The Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes at Greyville tonight (Friday, May 7), which officially opens the exciting Charity Turf Challenge competition, is always a difficult race to assess as it is used by many top horses as their Durban pipe opener. The surprise choice to win is the Mike de Kock-trained Milk And Honey, despite her being 6,5kg out at the weights with the best in, Kapil.
Nathan Kotzen, Summerveld assistant to De Kock, said that she was fit and well and added, “1 400m is her game”. He preferred her chances to those of Braggadacio whom he described as “an old warrior who always tries his hardest, although he’s a bit long in the tooth these days.”
Milk And Honey finished just 1,75 lengths behind one of the best two fillies in the land, Mother Russia, when getting her favoured good ground in the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe over 1 600m at Turffontein in December, although she was receiving 3,5kg. She beat the talented Captain’s Gal by two lengths in that race at level weights. Although that form leaves her something to find with the best Cape horses, a mile is her limit so 1 400m is probably ideal. She has had the benefit of a recent run and she is the type who can run on well from a handy position so her draw of three gives her a big shout. Glen Kotzen said at Scottsville on Wednesday that Big City Life had been working so well that he “would make him a racing certainty if he was better drawn.”
Big City Life has overcome wide draws at Greyville before with his excellent starting speed and he has the masterful Felix Coetzee aboard, so he is also a big runner. Kotzen said Fabiani had also been working very well. He is probably better suited to 1 400m than Big City Life, so he should be thereabouts too.
The Duncan Howells-trained Tropical Empire has become something of a course and distance specialist and the draw of 10 won’t be too much of a bother as he likes to be dropped out anyway. The big field will pose a bit of a problem though as he is likely going to have to come from a long way back unless he can make some ground up the inside rail early on. Kapil also likes to be dropped out. Last year he came from near last to finish fifth and, as his Durban pipe opener, his fortunes could be similar this year. However, a lot of experts fancy him strongly especially with a jockey that will suit him, Andrew Fortune, aboard. Mike Bass doesn’t really fancy Blue Tiger and said that this was not the sort of race that suits him. He added that he hadn’t come on a lot from his sprint at Clairwood recently and was also concerned that he wouldn’t settle in the running. Byron Forster, Summerveld assistant to Yogas Govender, said that Jamaican Dream was very well and would be going all out to win. However, he wondered whether he was up to this class. He has had the benefit of a recent run, a winning one over course and distance, and is drawn well. The Stephen Page-trained Forest Path won a Grade 1 over course and distance as a juvenile and also did well in his last start, a sprint in Cape Town. He has a tendency to get worked up, but Page has had a “horse whisperer” working with him, so it is best to see how he behaves on the night before including him in exotics.
Imperial Gesture is a front-running type, so faces a tough task from draw eleven considering the mad early scramble for the lead that occurs in races like this at Greyville. Dynamite Mike has “come back to his best”, according to Kumaran Naidoo, but he faces a tough task at the weights. Ivory Trail ran a very good 3,6 length sixth in this race last year, and has had the benefit of a preparation run over 1200m at Clairwood this year. However he is widely drawn this year. The selection is Milk And Honey to beat home Tropical Empire with Big City Life, Fabiani and Jamaican Dream next best
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