By Mark van Deventer
TAP SHOES kicked on to win a good race on 11 January in the Soetendal Estate Class 4, and will try for a three-peat in Race 6 when Cape Racing switches venues to Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Wednesday.
She rallied gamely down the rail to surge past Family Power on that occasion and has the profile of a well-bred, progressive filly for top trainer, Justin Snaith. Stretching from 1600m to 1800m, whilse keeping to Class 4 seems the right move, and it also helps that Craig Zackey is riding like a demon now. He will be entrusted with bringing her through smoothly from off the speed.
With LAVENDER BAY, EXQUISITE, ROYAL INVITATION, JET TO THE SUN and SUMMER NIGHT CITY either pace–setters or pace–pressers, a strong gallop could tee things up for TAP SHOES to complete a hat-trick.
Zackey, who won the Gr 1 SA Classic and Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over the weekend on Confederate and Cosmic Speed at Turffontein, is riding with aplomb.
Locally, his winning strike rate formounts with Adam Marcus is 26%, and they have some live chances across Wednesday’s card.
ALL ABOUT AL figures to get a saloon passage under Zackey in Race 8 at 16h23, but it is a deep field with many chances. There are loads of speed horses out wide looking to change lanes. COMMANDING (drawn 7) FIRINGONALLENGINES (drawn 8) ELSINORE (9) and in-form ICONIC DESTINATION (gate 10) will gun hard early and try cross over.
Other than ALL ABOUT AL, another well drawn beneficiary of the speed map is Paul Reeves’s SOOTY, who is way overdue a second victory. The striking bay should get every opportunity from barrier 2 over a course and distance he likes, but even SOOTY’s most ardent supporters may be losing patience after fourteen starts have yielded only a solitary score 387 days ago. Maybe Wednesday is finally his time to shine.
Zackey’s mount for Marcus in Race 3, RUBY REX, made a bold mid-race move on debut behind Rahhabba and, assuming she handles the turn, can improve on that opening start to have a say in the Open Maiden for Fillies and Mares over 1250m.
Despite a double-digit draw, CATCH A PENNY is looking to snap a string of second placings and is bound to be involved. HOERIKWAGGO, who was heavily punted last time, and the resuming ALEX MILLER are others to note.
It’s rare for a meeting to pass without record-breaking hoop, Richard Fourie having a couple of winners. One that can add to his tally is STRAWBERRY THIEF in Race 5. She was stiff last time when encountering a traffic blockage behind Double Dash but still outfinished the reopposing, perennial Maiden, English Mistress.
BEAUTIFUL SIDE could be a threat; she rates upsides of well-drawn GREENLIGHT SKYE on the GIRL MAGIC form line. But if STRAWBERRY THIEF holds ENGLISH MISTRESS, she can probably outrun GREENLIGHT SKYE too, on the evidence of their meeting behind Double Dash.
Normally the track profile at Hollywoodbets Durbanville requires horses to be in touch at the entrance to the straight. Giving away too much start seldom ends well out at the Northern Suburbs course. Fourie, a master tactician, will be mindful of that and is unlikely to let STRAWBERRY THIEF languish too far back.
