After the huge success, great racing and memorable performances of the 2025 L’Ormarins Kings Plate, racing returns to Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday for a very interesting card. Although it does not match the quality from a week earlier, some progressing horses in action could pay to follow in the coming months. A case in point is Hoodia who could be the horse to beat in race 5 over 1600m.
Trainer Andre Nel has his string in superb form at the moment as demonstrated by Candy Town showing a career-best winning the Franschoek Motor Museum Winchester Sprint Cup a week earlier. That does not automatically mean follow everything the yard sends out, but it does enhance confidence.
Crucially, Hoodia ran close-up to Sail The Seas when 1,3 lengths behind in November. Sail The Seas beat a hot field on L’Ormarins Kings Plate Day. That form stacks up well. Although it comes as a surprise that he is a one-time winner from 10 starts, one feels that his career has been stop-start. He kicked off life with a ton of promise but not getting the job done. A tag which has not left him just yet. But at least he remains consistent and a change in running style has brought about some extra life. Confident, positive rides from Corne Orffer, who is aboard again, seems to have lifted this well-bred son of Ideal World a level.
Rule Of Thumb beat Hoodia when he last ran. Hoodia is 1,5 kg better off for a 0,3 length deficit. That should be enough to swing the form. Hoodia is out of the great mare Welwitschia which does not take away any confidence.
Bounceback has an awkward draw of No 12 but he has a ton of scope to improve which counts him as a serious threat. He stepped up to this course and distance for the first time at his last start and he made up ground from near the back of the field to win with ease. He showed a good turn of foot and every run will bring him along. He could be up to the task but one feels that he could be into the swing of things in a few months time, potentially a few divisions higher than this. Richard Fourie takes the ride for Justin Snaith.
Fourie and Snaith could start the afternoon on the right note with Music Of The Night in race 1 over 1000m. She ran the same type of race at her second start to her debut but she has the extra run of experience to her name so she could swing the form around with those horses to have finished ahead of her. Added to that, those margins have been narrow.
Race 2 over 1000m is a hot maiden but it could pay to be on the side of Catch A Penny under Chad Little for Glen Kotzen. She has not missed the top three to date and there were a few hard-luck stories that compromised even more pleasing runs. However, the key here is that she drops to 1000m. She moves towards the front with so much in hand before she empties out at the end. She will have every opportunity to put it all together now. Flying Finley and Beneath The Clouds are runners to respect if she fails to win again.
Japanese Rose is a speculative pick in race 3 over 1200m but it seems that Brett and James Crawford have found her happy place. Tried at Grade 1 level as a three-year-old, a long break took the wind out of her sails so she has taken her time to build form and confidence again. Her last two runs have brought her back to form and surely a win is close. Her last start was particularly pleasing when she ran 3,25 lengths behind subsequent Grade 2 performed Siddeley over this course and distance. Louie Mxothwa is back in the saddle after a fall in November and this could be a welcome return for him.
When one leans towards Mela Strength as the likely winner in race 4 over 1800m, you are in for an open race. Trainer Peter Wrensch has this horse in good, consistent form and a reward could be close. The booking of Richard Fourie does not harm either. He had the sewn up last time but Azzurri found more to fight back and snare him late. The maiden Past And Present rates as a threat off a light weight as does the filly, My Only Weakness.
A race after Hoodia, Nel and Orffer stand a huge chance with Kamchatka over 1600m. The vibes from her connections have always been positive that she could be feature race quality. She was entered for the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas last month. That was a correctly aborted mission but the intentions were made known. One feels that she has more to come being a three-year-old and she could be ahead of her rivals.
Race 7 is not easy but Prince Of Tibet is tipped to get across the line. He is his own worst enemy losing ground at the start and leaving himself too much to do. But there will come a time that he does not trip up and that could be now under Fourie. Bare some caution because he is not easy to trust with his poor habits at the start.
Trainer Vaughan Marshall probably had the day of his life a week earlier and his charge, Talk To The Master is tipped to return to winning ways in race 8 over 1200m. The eye-catching son of Master Of My Fate is back down the straight for the first time in a while. He was anything but disgraced behind horses far better than his rivals in this race. Great Plains, Eight On Eighteen and Snow Pilot would not even be priced up in this race and he was not far behind horses of that ilk at his last three runs. Sean Veale is carded to take the ride.
Fourie has found Meant To Be in race 9 over 1200m. He might have been a surprise winner when he scored his maiden win in August but he accounted for Let It Be Said, a horse who has gone a few divisions better than this. Meant To Be is trained by Michelle Rix and Harold Crawford. If he does not need the run badly returning for the first time since September, he could visit the No 1 box. If he does need the run, Kelp Forest and Heal And Soul could pick up the pieces.
