Anthony Delpech said on pedigree and the manner in which she had been winning there would be “no worries” about Make It Snappy staying the 2000m Met trip at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
The racing manager of the Hollywood Syndicate said about the Brett Crawford-trained Dynasty filly, “She now takes on older male horses, so it is a question of how good are the three-year-olds? It is a tough task, but as a three-year-old filly she is getting a lot of weight and the question is whether they can afford to give her that amount of weight.”
There is no apparent pace in the race and Delpech said, “That will suit her. She does not have to lead, she is happy to have a lead from others, but if they want to walk she can lead. Keagan has proven himself the best rider around at the moment and he will just see how it pans out on the day and follow plan A or plan B.”
Delpech said make It Snappy and all of the Hollywood Syndicate’s other runners on the day had been doing well and all was “on track.”
Hollywood Syndicate have a strong hand in the Grade 1 Pongracz Cape Flying Championship over 1000m, where they have the two What A Winter geldings, four-year-old Isivunguvungu and three-year-old Hitthemhardsunshine, who jump from draw one and draw seven respectively.
He said both were similar types in that they tended to over-race without cover but respectively possessed a good turn of foot.
Isivunguvungu is 2kg worse off with Resonate, having beaten him by just a neck last time over course and distance.
Howeever, Delpech said, “He was unlucky in that race (Christophe Soumillon had to switch him considerably outward to get a run) and he will be a fitter horse than last time … that run followed a long break.”
The draw of one might or might not be a concern.
Delpech said, “You never know which way they will decide to go. Hopefully, the inside is the faster side on the day.”
Some would be concerned that draw one would have to face the brunt of the South-Easter, if there is one on the day, but Delpech said, “As a jockey I was never, ever concerned about the wind, I think it is just something that is in their heads down here.”
Delpech added, “The good thing is there is a lot of speed around Isivunguvungu, which will help him to find the cover he needs.”
Delpech is quietly bullish about the chances of Hitthemhardsunshine.
He said, “He seems to have been written off after one run. A line can be drawn through that run as he returned with a bit of a problem. A look at his earlier form puts him in with a chance and he has been flying at home.”
He said about Hollywood’s other runners, “Kupholiwe (6th race) ran a good third on debut … The Abdicator will be hard to beat, but receiving 3kg Kupholiwe should get closer to him; Going Up (3rd race) will be better suited to this 1400m and this is weaker company, so she has got to have a chance; Asiye Phambile (race 7) was not doing well in the mornings before her last run, but is now thriving. This is now harder, but I wouldn’t write her off completely; Kitchakal’s (race 11) last race did not map out well, she went to the front and overraced so we didn’t learn much. We are bringing her back in trip so she can settle. She has won over 1200m although I still think it’s too sharp, but she is a decent horse and I would not write her off.”
