It will pay for bettors to follow jockey Richard Fourie when racing in the Western Cape returns to Hollywoodbets Durbanville for an eight-race card on Monday 20 March.
In Race 1 over 1400m, Fourie teams up with Justin Snaith to ride Danon Platina colt Kyomai who stayed on well to finish third behind unbeaten Outlaw King when stepped up to 1200m in a sales race on Cape Derby day three weeks ago. The extra 200m on offer in the opener will suit Snaith’s charge who with expected improvement over the distance, should open his account and strike at the fourth attempt.
Fourie has ridden Mike Stewart-trained Simply Beautiful to four stakes-earning finishes from as many starts and looks likely to reward his followers when reunited with the daughter of Coup De Grace in Race 3 over 1250m.
He steered this four-year-old filly to a close-up third over a similar trip at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth two starts back and a repeat of that effort will see the pair fight out the finish to Leg 1 of the day’s Pick 6.
Well-bred Hawk Circle has improved after gelding and Snaith’s charge has, seemingly, benefited from racing with blinkers. In two comeback outings this year over 1200m, this son of Silvano has finished not finished more than 1.50 lengths off the winner. The step up in distance to 1800m should suit the three-year-old gelding who could be worth backing to open his account at the eighth attempt.
Snaith holds a strong hand in Race 6 with all three of his runners holding solid claims of playing a role in the finish. However, Fourie’s decision to stick with Future Turn is likely to prove telling in the outcome. In a similar contest over 1400m at Kenilworth back in late January, this consistent Futura gelding finished ahead of stablemates Tothemoonandback and Gimme More Time.
Stepping up to 1600m this time around, Fourie’s mount is better off at the weights with both his fellow Snaith inmates and so should confirm the form of the recent meeting.
Well-bred Hunting Trip deserves another chance and ought to reward her followers when reverting to 1000m in Race 8. She was slightly disappointing last time out when given every possible chance over 1250m but failed to go through with her effort in the closing stages, seeing her challenge peter out to finish a respectable fifth, 1.65 lengths behind Shantastic – to whom she conceded 1.5kg.
Snaith’s decision to do away with the tongue-tie he experimented with last time and return Hunting Trip to 1000m will be right up the alley of the Trippi filly who will be good value to make amends from the widest No 8 draw.
