Andre Nel, Justin Snaith, Dean Kannemeyer and Vaughan Marshall are strongly represented throughout the weekend’s 10-race card at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday 19 October, with all four prominent Western Cape trainers likely to saddle doubles at the meeting.
Rafeef colt Cork Bay, after two promising efforts over 1000m, should get the day off to a winning start for Nel and favourite-backers in Race 1 over the same distance, while stablemate Lavender Bay ought to make the most of favourable barrier gate this time round to open her account in Race 4 over 1600m.
It should also pay to follow Snaith-trained Rapidash (Race 2), second in a 2000m Listed race at the country course last month, and Vercingetorix filly Double Grand Slam (Race 3), back from a 15-week absence after a successful KwaZulu-Natal winter campaign.
Snaith’s Song To The Moon edged a recent course-and-distance meeting with Kannemeyer-trained Industrialstrength but it could pay to take a chance on the unexposed latter turning the tables when they renew rivalry in Race 5 over 1600m.
Industrialstrength, a lightly raced four-year-old colt, was making just his third racecourse appearance and first in the Western Cape when finishing a short head behind Song To The Moon three weeks ago.
Kannemeyer’s Gimmethegreenlight colt was also going 1600m for the first time after two promising sprints over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Undoubtedly, Industrialstrength would have come on with the benefit of that Cape introduction and he remains open to improvement. With that in mind, his progress is certainly worth following under jockey Craig Zackey, retained rider for owner Lady Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables.
Kannemeyer takes the wraps off another exciting son of Gimmethegreenlight, well-bred Maphaka, in Race 8 over 1250m.
This Hollywood Syndicate-owned colt is out of the Var mare Ghaalla, a Grade 3 Fillies Mile winner (2018) and Stakes-placed performer.
Maphaka was named after promising left-arm seamer Kwena Maphaka who, at the age of 16, took 21 wickets for South Africa at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup en-route to claiming Player-Of-The-Tournament honours before going on to debut in the IPL.
A R350,000 purchase from Shadwell SA’s November Two-Year-Old Sale, Maphaka caught the eye on debut as a juvenile when running on after a slow start to finish a close-up second in open company over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and confirmed that promise on his three-year-old reappearance over that track and trip by annihilating his opposition by more than four lengths.
The handicapper, seemingly impressed by that performance, assigned Maphaka a rating of 94 but even that could prove lenient, as big things are expected of Kannemeyer’s charge this summer. If he is to fulfil those ambitions, Maphaka ought to defy a hefty 60kg and his inexperience (racing around a bend for the first time) by improving sufficiently to make a winning Cape Town debut.
Marshall-trained Aspect continues to push his limits and seems capable of extending his winning sequence to six in Race 7 over 1400m. This Global View gelding defied a career-high mark when completing a 1400m five-timer with a game frontrunning display over the course and distance under Mpume Mjoka seven weeks ago and copped another six-point penalty for his troubles, though that is not likely to halt his momentum, especially as he is the only proven frontrunner in the line-up.
So, even with 58.5kg on his back and Sean Veale in the irons for the first time, Aspect will be hard to peg back if allowed an uncontested lead.
Sahara Cat should follow suit for the Marshall-Veale combination on her reappearance in Race 10 over 1000m. As a two-year-old, this One World filly has not finished worse than third in five starts, winning twice in as many outings over 1000m.
She finished third in the Listed Irridescence Stakes over 1500m before closing out her juvenile campaign with another third-place finish over 1250m on her Durbanville debut in late July.
Sahara Cat would have strengthened and improved in the 87 days since her last start and reverting to 1000m should be to her liking.
Clive Robinson
