Veteran jockey Piere Strydom enjoyed an armchair ride when winning the Grade 3 Starling Stakes aboard Fatal Flaw over 1400m on Turffontein’s Standside track last month.
On that occasion, the daughter of New Predator beat Sean Tarry-trained World Of Alice by an effortless 2.25kg, and the latter subsequently franked that form by winning Grade 3 Fillies’ Mile in Joburg on Betway Summer Cup day.
With that in mind, Fatal Flaw looks good value to land the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas (Race 7) for the Brett and James Crawford father-and-son training operation at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Fatal Flaw finished second in both 1600m appearances last season, filling the runners-up berth behind World Of Alica (to whom she was conceding 3kg) as a two-year-old at Turffontein in late April, and in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes won Champion Two-Year-Old Filly Quid Pro Quo at Hollywoodbets Greyville on 28 July.
Strydom knows the Crawford-trained filly best and was in the irons aboard Fatal Flaw when she cruised to victory with a dominant front-running display last time, and similar tactics will likely be adopted in this year’s renewal of the prestigious 1600m classic this weekend.
The Crawfords’ charge has the gate speed to overcome her tricky No 13 stall and will no doubt benefit from the tactical genius of her veteran rider who is widely regarded as an astute judge of pace.
The formidable father-and-son partnership has a second string to its bow in Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship winner Mon Petit Cherie, who Richard Fourie rides from gate No 1.
Runner-up Beware The Bomb, third-place finisher Symphony In White, and fast-finishing fifth-placed filly Gimmie’s Countess renew rivalry with their last-start conqueror on identical weight terms, so they aren’t weighted to reverse the form.
However, the extra 200m is an unknown quantity for them all and that should favour Fatal Flaw, given her top-level experience over the distance.
Little Suzie, Kinda Wonderful and Mai Sensation weren’t beaten a long way in the Western Cape Fillies Championship last time and they could have more to offer over this extended trip, so including them in Quartet bets could be worthwhile.
Listed Laisserfaire Stakes winner Miss Marguerite, runner-up Asiye Phambili, third-place finisher Summer Lily and fourth-placed filly Nordic Quest renew rivalry in the Grade 3 Southern Cross Stakes (Race 5) over 1000m. However, it could pay to side with the latter from the Candice-Bass Robinson stable.
Nordic Quest was heavily backed last time but raced a lot nearer the speed than ideal and that isn’t a mistake jockey Aldo Domeyer to make twice. This Querari filly possesses a smart turn of foot and, if ridden with more restraint, could make amends for by bouncing back to winning ways.
In the Race 6, the Grade 2 Green Point Stakes over 1600m, Justin Snaith-trained Royal Aussie gets the nod ahead of returning four-year-old colts Green With Envy and Oriental Charm who haven’t been seen since the latter’s Hollywoodbets Durban July victory 154 days ago.
Snaith and Fourie will also be seen to the fore in Race 8, the 2500m Listed Cape Summer Stayers Handicap, with Call To Unite.
Clive Robinson
