Green With Envy (pictured above – Candiese Lenferna Photography) will take another step towards emulating three great horses, Dynasty, Big City Life and Legislate, at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
The latter trio are the horses who in this millennium have won all of the Cape Derby, the WSB (SA) Guineas, the Daily News 2000 and the Hollywoodbets Durban July in the same season.
Green With Envy has won the first two of those races and is odds-on to add the Daily News and a 3/1 chance to add the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Green With Envy, who like Dynasty is trained by Dean Kannemeyer, deserves his short 6/10 price to win the Daily News 2000.
He has proved he stays the distance and is getting better and better as he matures. It is easy to envisage him quickening from off the pace, or even from last place, and using his strong finish to mow the field down.
The chief danger could be the Fanie Bronkhorst-trained Pure Predator. He is also progressive and has proved he not only stays the trip but has a strong finish too in both his Gr 1 SA Classic fourth and Gr 1 SA Derby second. He has the advantage of champion jockey elect Richard Fourie up and, furthermore, he has drawn three compared to draw five for Green With Envy.
The dark horse could be the Justin Snaith-trained Hluhluwe. He has always been well regarded and has been looking for this trip and now has his second run after gelding. However, he will need to settle better than he did in the WSB Guineas if his finish is to be more than just steady, which it has tended to be in his last few starts.
Another horse who could upset the applecart is the long-striding Tony Peter-trained William Iron Arm. This horse had a habit of hanging and it was thought it could have been caused by the pain of being a rig. He has had an operation and if that does bring about improvement he could be a big runner in his second run since the surgery.
The Tarry-trained Hotarubi is not far off Pure Predator, finishing fifth in the SA Classic, fourth in the SA Derby and just 0,75 lengths back in second in the Colorado King Stakes.
The Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Barbaresco has the potential on racing ability and pedigree to be an interesting contender. He is by Gimmethegreenlight out of Fort Wood mare Negroamaro, who won a Gr 3 and was runner up in both the Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic and Gr 1 Woolavington 2000. Therefore, he should stay the trip on pedigree. However, he does tend to take a keen hold. From draw seven out of nine Gavin Lerena will have his work cut out settling this classy grey.
Justin Snaith-trained The Grey King has a hard task matching Green With Envy, because he was beaten 1,25 lengths by the latter in the Gr 3 Schweppes Politician Stakes over 1800m and he is now 5,5kg worse off too. The Grey King was also beaten 1,40 lengths by Flag Man in his last start at Hollywoodbets Greyville over 1900m. However, he was giving the latter 5kg and it is something of a boost to his status that Flag Man is thought of as being good enough by trainer Gareth van Zyl to be supplemented for the Daily News 2000. Flag Man should have little chance on paper of confirming form with The Grey King on paper. Yet he is half the odds at 8/1 compared to 16/1, which could indicate that he is highly regarded.
The Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 was opened to older horses for the first time last year and this year has four three-year-olds in the line-up and seven older horses. The progressive Brett Crawford-trained Frances Ethel has won all four of her starts since finishing second on debut over 1400m. Her wins included the Listed Ormond Ferraris Oaks Trial over this trip and the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks over 2450m. She left it late in the latter two races to get going and her late surges impressed Barry Irwin enough to buy her for his Team Valor International syndicate. The Rafeef filly jumps from a plum draw of two. The concern is whether she can get going quickly enough in the short Hollywoodbets Greyville straight.
The Mike de Kock-trained Silver Sanctuary has been a bridesmaid to top horses in Cape Town and the Highveld, finishing second to Beach Bomb in the Gr 1 WSB Cape Guineas, second to Gimme A Nother in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, and again in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic and third to Frances Ethel and My Soul mate in the Gr 2 SA Oaks. Beach Bomb and Gimme A Nother will be running overseas henceforth with and over this trip Silver Sanctuary should have a fine chance of reversing form with Frances Ethel and My Soul Mate, especially considering she has landed pole position and has Fourie up.
Gilded Butterfly is an interesting entry as she was unlucky in this race last year.
Saartjie comes off a good win in the Listed KRA East Coast Cup over 2000m and had a mixture of good and most unlucky feature race runs at this course as a three-year-old.
Beating Wings is a progressive sort who comes off a good win in the Gr 2 TAB Igugu Stakes over this trip.
My Soul Mate was runner up in the Igugu Stakes and The Oaks.
Hold My Hand has plenty of class and comes off a Gr 3 win over this trip at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, however,
Future Girl will be 2kg better off with her here for a mere 0,40 length beating.
Bellevarde is 1kg better off with Beating Wings for a one length beating.
Perfect Witness has plenty of class and is distance suited and Red Maple will appreciate the step down to this trip.
The Listed Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m is full of intrigue. The classy Andre Nel-trained Cape Eagle proved he likes this trip last time out and from a good draw could be the one to side with, although the runner up at Hollywoodbets Scottsville that day, One Way Traffic, is capable of top drawer performances too.
