The progressive Blue Holly wins the Need For Speed Sprint over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Kotzen-trained the former Drakenstein-based and now Birch Brothers-based stallion Gold Standard and he had one of his two best progeny last season in Hold My Hand and he now has another promising Gold Standard filly in Royals.
Royals got revenge on Beach Bomb in the Non-Black Type Prestige Plate over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville last time out when leading from start to finish to win fluently by a length, although she was receiving 2kg.
Glen is aiming her at the Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on November 11 followed by the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas on December 2.
He trained Royals’ Var dam Royal Sensation, whom he felt was better than her one win record (she won on debut) suggested.
He owned her when doing the cover with Gold Standard before giving her away to John Everett of Narrow Creek Stud. However, he then bought the resulting progeny, Royals, at the Sale. John kept a share and Glen, S Bhana and R Everett are also shareholders.
Glen’s other promising three-year-old fillies are Blue Holly, Rascova, Golden Tatjana and new acquisition Ripple Effect.
Blue Holly by Gimmethegreenlight had a tricky draw in the Non-Black Type Need For Speed Sprint over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville last Sunday and was caught wide around the bend under Raymond Danielson. However, that did not stop her winning by three-quarters of a length in a decent field. Glen believes she will now stay 1200m and will aim her at the female sprints, of which there are plenty in the Cape Racing Summer Season.
Glen got this Ndoro Stud-bred filly for R150,000 at BSA Nationals and believes he only got her for that price because she was small. He said, “She has matured into a beautiful filly, she is not the biggest but she is strong and balanced.”
She is out of a Captain Al one-time winner who is a half-sister to Gr 2 Colorado King Stakes winner Divine Odyssey (Oratorio).
Lancaster Bomber filly Rascova, who won the City Of Cape Town Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1100m last season, was supposed to run in the same race as Royals but sprung a temperature before the race. In her last two starts she finished second in the Gr 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer, beaten 3,70 lengths by the champion Mrs Geriatrix, and she followed up with a 4,70 length fourth place finish in the Gr 1 Douglas Whye Thekwini Stakes over 1600m.
She is also going for the Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship .
Glen said, “She’s bounced back from the missed prep run quiet smartly and I’m very happy with her. She’s doing very well, she did a bit of grass work this morning (Thursday) and she seems back to her best. She is very talented and what I do like about her this season is that last season she pulled and that cost her races – this season she has settled down. Chad Little has done a lot of work on her and she’s not not so aggressive, so that should make a huge difference. She is out of a very, very fast female line, but she is by Lancaster Bomber and he got a mile easily and won his Group 1 over a mile, and she doesn’t look like a sprinter, she looks like a classic horse, so we’re hoping she gets the trip. She will definitely get the 1400m. The formline of the Thekwini was actaully franked by Egyptian Mau on Saturday in Jo’Burg.”
Golden Tatjana (by Erupt) pulled up sore after her seasonal reappearance at Hollywoodbets Durbanville when only managing 8th place over 1000m but this 97 rated filly won the non-Black Type Farm Sale Stakes over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville by 3,50 lengths in her previous start and the form has been franked. She will also be aimed at sprint races.
The yard had also acquired the useful three time-winning former Ashley Fortune-trained filly Ripple Effect, who won her last start in a Juvenile Plate over 1200m in June over 1160m at Turffontein Standside by 5,25 lengths and the form has worked out well. She had to have chip removed from her fetlock after that start and she is “back in full swing and very, very nice.”
Meanhile, Gold Standard filly Hold My Hand, who had hard-knocking Gr 1 form last season, has been given a “proper holiday” and has just back in to training.
Glen gave Countdown special mention among the males.
“He’s only had one run this season and ran a cracker and I think he is a big runner this season.”
King Regent (Dynasty) has a problem at the starting stalls and it all depends on how late the hood is removed, because if removed too early he “bunny hops” out of the gates and it is costly. However, he is “very, very talented.”
Watch out also for a three-year-old male called Holding Thumbs by Vercingetorix. He is a big horse who is yet to make his debut, but is a “proper horse.”
Paardeberg Stud farm have already given Glen four horses to train on his Woodhill Racing Estate farm.
Glen believes Paardeberg Stud’s new stallion import Expert Eye (Acclamation) is “an absolute coup for South Africa.”
He continued, “He has had two crops to race and they are already winning races. He is a Group 1 winner of a two-year-old race and his babies are winning two-year-old races. That is what we need.”
