A fortnight on from their Grade 2 WSB Guineas win with Zapatillas in Durban, trainer Brett Crawford and jockey Luyolo Mxothwa look set for further feature-race success at Kenilworth on Saturday 21 May.
The second leg of the World Sprots Betting Winter Series, the 1800m Grade 3 Legal Eagle Stakes – known formerly as the Winter Classic – was won last year by 2022 Hollywoodbets Durban July entry Hoedspruit and this has year attracted a small but competitive field of nine runners.
Unsurprisingly, Gem King, winner of the 1600m Variety Club Mile first leg, takes his place in the line-up aiming to take another step closer to adding his name to the illustrious Winter Series ‘Triple Crown’ roll of honour, which includes the likes of Pocket Power, African Night Sky and Katak.
Crawford-trained Future Prince, second to Gem King in the Variety Club Mile, renews rivalry and could prove value to turn the tables on his last-start conqueror. He, like stablemate Zapatillas, is owned by Pamela Isdell and carries her purple and white silks, which again could be seen to the fore come Race 7.
Crawford’s charge, who is a son of the trainer’s former stable star Futura, moved up strongly at the 400m mark of his last start only to be outrun late by Gem King and beaten less than 0.50 lengths at the line.
That was just his fifth career outing and first after a two-month break, so Future Prince should return a fitter and more battle-hardened gelding. Furthermore, he is 1kg better off with Gem King on the revised terms and, as such, is weighted to reverse the form of last month’s meeting.
A runner to consider for Exacta/Quinella and Trifecta purposes is Justin Snaith-trained Pacaya who finished fourth in the Variety Club Mile. This highly regarded son of Trippi was probably in need of that outing after a rest, during which he was gelded, and remains open to further improvement.
On official ratings Pacaya is the best-weighted runner in the race and, with improved fitness on his side, should make his presence felt in the finish.
In Race 6, the fillies’ equivalent – the Listed Stormsvlei Stakes over 1800m – Snaith’s Peut Etre Moi is the runner to be with in an open contest. This Master Of My Fate filly had won over 1400m and 1600m prior to finishing third in a 2000m Listed event last time out and the 200m cut back in distance should suit.
Snaith should get the meeting off to a winning start with well-bred Stratospheric (Race 1), while the ‘trainer of the day’ honours should go the way of Candice Bass-Robinson, as Camille Claudel (Race 3), Adios Amigos (Race 5) and Whatsinadream (Race 9) are just three of her runners with realistic winning credentials.
