Great expectations of Candice and Charles Dickens

Candice Bass-Robinson comes across as a bubbly blonde, but racing folk are well aware this determined woman is anything but ditzy. She inherited a racing dynasty from one of the modern legends of the game, but there’s no hint that she doesn’t have the skill, knowledge and nous to be every bit as good a trainer of racehorses as her father Mike.

Bass-Robinson sent the local racing world a reminder of her talent and tenacity at Kenilworth on Saturday, when she saddled five winners on the nine-race card, including in three of the features.

Five winners

Defining Moment (16-1) won the fourth race, Golden Hostess (12-1) the Prestige Plate, Resonate the Southeaster Sprint, Charles Dickens the Cape Classic and Sun Dazed the last race.

Most notable was the facile victory of Charles Dickens in the Grade 3 headline event – a performance which extended the three-year-old colt’s unbeaten run to four and should see him start at short odds in the upcoming Grade 1 Cape Guineas.

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“I thought we might have a good day on Saturday, but you don’t ever really expect that many wins!” she laughed on Monday. “We had some very nice runners, but they weren’t in easy races – with the exception of Charles Dickens.”

Marinaresco

Bass-Robinson has had a five-timer before – at the country course in Durbanville – but this was her biggest haul to date at Cape Town’s premier track. She is quick to recall another red-letter day at Kenilworth, when she landed two Grade 1 trophies and another race on Cape Town Met day a couple of years ago.

Of course, her Durban July triumph with Marinaresco – making her the first female to train a winner of South African’s biggest race – will always be a special memory. But you wouldn’t bet against a whole lot more big moments for the 48-year-old Queen of Milnerton.

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For one thing, she is confident 2022/2023 will turn out to be her best season to date: “We have a lot of good horses at present.”

And the Western Cape trainer championship “is always one of my goals”. Watch your back Justin Snaith.

Charles Dickens is likely to be key ammunition in the Bass-Robinson assault on the season. The trainer is hoping that the powerful son of Trippi will prove capable over a lot more ground than the 1400m of Saturday’s Cape Classic.

Somerset Maugham

“His full brother Somerset Maugham won recently over 2000m and has also won over 1800m,” points out Bass-Robinson.

Both Somerset Maugham, trained by aforementioned Cape Town supremo Snaith, and Charles Dickens are out of top-class race-mare Demanding Lady, who is by Dynasty, a font of stamina blood. Both were bred and retained in ownership by Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud.

Bass-Robinson is considering giving Charles Dickens another outing before the 1600m Guineas, which is contested on 17 December – for a much-boosted stake of R2-million, courtesy of sponsor Hollywoodbets. The Queen’s Plate is also on the drawing board thereafter.

“I’ll play it by ear, but I’d like to give him a warm-up before the Guineas. There’s a 1200m race in mid-November which I’m looking at.”

“Charles” is clearly the apple of his trainer’s eye, with no challengers for “No 1” in the yard – though she does mention six-time-winning four-year-old gelding Trip Of Fortune and brilliant four-year-old filly Marina as horses who will be spearheading the challenge this term.

Serious illness might have sidelined Mike Bass for a while, but he is back working in the Bass Racing stables every day – doing the job his daughter did for him for more than 20 years. Not a bad stable assistant to have around for the odd bit of consultation.