As certain as we can be about Certainly

Friday’s East Cape Fillies Nursery (Listed) seems to be at the mercy of Certainly – though she’s not quite a certainty.

Cape Town trainer Glen Kotzen takes his youngster to Fairview on Friday with a record of two wins from three outings at Kenilworth – superior form to what the local runners offer.

However, as always with juvenile races, many complications are in play, notably rapid and different rates of maturing, with some horses making sudden improvement and others plateauing.

Another factor to worry about is young and tender Certainly having to travel for quite a few hours in a horse box for her assignment in Race 7 over 1200m of the PE turf track. Could that discombobulate her?

Then there’s the race she started but didn’t win, running sixth behind Cliff Top – ironically an Eastern Cape raider in Cape Town.

Some questions we simply don’t know the answers to, but that “failure” run can be excused as it was a feature race on a rowdy big race day, with high-class opposition. Also, it was only Certainly’s second trip to the races – after a two-month break – and over a distance possibly short of her best at that stage of development.

The daughter of Wylie Hall regained her poise and put the disappointment behind her a month on with a spanking win in the Cape Yearling Sale Cup – over Friday’s trip of 1200m.

Now, the golden three weeks along, she is theoretically in even better nick. Having in-form Richard Fourie in the irons makes the case even stronger.

Eastern Cape champion trainer Alan Greeff fields four fillies in the 10-horse field, all promising individuals and a couple with wins to their names. Going by early betting and jockey choice, Holly’s View is the stable elect.

Another to put into betting combos is Chere For Me, who won her maiden impressively for father-son trainer-jockey team of Jacques and Kyle Strydom.

SELECTIONS

1: 5 Miss United States, 9 Princess Deb’s, 2 Back To Formentera, 8 Angel Deb’s

2: 5 Opulence, 3 Winter Scout, 1 Europeana, 6 Get It Done

3: Vanderbilt, 1 War Man, 5 Joe Harman, 7 Jack In The Box

4: 5 Basetsana, 10 Wintertime, 6 Do Si Do, 8 Legend Has It

5: 1 Divine Odyssey, 3 Aranjuez, 6 In Auro, 10 Ellis Island

6: 2 Ferrari Ice, 3 Teofilio, 5 Psycho King, 7 Moon Game

7: 2 Certainly, 3 Chere For Me, 8 Holly’s View, 7 Emily’s Spirit

8: 8 Brass Bell, 6 Storm Chaser, 5 Mesmerizing Moon, 14 Interstate

Pick 6: 1,2,5,7,11,14 x 4,5,6,8,9,10 x 1 x 1,2,3,5,6,7,8 x 2 x 1,5,6,8,9,14 (R1512)

PA: 1,3,5 x 1,2,5 x 5,10 x 1 x 2,3 x 2 x 6,8 (R72)