LADIES FIRST. Ektifaa beats home her male rivals to win the R250 000 Grade 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes over 1450m at the Turffontein Inside track on Saturday.
As expected the final field for the Grade 2 Green Point Stakes on 8 December at Kenilworth has turned out to be a small but nuclear-powered line-up.
Only six go to post, but what most would agree is they are currently the top milers of the older horses.
Multiple Horse-Of-The-Year Le-gal Eagle of course needs no introduction, and is undefeated in nine starts over the 1600m.
He cracked his maiden over this trip in March 2015, and has since added six Grade 1s, as well as winning this race for the past two years.
Fresh from sensationally scoring his first sprint victory at the age of seven, the veteran champion isn’t going to surrender his crown without an almighty struggle.
Undefeated Rainbow Bridge was priced up a close second favourite to Legal Eagle in the opening betting, and his latest easy win in the Cape Mile was perhaps his most impressive yet.
He is yet to race above Grade 3 level, but the feeling has been there that this is a future top level winner since his startling Winter Derby victory from the rear in April, and this is a Grade 1 contest in all but name.
He receives 2kg from his primary rivals in this his acid test, and with such an elastic turn of foot is sure to relish the Kenilworth summer course with its longer run in which he experiences for the first time.
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