It’s been a decade since a Highveld raider last won the World Sports Betting Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas but Fatal Flaw will be seeking to set that record straight at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Gimmie’s Countess under regular pilot Craig Zackey will step out for Trainer Dean Kannemeyer and Khaya Stables on Saturday (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Officially of course she represents the largely Cape-based training partnership of Brett and James Crawford, but the daughter of New Predator is trained out of their Randjesfontein barn and arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday to make her Western Cape debut.
There can be no doubting the quality of Fatal Flaw’s form, but she does have a few questions to answer particularly from the widest gate of all. Firstly, she lines up in a highly competitive renewal of the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas just four days after an arduous 1400-km road trip and, secondly, Fatal Flaw will be having her first ever start around a left-hand turn.
Thirdly, she has shown her best form to date over 1400m and may prove a little suspect over the extra 200m, especially if forced to go harder than she would like over the first quarter of the race.
Amazingly, despite his impressive CV and nigh on 5600 career victories, Piere Strydom has never won the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas, and he will certainly be hoping that everything falls into place for Fatal Flaw come Saturday.
Run over 1400m on the Winter course, the Gr2 Western Cape Fillies Championship – the official domestic trial into Saturday’s Grade 1 event – gave us a clue, but no concrete evidence, as to what to expect from the local contingent. The record books show that Mon Petit Cherie edged out Beware the Bomb by a nose with Symphony In White and the fast-finishing Gimmie’s Countess both within half-a-length of the leading duo.
In fact, less than two lengths covered the first seven fillies past the post in the Western Cape Fillies Championship and they all re-oppose on Saturday.
But the mile on the Summer course, with its longer home stretch, is a far different proposition and it is unlikely that the form of their recent clash will translate literally into Saturday’s Classic event.
Gimmie’s Countess leaves the impression that the trip will be no problem and that the extended run-in will be right up her alley. There is every chance that the blue-blooded daughter of Gimmethegreenlight will overturn the form with those that finished marginally ahead of her.
From yet another wide gate, the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Gimmie’s Countess will likely adopt similar tactics and be held up for a late charge.
This time though there will be no excuses, and perhaps Lady Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables will emerge with yet another Grade 1 winner in the familiar black and yellow silks to be worn by regular pilot Craig Zackey.
That being said, Mon Petit Cherie was full value for her Grade 2 success, having also accelerated smartly from near the back of the field. Richard Fourie has a fine record in the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and Mon Petit Cherie, being out of a Galileo mare, should have little difficulty in coping with the extra 200m.
With the Crawford outfit sending out both Mon Petit Cherie and Fatal Flaw, from the best and worst of the draws, they have a Fillgreat chance of emulating their successes with Front And Centre in 2018 and Make It Snappy in 2022.
The Drakenstein owned and bred pair of Beware The Bomb and Symphony In White have obvious claims. Perhaps Beware The Bomb is more certain to get home over 1600m than Symphony In White but that remains pure speculation at this point. Beware The Bomb was the stand-out in the parade ring ahead of the Western Cape Fillies Championship and this imposing daughter of Lancaster Bomber certainly ticks all the right boxes.
Its fair to suggest that we have not seen the best of Beware The Bomb and, whatever the outcome on Saturday, there should be a lot more to come going forward.
The 2024 renewal of the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas is truly up for grabs with chances to many in a closely matched line-up, but perhaps Gimmie’s Countess will rise to the throne and claim Grade 1 glory.
