Captain’s Flame attempts to make it four in a row in the McNaughtans Handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday as she continues her so far-relentless progress towards the Paddock Stakes.
“I am giving her two prep runs and this is the first of them,” says Andre Nel who has also earmarked the Jet Master on December 17 for his progressive four-year-old who faces a stiff task under top weight – even though the handicappers only raised her half a kilo for her Diana win.
She won that Durbanville Grade 3 with authority with Aldo Domeyer saluting the crowd as he began pulling her up approaching the line. She was certainly value for more than the official three-quarters of a length, particularly as it was her first race for four and a half months.
“She was pretty ready for that,” recalls her trainer who provides one of the biggest threats in Quine who is on a hat-trick. Can Captain's Flame beat this one? “It will be tough but I think she can,” answers Nel who is targeting the Victress Stakes with Sihle Cele’s mount.
However Goodtime Gal, unlucky when second in the Diana and now 2kg better, could be a different proposition. “She was baulked early in the straight and she couldn’t get a clear run. I think it cost her the race,” recalls Mike Robinson’s wife Louella. The rerun confirms this view. It’s also worth pointing out that her rider couldn’t claim that day so she is effectively 4.5kg better with the top weight.
She has since chased home Sail and The Secret Is Out, and Richard Fourie (31 today) is in inspired form.
Miss Marker is, in theory at any rate, the best handicapped of all the Diana runners. She was fourth, only 1.3 lengths behind the winner, and is a huge 6g better. But she had the smoothest of passages that day and it was her third run of the season.
You can make some sort of a case for Jane S Piddy and Moonlight ‘N Roses but it is Harlem Shake’s first outing for four months. Captain’s Flame keeps doing it, she is a class act and she gets the vote.
The sahorseracing computer says she will beat Goodtime Gal a head with Quine a neck away third and Jane S Piddy a well-beaten fourth.
The computer predicts a surprise in the Scout Paints Conditions Plate (race two) with victory going to Adorada who has little chance on adjusted ratings despite last time’s third to In Limine over this 1 800m.
There is precious little between Fear Not and Icy Fire on Final Fling running although that was in the soft. Icy Fire had much the better reappearance run and, with both Brett Crawford and Greg Cheyne doing so well, she gets the vote.
Loadshedder looks good in the first after two promising outings. “We think he is a miler but he is still pretty inexperienced so I am giving him one more run up the straight,” says Nel. “The form is standing up well.”
