Two East Cape Racing Awards nominees could fight out the finish of the R150 000 Listed Jockey Club Stakes at Fairview today.
Beataboutthebush – carries top weight – a good sort (Pic – Pauline Herman Photography)
The super consistent topweight Beataboutthebush steps up in ground again and she must be the horse to beat.
The race is named in recognition of the fact that the Jockey Club – now the National Horseracing Authority – was founded in Port Elizabeth almost 130 years ago.
The 5yo Gimmethegreenlight mare Beataboutthebush has bee a model of consistency, earning at 15 of her 19 starts and, in many cases, encountering traffic issues with her late dash racing style, that has cost her dearly.
She failed to flatter in this race last year, but with a conservative ride from Cape Champion jockey Aldo Domeyer, she looks close to a good thing. She is fit and her fluent victory in the Paddock Stakes last time sets her up for a big effort over the extra 400m .
The former Joburg-based 7yo Patchit Up Baby has not won in ages but looks much better suited to the extra here. The game daughter of Ideal World should negate the superiority of the Paddock Stakes result with Beataboutthebush. She is widely drawn and was reported not striding out last time – a concern.
Cape challenger Fresnaye (Pic – Chase Liebenberg Photography)
The Joey Ramsden yard has been through a torrid time and they plan a raid with the very smart Fresnaye. If the daughter of Western Winter has escaped the post-inoculation blues then she must be a massive runner on current Cape winter stakes form.
Yvette Bremner’s top-class Widow’s Lamp was outgunned in the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville and then found the mile of the Paddock Stakes on the short side last time. The daughter of Go Deputy is very effective over the 2000m and could recapture her earlier best – the wide draw should not be of too much concern with her preferred racing style.
Peach Delight – versatile and gutsy
Her stablemate Peach Delight is a course and distance winner and very gutsy on her day. She strikes us as a likely pacemaker and could threaten the back end of quartets.
Justin Snaith has always been a serious threat in the Eastern Cape and he travels from Philippi with a trio of Konkola, Tiffindell and Esteemal.
While little between them, the best of the Snaith attack may be Konkola who jumps from the pole position draw with Richard Fourie in the irons. Fit and well, the daughter of Silvano could spoil the Alan Greeff party.
Esteemal is poorly drawn and stayed on well to finish fourth in the Winter Oaks at home after doing herself no favours when failing to settle.
Queen Forever flashes up in the Lady’s Slipper
Queen Forever is stablemate to the topweight and enjoys this trip. She ran a fair race in the East ape Derby at her penultimate start and may have needed her last run when a well beaten 8 lengths in the Paddock Stakes.
It looks very tough for the rest and unless Ryan Munger (Widow’s Lamp) or Richard Fourie (Konkola) can produce some genius, Beataboutthebush looks likely to win this.
