Bold Beauty! Alascan Maiden caught the eye when winning on debut and is expected to go very close again on Saturday
Just as the colt’s equivalent looks straightforward, the fillies’ contest is slightly more complex. Debut winner Alascan Maiden could be the right choice in the hands of Anton Marcus in the R125 000 Listed Perfect Promise Sprint, but a case can be made for a few of her opponents. The Captain Al filly Alascan Maiden turned heads when making her course and distance debut at the end of February.
Class
Ridden there by Aldo Domeyer, who gets on Sea Cat in this race as Marcus gets the contractual nod, Alascan Maiden caught the eye in the parade ring with her stamp of class and good looks and floated down to the start, before winning unchallenged by over 3 lengths. She beat Chanel Five, who last week became first season sire Royal Air Force’s first winner, when slamming her field over 1400m at Kenilworth. That is just about all we know about Alascan Maiden. Bass’ other two of Flying Ally and Pure Power look held by Sea Cat.
Downfield
Danger. Sea Cat has two of four starts, and would not be winning out of turn
Pure Power has only run twice, and won beating Pegwell Bay on debut over the Kenilworth 1000m. She had Kitti Cat and Flying Ally, who were also making their debut, well downfield. Pure Power then came out at end March, and was beaten three lengths by Sea Cat over Saturday’s track and trip. Paul Reeves’ Sea Cat is a talented daughter of Var, who has won two of her four starts in quite impressive fashion.
She cost just R20 000 as a yearling and has won four times that already. Sea Cat shed her maiden against the boys at her second run, when slamming subsequent winner Tour De Var, but then ran downfield in the Summer Juvenile on Met Day. While on that performance she is technically held by a filly like Letas Bonnet, that suggestion is turned on its head at her next run.
Sea Cat came out over the Kenilworth 1200m on 27 March, and put it all together, winning a cracker beating all of Pure Power(3 lengths), Letas Bonnet (6 lengths) and Flying Ally (7 lengths). All three of the latter mentioned have a 2kg pull at the weights here, but it hardly looks enough to stop Sea Cat.
No Pressure
Consistent. The game Letas Bonnet is always thereabouts, but may prefer 1000m to be at her best
Dean Kannemeyer has never been known as a trainer who steps on his 2yo’s, but he has been amongst the early winners this season. He sends out two speedy fillies in Letas Bonnet and Tiger Dance’s daughter Kitti Cat, Letas Bonnet won at her second outing, thereby claiming the distinction of being first season stallion Rebel King’s very first winner.
She is not a big filly, but has earned at all four of her career starts. Letas Bonnet showed her true colours on Met Day, when running a cracking second to Only Emily in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes over 200m shorter than Saturday’s race.
She tried 1200m for the first time at her last outing, but had very little to come when going down six lengths to Sea Cat. She is 2kgs better off with the Reeves runner, but one just gets the impression that Leta Bonnet may be more comfortable at 1000m. Dean Kannemeyer’s sec-ond runner Kitti Cat races in his own silks, and she has paid her keep, winning her maiden at her fourth start last time out.
Needle
We have narrowed this down to a toss of the coin between the scope and promise of impressive debut winner Alascan Maiden, versus the experience of the twice winning Sea Cat. The race is a little more complicated, as the likes of Letas Bonnet and Pure Power look very capable of upping the ante, based on what they have already shown in competition. But it remains a choice of Marcus and Bass and Captain Al or Domeyer and Reeves and Var. Domeyer would no doubt love to prove a point and tie Superman’s cloak in a knot. An interesting touch of needle to add interest!
