Cape Racing’s winter programme has been interrupted by inclement weather, which has put paid to a number of races and seen other meetings and feature races having to be rescheduled. As such, there is a bumper 10-race midweek card for racing enthusiasts to sink their teeth into at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Tuesday 20 June.
And leading riders Keagan de Melo and Aldo Domeyer will be licking their chops ahead of the proposed Cape Town meeting as they have a strong book of rides on the day which should, at the very least, yield a pair of race victories for both.
Domeyer’s first port of is Race 3 over 1200m when he partners Gimmethegreenlight filly Gimmethewaltz for Candice Bass-Robinson. This two-year-old filly would have gained plenty from the experience of her debut and could break through for a maiden success at the second attempt with natural improvement expected after a pleasing introduction in which she finished fourth over the course and distance.
She will, however, need to get the better of Quick Trip, but that rival is carded to run at previous meeting and is unlikely to take her place in the lineup if fulfilling her prior engagement.
Well-related Strata should have no such issues opening her account for Domeyer and Bass-Robinson in Race 4. This Canford Cliffs half-sister to the stable’s smart sprinter African Rain (Soft Falling Rain) has stayed on from handy positions to finish second over 1000m in her last two outings and, on that evidence, the step up in distance to 1200m could now be what she is looking for, having tried 1200m unsuccessfully earlier in her career.
The stable has maintained the view that Royal Invitation is likely to prove an even better four-year-old but she could add one more victory to her tally as a three-year-old in Race 10 over 1950m. This daughter of Elusive Fort returned from a break to make a winning comeback over 1800m in April and last month confirmed that was no flash in the pan when finishing third over 1950m off her seven-point higher mark.
A repeat of that effort with Domeyer back aboard should see Royal Invitation notch up a third career win from 10 starts, which would be a great feat from a filly expected to raise her game next season.
Vaughan Marshall’s runner, Typeface, is closely matched on the form of their recent meeting and is 1kg better off with Royal Invitation, so should pose a threat. Including the pair in boxed Swinger and Exacta bets should yield a profitable return.
De Melo’s pursuit of a maiden jockeys’ title is nearing its conclusion and adding two more winners on the day would do his chances of clinching the championship no harm. He steered Glen Kotzen-trained Red William to a third-place finish over 1400m three weeks ago and may have persuaded connections to go 1600m with the three-year-old William Longsword gelding with whom he renews his partnership over 1600m in Race 6.
Kotzen’s promising juvenile Monumental impressed De Melo when shedding his maiden tag over 1400m. This young son of Gimmethegreenlight may have done too much too soon from a wide draw when fading out of contention in the final 400m to finish sixth over that distance last time, so a return to 1200m in Race 9 could get his career back on track, with De Melo keeping faith in the two-year-old gelding.
Shane Humby has yet to get off the mark since relocating back to Cape Town after a stint in KwaZulu-Natal but is good value to break his duck on the day. Consistent Misty Cliffs wouldn’t be winning out of turn after several near misses and could – if taking her place in the line-up – score an overdue maiden win in Race 1, a work riders’ event, over 1400m under Colinda Austin.
Stablemate Where’s The Party has been costly to follow recently but Humby’s decision to fit first-time blinkers to this three-year-old Pathfork filly could do the track when she lines up under Louis Mxothwa in Race 7 over 1000m.
Clive Robinson
