Ironically, the Champions Fillies Stakes, which Equina will be defending, has attracted the smallest field of the seven races, with only nine horses nominated.
Although the field looks thin, the quality of the horses on show is of the highest order, with the likes of Gentle Brook, Sin Latigo and the dominant Tallie Two, who just won the Zimbabwe Republic Police Charity race, coming in to challenge Equina.
Two of the horses, Equina and Sin Latigo, are sisters and will be racing against each other for the first time. Equina was the most dominant horse in the 2013/14 season, when she won all but one of the major races on offer at Borrowdale.
Apart from the Champions Fillies Stakes, Equina also won the OK Grand Challenge and the Castle Tankard and finished second in the Republic Cup. There is also the challenge of Demitasse, Felani, Little Venice, Olympic Goal and Supa Dupa, but the older Equina and Gentle Brook appear to have an edge over the younger horses, especially when considering the distance involved.
The field with the highest number of nominations comes in the Maiden Plate, which has 29 nominations. But more encouraging is the increased number of Zimbabwean-bred horses in all seven races.
All in all there are 20 Zimbabwean horses lined up, with Captain’s Tiger the favourite to win race two. The Merit Rated 95 Handicap, which features the top horses that run in Grade One and Two has 20 nominations. Watch out for A King Is Born.
The Merit Rated 90 Handicap is race three and I have been tempted to place my bet on Zimbabwe’s Marumbala, from the Lisa Harris stable, though there is also the threat of Amy Bronkhorst’s Thriller in Manila, Kirk Swanson’s King Halal, and Corne Spies’ Hawksworth.
Bobby Boxer headlines the Merit Rated 65 Handicap and is the overwhelming favourite. Already a winner this season, Bobby Boxer who is trained by should prove too powerful in this race which will be run over 1 700 metres. But the field is littered with quality in the form of Charir’s Daughter, Mica Point, Yenta, Hollywood Babe, Sido, Tsar Nicholas, Stirling Road and Invictus.
Ghonak Terzi’s You’re So In Vain and Corne Spies Snow Call and Kirk Swanson Young Diplomat should battle for the top prize in the Merit Rated 60 Handicap, though, Autum J cannot be discounted.
Race six, the Maiden Plate, is a race for horses which have never won an event. It features Splendid Princess, Flintstone, Atso’s Girl, Skype, Playing with Fire from the Jean Blignaut stable, Khalil, Argodaba, and First Approach.
Post published in: Sport