It pays to take special heed of a biased track, as conditions are affected after plenty of rain. That was the case at Kenilworth on Saturday, with the inside portion of the sprint course lengths quicker than the middle/outside, and handy types suited in races around the turns.

Gainsford (s/s 83 +) set the trend by skating home along the inside rail far ahead of toiling rivals. Even though he was aided by the track profile he easily proved much the best and is worth following. Next it was Bad Habit (s/s 88) out-duelling Fours a Crowd as they fought out a tussle down the inner strip. Then, 20/1 outsider, Durty Nelly (s/s 91 has run 95 @ best) suddenly came to life on that same favoured part of the sprint course to knock out many exotic tickets in what proved a rough day for most punters.

Versatile mare Helen’s Ideal has run speed figures between 97 and 99 over a wide distance range when at her peak. After a few dull tries, she too took advantage of a beneficial set up to grind her Pinnacle Stakes rivals into the rain-softened turf in another long shot result.

Helen’s Ideal is now trained by Mike Stewart who landed a notable double when Icon Princess went all the way in the following race. This was a cleverly judged ride by Bernard Fayd Herbe, who dictated at a comfortable tempo before skipping clear – an ideal ruse on the Winter course with its short run in. The same ploy was used to good effect by appy, Xola Jacob’s on Meliora, as they proved impossible to catch after stealing a decisive break going through the cross-over.

A helpful hint is to make a note of horses that still ran fairly well against the track bias as the real merit of their performances will be obscured in the form book. Upgrading the efforts of these runners may reap dividends in their next few starts: On Captain’s Side, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Katie To, What A Lover and Retro Effect.

Up in Durban, Captain Fontane (s/s 96) looks very promising. He bulleted away from the opposition in the last at Greyville despite a slow start. Dean Kannemeyer’s regally bred Seventh Gear (s/s 99 +) has benefitted from being gelded and is another worth keeping on side over the next few months. Finally, the performance of The Ghan (s/s 90) in winning a Maiden from draw 14 over 1600m is worthy of an upgrade. The handsome son of Vercingetorix showed excellent gate speed to nullify the awkward barrier, before going on to win untroubled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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