Henk Steenkamp
The three-year-old filly Splicethemainbrace will be aiming at another feature victory at the Fairview Turf track on Friday.
She won three Listed races last season as a two-year-old and has already bagged the Listed Breeders Guineas and the Non-Black Type (NBT) Aloe Stakes this season.
Now Splice has the R150 000 NBT East Cape Breeders Stakes over 1200m in her sights after a break of 13 weeks.
She is unbeaten from two starts over track and trip. Champion jockey Richard Fourie will be ready to steer her to a tenth career victory for the Alan Greeff stable.
“It is a competitive race, but Splice has the class (to win),” Greeff commented.
Fourteen fillies and mares will go to post in Friday’s feature. Greeff and Gavin Smith will saddle five runners each and have a huge say.
Splice will lead the Greeff onslaught and Gimmie’s Lassie, with Craig Zackey in the saddle, is probably the pick of the Smith runners.
Gimmie’s is in fine form. She has won once and finished second once from four starts over track and trip.
“She has proven herself over track and trip. She is in a good space,” is the comment of assistant-trainer Dean Smith.
Winter Greeting, trained by Sean Tarry in Gauteng, is an interesting runner.
She ran in some strong company in the past and will be in the mix if she puts her best foot forward. Winter Greeting will have the wily Luyolo Mxothwa aboard.
The Breeders Stakes is the race of champions with many famous names on the list of past winners.
In the last eight years there have been four winners which went on to become the East Cape Horse of the Year.
They are Phedra (2023), World Radar (2020), Star Burst Galaxy (2018) and Clear Sailing (2017).
The Breeders Stakes is the first leg of the East Cape Challenge for fillies and mares.
My Best Shot, trained by Greeff, became the first horse to win all three legs of the East Cape Sophomore Challenge this season.
Can we see another Triple Crown winner?
Stormy Appeal, trained by Smith in 2003, is the only horse to have won all three legs of the Challenge for fillies and mares.
The second leg of the Challenge is the Paddock Stakes over 1600m and the third and last leg is the Jockey Club Stakes over 2000m.
Splicethemainbrace is a worthy favourite in the first leg and the best weighted horse in the race.
Although there are many challengers capable of upsetting the apple cart, she is our pick to win the Breeders Stakes.
It is race six of the eight races and off at 15:20. The meeting starts at 12:25.
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