In the Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint Kotzen runs Good Traveller (Visionaire), who was the Equus Champion Two-year-old last year.
He said, “He won the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes last year over 1600m so we automatically went the Guineas route but he shows so much speed I said to the owners maybe the mile is a touch too far for him. As we were already halfway through the campaign we decided to go on with it and could then always bring him back in trip later on if necessary. Bringing him back to a sprint in his penultimate start he duly won exceptionally well. A line can be drawn through his next start in the Drill Hall over 1400m. They eased it up in front so he had to ease and he then dropped the bit. His work at home has been phenomenal, he is flying and is in a good space. He has his third run after a layoff and will be spot on.”
Good Traveller was raised six points for his recent win and the form was franked in no uncertain terms when the runner up Isivunguvungu came out and won the Listed In Full Flight Stakes over 1100m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville by 2,50 lengths.
Good Traveller, who jumps from a draw of six under Donovan Dillon, is third favourite at 8/1 with Hollywoodbets.
Kotzen has two runners in the Grade 1 Gold Medallion.
He said about the Gimmethegreenlight colt Countdown, “He was very impressive on debut and beat a strong field (over 1100m at Kenilworth). We wanted to show him Scottsville but there was a lot of rain in the build up to that run and he missed a lot of work. Then on the day he was cantering quietly to the start when a horse bolted past him causing him to take off and he was only pulled up at the 850m mark, so that took the edge off him. Both he and the horse that bolted came out of the race with heat exhaustion. So he needed that run and things went wrong so a line can be drawn through it. He galloped on Thursday and is now back to where we wanted to have him. He is well balanced and is a nice size. His mother is a half-sister to Legal Eagle so going for the Hollywoodbets Greyville feature over 1400m on Hollywoodbets Durban July day will be his next step.”
He said about the Visionaire gelding Imposing, who is a three-parts brother in blood to Good Traveller, “He is a half-brother to two Grade 1 winners (Solo Traveller and Redberry Lane). “He is really well but might need further. He is going to be a better miler but he is classy enough. If they go hard he will be flying at them. We saw that on debut (over 1000m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf), where he was slow away from a wide draw and dropped out. Going through the 250m mark he still had seven lengths to make up and got beat a shorthead.”
Kotzen has two lively contestants in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship too.
He said about the unbeaten Quasillo filly Ameena, “She will be a serious runner. Richard Fourie has been impressed with her and she worked like a little machine last Thursday. Her work this morning would have put her spot on. She is in a very good space and they must come. She is well above average and we are very excited about her.”
He also runs the Wylie Hall filly Certainly, whose only defeat in three starts in Cape Town was against the boys.
She finished a 3,75 length fourth in the Listed East Cape Nursery last time over 1200m at Fairview and has 1,50 lengths to make up on runner up Ekoria (Futura).
He said, “Certainly is smart and has done well since arriving in KZN. It was a bit of a disappointing run at Fairview, I thought she would win. She has done well since and it will be nice to give Jason Gates a first ride in a Grade 1. She will love the tough Scottsville 1200m. She is bred to go further and has won twice over the the tough Kenilworth sprint course (over 900m and 1200m respectively).”
Of his other runners on the day he expects Grinkov to win a Juvenile Plate over 1600m despite having to give weight to most of the field.
He said, “He has really matured in the last two months and is heading in the right direction.”
Picture: Ameena (Candiese Lenferna).
