Clive Robinson
The most interesting contest at Turffontein on Thursday 14 July is Race 7, a Conditions Plate for fillies and mares over 1160m down the Standside straight.
Only eight runners are carded to go to post, but they are eight rather exceptional girls, having recorded 29 victories between them. No wonder that the average Merit Rating of the runners is 99 for this Class A contest.
Two of the main contenders, Alula’s Star and Kayla’s Champ, will be having their third consecutive head-to-head, with the ‘score’ at 1-1.
Last time out, Kayla’s Champ, trained by Fanie Bronkhorst, finished 3.35-lengths ahead of Alula’s Star. This time round, however, Alula’s Star, from Stuart Pettigrew’s yard, is 3kg better off, and looks well set to reverse that result.
This will, however, not be a two-horse race.
Ashley Fortune’s Winter Smoke boasts three wins from five runs over course and distance – one of those coming in the Grade 2 Camellia Stakes in April when Kayla’s Champ ran sixth, 3.65-lengths adrift.
Winter Smoke has since run twice in KwaZulu-Natal, but has never really found her running shoes down at the coast. Back on the Highveld, she should relish the return to her favourite track and trip.
An interesting entrant is Paul Peter’s Arctic Skyline. This filly by What A Winter ran five times as a juvenile. She has, however, not been seen on the track for 502 days.
Peter explained that she somehow managed to run loose and fell, getting cut and quite seriously injured in the process. It has taken close on a year and a half to nurse her back to health, but she has fortunately recovered completely and is ready to resume her racing career.
He believes she will need a few runs after the lengthy layoff before she will again be competitive. The conditions of the race determines that she will carry only 50kg, as she is eased back into racing.
Stable companion Mercury Rising will carry the yard’s flag and according to Peter they are expecting a big run.
This Gimmethegreenlight filly is the best weighted in the field and with six of her last seven outings coming in graded races, the drop in class makes her the one to beat, said Peter.
