The Pink Drive Michaelmas Handicap heads up the card on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf on Sunday.
Cape Eagle makes his seasonal debut after contesting feature races during Champions Season and assistant trainer Byron Forester says that his charge has been prepped specifically for this race is confident of a decent showing. Certainly, if Cape Eagle is anywhere near his best, he will go close. Royal Victory showed plenty of promise early in his career but appears to have lost his way a little and has come down in the ratings. He has not been far back in two strong Pinnacle Stakes races and Nathan Kotzen has removed the blinkers, probably on the advice of Calvin Habib who stays with the ride at the expense of Addabar.
Addabar is well thought of by MJ Odendaal and he won well on this course last time out. He got a full eight-point rise in the handicap but only has 52.5kg to shoulder from the best of the draw with Serino Moodley picking up a plum ride. Alyson Wright saddles Pirate Prince who makes it into the race with bottom weight and is now 3kg better off with Addabar on their last meeting which should be enough to reverse the placings. Michael Roberts has jump Sun Blush up in distance and the gelding was not far behind the useful Waterberry Lane from a tough draw last time out and this trip may now suit
Asiya Phambili has made steady improvement since joining Duncan Howells and will be bidding for a hat-trick of wins when she lines up in the Hollywood Foundation Handicap.
In straight handicapping she looks to have it all to do carrying top weight of 60kg after getting a hefty seven-point shunt up the handicap for her last win. However, she won with some authority and could be good enough to go in again even though she is 2.5kg worse off with Alphabetty. Peter Muscutt’s filly finish behind Asiya Phambili at her last two starts but did get a lot closer last time out. However, she has drawn widest in the ten-runner field with Asiya Phambili jumping from pole position, always a bonus over the Greyville mile.
Howells also saddles Lucky Miss who finally had her consistency rewarded with a narrow last win beating Kailene who is now 1.5kg better off in the handicap courtesy of Rachel Venniker’s 1.5kg allowance and they now meet at level weights.
However, if one looks past Asiya Phambili, the race does look wide open. Kom Naidoo has got his stable back on track and firing and Monashada with not without hope. She has had one run back since a lengthy break, finishing just over two lengths back to Asiya Phambili and is now 3kg better off which puts her in with a big shout.
There was a neck separating Danse Milord and Kailene last time out and Bevies Delight finally got her act together when winning her last start.
To sum up, if Asiya Phambili doesn’t run up to expectations and deny the handicapper then the race is wide open.
The World Sports Betting Handicap could see the three-year-olds Qhawe Lami and Warrior Of Royalty fighting it out. Both have shown promise and although taking on seasoned older sprinters the pair look to have a touch of class. Against them is that they have both draw wide, Clinton Binda’s runner the widest at 12. However, he has only once been out of the money once in nine starts and was a comfortable winner on the Turffontein inner last run and if he can beat the draw he’s in with an outstanding chance. Warrior Of Royalty has not been out since down the field behind Lucky Lad in the Gr1 Gold Medallion but prior to that was a five-length winner of his maiden which probably tempted Nathan Kotzen to let him take his chances in the Grade 1. The rest and the draw are of concern but he does look to have some scope. Of the older runners, Quandry has won his last two with pacifiers but also has a tricky draw while Faustino takes a big drop in class and with a 4kg claimer up he could surprise.
