Progressive three-year-old Buffalo Storm Cody has raised his game in two starts as a gelding, winning both subsequent outings after the surgery in impressive fashion.
The Tony Peter-trained son of Buffalo Bill Cody blew away the opposition on his reappearance following a four-month absence and streaked clear to win by a widening 8.25 lengths before following up under a six-point penalty in the 1100m Non-Black Type Mythical Flight Stakes in mid-April under Gavin Lerena, who steered Buffalo Storm Cody to both victories.
The pair resume their partnership in Race 8 over 1160m at Turffontein on Tuesday 3 June, despite a hefty eight-point penalty, the hat-trick seems well within the compass of the promising Buffalo Storm Cody.
Peter’s charge beat Mount Pinatubo in the Mythical Flight Stakes and that rival subsequently franked the form by winning an MR106 Handicap beating Quantum Theory (second), Troppo Veloce (third), Dreamland (fourth) and Sheldon. All four of those runners line up against Buffalo Storm Cody but they are unlikely to get the better of the improving sophomore who is probably better than rated.
Blizzard Snow, another Peter-trained last-start scorer, is good value to win again when she goes in Race 9, also over 1160m. This consistent daughter of Erupt won over the same course and distance just 17 days ago and a resultant three-point hike isn’t likely to prevent her from following up under Malesela Katjedi.
Familiar foes Hong Kong and Quasikat renew rivalry on better weight terms and should pose more of a threat as a result, though neither is expected to turn the tables on the maturing three-year-old filly.
Elsewhere on the card, it could pay to bet on lightly raced Dj Junior going one better in Race 7 over 1800m. He was a game-in-defeat second on the same track over 2000m six weeks ago and, even under a three-point penalty off a career-high mark, the Erico Verdonese-trained gelding need only repeat that performance to win for the fourth time in 13 appearances.
This sparingly raced son of Diesel Jet turned in a career-best display to win over 1800m – albeit at a lower level – three starts back and both his subsequent placed efforts under a four-point penalty were encouraging enough to suggest that a return to winning ways is sooner rather than later.
Clive Robinson
