Top trainers head for Kimberley

Other visiting trainers are former champion Geoff Woodruff, who runs Killua Castle, Weiho Marwing, who saddles evergreen six-year-old Uncle Tommy, and in-form Scott Kenny, who will be bringing Shadow Line – a revelation since being turned out on the sand.

Only three local trainers will be represented and it looks unlikely that the bulk of the R200 000 stake will stay in Kimberley.

Mike de Kock

De Kock would not be making the trip unless he believed his runner had a winning chance and there is no doubt Right Beauty has to be considered a massive contender for top honours. The five-year-old son of Right Approach has an illustrious group of owners, among them British golfer and former world No 1 Lee Westwood.

One has to go back to May 2012 to find the last time Right Beauty won a race but he has been ultra-consistent in his last four starts, finishing third in all of them. The run that points to him as a winner of this event was his third place behind Magic Smoke over 1600m at the Vaal. Uncle Tommy finished a neck ahead of him in second but the De Kock runner is now 3kg better off.

He will jump from barrier No 9 and will be ridden by Randall Simons, who regularly rides at the Kimberley course.

Shadow Line has a lot going for him. He is an improving four-year-old and has performed superbly on the sand. Three runs back he made his sand debut over 1450m at the Vaal and finished a three-length third behind Panjo. Kenny then upped the distance to 1600m and Shadow Line won his next two starts comfortably.

The four-year-old son of Toreador will carry just 52.5kg and jockey Hennie Greyling will jump him from barrier No 1.

Had this race been over 1400m, Uncle Tommy would have probably been the best bet on the card. However, although he has placed twice over this distance, the six-year-old Kahal gelding has yet to win over 1600m. It was in his last start that he finished a 1.50-length second behind Magic Smoke and that came after a short rest.

He could improve with that run under his belt but with apprentice Wesley Marwing unable to claim his 2.5kg allowance and with a wide barrier of No 11, Uncle Tommy could struggle to win.

Tarry saddles down Selborne Supremacy and National Road and over this distance, the former might be the better option. However, he made a somewhat inauspicious start to his sand career, running a 5.75-length sixth behind Panjo.

The Flamingo Park track runs a lot truer that its Vaal counterpart and Selborne Supremacy might love this course. Louis Nhlapo takes the ride on Selborne Supremacy while Raymond Danielson is aboard National Road.