An incoming cold front bringing heavy rain and strong winds will hopefully arrive after today’s nine-race Kenilworth programme, which incorporates a jackpot of four feature races.
Despite only 1mm of rain over the past 7 days, track conditions are posted as ‘good to soft’, with a pen reading of 23 up the straight and 24 on the turn.
A north-westerly tail win of 14-17km/h is predicted.
The false rail on the summer course is in the original position, with a 3m spur at the 600m.
Dual stakes winner Erik The Red – looks a decent banker (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The Justin Snaith yard look like the team to follow again and will be riding the crest of a wave after lifting two of Sunday’s three SA Champions Season opening features.
Snaith’s dual feature winning Captain Al colt Erik The Red staying in Cape Town for the winter exemplifies the depth of the talent in the champion yard. He could have held his own on the East Coast and is well-bred talented sort who goes for his fourth win the Kuda Listed Somerset 1200.
Sure, he is having his first run after 15 weeks off the track, but is a genuine classy sort and should take a power of beating in a small field.
His stablemate Jet Dark will be the race fittest in the field. He steps up to 1200m here but jockey arrangements suggest he will be chasing Erik!
Jet Dark wins on debut at Kenilworth last Wednesday (Pic – Chase Liebenberg )
Greg Ennion’s Matthew The King was an impressive winner first time out over 1250m at Durbanville in late March. He caught the eye and gets 4kgs from Erik The Red – but he will have to be above average to win this.
In the fairer sex race, the Kudex Listed Perfect Promise Sprint, thirteen fillies are carded and it is again the Snaith-Fourie-Captain Al combination that catch the eye.
Impressive Durbanville 1250m debut winner Captain’s Ransom could follow up – even though she seemed to surprise when winning at decent odds.
Dad’s Catch comes out of an unplaced run in mixed company in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes when she finishing just over three lengths behind Erik The Red. She was a really impressive winner of her first two starts. She likes to run at them late – and thus the 1200m looks well suited to the daughter of Captain Of All.
Favorita flies home to win the East Cape Nursery at Fairview (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Snaith support attack Favorita, a winner of the East Cape Nursery, won well in the lesser centre and was not disgraced in the local Nursery behind the highly regarded Delta Queen.
The power duo of Richard Fourie and Justin Snaith are again serious contenders in the Kuda Listed Sweet Chestnut Stakes – although it is the trickiest leg of the feature jackpot.
Their Philanthropist daughter Phil’s Dancer produced a gutsy showing when scoring her second career success over 1400m at this course last time. She set the pace that day and found extra to beat Faye.
Could Snaith and Fourie make it four on the trot?
While he ran no kind of race in the Cape Derby last time, Silvano gelding Silver Host, who won the Politician Stakes over 1800m at his penultimate jump, drops back to his proven trip of 1600m in the Kuda Gr3 Variety Club Stakes.
Silver Host – may be better over the mile and could atone for Derby effort (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Piet Steyn fields an interesting candidate in the unbeaten Highlands-bred Potala Palace colt, Katak.
With a perfect two from two, including a no frills win over today’s course and distance last jump, a good draw at 2 and international jockey Aldo Domeyer could see him go very close.
Of the rest, the uber-consistent Super Silvano ran a creditable third in the Cape Derby behind Golden Ducat – the latter running on strongly for third in Sunday’s WSB Guineas at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
With good course-and-distance credentials, Super Silvano must have a chance, despite his draw.
Cane Lime ‘N Soda was promising early and the word is that his medical issues have been resolved. On his best earlier showings, he could be the quartet kicker in an open race beyond the top three.
The first is off at 12h00.
Let’s hope the rain stays away!
