On the weight turnaround Big Burn looks held by a group of rivals in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sycamore Sprint for fillies and mares over 1160m at Turffontein but the reality could turn out to be a lot different.
Big Burn has been ultra-consistent since the day she started racing. Paul Peter’s charge has only raced eight times, but she is a four time winner and has run second three times and finished third in her only other start.
The main collateral form line for this race is the Magnolia Stakes over this course and distance run on 30 November last year. That race was won by Sound Of Warning who got up close home to beat Big Burn by a neck.
Behind her that day, and reopposing in this race, were Full Velocity (fourth), Rio’s Winter (sixth), Tanzanite Queen (eighth) and Lucy In The Sky (14th), and virtually all of them are weighted to beat Big Burn on this occasion.
Full Velocity, from the Sean Tarry yard, is now 5kg better off for a 1.55-length beating, Rio’s Winter finished three lengths back and is now 6.5kg better off while Tanzanite Queen is 3.5kg better off for 3.25-length defeat.
However, as Big Burn is still three years old, part of that weight adjustment is due to a change to her weight-for-age allowance and the balance has come as a result of an increase to her merit rating.
In addition, in the Magnolia Stakes Big Burn and the winner Sound Of Warning came together from the 150m mark and Warren Kennedy, who rode Big Burn, lodged an objection.
The objection was a close thing but was overruled by the stipendiary stewards because Big Burn also started to hang in. However, the deposit was refunded and the rider of the winner was reprimanded by the stipes because his mount “shifted significant ground outwards away from his right-hand crop and he had failed to take the necessary measures to straighten his horse”.
In her next start, Big Burn was again caught on the line, this time by stablemate Freed From Desire, but Big Burn’s saddle slipped which cost her the race.
Based on that, as long as she has a modicum of fortune this time, Big Burn should still be able to beat those she defeated last time, despite the weight difference.
Kennedy will once again take the ride on the daughter of Elusive Fort.
Full Velocity is undoubtedly the main danger and she will be ridden this time by Keagan de Melo.
Clive Robinson
