KwaZulu-Natal champion juvenile colt Cousin Casey and filly Canadian Summer make their seasonal debuts this Sunday at Hollywoodbets Greyville. If that bit of news doesn’t bring the crowds to the track, nothing will. Both look hard to beat.
Cousin Casey is running in Race 7, the Grade 3 Byerley Turk over 1400m, which is essentially a prep for up-and-coming youngsters but Cousin Casey is already an established Grade 1 winner. Not only is he unbeaten in three races at this venue, two of those wins were over 1400m.
While there are improving sorts in the race looking to make names for themselves and will no doubt have it tough against the Glen Kotzen-trained inmate there is one coming down from the Highveld, Jimmy Don, who ran a blinder when finishing runner-up behind Anfields Rocket in the Grade 1 World Sports Betting SA Classic over 1800m.
Jimmy Don similarly is unbeaten this distance category in the Highveld, and he raised his game to a higher level in the Classic. He is now dangerously in receipt of 5.5kg from Cousin Casey which makes him the best weighted runner.
But this year’s Highveld Classics have not appeared vintage and as such it is Cousin Casey who ran just under two lengths off the country’s best in the WSB Cape Met that should reward followers.
Canadian Summer is finally meeting Ameena in Race 6, the Grade 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes, also over 1400m. Ameena looked the one who could have beaten her in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes which she captured to become the region’s best juvenile.
That match didn’t materialise and Ameena (now best weighted) may just need the run after being off the track for 274 days.
Canadian Summer, like Cousin Casey, has trained on. She has already shown her talent when running See It Again to 1.50 lengths while giving him 1.5kg and she then blew away the opposition in the Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes.
A horse well beaten by Canadian Summer in the Thekwini Stakes, Miss Cool, lost her way in KwaZulu-Natal after a promising start but her most recent win was over this distance suggests she needed time to mature. She could be the nearest danger and could complete the Exacta.
The third feature on the day, the Listed KwaZulu-Natal Stakes over 1000m (Race 5), is for fillies and mares. While Time Fo Orchids, Aunty Lizzy and, in fact, the top four or five runners in the best weighted column, seem to be compromised in some way (distance or draw) so the race could go to Amarandi who won over the course and distance in smooth fashion last time out.
Clive Robinson
