The eight-race card at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday 19 August features half a dozen maiden events, with an ultra-competitive Cape B Stakes as well as a tricky Cape C Stakes making up the remainder.
Trainer Candice Bass-Robinson and stable jockey Aldo Domeyer are likely to dominate early doors by winning three of the first four races before Corne Orffer rides two horses who look good value to land their rider a double of his own.
A return to 1000m, coupled with his track experience to count on, should see Warm Winter Nite break his duck under Domeyer in Race 1. Bass-Robinson’s charge has improved as a gelding, with his last three starts after the operation yielding two third-place finishes as well as a second over 1000m.
This three-year-old son of What A Winter reverts to his preferred distance having run in a 1200m sales race against winners at set weights last time, so will undoubtedly find this an easier task. Furthermore, Warm Winter Nite is the only runner in the opening contest to have raced at the country course.
The same applies to stablemate Tenango who, with that track experience, should have the edge over his 10 rivals in Race 3 over 1250m. This Canford Cliffs colt caught the eye on debut when running on strongly under Gareth Wright to finish third over the same course and distance.
He was drawn wide at No 10 in a 12-horse field that day and was beaten only 4.25 lengths by a more-experienced odds-on shot.
Unsurprisingly, Domeyer steps in to replace Wright aboard the potentially smart three-year-old who would’ve gained plenty from that outing and who, with natural improvement expected, should confirm the promise of his introduction by shedding his maiden tag.
Another of the Canford Cliffs progeny, Strata, has become costly to follow but Bass-Robinson’s charge is, looking at the line-up, well placed to score an overdue maiden success in Race 4, also over 1250m.
Domeyer has ridden Strata, whose best efforts have come over 1000m, to a second and two thirds in four starts aboard the three-year-old filly, and his decision to stick with her instead of partnering either of the stable’s other two runners (first-timers) is encouraging.
And, like her aforementioned stablemates in the preceding races, Strata will also benefit from having track experience, which she shares with just three other rivals in the 13-horse field.
The Bass-Robinson and Domeyer combination is represented by three-year-old Diamond Rock in Race 5 but this Erupt colt, although likely to be competitive, will probably find one too good in year-older Marshall Field who jumps from gate No 1.
Orffer sticks with the Lucinda Woodruff-trained Ideal World gelding after steering the lightly raced four-year-old to a fast-finishing and close-up second last time. Marshall Field wore blinkers for the first time that day and jumped from the widest draw in the field of 11 over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
And considering he was beaten just 0.20 lengths by the winner to whom he was conceding 3,5kg, it is no surprise both the headgear and rider are retained in the hope of going one better.
As the oldest of the 10 runners in Race 6, Go Like Flo must concede weight to all her younger rivals in this 1600m event. However, Andre Nel’s runner is more than capable of giving weight and a beating to the other fillies, given that she is ideally drawn in gate No 3 and is one of just two fillies in the race with track experience.
Orffer also knows her well, having ridden her to two fifths and two seconds (including one over this distance) in five starts aboard this Gimmethegreenlight filly. With Two A Penny, Montreal, Passchendale and Red Palace likely to feature prominently in the fixed-odds market, it could pay to take a chance on Orffer delivering battle-hardened Go Like Flo to a belated maiden success.
Clive Robinson
