Rocker. The Dennis Drier-trained Sunshine Rock looks the part in Saturday’s Gr2 Graham Beck Memorial Sceptre Stakes
Visiting trainer Dennis Drier has enjoyed a summer to savour down in the Cape. He looks to add to his haul of silverware at Kenilworth on Saturday with the Australian-bred speedster Sunshine Rock, who contests the R200 000 Gr2 Graham Beck Memorial Sceptre Stakes.
The Cape’s Sizzling Summer Season ranks as South Africa’s premier session of horseracing and there are not many men brave enough to venture out of the relative comfort of their home province in the hope of lifting a decent trophy or two in the lion’s den.
Mr Drier has bucked that trend in more ways than one, and has a full house of a Gr1,Gr2,Gr3 and a Listed race to his credit. That is besides the host of minor winners that the top stable has clocked up in both provinces.
His most recent winner was just last Saturday, when the smart Dynasty filly Beach Beauty won the R1 million Gr1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes in great style.
Tribute
The Graham Beck Memorial Sceptre Stakes is the third leg of the Fillies and Mares Sprint Series.
The first leg was the Gr2 Southern Cross Stakes run over 1000m on 8 December and won in such emphatic fashion by Via Africa.
The Listed Laisserfaire Stakes sponsored by Plattner Racing and run over 1100m on 29 December was the second leg. Sunshine Rock goes for a double here after winning that leg easily.
This memorial to a giant of the breeding and owning ranks and one of horseracing’s great benefactors in the late Graham Beck, has attracted a typically high quality field, where the Drier team holds a very strong hand.
Sunshine Rock is an exciting 4yo daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar who has won 4 of her 5 starts by a combined 13,5 lengths. She scored a first stakes success last time when winning the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes in sensational style and is a very talented sprinter.
Her stablemate Sue For Peace won 4 of her first 6 starts and was then rested prior to the Cape season.
Sue For Peace has recorded two very reasonable fifth finishes in MR 90 Fillies Handicaps over Saturday’s course and distance in the Cape and looks cherry ripe for her debut in stakes company here. She is not far off Sunshine Rock at best and could be a surprise package from a red hot stable.
The third of the Drier runners is the three-time winning Var filly, Miss October.
She meets Sunshine Rock on 2,5kgs better terms for a 4,70 length beating in the Laisserfaire Stakes. Miss October has lost her excellent form of earlier and may be a better proposition over 1000m.
Grey Flyer. Multiple Gr1 winner All Is Secret could get back onto the winning trail on Saturday
No Secret
Vaughan Marshall’s outstanding Captain Al filly All Is Secret is the biggest obstacle to a Drier victory.
The multiple Gr1 winning Equus Champion ran a slightly flat race last time when showing none of her customary kick and finishing a two length fourth behind Rumya in the Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas.
No doubt freshened up after a five week break, All Is Secret could prove to be happier down the straight course and will be a huge runner with Anton Marcus in the saddle again.
Brett Crawford’s Tamb-urlaine filly Reflective Image won the Olympic Duel Stakes over the course and distance and is a model of consistency.
She is 1,5 kg better off with Sunshine Rock for a two length defeat in the Laisserfaire Stakes, and over the extra 100m of this race, that could well prove crucial.
Irish
The second of the Crawford runners is the Irish-bred Celtic Swing mare Sweet Aria, who runs in the Beck silks.
The very capable two-time winner ran on strongly over the course and distance last time, despite casting a shoe in running. She gets the services of Karl Neisius and looks a likely danger on her very best performances.
Justin Snaith has a coupling of the well-performed Comtesse Dubois and Lake Drawsko.
The excellent Count Dubois filly Comtesse Dubois is handicapped to go close in this race and last year’s Laisserfaire Stakes winner may enjoy the reversion back to the straight track.
After a disappointing fourth in the Champagne Stakes way back in August on heavy going, she came out two months later and was only snared in the dying strides by Super Elegant in an exciting finish to the Diana Stakes run over the Durbanville 1400m.
Top Class. Justin Snaith’s Comtesse Dubois is a quality sprinter and could upstage the fancied runners
Lake Pleasant
Lake Drawsko is a lightly-raced 5yo mare who ran a fair fifth in the Laisserfaire Stakes.
Despite that she looks somewhat outclassed here and while meeting Sunshine Rock on a half kilo better terms here,that does not appear to be enough to swing things in her favour.
The Argentinian-bred Gauteng visitor Blueridge Mountain was scratched from last Saturday’s Paddock Stakes. The R2 million National Yearling Sale purchase is an interesting runner.
The Gary Alexander-trained filly won first time out over 1200m at Clairwood and followed that with two rather nice looking second places. The last of these included a runner-up position to Festival Of Fire in the Listed Starling Stakes.
Flat Effort
Her opening Cape run in the Avontuur Estate Fillies Guineas was a rather flat effort five lengths behind Rumya, and five weeks later her fitness must be taken on trust.
Piet Steyn’s Money Surger won her penultimate start after an extended dry spell and is a half kilo better off with Sunshine Rock for a 6,75 length beating in the Laisserfaire Stakes at her last start.
Money Surger will have to up her game dramatically to earn in this company and looks very unlikely here.
Rock On
This race presents as good a classy speed contest we could hope to watch anywhere.
While All Is Secret is the proven multiple Gr1 winner, Sunshine Rock looks very talented and puts the grey to her biggest sprint test as a 3yo.
We fancy the Drier filly to win at the expense of All Is Secret and Comtesse Dubois.
It should prove to be an intriguing tactical spectacle of speed.
