With a large field of fifteen fillies and mares, the pace for the Bauhinia sprint to be run over 1000m at Turffontein on Saturday should be fast and furious from the start. Such a strong pace will ensure a true run race, where the typical 1000m specialists may well have an advantage.
At the top of the weights with 60kg is Winter Star, whose best performances this season (going by ratings) have been over this course and distance, in October and November.
Winter Star has a stiff task – but is classy at best
Winter Star’s most recent form is over more ground, her last effort some 3 lengths off Captain Aldo over 1400m last week. How she’ll cope with the return to the minimum distance is hard to predict. Her task looks to be a stiff one.
Ha Lucy produced a career-best rating when winning over 1000m at the Vaal last time out. She looks a good 1000m performer, but against her is that she’s not a reliable beginner. She’ll need to repeat her last effort.
Sweet Painted Lady beat Ha Lucy by over 2 lengths over this course and distance in November, and is a kilo better off this time. That suggests she can beat Lucy again, especially as she likes to race handy or with the pace – her opponent unable to match that.
A concern is Sweet Painted Lady’s last run, below best, beaten eleven lengths by stable companion Jo Malone.
The latter didn’t frank the form when almost five lengths behind Ha Lucy next time out, but found the winner’s box again the time after that. Jo Malone seems to go well racing handy or upfront.
Louis Goosen -saddles Seventh Symphony and A Million Dreams
A Million Dreams produced a career-best rating when winning over 1000m in December on the inside track here. She travelled to Cape Town after that, running once, when third over 1000m at Kenilworth on Met-day. It hard to say just how good she is (or isn’t) over this distance.
Her trainer also ssaddles Seventh Symphony, who hasn’t raced since December, at which time her form was below best, possibly because of a recurring lameness. The break may have done her good, and she’s well suited by 1000m.
Lightly raced Spring Wonder won her most recent start, over 1200m on the inner track here at the end of January. It’s hard to say whether she is a sprinter or not – if she is, improvement can be expected. She seems likely to race with the pace. Her stable companion Easy Game was beaten out of sight by Jo Malone last time out. This after she’d scored a nice win over 1200m late in December. The daughter of Var has useful 1000m form, but her form has been unpredictable this season. She likes to race handy.
Swift Sarah travelled to Cape Town for the Million dollar race in January, without making an impact. She’d won a 1200m race earlier the same month, making the pace, but she seems an unlikely 1000m sprinter given her pedigree.
Drifting Dusk won her last start, over 1450m on the inner track here. She raced handy in what appears to have been a false run race, and it may well have been her sprinting ability that helped her win. The time before that she’d been third to Jo Malone over 1000m at the Vaal, which on ratings was a better effort.
She’s 3kg better off this time, and ought to turn the tables.
Seattle Lady won her most recent start in good style, following two second places the times before. She usually races handy or with the pace, and has the services of Delpech.
Lumya should be thereabouts again
Lumya has consistent recent 1000m form if ratings are anything to go by, and should be expected to be thereabouts again at the finish.
KZN-trainer Mike Miller brings Clear Sailing, who presumably is a travelling companion for the trainer’s 2yo entered in the juvenile feature race.
Clear Sailing finished lame at her last start a month ago, on her return from a suspension for broken bloodvessels. It’s hard tp predict how she’ll go.
Twilight Tiger put up two useful efforts in January, but ran a shocker last time out, after showing pace. She looks to have a stiff task at the weights (and races 2kg under sufferance, the bottom weight for the race having been fixed at 52kg).
Her stable companion Miss December is a game sprinter, who tends to find a place with regularity, even though she’s not the soundest performer. She will no doubt be thereabouts again.
In summary, an impossible choice.
Quickness out of the gate, and distance suitability will count.
We pick the lightly raced Spring Wonder, Lumya, Miss December and Drifting Dusk as ones to make the frame.
Clearly a very open race and certainly not one to go short in.
