Big day for Candice and Aldo at Greyville

Jack Milner

The curtain officially goes up on the 2023 KwaZulu-Natal Champion Season with the running of the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.

That will be followed by another two Grade 2 races, the World Sports Betting Guineas and Fillies Guineas, both over 1600m.

To usher in the season there will be a Pick 6 carryover of R500,000, with a likely pool of R3 million.  

There is little doubt that although Charles Dickens has been priced up at 1-3 by the race sponsors to win the WSB Guineas, it is the contest every racing enthusiast will want to see.

This crop of three-year-olds has been touted as one of the best in many years, and there are four Grade 1 winners in this line-up.

Other than Charles Dickens, who won the Cape Guineas, we have Cousin Casey, winner of the Premiers Champion Stakes over this course and distance as a two-year-old, See It Again, winner of the Cape Derby and Anfields Rocket, who won the WSB SA Classic.

Based on the Cape Guineas run, both Anfields Rocket and Cousin Casey are held by Charles Dickens but See It Again is the only other runner to have finished in front of Bass-Robinson’s star when winning the Derby over 2000m.

In that race, Charles Dickens proved he did not stay the distance and Michael Roberts’ charge was the beneficiary of a superb ride from Piere Strydom.

Charles Dickens, the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained son of Trippi, has a massive reputation and has the form to back it up – eight runs, six wins and two seconds. His only defeat over 1600m was in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth when he was touched off by Al Muthana. That race did not pan out as planned, and Charles Dickens started to hang when coming under pressure in the closing stages.

Cousin Casey was a well-beaten second in the Cape Guineas but he had to jump from a wide draw. Now he is back on home turf where he’s had his biggest success while Charles Dickens will be having his first run at Greyville and on a right-handed turn.

However, the Hollywoodbets Durban July is Cousin Casey’s main mission and Glen Kotzen has already stated he is not looking for any further “pudding” for his charge in the 2200m race on 1 July.

The same is true of See It Again, but he has won both of his starts at this course and must be respected.

Anfields Rocket probably has the Daily News 2000 as his main mission but no doubt trainer Grant Maroun would be happy to pick up a Grade 2 along the way.

Nevertheless, everything points to Charles Dickens who is fully expected to get his mojo back after two surprise defeats.

This could be a great day for Bass-Robinson and jockey Aldo Domeyer as they could pick up all three of the Grade 2 races.        

Golden Hostess tops the boards for the WSB Fillies Guineas and her last run in the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, when third behind Desert Miracle, should make her hard to beat. The only other horse in front of her was Captain’s Ransom so that was a sparkling performance.

A repeat of that run should see her win but she could face stiff opposition from Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Lady Of Power, a strong front runner who is quoted at 9-2 and will again have Strydom in the irons.

Trip Of Fortune represents the Bass-Robinson-Domeyer team in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes and while he has not run at this course, he is unbeaten in four starts over 1400m.

He could not have been more impressive when winning the Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein in April and he should be the one to beat.

However, with a full field of 14 runners going to post, luck in running could prove vital.

William Robertson comes off an excellent second in the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear ComputaForm Sprint last week and is another who loves 1400m. He has Strydom in the irons and they will jump from No 1 draw.

Safe Passage is reputed to be working extremely well and although 1400m could be a touch short, Mike de Kock’s charge will be racing fresh and could get his nose down when it matters.

De Kock also has Desert Miracle who loves this trip but she has a habit of losing some ground at the start and it could be tough to find a way through the traffic in a big field.

Others to consider are Al Muthana and Gimme A Prince.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 8 Renaissance Man, 2 Faustino, 4 Aunty Lizzy, 3 Love Bomb

Race 2: 10 Thisiswhatitmeans, 3 Dr Faustus, 8 Jury's Out, 4 Hiawatha Goldberg

Race 3: 4 Professor Lupin, 7 Linkin Navigator, 5 Raf's Rocket, 3 Cosmic Rhythm

Race 4: 1 Miss Shaivi, 12 Sign Of Fate, 2 Bitcoin Baby, 8 Komesans Passion

Race 5: 3 Jade's Caberneigh, 7 She Can, 5 Fairy Tripp, 2 What Now My Gal

Race 6: 8 Trip Of Fortune, 1 William Robertson, 6 Safe Passage, 3 Desert Miracle

Race 7: 9 Golden Hostess, 4 Lady Of Power, 7 Shantastic, 3 Saartjie

Race 8: 8 Charles Dickens, 4 Anfields Rocket, 6 Cousin Casey, 2 See It Again

Race 9: 8 Ancient Epic, 10 Certainly, 1 Our Emily, 2 Bonne Bouche

Race 10: 2 Tirpitz, 1 Beyondtheboundary, 8 Sequoia, 10 Dowser, 

BEST BET

Race 8 No 8 Charles Dickens

VALUE BET

Race 9 No 8 Ancient Epic

BEST SWINGER

Race 5 3x7

BIPOT

R192

Leg 1: 3, 10

Leg 2: 4, 7

Leg 3: 1, 12

Leg 4: 3, 7

Leg 5: 1, 3, 6, 8

Leg 6: 4, 7, 9

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R192

Leg 1: 4, 7

Leg 2: 1, 12

Leg 3: 3, 7

Leg 4: 1, 6, 8

Leg 5: 4, 7

Leg 6: 8

Leg 7: 1, 2, 8, 10

PICK 6

R1125

Leg 1: 1, 2, 12

Leg 2: 3, 5, 7

Leg 3: 1, 3, 5, 8, 12

Leg 4: 1, 3, 4, 7, 9

Leg 5: 8

Leg 6: 1, 2, 4, 8, 10

JACKPOT 1

R75

Leg 1: 3, 5, 7

Leg 2: 1, 3, 5, 8, 12

Leg 3: 1, 3, 4, 7, 9

Leg 4: 8

JACKPOT 2

R175

Leg 1: 1, 3, 4, 7, 9

Leg 2: 8

Leg 3: 1, 2, 4, 8, 10

Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12