Ponte Pietra is one of the better three-year-old’s around and Dean Kannemeyer appears to have picked the right race for his charge to go for a hat-trick of wins when he lines up in a Pinnacle Stakes at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday.
The son of boom sire Vercingetorix has not finished out of the first three in his six outings, three of those in the winner’s enclosure. He appears to be getting better as Kannemeyer steps him up in trip as he was a comfortable winner over 1750m on this course last time out so the extra furlong should not be a problem. He is fairly well in at these weights and will in all likelihood start a warm favourite.
However, Byron Forster, KZN assistant to Andre Nel, saddles two to keep Ponte Pietra honest. Airways Law and Cape Eagle are both useful on their day with Cape Eagle having the better recent form.
Airways Law was in mustard form around this time last year and was regarded good enough to be nominated for the Hollywoodbets Durban July but had lost his way in the lead-up to this year’s and was withdrawn. But he did show signs of a form return last time out in the Track & Ball Derby when six lengths back to Runaway Song in a race that was run at no great pace. That was also his first try in blinkers and with stable rider Robert Khathi likely to have had the pick, Airways Law may well be the stable choice. If finding his best form, he will be a major threat to Ponte Pietra. Calvin Habib and Wendy Whitehead have struck up a smart working relationship and Boundless Bash is rated two points superior to Ponte Pietra. However, his best recent form has been on the poly and he was well beaten by Cape Eagle at his penultimate start.
Etiquette is the bottom weight and is 4.5kg better of with Ponte Pietra for when last they met. Apprentice Sipheslhle Hlengwa is riding with a massive amount of confidence of late so Garth Puller’s charge cannot be written off lightly.
There are a host of unraced horses in the card opener but Kannemeyer can get his day off to a winning start when he sends out Dynalley who was touched off over course and distance on debut and that experience could prove invaluable.
Gary Rich sends out Yannakis who showed good improvement at his second start and can feature prominently along with Sweeper Keeper but it could well pay to keep a close eye on the market.
Punter face a similar puzzle in the second with a number of unraced runners and the form of the exposed runners a little thin except for Cue The Rebel that finished second on debut at the Vaal for Sean Tarry. Tarry has had a tremendous Champions Season and appears to have mastered the art of trucking his runners down from the Highveld to raid KZN.
