Trainer Comments Fillies Guineas

By david Thiselton

The New Course at Kenilworth will be have its first racemeeting of the Cape Sizzling Summer Season this Saturday and the National Racing Bureau have confirmed that any publication that says otherwise is incorrect.



The meeting features the Grade 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas. The switch is an important one and will lessen the luck-in-running factor in comparism to the much tighter Old Course. It will also suit long-striding, galloping types as well as those that can produce a sustained finish.



Champion trainer Mike de Kock is one man who will welcome the switch as he has drawn in barrier one and two with his top class pair Rumya and Festival Of Fire.



Rumya came from the clouds to win the Grade 1 Durban Golden Slipper over 1400m at Greyville on Vodacom Durban July day and then stayed on in gutsy fashion from a handy position to win her seasonal reappearance on the Turffontein Standside track on November 20 over 1400m.



Both runs suggested that she would be much better suited to the Kenilworth New Course than the Old one.



Festival Of Fire’s sustained finishing run down the long Turffontein Standside track when winning her last start over 1400m suggested likewise.



Mike de Kock has kept the jockeys that are most familiar with the pair of horses aboard.



Anthony Delpech, who has ridden Rumya to two of her three victories, remains aboard the grey, while Derreck David stays aboard Festival Of Fire, having ridden her to win her last two starts.



Festival Of Fire, in fact, has Rumya’s measure on strict formlines and is also higher merit rated by one point, but the latter did likely need her last run and also looks likely to relish the extra 200m.



Festival Of Fire’s pedigree, being a half-sister to a 6,25 length winner of a 1600m handicap race at Scottsville and being by the stallion Kahal, who has produced winners over the full range of distances, suggests she will also enjoy the 1600m trip.

Hammie’s Hooker is the most high profile of the Mike Bass-trained trio involved in the Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas at Kenilworth on Saturday, but his daughter and assistant trainer, Candice Robinson, has warned that she has had “one problem after the next and is not quite where she was during her two-year-old career”, while she also lamented the wide draw of all three of the yard’s runners.



Butterfly Girl and Intimateconnection are the other two involved and Robinson said that Butterfily Girl was probably the best of their runners.



“Butterfly Girl is doing well and is a nice aggressive type of filly, but she will need luck in running from her 15 draw,” she said.



“Intimateconnection is also doing well and always tries her heart out.”



“Hammie’s Hooker has had respiratory infections and has just had the one sprint and a gallop in between. We’ve been trying to get her sound and healthy, but the weather isn’t helping and she keeps on getting sick.”



Bernard Fayd’herbe rides Butterfly Girl, Karl Neisius is on Hammie’s Hooker and Aldo Domeyer rides Intimateconnection.

d

flash i like that filly all is secret as well,but some of the experts here reckon rumya is better than igugu so they planted the seed of doubt in my mind.lol

if Festival of Fire travels well she wins

mr hawaii Wrote:

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> if Festival of Fire travels well she wins


I agree Mr H, Rumya may be better in time but I also think Festival of Fire is the one to beat.

winzip Wrote:

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> flash i like that filly all is secret as well,but
> some of the experts here reckon rumya is better
> than igugu so they planted the seed of doubt in my
> mind.lol


Didn't Igugu lose to Ebony Flyer in this same race

Rumya a superstar in the making......needed run badly after rest and still won.......nothing in this field have the turn off food she has,and de kock wont go down under if she wasnt ready now, cant see them beating her with plum draw and stable jock on....banker in everything

Rumya beat All is Secret in golden slipper,and Rumya was greener than green! She will beat her again this weekend! Festival of Fire is a decent sort as well, but won't neat Rumya! Only travel will beat Rumya as she still doesn't seem mature enough(if anything)

13/20 a first 4 on Festival of Fire is great value. (tu)

Festival of Fire is just browsing, doubt she's gona buy anything

shrek Wrote:

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> mr hawaii Wrote:
>

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>

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> > if Festival of Fire travels well she wins
>
>
> I agree Mr H, Rumya may be better in time but I
> also think Festival of Fire is the one to beat.

If you believe in the second run after a rest syndrome, as is the case with both Rumya (22/10) and All Is Secret (22/10), then Festival of Fire being the racing fittest of the three, is the one to beat, at 4/1 the value certainly lies with this one. All Is Secret ran against the blind school last time, and Amber Orchid didn't frank the second to Rumya on Summer Cup day. Conversely, Festival of Fire's last two runs were brilliant, Demanding Lady franked that form on Summer Cup day. I think it will start shorter come Saturday.