Moving from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape is certainly paying dividends for the connections of five-year-old mare Heliotrope, as she has won three of her last four starts.
The Rafeef mare was trained by Candice Bass when raiding Fairview and was an impressive winner over 2000m on the turf track back in April. She beat Blackberry Blaze by 3.50 lengths that day, and that runner has gone on to win a race since then.
Switched to the Polytrack, she finished a close-up fifth in her next start. That run suggested she may be even better on the grass, but she was quick to bury that theory as she won her next start, beating the consistent Homing Pigeon by 0.75 lengths.
She picked up a seven-point penalty for that win, so it was a slight surprise when she beat that same runner by 1.25 lengths at the beginning of the month. A further rise of four points for that victory will make things tougher for her, however, jockey Craig Zackey was aboard for both of those wins and remains in the saddle.
Heliotrope could get her third successive victory when she lines up in race 4, a MR 86 Handicap over 2000m on the Polytrack. She has clearly proven her ability over this course and distance.
There was a long wait and many races between Blackberry Blaze winning his first race and scoring again. Interestingly enough, both victories came under jockey Calvin Habib.
The Silvano gelding won his fourth start back in January 2024, and it took another 23 starts before he returned to the winner’s enclosure. Purchased for R300,000, he is getting closer to justifying that price tag and has been very consistent. A confidence-boosting recent win may help him achieve further success.
Clive Robinson
