Silver Salute has a fine chance in the last race (Picture: Wayne Marks)
By Mark van Deventer (Race Coast)
Racing switches venue to Hollywoodbets Durbanville for a twilight meeting on Saturday. The first race, a Maiden Plate over 1250m around the bend, jumps at 15h10.
Justin Snaith has been impressed by visiting rider Rene Piechulek’s calm horsemanship and fine hands, so is using him when opportune. They team up on RED WAVE in Race 1, and while Draw 9 is awkward and the son of Erik the Red who has placed five times from seven starts must boost his finish, he does have a favourable running style to work to his advantage.
RED WAVE has plenty of early toe, always an advantage at this course which plays to speed, especially in sprints.
Stable mate, CARDINAL POINT, should go well second up after a fair debut. The grey, BEHAVE HARRIS, was punted last time when placing behind Influence, so is respected, and BIG DEAL, from that same form line, comes into the reckoning too from the best gate of 1.
The merit of Influence’s debut win comes under further scrutiny in Race 2, an Open Maiden over 1400m. Here the pacey VOLEGOV, who finished under two lengths back after showing pace, will try open his account.
VOLEGOV is from Andre Nel’s stable and will be ridden by Aldo Domeyer. They don’t team up often (just 14 times this season), but when they do it tends to be a successful collaboration. 29% wins and 57% places to starts is their impressive current tally.
Reeves Racing so nearly pulled off a betting plunge with SOOTY over the weekend. Backed from 16/1 into 33/10 he was just thwarted in a photo finish by Worldly.
SOOTY is again carded in Race 4, though stable mate PARENTAL GUIDANCE catches the eye with Andrew Fortune booked.
Reeves has held him in high regard from the outset – an opinion backed by strong juvenile form. He impressively accounted for subsequent Schweppes Diana Stakes Gr 3 winner, She’s My World on debut and then ran close to Black Cheetah and Wild Wild Green, both well above average sorts. He was given an OMR of 92 for those performances.
Laid off for most of 2025 (gelded in the meantime) he has made two starts since the long spell. The first behind Green Gateway (a key race) was most encouraging, the second start after the layoff was less inspiring when sustaining a speedy cut and well-beaten.
It’s hard to know what to expect (and gate 8/8 is tricky in 1000m scuttles into a turn), but he is the sort of horse with sufficient natural talent to suddenly wake up dropping to a level where the average merit rating is mired in the mid 70’s.
In Race 5, Dean Kannemeyer’s 3YO EDUCATOR is a steep class dropper, as she goes down to a Class 4 over 1600m, having contested the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas Gr 1 in early December.
Her come-from-off-the-pace racing style, dictated by a tendency to be slow away, is not really the answer for this bendy circuit. And she concedes between a half and up to ten kilograms to her rivals.
However, finishing six lengths off Quickstepgal at level weights in the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas Gr 1 (despite a bumpy passage), is plenty good enough to shape here. Kannemeyer Racing stable jockey, Craig Zackey rides.
The same connections step out SILVER SALUTE in the following race. This last time out Maiden winner has a lot more to prove, having beaten a weak field. However, she is a developing Vercingetorix filly who now dips her toes into a moderate Class 5. Maybe she can handle this next step in her career progression.
