Beach Beauty, one of the darlings of South African racing, could be facing the final race of her career when she contests the R750,000 Garden Province Stakes at Greyville on Saturday.
The Garden Province Stakes is one of three G1 supporting features to the R3.5 million Vodacom Durban July.
Beach Beaut won the Garden Province last year and her trainer Denis Drfier is hoping for a repeat.;
“”You can never go into a race over confident – the biggest certainty in racing is the uncertainty – but Beach Beauty should be the filly to beat,”Drier said.Drier explained he did not want to run her in the July “just to have a runner”.
“She’s had two goes at the Met and has run in the Durban July and couldn’t do it. She’s been so good to us, but is a bit on the small side, so putting her against those horses with 59kg over 2200m would have broken her heart – and she’s got a big heart,” he said.Beach Beauty might be rising seven but she has had an ideal preparation, exactly the same as last year with a win in the Drill Hall Stakes and a second in the Gold Challenge.
She is well drawn and has come through her preparation well.The filly rated closest to Beach Beauty is Hammie’s Hooker from the Mike Bass yard. She has come to hand since arriving in KwaZulu-Natal and has won two of her three starts with ease and finished a short-head behind Jet Belle in the Poinsettia Stakes over 1200m at Clairwood, with Beach Beauty 2.25 lengths behind her.
Drier also saddles G1 Gold Medallion winner Guiness in the Golden Horseshoe for the two-year-olds.He is well weighted to repeat that performance but is poorly drawn at No 12 and there are some new additions to this race who could trouble him.
Dean Kannemeyer saddles Afrikaburn who looks well above average. He is drawn No 4 and has won over the course and distance.Mike de Kock looks to have the strongest hand in the Golden Slipper for the fillies.
He sends out G1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Alboran Sea, who looks well above average. The Australian-bred filly, to be ridden by regular jockey Muzi Yeni, jumps from barrier No 1 and could prove very hard to beat.He also saddles Love To Sail, the mount of Piere Strydom, who has won her only start, as well as Pine Princess, a winner of three of her four starts who will be ridden by Anthony Delpech.
