Fillies take cover! Here comes the Quid

The new team behind super filly Quid Pro Quo have chosen the path of least resistance on Guineas Day at Turffontein on Saturday.

The Barend Botes-trained phenomenon – unbeaten in her last six outings – will contest the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, rather than taking on males in the TAB Gauteng Guineas.

The purse of the fillies’ race is R250,000 less, but the decision is probably a smart choice as Quid Pro Quo, under her new ownership of Team Valor International, is headed for an overseas campaign sometime later this year and the connections would not want to put undue pressure on her now – which battling with boys might do.

SA runs first

Plus, coming out of Africa with seven or eight wins in a row looks impressive on the CV and will open doors in Europe and Dubai.

Quid Pro Quo will be climbing onto the Triple Tiara caravan, but whether she tackles further legs of the prestigious series in the coming weeks – the Fillies Classic and the SA Oaks – is still up in the air.

Team Valor boss Barry Irwin has mentioned the possibility of “one or two runs” out of the Botes yard in South Africa before she ships out.

Most of the big online bookmakers suspended betting on the two Guineas races after declarations on Tuesday, but a price of 4-10 about Quid Pro Quo was being chummed in some quarters. This might be a bit rich for many punters, but others will see it as a chance to buy money at a discount – as they say in the classics.

A draw of 11 in a 14-horse field negotiating the Turffontein uphill turn from the 1600m start is probably the brilliant filly’s biggest obstacle to overcome, but jockey Piere Strydom has been there and overcome that countless times before.

VJ’s Angel

Interestingly, Quid Pro Quo is not the highest merit-rated runner in the R750,000 Grade 2 race. Her MR of 115 is four off the mark of VJ’s Angel from the Tony Peter stable.

The latter might not have grabbed headlines like her rival, but she does have a Grade 1 victory over males to her credit – in the Premier’s Champion Stakes at Greyville late last season.

VJ’s Angel can be claimed at 14-1, with Mike de Kock’s charge Spumante Dolce shorter at 7-1.

De Kock’s striking grey colt Greaterix is likely to be a warm order for the all-male Guineas after his recent impressive Grade 3 win over 1400m on this turf.

The son of Vercingetorix appeared to have brushed off a bruising defeat to Quid Pro Quo in the Dingaans as he got the better of a determined Fire Attack from the Alec Laird stable.

The latter was also runner-up in the Dingaans and is clearly a horse with major talent who could be on the upgrade and might be picked off at good value amidst clamour for the glamour.

FIELDS
(number, draw, name, weight, MR equipment, jockey, trainer)

TAB GAUTENG GUINEAS Grade 2, R1m, 1600m, 3YO, Leg 1 of Triple Crown.

1 1 Fire Attack 60 111 A Gavin Lerena Alec Laird
2 4 Legend Of Arthur 60 111 A Piere Strydom Sean Tarry
3 9 Greaterix 60 109 A Muzi Yeni Mike/Mathew de Kock
4 13 Chestnut Bomber 60 106 A Chase Maujean JA Janse van Vuuren
5 11 Dantonfromsandton 60 106 TBA Ryan Munger Sean Tarry
6 5 Waheed 60 105 A Rachel Venniker Mike/Mathew de Kock
7 10 Wild At War 60 102 A Philasande Mxoli Candice Dawson
8 6 Bacchus 60 101 HA Denis Schwarz Fabian Habib
9 2 Parisian Walkway 60 101 A Diego De Gouveia Alec Laird
10 7 Musical Score 60 100 A Craig Zackey Lucky Houdalakis
11 8 Choisaanada 60 98 A Raymond Danielson Erico Verdonese
12 12 Aristotle 60 94 A Kabelo Matsunyane Alec Laird
13 3 Diwali Rocket 60 91 BA Kaidan Brewer Mano Pandaram

WILGERBOSDRIFT GAUTENG FILLIES GUINEAS Grade 2, R750,000, 1600m, 3YO fillies, Leg 1 of Triple Tiara.

1 13 Vj’s Angel 60 119 BAe Gavin Lerena Tony Peter
2 11 Quid Pro Quo 60 115 TBA Piere Strydom Barend Botes
3 5 Olivia’s Way 60 110 A Diego De Gouveia Roy Magner
4 12 World Of Alice 60 108 BA Craig Zackey Sean Tarry
5 10 Fiery Pegasus 60 107 A Muzi Yeni Joe Soma
6 1 Vulcanite 60 104 A Ryan Munger Paul Matchett
7 2 Kommetjie Storm 60 96 A Rachel Venniker Tony Peter
8 9 Bakwena 60 95 Ae …………… JA Janse van Vuuren
9 14 Miss Lia 60 95 A Philasande Mxoli Paul Matchett
10 6 Salenio Peninsula 60 95 A Chase Maujean JA Janse van Vuuren
11 8 Poblano 60 93 A Denis Schwarz Robbie Sage
12 7 Sonic Jet 60 91 CA Kabelo Matsunyane Corrie Lensley
13 3 Spumante Dolce 60 89 A Raymond Danielson Mike/Mathew de Kock
14 4 Too Late My Mate 60 83 A Kaidan Brewer Alec Laird