Unbeaten Sail From Seattle colt Captured Wind – top-weighted, and the one to beat
Early juvenile feature races are notoriously hard to unravel. Form is sketchy, likely improvers abound. This year’s renewal of the Protea Stakes has the additional problem of rain-interrupted preparations.
Then there’s the race distance of 1100m, which requires sprinting ability – distance suitability is already a factor at this time of the season. And of course there’s the fact that it is a conditions race, where weight can play havoc, too.
Corne Spies goes for a Protea Stakes-treble, having won this race with Olympic Owen and War Horse the last two years. The adventurous trainer fields two runners this time, top-weighted Captured Wind and Kiss Me Hardy. Fanie Chambers gets the ride on Captured Wind, who is unbeaten in two starts. His second effort especially was impressive, winning by almost five lengths, on soft going.
He tops the ratings, should have improvement to come, so it will take a good ‘un to get the better of him. Eerily, that might just be his stablemate Kiss Me Hardy. This son of Captain Al won at short odds on debut, then at his only subsequent start found one too good for him in Mike de Kock’s highly regarded Banadeer. The value of that effort is still difficult to assess, but if anything we might have ratings that are too low. Both of the Spies runners are co-owned by Mr Englezakis, who sponsors this race and might get real value for money!
The immediate danger might come from the only filly in the race, Green Crest. She bypassed the Pretty Polly Stakes earlier on this card, where she would have met Mike de Kock’s Majmu again. The latter beat her by 5 lengths last time, when in receipt of 3kg. Although it would have been level playing field had she run in the Pretty Polly, it seems unlikely for her to have turned the tables. In receipt of sex allowance, things could be easier here. She has the services of Khumalo. Two other trainers have a double hand in the ten-runner field, Mike Azzie and Weiho Marwing.
The first of the Azzie-pair is the well exposed Isphan, who won last time out over 1450m and now reverts to sprinting. He looks to have a stiff task. The second Azzie runner makes more appeal. That is Rough Justice, who won his only start to date at long odds (7/1 to 16/1), after missing the break over 1000m at the Vaal. Robbie Fradd retains the ride, and improvement should be expected. Just how good he is, or isn’t, the race will tell.
Weiho Marwing fields Fabrizio, runner-up to Banadeer at his only start, beaten by some 8 lengths at odds of 45/1. He’s hard to assess. In the same ownership is stable mate Allenby Park, an Australian bred son of Henrythenavigator, making his debut. Richard Fourie has the ride, and the betting could be a guide to his chances.
The Botes-trained Brave Vision beat Isphan on his only start to date, by half a length over 1200m at the Vaal. They meet on the same terms here, Isphan having won his next start. Brave Vision is by Casey Tibbs out of a Model Man mare who won over a mile, so the shorter distance might not be to his advantage. Viking Chief is another unknown. He set the pace at his only start to date last week, but didn’t hold on, running 5th, some three lengths off winner Topostwego. He’d been well supported (5/1 to 12/10) on that occasion, so no doubt will be better than he could be rated on his debut-effort. The booking of Delpech supports that theory.
In summary, the two Spies runners look to be the ones to beat, with preference going to Captured Wind, despite his top-weight. The filly Green Crest should be thereabouts (especially if Majmu did well in the previous race on this card). Watch the betting on the others for clues.
