Leg 2 winners Time For Love and Pacaya reappear on Sunday 26 May for their respective third and final leg of Cape Racing’s Winter Series at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
The former, who won the Listed Ladies Mile, renews rivalry with the runner-up, the third, fourth, and fifth-place finishers of that 1600m event in Race 7, the Listed Stormsvlei Stakes over 1800m.
Meantime Grade 3 Legal Eagle Stakes winner Pacaya and stablemate Rapidash meet in a 1950m rematch for the Grade 3 Pocket Power Stakes in Race 8.
And, as has become the norm at race meetings across the country this season, record-chasing Richard Fourie is the rider to follow on the day. He rides Time For Love and Pacaya, so looks likely to win both features on the card.
He also has several other good winning chances among his full complement of 10 rides at a bumper 10-event Cape Town fixture.
Time Thief filly Time For Love, trained by the father-daughter partnership of Harold Crawford and Michelle Rix, is lightly raced but has performed consistently throughout her eight-start career, not finishing worse than fourth – winning three, with two seconds and two fourth-place finishes which confirmed the promise of her debut third.
All three of her victories have come from her last five starts, culminating in Listed success three weeks ago.
On that occasion, Time For Love raced in a handy position under Craig Zackey before staying on gamely under pressure to thwart re-opposing My Flower Fate – at level weights – by a length, with three-year-old fillies Rainbow Lorikeet (third) and Princess Izzy (fourth) beaten only 1.75 and 1.80 lengths, respectively.
Time For Love is just 0.5kg worse off with those three familiar foes so should, on paper, confirm her superiority but starting from the widest stall (No 11) does her no favours. However, with the ‘Fourie Factor’ to count on, Time For Love will again be hard to beat.
It is probably worth noting that Fourie has won his only previous ride aboard the filly, having ridden her to a maiden victory over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.
Justin Snaith-trained Pacaya is one of many horses countrywide to have run their best races under Fourie. This five-year-old gelding bounced back to his best when reunited with Fourie to win the Legal Eagle Stakes 21 days ago and a repeat of that performance over 1950m in his peak outing (third run after a rest) should bring with it career win number seven from 20 starts.
Snaith’s charge, a Drakenstein Stud-bred son of Trippi, won the Grade 2 World Sports Betting 1900 last year and finished second in the Grade 2 Premier Trophy in two starts under Fourie prior to his last-start success.
He raced prominently throughout that day and found plenty in the finish to fend off stablemate Rapidash, putting 1.50 lengths between himself and the runner-up to whom he conceded 5kg.
Snaith’s inmates renew rivalry on identical weight terms so it is unlikely the form will be reversed. Rapidash should again complete a stable 1-2, as this progressive Danon Platina gelding would’ve tightened up with the benefit of that comeback outing and is better suited to this extended trip. Put simply, lump on the Snaith Swinger and Exacta!
Given Fourie’s book of rides on the day, he should get the meeting off to a winning start aboard Snaith-trained Bela Vista who caught the eye on debut against older rivals. This well-bred Gimmethegreenlight filly, who is out of former stable star and grey fan favourite Bela-Bela (a multiple Grade 1 winner), ran on strongly despite her inexperience to finish second over 1100m, so with any improvement should open her account against fellow two-year-old fillies.
Innamorare is another of Fourie’s rides from the Snaith stable with a serious winning chance in Race 5 over 1400m, while The US Of A (Race 2) and promising juvenile colt Surge Of Power (Race 10) are just two others that bettors may want to include in a TAB All To Come bet.
Clive Robinson
