Khathi and Co stir the waters of Nelson Mandela Bay

Trainer Candice Bass-Robinson takes a posse of five horses to the Fairview turf track on Friday, all of them knocking on the door of the winner’s circle.

For Cape Town trainers, the trip up the coast to Nelson Mandela Bay offers a valuable opportunity to get wins on the board at a slightly “easier” centre than home base – and Bass-Robinson is never shy to grab such chances.

Her runner Aeneas in Race 3 over 2400m will carry high hopes of shedding his maiden tag after showing stamina credentials last time out, at Kenilworth. The three-year-old has been brought along gradually and seems to have benefitted from gelding in November.

High Moon in the fourth is another stayer with potential who hasn’t quite cracked it yet in Cape Town. Against moderate opposition he could get a victory to boost his confidence and give him the will to finish off races with greater vigour.

The same sort of comments apply to Vida Futura in the fifth.

In the card header, Race 6, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1400m, Bass-Robinson fields Arctic Drift, a useful sprinter-miler with four wins under the belt. The son of What A Winter bumps tough opposition in the shape of Gavin Smith’s serial winner Global Drummer and Justin Snaith’s mercurial Wild Coast, but will surely give them a run for their money.

Bass-Robinson’s day closes with Ovation contesting a 1200m Classified Stakes, in which every one of the 18 runners has a case for winning.

This is the toughest assignment for travelling stable jockey Robert Khathi, but if he can get his mount up with the pace from the start, and pounce at the right time, it could crown a notable day for the under-rated rider.

SELECTIONS

1: 1 Forest Spy, 7 Emily’s Spirit, 6 Crionna, 8 Glitterfox

2: 3 Sing Girl Sing, 1 Rose Of Mine, 2 Rio Supremo, 6 Tide Is High

3: 2 Aeneas, 4 Joe Harman, 3 Arctic Advance, 5 Cape Point

4: 1 High Moon, 3 Bold Strike, 4 Flying Pekan, 9 Proud Warrior

5: 2 Vida Futura, 3 A Thousand Tunes, 9 Irish Rain, 12 Al Falak

6: 1 Global Drummer, 2 Wild Coast, 8 Arctic Drift, 12 Herodotus

7: 2 Stranger Danger, 7 Evies First, 3 Regimental, 12 Undisclosed

8: 5 Ovation, 2 Emperors Decree, 9 Storm Chaser, 10 Timkat

Pick 6: 2 x 1,3 x 2,3,9 x 1,2,8,12 x 2,3,5,7,10,12 x 1,2,4,5,8,9,10,11 (R1152)

PA: 1,3 x 2 x 1 x 2 x 1,2,8 x 2,3,7 x 2,5,9,10 (R72)