Progressive. The Glen Kotzen trained Dynasty gelding Alexander is a promising stayer in the making and looks ready to land the hat trick at Scottsville on Tuesday
Yet another promising son of top sire Dynasty takes his next step up the ladder to better things. Glen Kotzen’s promising 4yo Alexander has excelled since trying ground and he looks the business in the Pinnacle Stakes at Scottsville on Tuesday. This will be his first serious test and he looks equal to the challenge.
Highlands stallion Dynasty has produced the goods on the track with pleasing regularity and the former SA Horse Of The Year and sire of multiple Equus Award winners looks to have another potential champion flagbearer in Alexander.
Cracking
Alexander has caught the attention and won his last two races in cracking style under SA Champion apprentice Nooresh Juglall. In his absence in Mauritius, Anthony Delpech takes the reins. That is what we’d call a more than able replacement!
Alexander won his maiden by a country mile and last time stepped up in an MR 74 Handicap over the Clairwood 2800m. He won readily in a superb post maiden effort when nabbing the promising Kalmia on the line in a big field.
Stayer
Paul Gadsby’s good staying Kahal gelding Kalmia is 1,5kgs better off with Alexander for a narrow defeat last time, and is held in high esteem by his connections. Kalmia ran a very smart fifth to Silvano’s Jet in the KZN Derby and has beaten Alexander previously. The latter has improved substantially though and swooped in stunning style to get his measure last time. There should not be much in it.
Memorable
Duncan Howells’ grey Knight To Remember is the obvious class in the race with two good recent placings in the Gold Vase and the Gold Cup to his credit. He ran on strongly in both those features and is obviously edging back to his best as a relatively lightly raced 7yo.
He is the single biggest obstacle to Alexander registering a hat trick of wins and if on song, will go close in a race where his trainer appears to be ensuring a fast pace with the back up of his recent maiden winning stablemate.
Shocker
The Ivan Moore trained Eton Mess was a shock winner at his penultimate start over the Clairwood 2500m when downing subsequent Gold Cup winner Jeppe’s Reef in a rousing finish. The son of Jallad is not the soundest fellow in town, and ran close on eleven lengths behind Kolkata in the Gr2 Gold Vase at his last outing.
That said, he obviously has plenty of talent and ability when able to put his best foot forward and has won from 1200m to 2500m. He can handle the Scottsville track and won here over 2400m a year ago.
Disappointing
The four time winning Sage Throne has yet to rise to the heights expected when he lost the KZN Derby to Mauritius bound Il Saggiatore in 2011 in the Stipes boardroom.
He has won two races since then and did not put in entirely disgraceful efforts in the Gr2 Gold Vase (4,90 lengths to Kolkata) and at his last start in the Gr1 Gold Cup, when 3,20 lengths behind surprise winner Jeppe’s Reef. Sage Throne is in fact 2kgs better off with Knight To Remember for a length and a half beating in SA’s premier staying race, and there should not be too much between them. He is actually weighted to win this race on paper, but is not the kind of fellow we would consider going to war with.
Pacesetter
The second of the Duncan Howells runners is the recent maiden winner Duchess Of York. The daughter of Black Minnaloushe won her race over 1950m running handily and beating Dux by 2,25 lengths.
It was frankly a rather weak bunch of fillies and she is thrown in the deep end here, but appears to have pacesetting responsibilities for her much vaunted stablemate.
Frustration
The second of the Colin Scott runners is the Spectrum gelding Happy Colours, who has won twice. The 5yo showed a glimmer of form, for want of a better word, when running on at recent starts. His last run was a rather dull effort when he finished 8 lengths behind the capable One Cool Dude in a Clairwood 1800m handicap last time. His maximum previous distance effort was over 2200m where he finished 15,40 lengths behind stablemate Sage Throne.
The move to more ground strikes as a move from frustration, rather than the makings of a plan. James Goodman’s 4yo Woodborough gelding Piano Forest is a one time winner, who has not shown much since scoring his maiden victory in February over the Scottsville mile. He tries the longer trip for the first time and with just 46kgs to shoulder could burgle a place at best. He will have to improve dramatically though.
Close Call
This race should provide an exciting highlight to a competitive afternoon of racing. All of the leading protagonists are late dash sorts and the pace is bound to be on from the jump. Both Knight To Remember and Kalmia are good staying sorts and will be right there when the whips are out. Alexander is our first choice as a progressive classy sort. He will get every assistance from the saddle and could register a smart treble on his way to better things.
