Punters will be hoping for a good start to “the season” at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday and the pressure will all be on WSB Guineas favourite Sandringham Summit if IOS Drill Hall favourite Main Defender and WSB Fillies Guineas favourite Double Grand Slam win the previous two races. (JC Photos)
Bookmakers will be nervous tonight ahead of the Champions Season’s opening day at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow (Saturday).
There looks to be a ready made Gr 2 treble for punters that will work out to about 37/10 with Hollywoodbets.
The Gr 2 ISO Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m gets the Champions Season feature season rolling and it is hard tio look past the Tony Peter-trained Main Defender.
This Pathfork gelding is ideally distance suited and has a plum draw of three.
He comes off an impressive win in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes and is unbeaten in three starts over this distance category including a Gr 2 and two Gr 3s. He beat the crack colt Sandringham Summit in one of those Gr 3s and he won the Gr 2 by 6,50 lengths.
He is the joint best weight according to official merit ratings together with Al Muthana.
He does have to carry a Gr 1 penalty of 3kg though, so it is not going to be plain sailing.
Al Muthana comes in fresh like he did last year when running a 0,90 length third. He jumped from a similar draw last year, but that was 9 out of 14 and it is now 8 out of 9, so it might be tougher this time.
Nevertheless, Al Muthana is one of two horses in the field who has the class to upset the applecart.
The other one is Cousin Casey, who represents the flying Sean Tarry yard. However, he appears to need gelding and last time in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge he had to be pulled up in the straight when finding nothing. However, it did not pan out well from a wide draw in that race and he now has a good draw over a shorter trip.
Royal Aussie could also prove himself up to that class over this trip.
He displayed a devastating turn of foot in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate when coming from way back to finish third and he is now drawn in pole over a trip he should relish.
Humdinger is ideally distance suited and could give some cheek, although she has a tricky draw of six.
Gimmeanotherchance also has plenty of class and is distance suited, but he has a tricky draw of seven.
Waterberry Lane has produced a couple of stunning displays over this course and distance , which is no doubt his favourite course and distance. Furthermore, he showed he is still capable by finishing just 2,20 lengths behind Thunderstruck in the Gr 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes over 1200m.
Gladatorian is in fine form and showed in his penultimate start he enjoys this trip.
So, perhaps Main Defender is not such a good thing after all, considering the above analysis of all the other runners.
However, Double Grand Slam will be very hard to beat in the Gr 2 WSB Fillies Guineas. She is at cramped odds of 3/10 with Hollywoodbets.
Rascova should enjoy he course and distance and could give some cheek and White Pearl should give another good account of herself.
Sandringham Summit has proved his liking for the WSB Guineas course and distance with a facile win in the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes last season, where he easily beat Main Defender. However, the latter has improved since then. Sandringham Summit jumps from a plum draw of two.
Green With Envy will prefer further, but is a highly progressive sort, so he could upset the applecart.
Mid Winter Wind is improving all the time too and represents the flying Tarry yard, although he does have a tricky draw of 6 out of 7.
Snow Pilot is the Gr 1 Holywoodbets Cape Guiness winner and will have come on from his Champions Season pipe opener. He will be dangerous in a small field as he can kick well from handy positions.
Hluhluwe is highly regarded and has been gelded so could be dangerous from pole position.
Navajo Nation has a wide draw and looks to have it all to do.
It should be as intriguing a day as the opening day of Champions Season is every year and having analysed all the fields, perhaps it was wrong to say the bookmakers will be nervous.
Even with just three months of the season to go, new stars can suddenly emerge and turn the pecking order on its head.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to read veteran Gold Circle scribe Andrew Harrison’s take on the meeting later in today’s newsletter.
Punters will be eyeing the preliminaries keenly at Saturday’s Champions Season opening meeting featuring three Gr 2 events (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
