The Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained One World colt World Attraction could well be priced up as the favourite for the R3 Million Race Coast Slipper, which is to be run over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on April 11 (JC Photos)
The competition for a place in the R3 million Race Coast Slipper to be run over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on April 11 is hotting up and a number of eligible horses will be running in forthcoming races.
The Piet and Elbert Steyn-trained Red Spice is the leading contender with two wins to date, including winning the Gr 3 Ridgemont Cape Of Good Hope Nursery over 1200m.
The Justin Snaith-trained Rafeef filly Champagne Castle will definitely get into the field having followed her Commonwealth Plate win with victory in the Non-Black Type Charles Dickens Stakes, beating Red Spice by 2,75 lengths on both occasions, although she is very quick and failed over 1100m after her two easy wins over 1000m.
Jonathan Snaith said about her, “She’s a bit of a tearaway, so she’d need to settle, even if in the lead, in order to have a chance of seeing out the six furlongs.”
Champagne Castle has been at Summerveld for a while and did a nice canter up the hill on the sand today.
The Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained World Attraction (One World) has won both of his starts, both over 1000m at Turffontein Standside, by 7,30 lengths and 1,70 lengths respectively and the second of them was in a Listed race.
Mike de Kock said about him after the Listed win, “He is a beautifully actioned horse who will go over ground and 1000m is the bottom end of his range. We are very happy with how he put them to bed today. He’s an exciting young horse and we have lots to look forward to.”
The Kelly Mitchley-trained Marchland (Malmoos) has also won both of her starts essily, both over 1200m, and in the second of them she pulled clear impressively in a Listed event.
The Sean Tarry-trained Secretary Bird (Rafeef) has won her last two over 1000m, including running on impressively in a Listed race last time to win by 2,25 lengths. However, she lost on debut to Volcanic Heat, despite receiving 3kg, and the latter subsequently lost to World Attraction by 5,65 lengths in a Listed race, although she was only receivng half-a-kilogram from the colt.
The Tarry-trained Turn It Up (Querari), a half-brother to the Gr 1 Gold Medallion winner Proceed (Gimmethegreenlight), has won his last two easily and impressively.
All of the above-mentioned horses are Slipper Top 15 qualifiers.
The field will be a size of 14 with up to six reserves.
The top 15 qualifiers up until March 19 are listed below in alphabetical order and those outside looking in are shown below them:
The Glen Kotzen-trained Lady Jean (Real Gone Kid) won second time out at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth over 1200m and the form was franked when the horse beaten 4,40 lengths into fifth, the Justin Snaith-trained colt From The Island (Royal Mo), won over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday.
Lady Jean will try and solidify her place in the top 15 when she runs over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville this coming Sunday, while From The Island will have put her hand up for a place in the field with that last run.
On Wednesday at Hollywoodbets Durbanville the Snaith-trained Lucy’s World (One World) has her second career start over 1000m and will try and book a place in the Slipper. Her debut was not paricularly auspicious as she was beaten 8,15 lengths, but the winner was the smart half-sister to Charles Dickens, Grapes Of Wrath (Gimmethegreenlight), so she is not without a chance.
Also trying to qualify for the Slipper in that race will be the Candice Bass-trained Preacher Man, who was beaten seven lengths by Champagne Castle on debut and then next time out lost to another Slipper top 15 incumbent, the Vaughan Marshall-trained World Series (One World), by 5,70 lengths over 1000m. World Series was an easy winner there and two horses have come out of that race to win already, so Preacher Man should make a bold bid on Wednesday.
The Greg Ennion-trained Gimmethegreenlight filly She’s Chosen is eligible for the Slipper and is a first-timer in the aforementioned Hollywoodbets Durbanville race. She will be good if she is anything like her mother Hollywoodboulevard (Street Cry), who famously downed the might Igugu in a Sales race many years ago.
On Thursday at the Vaal Classic track, the Robyn Klaasen-trained Revitalise (Captain Of All) is a colt who is eligible for the Slipper and he makes his debut over 1000m.
In the next race for fillies over 1000m, the Corne Spies-trained Hoc Est Vita improved second time out but will need a lot more improvement to book her place in the Slipper.
On Friday in the first race over 1000m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf, The Tienie Prinsloo-trained Flower Tryst (Trippi), made a fair debut when finishing fourth over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and she was just 3,10 and 3,30 lengths behind two Slipper top 15 incumbents, Japura and Cherryblossompink. She has a good chance in that race on Friday under Keagan de Melo, although she has a tricky draw of seven.
Louis Goosen has Ferrari Flair (Vercingetorix) in that same race but she will have to improve a lot on a debut in which she was beaten 7,40 lengths over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.
However, the one to beat in this race could be The Glen Kotzen-trained Legislate filly Lady Nancy, who ran close up fifths in her first two starts and then next time out ran a a 0,90 lengths third to Red Spice in the Gr 3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery, beating World Series by 1,55 lengths. She has a wide draw and will have to win this race, because it seems non-winners do not qualify, considering both her and her maiden stablemate Roskilde (Erik The Red), who was second in the Gr 3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery, are not incumbents in the top 15 and do not appear among the outside looking in horses either.
In Sunday’s race at Hollywoobets Greyville over 1200m, the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Slipper eligible Free Roaming (Querari) will need to overturn a 9,65 length defeat by Lady Jean, although he is 3kg better off.
The Louis Goosen-trained Erik Dubois (Erik The Red) is a first-timer in the field who is eligible for the Slipper.
At Turffontein on Saturday April 4 in the Gr 2 SA Nursery and Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery there are a number of Sean Tarry-trained Slipper eligible horses entered, including Status Symbol, Secretary Bird and Turn It Up, who are all already top 15 incumbents, and Ocean Mistress (Querari), who is among the outside looking in horses.
The Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained unraced Vercingetorix colt King’s Mountain is eligible for the Slipper and is entered in the SA Nursery.
