Safe Passage (speed score 110) was ultra-impressive when scorching clear in the Grade 1 Daily News at Greyville on Saturday. He put a two-length margin between himself and closest pursuers, Pomp and Power, Aragosta and Waterberry Lane, all who got scores of 107.

The race was not that hard run early on, making the speed figures a bit of a guestimate, but it seems that Safe Passage merits this high rating, a natural improvement on his previous best of 104 in March. He quickened clear and won full of running under Muzi Yeni.

Pomp and Power (unsettled in early stages and hanging in the straight) proved no match and was out finished; Aragosta stayed on well and would have preferred a stronger pace so is one for the notebooks; Waterberry Lane was held up at the back due to suspect stamina, before making good late progress on the stand side to get fourth place.

The G1 Woolavington for fillies was laughably slow run early on with the field jogging along through glacier slow fractions. Silver Darling (s/s 95 +) raced handy (which was the right thing for Grant van Niekerk to do under the circumstances) then was quickly set alight at the top of the straight. That decisive move clinched it as the stayer, Light of the Moon (s/s 93) could only plug away for second, ahead of Sprinkles. 

My Bestie (s/s 101) is one of the most consistent horses around – measured by speed figures he repeatedly gets to the century mark. It was a clever move by the Kotzen stable to send him to PE where that sort of number is sufficiently good enough to win feature races and he duly took out the Fairview 1400m.

It was a close-run thing, however. Three-year-old Safari Blue (s/s 100 and in form, Grazinginthegrass (s/s 100) challenged the Cape raider, with Tarantino (s/s 99) and Greenlightoheaven (s/s 98) not far behind.

Glacier Gold (s/s 95) and Franca (s/s 94) continued their Eastern Cape rivalry, with the former getting the nod this time in the Milkwood Stakes. Glacier Gold has compiled a fine record under Alan Greeff’s care, very rarely missing the first two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Â