Verse For Suzanne has been tipped to do what her famous mother Oh Susanna could not do, i.e. win the Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship, which takes place at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Alistair Cohen (Race Coast)
The three-year-old fillies have a chance to stake their claims this Saturday towards the Grade 1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas on 6 December. The Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400m has many unanswered questions. As opposed to the male division which seems stacked with class, a few horses have made their moves towards the top. The fillies has no shortage of class but a murkier complexion for now.
Verse For Suzanne is by a champion (Vercingetorix) out of a champion (Oh Susanna). She comes into this feature with fitness on her side having won at Hollywoodbets Durbanville last month over 1600m. Crucially, that win came against older opposition and that high road that she took could be the key to her having more scope to progress. Trainer Justin Snaith has a strong hand and interestingly Richard Fourie has opted for Over My Shoulder leaving Keagan de Melo in the irons on Verse For Suzanne.
Racing fans know all about the debate, three-year-olds against older horses. Verse For Suzanne absolutely smashed the useful Lark’s Song over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville last month. Granted, she carried 52,5kg but she struck a chord in the manner she beat some well performed opposition.
She still has natural improvement on her side. Lightly raced with only three career starts, that was a big impact to make. One could argue that she could come into her own over slightly further-her dam won the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met over 2000m as a three-year-old! For now, she showed enough versatility to at least be onside with her over this middle distance range.
Palace Of Avernia is last season’s Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. She ran riot during KwaZulu-Natal’s Champions Season when she ran close-up in the Allan Robertson Gr 2 at Hollywoodbets Scottsville as one could see the literal penny drop as the race went on. Ahead of her were top fillies, Get Up and Flower Island. That served her well in her graph to being crowned Equus Champion with the Amusnet Golden Slipper Gr 2 and World Pool With Race Coast Debutante Gr 2 trophies on the mantle. She has had a gallop at Hollywoodbets Durbanville at the end of October. Dean Kannemeyer has his string in fine touch. She is a marquee runner on the card. Not seen since July should not post the biggest obstacle with a grass gallop prior but there will surely be some harder opposition for her to face. Regardless, she has what nothing else in this field possess and that is a glowing CV. Craig Zackey takes the ride.
Fourie’s choice, Over My Shoulder is unbeaten from two. She is a half-sister to Eight On Eighteen. She should also come into her own as her career wears on. Her wins are more workmanlike that effortless like her stable companion. Snaith has an embarrassment of riches this season. Seeing her fight this out would not come as a shock. Held in high regard, the
daughter of Vercingetorix was always headed to this level and it seems when, not if she wins a feature. She adds to a very intriguing contest.
The first of four features on the card sees the 2026 winner of the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met meet with the 2026 winner of the Hollywoodbets Durban July. See It Again and Note To Self-square off in the Grade 3 Cape Mile as they both starts their seasons. This could be the crystal ball into the future because they meet off level weights. Note To Self always hinted that his sweet spot would be as a four-year-old which is a scary thought seeing as he won Africa’s Greatest Horserace. But he faces See It Again on these terms which surely gives the evergreen Equus Horse Of The Year the advantage. He has multuiple Grade 1 wins at Weight For Age level. Neither will step out showing their ammunition just yet but for those at the course, it is a treat to have them in the same place this early in the season.
Race 5 over 2400m is the Listed Woolavington Stakes. Ahead Of The Facts nearly broke through to claim the Grade 3 World Pool Gold Cup over 3200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville where some Chad Little enterprise on Holding Thumbs kept him at bay. He is the tried and tested, well performed stayer in the race who won this 12 months ago with 50kg. Winning the Durban Gold Vase over 3000m in July contributes to him carrying 62kg this year. Which is deserved for the good work he did in the 2025/26 season. Miami Summer is the up and coming sort. After whispers of being a horse to follow, injury scuppered his three-year-old campaign he has returned with three wins in succession. He should see this trip and he must be very dangerous. His last run was when he won the Listed Settlers Trophy over 2000m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville. JP van der Merwe rides with 54kg to shoulder.
The Listed Laisserfaire Stakes over 1100m is race 6 on the card. Babelicious probably struck up her career best at Hollywoodbets Durbanville in the Grade 3 Diana Stakes in late September. Although Double Grand Slam was never in doubt, the Laisserfaire Stakes has no quality close to the multiple Grade 1 winner. She has been neatly placed by Candice Bass through her career having successfully scooped the Windhoek Olympic Duel Stakes Listed on World Sports Betting Cape Town Met day earlier this year when she beat some of her opposition on Saturday. She could be well prepped to add some more black type to her page.
Former jockey, Luke Coleman rides Workingclasshero in race 1 over 1000m for an in-form Paddy Kruyer yard. This is a Workriders event. He had a rough draw of gate No 12 last time when he acquitted himself well and still stayed on gamely to finish third, three lengths behind Stealth. That is easily the best form on offer and he could get the day started on a pleasing note.
There are a few runners in race 2 over 1400m who hinted the next time they run, they could exit the maidens. A chance is taken that Desert Ice is the right one to enter the system with winners despite a wide draw of No 12. She has been banging at the door having finished runner-up in her last two runs, including once, close-up behind Verse For Suzanne. That run is enough to tilt thoughts towards her being in a winning position. Keagan de Melo takes the ride
for Vaughan Marshall. All Wild Weather, Rock The Road, Chase The Ace and Evelyn Johnson are on the radar.
Trainer Andre Nel can do no wrong at the moment. He trained the winner of the Grade 2 Allied Steelrode Onamission Chairty Mile at TAB Turffontein last week before a treble at this course a day later, 1600km apart. He has a strong hand in race 3 over 1600m. Lark’s Song, the horse turned over by Verse For Suzanne last time gets the verdict over Rose Woott who has good ability herself. Lark’s Song has the services of Andrew Fortune. She is battle hardened and she has had two runs this season after a break so she should be peaking. Nel has always thought she could win some black type herself and even though this will not do the job, it would go a long way to seeing her there.
The joint-highest yearling ever sold in South Africa, Wreath Of Snow runs in race 8 over 1400m. He is clearly taking the low road towards feature races with surely the Swiss Cape Derby in February being his most likely target. He will always have a reputation and a price tag of R9-million. He won his second career start by two lengths over Legal Dancer over this distance at Hollywoodbets Durbanville. Snaith has kept him away from a rating hike through the temptation of feature races. If he is going to be feature race material at some stage, he ought to win or go very close. Fourie is aboard.
What A Fortune always promised to be a fair horse but he turned the corner in KZN going against some top horses and holding his own. He went close to Roland Garros in the Race Coast Sales Big Cap in April taking his bankroll to nearly R1-million. Around him was Isivivane. He also fell just short behind Hah Lah Lah who nearly beat Eight On Eighteen a few weeks back and Maphaka who is unbeaten this season. Those credentials must make him a huge chance in race 9 over 1200m under Athandiwe Mgudlwa.
There are plenty with chances in race 10 over 1000m. A chance is taken on the class-dropping October Storm who showed signs of life in his last run when he finished fourth behind Magical Place, less than a length in arrears. De Melo takes the ride for Marshall and they can round off the meeting on the evidence showed at Hollywoodbets Durbanville in September, last time seen.
