Allan Robertson Fillies Championship

Allan Robertson Fillies Championship (Grade 1)

By Andrew Harrison

The outcome of Grade 1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship, one of only two Grade 1 races for two-year-old fillies on the racing calendar, is always a major influence in the voting for the Equus Awards. With the hiccup of the Covid-19 lock-down all of Saturday’s runners at Hollywoodbets Scottsville will have been given extra time to mature.

The Ashleigh Fortune-trained Winter Smoke started at short odds on debut after the lock-down and hacked home in a smart time. If she handles the tricky Scottsville straight, she should go close and give her young trainer her first Grade 1 triumph. Delta Queen has given notice that she is well above the average and although Dean Kannemeyer’s charge was a beaten odds-on chance last time out she was obviously in need of the outing.

She should come on lengths and can turn the tables on the Gareth van Zyl-trained winner Vernichey who beat a useful field that day. Both have had the benefit of an outing on the course. Sean Tarry has a pair of runners in Ecstatic Green and Dubawi Princess, the former looking to be the stable elect given the jockey bookings.

Love Bomb and Vivid Jet both won well on debut and Paul Reeves saddles and interesting runner in the first timer Sea Lion.

Race-5 (Turf / Stand) R 325,000 1200m 13:25 Ref-654
ALLAN ROBERTSON CHAMPIONSHIP (Grade 1)
For 2 yof R60 000 Win BSA Bonus Series
Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B A T M Jockey Trainer
5 AFTERNOON TEA 60.0 0 ( 0) 5 A C Zackey Ashley Fortune
12 DELTA QUEEN 60.0 0 ( 0) 12 A K de Melo Dean Kannemeyer
14 DUBAWI PRINCESS 60.0 0 ( 0) 14 A G van Niekerk Sean Tarry
16 ECSTATIC GREEN 60.0 0 ( 0) 16 A L Hewitson Sean Tarry
13 ENGLISH PRINCESS 60.0 0 ( 0) 13 A B Jacobson Louis Goosen
1 FIFTYSHADESDARKER 60.0 0 ( 0) 1 A B Fayd'Herbe Candice Bass-Robinson
4 KINSKEY'S TUNE 60.0 0 ( 0) 4 A T Godden Yadav Singh
11 LOVE BOMB 60.0 0 ( 0) 11 A S Veale Frank Robinson
7 RAPID FIRE 60.0 0 ( 0) 7 A G Lerena M G Azzie/A A Azzie
2 RECKLESS LOVE 60.0 0 ( 0) 2 A S Randolph Wendy Whitehead
3 SEA LION 60.0 0 ( 0) 3 A G Wright Paul Reeves
9 SOFIA ERIN 60.0 0 ( 0) 9 A S Moodley Lezeanne Forbes
10 VERNICHEY 60.0 0 ( 0) 10 A W Kennedy Gareth van Zyl
6 VIVID JET 60.0 0 ( 0) 6 A C Murray Mark Dixon
15 WAR OF ATHENA 60.0 0 ( 0) 15 A M Yeni Paul Matchett
8 WINTER SMOKE 60.0 0 ( 0) 8 A A Domeyer Ashley Fortune
Couplings: (5,8 ) (14,16)
No. of Trainers: 14

Tough little race this!

Will go with all of 12.10.8 and 7


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Delta Queen will be hard to beat come Saturday.

Has been in the province for some time now and made a decent Scottsville debut.

My banker for the day

The races up the straight, the track bias plays havoc every year - think back. You always get a fancied horse drawn in the higher numbers, who, if s/he sticks to the stand-side rail gets pressed, conversely, if during the race, s/he spends an awful amount of time trying to get from the outside to, middle to inside of the course, has a hard-luck story and gets pressed anyway.

Always wondered, this being their biggest race day, why not water the course (the week leading up to) whereby it is not hard as concrete, nor sludge - there's got to be a science to this track management. Conversely, put a spur/false rail 100m or so after the two courses join, which would encourage the horses to fan out, giving the "stalkers" a fair chance.