A clash of two beautifully bred 3yo fillies from training centres on either side of the Cape Peninsula should be a highlight of forthcoming Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Kenilworth headline feature, the R450 000 Gr2 Western Cape Fillies Championship.
A bumper ten race card, with 138 runners and two Listed support features, sends a message that the Cape Summer Of Champions Season is just weeks away, and this is racing!
Gimmie’s Countess (Serino Moodley) charges clear to win the Baker McVeigh Gr3 Diana Stakes (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
With the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas a few days short of a month away, the 1400m feature has attracted an exciting field of twelve, headed by Milnerton trainer Dean Kannemeyer’s recent Baker McVeigh Gr3 Diana Stakes eyecatcher Gimmie’s Countess (111) and including Futura Park kingpin Justin Snaith’s less exposed Trippi maiden winner, Little Suzie (89).
Gimmie’s Countess was fresh off a 14 week break following the Champions Season on the East Coast when she bounded clear to win the Gr3 Diana Stakes under 51,5kgs to give Serino Moodley his first Hollywoods Durbanville feature success on 28 September.
Craig Zackey takes the reins at the daughter of Gimmethegreenlight’s first start at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday, and she has to contend with a 12 draw – tricky over the 1400m.
1st R267187.5, 2nd R85500, 3rd R42750, 4th R21375, 5th R10687.5, RCIS R22500
WESTERN CAPE FILLIES CHAMPIONSHIP (Gr 2)
For 3 year-old FilliesNo Apprentice / Female Sex Allowance
| 1 | 1 | Little Suzie | 60 | 89 | A | Grant van Niekerk | Justin Snaith | |
| 2 | 2 | Polynomial | 60 | 90 | A | Corne Orffer | Greg Ennion | |
| 3 | 3 | Symphony In White | 60 | 105 | A | Aldo Domeyer | Candice Bass-Robinson | |
| 4 | 4 | Beware The Bomb | 60 | 89 | A | Sean Veale | Justin Snaith | |
| 5 | 5 | Whistle The Tune | 60 | 103 | Ae | Denis Schwarz | Glen Kotzen | |
| 6 | 6 | Garden Of Eden | 60 | 86 | A | Devin Ashby | Paul Reeves | |
| 7 | 7 | Mai Sensation | 60 | 91 | A | Juan Paul v’d Merwe | Lucinda Woodruff | |
| 8 | 8 | Festival Chic | 60 | 89 | A | Luyolo Mxothwa | Brett Crawford | |
| 9 | 9 | Dixieland Band | 60 | 100 | A | Robert Khathi | Greg Ennion | |
| 10 | 10 | Mon Petit Cherie | 60 | 91 | A | Richard Fourie | Brett Crawford | |
| 11 | 11 | Kinda Wonderful | 60 | 104 | A | Siphesihle Hlengwa | Eric Sands | |
| 12 | 12 | Gimmie’s Countess | 60 | 111 | A | Craig Zackey | Dean Kannemeyer | |
| Same Trainer | ||||||||
| (1,4) (2,9) (8,10) | ||||||||
Little Suzie was supremely impressive when shedding her maiden from a tricky draw just a week earlier at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.
She has the advantage of a pole position draw on Saturday and Grant van Niekerk keeps the ride.
“She has so much scope and gave me a bomb feel. Hollywoodbets Kenilworth with a bit more give in the ground and a longer run in will be even better for her. She has the action and a turn of foot, so it didn’t matter that we ran wide. I am going to ask Mrs Rupert to retain me again seen as I’m riding all these winners,” chirped the delighted Van Niekerk in the Little Suzie maiden post-race chat.
Jono Snaith and his team lead Little Suzie (Grant van Niekerk) in after her maiden win (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
While Gimmie’s Countess hails from a Grade 1 family that has served the Khaya-Kannemeyer partnership with distinction , Little Suzie boasts a royal family of her own.
She is out of Street Cry daughter Oh Susanna, who was foaled in Australia, and was the family operation’s first Met winner in 2018 – when ridden by the very same Grant van Niekerk – and was the first 3yo filly in 100 years to win the Cape flagship. She went on to SA Horse Of The Year honours.
Drakenstein Stud are well represented with Little Suzie’s twice winning stablemate Beware The Bomb (a daughter of Lancaster Bomber), while their Candice Bass-Robinson trained Symphony In White, a home-bred daughter of What A Winter out of Captain Al champion Snowdance, has show promise and finished 0,40 lengths behind Kalil star Quid Pro Quo in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship in June.
The Ridgemont team will be keen to have their new retained rider Richard Fourie boot home his first Grade 2 winner for them and the Rafeef filly Mon Petit Cherie, trained by Brett Crawford, has done little wrong.
Greg Ennion saddles the Varsfontein bred Polynomial, while Paul Reeves includes his 100-1 maiden winner Garden Of Eden, a Riethuiskraal bred daughter of Duke Of Marmalade, who could be anything.
What a race this promises to be!
