Trainer Alan Greeff can be well pleased about what he has achieved with Bonnaroo.
The Rafeef filly arrived in his yard a one-time winner after seven starts with a merit rating of 67.
The four-year-old filly is now a three-time winner with a merit rating of 87 after 13 starts.
Her current rating of 87 also looks very generous if her last run is to be believed.
Bonnaroo chased home highly talented Phedra and was only beaten one length over the Polytrack 1000m.
Phedra is as good a sprinter as you get in the Eastern Cape and has a rating of 103. She has just completed a hat-trick of wins off that mark.
The step up 1200m on Friday and a return to the turf holds no fears for Bonnaroo as she has won on the turf and was at her very best around the 1200m on the Polytrack with two smart wins.
Bonnaroo also had three of her rivals in this race – Chere For me, Stolen Kiss and Princess Debs – behind her last time out and they will need to find sudden improvement to overturn their deficit.
It is an unwritten “punters rule” not to leave out top weights in handicaps and Bonnaroo is top weight for her race. Two other top weights on the day, Moon Game and Bournemouth, are probably also the best in their races.
Bournemouth is another success of Greeff’s as he arrived a battling maiden and has won three races with more in the pipeline.
The Canford Cliffs gelding has always given the impression we would see the best of him when put over a bit of ground and the 2200m on the Polytrack last time out did just that as he won full of running.
The 2000m on turf in Race 6 looks just fine for Bournemouth, and he will be finishing best of all in the closing stages.
The four-year-old will be giving weight to a lot of in-form rivals but we should again see the best of him on Friday.
Moon Game has proven to be very effective over the 1400m on the turf at Fairview and from a good draw should contest the finish, if not win, Race 7.
Clive Robinson
