Clive Robinson
Sound Of Warning could well make a victorious seasonal debut at the Vaal on Thursday 13 October when she contests Race 6, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1000m.
This Trippi filly, trained by Sean Tarry, scored her first career win over this course and distance on debut when still a juvenile.
Lightly raced, she has two Group 3 titles on her resume, but her best performance to date is arguably her third-placed finish behind horse-of-the-year Captain’s Ransom in the Group 1 South African Fillies Sprint at Hollywoodbets Scottsville in June this year.
That run saw her Merit Rating increased by five points to 116 – but she looks to be even better than the handicapper suggests.
Owned and bred by Drakenstein Stud’s Gaynor Rupert, Sound Of Warning goes into Thursday’s race the best weighted contender with 55,5kg on her back in a race where the average rating of the runners is 109.
It is obvious that she is earmarked for breeding duties when the time is right, but until then the first prize would be to see her win a Group 1, and Thursday’s race should be seen as a stepping stone heading into the Highveld feature race season.
She does face a number of formidable challengers, albeit under rather abnormal conditions, with Master Archie, Val D’Orcia, Godswood, and Kwite A Trip all having their first run for their new yards after being relocated from champion trainer Paul Peter’s outfit.
Master Archie, now with Mike and Adam Azzie, is a Group 1 winner, but he will carry 62kg, the heaviest burden of his career.
Val D’Orcia, now under the supervision of Johan Janse van Vuuren, has never raced over the Vaal course and it remains to be seen how he will take to the surface and new surroundings.
Godswood is on a hat-trick, has scored twice over course and distance, and will have Muzi Yeni in the saddle again, so rates the biggest danger on debut for Barend Botes and Yolandi Vosloo.
Botes and Vosloo have their yard in good shape and will probably have an added advantage in that Godswood is now based at the Vaal, so will not have too many unknowns to contend with come Thursday.
