The Cape Winter Series has been the nursery of some big names over the years.
Champion Variety Club – winner of 2012 Winter Guineas
The 2018 renewal kicks off on the Kenilworth summer course today and with five favourites winning the last seven renewals, it could be a race for exotic players to go narrow.
The contest is run at a base weight of 58 kgs for colts and geldings and 55,5kgs for fillies.
Snaith’s Politician Stakes winner Doublemint
Winners of Group races – there are only two in the eleven strong field – incur penalties and Gr2 Selangor Cup winner Rocket Countdown carries top weight of 60kgs, with Gr3 Politician Stakes winner Doublemint carrying 59kgs for his GrPolitician Stakes victory on the day of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.
Race fitness looks likely to play a major part, with most of the better rated runners looking to possibly need the run.
Joey Ramsden saddles a duo headed by the only filly in the field in Western Winter daughter, Fresnaye. Third placings in both the Cape Fillies Guineas (Snowdance) and Paddock Stakes(Oh Susanna) suggest there is no lack of class and she was also not disgraced in the Cape Derby when 5 lengths off Eyes Wide Open. Girls don’t have much of a record in this race.
Joey Ramsden – good record in this race
Ramsden also saddles the luckless Ancestry, a son of Oratorio, who ran two class seconds in the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe and Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes as a 2yo, but has failed to go on with it as a 3yo. He has not run since a poor showing in the CTS 1600 on Met day.
Smart 2yo form – Ancestry showed early promise
Justin Saith, who scored with Readytogorightnow (2013) and African Night Sky last year, saddles the consistent Doublemint, who comes in off a 16 week break since winning the Politician Stakes at the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Festival Of Racing earlier this year. The son of Twice Over has been kept in the Cape with this series as his main mission and can go close if not tripped up by fitness.
Snaith also saddles the relatively unexposed and well-bred Love Happens, who beat Chatuchak – who he holds again here – to register his second win at Durbanville recently. Love Happens steps up a notch in class but looks progressive.
Rocket Countdown – Selangor winner needs to find his form
Candice Bass-Robinson saddles a trio headed by Selangor winner Rocket Countdown. The son of Alado failed to confirm his form with his subsequent runs in the Cape Guineas and CTS 1600 but won three on the trot earlier –including his maiden, and may enjoy the winter conditions.
Recent debut winner Rainbow Bridge may be best of the balance. The son of Ideal World steps up to a mile at his second start and could be anything after an impressive 1200m strike first time out. It is encouraging that Richard Fourie sticks with him.
Ancestry, Rocket Countdown and Doublemint look the right trio to hammer this out. Fresnaye could make a bold statement for the fairer sex. Love Happens and Rainbow Bridge are the unexposed quantities.
