Smart Filly! Girl’s Best Friend looks a big runner in the Sophomore.
The tempting safe option may well be to side with the proven outfits like Ramsden, Snaith or Bass, but ignoring the fellows from Phillipi could prove disastrous in the R115 000 Listed Sophomore Sprint to be run at Kenilworth on Saturday. The reality is that the field includes not a single no-hoper, so just don’t be fooled into ignoring the perceived lesser lights.
The reference books suggest that the term ‘sophomore’ is likely a compound of the Greek sophos and moros, which respectively mean wise and foolish or dull. A glance down the honours board of the last decade or so shows that this feature has actually lived up to these contradictory qualities in many respects, having thrown up quite a mixed bag of winners over the years.
Big Yards
The brightest leading light in recent times on the Sophomore Sprint roll of honour includes this past season’s Equus Sprinter Of The Year, What A Winter, who won it in 2010.
Good Record. Mike Bass has a great record in this race
His trainer Mike Bass in fact has been quite a dominant name with other recent winners including next Saturday’s Emerald Cup hopeful Captain’s Secret (2009), the Fine Edge gelding Spanish Blade (1998) and the All Fired Up filly Fire Tread (1999), who campaigned for the McGiverns.
So there we go down the tried and tested path. When in doubt, side with Bass, include the young Snaith and back the selection up with last season’s champion Joey Ramsden, who is walking on water at the moment – and that not only on the training tracks at his Milnerton home base.
We will touch on the threat posed by the other side of the Peninsula later on.
Ball Skills
Mike Bass sends out the smashingly brilliant Val De Ra’s half-brother by Caesour, Tevez, who has had two runs. He started unfancied on debut in mid March and was comprehensively whacked by Albert Mooney, whom he meets again here.
The Avontuur Stud-bred Tevez set the record straight two months later when he cruised in over the Kenilworth 1000m, beating subsequent winner Wilmington easing up by six lengths.
Wilmington is discussed in greater depth when assessing Awesome Power further on. But Tevez also had another rapidly improving sort in Slavetotherhythm (7.05 lengths) and the consistent Gooi Mielies (10,30 lengths) well behind him there.
One concern about the R700 000 National Sale buy would be the fact that he missed his prep run on 1 September due to a lost meeting, and has not run for four months. He could get through this on ability alone, but it would be more comforting for backers knowing that he is match fit. That is something we don’t know right now.
Australia Fare
Justin Snaith trained last year’s winner Soweto Slew, and his challenge is headed coincidentally by yet another Aussie bred son of soon-to-be Avontuur stallion, Oratorio. He is the grey Ottimo.
Justin Snaith. Has a three-pronged attack in the Sophomore
Fred Crabbia’s colt has relocated from Ivan Moore in KwaZulu-Natal for the Cape season and has a listed win to his credit. Admittedly that was achieved via the boardroom when he was handed the winner’s cheque for the Umkhomazi Stakes at Scottsville on May day.
His subsequent two efforts in the Gold Medallion and the Golden Horseshoe were hardly breathtaking, but he has won two from five starts and is a speedy sort who may enjoy Kenilworth.
Snaith also has Albert Mooney who has only run three times for one win – over no less than Tevez, as already noted.
Albert Mooney flopped when backed to 9-20 to win the East Cape Nursery in April, and could only finish a five length third to Greenacre there. He could need this run after the break and the 2000km round trip.
The third Snaith runner is the Jallad gelding Pole Star, who also travelled to the Eastern Cape in recent times. He did not run a bad race during that visit when being switched late and staying on well over 1400m behind the promising three-time winner Placido.The latter went on to run third in the Gr3 Champion Juvenile Cup.
Curved Ball
Joey Ramsden throws punters a curved ball and sends out the unbeaten in one start Gogotine.
The Milkwood Stud-bred Var gelding won what looks a rather weak maiden plate over 1000m at his only start. He was supported there and caught the eye as he won going away. A sobering thought is that he did beat the professional maiden Whistle For Gold, and one could imagine that even Ramsden’s longserving assistant Ricardo Sobotker in a pair of takkies could have beaten that – running backwards.
The only reason we could get bullish about Gogotine is the fact that Ramsden suffers no fools when he places his feature candidates. So include this one.
The race becomes quite complex beyond the obvious top yards, as the rest are really just a bunch of mostly recent one-time winners, with ample scope for improvement – particularly with the ground likely to be at its’ best in quite some months.
And the Phillipi crew need to be considered – headed by trainer Riaan Van Reenen, who has emerged from his winter hiatus with a few winners of late. He sends out the Trippi filly Girl’s Best Friend, who has won twice in seven starts.
She won over 1000m at Durbanville at her fourth start with subsequent winners, Untamed, Intimate Touch and Cat’s Paw all well behind her. She then ran a cracker when just 4,75 lengths fourth to Cape Champion Juvenile King Of Pain in the Winter Juvenile Stakes over a mile. That was a good effort against the boys.
She did not make the cut over further ground at her next start, but reverting to what looks her chop, won an MR 86 Fillies Handicap over 1200m at her last start in scintillating style.
Fishy
Phillipi trainer Carl Burger sends out a coupling of recent maiden winner, Gooi Mielies and the Captain Al gelding, Here I Am. These two are also the most experienced youngsters in the race with ten and nine runs on the board respectively. But frankly neither look Listed winner type horses.
King Burger. Phillipi trainer Carl Burger represented by a longshot coupling
Gooi Mielies eventually won his maiden at the tenth time of asking over Saturday’s course and distance, but accounted for Soul Sacrifice by 2,25 lengths, who failed to frank the form with a disappointingly moderate fourth to Dolfie Maeder’s Tube Wave on Saturday.
Here I Am won his maiden at his fourth start, and then tried the Langerman – an experiment that didn’t work. He has only run one second place at his subsequent five starts and it is difficult getting too excited about him.
Stan Elley compounds the punting puzzle by sending out the Victory Moon gelding Green Light for longstanding Cape owner, Phillip Zurnamer. After an ordinary debut on 11 July, this fellow came out with all guns blazing at his second start to win unextended by 6,50 lengths over this course and distance.
On a line through the Hassen Adams’ Latino Magic colt Slavetotherhythm, who was an unlucky loser on Saturday, when wasting energy and effort in attempting to savage Tube Wave and then only going down narrowly, Green Light’s win looks quite impressive and with regular pilot Gareth Wright in the saddle, he may be the dark horse in the race.
Milnerton Magic
Back across the Peninsula to Milnerton, where Paul Reeves and the Marshall and Puller yards are housed.
Reeves, a former jockey, has a small string assisted by his wife and daughter, and he sends out what looks his most promising horse in the Tiger Dance gelding, Tiger Tiger.
A 66-1 winner on debut, he failed in the Cape Nursery, but has run two good races to King Of Pain in two features, and while he looks the sort that is looking for a mile, he could be a surprise package under Devin Ashby. His fitness, like so many of his opponents, will have to be taken on trust as he has not run since 23 June.
Vaughan Marshall has gone quiet after a purple patch earlier this year and he sends out a coupling that includes the only other filly in the race next to Van Reenen’s Girl’s Best Friend. Marshall’s Captain’s Lullaby is the second of Fred Crabbia’s runners and is a very consistent daughter of Captain Al.
A pacy sort, she won on debut and has run three seconds in succession. She caught the eye when giving the brilliant Hammie’s Hooker a fright in the Fillies Nursery, and comes in handily weighted on 51,5kgs.
The second of Marshall’s pair is the Alado colt Half Moon Hotel, who seldom runs a bad race.
His efforts in the features have not been half bad either. A 1,50 length second behind the West Is Wide in the Listed Somerset and a 5.15 length fifth to King Of Pain in the Winter Juvenile show that he is not out of his depth here at all.
He finished a 1,25 length second to the older Jamie Lee Jet in an MR 77 Handicap over 1400m at end July, and the Andries Steyn-trained Jet Master won a good race last week. If half Moon Hotel is fit, he could make his presence felt.
Power Play
Girl Power! Apprentice Denies Lee rides Awesome Power for Glen Puller
Glen Puller’s Awesome Power only carries a handy 54kgs courtesy of Denies Lee, who won on him on debut last month. The Surging River gelding narrowly beat Wilmington and started at 10-1, so was not completely unconsidered.
To add credibility, Wilmington bounced out last Saturday and was a smooth winner of his maiden, beating the formerly rather moderate looking Parisian Bolt by 2,25 lengths.
So Awesome Power is another that could be just about anything!
Which really just sums up an extraordinarily difficult race.
Fitness, nominal track exposure and natural improvement are the factors clouding the issue.
Nine times out of ten, going with Bass, Ramsden or Snaith works a charm. This could be one of those days where history and reputation play second fiddle to the unknown or unlikely. Like the old salt Stan Elley, or the quietly spoken marketing man, Riaan Van Reenen. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
It probably makes logical sense to select Tevez. He hails from a top yard and if ready for the race, could win. But don’t discount Ottimo, Green Light – or even that fast daughter of Trippi, Girl’s Best Friend. And then Ramsden could blow the whole plan out of the water with Gogotine.
It looks a superb race all round, and maybe there is another What A Winter lurking amongst there somewhere!
