Picture: iStock
Candice Bass-Robinson holds a strong hand for Wednesday’s race meeting at Kenilworth and it would be a surprise if she did not come away with at least a couple of wins.
The ace trainer has three cards in Race 7 – the Listed WSB Somerset 1200 – almost guaranteeing her a stranglehold on the pot money. Almost, but not quite, for fierce rival Justin Snaith also has three runners in the juvenile feature.
The colt African Rain heads the Bass-Robinson attack, with two wins to his name, including a course-and-distance triumph last time out. Greg Cheyne was in the saddle that day and will try for a repeat.
African Rain’s stablemates, Barzalona and Trip Of Fortune, with one win apiece, demand attention and could see the CBR team rather busy in the lead-in area.
Ravensthorpe spearheads Snaith’s challenge. This colt learnt a lot from his debut when he raced green and managed a fifth. Next time it was a different story as he crushed his maiden opposition by more than six lengths – over this course and distance.
On the balance of power, one tends to side with Bass-Robinson. In Race 6, however, the scales tilt towards Snaith.
The WSB Perfect Promise 1200 Sprint is the female heat of the Somerset and Snaith fields three of the six hopefuls. The jockey booking of Richard Fourie for Kwinta’s Light suggests she is the stable pick, but Mercury Rising and Winter Mosaic have both shown enough ability in their handful of starts to suggest they could upset the supposed natural order.
Bass-Robinson sends out Santa Maria, whose early career exploits indicate good things to come – and they could come rather soon.
Cape Town’s leading female trainer might by that stage already have big points on the board.
All of Dragonfly in the first, Amanzimtoti in the second and Golden Dah in the third are likely to start as favourites to win, while Benjamin in the third and Santa Maria in the sixth must also be considered by permutation compilers
Race 1:
9 Dragonfly, 8 Double Superlative, 1 Buffalo Thorn, 4 Allaroundtheworld
Race 2:
8 Amanzimtoti, 7 Tamil Tiger, 1 Adira, 6 Queen Mercury
Race 3:
7 Moon Rock, 11 Fateful, 1 Captain Dizzy, 4 Benjamin
Race 4:
7 Golden Dah, 5 Granny’s Moon, 3 Katie To, 6 Queen’s Club
Race 5:
8 Lilac Sensation, 6 Starboard, 2 Secret Depths, 9 Rille
Race 6:
3 Kwinta’s Light, 1 Kissing Point, 2 Santa Maria, 6 Winter Mosaic
Race 7:
1 African Rain, 6 Ravensthorpe, 7 Trip Of Fortune, 2 Barzalona
Race 8:
7 Double Charge, 6 Jaimala, 2 All Lit Up, 8 What A Man
1,2,4,7,11,12 x 3,5,6,7,9,10 x 6,8 x 1,2,3,6 x 1,6 x 2,6,7,8 (R2304)
8 x 1,7,11 x 3,5,7 x 8 x 1,3 x 1,6 x 6,7 (R72)
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