In Camera! Ormonde Ferraris’ consistent Snowdon may enjoy reverting back to sprinting in the Gr2 Merchants
The good, the bad and the downright unreliable. That is the theme of Saturday’s clash of the speed demons at Turffontein where two very different sons of Toreador face up in the R450 000 Gr2 Merchants run over 1160m. Deliver The Power looks deservedly overdue to add to his two Gr3 wins. But dare we discard Link Man?
M ike De Kock is represented by the enigmatic grey Link Man and that wonderfully consistent Mogok gelding Meadow Magic, who has hardly rested since his outstanding win in the Emerald Cup at the end of September.
Meadown Magic has had two tough races in November.
He went third behind Mujaarib in the Charity Mile and two weeks later was chasing Zambucca and Astro News home in the Victory Moon Stakes. If anything he will be fit, but this could prove a touch short.
Unreliable
Link Man is his stablemate, better known as Mr Unreliabe.
The 5yo Toreador gelding won a cracker of a race under Anton Marcus in October, when powering through late to win the Joburg Spring Challenge in great style.
That win was sandwiched between two diabolical efforts . He showed nothing in the Little Hampton Sprint on the sand and then ran 26 lengths off Mujaarib in the Charity Mile last time out.
Link Man started his career as a sprinter and won the Gr1 Gold Medallion as a 2yo. So he certainly has it in him. We note that Anthony Delpech gets off him to ride the Tarry filly here.
So it appears that even the jockey has given up.
Power Player
Next to Link Man, Deliver The Power is a Toreador who is consistency personified.
The Dominic Zaki inmate reeled off five wins on the trot and is a dual Gr3 winner over the straight track.
Gavin Lerena steps in for Piere Strydom and he will ride a very fit horse who was unlucky to have found Pomodoro in a freakish flying mood last time, where he was caught late in the race, only going down 0,75 lengths. Before that he ran a game race when conceding 2,5kgs to the smart Welwitschia over 1000m and only going down a 0,25 length. He looks overdue.
Ormonde Ferraris’ Snowdon was beaten two lengths by Link Man when they last clashed over the course and distance at level weights. Snowdon now receives 1,5kgs from Link Man and that should bring them a lot closer.
He blotted his copybook last time when running a tailed off last behind Mujaarib in the Charity Mile but Snowdon has won 6 of his 17 starts. His placed efforts include a second behind Delago Deluxe in the Golden Horse Casino Sprint and a third behind What A Winter in the Mercury Sprint.
Snowdon is probably ideally at his best at around the 1400m mark.
No Secret
Anton Marcus takes the ride on Mike Bass’ Captain’s Secret, a gelding who appears to be finding his form again. He has not won a race for over two years.
Captain’s Secret showed no after effects of his placed efforts on the sand in the August Stakes and the Emerald Cup and bounced back by storming through late for a third to Guantanamera last time. Captain’s Secret is now 2,5kgs better off for that 1,60 length defeat, so could turn the tables here.
Wendy Whitehead makes a rare trip from the coast to Gauteng and she sends out the Sheik gelding Coffee Sheik.
This fellow registered his sixth win in August and has not run since. He beat Guantanamera by 2,05 lengths giving him 4kgs and is now a half kilo better off with him. The difference is that Coffee Sheik may lack match fitness.
Raider – Michael Roberts brings Mike’s Choice up from Durban
Choose
The Post Merchants winner Mike’s Choice also makes the trip up from Summerveld and this Tamburlaine gelding ran a cracker on the Avis Coach Tours Jockeys International weekend, when slow away under Jimmy Fortune before charging through late to get within a nose of Guantanamera in a 1000m Pinnacle Stakes at Clairwood.
He ran fifth in this event last year when only 2,75 lengths behind Antious.
He meets Guantanamera on 3kgs better terms and should get the better of him again.
They produced last year’s shock winner Antious and the Brown-Robinson combination will be hoping for a repeat with their pair of former Gr1 Alan Robertson winner Chocolicious and the Silvino gelding Bay Route. But it looks unlikely.
The pair are amongst the five KZN raiders who make the trip up from KwaZulu-Natal.
Think Thick
Chocolicious was recently sold for racing to Australian interests and while very fast, has not run since July. Bay Route is a capable miler, who should find this way too short.
Weiho Marwing’s coupling is headed by the former Snaith-trained Soweto Slew and it is always interesting when jockey Piere Strydom sides with a horse.
Checkers
Soweto Slew put his chequered 3yo career behind him with four fair runs since arriving in Gauteng.
He won his penultimate start, over Saturday’s course and distance, when getting the better of Legal Account by 0,25 lengths when conceding 7kgs. Interestingly Legal Account went on to hold Deliver The Power by a half length next time. He was though receiving 9kgs from him.
Soweto Slew was always touted as something very special in his early career with the Snaiths, and while he won the Listed Sophomore Sprint, achieved little else.
He could be maturing and may be worth inclusion.
His stablemate, the seven-time winner Moroccan ran close up behind Pomodoro last time, but appears to have lost his better form.
Zest
Mike Azzie’s six-time winner Two Tone appears to finding a new zest for his racing at the age of six, and this son of Strike Smartly will again be ridden by Robbie Fradd.
He meets Deliver The Power on 2kgs better terms than their last meeting in the Conditions Plate run behind Pomodoro. There Two Tone was a half length behind the Zaki runner, and there should be little in it again.
Sean Tarry’s coupling of the flying filly Jackodore and August Stakes winner Across The Ice, will warrant consideration from larger Pick 6 players.
Across The Ice has been restricted to the sand in his last five runs and the switch of surface has resulted in two wins (including the Listed August Stakes) and three place cheques.
Anthony Delpech rides the only filly, Jackodore. She is very fast and has proven herself against the males but returns from a six month rest after an unplaced effort in the SA Fillies Sprint. Her fitness will have to be taken on trust.
Jeff Freedman’s Guantanamera has a first attempt at Group level racing and the son of Mogok is a winner of 3 of his last 5 starts and will not embarrass himself with a light weight – even though he is technically in under sufferance with those at the top of the handicap.
Kom Naidoo’s Be Assured looks a lot more competitive on the sand and the son of Woodborough could be run off his feet here.
Tester
The first leg of the bumper Pick 6 bet looks a tester.
Deliver The Power looks overdue to win again , but he is no banker in a race where Snowdon , Captain’s Secret and Soweto Slew could make themselves heard. And what about the prodigal son, Link Man?
Then Mike’s Choice has been here before and could be thereabouts.
