Visuality to see off rivals

Visuality won on debut, beating Announcing Rain by a head over 1000m on Turffontein in March last year. Some 12 runs later that win is all she has to show for what could have been a more proficient rac­ing career.

It has not always been her fault because this daughter of Vision­aire has had some appalling luck when it has come to drawing good barrier positions. After placing behind the Secret Is Out in two features races at Scottsville, in­cluding the Grade 1 Allan Robert­son over 1200m, it was clear the handicappers were not going to be kind to her when it came to dish­ing out a merit rating.

After finishing a 0.70-lenth third behind Mella Maria in last year’s Grade 2 Joburg Fillies & Mares Sprint Challenge over 1450m on the Inside track at Turf­fontein, she was racing off a rating of 96. Then the run of wide draws started which clearly did her con­fidence no good but finally her rat­ing started to fall.

In the Grade 3 Three Troikas Stakes, again over 1450m on the Inside track, Visuality cracked a draw and showed what she can do, but was just touched off by Anna Pavlova. Trainer Sean Tarry gave her a chance to run in the Wilger­bosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas last month but once again, she landed up with No 15 draw and was never able to get into the race won by Smiling Blue Eyes. She also suffered a wound to a gaskin.

Tomorrow she lines up in a Graduation Plate for three-year-old fillies over 1450m on the In­side track and Visuality can fi­nally get her second victory. She is the second best handicapped runner behind Al Danza, who still has to prove she will stay the trip. S’manga Khumalo takes the ride and this time they have the pleas­ure of jumping from barrier No 2.

Al Danza qualified for the $500,000 CTS 1200 at Kenilworth so Geoff Woodruff took her to the Cape for the summer. She did not win down there but did not embarrass herself either, rarely finishing far behind the winner. She had every chance when a well-beaten 3.95-length third be­hind She’s A Giver in the Grade 3 Starling Stakes and will be having her first start on this track. Gavin Lerena has the ride.

The unknown factor is State Star. The Irish-bred daughter of High Chaparral won well on de­but. However, as she is bred in the northern Hemisphere she is six months younger than her opposi­tion and that could tell.

Based on her merit rating of 79 Mike de Kock’s charge is not well weighted against the other two fil­lies.