Undefeated. The Vaughan Marshall trained Silk Road goes for three in a row
With more than half the field yet to have seen the exalted environs of a winner’s enclosure, the R125 000 Listed Grandwest Casino & Entertainment World Summer Juvenile Stakes to be run over 1000m at Kenilworth on Met Day poses a veritable minefield for Pick 6 players.
Based on trackside whispers and a fair debut, Vaughan Marshall’s Bold Var may well be the horse to follow in the first leg of what is estimated at an exciting R4 million plus Pick 6 pool.
This race has been won by some really good youngsters over the years, and besides the thrill of leading in a winner on South African horseracing’s biggest day, a victory usually is an indicator of bigger and better things to come for the connections.
The fillies, in particular, have an excellent record in the race and names such as Agra, Princess Victoria, Diana’s Choice and Igreja come to mind.
Puzzling
Ten colts and seven fillies face the starter in a poser that is bound to have exotic players scratching their heads in puzzlement. An option for many will probably be that budget sapping ‘f’ word on their selection sheets. It certainly looks like a field leg at first glance.
Milnerton trainer Vaughan Marshall holds a strong hand with his three way coupling, headed by the topweight, the undefeated Silk Road.
Marshall is on a par with the stalwarts of the Cape training ranks of years gone by in Alec Soteriadis and Cookie Amos. All leading exponents of the art of getting the two year olds to produce the goods.
Bold Var, who ran a 3,2 length third behind Sea Cat on his course and distance debut, is rumoured to be lengths better at home than his unbeaten stablemate, Silk Road.
The David Allan owned and bred Silk Road is a son of Kabool and made his debut over the Kenilworth 800m on 8 December. He won readily after drifting alarmingly in the betting from 3-1 to 12-1. It is worrying that no winners have come out of that race.
Silk Road then came out on L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate day in a 1000m Juvenile Plate and repeated his debut performance with a smooth win. He beat the Snaith’s Tour De Var by 1,25 lengths, and had the well-backed Drier filly Platinum Ruler behind him and 3,80 lengths adrift in fourth.
It is worth noting that jockey MJ Byleveld has jumped ship from Silk Road to ride Bold Var, and it may well be worthwhile monitoring the betting.
Three Apiece
The leading yards of Justin Snaith and Glen Kotzen also have a three way coupling apiece.
Justin Snaith has a quartet comprising a trio of Var progeny, comprising Lunar Moon, Forest Panther and Tour De Var, as well as the Captain Al filly, Only Emily.
The filly Lunar Moon won on debut over the course and distance under Sean Cormack, when going off at even money and beating Only Emily a length, with the Kotzen runner Tsotsoma further 3,7 lengths back in third.
Tour De Var will be ridden by visiting rider Maxime Guyon and has run two fair course and distance seconds at his only two starts.
He is 5kgs better off with Silk Road for a 1,25 length beating last time and could well turn the table on the Marshall colt.
Felix Coetzee rides Forest Panther who is yet another who meets Silk Road on 5kg better terms here for a 3,05 length beating on debut over 800m.
Exciting String
Glen Kotzen has an exciting string of young horses this season and his trio of two fillies and a colt are a must include combination
Based on jockey choice, the Dynasty colt Kono may be the Kotzen stable elect. The R500 000 son of Dynasty who was backed on an impressive debut two weeks ago, looks quite promising after a two length second to the highly vaunted Marshall runner, Ace Antonius.
He ran handily and then stayed on well over the 1200m, and if not run off his feet would have an undeniable chance here.
Robert Khathi rides the Casey Tibbs filly Masked Lady, who won at the second time of asking over the 1200m, beating the subsequent repeat second-placer Princess Creo.
Tsotsoma is the third of the Kotzen runners and the daughter of Right Approach has shown good pace at both her starts. She is 3kgs better off with the Snaith’s Lunar Moon for a 4,75 length beating and also meets Letas Bonnet on the same kind of better terms .
Little Rebel. Letas Bonnet takes her chances in mixed company in the Summer Juvenile Stakes
First Rebel
Dean Kannemeyer had the distinction of saddling first season Klawervlei staliion Rebel King’s first ever winner on 19 December and he takes his chances here with the compact Letas Bonnet.
The little chestnut had run second on debut behind subsequent disappointing favourite Platinum Ruler.
Letas Bonnet then came out and beat Princess Creo and had subsequent impressive winner Masked Lady well beaten by 3,50 lengths.
Real Star
Alan Greeff travels from the Eastern Cape with the debut winner Navistar, who won in quick time over 800m at Fairview. Byleveld rode that first winner for Ascot Stud stallion Sail From Seattle, and should have something of a line on the collateral strengths.
Paul Reeves’ Sea Cat is one of five Var progeny in the field and the R20 000 Cape Sale bargain won readily at her second start over the course and distance in fast time.
She gave the Snaith’s Tour De Var 2,5kgs on his debut and slammed him by 1,75 lengths. Tour De Var went on to be beaten by 1,25 lengths by Silk Road when receiving 2,5kgs at his very next outing.
Rough Stuff
This is not the kind of race we would have chosen to open the Pick Six, but it makes for some interesting risk positions for the brave.
The betting may be the best guide and if Bold Var is as good as they say he is, then the money will flow on to him and he should take some stopping.
With the impressive track record of the fillies, it may be worthwhile including the Snaith and Kotzen couplings also. And then the PE horse Navistar could be anything.
