Genuine! The very capable Australian-bred Europe To Africa looks overdue to score a first stakes win
The choice of opting for the handicapped good thing Dubai Gina, or taking a position on one of the less exposed 4yo’s like Greg Ennion’s Europe To Africa or Glen Kotzen’s Beloved Betty, faces punters in the R150 000 Gr3 Victress Stakes to be run over 1800m at Kenilworth on Saturday.
With no genuine standout class act of the ilk of a Rumya or Princess Victoria amongst this group of fillies and mares, the chances of a body-blow for backers of the obvious, looks on the cards.
Glen Kotzen throws the kitchen sink in with four serious contenders and the trojan dame Beloved Betty is one who looks overdue for a decent win.
Beloved Betty is a well- drawn daughter of Spectrum, who has not won for over a year now.
That statistic is put into perspective in some measure though by the fact that 8 of her 9 interim starts have been in feature races. Her best efforts were a fourth in the KZN Fillies Guineas behind Amanee, and then a good second in the Gold Circle Oaks to Tajmeel.
Kotzen raised eyebrows in some quarters when despatching Beloved Betty to Port Elizabeth for her last start. But the Paarl trainer’s confidence was endorsed when she ran on powerfully late in the Algoa Cup for a 5.50 length fifth to Hill Fifty Four. She was giving the Marshall winner a half kilo, and came away earning a cheque. That was a good effort after losing ground at the start, and Beloved Betty would not be winning this race out of turn.
The balance of the Kotzen quartet is made up by Queen’s Command, Cash Register and Golden Dawn.
Queen’s Command will be ridden for the first time by veteran Karl Neisius and this hard-knocking mare is always a threat but will need some good fortune from that 15 draw.
She meets Frequent Flyer on 1.5kgs better terms than when beaten 2,75 lengths at their last start.
The late great Big City Life’s sister Cash Register has won 4 of 13 starts and the Ladies Mile winner has won 3 of her last 5 starts.
She ran wide last time when a half- length second to Frequent Flyer, and now has to counter a 2,5kg negative weight turnaround with the Crawford runner. As a course and distance winner, she is probably at her best around this trip and will be ridden by Kotzen first-choice jockey, Grant Van Niekerk.
Golden Dawn is the least fancied of the Kotzen quartet, but this daughter of Goldmark is not entirely devoid of hope. She likes to run up with the action and is a likely pacesetter.
She showed a flicker of a form return at her last start, when being run out of it late by Fillies Guineas hopeful Bois De Boulogne
Good sort. Glen Kotzen’s Beloved Betty ran an excellent race in the Algoa Cup and a repeat of that would have her challenging for honours here
Long Way
Greg Ennion’s 4yo Rock Of Gibraltar filly Europe To Africa has bumped the boys at her last two starts and come away with her head held high.
Europe To Africa won a Graduation Plate over a mile at Durbanville beating Act Fast and Silvano’s Jet, giving them each 1,5kgs. Act Fast gave that performance a major boost when he subsequently finished a 1,30 length third to King Of Pain in the Selangor Cup.
Europe To Africa maintained her form at her last start when going third to Tribal Dance in a Conditions Plate. She had the likes of seasoned males like Lion In Winter and Grafton Street well beaten there.
She has placed in stakes company ( she ran third to Tajmeel in the Gold Circle Oaks) and looks overdue to record her first serious win.
Europe To Africa will have to overcome Vaughan Marshall’s Dubai Gina, who looks handicapped to win this race. She is the highest rated runner in the race.
This three-time winning Australian-bred 4yo won the Listed Sun Classique by 4,25 lengths and also ran an excellent third behind Viva Maria in the Gr1 Woolavington during the Champions Season in KZN.
Dubai Gina was then rested five months and bounced back last time with an excellent second to Razzle Dazzle Rose, whom she meets here as a much fitter filly on 6kgs better terms.
For Snaith
The powerful Snaith yard has four respresentatives in this race.
The Listed Jockey Club Stakes winner Alvilda meets Frequent Flyer on 2kgs worse terms for a 4.10 length beating last time. A winner of 3 of her last 6 starts, the daughter of Jallad has the heart of a lion and may have needed her last run and is bound to improve again here.
She has drawn poorly at 14, and will need some luck in running.
Her year older stablemate Cause To Believe is another to draw poorly, and after enjoying a runaway win at her penultimate start by seven lengths, nothing went right at her next start.
After being slow out, she ran wide and faded to finish 6,75 lengths behind Razzle Dazzle Rose. She was reported not striding out and was not ridden out in the final stages.
The Listed Winter Oaks winner Rush For John is a consistent Jet Master mare, who has strangely only ever won two races. She received 9 kgs from Dubai Gina when finishing 0,25 length behind that one last time, and at level weights here the deductions is a simple one.
Michael Di Broglio’s mare Only Achiever has failed to spark since relocating from the Gauteng yard of Geoff Woodruff.
Low Cost
Frequent Flyer is a consistent sort who was rewarded with a good win at her last start in a F&M Conditions Plate over a mile. She gave Cash Register 2kgs and a half length beating there, while she received 2kgs from Queen’s Command, whom she held to a 2,75 lengths third.
Frequent Flyer now gets a half kilo from both the Kotzen horses, and Queen’s Command could prove the greater threat.
Frequent Flyer has a touch of class about her as a Listed winner, who also ran a meritorious second to Ebony Flyer in the Gr1 Majorca Stakes on Met day 2012. On that form, she must be a serious threat here.
The Right One. Dubai Gina will go close to winning the Victress Stakes if running to her best form
Elegant
Last year’s winner Super Elegant has had eleven runs in the interim.
Piet Steyn’s Daylami filly won the Diana Stakes at her penultimate start, but then faded badly next time when running 8,35 lengths behind Frequent Flyer in a mile Conditions Plate. She is thus held by Frequent Flyer and is too inconsistent to recommend with any confidence.
Yogas Govender’s Razzle Dazzle Rose has drawn against the paint, and comes in off her resounding win in an MR 99 F&M Handicap over the course and distance at her last start.
Razzle Dazzle Rose beat Dubai Gina 2,25 lengths there in receipt of 7kgs, and is now 6kgs worse off. So Dubai Gina should have her measure with ease.
Joey Ramsden’s Leeward is battling to recapture the form that saw her win 4 of her first 5 starts.
She ran in a F&M Divided Handicap over 1400m at Kenilworth last Saturday and finished 5,70 lengths off the runaway winner , Halfway To Heaven. She will need to improve dramatically.
The combination of jockey Craig Du Plooy and trainer Carl Burger celebrated a shared winner in the Braam Van Huysteen silks with Dark Journey at Kenilworth last Saturday, but they look unlikely to repeat with the six year old mare Young Caesour. She is the likely pacemaker in this race.
Upset?
These fillies and mares affairs are capable of often providing upset results.
Dubai Gina is a fit talented filly who looks very well in.MJ Byleveld knows her very well and she will get the guidance from the saddle.
She will have to be at her best to hold both Europe To Africa and Beloved Betty through, who appear overdue to record their first wins of substance, And at value odds too!
