Silver Sanctuary gives Garden Province extra shine

A last-minute decision to go with Silver Sanctuary in the Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes, instead of in the Hollywoodbets Durban July, robbed the country’s biggest race of its customary female presence, but it has made for an excellent contest in the day’s main supporting feature.

Trainer Mike de Kock scratched the three-year-old filly from the July at the final declaration stage on Tuesday morning and accepted for her run in the prestigious Grade 1 weight-for-age event for fillies and mares.

Silver Sanctuary’s convincing win in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 in late May didn’t catch the imagination of July punters and she languished as a 50-1 hope for the big one. Clearly her connections also figured the July was shooting for the stars and there was a much better chance of success among her own sex.

She has slotted in as a 4-1 second favourite in the Garden Province, just below 22-10 shot Double Grand Slam on the boards. Third in the betting is Glen Kotzen’s Rascova, with fellow raiders from Cape Town Saartjie, Red Palace and Hold My Hand also finding support in the race that follows the July on the day’s programme.

The daughter of venerable stallion Silvano has won five of her 10 starts and had the misfortune to bump up against the phenomenon that was Gimme A Nother in the recent Classic season – finishing runner-up to her now-exported stablemate in both the SA Fillies Guineas and the SA Fillies Classic.

De Kock’s second Garden Province runner Humdinger is a hard-knocking five-year-old who hasn’t won in more than a year but has finished second four times in her last five outings – including in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes to the aforementioned Gimme A Nother.

She and Piere Strydom seem to enjoy each other’s company and the old master gets into the saddle again – an boost to any horse’s chances.

Another “refugee” from the early July entries can be found among the sprinters in the Grade 2 Post Merchants on the card – in the shape of Royal Aussie from the Justin Snaith yard.

This four-year-old was among the early ante-post July fancies following his third place behind the phenomenal Charles Dickens in the 1600m L’Ormarins King’s Plate at Kenilworth in early January.

But, with a record showing all his success over 1400m and 1600m, it is clear speed is his forte and the July’s 2200m would have been a stretch.

The step down to the Merchants gives prolific owner Suzette Viljoen’s bright silks a showing on the big day, but the other side of the stamina coin is that the 1200m might be a bit sharp for Royal Aussie – specially with 62kg on his back courtesy of his lofty 124 merit rating.

Viljoen has another candidate in the Merchants mix in three-year-old filly Golden Sickle, who has racked up five wins and two seconds since moving to Tony Peter’s Highveld stable.

This sequence has seen her MR shoot up and she’ll have to lug a steadying 57.5kg – even after an age allowance. Will it prove too weighty against some of the top speedsters in the land?

Garden Province Stakes, R1.5m, G1, 1600m, F&M @ WFA

(Draw and no, name, weight, MR, trainer, jockey):

1 Happy Chance 60 112 Brett Crawford (Kabelo Matsunyane)
2 Mrs Browning 60 118 Sean Tarry (Gavin Lerena)
3 Double Grand Slam 59 118 Justin Snaith (Richard Fourie)
4 Bavarian Beauty 59 116 Tony Peter (Calvin Habib)
5 Red Palace 59 108 Candice Bass-Robinson (Anthony Andrews)
6 Silver Sanctuary 59 116 Mike de Kock (Juan Paul v’d Merwe)
7 Asiye Phambili 60 111 Duncan Howells (Rachel Venniker)
8 Humdinger 60 116 Mike de Kock (Piere Strydom)
9 Hold My Hand 60 114 Glen Kotzen (S’manga Khumalo)
10 Rascova 59 119 Glen Kotzen (Craig Zackey)
11 Celtic Rumours 60 106 Sean Tarry (Grant van Niekerk)

Post Merchants, R500,000, G2, 1200m

1 Cafe Culture 54 105 Lucinda Woodruff (Richard Fourie)
2 Royal Aussie 62 124 Justin Snaith (Daniel Muscutt)
3 Melech 60 117 Roy Magner (Raymond Danielson)
4 Golden Sickle 57.5 122 Tony Peter (Calvin Habib)
5 Cruise Control 60 118 Duncan Howells (Sean Veale)
6 Tail Of The Comet 54 106 Sean Tarry (S’manga Khumalo)
7 Winter Greeting 53.5 111 Sean Tarry (Serino Moodley)
8 Texas Red 56 110 Robyn Klaasen (*Malesela Katjedi)
9 Teflon Man 52 100 Dean Kannemeyer (Muzi Yeni)
10 Time Fo Orchids 53.5 110 JA Janse van Vuuren (Gavin Lerena)
11 Quasiforsure 58 115 Peter Muscutt (Tristan Godden)
12 Anfields Rocket 58 113 Grant Maroun (Philasande Mxoli)
13 At My Command 60 119 Brett Crawford (Craig Zackey)
14 I Am Giant 60 118 Brett Crawford (Kabelo Matsunyane)