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Cape Town trainer Joey Ramsden has been making KwaZulu-Natal plans for some of his stable stars for the 2017 South African Champions Season and Cape Fillies Guineas winner Just Sensual looks set to drop in trip.
Ramsden said: “Anton Marcus is quite keen to have a go at the South African Fillies Sprint and I think Derek Brugman is too so we will probably run her there.
“The race is a Grade 1 whereas the Daisy Fillies Guineas is only a Grade 2 and you need a draw at Greyville. Mind you, you need one at Scottsville too!”
2016 Vodacom Durban July winner The Conglomerate looks like trying to become the first horse to win South Africa’s most famous race in successive years since El Picha at the turn of the century.
Ramsden said: “He has had a holiday, he is still off a reasonable mark and he will go much the same route as last year except that we may try a bit further with him this time.
“Table Bay will go for the Canon Guineas (May 7) and we will probably give him a run at Scottsville first.”
The colt failed to run up to his brilliant Cape Classic form when starting favourite and finishing third in both the Selangor and the Cape Guineas while he managed only sixth when second favourite for the Investec Cape Derby.
His trainer said: “I haven’t lost faith in him at all – he travelled far too well in the Derby and that was as a result of his previous two outings.”
Vaughan Marshall’s two Scottsville Grade 1 winners of last year will be back for the day of speed on May 27.
He said: “Always In Charge runs in the Pinnacle there on April 16 and then goes for the Tsogo Sun Sprint while The Secret Is Out will run in the Poinsettia on April 30 before contesting the Fillies Sprint.”
In other news Cape Town racing manager Dean Diedericks is putting special organic material into the Durbanville surface layers to stimulate grass growth and he has also installed a specially-designed irrigation system.
He said: “We are still hopeful of resuming racing there in September and October but we will make contingency plans to accommodate those 11 meetings at Kenilworth should that prove necessary.”
