Although not winning, Perilla had a great first run for trainer Tony Peter. The four-year-old daughter of Erupt moved up from the Western Cape to the Highveld as a two-time winner and looks likely to add to her tally when he lines up in Race 7 at the Vaal on Thursday in a MR 72 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1450m on the Classic track.
Peter has done very well with horses joining his yard from the coast with many of them making a winning debut. Perilla failed to do that but there was virtually no betting support for her and she drifted to start at 8-1.
She showed tremendous pace from the off and it was only the closing stages her stride started to shorten. In the end she was beaten into third but finished just 0.85 lengths behind Queen Bomi.
That race was over 1600m and this time she will be racing in a similar class level but over 1450m. the drop in trip should be ideal and should enable Perilla to get the better of her opposition.
That race was also run up the straight but this time she will race round the turn and is well enough drawn at No 6 in this 12-horse field.
Jason Gates rode her last time and he will be back in the irons for this race.
One has to go back to June 2022 to find when Alabama las paid a visit to the winner’s enclosure, but this Lucky Houdalakis-trained mare has been consistent of last and a win first Highveld win
cannot be too far away.
Two runs back she finished a 0.75-length second behind Cerulean Dancer and last time she ran a three-length fourth behind a rejuvenated Whorly Whorly where she took on the colts.
The only concern is that all three of her wins have been up the Vaal straight and now she will be racing around the turn.
Craig Zackey rode her in both of those races and Houdalakis has engaged him to take the ride once again.
Another runner to consider is Dancing Arabian who on collateral form should finish very close to Perilla. Roy Magner’s charge ran in the race won by Queen Bomi and finished seventh, 2.85 lengths behind the winner.
That put her two lengths behind Perilla and she will now be 2kg better off. However, more improvement is expected from Peter’s charge and a reversal of that form line seems unlikely.
Clive Robinson
