Red Palace leaves Double Grand Slam in her wake (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Potala Palace filly Red Palace emerged as a top class filly to follow for the season after an impressive performance at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday.
Double Grand Slam had met Red Palace three times before and beaten her everytime but never by far and considering the best performances of the latter, such as her runner up finish in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas where she beat the like of Green With Envy, her odds of 7/2 against the 56/100 odds of Double Grand Slam, would have been inviting to value seekers in their clash over 1400m in the Prestige Plate at Hollywodbets Durbanville on Saturday.
After all she had had a more recent run, Gold Cup day compared to Hollywoodbets Durban July day, and in that recent run had shown her reputation was not over-inflated as she had beaten a good field to land the Gr 2 Riding High Together Gold Bracelet over 2000m.
Red Palace prefers further than 1400m, whereas it could well be Double Grand Slam’s best trip.
However, Red Palace does not lack speed and the value hunters might have considered Double Grand Slam to be more vulnerable coming back from a three-and-a-half month layoff over her optimum trip than Red Palace coming off a two-and-a-half month layoff over a trip slightly on the sharp side.
It is easy to talk in retrospect and Double Grand Slam can surely bounce back, but it is one on the board for Red Palace in what should be an intriguing season for two of the best, if not the two best, in the older female division.
The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained four-year-old jumped from draw six of seven and was always beautifully relaxed in the running under Aldo Domeyer despite being caught wide in the back straight.
Double Grand Slam on the other hand was taking a keen hold and not as relaxed.
Richard Fourie pounced on Double Grand Slam before she had reached the false rail as the pacemakers Siddeley and Royals left the door open.
Meanwhile, Red Palace was unwinding her run on the outside.
Red Palace joined Double Grand Slam at the 250m mark and there was a brief squabble before the former drew clear to win by a comfortable 2,50 lengths. Time For Love was a further length back in third.
Raced by Terry and Annabel Andrews, Mark Bass & C A F Goncalves & Mr H G & Mrs N S C Breydenbach, and Candice Bass-Robinson, Red Palace was one of Ridgemont’s Gr1 sire Potala Palace’s two winners on the day, with Piet Steyn’s gelding Prince Of Tibet forcing JP van der Merwe to earn every cent of his commission, getting up firmly ridden in the ninth.
Winner of both the Riding High Together Gr2 Gold Bracelet and Listed Stormsvlei Stakes last season, the 2023 Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas runner-up Red Palace was bred by Terry Andrews, and has now won five of 14 starts and has earned R1 127 012 in stakes. She is out of the Jay Peg mare In Limine.
Candice Bass-Robinso said that despite having had to go to quarantine after the Durban season and also having had a rest on the farm of Terry and Annabel Andrews, Red Palace had kept her fitness levels well having had plenty of racing in the latter part of last season. She said she had let down quite badly when rested prior to the Durban season, so Candice feels she will be an easier filly to train for the Cape Summer season having kept well stripped during her layoff this time.
Candice felt Red Palace would still come on from the run and would get better as she went over further. She reckoned the Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Victress Stakes over 1800m on December 14 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth could be a race for her, depending on the conditions, but her main aim would be the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m on January 4 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
