Festival Of Fire is set to get back to winning ways at Turffontein.
SA Champion trainer Mike De Kock is currently in fourth position and some R3,2 million behind Cape Champion Justin Snaith on the national trainer log. De Kock’s terrific run in Dubai recently puts that all into perspective and there won’t be any cause for panic just yet.
With the Gauteng and the KZN Champions season still to come, suggesting that De Kock is languishing or labouring may prove to be a somewhat dramatic and theatrical description of the true state of play. Especially when we reflect back on the position four months from now.
Star Man
Entrenched at the top of the tree here for much of the 21st century, De Kock took the title last year for the fourth successive season and for the eighth time in all.
With many of his big guns of the ilk of Shea Shea and Soft Falling Rain competing abroad, he only won two Gr1 races on the domestic scene last season, compared with six the previous season. This year we have aleady seen him send out the likes of Vercingetorix and Shea Shea (terrific winners this past Super Saturday) and the rather smart Ashaawes, who was sold out of the Piet Steyn yard and made some serious World Cup noises with a good placing on Super Saturday.
Pretender
Snaith on the other hand is itching to win the national title for the first time. He doesn’t look likely to retire before he has achieved that pinnacle and the marketing orientated Phillipi based conditioner swept aside all previous South African records last season.
He shattered Geoff Woodruff’s ten-year long milestone of 174 winners in a season and his tally of 198 included a record seven winners at one meeting in one day. So it should be interesting and even with the foreign currency credits and international recognition, De Kock won’t want to relinquish his title.
Class Filly
The weather continues to play havoc with our racing but punters will be hoping that the proverbial pot of gold waits at the end of this rainbow. And while the midweek show won’t make a world of difference to any title aspirations, De Kock saddles the very capable Gr2 KRA Fillies Guineas winner Festival Of Fire in the R 120 000 Pinnacle Stakes for fillies and mares to be run over 1450m at Turffontein on Thursday.
The daughter of Kahal, who carries joint topweight with Sean Tarry’s Jackodore, had a prep run for the season ahead when running a nice fifth and only 4,75 lengths behind Whiteline Fever in the Hawaii Stakes. It was a good run after her upset at the start where she broke her gate and had to be reloaded in a different stall.
Festival Of Fire is a classy course and distance winner and looks well in on the handicap. She has won 6 of her 15 starts and is surely overdue, having last visited the hallowed enclosure in May last year.
Good Fellow
Cape based jockey Richard Fourie is in town and he jumps aboard the Toreador mare, Jackodore. The 5yo is well drawn and has hit peak form at her last two starts. They were both on the sand though, and it remains to be seen whether she can match strides with the De Kock filly on the turf.
Weiho Marwing’s mare Uptothemoon ran on well for second behind the smart Orator’s Daughter in the Gr3 Acacia Handicap, which was run over a mile on Gauteng Guineas day. That was on soft ground, and it may well come up the same here.
She beat Geoff Woodruff’s 4yo Love Vivien by a nostril and now meets her on 2kgs better terms, which makes Uptothemoon a serious contender for a top three finish here.
Over The Moon
Piere Strydom rides recent winner Paschal Moon for Dominic Zaki. The daughter of Victory Moon is fit and consistent but looks to have a very tough task on these weight terms.
Lucky Houdalakis’ Demanding Lady is a good sort. She ran unplaced after a three month rest in the Acacia Handicap, and will probably be looking for further and a few more runs to reach her peak fitness.
Stuart Pettigrew’s Break Of Dawn ran a very good fifth in the Acacia Handicap and she could prove the quartet kicker here as she is better in at the weights with both Love Vivien and Uptothemoon. She looks unlikely to get the better of a class act like Festival Of Fire though.
Tough Going
Louis Goosen’s Moggytwoshoes is a nice consistent daughter of Mogok, who won her last start in lesser handicap company. She looks to have it tough at these weights but could run into the back end of quartets.
St John Gray’s Announce mare Come With Me was well beaten by Moggytwoshoes last time out and looks to be battling. Beautiful Dawn ran unplaced at the Vaal on Thursday last week, and can only have a very remote chance of earning in this field.
Confident
Festival Of Fire is our confident first choice selection to get back to winning ways. She is nominated at the expense of Uptothemoon and the consistent Love Vivien. The value shot Break Of Dawn and Jackodore look best of the rest.
