Double Grand Slam Can Do The Paddock Stakes Double

Double Grand Slam wins her seasonal reappearance, the Summer Bowl, and is rated a 25/20 shot by Hollywoodbets to defend her Cartier Paddock Stakes crown (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Last year’s one-two in the Gr 1 wfa Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m, Double Grand Slam and Red Palace, face each other in the same race on January 10 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth and the fourth-placed horse from last season, Rainbow Lorikeet, is also involved.

Double Grand Slam is the 25/20 favourite having ended last season by winning the Gr 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes over 1600m and started this season by winning the Non-Black Type Join The Race Coast Turf Club Summer Bowl over 1600m, both times ridden by Andrew Fortune. Five-times UK Champion jockey, and reigning UK Champion jockey, Oisin Murphy takes over from Fortune, who has been given the ride on the useful Justin-Snaith-trained stablemate Wish List.

Wish List is one of three three-year-olds in the contest and she will be dangerous  as she ran on well for third in the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and on pedigree will relish this step up in trip. Wish List has had bad luck with draws and has another tough one of eight, but she could still represent good value at 25/2.

Rainbow Lorikeet is a reliable sort and is sure to thereabouts again from a good draw of four.

Red Palace is under a bit of a cloud because she seemed to be traveling well in a handy position in the Victress, but was empty in the straight and finished 21.85 lengths back. She is out at 7/1 for the Paddock Stakes due to that run and is up against it in her bid to win a deserved Gr 1. However, her undoubted class is on her side and Dean Kannemeyer is a top horseman who could get her back to her best.

Red Palace’s stablemate Give Me Everything will need to improve on her recent form and is out at 20/1.

Her other stablemate Keukenhof has a fine chance as she will relish the trip and is capable of a strong finish from off the pace.

Among the ten runners in the field are two raiders, the Alec Laird-trained Sukhumvit and the Candice and Tammy Dawson-trained Minogue.

Sukhumvit was impressive last time out when romping home in the Gr 3 1Voucher Victress Stakes over 1800m. She will now be 9kg worse off with the 3,25 length runner up in that contest, Rainbow Lorikeet, so on paper the latter has her measure. However, Sukhmvit had just never got going before, so now that she looks to be coming into her own as a five-year-old she could be the surprise package here despite being officially the worst weighted. She has a tricky draw of seven under Philasande Mxoli.

Minogue is in fine form and was a narrow running on second last time out in the Mike de Kock Ipi Tombe Stakes over 1600m. The form has since been franked by Callmegetrix, whom Minogue beat by 2,75 lengths. Minogue has never been tried over further than a mile before, but this five-year-old mare should relish the step up to 1800m being by Vercingetorix out of a mare by stamina influence Go Deputy whose  four wins were from 1400m to 1900m. Minogue has drawn barrier six and Muzi Yeni rides.

Reet Petite is by Rafeef out of a Daylami mare whose four wins were from 1100m to 1800m, so she should enjoy the trip and it looked so in the Cape Fillies Guineas too as she was staying on well for a 0,75 length second. This progressive James Crawford-trained three-year-old is second favourite at 7/2 and will be a big runner under Richard Fourie from pole position.

Double Grand Slam’s stablemate Little Suzie is beautifully bred being by Trippi out of twice Paddock Stakes winner Oh Susanna. However, she is the biggest outsider in the field at 25/1 on the grounds of an unplaced run in the Victress Stakes. However, she now has her third run after a layoff and in the Gr 2 Bet With The World Gold Bracelet over 2000m at the end of last season at Hollywoodbets Greyville she faced Rainbow Lorikeet on terms 2kg worse than weight for age and she was only beaten 2,10 lengths, so there is nothing between the pair on that meeting.

The full field for the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes: