Drakenstein Stud and Ridgemont Highlands are two of the most successful breeding operations in the land and both are enjoying continued success as owners as well in some of the country’s biggest races this season.
Gaynor Rupert’s familiar blue and white Drakenstein silks have been carried to victory more than 50 times this campaign, headed by the Grade 1 wins of home-bred Charles Dickens and Trip Of Fortune, while Make It Snappy’s Cape Fillies Guineas and Paddock Stakes Grade 1 double was a huge feather in the cap of trainer Brett Crawford, the Hollywoodbets Syndicate and the Kieswetter family’s Ridgemont enterprise.
As owners, these prominent players are likely to add two race wins each to their season tally at the eight-race Hollywoodbets Kenilworth meeting on Wednesday 26b April.
Drakenstein’s Future Star (Race 1), a daughter of Futura, and Beach Bomb (Race 2), who is by Lancaster Bomber out of multiple Grade 1 winner Beach Beauty, are well-bred newcomers to keep an eye on in the early races, though the experience of Ridgemont’s Crawford-trained Quick Trip should see their filly land the spoils in Race 2 over 1000m.
This daughter of Trippi – who, incidentally, stands at Drakenstein Stud – confirmed the promise of an encouraging debut third over 1250m by improving to finish a close-up second behind a highly regarded sort over 1200m at her next start. With that experience under her belt and further progress likely, Quick Trip should open her account under Louis Mxothwa.
Crawford’s stable jock can get down to 55,5kg so misses out on the ride aboard last-start winner Veldskoen in Race 8, having partnered Ridgemont’s well-bred son of Snitzel to an impressive last-to-first victory at Hollywoodbets Durbanville six weeks ago. Keenan Steyn is set to deputise for Mxothwa who rides recently gelded stablemate Champion Warrior.
Veldskoen, a lightly raced four-year-old colt, was drawn widest of all so dropped out to the rear of the field before running home strongly to turn the tables on familiar foe Wyag (0,5kg better off) and score by 0.75 lengths. And while a six-point penalty for that win may seem harsh, Veldskoen should go on to prove better than his current rating so it could pay to follow his progress and provide Ridgemont with a second winner on the card.
That feat ought to be matched by Drakenstein Stud home-bred Silver Darling, if she takes her place in Race 4, and Pacific Green who lines up in Race 5. Both Justin Snaith-trained fillies have solid credentials and will be ridden by red-hot Richard Fourie.
The former is one of six Snaith-runners carded to run in Sunday’s Variety Mile Club Mile but connections may opt to skip that Grade 3 engagement in favour of running Silver Darling on Wednesday in Race 4 over 2000m ahead of a possible raid during Champions season in KwaZulu-Natal where she won at Grade 1 level in the Woolavington last year. This daughter of Silvano has matured into a classy sort and added further black-type to her resume with placed efforts at Grade 1 level in both the Garden Province and Majorca Stakes over 1600m as well as the 1800m Paddock Stakes. She is, and by some margin, the best-weighted runner on ratings and will be hard to beat under the conditions.
Gimmethegreenlight-filly Pacific Green is reunited with Fourie in Race 5 and ought to make the most of a drop in class and distance by bouncing back to winning ways over 1100m.
Drakenstein has three runners in the race and will also be represented by last-start winners What A State, trained by Adam Marcus, and Snaith-trained Hunting Trip. Including these three fillies in Swinger and Exacta bets could be the way to play.
Bettors are also likely to reap the rewards of siding with two other Snaith-Fourie runners on the card. The first of those is Oratorio filly Musical Arts who belied her inexperience and a market drift when staying on to finish second on debut over 1000m. She ought to have improved since that outing so should again have the measure of Strata who she renews rivalry with in Race 1.
Lightly raced four-year-old Liketheclappers has run well in both starts for Snaith (after relocating from Duncan Howells’ yard) and is worth a good bet to win Race 6. This son of former Durban July winner Pomodoro caught the eye on his stable debut when a fast-finishing fifth over 1200m on his return to action following a rest and gelding then finished second over 1400m in his last start under Fourie, who encouragingly maintains the partnership.
Clive Robinson
