Kebonalasedi can get the ball rolling in the country championship finals by taking race three, the “1600” final. (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Graeme Hawkins (Gold Circle)
Strap yourself in, it could be a bumpy ride at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday as the competitive 8-race programme includes five R200 000 Summer Country Championship Finals over distances varying from 1000m to 1800m and all for horses with a nett merit rating of 82 and below. But bumpy rides can also be exhilarating and the prospect of decent dividends in the respective exotic bets is enticing.
The third race, and opening leg of the Pick 6, is the “1600” Final and it may pay to follow the hard-knocking Kebonalesedi, a recent winner over track and trip. Grant Van Niekerk retains the ride for Eric Sands and the 4-time winning 5yo son of Pomodoro should again give us a good run for our money. Iconic Destination has bounced back from throat surgery with two very good efforts over 1400m and the extra 200m should be well within his range. He was rated 96 earlier in his career but comes in here off the handy mark of 81 and Andre Nel’s charge is definitely one for the short-list. Rich Folks Hoax has the advantage of pole position and the 3yo son of Danon Platina appears to have scope for further improvement. Strictly on paper he is held by Kebonalesedi, but last time Rich Folks Hoax raced from the worst of the draw when beaten two lengths by Kebonalesedi and they could finish much closer together here. The consistent Master Of Paris and his stable companions Okavango and Bounceback should be considered for Quartet permutations in a tricky contest.
The fourth race is the “1800” Final and the Snaith pair Kwite A King (Zackey) and Groovejet (JP van der Merwe) both have strong winning claims. JP has opted to ride Groovejet but at the weights there should not be much to choose between them. La Pulga is an interesting runner as he steps up to 1800m for the first time. His recent form is encouraging, and Candice Bass-Robinson has often spoken highly of the 3yo son of Pomodoro. Tothemoonandback has been priced up as one of the longshots in the ante-post market but in receipt of 7kgs from Groovejet, he could certainly upset the applecart. The only filly in the race, Green Isle, appears well-handicapped and is ideally distance suited while neither Aladdin’s Lamp nor Gentleman Joe would be winning out of turn. Happy Days seems held by Groovejet but will get the run of the race from the inside gate.
Race 5 is the “1400” Final and the in-form Family Power, trained by Greg Ennion and partnered by Grant Van Niekerk, gets the nod to confirm her superiority over the promising Swiatek. Golden Ideal should not be too far behind Swiatek on the evidence of their last run and cannot be lightly discarded. Industrial Strength has not enjoyed much luck in recent starts, and he leaves the impression there is still more to come from the lightly raced 4yo son of Gimmethegreenlight. Devil A Saint has drawn widest of all and is not the most consistent around but on best form he could surprise.
The “1000” Final has been billed as the sixth race on the card and the evergreen 6yo Bluff On Bluff could register his seventh career victory. Ashton Arries gets a good tune out of the Piet Steyn inmate and the pair were seen to good advantage when scoring at the end of December. There has never been much to choose between Bluff On Bluff and the 7yo All About Al and Craig Zackey’s fine record on the Adam Marcus-trained son of Captain Al is a plus factor. The veterans could well be upstaged by the 3yo Un Bel Di who will be ridden by Aldo Domeyer for the Justin Snaith team. Un Bel Di has his third run back from a lengthy spell on the sidelines and should be cherry ripe, but he does have the steadier of 62,5kgs to shoulder. Another “old-timer” Barney McGrew is holding form nicely while Dame Of Trix has only had the one start since February ’24 and could improve markedly on that performance last month.
Race 7 is the “1200” Final and the race appears ultra-competitive. I am leaning towards the Vaughan Marshall-trained Captain’s Destiny who has not put a foot wrong in her last eight starts. She only has 53kgs on her back and is in receipt of 9,5kgs from Tough Terrain and 7,5kgs from last start course and distance winner Golden Destiny. The unexposed Elsinore who finished a creditable fourth on her handicap debut appears to be on an upward curve and can get into the mix. Prince of Tibet is holding form nicely since being fitted with blinkers and rates a threat off a low mass. Sooty who was heavily backed to win last month was not disgraced when runner-up behind Kelp Forest and is another to consider. The enigmatic Fort Red has not won for 462 days but he is quite capable of popping up when least expected.
