FILLIES GUINEAS

3 DECEMBER 2008







Mike Bass holds the trump card for Saturday’s Grade 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas at Kenilworth Racecourse, the first Grade I race of Gold Circle’s Sizzling Summer Season.



His Camden Park filly, Consensual, was last season’s Equus Champion having won the Grade I Golden Slipper over 1400m at Greyville on Vodacom Durban July day.



The Bass yard found themselves way behind in preparing her for this race, her first major assignment of the new season, but are not too perturbed.



“She will be back to her best,” said Bass. “She has come very well in the nick of time.”



The yard was very pleased with her comeback run over 1000m early last month and said she had come on well for her grass gallop last week.



He added that on Monday morning she had put up some great work with Bill Of Rights, her final strong workout before her “breeze up” tomorrow.



Bass saw the Mike de Kock-trained Zirconeum and the Joey Ramsden-trained Mother Russia as the main dangers to Consensual.



Bass has three other runners in the race but said that none of these lesser lights would be used as pacemakers for Consensual.



“I don’t have that type of a horse in the race,” he said.



Two of Bass’s other charges, Rose Reserve and Victoriana, have 4,4 lengths and 6,75 lengths to find with both Mother Russia and the Justin Snaith-trained Sparkling Gem (short-head second) on the form of the level weights Odessa Stud Fillies Championship Stakes over 1400m, which was run on November 8.



The yard described Rose Reserve as a genuine, consistent type of a filly who was at the top of her game and believed she would put up another good performance.



They said Victoriana, who had been drawn wide in the Odessa and was running on well at the finish, had put up an outstanding gallop with Consensual and Rose Reserve over 1200m at Kenilworth last Wednesday. She is unfortunately drawn wide again on Saturday but they said she was a smart, tough filly who could surprise on the day.



Bass’s charge Temair has performed consistently against good opposition this year, including running 5,25 lengths behind Dancer’s Daughter over 1400m last time. The yard said that from her good draw she could run into the money.

Never ever underestimate MDK.... I think Zirconeum gonna give a good account of herself....

I second that - In MDK's interview following Rudras win he said that he would not send Rudra to run in the Met as Rudra may not be up to beating Pocket and DD at this stage and it is a long way to send a horse for nothing.

One can therefore conclude that he is not sending Zirconeum just to watch Consensual run. He must be going there with every intention of winning the race.

Either way it is going to be a hell of a race.

The Geoff Woodruff-trained raider Chiquita arrived at Kenilworth from Gauteng on Monday for this Saturday’s Grade 1 Avontuur Cape Fillies Guineas and her trainer said she had travelled very well.



Chiquita is owned by Barry Irwin’s Team Valor together with Anant and Vanashree Singh, the same partnership that won this race last year with the Justin Snaith-trained Captain’s Lover.



This Western Winter filly had had the odd habit of holding her breath while running, but that was all sorted out by the change of a bridle.



She was impressive when winning her first two starts over 1200m and 1000m respectively, the latter on sand.



Woodruff confirmed that he had been disappointed with her last start when finishing fourth as the 12-10 favourite in the Listed Starling Stakes over 1400m, but he added that she had raced too freely and thus given herself no chance of winning.



Woodruff explained that Raymond Danielson was on her as “she was an easy enough ride and he had won on her before”, while it had been decided that Mark Khan would stay in Johannesburg to ride Greenwich Park, who was “quite a handful”, in the Listed Secretariat Stakes.



Chiquita would have come on from her last race and Woodruff had no concerns about her seeing out the mile.



Brett Crawford said that Winter Burst had come on a lot for her last run when finishing a 4,3 length third behind Mother Russia in the Odessa Stud Fillies Championship.



He said, “She is a very inexperienced filly who is still learning and I think she will still be green on Saturday. But there is only one Guineas so we must take our chance. Her work has been very good and she has done everything I have asked of her.”



Winter Burst has a few lengths to find with Mother Russia and Sparkling Gem on the Odessa form.



“She also has a tough task at the merit ratings with Consensual,” said Crawford. “But the Odessa was her first start around the turn. She got lost around the turn and Mother Russia and Sparkling Gem quickened a lot better than her. Saturday’s race will be back on the fairer new course with its longer straight. With a bit of luck in the running I think she can contest the finish.”

Current betting - missed the 4/1 - curses !


1 CONSENSUAL 4/1 28/10
2 MOTHER RUSSIA 3/1 3/1
3 ZIRCONEUM 16/10 16/10
4 SPARKLING GEM 7/1 7/1
5 JET GODDESS 25/1 25/1
6 ROSE RESERVE 14/1 14/1
7 CHIQUITA 5/1 5/1
8 WINTER BURST 14/1 14/1
9 VICTORIANA 40/1 40/1
10 TEMAIR 25/1 25/1
11 MAR DEL PLATA 40/1 40/1
12 ISABELLA`S PRINCESS SCRATCHED

Chiquita e/w

ZIRCONEUM to win!!!!!!!!!!
followed by
2. Consensual
3. Chiquita
4. Mother Russia
5. Jet Goddess

Go Consensual in memory of the late Jaffee's...

Justin Snaith said yesterday that his filly Sparkling Gem, who finished a short-head second in the Grade 2 Odessa Stud Fillies Championship over 1400m, would be a big runner if she was able to overcome her wide draw in the Avontuur Estate Fillies Guineas (Gr 1) to be run over 1600m at Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday, 5 December. This is the first Grade 1 race of Gold Circle’s Sizzling Summer Season.



Snaith spoke highly of Sparkling Gem’s ability and said that the yard had initially been disappointed when she had lost to Big City Life in a 1400m plate race in Port Elizabeth when receiving 1kg.



However, the form of that race subsequently took on a different complexion altogether when Big City Life finished second to Pocket Power in the Green Point Stakes, and, in fact, Snaith now rates Big City Life as the best three-year-old colt in the Western Cape.



Snaith said that it was difficult to assess whether Sparkling Gem would stay the 1600m trip.



“She was headed by Mother Russia in the Odessa, but was actually coming back again at the line and had it been a 1500m race she probably would have won,” he said. “I think there might be more of a question mark over whether Mother Russia stays the trip than Sparkling Gem. Last year we had our doubts whether Captain’s Lover would stay the trip but she won and went on to win over a mile in France.”



Snaith said that Sparkling Gem was better now than she was before the Odessa. He did not rule out his charge going to the front if it helped her overcome her draw.



He had no hesitation in naming the Mike de Kock-trained Zirconeum as the main danger.



ends



Gill Simpkins

The Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas is due to take place on Saturday, 5 December 2008, at Kenilworth Racecourse and Joey Ramsden has no doubt at all that Mother Russia would stay the 1600m trip of the first Grade 1 event of Gold Circle’s Sizzling Summer Season.



“She finished third in the Group 1 Thekwini Fillies Championship over 1600m as a juvenile at Clairwood and she was up with the pace the whole way on one of the toughest galloping tracks around,” he said.



Ramsden said that Mother Russia had enjoyed a very good preparation for Saturday’s race and had come on “a ton” since her win in the Odessa Stud Fillies Championship, which was her first run since returning to his Cape yard.



Although he viewed Sparkling Gem as “a bit of a danger” on the Odessa run, he rated Consensual and Zirconeum as the main dangers.



ends



Gill Simpkins

Basil Marcus is bullish that his charge Jet Goddess, who finished a 7,25 length eighth in the Odessa Stud Fillies Championship, could run a place in Saturday’s Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas (Gr 1) at Kenilworth Racecourse, the first Grade 1 race of Gold Circle’s Sizzling Summer Season.



“She is fit and well and is a very nice filly,” he said. “Obviously we have a few lengths to find with some of the others, but she was widely drawn in the Odessa and had to come from a long way back. She just never got into the race, but she has had a very good prep for this race and the longer straight of the new course will suit her much better.”



A strongly run race would probably be the preference for this Jet Master filly who is likely to come from off the pace.



Marcus said of the dangers, “If I had to stick my neck out I’d be siding with the two top class hometown fillies, Consensual and Mother Russia. You always have to respect Mike de Kock but it is difficult to beat good fillies on their home track. I also think Winter Burst has a chance.”



Marcus had no doubt that Ramsden’s Mother Russia would stay the trip.

Summer is about to get a little warmer in the Western Cape on Saturday, 5 December 2008. The first Grade 1 race of Gold Circle’s Sizzling Summer Season the Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas (Gr 1) will take place at Kenilworth Racecourse over 1600m and is a “not to be missed” scorcher.



Dean Kannemeyer questioned whether Mother Russia would stay the 1600m on Saturday and of his own filly, Mar Del Plata, he said, “We are throwing her in at the deep end. She is well drawn, so you never know, she might run into the places, but she is up against some very nice fillies so it will be a very tough test for her.”



On the positive side for Kannemeyer is that his yard is in top form.



“Having been a bit thin with our three-year-olds in the last two seasons, I have always thought we had some good ones this season and they are now coming through as expected,” he said.