Flamingo girl power in women’s month

After a most encouraging local debut last week the Louis Goosen-trained Casa De Var looks well weighted despite now taking on males in the Race 7 at Flamingo Park today, a MR 64 over 1000m.

This four-year-old Var filly’s sand merit rating was raised three points to 64 following that effort, but as the weights for this meeting were already out, and only winners can be adjusted subsequently, she still races off her ‘old’ rating, so is theoretically 1,5kg well in at the weights. As she has now demonstrated her compatibility with the Kimberley surface, has to be the one to beat.

Year younger fellow female Bunch Of Thyme was the winner of that race over the course and distance but her rating was adjusted upwards from 68 to 73, and she now faces Casa De Var on 3kg worse terms.

This should be enough for my selection to turn the tables, but this may not be as cut and dried as it may seem, as Corne Spies’s youngster has won two from three at this course, and is likely to have improvement to come.

Those two should suffice for smaller exotic players, but if casting your net wider The Lion Guard should be considered. He has shown plenty of pace on the Poly in KZN, and if taking to this surface could be a surprise package.

Beyond that it becomes very open, and Duke Flies, Kontiki, Anyday Anytime and Cozzenes Prince would all have to be included.

In Race 8 Modjadji makes strong appeal. Both her starts here have resulted in comfortable wins over 1000m. She now goes an extra 200m, but is just as comfortable over the extra, and is expected to take some stopping.