For starters, let us hope the rain stays away and we can race on the turf on Friday because it is a decent meeting.
Trainer Alan Greeff has done very well with the mare Santa Therese and he will hoping to get at least one more win out of her before she retires to stud. Race 6, the Betway Insurebet Jockey Club Stakes (Listed) over 2000m will give her an opportunity.
The now six-year-old mare has won 12 of her 25 starts but let the side down last time when fourth and beaten 5.50 lengths by And We Danced over 1600m on the Polytrack.
It was a concern that she was beaten that far, the furthest by which she has lost in some time and by a filly between whom there had not been too much before.
This distance, however, suites Santa Therese and she is weighted to bounce back to score in a very competitive field.
Western Cape trainers see blood in the water are ready to take her on.
Snaith Racing send out Veronica Mars who is in good form. The Legislate filly was carded to run at Fairview earlier this year but pulled out when they moved a meeting from the turf to the Polytrack.
She indicated her wellbeing with a narrow win last time out and this longer distance should not be a problem. Stable jockey Grant van Niekerk, who has a good record on her, will be aboard.
Future Girl, representing trainer Brett Crawford, has cracked pole position draw and could get the run of the race.
She cast a shoe in her last time so that run is best forgiven, and she did win her penultimate outing.
Flower Of Saigon has raided successfully before and this course and distance suits Glen Kotzen’s mare. She is clearly not out of it.
Jockey Craig Zackey, who was aboard Justin Snaith-trained Double Check when she ran third over this course and distance, will be the rider on Winter Scout this time for trainer Andre Nel who is overdue a winner at Fairview.
Winter Scout is coming off a nice win over 1800m but does seem a bit stretched at 2000m.
Local hopes rest with Santa Therese and the still-improving Medler’s Tart. Medler’s Tart arrived a seven-times beaten maiden but trainer Sharon Kotzen has since coaxed her to win three of her next five starts, and she looked even better when scoring on the Polytrack last time out.
Snaith should have a good day as he brings down Machete Man to compete in Race 4 and Peut Etre Moi in Race 5.
Machete Man won the East Cape Derby the last time he was seen at this course. That was on the Polytrack and this is carded for the turf but he has won three times on the turf and will be hard to catch if allowed a soft lead.
Peut Etre Moi has been a disappointment in that she has not won for some time but has run well in better races than the low-grade handicap she contests in Race 5 and it is hard to look past her winning that.
Just for a change we don’t have the usual last-race nightmare handicap and this time it is a Novice Plate. Greeff sends out Joy And Peace and she looks very hard to oppose.
She won on debut on the turf and ran two decent runs on the Polytrack after that.
She was very unlucky not to get closer to stable companion and likely East Cape Champion Juvenile Filly Lunar Halo when they met in May and more was expected of her when only third behind her stablemate in June.
Jockey Richard Fourie was aboard her when Joy And Peace won on debut and was not on her when she lost her next two starts.
However, he is back aboard on Friday.
Clive Robinson
