4Racing, in partnership with the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), will celebrate women’s excellence in the sport of horseracing with a special nine-race Women’s Day race meeting on the Standside track at Turffontein on Saturday 9 August.
Some of the leading female figures in South African horseracing will be recognised on the day, with races named in honour of the nine lady trainers in 4Racing’s jurisdictions.
On the track, fillies will likely win four of the nine races – two of them good value to upstage their male rivals.
In Race 2, the Robyn Klaasen Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1160m, Lucky Houdalakis-trained Quiet Winter will be all the rage on her reappearance.
This daughter of What A Winter showed promise in both outings as a juvenile last season, confirming the promise of her debut third over the same course and distance by finishing closer to the winner when fourth over 1000m in mid-April.
The now three-year-old filly would have strengthened during a subsequent 116-day absence and she is open to improvement on her seasonal reappearance.
It is encouraging that jockey Craig Zackey, who rode Quiet Winter last time out, maintains the partnership.
Thriving Teo Torriatte has found her niche racing with cheekpieces fitted, winning three times in four starts with the headgear on, and Corrie Lensley’s inmate looks to continue her momentum in Race 4, the Tara Laing Handicap for fillies and mares over 2000m.
This five-year-old The United States mare was at the peak of her powers at the back end of last season, and she confirmed as much by winning on the Standside track over 1800m a fortnight ago when beating re-opposing rivals Art Nouveau and Wagram.
She copped a hefty seven-point penalty for that win but the booking of 4kg apprentice Mxolisi Mbutho negates that rating hike and looks a shrewd move by Lensley.
Elsewhere on the card, Scarlett Heart (Race 3) and Blizzard Snow (Race 9) are fairer-sex representatives with an edge over their male opposition.
The Fanie Bronkhorst-trained former tries 2000m for the first time in the Kelly Mitchley Maiden Plate but she receives chunks of weight from her rivals and is open to improvement over the extended trip.
Tony Peter has two strings to his bow in the Heather Adamson MR 100 Handicap over 1160m but it should pay to follow the progress of Mbutho’s mount, Blizzard Snow, who got the better of stable companion One Fell Swoop in a similar contest over track and trip last month.
Clive Robinson
