Racing tips: Why Say Yes may be a good bet for maiden Summer Pudding Handicap

Numerous races around the world are named after runners who were champions of the turf many years ago to the extent their names mean very little to a new generation of racegoers.

With that in mind, a number of South African races have been renamed in honour of more current local stars and that is the case at Turffontein on Sunday when the Listed Summer Pudding Handicap over 1600m will be run for the first time.

This daughter of Silvano ran 13 times for 11 wins, including her first nine starts. Those victories contained four Grade 1s, three Grade 2s and one Grade 3. Among her Grade 1 triumphs was the Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein in which she gave weight to almost all the other runners, mostly colts and geldings, was drawn No 18 in the 20-horse field, and thumped them by 2.50 lengths.

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The Summer Pudding Handicap, however, is for fillies and mares and this does look a highly competitive event.

Perhaps it would be fitting if Say Yes won the inaugural running of this event as she is trained by Tony Peter, whose father Paul, was Summer Pudding’s trainer. Tony was assistant to his father at the time and has performed remarkably well since taking out his trainer’s licence at the start of the year.

Say Yes was one of the first runners in his yard and after a slowish start, the daughter of Gimmethegreenlight won two successive races, both over 1600m.

She then had a three-month break and returned to racing last month where she came up against a potential superstar in Champagne Cocktail who is a full sister to last year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Sparkling Water.

Say Yes had to give her 6.5kg so the fact she was beaten five lengths was not that bad an effort. Peter’s charge was up with the pace until the last 300m when Champagne Cocktail took control.

Say Yes will have come on from that run and this time she will be the one with just 53kg on her back. She is drawn No 1 and has Calvin Habib in the irons.

Mike de Kock might not have Champagne Cocktail in this field but he does have a very useful filly in Silver Sanctuary, who is a half-sister to Grade 1 Daily News 2000 winner Safe Passage.

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She has only run four times for two wins and a close second last time out.

As a lightly raced three-year-old, this daughter of Silvano will come in with just 52.5kg on her back. She also will have JP van der Merwe up and he is riding at the top of his game.

Trainer Roy Magner has two runners in the field, both of whom have big chances but they are the two topweights in the lineup.

Crimson Princess is the ride of first choice jockey Muzi Yeni but that is probably because Raymond Danielson has built up a better rapport with Emirate Gina.

The latter has some big wins to her name, but she is not always the most consistent filly.

However, despite having top weight of 60kg, if the four-year-old daughter of Visionaire gets away on terms and decides to put it in, she could quite easily give this field weight and a beating.