Blast returns from a failed attempt at the CTS Book 2 Graduates Race at Turffontein a month back.
He finished 25 lengths behind Siren’s Call and the sense in travelling from PE to try and win from a 14 from 16 draw is questionable. But hindsight is an exact science and the golden carrot of the big money is a magnet.
Blast’s earlier PE form brings him in as a possible place getter here.
The well tried Lord Kelly has won one race from 17 starts and appears to be battling. He was beaten 4,25 lengths by Charles Lytton in the Sophomore Plate at his penultimate start and now meets the Snaith runner on 2kgs better terms.
That may not be enough to reverse the finishing order.
