Princess Royal – will have her supporters and looks likely to enjoy the 1400m
Cape trainer Glen Kotzen has returned to the well with a Gr1 winning family and looks to repeat his 2011 success in Saturday’s R600 000 Gr1 Golden Slipper. He saddles the talented Captain Al filly Princess Royal who looks to be crying out for the 1400m.
Kotzen will have fond memories of his champion Princess Victoria (Victory Moon) who won this race four years ago in the Jaffee silks and was described then by her rider Andrew Fortune as being one of the best he had ever ridden.
Tradition
Princess Royal is her half-sister and looks to continue the proud family tradition. She certainly has the form, and has a decent draw too.
She won on debut and was then placed fourth in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes on Met day. Princess Royal won the Listed East Cape Nursery at Fairview en route to her KZN Champions Season campaign.
Based in the holiday province, she has had two runs. She was outpaced by her stablemate Royal Pleasure in the Strelitzia Stakes, before running on strongly behind Entisaar in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship. She did not have the easiest of passages there.
The extra 200m should be to her liking.
De Kock Trio
Almashooqa goes down narrowly to Flying Ice in the Devon Air Stakes
Mike De Kock has won this race many times in the past and he saddles a three-way coupling, headed by the Australian-bred Almashooqa.
The daughter of Bernardini looked a winner in the course and distance Listed Devon Air Stakes, and was only headed late by Flying Ice.
She was a runaway debut winner and with her experience and ability looks a major runner here.
Both her stablemates have drawn in the bush.
Captain’s Song won her Turffontein Maiden by 7,50 lengths at her third start and comes off a sixteen week break.
After winning her maiden at Scottsville by a similar margin, Sharp Princess was beaten at Greyville over 1300m last time by the Mike Azzie-trained Mella Maria.
That one runs here as part of the Azzie quartet and was well beaten 6,50 lengths in the Allan Robertson Championship at her penultimate start.
Mike Azzie – enjoys a decent hand
Her stablemate La Strada comes off an eleven week break following her Vaal maiden win. She has drawn against the paint, and is difficult to assess in the Gr1 company.
Frosted Honey ran a decent enough race when beaten 2,50 lengths behind Entisaar in the SA Fillis Nursery at Turffontein ten weeks ago.
That does not place her too far behind Princess Royal.
The final of the Azzie four is the Querari filly Melliflora, who accounted for subsequent narrow winner Gain Ground at this over a mile last month. S’manga Khumalo’s engagement suggests she is not the weakest of the four.
Pace
Duncan Howells Lauderdale showed smart pace in the Listed Devon Air Stakes, where she was only beaten just over a quarter length behind Flying Ice and Almashooqa.
She was always in contention there, and it may be in her favour that she will likely have to be ridden slightly more conservatively here. The daughter of Elusive Fort is the dark horse of the race.
The Paul Peter-trained Miracle Rising ran in the Allan Robertson as a maiden and was beaten 11 lengths. She came out next time to shed her maiden beating Gain Ground over the Scottsville 1400m.
Her second in the Strelitzia Stakes saw her finish 1,25 lengths ahead of Princess Royal, and as the distance suited most experienced filly in the race, she certainly comes into the picture at best.
Anton Marcus rides the Scottsville debut winner Ninefold for Charles Laird. The daughter of Warm White Night was slow away and just over 5 lengths back in the Listed Devon Air Stakes. She will need to improve a good few lengths to trouble the top three on that.
Dennis Drier’s Chestnuts ‘N Pearls won on debut but was then outgunned in the Allan Robertson when some 7,75 lengths back.
Her breeding suggests that she should be a lot more comfortable over this trip.
Striker
Piere Strydom – rides Sapsan
Piere Strydom takes the ride on the well tried David Niewenhuizen filly, Sapsan.
She beat Miracle Rising at her third start to win her maiden, and her form to Entisaar and Shaama since has not been half bad, to suggest she has no chance in this field.
The daughter of Lateral will need plenty of luck from the 15 draw (a daughter of Lateral won this event from an 11 draw at 50-1 last term).
Toni Performs won her 800m debut but has failed in 4 runs since then – and was beaten out of the money in the Listed Devon Air Stakes last time.
Queen Of Credit and Silvan Jazz look place hopefuls at best from their wide draws and low-key form profiles.
Experience
Almashooqa and Princess Royal look the duo to fight this out.
There shouldn’t be too much to choose, but the former may be the better based on her course and distance feature form at the track.
Lauderdale has not drawn well but ran a cracker in the Devon Air Stakes and a repeat of that brings her into the picture.
