Alascan Maiden could show her true potential
Two classy fillies of mostly unfulfilled promise on the racetrack line up on the Turffontein inside track at a welcome night meeting on Tuesday evening. The 4yo’s Santa Carolina and Alascan Maiden would not have been MR 88 Handicap contestants this far down the line in the dreams of their connections when they made their respective winning starts to their careers.
The final leg of the jackpot on the bumper nine-race programme is a tricky MR 88 Handicap (F&M) over 1400m where Mike De Kock’s grey Santa Carolina and Mike Bass’s Captain Al filly Alascan Maiden bump a few with possibly more inspiring recent form.
Champion
The beautiful Santa Carolina is a daughter of the ill-fated Tiger Ridge out of the 2006 joint Equus Horse Of The Year Ilha Da Vitoria, the diminutive grey who won the 2005 Summer Cup and the Gomma Gomma Challenge and raced 26 times in total for 10 wins and 14 places. She was a real crowd favourite and was labelled by De Kock as one of the finest and easiest horses he has ever trained.
Santa Caroline has won 3 from 9 but comes in off a rather poor and muddy 14 length unplaced effort behind Judicial in the Victory Moon Stakes.
She gets a 2,5kg discount courtesy of Jarryd Penny and that gives her a positive turnaround of 2kgs with Mike Bass’ Alascan Maiden who finished 1,20 lengths in front of her in a strong Pinnacle Stakes on Charity Mile day.
Talent
Robert Fayd’herbe – saddes Alascan Maiden for Mike Bass
Mike Bass only has 2 runners on the night and Alascan Maiden is a R1,2 million CPYS buy who has only managed 2 wins from her 17 starts, the last being at her penultimate jump when she outgunned the game She’s A Looker.
She has to give Barend Botes’s Mogok 4yo another kilo here and that will be a leveller, but Alascan Maiden has that stamp of class and looks better than a two-time winner at this point.
Sean Tarry’s Mullins Bay mare Tinchy Strider finally found her better form after an extended drought when finishing well in an apprentice handicap last time to beat Dream Galaxy by a quarter length.
Piere Strydom now rides the lightly campaigned Dream Galaxy who enjoys a nice weight pull and could turn the tables.
Johan Janse Van Vuuren trained Suedette jumps from the 1 draw and the daughter of Dynasty rises in class after being an unlucky loser last time to the unfancied Icelandic Fire.
Pretty Girl
Another Mauritzfontein product is the Ideal World filly Looker (she certainly lives up to her name) who beat Peep Show at her third start over 7 months ago.
She had run subsequent Gr1 winner Bilateral to 5,50 lengths at her previous outing. She is likely to need the run but betting may be the best guide.
Mike Azzie’s Ashaawes filly Riverine Forest was an impressive winner on the Vaal 1200m turf on debut but then got lost next time on the sand. She could be anything and from a good draw over a trip she is likely to enjoy, could be included for value.
