CHOICE CARRIERS & CAPE CLASSIC

Trainer Joey Ramsden is a prominent figure in Classic races in the Western Cape, consistently priming talented, well-bred stock to give off their best in these coveted events.

Based on excellent performances as juveniles last term, Newlands, Attenborough and Table Bay appear to be the main hopes from Ramsden’s Classic contingent this season. Right-hand man Ricardo Sobotker explained that these horses had only returned to full training about six weeks ago, after a spell chilling out on the farm.

Newlands could potentially be the best of them all, but was a particularly difficult customer, forcing a decision to geld him. “Newlands was becoming impossible to work with prior to gelding. Long range he could turn into a Derby horse,” Sobotker said.

Attenborough is a flashy son of Western Winter who has shown serious ability over sprints: “He ran a great race first time back when just needing it. It seems like we may keep him to sprints this season,” said Sobotker.

Table Bay, on the other hand, requires a test of stamina. At two, he won the Grade 3 Langerman in soft ground over 1500m before being put away. He returned after that spell to finish third in a 1400m handicap at Durbanville last week. “He really needed it – you could see the difference in fitness just four days later,” reported Sobotker.

Jockey Donovan Dillon has worked hard since relocating to be aligned with Ramsden’s base in Cape Town and he shares some insights into his boss’ modus operandi.

“Joey likes to bring them along and aim for the Classics. There is no pressure now as he is still steadily improving their fitness levels,” said Dillon. “Among the fillies, Silver Captain and Captain Gambler are rated by the yard and it will also be interesting to see how classy juvenile Miranda Frost has developed after fluent wins earlier this year.”

A fickle filly, Miranda Frost has endured spells of ill health. Months ago, drastic action was needed with holes being drilled in her forehead to ease a lingering sinus infection. Then, on getting back into work recently, she promptly contracted another virus. Sobotker was relieved to convey the news that, “Miranda Frost is recovering – everything is good now and she will be aimed at the Fillies Guineas.”

Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion winner Always In Charge will start off his campaign in a 1 200m graduation plate at Kenilworth on November 1.

Vaughan Marshall said: “After that he goes for the R2.5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run over 1 400m on November 19 and then we will take it from there.”

Marshall, who won the 2000 Cape Guineas with the colt’s sire Captain Al, has also mapped a start date for his unbeaten Allan Robertson winner The Secret Is Out who is by the same stallion.

He said: “She will run in the Choice Carriers Championship at the end of next month and then we will see how it goes.”

The World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas on December 3 is the obvious next step if she stays – “a mile shouldn’t be a problem but there is always a doubt in your mind,” the trainer admitted. “However MJ Byleveld is pretty convinced she will get it.”

Neither Grade 1 winner has been seen since their triumphs in early June although this is not, as widely supposed, because Marshall purposely put them away to save them for their three-year-old campaigns. “It was because they both got jarred up when winning those races at Scottsville,” he explained.

“We are very excited about this filly,” said the trainer who has signed a sponsorship deal with World Sports Betting. “She has a lot of speed so I don’t know how far she is going to get. We will try 1 400m and, if she doesn’t stay, we will have to stick to sprinting.”

With Our Mate Art, who is running for the first time since the Langerman, it’s as much a matter of whether this 1 200m will be too short. “Not necessarily – and he is doing well,” says Candice Bass-Robinson who adds that this is a prep for the Cape Classic on October 29. “But I would like to see him settle better than he did last time.”

Red Light Girl, Snaith’s other winner, booked her ticket for the Choice Carriers Championship by making all under Richard Fourie in the All To Come Graduation Plate with her trainer saying: “She is a nice uncomplicated filly and the 1 400m of the Choice Carriers will be no problem.”

Glen Kotzen is aiming his Golden Slipper winner Final Judgement at the Choice Carriers Championship at Kenilworth on October 29 and the World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas on December 3.

Kotzen, who won both races with Princess Victoria five years ago, said: “Final Judgement is in a paddock with her mates enjoying life at the moment but we will go the usual route, the 1 400m Grade 2 and then the Fillies Guineas.”

Final Judgement made all the running at 20-1 in the Golden Slipper but weakened into seventh after racing prominently and taking it up over two furlongs out in the Thekwini four weeks later.

Kotzen believes that performance is best forgotten and explained: “It was very hard for her from her 12 draw and we had to use her to get there. It wasn’t her running at all.”

MasterOfMyFate wrote:
I think all of One Direction, Craven, Table Bay(was very unfit for that run IMO, won't write off yet), Newlands(could be a lot better after gelding) will turn out better. Perhaps AIC and Bishops's Bounty too but doubtful stayers at the moment. But it's really fun working out which of these 3yo's will rise to the top. pretty fun time all round. Looking forward to A New Dawn and Lord Balmoral running this weekend - will tell us a lot more.

Drier has been sending a string down to Cape Town since the 2011/2012 season…

Dennis Drier’s Cape Summer Of Champions string arrived safely in Cape Town on Monday after the long journey from Summerveld, which included a stopover in Colesburg.

The 25-strong team will as usual be based at the Philippi training centre.

Among them is the unbeaten three-year-old Gimmethegreenlight colt Hack Green, whose likely chief target is the Gr 1 Cape Guineas on December 17.

The others in the string are Anime, Chestnut ‘N Pearls, Desert Fighter, Ferrie, Horseguards, Joy To Joy, La Revere, Lee’s Star, Mogostar, Nauticus, Premier Dance, Rock On Baby, Rocky Valley, Sail, Seventh Plain, Sommerlied, Shogun, The High Life, Triptique, Wealthy, Generalissimo (who returns from a long layoff), Field Of Light (an unraced three-year-old full-sister to Jackson), Miss Frankel (an unraced two-year-old filly by Frankel out of the champion sprinter Val De Ra) and one other unraced youngster.

Party Crasher is one of Glen Kotzen’s hopefuls for the Cape season…

Woodhill Racing Estate-based Glen Kotzen expects this filly, Party Crasher, to go close in a Novice Plate over 1200m at Durbanville on Saturday.

This classy Philanthropist filly is the latest racing progeny of the outstanding mare First Arrival. Her full-brother is lot 95 on the CTS Ready To Run Sale, which takes place at Durbanville on Saturday evening.

Party Crasher is one of Kotzen’s hopefuls for the Cape Summer Of Champions Season. He said, “She is a proper filly. We would have preferred it to be over 1400m on Saturday, but if she wins she will go for the Choice Carriers.”

Party Crasher was green on debut over the Durbanville 1200m. She ran around in the straight after turning for home near the back and clearly did not know what it was all about. Greg Cheyne eventually switched her outward well away from the pack. When he asked the question she displayed an instant turn of foot and cantered past the leaders in nonchalant style. She won going away by 1,25 lengths with ears pricked. Her odds of 6/1 were generous in retrospect. It was not the strongest of fields, but there is clearly a lot more to come.

Kotzen was the underbidder for the Hallmark Thoroughbreds-bred Party Crasher at the National Yearling Sales last year. She went for R650,000, snapped up by the outstanding breeders, Varsfontein Stud, who obviously recognised her ready-made paddock value. Party Crasher is a half-sister to the like of Gr 1 winners Let’s Rock’n Roll, In The Fast Lane and Rock The Country, and to Gr 2 winner Light The Lights.

Kotzen asked the Kalmansons of Varsfontein if he could train her. As trainer of Light The Lights, he was the natural choice. Light The Lights, by Western Winter, was a late maturing sort and also needed the gelding which was only done after he had turned four-years of age. He finally fulfilled his potential when sauntering home in the Gr 2 Peninsula Handicap over 1800m at Kenilworth on L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate day this year. He followed that with an excellent 4,8 length fourth in this year’s J&B Met, despite being the joint worst weighted horse in the field on official merit ratings.

The quality of that performance was stamped in no uncertain terms when he was bought into the Mike de Kock yard and put on the next overseas float. He is currently being prepared out of Abington Place in Newmarket for next year’s Dubai Carnival. Light The Lights’ magnificent turn of foot and sustained finish had been seen early in his career, particularly in a Listed race at Fairview, which he won comfortably. His coltish issues plagued the rest of his three-year-old career, although he did manage a decent 2,5 length third to The Conglomerate in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas at Greyville last year.

Party Crasher looks a similar type. The Gr 2 Choice Carriers Championships for three-year-old fillies takes place on October 29 over 1400m on the Kenilworth winter course and it will be no surprise to see her being a leading contender.

Another promising filly in the Kotzen yard is the four-year-old Silvano filly Silvan Star. She was eye-catching as a three-year-old, but a bad draw on Met day followed by travel sickness and “foot abscess after foot abscess” in KZN saw her season severely curtailed. However, she showed her class in her seasonal reappearance on September 24 when cruising to a 2,25 length win over 1600m at Durbanville in a Novice Plate. Unfortunately, her merit rating of only 83 will make it difficult for her to get into the feature races, but she is certainly one to follow in handicaps.

Kotzen has high hopes for the four-year-old Var filly Our Destiny. She finished second at odds of 100/1 in last season’s Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas. However, he is going to keep her to sprints this season. There are certainly a lot of opportunities for sprinting fillies during the Cape Summer.

He also rates the Trippi colt Gold Standard, whose grand dam is the great Olympic Duel. In his third start on October 5, he jumped from a wide draw over 1600m at Durbanville in a Maiden Plate and ran on strongly to win by 3,25 lengths.

Kotzen said, “Everybody was raving about Craven (who won by two lengths over the same course and distance in the next race), but Gold Standard’s time was better and he won by further.” Kotzen concluded about Gold Standard, “He is more of a Derby horse.”