A drop to 1400m could be the catalyst Golden Spoon needs to find her way back to winner’s enclosure when she lines up in Race 7 at Turffontein on Saturday.
The Mike de Kock-trained filly has won two of her 11 races, the first over 1400m on the Standside track at Turffontein, where she will be running on Saturday, and the second over 1450m on the Inside track.
Her last attempt was over 1600m on the Standside course, but she may have just found it a touch too far. She had finished second over that distance on a previous occasion but that was in a much weaker field.
This time she runs in a MR 95 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1400m and she comes into the event with just 52.5kg on her back.
Muzi Yeni has been in prolific form of late and he takes the ride for the third time. He did win on the three-year-old daughter of Vercingetorix two runs back and also rode her last time when she finished unplaced behind Rouge Allure, beaten 4.75 lengths.
She will meet Rouge Allure once again and with just a 1.5kg weight turnaround, the conditions still favour Stephen Moffatt’s runner. However, Rouge Allure will be turning eight on 1 August and is not always that consistent. The drop in distance will also favour Golden Spoon.
A bigger threat is likely to come from Sean Tarry-trained Cordillera. The daughter of Skitt Skizzle has been running consistently well of late and finished narrowly ahead of Rouge Allure in their last start, won by Victoria Paige.
That race was also over 1600m and Moffatt’s charge is now 1kg better off. However, that is because Cordillera was ridden by a 1.5kg claiming apprentice last time while Lyle Hewitson takes the ride on this occasion.
Hewitson is about to claim his third Champion Jockey’s title and should more than make up for the loss of the apprentice allowance.