By Mark van Deventer (Race Coast)
Des Mclachlan and Grant van Niekerk recorded a double (Noble Hero & Double Dash) at Hollywoodbets Durbanville’s mid-week meet on Wednesday and might have made it a treble with Dawn’s Early Light, if it weren’t for a dramatic resurgence by Richard Fourie on a resolute Sooty.
The talented van Niekerk seems Mauritius bound, but for the time being will try boost his SA tally with Milnerton-based supporter, McLachlan, who has his string in fighting form. They step out stable star, JET FORCE in Race 8’s headliner, a Progress Plate where the class-dropping 4YO gelding is officially handicapped a good thing.
JET FORCE performed credibly when taking on the best milers in the land in the Ridgemont Green Point Stakes Gr 2 and L’Ormarins King’s Plate Gr 1, which has seen his official merit rating bump up big time to 115. On Saturday, the son of Master Of My Fate jumps from the outer gate (8) and turns back to seven panels, a distance over which he has won before at this course.
That said, he will need to be razor-sharp to see off POWERANDTHEGLORY, who could be extremely dangerous over 1400m at the country course, after just missing in a torridly run race won by Snow Pilot on World Sports Betting Cape Town Met Day. Justin Snaith’s entry is now in the form of his life and should work out a good trip racing handy under Andrew Fortune while tracking likely leaders, blinkered CAPTAIN WEST and JET FORCE’s stable mate, DEVIL A SAINT.
BEWARE enters the reckoning on the Roland Garros clash with POWERANDTHEGLORY, as does Greg Ennion’s MISS WORLD on the pick of her top ratings, though quite how she fares over 1400m is hard to predict.
In the preceding race, Ennion, who also saddled a double on Wednesday with Loui’s Star and developing stayer, Fort Liam, sends out ALL IS GREEN. She is lightly raced at intervals so comes with a “hazardous material” warning, yet this is precisely the sort of race she can come to light in.
The 2x winning daughter of Captain of All has previously triumphed in higher grade races off bigger merit ratings (86 as opposed to a current mark of 75) and now drops into calmer waters. She showed signs of zest at her comeback run under Craig Zackey in mid-January behind Dame Of Trix, and has a neat record second run after a layoff. Zackey sticks solid and she can pop up with SAACHI ONE and DECEMBER DAWN, her principal dangers.
BONELLI is a progressive 3YO from Bass Racing. Improvement has been forthcoming at each successive start since gelding, and the Master of My Fate gelding gave Prairie Dawn a fright last time over this course and distance.
Making just a bit more improvement should see him exit the Maiden ranks. Aldo Domeyer rides – he and Bass share a tidy 21% winning strike rate and 47% place stat.
BONELLI is thus the pick in Race 3. He probably has most to fear from PROTECTOR OF PEACE, who should go smoothly from Draw 3 under J P van der Merwe’s guidance, and returning older Maiden TUNGUSKA, ridden by Andrew Fortune for Ricky Maingard.
Single race exotics tickets can place GOLD GOLD BABY, WATERFRONT and OH SO ONEDERFUL in the lower positions.
Punters face a dilemma in Race 9, where IRELAND FOREVER sports appealing credentials but is drawn 11 in the finale, a Class 4 over 1400m. His hold up style of racing is also not quite in sync with a track profile which tends to favor on-pace runners.
Those two strikes against him may be enough to put bettors off, but the visual image of him hurtling through a late gap and blasting clear of reopposing CARRIACOU at this Class level in November is more positive.
Granted, he will need luck to jink past a full field in the Hollywoodbets Durbanville straight but can win in this grade if getting the breaks in time under Sean Veale. Stable mate, SAN PEDRO, together with IT IS MY TIME, BOOGIEFIED and pace-presser GRAN CANARIA, should ensure a high velocity early clip which might just tee it up for a nimble closer like IRELAND FOREVER.
MARCUS AURELIUS also possesses a powerful turn of finishing speed. He jumps from the inside alley and is another late running threat.
