Captain’s Emblem has gained all four of her wins over 1200m at Kenilworth.
Gr3 Champagne Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth on Saturday
Heading up the five card program this weekend is the Gr3 Champagne Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday. A weight for age event over 1200m, the Champagne Stakes naturally favours the better horses and with trainer Justin Snaith saddling the two with the highest official merit ratings in the race, he could hold the key, writes Steve Furnish.
Justin saddles four in total, the highest rated of which is State Blue. As consistent as they come, this daughter of National Assembly has only failed to fill a place in the Quartet once in eighteen outings. Although she’s yet to win in graded company, State Blue has run some very good races in top company of late, most notably when only beaten 2,6 lengths by the very talented Val De Ra in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville. In contrast State Blue was a little disappointing when beaten in a conditions race here last time out, but that event was over 200m shorter, and only eight days after her success in the listed East Cape Breeders Stakes over today’s distance in Port Elizabeth. She’s gained three of her five successes over today’s distance and with the weights in her favour, she should be right there.
State Blue has the highest merit rating in the race.
Justin’s Quartet
As well as State Blue, Justin is also represented by all of Dance With Al, Ribbons For Thee and Danish Diva.
A daughter of Captain Al, Dance With Al has gained all six of her wins at this circuit, four of them over today’s course and distance. She beat some top class males when landing the Gr2 Merchants over the trip last November and wound up a very promising campaign last season with a third placing in the prestigious Gr1 Garden Province Stakes. Dance With Al was also third in the previous season’s Garden Province and interestingly, her next start, as with this around, was in this race. After being positioned with every chance, Dance With Al only managed a sixth placing in this event last season and again coming off a bit of break, she seems unlikely to be fully tuned up. The betting should tell a story.
Ribbons For Thee
Ribbons For Thee has some fair form to her name and she could well be a tad better than she has shown thus far. She is rated some 17 pounds inferior to her stable companion State Blue though, and she was beaten fair and square by that one on 3,5kg better terms in the East Cape Breeders last time out.
Danish Diva
The 5yo Danish Diva runs on nicely on her day and she has gained two of her three career wins over today’s trip. She takes a big step up in class to contest a feature event for the first time here though, and as with Ribbons For Thee, she has a very stiff task at the weights.
Joey’s Bid
Highest rated of trainer Joey Ramsden’s two runners is the Silvano mare Seal Of Approval. She had a busy campaign after finishing tenth in this race last season and fully deserved her two successes in handicap company earlier in the year. Those successes were both gained over 1400m, as incidentally was one of her other two wins, and in her four starts since, she has been well below best.
More often than not campaigned over further, the Western Winter filly Maxixe has gained three of her four successes over 1600m. She commands a nice turn of foot on her day and one gets the impression that we have by no means seen the best of her yet. She’s sure to be running on stoutly at the finish, but she is yet to score over a trip shorter than 1400m and badly out at the weights to boot here, she won’t find this easy.
Play Nice
Although Play Nice is yet to win anything greater than a MR82 Handicap, she has run some very good races in defeat and two of her three wins have been gained over this 1200m trip. Darryl Hodgson’s charge was at the top of her game at this stage of the season last year, but since finishing a runner up in an Allowance Plate in December, she’s been battling to find her form. She’s yet to finish better than fifth in four starts since returning from a break in May and although she is undoubtedly coming to hand, she has no easy task at the weights here.
Emmajo
Also representing the stable of Darryl Hodgson is the 5yo Emmajo. She’s in good form at the moment having won two of her last four starts and interestingly, she was only a neck behind State Blue off levels when third in the Gr2 Southern Cross Stakes last December. The Southern Cross is run over 1000m though and it is interesting to note that Emmajo has gained all four of her wins over that distance. She’s sure to be thereabouts if seeing out the extra, but State Blue was finishing much the stronger in that earlier event and racing over 200m further here, that one is preferred.
Twinkle Star
A winner of six races in total, the 8yo Twinkle Star was in the form of her life last season. Indeed prior to winning a MR75 Handicap in Feb’10 she had only registered one success. She’s at her best over today’s trip and she was running on strongly when stepping up in class to contest the Gr2 Sceptre stakes over today’s course and distance in January. A fair fifth that day, Twinkle Star was less than two lengths off both State Blue and Dance With Al at levels in that event. If at her best, she is not without a chance here.
Captain’s Emblem
One of six runners in the race by the season’s leading sire in terms of winners Captain Al, Captain’s Emblem has been progressing very nicely since shedding her maiden tag in December. Indeed, she’s won three from five and finished second in the other two. Her four wins have all been gained over today’s trip and she did show her class when a runner up to the subsequent Gr2 Tibouchina Stakes winner Fragrant Al in the listed Olympic Duel Stakes here in her penultimate start. On paper, Vaughan Marshall’s charge has a little to find here if she is to mount a serious challenge. Usually one to race up with the speed though, Captain’s Emblem is clearly still improving and might just pull this off.
As well as Captain’s Emblem, trainer Vaughan Marshall is also represented by the 6yo La Rosita. She too has shown promise and after winning three of her first four career starts was thought good enough to contest the Gr2 Sceptre Stakes. Since picking up a MR90 Handicap thirteen months ago, she has more often than not finished well down field. She was staying on when only 3,6 lengths behind her stable companion at levels last time out though, so it will be interesting to see how she goes.
Double Bass
Representing the powerful stable of Mike Bass are both Clarion Call and Pisces Star. Clarion Call had been coming along nicely going into this race last season and ran a very good third beaten just 1,8 lengths. She was laid off for six months after placing in her next two starts, but since her return in April she has very steadily been coming to hand. She should be cherry ripe now and although she won’t find it easy to turn the tables on the improving Captain’s Emblem, she is 1,5kg better off at the weights with that one for a 2,2 length beating last time out.
Stable companion Pisces Star is a bit of an enigma. Her recent form has been very in and out, but she has shown flashes of real ability, as her win in the listed Laisserfaire Stakes over 1100m here in January will attest. This daughter of Kahal had State Blue behind her in the Laisserfaire, but Justin Snaith’s charge was finishing at least as well when third in that event and she is now 8kg better off at the weights with Pisces Star here.
Kwitizina
Yogis Govender’s charge ran a fair race in the Olympic Duel Stakes, but with just two wins over further from twenty outings to her name, and worst in at the weights to boot, she seems unlikely to find many friends here even with Andrew Fortune on board.
Super Elegant commands a very nice turn of foot.
The 3yo’s
The two 3yo’s in the race are both trained by Piet Steyn. By far the highest rated of the pair is Super Elegant. A filly by Daylami, Super Elegant couldn’t have been more impressive when running on stoutly to score at the first time of asking and she again impressed when finishing best of all in the Gr2 Fillies Nursery over today’s course and distance next time out. Her two subsequent outings have been a little disappointing in comparison, but she does return from a bit of a break here and if ready, could still improve considerably. The dark horse.
Stable companion Moika Dancer has done very little wrong having shed her maiden tag at just the third attempt last time out and although she does now take a giant leap in class, she could still improve out of all proportion.
About The Pace
With a number of very useful couplings amongst the large field of sixteen, at least a fair pace can be expected. State Blue and Dance With Al are best in at the weights here and I wouldn’t be surprised if either won. The 3yo Super Elegant could yet turn out to be anything she too must have serious claims if at best. The one I like best on the day though is improving Captain’s Emblem.
