Last season’s Equus Outstanding Stallion Dynasty celebrated a top two finish in the Gr3 Christmas Handicap at Greyville last weekend and he could repeat the feat at the same venue on Friday evening when three of his smart daughters line up in the R250 000 Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes.
Dynasty’s smart daughter Olma could make it a deserved first stakes win
It Is Written became the 32nd stakes winner for former Horse Of The Year Dynasty when he won at Greyville on Boxing Day beating the talented Stormy Eclipse.
This weekend it is the turn of the girls to get 2016 off to a champagne start and with Olma, Sabaha and Brown Sugar carrying the Dynasty banner, fireworks are but a spark of genius away.
Frank Robinson trains the Cheveley Stud bred Olma, a lightly raced winner of 5 of 15 starts – and an overdue candidate for a stakes victory.
Olma cracked back to something like her best last time when beating Sabaha (another Dynasty 1-2) in a Conditions Plate over 200m further than she runs on Friday evening.
A glance over Olma’s formline shows that she has been highly regarded by her connections and has campaigned against the best of her generation.
She meets Sabaha again here and has a 2kg weight turn against her for the 1,75 length beating.
Olma looks to have matured and strengthened into her 4yo term and her penultimate start when a 1 lengths second to Alghadeer in the Listed Michaelmas Handicap was an outstanding effort – albeit on the polytrack.
Duncan Howells has two runners in the race and he must fancy the chances of Sabaha turning the tables on Olma.
Duncan Howells – trains Sabaha
The Gary Player Stud-bred Sabaha has only blot on a generally consistent copybook.
That was her out of province raid to the Gr2 Joburg Spring F&M Challenge where she ran 9,25 lengths off the class act, Lazer Star.
She is quite a highly strung sort but if she brings her A-game to Greyville and behaves under the lights, she could give Olma a serious run for top honours.
Stablemate Trini’s Colateral is one of only two 3yo’s in the field.
The daughter of Lateral has not run for 11 weeks as she missed a scheduled prep due to a surface change in mid November.
She has won twice from six starts and while not exposed at any level of competition, could challenge for minor place money.
Mike De Kock’s Australian-bred Alice Springs has drawn widest of all but looks set to recapture her earlier spark when winning 4 of her first 6 starts.
The daughter of Hussonet ran a decent third to Chennai Babe on the polytrack last time, despite being hampered at a crucial stage of the race. She may also hold Sabaha on the Joburg Spring Challenge run – but the Howells’ filly will be a different proposition at home.
Sean Tarry’s Trippi filly In Other Words has stepped up the ladder with impressive resolve, winning her last four on the trot – since her debut second.
In Other Words – keeps improving
Drawn wide here, she will enjoy the services of Anton Marcus and needs to show that she is as effective on the turf as she is on the poly – where all her four wins have been achieved.
It is difficult to fault her and if she is good enough, she won’t be going home empty-handed.
The former Stuart Pettigrew runner Future Fantastic has her third run for Des Egdes.
The daughter of Lateral ran third behind Olma and Sabaha last time of asking and is 2kgs worse off for a 5,25 length beating by the Robinson runner.
Her early Joburg form was fair.
Gavin Van Zyl – outside pair
Gavin Van Zyl has a decent outside hand with both Cassie O’Malley and Brown Sugar looking capable of upsetting the applecart – but both would need to run above their ratings.
Doug Campbell has kept the 3yo Visionaire filly Lala ticking over nicely and she has found her feet since herb unsuccessful feature exploits early on.
She won a lowly rated handicap 1200m at her penultimate start and then ran on strongly on the poly when under a length fourth to Chennai Babe last time.
If this test of strength has not come too early for her, she could well find her way into the place money.
Olma is surely one of the better non-stakes winning 4yo fillies around and she is the selection, albeit not an overly confident one, to get the better of In Other Words and Sabaha.
It may pay to add Alice Springs to bigger perms.
