Sharp fitness and a love of soft ground will count for a great deal on the rain-affected surface of Hollywoodbets Durbanville. Speedy, handy types should be preferred over off the pace stretch runners as that is the way the country course plays when it is soft.
WUGUG fits the track profile in Race 7, the Winter Country Championship 1400 Final. The Brett Crawford trained, Richard Fourie ridden filly is very game, likes to race close to the action, draws 2, handles soft going and should get a stalk and pounce trip in a race stacked with speed. She has the right form pattern too – having won second up after a break before.
GO LIKE FLO will set a target, and Crawford’s other entry, MONT LOISIR is another strong galloper that WUGUG will need to get by. If Justin Snaith has UNICORN ALERT ready then he can feature on the pick of his back form whilst stable mate, PREVALENCE (often placed at this course) will enjoy the strong pace and should be running on into the fray late.
KELP FOREST has won his last two for the red-hot Adam Marcus, Grant van Niekerk combo. He will have his supporters once again but has now been bumped up 10 points in the handicap and draw 10 is a complication.
ARISTOTLE is another that must try surmounting a dodgy barrier. She will need to get across from draw 13 over 1400m in Race 2, a Maiden Juvenile Plate, yet may still prove much the best. She ran nicely behind a filly that Vaughan Marshall rates, ALL OUT FOR SIX, and if building on that effort three months ago, can prove too strong for rivals that are yet to show much.
STATED, UNSUNG HERO, improver, WHITE SEAHORSE and JOUEUR DE FLUTE could chase the well-bred, Justin Snaith-trained Rafeef colt home.
MANEKI NEKO, CAPTAIN WEST, LUCY ROCKET and PALACE GIFT can lock up Race 5, an Open Maiden 1000m scuttle, which forms part of the Pick 6 and Jackpot 1. Walk with Me, who finished marginally ahead of Maneki Neko and Lucy Rocket, won at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Thursday, given the One Liner end-of-June form a nice shape. And Captain West has run two neat races, going handy, often optimal tactics in turf sprints on wet going.
For his part, Palace Gift nearly caused a massive boil over at 80/1 behind Becky Sharp in early June. That one has since gone close on handicap debut behind Shane Humby trained, Night Vigil and Palace Gift, also from the Humby yard, enters the reckoning. An outside barrier makes it hard, though for Ozzie Noach.
SWIFT ACTION ran a career top behind well-performed Dean Street just over a month ago in a higher grade and he could again be a force in Race 6 – a 1000m dash for a full field. He easily took care of subsequent winner, Major Apollo at his penultimate start and should again have his measure.
Others to consider are the mudlarks, TRIPPI’S SILK and speed filly PALO QUEEN.
SHE’S MY CAPTAIN has competitive form against some of those already mentioned but had a tough race on Thursday after forcing the pace from a wide draw, so is a query for Thursday’s showdown.
CHARLOTTE BRONTE and ENGLISH MISTRESS could round out the final Leg of the P6 – assuming lucky or inspired punters have somehow navigated through treacherous handicap races and managed to stay alive till that point.
The former is a filly out of awesome Drakenstein producer Demanding Lady – she’s thrown Gr1 heroes Charles Dickens & Charles, plus Somerset Maugham and STEINBECK, who races with a shake in Race 8.
CHARLOTTE BRONTE is good enough to win at this humble level and should get a favourable trip from draw 4 under SA’s record breaking reinsman, Richard Fourie.
There is a doubt over her fitness as she last ran in May, nor has she competed on soft ground or at this peculiar track. That may make her vulnerable to the consistent, ENGLISH MISTRESS who comes out of some decent form-lines that have yielded multiple Maiden winners. She also has experience at the course.
She too comes with a warning though. The Bass Racing entry has not been at the races for three months, is gated in stall 8, and comes from off the early gallop.
LAVENDER BAY, who has scope to improve after two fair bids, and the capable but poorly drawn, WEHAVEASITUATION can be used as alternatives in bigger perms.
Check the scratchings as both LUCKY THIRTEEN and SANSA STARK raced decently on Thursday and might be factors if trainers Lunga Gila and Piet Botha decide to back them up quickly.
