By Mark van Deventer
Piet Steyn’s high-class, 3YO gelding, GARRIX is going for a sweep of the Winter features when he contests the Listed Pocket Power Stakes over 1950m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday.
He was life-and-death to sneak past game front-runner, OTTO LUYKEN in the Gr 3 Legal Eagle Stakes and is now 1.5kg’s worse off at the weights. MUCHO DINERO, who was finishing best of all in that race and should strip fitter, also rates a major threat with the extra distance in the Twice Over stayer’s favour.
MAGIC VERSE, who did so well when pipped by Rascallion in the Gr 2 Premier’s Trophy, is also trending in the right direction and should be primed third up after a rest.
THE FUTURIST is hard to predict but he has surprised before at the distance when opening insurmountable leads. CALL TO UNITE is another that can attend a strong pace, so despite the field comprising just seven runners, the early tempo should be decent.
BILLY BOWLEGS last won 854 days ago. He might have gone closer at some of his recent starts with clearer rounds and is another weighted to give GARRIX a scare – 4kg’s better off for a three-length beating in the Gr 3 Variety Club Mile.
GARRIX, a proven winner of half his eight starts, is very smart and making progress at each successive outing. Those are the sorts of horses usually worth following till beaten. But he will need to take another step forward to win under the weight terms of this race and punters must decide what constitutes fair value odds to do so.
GARRIX
His main dangers are Snaith Racing’s MUCHO DINERO and MAGIC VERSE.
Snaith will fancy his chances in the preceding feature, the Listed Stormsvlei Stakes for Fillies and Mares over 1800m. He conditions more than half the carded seven runner, field – BEWARE THE BOMB, LADY SPRINGFIELD, LICKETY SPLIT and KNOCKOUT.
Top of the lot could be BEWARE THE BOMB – officially best weighted. She probably needed her comeback run behind reopposing Time for Love and on previous peak showings to Mai Sensation and Mon Petit Cherie shapes up as the class act here.
TIME FOR LOVE is an ultra-consistent Time Thief mare who makes her own luck racing handy, then fighting on gamely when challenged. She will have a target on her back and could be vulnerable late to the closers, though.
For example, GOLD POKER GAME finished much quicker in the Listed Ladies Mile and now gets an extra furlong in which to run her down.
Knockout suffered a rough trip last time and could be a factor on her best efforts, especially as she has shown a liking for soft going. However stable companion, LICKETY SPLIT rates way behind on official ratings and seems a most unlikely winner.
FUN ZONE is a hard horse to win with having scored just three wins from 32 outings. That said, she is right in the mix on the Listed Ladies Mile form and maybe Andrew Fortune’s wizardry can extract a bit extra from her in the finish.
In summary, TIME FOR LOVE seems sure to give supporters a good sight under master tactician, Gavin Lerena. But the finishing bursts of BEWARE THE BOMB, GOLD POKER GAME and KNOCKOUT will make for an exciting dash in deep stretch.
