Jack Milner: Heavens Girl brings Grade 1 form into Race 3 at the Vaal on Thursday and if anywhere close to peak fitness, she will be very hard to beat.
The daughter of Soft Falling Rain last raced in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m at Scottsville in June where she finished fifth, beaten 6.20 lengths behind Under Your Spell.
She is not the first horse to fail in a debut at the Pietermaritzburg track but prior to that she had produced superb results.
Paul Peter’s charge raced six times during that period for two wins, three seconds and a third. Two of those runner-up spots were also behind Under Your Spell – in the Listed Ruffian Stakes and Grade 3 Protea Stakes.
But she did get her revenge on Sean Tarry’s charge when winning the Grade 2 Fillies Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein. While Under Your Spell ran fourth, Heavens Girl did become one of only two horses to have finished ahead of Desert Miracle. Mike de Kock’s charge ran second and has since cruised to four very easy wins, all over further.
Heavens Girl will have her first race as in a three-year-old in a MR 94 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1200m and will carry top weight of 60.5kg.
Craig Zackey takes the ride.
If there are any chinks in her armour, Alula’s Star, trained by Stuart Pettigrew, will be hoping to exploit them. She started her racing career five days after turning three in August and has already racked up two wins and two seconds.
She takes a massive jump in class but with apprentice Philasande Mxoli taking an additional 2.5kg off her back, she will carry just 50kg.
It should be a fascinating encounter on what is a well-supported and competitive card.
Please take note that Race 1 tomorrow is off at 11am as part of an experiment to see if we can get the meeting completed before the arrival of lightning and thunderstorms.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 6 Dronfield, 5 Astrocyte, 2 The Hound, 1 Lulu’s Boy
Race 2: 1 La Banquiere, 6 Dancing Dora, 4 Miss United States, 9 Groundhog Day
Race 3: 1 Heavens Girl, 7 Alula’s Star, 2 Lucy In The Sky, 3 Dubawi Princess