– Written by Mark van Deventer
TANNERON made a smart debut when she was pipped by hot-pot Sahara Cat during the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Welcomes You Juvenile Plate on 5 March, and can go one better in the 12h40 opener at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Tuesday. She challenged strongly in a race completed in a decent adjusted time for juveniles, though her rival, DUCHESS OF PALOMA – who exits the key Cape Racing Sales Cape Slipper form line which has yielded multiple winners – is no slow coach.
Four of the ten entries are debutants, so a market watch is advised before taking the odds about TANNERON.
ARTISTE (a grey daughter of Canford Cliffs out of champion race mare, Dancer’s Daughter) is one to keep careful tabs on.
ENCHANTING CHOICE, RED MOON RISING and PHILOSOPHISE could be worth combining in Race 4, a Class 4 for fillies and mares over 1600m. Dean Kannemeyer is recuperating in hospital after appendix dramas, and long-time assistant David Lilley will saddle ENCHANTING CHOICE, noted running on energetically behind Loreina 38 days ago.
RED MOON RISING, carded to wear blinkers for the first time tomorrow, has previously done well enough at this class level over 1400m to give her a shake going eight panels off a reduced mark of 77. Top weight PHILOSOPHISE has twice run nicely this year at this grade, and her two wins-two places from four starts box score over the C/D is another positive.
If ENCHANTING CHOICE and PHILOSOPHISE come to light in this earlier contest as anticipated, then CLOUD CHASER – top weight in a weak Class 5 over 1400m – could be worth a speculative play based on collateral form lines.
The Silvano filly is a one-time winner from 14 starts and comes off two dull starts over 1800m which is hardly a recommendation. Yet she may prefer an easy seven furlongs and dips both in class and merit rating.
There is an old racing maxim: “When in doubt back the top weight in a handicap” – and perhaps forceful jockey Bernard Fayd Herbe can roust Justin Snaith’s entry sufficiently to take advantage of the class drop-down in Race 7.
Snaith must also have a shake in Race 5 with STEADFAST, who can get a smooth commute from draw 1 in this 1600m contest for horses with a net rating of 74 and below. Admittedly, it takes a fertile imagination to come up with him as a potential winning pick as he’s not troubled the scorer since winning in July ’23.
But he ran well enough to stable mate Innamorare in December 2023 off an OMR of 88, fared adequately on comeback after a rest and gelding in January behind Nordic Chief, then was hung out hopelessly wide at his follow up a month ago in a far stronger race than this.
Tuesday’s card is especially tricky, and Race 5 is no exception where some sort of case can be made for most of STEADFAST’s eight rivals. But the well-bred Gimmethegreenlight three-year-old might just have found a suitably low-key spot to rekindle the winning feeling.
PHILOSOPHISE
RED MOON RISING
ENCHANTING CHOICE
– Images by Chase Liebenberg
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