Picture: Ciao Bella was eased up before the line by Richard Fourie (Wayne Marks)
Surjay just holds off flying Kommetdieding in Bantry Bay Stakes
Mark van Deventer (Cape Racing)
Ciao Bella justified 2/1 favoritism when winning the Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. Ace jock, Richard Fourie bought her through from midfield with a powerful stretch run to win under wraps.
20/1 lurker, Time Fo Orchids, Gimmie’s Lassie, and Golden Hostess were the off-pace runners to follow in trainer Justin Snaith’s extremely smart three-year-old filly.
The grey winner is bred in the purple being by Gimmethegreenlight out of-race mare Bela Bela, who were both conditioned by Snaith Racing. She is campaigned by her breeders, Varsfontein Stud.
Snaith confirmed that the previously hot filly started her career as quite a difficult customer but has gotten calmer with experience. Fourie confirmed, “Now she is keeping her energy for the race. She has an insane turn of foot and in the last furlong felt very good.”
She will next have a dip at the Cape Fillies Guineas.
Time Fo Orchids (drawn 12), Gimmies Lassie (made a sharp move on the inside rail) and Golden Hostess (tough trip, dropped out from gate 13, then held up in the straight) emerged with credit from their wide barriers, turning it on nicely from off the swift early pace.
In the preceding race, market springer Surjay (20/1 into 6’s) swept by going into the final 300m, then had just enough in reserve to stave off a low-flying Kommetdieding in the Bantry Bay Stakes over 1200m.
Surjay just holds off Kommetdieding (Wayne Marks)
The Vercingetorix colt was previously trained by Michael Robinson – when he packed up, the horse moved into the care of Brett Crawford.
The ultra-dependable, Surjay has now won four of 13 starts, (placed in seven) and is likely to be pitched even higher as he handles successive moves up the rungs of the class ladder.
“Surjay is a big horse, and he has come on tremendously since his last start, “declared Crawford. “He also has scary form over the Kenilworth six (furlongs).”
Indeed, the course and distance specialists’ ability to press the pace and then quicken up are ideal tactics for this sprint course.
The stiffening tailwind in which the race was run made the performance of middle-distance Grade 1 hero, Kommetdieding especially meritorious. He dashed home down the inside rail and would have surged past the winner in another stride or two. He is clearly on track for a tilt at big Stakes races during Summer.
Trip of Fortune launched a challenge good enough to secure third place, beaten a length. The Matchem Stakes victor is being teed up for the Green Point Stakes and King’s Plate (both over 1600m) by the trainer, Candice Bass Robinson.
