Tuesday’s eight-event card at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on 14 November is dominated by five maiden plates, with the two Class 4 races and a Class 5 contest being the only three races at the meeting open to horses that have already won.
Be that as it may, there are a whole host of attractive betting propositions on the card, including TAB’s Pick 3 from Race 6 to Race 8.
Well-bred You Win Again, a late-maturing daughter of Twice Over and multiple Graded winner Gibraltar Blue, took time to come to hand and has only really hit her straps this season as a lightly raced four-year-old.
She made a winning seasonal reappearance over 1250m at the country course and acquitted herself well in her post-maiden debut last time when staying on to be beaten just 2.05 lengths over 1400m.
This Adam Marcus-trained filly reverts to 1250m in Race 6 and will be reunited with jockey Craig Zackey who steered her to victory two starts back over the course and distance. By winning as a four-year-old, You Win Again was given a lenient mark of 63 by the handicapper. She remains relatively unexposed and ought to improve with racing, so is probably a lot better than her current rating.
With Zackey back aboard Marcus’ charge from gate No 2 over 1250m, You Win Again is good value to do just that and represents a potential Pick 3 banker.
Well-related last-start winner Rani Of Jhansi is also unexposed and should improve with experience. Gareth van Zyl thinks highly enough of this Vercingetorix filly, who is a half-sister to two-timer Grade 1 winner Edict Of Nantes, to be campaigning her in Cape Town during the summer. She appears the likely threat to You Win Again, so including her in Pick 3 permutations is a safer bet.
There are nine three-year-old fillies among the 11 engaged in Race 7 and most – if not all – of them have Fillies Guineas aspirations, so will need a forward showing if they’re to fulfil those ambitions.
Red Palace was impressive in winning consecutive starts from the front over 1600m and should remain competitive from gate No 1, though the drop to 1400m with 61.5kg on her back will provide a serious test of her mettle.
Both Easy Money, who should fare better against only her own sex after rattling home to finish fourth in a sales race over this track and trip last time, and Mia’s Harper (with a fast-finishing second over 1250m) caught the eye when last seen and should have a say in the finish, so must be considered in Pick 3 calculations.
However, it could pay to take a chance and banker Summer Lily whose progress must be followed after her encouraging comeback third in a stronger race over the same course and distance.
The Justin Snaith-trained Gimmethegreenlightl filly won on debut before finishing third in the Listed Perfect Promise Sprint during a promising two-year-old campaign and she confirmed her obvious ability with that pleasing reappearance in a small but quality field.
Summer Lily would have blown away the cobwebs with that outing and is likely to strip much fitter this time around. She should have more to offer and ought to cement her spot in the Fillies Guineas line-up with a victory under JP van der Merwe who usually makes the most of the opportunities provided by the powerful Snaith operation.
Nordic Chief, in Race 8, is also good value to win again. He failed to confirm the promise of his close-up debut fifth over 1250m by finishing a rather disappointing, although not disgraced, fifth over the same course and distance at his next start.
He did, however, get back on track by making amends last time, having been gelded in the interim, and the form of that race has been franked with the runner-up winning subsequently.
This Andre Nel-trained three-year-old, as a son of Vercingetorix, is likely to continue his momentum by improving for the step up to 1400m, so it should pay to follow his progress in the “lucky last”.
Clive Robinson
