Cape Racing’s Horse-Of-The-Year Charles Dickens makes his reappearance in the Grade 3 Hollywoodbets Matchem Stakes at the ‘Bubbles And Blossoms Raceday’ that also features the Grade 3 Hollywoodbets Diana Stakes on another mouthwatering Hollywoodbets Spring Country Series nine-race card at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday 30 September.
These two 1400m features, won in the past by champions of both sexes, have traditionally been used by trainers as a springboard to the Cape’s Summer Of Champions Season and the 2023 renewals have both attracted small but high-quality fields.
Just seven go to post for the Matchem Stakes, Race 6 on the card, in which star colt Charles Dickens is the undoubted star attraction, although the inclusion of dual Grade 1 winner Gimme A Prince, as well as Gold Rush winner and top-earner Royal Aussie, only adds an extra layer of quality to the field.
In the fillies’ equivalent, the Diana Stakes (Race 7), the eight-horse party includes a Grade 2 winning two-year-old who makes her reappearance as a newly turned three-year-old as well as seven four-year-old fillies, several of whom proved their worth in three-year-old features last term.
Drakenstein Stud’s homebred Trippi colt Charles Dickens has won eight of his 10 starts and finished second in the other two outings – both of which were Grade 1 events (L’Ormarins King’s Plate over 1600m and 2000m Splashout Cape Derby).
Candice Bass-Robinson’s stable star, who swept aside his rivals in a two-start winter spell during Kwa-Zulu Natal’s Champions Season winning both the Grade 2 KZN Guineas and Grade 1 Gold Challenge, is hard to oppose under the conditions and with Aldo Domeyer unsurprisingly retaining the ride.
He is by no means slung in at the weights but has had the benefit of a recent grass gallop, which his main rival Gimme A Prince was forced to miss out on, as a result of the persistent rainfall in the area, and that could prove telling in the finish.
The latter’s trainer, Dean Kannemeyer, said recently: “His form speaks for itself – he never runs a bad race. He ran from a wide draw when beaten only by a multiple Grade 1 winner in the Drill Hall Stakes.
“I would have preferred to have had just one grass gallop under the belt, but it’s been a tough time weather-wise down here. I have, however, got as much sand work as has been possible into him. I know where I am going with him, and while he is far from ready, I have plenty to work with.”
Also in Charles Dickens’ favour is his track experience, having won on his only visit to the country course over 1250m, and his unbeaten record (two from two) over 1400m. Gimme A Prince, on the other hand, while effective over the distance (two wins and a second from three starts over 1400m), is making his first start at the venue.
Drakenstein, Bass-Robinson and Domeyer triumvirate looks good value to complete the Grade 3 double with Golden Hostess in the Diana Stakes. This Gold Standard filly performed well, albeit without much success, in very good company throughout her three-year-old campaign, including at Grade 1 and Grade 2 level, especially in KZN where she held her own in all during the winter in three starts, each from wide draws.
She was a fast-finishing fourth in the Grade 2 KZN Fillies Guineas behind Peach Daiquiri, then stayed on to finish fourth when dropped back to 1200m to contest the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint and was far from disgraced by finishing sixth of 14 in the Grade 1 Graden Province Stakes from an unfavourably wide draw at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Durban July day. Both of those races were won by subsequent Equus Horse Of The Year Princess Calla.
Golden Hostess, despite the strength and consistency of that form, returns to action off a two-point lower mark but is still the best-weighted runner in the race on official ratings. She is versatile, effective from 1000m to 1600m, and has a good record racing fresh after a break.
She has also run her best races under Domeyer, with whom she will be reunited, having registered all three of her career wins under this rider, as well as a third (SA Fillies Sprint) and four fourth place finishes in eight outings together.
All four of those fourth-placed efforts were achieved in feature races (the Grade 2 Debutante Stakes as a two-year-old, the Grade 2 Fillies Winter Championship, the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas and the aforementioned KZN Fillies Guineas).
On that form, Golden Hostess should hold many too many guns for her rivals and ought to complete the Grade 3 double for her connections and followers.
Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud is also likely to enjoy further success on the day with another homebred, Charlene, in Race 3 over 1600m. This Brett Crawford-trained Futura filly ran her best race over 1400m, the furthest she’s been in four starts, and should have more to offer going an extra 200m under stable jockey Louis Mxothwa, who knows her best.
Clive Robinson
