Cape Guineas day is a Cosmic Highway to heaven

The main event at Saturday’s Cape Guineas meeting at Kenilworth might be a tough nut for punters to crack, but a brilliant afternoon’s racing is in store nonetheless, with five feature races and some of the best horses in the country on show.

Betting support for Dean Kannemeyer-trained Cosmic Highway has pushed him up to favouritism for the 1600m Grade 1 Guineas, Race 7 on the card, carrying a purse of R750,000.

Cosmic Highway has had an excellent preparation for this prestigious classic – a marker of champion racehorses down the decades.

Last time out, he sauntered up from the back of the field to just miss out on a fourth career victory. That was in the Concorde Cup over the Guineas course and distance – and it was the colt’s second run after a four-month rest.

He was just edged out by Pomp And Power, who he meets again here, and he should turn the tables on Justin Snaith’s runner this time. Both horses are drawn a tad wide, but Cosmic Highway goes from gate 11 while pomp And Power must deal with No 14.

This repeat match-up will be just one of a number of battles within the battle and pundits have been throwing up their hands and saying any one of 10 of the 16 starters would not be a surprise winner.

Ones that cannot be left out of permutations include Snaith-trained Pacaya, who looks a progressive individual; his stablemate Double Superlative, who has been heavily backed in recent days, and Good Traveller, a proven toughie.

Marina in Race 4, the Grade 3 Victress Stakes, will have a multitude of supporters in search of an exotic-bets banker, while the best prospect on the card is Brett Crawford’s Sage King in Race 2.

And there’s more.

SELECTIONS

Kenilworth Saturday

1: 2 Margin Call, 3 Global Goddess, 4 Cruizin California, 1 Adira

2: 1 Sage King, 4 Pineapple Express, 2 Secret Oasis, 5 Silent War

3: 8 High Hosanna, 1 African Rain, 2 Intrepid, 4 Kalahari Ferrari

4: 2 Pleasedtomeetyou, 4 Ambiorix, 3 Bereave, 1 Worlds Your Oyster

5: 4 Marina, 7 Rain In Newmarket, 6 Santa Therese, 1 Pretty Betty

6: 9 One Way Traffic, 1 Hoedspruit, 4 Super Silvano, 6 Rockin’ Ringo

7: 4 Cosmic Highway, 12 Pacaya, 2 Good Traveller, 5 Trip Of Fortune

8: 7 My Bestie, 2 Russian Rock, 1 Kasimir, 8 Gayleactic Star

9: 4 Senso Unico, 3 Gimme A Star, 6 I Want It All, 5 Van Hunks

Pick 6: 1,2,3,4,8,9 x 4 x 1,2,4,6,8,9 x 1,2,4,5,7,8,12 x 2,7 x 3,4,5,6 (R2016)

PA: 1,2,8 x 2,4 x 4 x 1,9 x 2,4,5,12 x 7 x 4 (R48)

Saturday Turffontein

Best: Race 6 No 2 War Of Athena

Value: Race 8 No 6 Sequoia

Sunday Scottsville

Best: Race 2 No 16 General Hancock

Value: Race 8 No 13 We All Chomies